Vis(j)a, visnee

So as we would like to have this fairy-tale to be continued, we should start and get organized.

Where to start? Tickets? Visa? Insurance? Vaccinations?Where to volunteer???

We started to read about the visa that was quite a lot. And be aware that if you order for the wrong one, bad things can happen!! OMG!!! So many websites claim to be the real indianvisa organisation, all with other recommendations... at the embassy website there were more warnings of fake sides, wrong applications and wrong visa.

They scary us, because who like to have problems with Indian government/police??? What to do because a normal Tourist visa wouldn’t be good enough… we visit the visa information centre for some questions, well we only got more confused, not very helpful. Also where our contacts in Mumbai very secure about the tourist visa…..

We felt the pressure getting bigger, so we decided to go the easy road. And it really was easy. I definitely don’t suggest everybody should take the same discussion, I think everybody need to decide themselves.

At the meanwhile I was searching for an organisation to do my volunteering. I got some advice here and there, and I searched on the web. It was there where I saw the article “Why I regret my volunteering in India” (it is in Dutch). For me it was a very interesting article about volunteering, it was eye opening! This is not what I wanted!!!

But now what? Being aware that my expertise is working with children, but exposing those young children to bonding and then breaking up again (and again and again) is not very healthy. They will not be able to really bond, because they learned, that everybody leaves. I do not want to support this unhealthy bonding for kids. But what could I do???

Online I saw some advice in fair tourist tour guides (BetterPlaces), this sounded good and as I examined there website I found they did have volunteers as well. Wow!

Reality Gives felt good on the first moment. I really felt this could be the NGO I was looking for! They had several projects in Mumbai as well in Delhi and other places in India. It all started with the tours, Reality tours and travel, providing locals the benefit of tourist visiting there community. When their tour and guides work expanded they started the NGO Reality Gives.

After I double checked every part of their website, I decided to fill in the volunteer application form. A lot of pages to be filled in but I also needed references, 4 to be exact. I was surprised how quickly I found these referents, willing to help me in such a short notice! Thank you! Markus, Sabine, Els and Sinem!
            Before I send the form, I made contact to ask them where I could send my apply. They replied and: I couldn’t aply because they only had volunteers for 4 month minimum!

Nooooooooo, now what!??? I felt confused, what to do next? Because this felt so good… where to go next???

In devastation I replied to them:

Dear Reality Gives team,

Thank you for the quick response.

That is such a pity but totally understandable.

The thing is I'm at Mumbai anyway. So I will send you my application form and CV. I think I could be of some help and I really don't have high expectations. If you still don't think I can be of any help, I won’t bother you anymore and I will visit one of the tours there are in Mumbai. It is just that I'm very motivated to help this organisation.

I'm an experienced kindergarten teacher, for 10 years, in the Netherlands and Germany and a voluntary work of 7 weeks in South Africa. I'm 34 years old.

I'm quite picky on the organisation I want to work on. As I'm concerned about tourism-volunteering. That is not what I want. If there are no opportunities, could you connect me with an organisation which is aware of this "problem"?

Thank you so much, and sorry that I am so stubborn. ;)

Now it was just waiting for their reply…. Waiting…. Waiting…