Lunch with Mehek Vajawatt

When sitting with the young and vibrant London School of Economics student hailing from India at a café at Cascade, the first thing that came to my mind was…How did she find out about Armenia? What made her decide to come here? Why TeachSurfing? Etc.

I asked these and more questions over a bit of lunch. Mehek is a bright person with a positive personality, and it was with a wide smile on her face that she explained to me how she was looking for different volunteering opportunities during her summer vacation. “Since I live in India and study in the U.K. plus I’ve traveled a lot, I really wanted to discover someplace new, different and not so mainstream,” she said.

She was struck by a stroke of genius one late night at 4 am, when she decided to search for ways to make her summer a bit more exciting and fulfilling. She is not new to teaching, as she has been working as a Philosophy and French teacher to 11th and 12th graders in India for about one and a half years. Currently studying Law in the London School of Economics, she had a free window over the summer to do something special.

“I knew people who’ve been to Armenia,” chimed Mehek, “I figured that it would be an experience unto itself.” She loved the idea of TeachSurfing, because it was the only short-term and flexible volunteer program which she could organize herself. “It can be done during leisure and business trips, you don’t have to specifically plan for it.”

As we asked for the check I asked her what she was looking forward to the most, “Meeting new people. I’m excited to have different conversations with people on topics that I’m not an expert in and just sharing stories.”