My return to the US has been bittersweet. I am happy to be with my family again, however, I was finally acclimating to my new way of life in India. There are many things I miss from India and one of them is the CCS staff! I had a wonderful experience working with Cross Cultural Solutions and especially the New Delhi staff. Walking into the office was like walking into my own house. The kitchen was adjacent to the front door and I would see Pavan or Suresh Bhai preparing one of our meals (or if I played my cards correctly arrive just in time for chai {tea})!
On the left side of the room was the sitting area complete with couches, TV, and coffee tables where we would hang out (or on a stressful day-crash!) or watch the staff engrossed over their latest obsession: Ludo (our version of the board game: Sorry!), on the right hand side of the room was the dining area. Through the doorway and in the next 3 rooms is where the offices were and we had no issues walking in, sitting down, and chatting with whoever happened to be in the office. I never ever felt like I was disrupting the work day and I secretly feel that if given the choice the staff would have rather been sitting around chatting than working they were always so curious to hear about our day and our experiences, All in all it was a great atmosphere for the volunteers since the Delhi staff made sure that we always felt welcome. The staff had a core group of guys lead by the Director: Bella. It was obvious from the get go that the staff and the volunteers had great respect for Bella, while at the same time no one would blink an eye when she joined a game of Ludo or if we would waltz in her office unannounced to chat with her about a problem or relaying the exciting details of a weekend trip. Next in line was Juggi the program director. He has a great sense of humor and he was such a good sport because I teased him mercilessly (he was the Indian replacement for my brother Daniel!) he was also always willing to drop whatever he was doing when we came in to see him. Then there was Lalit, a very patient guy who was a program coordinator. He would arrange our excursions and speakers. He also was in charge of our Hindi lessons and did a wonderful job translating the phrases we would need at our work sites and repeat them over and over until we could pronounce them correctly. Vicky was in charge of accounts, he came off as a quiet guy but surprised us with his witty comebacks and comments and he held his own when it came to my teasing spells :-) He always had good advice when it came tips for visiting tourist sites and markets. Pawan and Suresh Bhai were our chefs and they are utterly responsible for my weight gain. The food was so delicious and varied that I never felt the need to go out for dinner and I always looked forward to their meals. My favorite meal was tandoori night and Pawan even let me throw a piece of naan bread in the tandoori oven outside. They even took requests and I was in 7th Heaven when they made me idlis and dosas for lunch one day. It was little gestures like that that really made my trip special I ceased to feel like a tourist, a westerner, an outsider, a what-have-you, and felt like part of the family! Ekraj and Satinder did an amazing job keeping our flat clean and well stocked. Our fruit bowl was never empty and we always had fresh linens, what more could I ask for? Kewal and Sunil were our drivers. One of my favorite parts of CCS was our morning commute to our work sites. It took weeks for me to figure out the rules of the road and I never ever felt unsafe when I was with the guys. I have to say that Sunil figured me out right away and teased me just as badly as I teased everyone else. He had a great sense of humor and an impish grin that always lead me to think he was plotting a prank!
I have been telling people back here in the States that I now have family back in New Delhi, each one of these guys is like a brother to me (with Bella taking on an aunt like role- not over baring or controlling but willing to step back and let us discover things for ourselves) and they are all responsible for making my trip a life changing experience instead of just another vacation. I miss them already :-/
On the left side of the room was the sitting area complete with couches, TV, and coffee tables where we would hang out (or on a stressful day-crash!) or watch the staff engrossed over their latest obsession: Ludo (our version of the board game: Sorry!), on the right hand side of the room was the dining area. Through the doorway and in the next 3 rooms is where the offices were and we had no issues walking in, sitting down, and chatting with whoever happened to be in the office. I never ever felt like I was disrupting the work day and I secretly feel that if given the choice the staff would have rather been sitting around chatting than working they were always so curious to hear about our day and our experiences, All in all it was a great atmosphere for the volunteers since the Delhi staff made sure that we always felt welcome. The staff had a core group of guys lead by the Director: Bella. It was obvious from the get go that the staff and the volunteers had great respect for Bella, while at the same time no one would blink an eye when she joined a game of Ludo or if we would waltz in her office unannounced to chat with her about a problem or relaying the exciting details of a weekend trip. Next in line was Juggi the program director. He has a great sense of humor and he was such a good sport because I teased him mercilessly (he was the Indian replacement for my brother Daniel!) he was also always willing to drop whatever he was doing when we came in to see him. Then there was Lalit, a very patient guy who was a program coordinator. He would arrange our excursions and speakers. He also was in charge of our Hindi lessons and did a wonderful job translating the phrases we would need at our work sites and repeat them over and over until we could pronounce them correctly. Vicky was in charge of accounts, he came off as a quiet guy but surprised us with his witty comebacks and comments and he held his own when it came to my teasing spells :-) He always had good advice when it came tips for visiting tourist sites and markets. Pawan and Suresh Bhai were our chefs and they are utterly responsible for my weight gain. The food was so delicious and varied that I never felt the need to go out for dinner and I always looked forward to their meals. My favorite meal was tandoori night and Pawan even let me throw a piece of naan bread in the tandoori oven outside. They even took requests and I was in 7th Heaven when they made me idlis and dosas for lunch one day. It was little gestures like that that really made my trip special I ceased to feel like a tourist, a westerner, an outsider, a what-have-you, and felt like part of the family! Ekraj and Satinder did an amazing job keeping our flat clean and well stocked. Our fruit bowl was never empty and we always had fresh linens, what more could I ask for? Kewal and Sunil were our drivers. One of my favorite parts of CCS was our morning commute to our work sites. It took weeks for me to figure out the rules of the road and I never ever felt unsafe when I was with the guys. I have to say that Sunil figured me out right away and teased me just as badly as I teased everyone else. He had a great sense of humor and an impish grin that always lead me to think he was plotting a prank!
I have been telling people back here in the States that I now have family back in New Delhi, each one of these guys is like a brother to me (with Bella taking on an aunt like role- not over baring or controlling but willing to step back and let us discover things for ourselves) and they are all responsible for making my trip a life changing experience instead of just another vacation. I miss them already :-/
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