Here at Nexus we value people and connection, so join us as we embark on a captivating journey with four UoW students (Sheldon, Emma, Saya and Jaeden) as they recount their six week venture through India. Guided by “Reimagining India with IndoGenius” and supported by the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia, their experiences offer a glimpse into the transformative power of international education. From bustling streets to serene landscapes, their journey promises to inspire and captivate. 

 

  1. What motivated you to participate in the Global Experience Program and choose India as your destination?

Sheldon: “Growing up in New Zealand, I only had two perceptions of India: one, that it was a very densely populated country and two, that they loved cricket. I had often heard from others that India was a beautiful, diverse country that was very rich in culture. My biggest motivation was because I wanted to find this out for myself. I wanted to experience new cultures, meet new people and deepen my global citizenship skills.” 

Emma: “In all honesty, the decision to participate came during a mental breakdown. I was reading the newsletter we get sent in our emails and in a little corner was an advertisement for this trip. I thought to myself, well if I really want to escape my life for a little while, you can’t really get much different from India, so I might as well give it a go.”

Saya: “Apart from a really cool opportunity to travel, I was really looking forward to experiencing a new culture and building meaningful relationships. I was keen to share our tikanga, representing my own tupuna, whilst embracing Indian customs, language, and celebrations.” 

Jaeden: “Initially, I did not think that I would do any overseas travel during my degree, however, when I was passing by the Global Exchange Expo last year, I saw a table promoting funded experiences. I found out that the programs were available over the summer so they wouldn’t interfere with A & B trimesters. When the programs got announced and India was one of the options, I knew immediately I would love to go as many of my family members have been on different trips to India in the past. I thought that it would be an incredible experience to put me out of my comfort zone and grow my exposure to the world!” 

 

  1. Can you share a particularly memorable cultural exchange experience or interaction you had during your time in India?

Emma: “My most memorable experience occurred when I was walking back from the Taj Mahal on our last night. About 5 minutes from our final location, one child captured my attention so I stopped. One of the best pieces of advice we had been given on this trip was to treat everyone like they are human. Now, I don’t know if it was the spirituality of India hitting me, or I was just really tired, but I felt like the universe was telling me to talk to this child. He didn’t speak much English and I didn’t speak any Hindi, but through actions and a lot of reading between the lines, I learnt his name, how many siblings he had, and that he really loved cricket. He was selling two snow globes for 500 rupees each (about $10 NZD), but I told him I only had 100 on me. I’ll never forget him telling me that’s okay and handing me both for free. I made him take my 100, but in the moment I would have given him all the money in my bank account if I could. It really hit home to me how special humans are, and how much everyone just wants to be loved, valued, and respected, something no amount of money will ever buy.” 

Sheldon: “On the first day, we were in a workshop and knew that we were giving a performance later that day. When our workshop ended, we were ushered outside which had seated hundreds of college students waiting for us to perform! Different groups representing different cultures within India performed- it was very great to watch! A lot of the time, we did not know what was happening but we felt a sense of gratitude that they were sharing their culture with us. We performed a few Waiata which were received by the crowd very well. I felt a great sense of pride being able to share realms of Te Ao Maori with the world. We then finished off our performance ‘bracket’ with a Bollywood dance which they loooved! They loved it so much that we ended up performing the dance again with them up on stage. We then all danced to other songs all together afterwards- the atmosphere was very hype.”

Jaeden: “A highlight would have been performing our Bollywood dance at the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi in front of the high commissioner and chancellors from all the NZ universities. I don’t think anyone on the trip thought bollywood would be as fun as it was. It was also hype to have every second person think we were part of the black caps and knew Kane Williamson personally haha.”

Saya: “Visiting the different universities and seeing how people our age were living their lives and studying hard in another culture was buzzy. We learned bollywood dances every morning on the roof of our hotel so that we could perform at the universities, and it took heaps of time for us to get it right, but the students always appreciated that we gave it a go and embraced their culture. I remember talking to girls my age at the universities who had an exact idea of what specific type of husband they wanted and how normalised arranged marriage is over there that they openly talk about it. There would be offices on the streets where you could go in and find a husband, which is just a different cultural way of doing things than here.” 

 

  1. What challenges did you encounter during your trip, and how did you overcome them?

Jaeden: “Being sick – not fun. Missing NZ food too; was for sure craving some hot chips and Whittakers by the end.” 

Saya: “The programme was packed everyday and I often got quite sick and we were all really tired, but remembering what a cool opportunity this is kept me going and I am so grateful for the people I shared this trip with as we became a whanau for six weeks and shared all our highs and lows together.”

Sheldon: “ I feel as though our schedule was very busy! This was great but it also meant that I felt very tired through different workshops, especially when the topic of the workshop did not exactly fit within my interests. To combat this, I had to make sure that I was eating relatively healthy, working out regularly, and resting. We were on the bus quite a bit because we all travelled to 12 different cities. The bus is a great place to korero and get to know people, however it was also a great place for me to rest. Taking opportunities to rest or sleep during travelling times was great. I am not much of a sleeper when on transport however, even just resting my eyes and zoning out for a bit helped.” 

Emma: “I think the cultural shock was my biggest challenge. It’s not that problems like poverty, homelessness, and malnutrition don’t exist in New Zealand, but more so that they tend to be more hidden than what we witnessed in India. The number of people you would see living on the streets, sometimes right outside huge skyscrapers filled with wealthy individuals, was extremely confronting and at some points, very upsetting. For me, the most effective way to overcome these feelings was to confront them and to educate myself. For example, when we visited Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi, I expected to leave feeling hopeless and sad. But instead we learned about the bustling economy that was present in the slum, we saw kids running around playing cricket and making the most of a make-shift playground. We talked to individuals who were grateful to be there and content in their life. In no way was it fair or satisfactory, but it gave me a much greater sense of ease to know that even in what seems like the darkest of circumstances, there is always light.” 

 

  1. In what ways has your perception of India and its culture changed since participating in the program?

Saya: “I have such an appreciation for India as we were able to see many different religions and aspects of Indian culture, and would love to go back!” 

Sheldon: “My perception of India and its culture has changed dramatically- I was able to find out so much more! There are 1000s of different dialects in India, and so much culture. I feel a great sense of gratitude that I was able to start in Tamil Nadu where it is quite hot and the food is a certain way, to then bus all the way up as far as Rishikesh where the foothills of the Himalayas lie and it is a bit colder. I have developed a greater respect for India and how they continually hold on to what they believe in.” 

Jaeden: “The people are some of the loveliest and caring people I’ve ever met! They welcome you everywhere and care for you so much – especially when they realise your team is the Black Caps not Australia. Also the landscapes are incredibly beautiful. There were so many places we went that I would have never imagined seeing in India.” 

Emma: “In every way you could ever imagine. Firstly, there is no one ‘Indian Culture’- there are so many different facets of that amazing country, from regions, to religions, to languages, and so much more. I didn’t expect the people to be so friendly and welcoming. They have a saying that translates loosely to ‘Guest is God’ and man did we feel like royalty the entire trip! Some of the most generous people I have ever come across. The power India holds in our future has certainly changed my perspective. India is the fastest-growing economy in the world and with its increasingly highly skilled population and abundance of emerging technologies, I have no doubt it’s going to play a massive role in everyone’s futures.” 

 

  1. How do you think this experience has impacted your personal growth and development?

Sheldon: “I know that this experience has impacted my personal growth and development. Being around a group of high achievers and meeting people who were very innovative has given me great motivation to continue to strive high and work hard in all aspects of life. This experience has also taught me communication skills. Meeting new people daily and learning to network- I have carried these on since being back in Aotearoa.” 

Jaeden: “I’ve learnt so much about my capacity to be uncomfortable and flexible in crazy situations. I think one of my biggest learnings was also about what it looks like to stay strong to my faith in such a polarising spiritual environment.”

Saya: “I have personally learned a lot from India and how people focused some of the initiatives over there. I think we can all learn a lot from the way they do things over there. The people were so heart warming and the school visits feeding kids was a highlight for me! We saw some pretty eye-opening things that made me truly appreciate my life back home and how I wanna be more involved in the community back here.” 

Emma: “Well first, it totally got me out of my mental breakdown! The biggest thing for me was the difference this experience made on my mental health. I became much more grateful, confident, humble, and open after experiencing this trip. It made me see the world and my place in it, in a completely different light and I feel so privileged to be able to have that experience.” 

 

  1. What advice would you give to future participants of the Global Experience Program who are considering travelling to India?

Saya: “Do it! And take heaps of bug spray. Remember to sort your visa out properly before you get there (unlike Jaeden who nearly didn’t get let in)!” 

Sheldon: “JUST DO IT!! You will not regret applying for this funded experience. The country you will visit is so beautiful. Yes, it does make you appreciate a few things that we have here in New Zealand, but you will learn to appreciate the vast landscape of a new place. You will be given the opportunity to network with potential mentors that would be able to assist you with your degree or in your working life. If you are considering applying for a funded experience to India, I can almost guarantee that it will be something that you will never forget. I know it is an experience that I will always remember.”

Emma: “Do it. Do it. Do it. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s long. Yes, it’s challenging. But it’s so incredibly worth it! Pack lots of socks and undies!” 

Jaeden: “DO ITTTT!!! Just send it. It will honestly be one of the most wild experiences of your life and all expectations you have will be so far exceeded. Also, make sure you fill in your visa details right (I DEFINITELY didn’t almost get stuck at the border).  And you MUST learn something about cricket because it’s the only thing they know about New Zealand – knowing Kane Williamson’s name is not just enough.” 

We are grateful to the four interviewees for graciously being part of our issue this week! We would like to thank these four students for their time, as well as the Waikato Global Experiences team for getting in touch with us about these amazing opportunities. We look forward to hearing more inspiring stories from our fellow students!