My one-month voluntary placement in
Delhi was at a charitable publishing company. The staff there is very friendly and it's a great place.
I did research for a series of books they're going to publish for children on Indian culture and history. It was really interesting, as I learnt more about the country! I visited bookshops and went to the
Delhi Book Fair to do market research because they needed to know how many children's books had been published about India. Working alongside one of the editors, I also designed a Power Point presentation to make the proposal.
It's fascinating to see how the publishing process works, and the staff here is very passionate about what they do. At the weekends the other volunteers and I did a bit of traveling too! We went to Corbett National Park where we rode on an elephant (!) and to the Golden Temple in Amritsar which was magical.
Delhi itself has so much to offer, there are lovely bars and restaurants and the shopping is great too, we love all the markets. I also went out with my home stay family a couple of times; they took me out for dinner at a South Indian restaurant which was really nice. It was the daughter Manu's 10th birthday as well and I went out with them to a place called 'Piccadelhi' in Connaught Place which was so funny. Basically, it was a themed restaurant based on Piccadilly Circus! There was a great big double Decker bus, complete with a 'royal guard' at the entrance! There were even a Charlie Chaplin impersonator entertaining people.
I also went to a couple of yoga classes and indulged in some massages with the girls (a half-hour massage costs one pound here!!). Old
Delhi is so hectic, the Red Fort is fantastic and we had fun getting on a cycle rickshaw around Chandni Chowk. The crowds and traffic and cows blend into each other along the narrow streets. Our driver took us to Jama Masjid which is a very impressive mosque. The National Museum is also a
Delhi highl ight, with a beautiful collection of Indian miniatures. My time in
Delhi was unforgettable; I met some great people and had such a brilliant time. After my placement was over I traveled around Rajasthan for a month, visiting Mandawa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bhenswara, Bharatpur and Agra, which was an amazing experience. Next is a three-month placement at a school in
Chennai which I'm really excited about!