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: Denver, Colorado
Tell us about your favorite book: Currently my favorite book is either Salvage by Alexandra Duncan or Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle.
Both books act as a lense to criticize some facet of the societies around us, whether that be the patriarchal rule that is prominent in several cultures around the world regardless of their stage of development, or the faith that individuals put in things that they don’t really understand, whether that be science or religion. And in the end point to the fact that we as individuals should always question the constructs that have been put in place around us. As my psychology teacher put it “we are here not only to answer questions, but to also question answers.”
Give one random fact about you: A random fact about me is that, I hope to find inspiration for my first tattoo on this trip, or at least inspiration for a new art piece.
In class, what kind of character are you?: In class I generally am very quiet, unless I feel that I have some information that would aid in others understanding of the lesson, or would shed some light on an issue that should be discussed.
If you were a fruit, what would it be?: According to Buzzfeed I would be a mango, and you can’t argue with Buzzfeed.
What do you think will be surprising about India?: I think what will be surprising is the diversity within the culture. As outsiders we receive so few stories that we form stereotypes, and while they may be accurate in many cases they fail to include the intricacies and differences that occur within the culture.
In what ways do you feel that India will be challenging for you?: I feel that India will be challenging for me in that I have heard that it can cause a lot of sensory stimulation, and I know that it will be difficult for me to process all the new scents and sounds. However, this is a challenge I am looking forward to facing.
How do you hope to be changed by this trip to India?: I hope to be changed by this trip in having a more comprehensive understanding of the culture, as well as have a better definition of what defines a culture. I also want to walk away with a better understanding of how I operate within different settings that I have yet to be familiar with.
To say “360+ is great!” that would be an understatement. 360+ has given me the opportunity to be someone that I didn’t know existed. I am aware that you may be wondering, “well, who are you?” My name is Arianna Roberts, I go by Ari. I am currently 17 years of age and will be a senior in about six days. I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. I move to Jacksonville, Florida when I was six years old. Before the trip, everyday was routine. I had a certain way of doing things and I was stuck in my comfort zone. When I applied to the 360+ leadership program I had no confidence that I would actually get accepted. I really wanted to go. The night my teacher told me about it I researched all that I could about India to make one of the my essays sound really well. I stayed up until 2:00am to finish typing the 2 essays out on my computer. My older sister Destinee helped me to edit them. I was 100% confident in my writing abilities but I constantly convinced myself that I didn’t care about the trip. It was only a defense mechanism to prevent my feelings from being hurt.
I tried my hardest to not think about it after the 2 essays were submitted. About a week later, my teacher Heather called me sounding really excited and asked if I had read my email. I said No, then she said “long story short, you are going to India!” My heart dropped! I was too busy trying to prepare myself for not being accepted that I hadn’t thought through if I actually would be. Honestly, I was hit hard by the news and didn’t really want to go anymore. As I said, stuck in my comfort zone. I expected India would be a nice colorful festive place with great vibes. Though that may be true, India has way more to offer. The crazy traffic to the absolutely delicious watermelon. India has a way of giving you a different perspective of the world. In India, my greatest experiences were cooking rotis ( indian bread) and serving food to anyone who came to eat at the gurudwara. I loved that so much for many reasons. One being that, this was my very first experience of how selfless Indians are. I quickly had an epiphany of how much they looked out for one another. The fact that they do not judge one another and you do not have to be homeless to come and eat stood out to me. They were so open to any and every one coming and eating. No one even gave us funny looks when the group sat and ate either. This was an amazing thing to experience. Not to mention how delicious the food was.
I also really loved going to MGIS ( Mahatma Gandhi International School). The students were so welcoming and friendly. They even taught us games like koko and 7 stones. They set up a scavenger hunt and welcomes u with open arms into their school. Their principle ( Anju) was really awesome and genuinely cares about her school and she accepts that people learn differently was astronomically inspiring. I became really close friends with many students at MGIS and even one friend name Sumera gave me a friendship necklace and that was an extremely generous gesture. I really enjoyed the experience here as well. I could go on forever on what I loved about this trip but one commonality about everywhere we went that I absolutely adored in many different places were the people. In villages, schools, and even this group, the people made all the hard times ok.
I can honestly say that if you love and appreciate nothing else about India, you will admire the people. These experience helped me learn that I am completely capable of way more than I led myself to believe. India taught me that I am a warrior at heart. This trip taught me that my comfort zone is merely a wall that I had been hiding behind. India taught me that facing my fears is the best thing you can do. I learned that India is crazy and so much different than you’ll expect. But you’ll love it even more because of it. Even though India has so many differences than the United States, it caries many similarities as well. Such as the value of independence. We both have an independence day but both countries are dealing with the need for more fairness amongst sexes and equality amongst social classes. I am aware that this trip allowed me to grow personally. In the beginning I relied on my friends and family to keep me grounded, because I had gotten used to depending on others. I was able to realize that I am independent to the next level. I remember thinking that I couldn’t do this alone. But now I’m thinking the next big task I can take on.
I overcame this by constantly fighting through the challenging situations and making it out alive. In the future, these experiences will motivate me to kep fighting and challenging myself because I am a warrior. And you know it’s true when you don’t need anyone’s input or validation. During this 360+ trip, I became aware of poverty even more. I was never oblivious to poverty, but I am now more alert of the impact of it. One day, we went to dominoes pizza in Delhi and we looked out te window and saw a family outside staring. There was a mother and 3 kids around the ages 3,4, and 6 maybe. We all noticed how heartbreaking this was. In response to that we spared a pizza to them and it was a highlight of my day in my eyes to see them eat. This assisted me in thinking about how I want to incorporate helping others into whatever career I pursue. I adore putting a smile on peoples face. Although we, instead put pizza sauce on their face, it was equally as rewarding. 360+ leadership collective program gave me exactly the skills I need to be more confident in who I am and what I’m capable of doing. Therefore, I repeat, “saying 360+ is great would be an understatement.”
My name is Jeremiah, but everyone simply calls me Andre. I am a member of the first group that 360+ took on this wonderful and exciting trip to India. A few tips to remember when going on this trip are that this is a travel opportunity, not a vacation; open-mindedness is essential; and you will probably never receive another opportunity to go on a trip that will be as fun and as difficult as this one. You will be tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but you won’t want it to end. You will meet people people from all over the United States, but they won’t seem so different from you. Now that the surface has been scratched, I have two questions: What is fear, and are you afraid of being afraid? Depending on how you answer these questions, you will know whether or not to press “send” or stop applying right now. I had to face these same questions when it was almost time to leave, and I almost didn’t take advantage of this opportunity because I realized I was afraid of being afraid. However, thanks to the support of my friends and a black mother who was gonna get me here whether I liked it or not, I came. I’ll even share my answrs with you so you can get more of a sense of how you should answer these questions.
Fear is growing up in a neighborhood where gunshots are your lullaby and police sirens are you rnight light. Where you have a 50/50 chance of making it home safely if you’re out when the street lights are on. Where the park is no longer a place for children, but for grown men with drugs to sell, liquor to drink , or basketball to play. Growing up in East Baltimore, other kids my age and I quickly learned the golden rule: Don’t let the streets know you’re afraid. We learned that putting up a façade of nonchalance could be the difference between a safe walk home and an unwanted confrontation. And so, at the young age of six, I learned to quote FDR, “there is nothing to fear but fear itself.” However, being on this trip has opened my eyes to what “being afraid” really means. “Being afraid,” as I’ve come to understand, means exposing yourself and giving something or someone the power to change you. Being a psychology major, I am interested in following the patterns of the human behavior, and I’ve noticed that most people are vulnerable when they are afraid. Bit people also seek the most comfort or support when they are afraid. The other 360+ travelers and I were afraid at somepoint during this trip, and I believe this is why we were able to build such strong bonds in only 3 weeks. Going to India, were scared and didn’t have anyone but each other and the counselors. Like plants, we were “uprooted” from the US soil we knew and forced to grown outside our comfort zones; however, we grew with each other and so our roots became intertwined and brought us closer. I used this analogy to help explain what this will do. It will take you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow with those around you because they’re all you have. So, speaking from experience, I implore you to embrace this fear and expose yourself to everything that this trip offers because by doing so, you will grow as a 
person. The things you see, hear, and feel will affect you on a much deeper level, and you will make friends along the way that will hopefully stay with you forever. This trip has helped me overcome my fear of being vulnerable. At first, I was afraid of being vulnerable because where I’m from vulnerability is weakness. I was able to overcome this by growing and learning to trust my 360+ family. This experience has been a transformative process that will help me a better and more well-rounded person. I wish all those who are applying the best of luck and that your experience will be as life changing as mine was.