Shishya Volunteers While I Was Here

Volunteers are always asking each other how they found out Shishya. Every single volunteer that I have met here has been amazing!

Amanda from Chicago (25): Her mother knew Frieda when they were young! And apparently the family stayed in touch over the years. Amanda’s mom actually remembers Frieda saying at a young age she wanted to run a school and orphanage in India! Amanda volunteered off and on at Shishya for the last three years and left right after New Years. Amanda did everything here it seems and left such a great impression behind!

Sharon from Maine (64): Frieda and Sharon were snowed in at the airport in London and had to wait until planes could fly. They struck up a conversation and the rest is history! Sharon was the first volunteer Shishya has had her age. The boys referred to her as “Grandma” while she was here. Sharon has been a real inspiration for me. I hope I have the same stamina, adventurous spirit and independence when I am her age! She was here 3 months from September to December.

Nibha from India (21): Nibha is Frieda’s daughter! :)

Abby from Michigan (19): Abby’s family knows Amanda’s family and the pastor that inspired Abby to come to India knows Amanda. Abby was here for 5 months from July to December.

Liz from Ohio (28): Liz and Amanda have a really good mutual friend that has also been to Shishya. Liz leaves India for 3 more months of traveling Thailand and Indonesia the first week in May. She would have been here about 6 months. She got to Shishya the same time I did. She has been a great India travel partner!

Lisa from Germany (20): Lisa came here through a couple of different Christian programs. There was a German girl that was here a few years ago that knows Lisa. Lisa will be at Shishya for 5 months total and leaves at the end of May.

Lewis from England (20): His dad and mom volunteered at Shishya previously! He got here end of December and leaves end of Feb.

Mike and Charlie from England (24/22): They are friends with Lewis and another couple they know has been here and has connections to Shishya. They got here the beginning of Jan and leave mid May.

Lara from Kentucky (23): She met two of Frieda’s children in Kentucky when they were both visiting a mutual friend a few years ago! She got here the first week in February and leaves mid May.

Me (24): I’ll give you all the details! I took a photography class at UAF my junior year of college. I became friends with my teacher and I went to Thailand after that and she told us all these great places to go! We talked about travel and I told her I had always wanted to go to India to work at an orphanage since high school. She got me in touch with her friend Heidi that had been doing missionary work here all over. Heidi and I emailed off and on for a couple of years and last summer Heidi sent me the Shishya information. She is friends with Frieda and has been a volunteer here. Rest is history! I have never actually met Heidi in person. Would love to, though! Oddly enough last summer in Skagway I became friends with a guy and I told him about my India plans and he told me him and his soon to be wife were planning on going to India as well after they were married to volunteer. Few days after we were facebook friends and he noticed we both had Amanda as a mutual friend. Long story short, Amanda’s brother is marrying him and his fiancé, and the place him and his wife want to volunteer at is Shishya! Small world, indeed. I think I was meant to come here for sure! When I leave on Easter, I will be here for exactly five months and a week.

Lewis leaves at the end of this week… then I am next in line to go home.