Week 1:
The activities and services that I signed up for this year are RDA (riding with the disabled on horses) as well as Kolkata GC and Culturama as well as the table tennis club. At the moment I am enjoying all of the activities and services that I have signed up for.
The service that I have chosen RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association), is an organisation which aims to create a more inclusive community and inspire hope and improve the lives of people with disabilities. They are working towards enabling and empowering minds, bodies and lives by working with horses. In a way, I feel that the RDA’s aim is very similar to UWC’s as ours is to be a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Both organisations aim towards bringing people together, although RDA is a lot more specific as it is aimed at those who are less abled.
I had my first lesson on the 20th of September (of RDA). It was definitely nerve-wracking as I haven’t been near horses in a very long time. However, the experience was very nostalgic as I was raised in a preschool which was almost like a farm (so I was surrounded by animals all day) and I later rode horses in the city as I grew up. Something that was challenging during the exercise was actually handling the riders. Of course, it was only the first lesson in which we were teaching how to ride horses but it was still difficult to get into the hang of addressing the children and getting them to listen to the instructions that we were setting. So a goal for the next session would be: be more relaxed around the kids and the horses, the more relaxed we are the easier it will be for the children to trust us.
The second activity that I have chosen is Kolkata Global Concern which supports an organisation called Voice of World that helps visually impaired and orphaned children in the city of Kolkata. The GC has been supporting this cause since 2001 and helps to raise awareness and support Voice of the World’s educational projects. Dover Kolkata GC runs an annual cultural showcase of Indian dance, song and food called SAFAR. The East GC runs an Indian dance showcase called Kahani. I joined this GC as I am from Kolkata and I thought that it would be incredibly good experience especially as I don’t keep as much contact with my extended family back in India. I am really looking forward to the Kahani dance showcase and I hope to be a dance choreographer or leader!
I am also a part of the table tennis club and am a part of the culturama (south korean dance) which aims to unite and celebrate different cultures.
