Global Crossroad Volunteer Clare India Review

I arrived in India just to do the 2 weeks Language and Culture program run by Global crossroad but now that its time to leave I wish I could have stayed longer. I have really been looked after well (and fed well) I really don't want to leave. Both John and Abha have been wonderful, no question or request is too big or too small to ask of them and I really-really thank these 2 wonderful people for making my stay in India so amazing. I was quite worried about coming to India alone & as a woman but they really eased me into the country, held my hand so to speak.

Hostel: I don't mind spicy food but a western idea of spicy is far different to the Indian one, but the "cook" suited the food to our `western' palette so there were no problems & it was always delicious. The hostel is new and very-very clean with lovely airy rooms and clean modern facilities i.e. bathroom, kitchen, common room etc. It is the nicest volunteering hostel I have been ever in.

Project: The projects (Anusaran's: Non-formal education for poor children, Adult Literacy prog. and Women's empowerment prog.) seem rather new and John & Abha seem to have a lot of new things coming up. As the projects develop more and more volunteers will be needed to maintain and further develop these projects and getting in now i.e. early would be a great way to become part of plans that will grow and flourish in the near future, VERY REWARDING!

Delhi - Agra - Jaipur Tour: (Delhi Trip): John took us on the Delhi trip personally and a great day was had by all. We covered A LOT of Delhi and it was really nice to have help as getting around can be difficult for tourists. It was fantastic we all arrived back at the hostel after dark and fell into our beds exhausted after a really memorable day. Big thanks to John putting those finely tuned Delhi driving skills to the test in the notoriously bad traffic of Old Delhi. Agra & Jaipur tour was amazing!

Making It More Effective: I think the program is fine however I now believe that to make volunteering worthwhile for the really needy, volunteers should really consider coming for an extended period (4-6 months minimum). This way the volunteers can really give to their projects rather then just get in the way of the teachers and workers who are really devoting their lives to the project.

Thank you for making my stay great!
Clare (Australia)