Staff Information:
Name: Fiona Morgan
Age: 25 Job role: Search Marketing Assistant
So in thirteen days I will be heading off to India, leaving a job I’m just starting to develop into and people I care about. This will be the first time in my life time I have ever lived in a third world country for an extended about of time, ten weeks to be exact.
I am going as part of a team from Platform 2. Our project is based in the Indian Himalayas in the state Himachal Pradesh. We will be flying into Delhi, then travelling to Jaipur for a three day orientation, then onwards up to the project site. This will involve a 3-4 hour bus journey and an overnight train, as far as I am aware. I can’t wait the joys of Indian transport for such lengths of time, this I am sure will be an experience in itself.
We will be working and living in the village of Kandi, the project is aimed to help the community in the ways they feel would be beneficial to them, so that could range from teaching to building or conservation work.
This will be such an exciting time for me, testing my ability to be flexible, change and adapt to my surroundings, whilst utilising the tools I have to help the community I am being placed with.
This means so much to me, to actually be able to give back and in my own way make a difference, not just donating the obligatory two pounds a month to a charity with almost closed eyes, and not really wondering where the money goes, how it makes a difference or the impact it has on people and their communities. Instead now I will be there, hands on, interacting with them and hopefully learning from them whilst in my own way helping the community to be in a better situation.
I have to be careful as I am in danger of getting quickly on my activist horse and riding you all down with the major concerns facing us all as a global community, and how our brothers and sisters live. Needless to say these three months are about making a difference, helping to create change and drum up awareness to those who are yet to see the way in which some people are forced to live.
Ok so campaigner hat firmly taken off! I will hopefully be able to update my blog whilst on my travels, and on my return I will be able to load up lots of photos and bore you all to sleep! Lol! The only thing left now for me to consider is taking my last Hep B jab, to start my anti malarias and how the heck I’m going to fit 3 months worth of belongings into a 60 Litre Rucksack. All suggestions will be appreciated!!
Photo of Kandi taken from Ankit Varshneya on Flickr
