Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

German students amazed by Kerala

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

Students and teachers from Bavaria, Germany, at the Goethe Institute in Thiruvananthapuram as part of a cultural exchange programme.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala does not cease to amaze a team of German school students and their teachers who are currently on a weeklong visit to the State.

From eating food using fingers to “terror-inducing traffic,” the five-day trip already seemed to have a left a lasting impression on the minds of the visitors, who are here on a cultural exchange programme organised by the Goethe Institute.

The group, led by school principal Kilian Popp and three supporting teachers, consists of 26 high school students from Bavaria, Germany.

And on Thursday, the students were here at the Goethe Institute, some of them dressed in dirndl, the traditional Bavarian costume, recounting their impressions and experiences in God’s Own Country since their arrival last Sunday.

For many such as Lena Schneider and her friends, Verena Mahn and Agnes Binder, it was the act of eating food using the fingers that captured their imagination the most.

Eating the State’s traditional feast on plantain leaves turned out to be a novel experience for them.

“It is the first time I am eating with my hands,” said Lena Schneider. “It felt really funny,” she said.

In fact, cross-cultural experience is precisely the objective of this trip, which will conclude with a visit to Tamil Nadu, said Mr. Popp, flanked by Bettina Natterer and Jan Froehling, English teachers at the Bavarian school.

The occasion provides an opportunity for the students to learn from one another and also see how globalisation has impacted and transformed communities around the globe, he said.

The educators who also visited a couple of government primary schools during the stay were all praise for the educational system.

“The academic instruction here appears to be more focussed unlike in Germany where we have to cram a lot of things into the minds of the children within a limited period of time,” Ms. Natterer said. Mr. Froehling agrees with her.

However, the duo could not help conceal their horror at the chaotic traffic. “Crossing the road here can be suicidal,” Mr. Froehling said. “Vehicles here just go and go unlike in Germany where you have designated lanes for cars.”

The cross-cultural exchange is a part of ‘Schools: Partners for the future’ a programme launched by the Goethe Institute to encourage greater communication and understanding between diverse cultures.

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