By Divyana Das
I’ve never really been good with kids. It’s like I never know what to say or how to interact with them. Perhaps it's because I was the youngest in my family growing up. So, when my co-interns and I came up with the After School Club project, I was as nervous to work with the kids as I was excited. Moreover, the whole online situation and the geographical differences made the whole arrangement look a lot more daunting than it already was. Yet, before I realized it I had become so accustomed to being greeted every Friday and Saturday with their “Goodafternoon Teacher(s)” that my coming weeks post-internship are starting to look a little lonely.
Since Maharashtra was one of the worst affected states in the country, I have not once been to college physically. Therefore, the only way to gain any practical experience comes from working for internships. This is the reason I was really happy to have a chance to work in such an involved manner with the Foundation. I made a lot of mistakes but at the end of the day seeing the results of my efforts made me feel really good. I got to interact and work with some of the most amazing people I have come across in my life. This made me look forward to working more in the future and going to different places, especially visiting the Aarey region when the situation permits.
This was the second time I was interning with an NGO, and as exciting as commercial-industry internships are, NGO internships always have a different sense of gratification.Working with the kids was perhaps one of the biggest eye-openers I had. I learnt so much and my perspectives changed on so many matters. I feel I probably had more fun with the kids during their sessions than the other way around! That feeling when they eventually warmed up to us is something that is so precious that I can never forget. This pandemic has been hard on all of us and I hadn’t realized that there were a lot of things I had forgotten about or become complacent of. Planning for each of their sessions every week was as mind-boggling as it could get. Trying to figure out how to make it fun for them, how to get them to interact, all of these things got me rushing through most of my time yet when I saw how much these kids enjoyed these sessions suddenly everything felt simpler.
One of my most favorite lines is from the book ‘Alice in the Wonderland’ by Lewis Caroll - “I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then.” Over the course of the past six weeks, I have indeed changed and it has become an unforgettable experience. Something for which I am extremely grateful for to the Naata Foundation and all the people who I worked with during this time.
Reach out to us at naatasop@gmail.com if you'd like to volunteer.
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