Sharanam was a unique and different experience during this summer break. When my parents told me I would have to do some service hours in the summer, I was a little concerned about it to be honest. As a teenager I was looking forward to spending a relaxing summer. But was I wrong about my expectations of volunteering at Sharanam which is a home for less fortunate young kids (we visited the center for girls) in Mumbai, India.

From day 1, I enjoyed being at the center.  I enjoyed interacting with the kids at Sharanam.  seemed to enjoy sharing each other’s experience and culture as much as I did. I did the reading with Rebecca. Although she studied in Hindi (Indian national language) , I must say she did pretty well reading at her level in English. Also Rebecca was very smart at robotics and I was very impressed by her interest and expertise in assembling the Lego mindstorms EV3 robot (for a girl who had never played with robots). I was not surprised when she told me that she wanted to be an engineer (way to go Rebecca!)

Also, they taught us Indian dance. Namrata was very friendly and helpful and Shiny was the leader in teaching us dance. It was super fun to interact with the little girls, Praachi, Margaret, Bakhti, Nikita. They were so friendly, loving and eager to share.

We read and played games and learned about each other. We were able to connect on many different levels. We also had a field trip to the beach, did pony rides, played basketball with the kids, and ate delicious food. The kids loved the beach and playing with the waves. Mumbai is awesome in the monsoons.

It was great to see their involvement in academics and sports. I was so thankful for this trip and will always be a pleasant experience for me.  I will cherish my experience and I hope to see them again. I cannot wait for my next trip to Sharanam.

Haiku By Ryan

My time there was great

The girls there had a lot of fun

I want to go back