All about my AIESEC project and why YOU absolutely need to go on one!

My AIESEC internship is an experience I will always feel short of words for. It was a ‘one and a half’ month period of my life that taught me about myself more than I learnt the past 20 years. Well, it’s gonna be difficult describing it in an essay here since its a pool of emotions that take at least an hour or two of me blabbering, maybe even a tear shedding but YES OKAY LET’S TRY!

When I had applied to a project for AIESEC, little did I know that it would change my life completely? All that I knew was that it was a youth organization somehow connected to the United Nations and I would be doing social work. Well for basics and for people who have no idea about it, as stated by their official site,

“AIESEC is a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation in consultative status with the United Nations Economic

and Social Council (ECOSOC), affiliated with the UN DPI, member of ICMYO, and is recognized by UNESCO.”

Also Read: How to Prepare for Campus Placements

I had sent out an application and a video interview illustrating why I should be selected for an opportunity in Greece highlighting my strengths and world views.

My AIESEC project in Athens, Greece was International Kindergarten, ‘Grandma’s Garden’. The project revolved around the tenth Sustainable Development Goal, ‘Removing Inequalities’ and I had to work on cross-cultural interactions and removing xenophobia with kids from the age of 2.5 to 4 years through various activities for 6 weeks. Seems interesting and it sure as hell was! To my surprise, I got selected in the first go! Eventually, over the next few months before Jan 2019, I got busy in the visa, tickets, shopping and all the essentials.

5 Jan 2019. My flight left Indira Gandhi International Airport at 5:40 am and it hit me halfway that this was really happening. I was going solo to a country and people unknown to me. The uncertainty gave me the thrill and made the journey even better.

My project started on 8 Jan 2019 in the area called Haidari in Athens at a kindergarten. In the beginning, the experience was very difficult since the kids only knew their language Greek and I obviously didn’t. My only mode of communication was the English language. The kids were very apprehensive to talk to me since I was very new for them. It took me at least a week for them to get used to me. Most of them didn’t communicate with me in the start but just a smile from their side was enough for me. In that week, when the kids were scared to talk to me, I would help the teachers in their planned activities so that the kids could understand that I am just like their friend-teacher.

Also Read: All About Product Designing

Once the kids knew my name and understood my presence, I started mixing with them. The teachers would translate what I said in English to Greek for the kids to understand. Firstly I started with playing games with them. Sit-Stand, dancing statues and musical chairs all on Indian songs! Some of them already knew about Bollywood and playing Songs like ‘Mundiyan Toh Bachke Rahi’ and ‘Kala Chashma’ made them giggle and happy. It was a lot of fun to watch these kids listen to our Hindi songs and it felt great when they thoroughly enjoyed the beats. Since I was there in January, and the temperature was pretty low we had to resort to indoor activities. Towards the mid of Feb, Once the weather would get better, me and the kids would often play outdoor games and would run around in the park!

I taught them the, hello greeting in Hindi (the language I speak in my country), ‘Namaste’ almost every time I met them. Eventually they learned the word and the hand movement for it very well. Every time, I would enter the kindergarten, the kids would shout ‘Namaste Ekta!’ to me. Every time they said it, I felt kind of proud of being an Indian! I felt proud that I had the opportunity to teach these kids all this. Also with that, I taught them how to say ‘My name is …..’ in our language Hindi as well!

It was the best feeling ever because I could give a part of my culture to them. Once they got hold of some words, I would ask them to repeat with me regularly.

I showed the kids photos from my childhood and my parents. They were really amused to see my baby pictures! And somehow could connect with me.

Also Read: 7 FAQs About Data Science

My main objective was to make them feel relatable to me and my culture. I used YouTube to show them videos from our Bollywood movies. The songs, clothing, bright colours and festivals from our country are really different from Greece. The kids used to watch it intently and by their jumping and excitement, I could feel their pleasure.

They hugged me whenever I would meet them and hold my hand and take me everywhere, all around the kindergarten.

Not to forget the complementary kisses that I got from these cuties!

For a specific week once they were close to me, made the kids colour the Indian Flag with the specific colour and design. Those photos of them with the Indian flag in my gallery still take my heart away.

Over a period of 6 weeks, I grew really close to these babies and I would often catch some of them in the supermarket as well! I was living my best life!

Towards the end of my internship, I taught them the bhangra dance of our country. The Bollywood moves rejoiced them a lot and some of them even managed to dance really well! Their videos and pictures from these dance parties still make me smile whenever I see them.

These experiences might sound vague to some people but only me, who lived through them can actually feel the huge amount of emotion invested in them.

Also Read: Data Science & Analytics

On my last day, I wore the red Indian cultural dress, saree which is a long piece of cloth worn round and round the body. It caught the attention of so many kids and teachers. While the teachers wanted to have something like that for themselves, the kids were merely shocked at what innovative stuff I was wearing. They even played with my saree, clicking pictures and shimmying.The kids got really emotional on the day I left and made drawings of me as a token of love. I myself felt a certain dismal feeling of leaving all of them and all the memories we had.That day will always be close to my heart!

My AIESEC internship and the project specifically made my mind really clear about one thing. We are all the same. No country, no religion, no race, no anything can separate us from the fact that we are human. We are all goofing around, trying to connect with people we love and making the best out of the adventure our life is. Whether it a 2-year-old child or a 70-year woman, Love binds us all and Love is colour Blind.

Even though all this time, me and the kids languages were different and we couldn’t ever in a whole month actually talk but I realised that love doesn’t need words, actions are enough for it! My positive expressions and my feelings were all that I needed and all that the world will ever need. A small project in a small Kindergarten taught me so much about the world that I couldn’t have ever imagined and it’s time you do too!

To anyone who feels like travelling and most importantly discovering themselves, I urge you to go for an AIESEC internship. You will never regret it, I promise you!

For more information, check out- https://www.aiesec.in/

HAPPY TRAVELLING AND DO REMEMBER ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!