Experience:
Organisation:
Name: Charlie
Hometown: Rugby
Destination: Darjeeling, India
Project type: Teaching English
Organisation: Gap Activity Projects (now called Lattitude)
What were your impressions of your destination?
Fantastic! Darjeeling was so different from the rest of India. Not just the climate (freezing...) but the people and the atmosphere are much more relaxed.
Was the work interesting and challenging?
I only had an average of two hours of teaching per day! However, since I was living in a Buddhist monastery, most of my time was spent just hanging out with the monks, and in fact I'm sure they learnt a lot more from me through this than the classroom. In return I got to learn about Buddhism and a completely unfamiliar way of life.
What was your accommodation like? Did you feel comfortable and welcome at all times?
It was cold but it was home! I could not have been made more welcomed by the monks; they were incredibly friendly.
Were you happy with the organisation and the staff that were responsible for you during your stay?
Yes - we had a local contact called Sonam who was fantastic, helpful and extrememly generous with tea and food! We were also visited by the project manager who came over from the UK...a hilarious old guy who seemed to be living in the colonial era.
Do you feel that you got value for money on the project?
Yes - a fantastic experience and four months food and accomodation made it more than worth the £1000.
Would you recommend the project to others?
Yes
