Here’s How A 19 Year Old Indian Girl Is Spreading Joy in Romania
This is the story of Uvika Darbari, a student of Manipal University, currently on exchange in Romania, as a Global Volunteer.
Having completed her first year in B.A. Media and Communication, 19 year old Uvika decided to do something different this summer.
A: How did you make the decision of going on an exchange program?
Uvika: “It was a sudden plan. It was a ‘why not?’ moment for me. With the help of AIESEC, I applied to projects in Egypt, Mauritius, Romania, etc. and gave my interviews. I went with Romania because I seemed to like the projects they had there”, she says.
A: What about your parents? How did they react when you said you wanted to do this?
Uvika: Parents tend to get worried and they want to know all the details. Once everything was in place, I decided to tell them and they were quite happy and supportive.
A: What is it like to live in Romania?
Uvika: Romania is a very pretty place. The food, the place and the culture — it is all beautiful. The people are extremely friendly. I had to go to a bus station. I had no clue of how to get a ticket or which station to get to, but I got by with the help of these friendly folks here.
A: Tell us something about your volunteer work.
Uvika: The project I am working for is called ‘Discover Kindergarten.’ There are different schools and volunteers need to teach the children English and expose them to new cultures. I teach the kids English, Math and play games with them. The children don’t speak English, they are only familiar with Romanian or German. It’s quite challenging while teaching because even the teachers at the school don’t really know English. I am trying to break this gap. Their lessons include poems, names of fruits and simple little things that matter.
Through teaching, I believe I am contributing to the Sustainable Developments Goals that we as a world are working towards — Quality Education is Goal №4.
A: How does this experience making you feel?
Uvika: It’s extremely different. My work is beautiful and unique from any other internship opportunities I could have possibly chosen in place of this. I am consciously developing as a leader and my communications skills are better. I have the opportunity to meet people belonging to various cultures. Having made friends in different countries, I can now say that I have a home in all these countries. This experience is altering me as a person and there is so much more of it to live!
While we will be back with more of Uvika’s encounters in Romania, you call follow her on Snapchat: uvikad and on Instagram @uvikadarbari.
Uvika Darbari from Manipal University. You could volunteer like her in another country for six weeks and live the experience of a Global Volunteer. Sign up here: bit.ly/m-gvindia
