I have a whole new level of respect for child care workers and parents everywhere. When I signed up to volunteer at the baby center at Rogpa, I did not really know what I was getting myself into. I just thought it would be great fun to play with some children for a few hours and brighten their day. When I initially met with the manager of the organization, he showed me an orientation video that gave me slight pause (I did not think about the “changing the nappys/ diapers" or cleaning the potties aspect of the commitment) but I was still excited.
I arrived at Rogpa in the afternoon at 12:45 pm. When I walked in to the baby care center, my heart was filled with love upon seeing 42 napping babies all perfectly lined up on mats on the floor. The manager directed me to my locker, put a green smock on over my clothes and introduced me to five beautiful Tibetan Women who work in the center and two volunteers, one from Israel and one from Korea, none of whom speak any English. Within minutes, one by one, babies began to awaken and chaos began to ensue. Direction, in the form of pointing fingers, to pick babies up and place them on potties, began amidst cries for attention and affection. “Oh boy, here we go”, I thought.
The center consists of four very small rooms. The largest room is the play room which also acts as the napping, feeding and toilet area. Although the walls are painted with vibrant murals, they are also covered with what appears to be black mold and water damage. The floors are padded fake wood which is coming apart (the children are reprimanded for curiously pulling the floor up, which frustrates me). A smaller room is used for some of the younger babies who need a little more special attention. The other two rooms consist of a storage area/ kitchen and a “laundry” area.
All of the children have colds so handkerchiefs are hung around their necks and I am instructed to keep their noses clean. After all of the babies have awoken and are changed (which takes a good hour), playtime begins. Toys are tossed into the middle of the room and some babies frantically run around joyfully playing. A few of the babies do not appear to be having a good time, so I make it my mission to cheer them up. The next thing I know, I have four children wanting my full attention (I have always dreamed about being a mother but now am pretty sure that my limit would be two, three at the most. I had a hard time maintaining my energy for 6 hours, I cannot even imagine a lifetime of commitment at this point.).
Feeding time was beyond chaotic. Six babies were sat in front of me, on the floor, followed by six bowls and six wet hand towels. High chairs would have been dreamy but not a reality. Ever tried feeding a couple of toddlers? OK, now imagine six! Tossing, spilling and spitting up food...all over me. A suggestion of a change of clothes would have been great. Yet another lesson has been learned.
After feeding is changing time and then play time once again. The end of the day consists of reading (the children love that I can read English, since all of the books are in English even though they only speak Tibetan...strange) and singing time. I haven't sung a full on nursery rhyme in years but can do a mean "itsy bitsy spider", complete with hand motions which I repeat over and over to the babies delight.
The parents arrived at 6 pm and the room is filled with love, warm embraces and gratitude. After sitting down to catch my breath, I head down to the main office to meet with the manager. As soon I walk in he says "hard work, huh?" Um, yeah. The understatement of the year. I decide that a daily commitment in the baby center is not for me but that I will commit to outings to the temple and waterfall on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The next day I signed up to work in the factory to help with crafts. I will be working there every morning, from 9 am to 1 pm for the duration of my time in McLeod Ganj. All of the proceeds from the sale of the items that we create go directly to the maintenance of the baby center (including staff salaries and food) and help for the Tibetan families who have had to make India their home. I am thrilled that I am (finally) able to put my embroidery skills to some great use and absolutely love the experience of working with the Tibetan women who will surely become lifelong friends.
Sending you love and light from McLeod Ganj.
xoxo
