Before coming here, I filled out a pre-evaluation stating my preferences for volunteer work. My first choice was to work with kids with special needs. However, there is another volunteer organization here and most of them volunteer at the school for special needs in Palampur. The organization also donates money to the school. When CCS asked them if I could volunteer at the school, they asked if there would be donations too. Since it was just going to be me, the volunteer, donating my time and not money, they said no to me working there. I am so glad that I got to work at the aanganwadi; I loved the placement and I don't wish that I was placed elsewhere. However, I was still curious about education for kids with special needs. One great thing about Cross Cultural Solutions is the focus they put on the interests of their volunteers. The program director had been working for weeks on getting a meeting with the school, so that I could go there and talk to the people in charge. I did this yesterday. The woman in charge had a lot of education in the area of special needs and was very devoted to the school. Her brother, who has down syndrome, is one of the students, and her motivation for doing what she does. Four years ago, when the school opened, she went door-to-door in Palampur, trying to convince parents to send their kids to the school. Most of them, she said, are ashamed of their children, and just leave them in the house all day. Now, after four years, parents have seen the abilities of their children improve and are surprised that their children are capable of doing much more than they originally thought. Still, there are many parents that refuse to send their kids to school. And there are many other places in India that lack a school like the one here. It's not a government-initiated project, and most of the funding is private. The government seems to indirectly fund this school but someone locally must choose to begin a school. The government does not allow kids with special needs an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) like they do in America. They aren't allowed into most public schools and if there does not exist a special needs school like there is here, the kids don't ever attend school.

Today should have been my second-to-last day of work but the school was closed. All the aanganwadi teachers and teacher's aids throughout India are demanding higher salaries and today they held a rally in Palampur.

Tomorrow, I'll bring sweets for the kids and say my good-byes. :( Then I'm off to Delhi, Agra (to see the Taj Mahal) and Thailand for four days.

I still have more travels ahead of me and I'm incredibly excited for them. It's bittersweet, though. I am saying good-bye to an amazing four weeks in this small and beloved town. I'll miss Palampur and the children very, very much. On the other hand, I look forward to seeing friends, family and my boyfriend. I will appreciate taking a warm shower and knowing the water won't stop while my hair is full of shampoo. I'll enjoy some dark chocolate, since they only have milk chocolate here! Although I know I'll never give up the convenience of having a cell phone, I don't really look forward to that, or TV, or computer access at all times. I will really miss the delicious food here and the chai. I'll miss wearing a salwaar kameez, which I've grown accustomed to wearing. I won't miss running in pants in the blazing heat. (We can't wear shorts here...people will be offended and we've actually been told by the company that we can't wear them outside.) I am very excited for public garbage cans! I just ate an iced cream cone and wrapped up the remains to take home to throw away. But a man in a shop made me throw it in the gutter. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "litter bugs me." It really does! I hate the feeling of adding to the pollution. I'm going to pick up something from the road later and throw it away at the home-base, where there is a garbage can, but I'm not certain that the trash doesn't end up in the gutter anyway. Yes, I will appreciate garbage cans and waste management forevermore.

Even though my volunteer work is nearly over, I hope that it stays with me for a long time. I love teaching. Seeing progress in learning and the feeling of accomplishment on the faces of students is one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. I'm not sure how much these children will remember, if anything, from the four weeks I spent with them. Their aanganwadi will continue to be a small box, not even 100 square feet with one window, no electricity, and no bathroom. Their teacher, the aid, and all the women from the village will continue to hit them when they're naughty. The children that are slower to learn will probably continue to be ignored and fall farther and farther behind. But I hope that the teacher may use some of my ideas in the future. I hope they'll remember that we were effective teachers even though we didn't hit the children to get their attention. And I hope the parents who I've met realize that someone from another country far away cares about the education of their child. I hope that thinking about education, allowing oneself to be influenced by another culture, and reflecting on one's own culture, happened on both sides. As cheesy as it sounds, I strongly believe that this type of cultural exchange is one of the best kinds. I saved $5 a day for almost three years, which allowed me to resign from my three-year job at Cure Autism Now/Autism Speaks and take the summer off to do this. However, many volunteers take advantage of Cross Cultural Solutions' fundraising website. You can post your photo and send personalized emails through the site, asking people to make a tax-deductible donation in support of your volunteer work abroad. The website is http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/. The opportunity and privilege of working abroad can't be matched by any other type of travel, in my opinion. Okay, my infomercial is over. And so is my posting. :)