After preparing for a couple days before all the students arrived, the South Asian students presented on their cultures for the international students. You can read more here, and see a few student interviews here, beginning with Olga!
Monica
Mohammad
Rohini
Kultwisiso
Shilpi
Hometown: Chicago
Tell us about your favorite book: I really haven’t gotten into reading untill this year cause of a book I read by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner. The book is about a story of two young boys who are friends in Afghanistan, but their friendship is wierd. Growing up in Kabul, Amir and Hassan are inseparable friends. As an adult living in California, Amir remains haunted by a childhood incident in which he betrayed Hassan’s trust. When he learns that the Taliban has murdered Hassan and wife, Amir returns to his homeland to learn the fate of the couple’s son. This book will forever be my favorite. I cried so many times reading it.
Give one random fact about you: One random fact about me is that I’m a very emotional person
In class, what kind of character are you?: In class I’m the kid who always procrastinates but gets his work done. I’m also the type of person to help keep order in the class.
If you were a fruit, what would it be?: If I were a fruit I would be an Avocado cause I’m rough on the outside but soft in the inside.
What do you think will be surprising about India?: Something that I think would be surprising to me about India would not seeing everything the way I pictured it in my head.
In what ways do you feel that India will be challenging for you?: I think that India will be very challenging for my by the heat, and by seeing so many stray dogs like I heard so far.
How do you hope to be changed by this trip to India?: I hope I come back a better person that I am now, and hope to learn many new things so I can teach my friends and family. Especially this green sauce that smells like cilantro.
Hometown: Portland, OR
Tell us about your favorite book: Deenie, by Judy Blume has been one of my favorite books ever since I first read it at age 14. It talked about a young girl whom lived with the constant expectation of being perfect all the time. Her mother had wanted her to be a model all her life, but at the age of 13, Deenie is diagnosed with scoliosis, a medical condition in which ones spine is not lined up correctly. she faces hard challenges and everyday girl struggles, this book helped me to be able to push through any struggle I faced as I grew older as well as knowing that there will always be rough patches in my way but there will always be a way to get around them as well as learning valuable lessons along the way.
Give one random fact about you: my favorite candy is Sour Patch kids
In class, what kind of character are you?: In class I would say I’m a quiet observer. In other words I keep an open mind and enjoy listening to what others have to say. I’m not usually the kid who raises their hand at every questioned asked, but I am one who speaks up when I’m confused about a certain subject or when I strongly agree or disagree with a topic being talked about in class.
If you were a fruit, what would it be?: if I were a fruit I would be a mango because I love mangoes
What do you think will be surprising about India?: The most surprising thing I think that I’ll see in India will be how different their ways of living are from here in the US.
In what ways do you feel that India will be challenging for you?: I feel that being in India will challenge my biggest fears. Emotionally, Physically and mentally I think that India Will challenge my knowledge and ability to adapt to constant change, whether its being far away from my family for a long period of time, or trying new food and customs I’ve never experienced.
How do you hope to be changed by this trip to India?: I hope that this trip to India helps me change my perspective on everything I know about the world I live in. I hope that I become more open about trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone daily.
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Tell us about your favorite book: I have many favorite books, but one I am reading right now that I’m really enjoying is a collection of myths and legends by Jake Jackson. This book is very interesting since it includes all sorts of stories and fables from a variety of different cultures and regions from around the world. I love learning about human belief systems, so it’s always fascinating to read ‘origin stories’ for different peoples, and see the commonalities between them. I’ve especially loved reading the Creation Myths from West Africa, in which animals talk and act like humans, and which always imparts a moral lesson by the end of the story.
Give one random fact about you: I cry every single time I listen to Float On by Modest Mouse.
In class, what kind of character are you?: I participate a lot in class if I think what we’re talking about is interesting, so in my English and History classes I never shut up. In my math classes though, it’s harder for me to connect with the material since I often feel like it’s dry and impersonal, and I don’t talk as much.
If you were a fruit, what would it be?: I would be a mango because I don’t have a very thick skin, I’m sweet if you catch me at the right time and I love tropical climates.
What do you think will be surprising about India?: I think I’ll be surprised at what feels comfortable to me in terms of living situations and food and what will feel new and a little scary. It’ll also be new to me to be in a place in which the women cover up their hair with headscarves, but I’m not sure what it will feel like for me to do that. I also think the Indian food we’ll eat in India will be very different than what typical “American Indian” cuisine is like.
In what ways do you feel that India will be challenging for you?: I think it will be challenging to come into contact with instances of extreme poverty. For me, being fortunate enough to live in the US in a city where homelessness is not as evident or widespread as in bigger urban areas, I am not sure how my perceptions of my own living situations or those of my Western peers will shift after seeing and interacting with people living in poverty. Additionally, I know that in some more conservative areas of India I will have to wear a headscarf and cover up my body and this is something I have virtually never had to do. Having lived all of my life in a fairly open and “Western” society (conservative in different ways) in which I have been lucky enough to not worry so much about how society forces me to dress. This is not to say that I haven’t had to deal with societal expectations of what a teenaged girl should wear and act like, but I feel that in India I’ll come across this in a different and challenging way.
How do you hope to be changed by this trip to India?: I hope to push myself way out of my comfort zone by being so far away from my family and community at home, and through that I think I’ll gain a deeper sense of independence and strength within myself. I also want to learn from the other cultures I am exposed to both in India and among my peers on the trip, and I hope this will open my mind and heart to the diversity of the world. One thing my mentor, Lauren Lauter, said that really resonated with me is that before she went to India on her abroad program during college, she knew intellectually that people everywhere are just that, people, but that through her stay in India she really understood it in her heart, and now feels a certain global kinship that makes her unafraid to travel anywhere or meet anybody. That kind of global curiosity, open-mindedness, and courage is what I hope to gain through my trip to India. I can’t wait.