| Liam Arnade-Colwill ’14 and Katharine Kimmel ’13 | Michael Pettit ’13 and Sam Jacobs ’12 |
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Now that you are back from your exchange visit to France/Spain, how was the airplane ride? And how was the weather in Europe?
Liam (France) - The plane was great and well stocked with all sorts of things to keep us entertained such as books and movies. The trip gave us the chance to socialize with friends and with people we didn’t know well, and gave everyone some time to relax. Once we finally arrived, the weather cooperated: lots of sunny days.
Katharine (Spain) – The trip there was all right. The longest airplane ride was 12 hours. It wasn’t that bad because we were able to watch movies the whole time. Also there were unlimited refreshments, so I was never thirsty. It was impossible to sleep on the plane; however, so the subsequent two-hour plane ride was horrible because it was so uncomfortable.
| Now that you are back from your exchange visit, how was the airplane ride? And how was the weather while you were in India?
Sam - The plane rides were very long, but the trip was well worth a total of 40-something hours on a plane. The weather was similar to summer in San Diego in Delhi and Agra, but it got much hotter and more humid as we traveled south.
Michael - Full of sleepy people and very long. The weather was nice, in Delhi it was like San Diego, down south it was hot, but that was nice at nighttime.
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What kind of expectations did you have about France/Spain before taking the trip?
Liam - I didn’t quite know what to expect when I went to France, but I was definitely hoping to get a taste of French culture. France is known for its impressive architecture, history and food. During our visit to Lyon, we explored a Roman-Catholic gothic cathedral with is astronomical clock from the 14th century, and sampled steak-frites (steak and french fries). I’m glad to say that I experienced all of this.
Katharine – I didn’t have any special expectations about Spain. I did think it would be fun and it turned out to be!
| What kind of expectations did you have about India before taking the trip?
Sam - From what I had heard about the trip in 2008 and the overviews we received in our meetings, I expected to experience more than just the tourist side of India. I was definitely not disappointed.
Michael - My expectations were to see absolute poverty with high-rises jutting out of the middle of it all at random intervals.
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Tell us your biggest surprise or shock about French/Spanish culture, countryside or people?
Liam - The French school system was quite a surprise. Classes were lecture-oriented, and did not include the kinds of discussions and debates that we have at Bishop's. The average school day started at 8:00 a.m. and finished around 5:30 p.m., depending on your schedule. Students normally took only a few classes a day, and each class could stretch up to two hours long. When the students didn’t have class, they weren’t required to be at school. The lunch period was over an hour long—very civilized!
Katharine – My biggest surprise was the number of people living in apartments. I was also amazed about how much mayonnaise and ham they ate.
| Tell us your biggest surprise or shock about Indian culture, countryside or people?
Sam - One of the most interesting aspects of urban India is the juxtaposition of old and new. For example, you could see a beautiful modern building built right next to a shantytown. For the most part, there was no gentrified part of town, but rather smatterings of developments throughout.
Michael - How happy they were. Even though people in India seem to have so much less than we do they are so much more content with what they do have.
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How well were you able to communicate with your hosts? Did anything unusual or funny happen you can share with us?
Liam - I was definitely nervous at first about speaking French to my hosts, but one of the great things about immersing yourself in another culture is that you get used to the language. By the end of the trip, I was able to communicate, and had gained confidence with the language. I believe I benefited immensely from hearing the language everywhere and every day.
Katharine – I was able to communicate pretty well with my host family, as long as they spoke slowly. One time when we were at the central square shopping area with our fellow Spanish students, I was approached by a guy who wanted to try out his English. He said, “Hi, my name is Raul what is yours?” . . . “I am 18 and you are very beautiful.” My friend proceeded to grab my arm and we quietly walked away. I think my Spanish language skills improved as I can speak and understand the exchange of dialog a lot better.
| How well were you able to communicate with your hosts? Did anything unusual or funny happen you can share with us?
Sam - It was surprisingly easy to communicate with both our guides and the people around us. Of course, there were a couple miscommunications. Upon our arrival at Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal palace in Agra, our guide Aneel warned us not to “entertain” the hawkers. We laughed off the odd word choice, but as soon as we walked in, we understood the warning. As one of the few groups of American tourists there, the hawkers flocked towards us. To distract them, Mr. Ramadan pointed off into the distance and shouted "Beyonce!" in the hopes that they would have found her more “entertaining” than us.
Michael - Communication was not a large challenge most of the time because our guide acted as a translator. Sometimes at the shelter home, though, it was a challenge. I got asked if I was married, I thought I heard wrong at first but I didn’t.
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Food is important. Did you have to politely eat something that made you nervous? What dish should we absolutely try when we visit there?
Liam - Food is incredibly important in France, and one of the best parts of French culture. The streets are filled with open-air markets and small shops that sell amazing pastries (like Opéra), boulangeries (for fresh bread), and traiteurs (for deli foods). Cafes and bistros were a blast to visit because you could find people socializing at any time of day or night. I would recommend that you try the classic crepe for sure, but steer clear of snails.
Katharine – Food plays a big role in Spain. I never ate anything I didn’t want to eat, but I did try out a lot of new things. I noticed that they put a lot of olive oil on their dishes such as bread and salad. They also use a lot of mayonnaise and tuna. One time I ate a piece of pizza that had ketchup on it instead of tomato sauce. They topped it with tuna and a piece of half-melted cheese. It was interesting…but everything else I ate was really good. I recommend that people should try paella. Churros and hot chocolate were perfect on cold days.
| Food is important. Did you have to politely eat something that made you nervous? What dish should we absolutely try when we visit there?
Sam - To be honest, the food was one of the main motivations for me to join this trip. If you visit south India, be sure to try a thali – a traditional vegetarian meal served on a banana leaf, including dhal, sambhar, and other treats. Fortunately, nobody got sick from the food, but at the shelter home I chanced upon a bug in my meal. I tried to handle the situation with grace, and simply threw the bug out and kept on eating. After all, it is just extra protein.
Michael - The food was usually Naan, a flat bread, with some sort of meat or tofu stew that was spicy. I did have to eat what is called pan out of politeness. It’s a traditional pallet cleaner for after meals. It was sort of minty, but after eating did not sit well.
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Tell us about the sounds of music; how different were they from what you might hear around Bishop's?
Liam - I found that a lot of French people, especially teenagers, really liked American music. In particular, my host and his friends enjoyed dance music from the U.S. In fact, it wasn’t all too different from the music that is popular here nowadays.
Katharine – The sounds of music consisted of old U.S. pop songs from the likes of Shakira and Ricky Martin. They listen to a lot of American music; it seems they like them a lot even though they can’t understand the lyrics.
| Tell us about the sounds of music; how different were they from what you might hear around Bishop's?
Sam - Bollywood music is awesome dance music. Every night at the shelter home before we watched a movie, they would play Bollywood music and the kids would teach us some dance moves (or try to). It's very festive.
Michael - India is nonstop music. If someone isn’t blasting Bollywood music at 3:00 a.m. then there is always the non-stop honking to listen to. The horns aren’t the usual either, they sound more like clown car horns or mariachi music.
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Transportation is always fun. What was it like getting around by car, train, bus or whatever? Any good traffic stories?
Liam - The public transportation system in France gave us the chance to be independent. In Grenoble, you could get anywhere on public transportation. Hop on a train and you could find your way through the entire city—or you could choose a bus. Some of the larger cities such as Paris have subways as a substitute for cars. My host family used a car only for long distance travel.
Katharine – The drivers in Spain are crazy! The host mom of one of my friends almost hit a girl and didn’t even seem to notice! They always park on the sidewalk or in the middle of the street and they just put on their emergency flashers. I almost got hit three times! The streets are really narrow and there are practically no stop signs so everyone goes really fast. When I went somewhere with my host student we always took the bus.
| Transportation is always fun. What was it like getting around by car, train, bus or whatever? Do you have any good traffic stories?
Sam - Traffic was constant in the cities, often caused by some sort of animal in the street. Indians are also relentless with their horns.
Michael - The bus was our mode of transportation. It took forever to go anywhere; Indian drivers fill every available space on the road in front of them making a bus very difficult to get moving at all. To go the last half-mile to the shelter home took us an hour because of a pile of bricks.
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How did you first get interested in going to France/Spain? Why should we think about going?
Liam - France is a wonderful place to visit for many reasons. You can go to enjoy the culture and experience the French way of life. The food is amazing, because it’s a centerpiece of French life, and the architecture is different than anything we’ve experienced. France also has a complex history, which you can explore in visits to medieval castles and museums. You have to visit it at least once in your life.
Katharine – I was interested in the Spanish language and culture because Mexico is the US's neighboring country. I am sure that knowing the language will be useful someday. I wanted to go to Spain because I knew it would really be fun and that I would have a good experience. You should definitely go to Spain as it is a great place to be immersed in a new and exciting culture. This was a great experience.
| How did you first get interested in going to India? Why should we think about going?
Sam - India is a sort of conundrum in that it is host to one of the fastest growing economies in the world, yet its culture is very rooted in tradition. I felt really compelled to see India before it losses its sense of history and moves entirely into the 21st century.
Michael - I wanted to go to see the culture and people. Every turn in India is full of surprises.
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You are the tour guide. When we go to France/Spain, what would you recommend that we must do, see or experience while there?
Liam - You should visit Paris, which is a beautiful city and the hub of French culture. But don’t miss Grenoble and the French Alps, or the Provence countryside and the beautiful towns that line the southern coast. Traveling by train can give you a picture of what France and French culture are like.
Katharine – Places to see include Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba and Malaga. While in Malaga you should definitely go to the city center to shop, people watch and eat churros. That was my favorite part of the trip.
| You are the tour guide. When we go to India, what would you recommend that we must do, see, or experience while there?
Sam - Besides seeing the obvious tourist staples in India, like the Taj Mahal and the Lotus Temple, it's also important to experience the real India. Take a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi, and experience the insanity that goes on inside a Hindu temple. To me, those were just as fun as seeing what you can see on a postcard.
Michael - The Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the Qutub Minar, the temple at Madurai, the Bahai temple, and some rural community in which you get to bond with the local people are must sees and dos in India.
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Give us a few insights about what you learned, and how you have changed and developed by participating in the exchange program.
Liam - I really enjoyed the exchange because it gave me a chance to immerse myself in a culture that was very different then mine. In an era of globalization, traveling and exploring different cultures helps us come together as people. I appreciated the welcome from my French family, the chance to experience daily life in Grenoble, and to absorb French culture and history. The program also provided the opportunity to improve my understanding of the language. Overall, it was a great experience.
Katharine – I learned a lot about Spanish culture and a number of things about Spain that I simply did not know about before making the trip. My host family spoke little or no English, so my speaking and listening skills really improved. I also got to make some new friends through the program. I am very glad I went!
| Give us a few insights about what you learned and how you have changed and developed by participating in this program.
Sam - One experience that I'll remember forever was our stay at the shelter home. During those four days, we formed more tight-knit bonds than we ever thought we could. Traveling abroad to a country as fundamentally different as India – while making you appreciate the nuances of home – gives you a more complete understanding of the world at large.
Michael - After the initial culture shock wore off I began to see real India. I have learned and changed more than words describe. A few examples, that India is going to take over the world, that anything you do for someone in a poverty stricken place will be eternally grateful, that I would never survive Indian traffic, and that the world is much more diverse than I could ever have imagined. |