Experiencing India
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Visitors on an exchange programme are getting to know and like the city.
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Photo: K. Pichumani
To school in India: Totally different.
Sometimes living in a city for years makes us blind to what it has to offer. That’s why meeting young people from other countries across the globe who visit the city is so exciting. Cecile, Fiona, Isabelle, Alexandra are exchange students at the Lady Andal Venkatasubbarao Matriculation School. Isabella and Alessandra are from Italy while Cécile Mollet and Fiona Koelbing are from Switzerland. They hadn’t heard about Chennai until about a month before. In th
e city to complete this academic year they are on scholarship from the American Field Service (AFS).
Learning and fun
Then started sessions of “googling” that threw up information about the city, its lifestyle and culture. Hosted by families living close to the school, the foursome find the going awesome.
School is cool, they agree, though the lessons and the way they are taught are very different from methods used in their country. The students are friendly. What’s the most exciting thing in school? “The canteen,” comes the eager chorus. Alexandra is a great fan of the samosa and generally eats two at a go. Chapathis come in a close second.
While an ordinary day means waking up by 7 a.m. and getting ready to go to school, weekends are a joy. Fiona loves the beach. The people, noise, the crashing waves and the sea spray sure can be fun. Food isn’t a hassle now though the spice did bother them initially. Pizzas are available in plenty though the trio from Italy say “corn on the pizza” is something they’ve never seen before.
Visits to the temples are a part of their entertainment itinerary. They were fascinated by the Kapaleshwar temple.
While the downsides aren’t too many, the way people stare at them can be disconcerting. Making friends, learning and forming indelible bonds, they remain in the city well into next year.
P.P.
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