My First Ever Field Work Experience!
I have been collaborating remotely with ShivaMaya for months now, but the prospect of going out in the field and actually getting some hands-on experience was really exciting for me. India and the people there were like a warm embrace. The moment I arrived, I knew that I had found my second home. The sights and smells here are very different, but not at all unpleasant. I couldn't wait to go out and interact with the wonderful people here and learn from their incredible experiences. Under our flagship project - Durjaya, we had arranged a fun workshop with the kids living in a slum in Kolkata. This workshop is sort of an introductory session after which our volunteers will conduct regular classes with them, providing help with their studies, Spoken-English and personality development.
On a warm, sunny afternoon, ShivaMaya teamed-up with Devi Sangha club in the Jodhpur Park area of Kolkata, ready to bring smiles and gifts to local schoolchildren ranging from first to ninth grades. To describe the children as eager and excited would be an understatement. So ready to see what games and prizes we had in store for them, it soon became a challenge to keep the kids’ energy at bay, but fortunately we did not disappoint their thirst for fun.
Our first “hot potato” style game had the kids passing a ball around as fast as they could until the music stopped, knocking out whoever was holding the ball at that moment one at a time until only the winner remained. The tension that builds each round breaks as soon as the song stops and the boys and girls erupt in laughter, even the one just ousted. It isn’t long before we have our winner, but all the laughter and music playing have caught the attention of other young kids in the area who quickly come to join in the fun. So many, in fact, that we began to worry about having enough gifts for them all.
Challenged next with drawing a tail on a mouse in the right spot while blindfolded, the excitement continues to ramp up. Eager for their turn at the drawing board, the onlookers giggle as their friends attempt to get the tail just right, only to have the blindfolded one join the laughter upon seeing the results. By now the kids had become so excited we were struggling to keep them from collectively overrunning the drawing board.
Our final game put the kids’ memories to the test. Tasked with memorizing a tableful of household items and then reciting which items were removed, whoever could recall the most items would be the winner. Again, the excitement was so rampant that we had to remind the kids not to shout their answers so loud that the others could hear. Still, helping out I was able to add at least a couple of words to my (albeit limited) repertoire of Bengali.
The day wraps up with the handing out of prizes.The parents of the children who had been watching (and occasionally helping) were grateful to see their young ones having such a fun day and came up to us afterwards to both thank us and ask about when we would be returning. My first field work turned out to be the most rewarding experience ever. I was elated to see the great work that ShivaMaya is doing. I had been remotely coordinating project Durjaya for months. But being there and helping out with the actual workshop was overwhelming. It all seemed so surreal. ShivaMaya will be elsewhere tomorrow conducting yoga lessons, but I sure look forward to getting back there to see those kids again and, of course, meeting many more all over Kolkata.
