Cassie - a volunteer from Australia

17th January, 2010

Wow... 3 months at SISP and I’m still in awe of the place! How all those big smiles and larger than life personalities all fit into one harmonious place amazes me.

What caught me first was the children’s ease and eagerness to let you in. And the teachers have such passion and willingness to accommodate. I have learnt so much from the children, from learning how to eat with my hands (which I hope to introduce to the dinner table back home) to realising us humans really did evolve from monkeys (some of the students can climb coconut trees very efficiently)!

My favourite (or least favourite, I’m still not sure) day was the yearly ‘competition’ celebrations day. Filled to the brim with pillow fights, tug of war, dancing, singing, etc.I was asked to participate in a staff sprint relay against some of the women from social work. Looking at them in there saris and sweet timid nature I thought I was going to have it easy! I was HUGELY mistaken. They all put up a fight, especially Deepa who gave it just about everything she had and nearly fainted; it seems just about everyone at SISP enjoys a challenge. Which is why I think it works so well.

My role at SISP varied between sports, creative, computers, surfing, but mostly I worked closely with 2 students Vimal and Vimala and I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity. Every day brought new challenges and experiences but I always walked out of SISP with a smile. I will miss this place and all the people that make SISP so special.