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Hey AIESEC,
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – said Gandhi.
Being a volunteer will never waste your time; instead, it will provide you with hundreds of benefits that will propel you to success in your life. It was clearly grasped by Kalinga Palipana, one of our exchange participants traveled to India for a global volunteering project. It excites him and us to know his incredible and adventurous journey entwined with his love of Indian people and culture. It tends him to start a new chapter, which is his next level, and takes him out of his comfort zone.
Kalinga went on a project based on the 4th SDG, Quality Education, much for the interest and faith he gained in teaching and traveling. He joined the project Worldview-Educate India and worked in Delhi Public School. The six weeks he spent there was filled with amazing memories with kiddos in Delhi public school. Though it was a challenging period, he enjoyed the bright smiles of little children, which inspired him to explore the beauty of Indian culture. Since he was interested in honing his skills while exploring, he stepped there to feed his wanderlust. The opportunity he got to travel motivated him a lot to complete this journey.
He started sharing his remarkable story by flashing back to the memories of the school, where he played a vital role in enhancing children’s education. “Delhi Public School(Known as DPS) was the school I carried out my volunteer project. It is in the 11th sector of Gurugram, Delhi. My role was to work as an assistant teacher for the children in the Montessori while teaching them basic English and Math. Though it was my main responsibility, I had to teach them how to write numbers and letters and form words by adding letters. Not only that, but also I had to engage with their daily activities. Such as helping them to get lunch, taking them to the sanitary facilities, playing with them etc. In addition to that, I had to showcase our culture, which was a proud moment. So I did many lessons to teach them about our culture, religions, festivals, travel destinations etc. “
His opinion was overwhelmed with the love of the tiny faces and chatty kids. He expressed how he was relieved because of the little kids and their laughter every morning throughout the conversation. The way they followed him all the day and love they gave inspired him to spend the day. Despite the fact that they were not even fluent in Hindi, the enormous effort he put in was valued by him because of the loving faces of kids. He was cherished at the very first moment he stepped into the Indira Gandhi National Airport. ”I felt like a mature person going to live in this large country for 6 weeks without seeing anyone in the comfort zone. I love this moment because I’m the one who is going to take care of myself and be responsible. When I saw snow for the first time in my life at Manali, I could not bear my happiness. Since childhood, I’ve always wanted to see what snow looks like and how it feels.” The words that came out attempted to express his sentiments in various ways.
Rather than engaging in project-related activities, he enjoyed India a lot. He enjoyed sharing about the time he spent with his roommates from different countries at the terrace of the hotel they lived in. “At every midnight, we shared things about our countries, cultures, history, education system, etc.” After the school hours, he enjoyed going out with friends, visiting eye-catching destinations and the best part was the time sun went down when they start hunting for street food. Kalinga is overwhelmed with more than 100 varieties of street food, each with a distinct flavour that he will never forget.
Beyond the experiences, the skills he improved and discovered are limitless. Being a responsible person for 6 weeks realized him how to live life properly with his own guidance. He uncovered his hidden potential, and it revealed who he truly is. “This challenging environment improved my leadership skills, self-awareness, effective problem-solving skills, communication skills, critical thinking, creativity and myself.” Also, he didn’t forget to mention how much his English knowledge and social skills, including public speaking, have improved. Since global volunteering is a precious opportunity that one can explore oneself and strengthen leadership skills, it can make a positive impact on society too. As Kalinga mentioned, knowing each other’s cultures eventually led to mutual respect for each other countries, cultures, religions and what they believe. That’s how AIESEC contributes to the peace of humanity. He emphasizes the affordable cost that one has to bear during this period to entice more young leaders to participate in these projects. Furthermore, he said, “this will add extra value to your CV. The experience you get in there is unpriced and extraordinary. This experience allows you to step up into the cooperative world where you can experience the business environment to get first-hand professional involvement, which helps broaden your future careers.”
In concluding his story, he wanted to leave a vital message to the future young leaders.” The world awaits you. Step out of your comfort zone and unleash your potential where it needs while gearing up yourself. If you believe that you’re a genuinely passionate and potential individual who has the capacity to make a positive impact in the world while developing yourselves? So, why are you waiting? If you are a daring person, seize this incredible opportunity to collect the most precious memories of your life with Global Volunteering.”
Make sure to enter the institute/university as University of Ruhuna
❤