Hello everyone that's me in the blue in the picture below!

I would like to share my volunteer experience with you because it changed my life in more ways than you can imagine. I hope one day my story can inspire others around the world to do the same.

Introduction

My names Jason, I'm 28 years old and an ex retail worker that struggled through education. I decided I needed to make a change in my life because I started to feel adulthood creeping up on me. I started to get opinions that life around me was very much robotic and we're living in an archaic system, I felt really suffocated because my difficulties through school had hindered my future life, it was time to throw myself into the abyss.

I decided I wanted to experience another area of the world but I didn't have much money so I looked around and applied to an organisation in England, they're called ICS which means International Citizens Service. It's an ongoing government funded organisation that helps charities around the world working with developing countries.

After applying to ICS I got a call 4 weeks later, at this point I began to think they forgot about me or maybe my weight in pictures could of been an issue in a foreign country, but NO! The lady on the phone excitedly uttered "Hello you have been chosen for the ICO program!"

She also asked me where I'd like to volunteer and if i'd seen the countries they help on the website. I let her know that I'd like to volunteer anywhere in the world I don't really mind what I do as long as I'm helping. I was feeling weak at my knee's because I'm not the type of person that really gets good opportunities in life so I pretty much let her know she has my consent to put me on any program anywhere in the world. What came next was location....

Location: Kotri, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. (Average Temperate 30c - 35c )
Population size: 1126

If you would like to hear more of a diary on my experience please comment below, now lets move on to what really changed my life and helped me grow to who I am today. I'm scared an introduction can be too long!

1. Discovering what comfort zone really means.

Within the space of a week I went from the wetlands of Manchester City life to a bone dry desert in the heart of India, Rajasthan. It's easy to get a sense of losing all your comforts for 3 months of a year like mobile phone, cold drinks and ice hot steak. The comfort zone that isn't really spoken about is services around you that allow you to live a more free life.

The first week volunteering was the biggest shock for me, I'm one of those boys that like to play around and act a bit under my age. So I like to take risks! It became clear the small town was kind of lawless and we could get close to the locals in time and use their methods of transport. The big shake up was realizing I needed to be super cautious to my health and risks I contemplated to have a fun time during the experience, the nearest hospital was 2 hour away with no emergency services in sight. Volunteering helped me realize more what's around me and what I take for granted at home having a National Health Service. I started to get strong beliefs like everyone should volunteer abroad to realize how much services get abused in more developed countries.

Outrageous fact: Alcohol is estimated to cost the NHS around £3.5bn per year.

Taking risks for an awesome picture where we were living for 3 months in 2015. Kotri, Ajmer District.

2. Develop an even more culturally diverse outlook.

I always felt quite happy with the already diverse outlook I had on life, I like to read a lot in my spare time but volunteering abroad helped me understand just how different family structures can be, from traditional daily routines to how the family see the structure within a family home. The first thing we experienced was men sitting higher than women as a show of who's at the top. Women often sat on the floor or small cushions whereas men got priority to sit on the hammock style beds with a frame.

Another thing that I didn't get the opportunity to immerse myself in was learning Indian cooking! Ohh, men are not allowed in the kitchen! I was told by our project co-coordinator these things are common across India but we're in an area that needs more diversity and ideas to help grow as a community. I actually asked several times please teach me how to cook outside but it was forbidden!

The best thing I learnt on my trip was what people do to survive. The village of kotri limited each resident to 1 bucket of water a day for hygiene purposes. So the decision was 2 really bad showers in the morning and evening or a luxurious soapy shower either in the morning or evening. Each Brahmin house which is the highest caste in Hinduism have water tanks below their homes. These tanks house turtles that help keep the water clean, they're also a deterrent for mosquito's since they like standing water to lay their eggs.

Historic fact: The Brahmans are a sacerdotal elite found everywhere in Hindu Asia, even as far east as Bali and Lombok in Indonesia.

3. Be immersed in a second language.

One of the most difficult parts of the experience is committing to rather entertaining ways of using body language to get what you need from shops. It was a luxury to buy any form of sugar from shops but we all had a weekly budget set by the charity so my daily fix went on coca cola.

Immersed in another country for so long where language is a barrier makes you realize just how much people don't care at home about people trying to use English as a second language at home. I mean, everybody is open to a world where everyone can move around and work but what we don't take notice of is people already trying to do that in our home countries. Village life made me realize just how much i needed social interaction in my life to be happy, I believe when these opportunities in life confront us we should do more to help people in front of us struggling to get what they need so we can help them feel comfortable living abroad.

We almost got kidnapped off a Jeep full of men for asking to see a mans instrument in the back, he got out of the truck and started to play it for some time. I put my hand out to show the man I wanted to look at it not listen to him play but he was persistent. After about 2 minutes he then put his hand out demanding money. I donated for his efforts but this is one example of just how much a mix up can be even using body language with no support around you.

❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ ‒Nelson Mandela

4. Material possessions become less desired.

After returning home which was at the start of December I had to jump straight back into work after 5 days of realization. I worked at Dunelm, a huge corporation for household products spread across the country so you can imagine just how drastic my life changed again.

Quickly I was thrown into hell! Customers were complaining about products like napkin rings being out of stock, asking to see management like it was somewhat my fault order forms have caps. to stop you overfilling a warehouse! I never felt so alienated in my life Christmas is now an event I choose to avoid celebrating. It's either not what I remember, or western society has become sick to material things. It just feels like a period of life we have created to help promote Capitalism. Back to the life of he who dies with the most toys wins....

“The cost of sanity in this society, is a certain level of alienation” ― Terence McKenna

5. Travel is the best education!

Travelling teaches you more about yourself that can ever be explained. I like to think I have a fairly open mind but it's really hard to express what you really walk away learning from such experiences and undergoing the daily hardships of people around the world. It's so easy to sit at home and watch adverts to get a jist of what the world is like beyond our pearly borders.

Another is gaining independence and using your own initiative more taking into consideration scenarios around you with all the luxuries you're used to taken away. Life became raw for those 3 months even with a small team. Making decisions that will overall affect the output the group has over the duration was also a pressure we mutually felt.

The best lesson you learn is your very own potential in life! The self awareness you're in control and you can change what ever you dislike about your life in an instant. In my case it was one quick email that has forever shaped and altered my life to this very day.

Above is a picture on my birthday, the ladies were having a meeting but discovered it was my birthday so we had some fun.

6. Life is too short NOT to!

After all this I can tell you I decided to quit Dunelm, life is far too short to be living a robotic life. I decided to throw myself back into the abyss and quickly discovered it was a feathered bed. I went home for a year feeling alienated and depressed. I couldn't understand after everything I went through why did I shot back bown into a void of unhappiness.

I don't know why it took me a year, but I decided to join my friends I met during India and we're living together in Vietnam teaching English to young children to this day! I have now been in Vietnam for over a year and become quite the local celebrity.

If there's one thing to take away from my experience it's the ability to change your life and be aware of your true potential. I am now one of the most happy people in the world living a life with true meaning! If you're unhappy do something about it, save up and take on a life changing experience to help you get a better perspective on life and the opportunities around you to find a happy life.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my life changing experience. Photos of Vietnam life below...

I hope you enjoyed reading my story, I was a little scared of writing too much so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

“We have been to the moon, we have charted the depths of the ocean and the heart of the atom, but we have a fear of looking inward to ourselves because we sense that is where all the contradictions flow together.”
― Terence McKenna