Volunteer Experiences

The night of my arrival in Mumbai, after Lee picked me up from the airport, I wrote down a few words of first impression in my little diary: 'heat, smog, a huge amount of people, funny small yellow & black cabs and chaotic traffic!' When I woke up the next morning I observed the city by day, these impressions were even more intense. After this first day traveling around the city I was exhausted but I wrote in my diary: 'I'm sure I'm going to fall in love with this city...'

And I did. Living in one of the most populated cities in the world, a melting-pot of different cultures and religions, gave me a special feeling. Mumbai is a great paradox, the first and the third world are inseparable connected. The slums can crop up anywhere and stare you right in the face everyday, for example alongside the railroad track. These slums are existing in stark contrast to the life style of the rich and the famous, living in premium real estate an going to the trendy bars and expensive designer clothes shops (which are established on every corner of the street, sometimes only on a few meters distance from the slum areas). Switching between both worlds is part of life in Mumbai and it kept me into reality.

My work for CHIP – a partner of Atma Mumbai- was the best part of my Mumbai experience. From the first day I met the manager Novela, I was so happy to have her as my colleague! She is energetic, funny and extremely ambitious. Nothing seems impossible to her, and that really inspired me. In every single detail of daily life, Novela sees possible events or ideas for CHIP. I will always remember Novela's dedication and straight enthusiasm, and try to implement this as values in my own life as well.
Though CHIP is a small organization, it's receiving more and more (international) volunteering requests - which resulted in a team of volunteers from all around the world. Organizing charity events with Beth from the US, joining a coffee morning with the French Anne and having a meeting with the Australian Jill... I never expected to meet this many volunteer-colleagues in an organization as small as CHIP! It made work absolutely more dynamic and we had lots of fun during work and drinks afterwards. Never a dull moment at CHIP!

Now it's almost time to leave, I feel like extra conscious of all my surroundings. Suddenly I see more poverty than ever before, and I realized that I got a certain kind of immunity for it by the time I lived here. That scares me in a way, although I know it's a normal human reaction.
I will always remember the energy and beauty of the city. Trying to enter the local train during chaotic and spectacular rush hour; watching Bollywood movies in the cinema together with singing and dancing fans; feeling the breeze during an auto-rickshaw ride; the tourists and the colonial architecture in Colaba and the smell of chai in the morning....
I can't wait to come back!

Kirsten van Zandwijk
The Netherlands