My heart sank. I was already going to India. I didn't want to add another level of intensity.
When I asked more about this domestic violence shelter, the organization never responded but merely said, "We'll talk more about the details when you get here." Despite that that may sound a bit sketchy, I felt okay about it. After all, I knew that people from other cultures aren't as direct and straight forward as Westerners.
Then, when I got here different persons at the organization kept telling me different things. One person said I would be writing a report for the organization. I frowned; I just got done working on (well, semi working on) a similar item with the job I left behind in Utah. Then another person told me I would be assisting in communicating with other Western organizations. I thought that sounded nice, but didn't really understand what that would entail. And finally, when I arrived yesterday morning, I was given an actual task: write a report for a survey they would be administering this coming week.
So that's what I have been doing. I think they are expecting a one pager or something, but I'm trying to write it very professionally to include not only a description of what the survey is, but its purpose, why it is needed, the social context behind it, how it is administered, why it is formatted in so many categories and sections, what it will be used for, etc.
The only drawback to this is that I don't know a lot of this information. With differences in communication, sometimes my questions aren't understood, or I don't understand others' responses. As I've mentioned above, I've learned a while ago that not all cultures speak or communicate as straightforward as Westerners do. But this is one of my first times experiencing it…. Well, that's not true, but it's the first time I've actually needed to sift through the conversations for specific information instead of just politely listening and not needing to see where the response is going. Now, I still listen of course -it's not like what is being said is meaningless- but I have to be extra alert and willing to listen for a while. In the middle of one's explanation or story, the information for which I originally asked will eventually pop up. If not, I've learned that listening to other people will give me clues which I can piece together to have a clear picture of the topic -in this case the survey.
Ta-daa!
Well, hopefully the result will be a positive, "Ta-daa!"
But, do I like doing this kind of reporting? I wish I were doing something else. Granted, this was only my second day so I'm not sure what else I'll be doing as a volunteer. But I hear the two other volunteers' stories of teaching kids English and having fun times with women in computer training class, and I get a bit envious. Plus, they get to go out to a village outside of Pondicherry.
However, staying at the office here also has its advantages. I absolutely love the people that work there. And as I'm doing my work I'll glance up from my computer to observe the activities of staff and other workers and join them in conversations. There are several of them, and all are so kind.
…another advantage is that there is the best mango tree behind the office…
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