The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : American students express solidarity with tsunami victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 05, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

American students express solidarity with tsunami victims

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MARCH 4. For American students who arrived here oboard the m.v. Explorer, Chennai is more than just another port of call — it is a chance to express solidarity with tsunami victims. Students doing a `semester at sea' got off their ship, rolled up their sleeves and helped to paint the Corporation Middle School at Foreshore Estate.

But only after the school students welcomed them with nursery rhymes, dance performances and plenty of curiosity.

"They've come to see us because we were affected by the tsunami," explained an excited P. Vijayalakshmi, dressed up for her dance performance. Like Vijayalakshmi, her friends remember December 26 vividly. "That was the most unforgettable day of our lives," says S. Shayeer Banu.

Mammoth wave

The voyagers had an encounter with a mammoth wave eight days into their trip — uncannily, exactly a month after the tsunami.

"While we were somewhere in the North Pacific on January 26, a 55-foot wave hit us, breaking the glass on the captain's cabin right on top and cutting our electricity supply for 40 minutes," said Christy Cunningham, an administrator on board.

Paul Meyer, photographer of the ship, said the bad weather brought the people on-board closer together. "Everyone had to leave their rooms and sit in the hallways because all furniture, including a grand piano, was being knocked around," he recalled.

"That experience intensifies this experience," he said, pointing to the students busy at work with their scrubs and paintbrushes. Armed with bottles of water, 47 students, the faculty and even some children of the faculty whitewashed the discoloured, cracked walls. Some took time to talk to the students of the school.

"By travelling, our students who come from fairly privileged backgrounds get to see what goes on in other places," observed Mr. Meyer.

A programme by the University of Pittsburgh in the U.S., the semester at sea allows them to learn in classrooms during the voyage and experience other cultures at every port. The programme is for 100 days. The ship will be docked in Chennai for six days before leaving for Mombasa, Kenya.

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