India as my school

When I arrived at a small airport in Bhuj, Gujarat, I just had my backpack on my back, PC in my right hand, and big old satellite phone in my left hand. The small airplane that I took was full of huge guys from a German emergency rescue team and I was so excited. It was winter 2001, and it was my first time visiting India.


My 2-years of studying in the UK was just about to end, and I was writing my dissertation for my Master's degree in Japan, when I received a call from a Japanese NGO asking me to go to India for post-earthquake relief work involing as erecting tents and providing necessity items. At the end of January 2001, a huge earthquake hit the State of Gujarat, India and thousands of people lost their family members and houses. I was tired of being surrounded by piles of books, writing my dissertation, I just wanted to have field experiences! I studied humanitarian assistances for years, and I believed I could help many people. I was supposed to start working for the NGO two weeks later, but had no hesitation to go to India immediately.


It did not take time for me to realize how stupid I was. If "stupid" is not the right word, I should say I had been "overestimating" my ability to work.


I thought I could use English there, but most of the local people in Bhuj could not speak English. Some of them did, but with a strong Indian accent. "Speaking English" was not enough to work there. I had severe strong stomachaches for a long time, and it was very tough to visit earthquake-affect villages for finding the most hard-hit poeple. My negotiation skills in English were not good, so I felt like people were ripping me off. I could not believe in people or myself, and felt very lonely. I needed to find ways to "communicate" with local people.


While I started to learn local languages step by step, I tried to communicate in English in various situations. I needed to negotiate with shopkeepers to buy relief items, including mosquito nets at reasonable prices, not just for saving money, but for also providing as many as possible with supplies. I could not give up. I tried to maintain good eye contact when I spoke in English. If I saw in people's eyes that they did not understand what I had said, I use different words. Gradually, I was able to communicate with people better, and I started to enjoy working there. In the evening, I visited some of the tents that me
worked on, and had long conversations over tea with local people with cups of tea. In those conversations, I learned about the local culture and environment and I tried to find what I could do for them.


9 months later, I finished my work there and said good-bye to the local people I worked with. One of the villages I had worked for organized a farewell festival for me. I wore local clothes, and danced with villagers.


In many ways, India is my school of communication in English, is wellas my school for working with people. I am still learning how to better communicate in English and realize I have a long way to go; however, I feel strong now because of my experiences in India. Whenever I meet new people in new places at work, I remember my hot and dusty days in India and start speaking in English.




▼▽▼▼椎名さんの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【High motivation is a key of success?!】2008.10.20 (Mon)
・【Iraqi refugees in Jordan- part one】2008.11.17 (Mon)
・【Iraqi refugees in Jordan- part two】2008.12.08 (Mon)

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