Winding down; 6 days!

So here I am with only 6 days left before leaving for India. Not too much has happened within the last blog, except some last minute shopping and just really normal things I guess. But, I did finally receive my placement!

So I received news about my placement; it wasn't exactly what I had wanted but I'm happy now with it being that I know more about it now. I've been placed, along with another volunteer, to help out with an organization called "Woman's Team Badlav Ki Aur". This organization, though newly created 8 months ago, has a strong mission and goal. The organization, nestled in the village Khaniyara, focuses on helping women between the ages of 14-22 to learn conversational English, basic computer skills and other skills that may lead them to live better lives. Most of these women come from low or middle-class socio-economic backgrounds and have dropped out of school or college in order to learn English, computer and other skills.

My duty as a volunteer is to: support women in their pursuit of healthy and sustainable livelihoods; engage in discussions and exchange ideas on issues such as family health, women's rights, access to resources, income generation, etc; collaborate and support women on ongoing projects; teach conversational English and pronounciation; teach basic computer skills; and be a positive role model.

Even though it kind of sounds like a lot, most of it I guess intertwines with one another. I'm excited for this placement because I'll be able to teach English, which I really wanted to do, and most likely will be able to pick up Hindi from the women. Whether it is listening to their stories or just trying to talk with them one on one; I'm ready for the challenge.

So for these 6 days left. In that time I plan to: A) Have a get together with zome High School friends; B) Get my shots on Monday (which I'm dreading); C) Read, read, read; D) Pack; of course!; E) Study some more Hindi and F) Just over all prepare myself for this long flight with jetlag since there is a 10 1/2 hour time difference between New York and Dharamsala.

Time to prepare myself for spicy food, monsoon rain, a Hindi-speaking atmosphere, the Indian heat and a great experience!