My friends and I had been looking forward to this trip since last summer, and unlike any other trip with your friends, where you have nothing on your agenda but relaxing, this was our annual social service trip! Now, this may sound crazy. Because what kind of teenagers enjoy 3 days of social service in the hot summer month of April, without air conditioners or any form of entertainment? Well, teenagers like us. We tend to have a whale of a time on these trips to that extent where such necessities of life seem very small to make a fuss about. Since the past two years, we plan a trip to a village called
Rajgurunagar, where we interact with children who come there for a summer camp and not only teach them things but also learn things from them. This time we taught them certain songs in Marathi describing a bungalow of a chocolate. We taught them dances on various Bollywood songs, organized a treasure hunt for them, and participated with them in a drama workshop. Additionally, on the second last day of the trip, we visited a temple and went boating in a lake nearby. And as our farewell gift to them, we made piñatas from balloons as tall as us, filled with small goodies like whistles and erasers and organized an ice- cream party for them.
It surprised me how in spite of our differences, we connected so well with the kids. They made us promise them that we would come back next year. Social service isn’t always about finishing hours of work with underprivileged persons or at old age homes. Sometimes having a good time and bonding with our rural half is good enough a service because at the end of the day we are all human beings who have to work as a team.
-Aditi Nazre, 12A