Category: Allgemein

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Indo-German Exchange: The India Chapter

by Palak D., Class X

“India is a place where colour is doubly bright. Pink that scalds your eyes, blues you could drown in.”

The India-leg of the Indo-German Cultural Exchange was an experience of a kind and one to cherish for a lifetime. To share one’s culture: a way of life in itself, is a feeling more beautiful than can be put into mere words.

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib – A photo made by the German partner

Having a German partner at home, seeing them relish Indian delicacies, fall in love with the vibrant finery and navigate through the chaotic, yet unfailingly charming streets of India, filled me with a sense of gratification that I’d never felt before. Be it the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib or the jostling lanes of Janpath, the bewilderment and awe I saw on the faces of German students made me feel deeply grateful for this platform and such accepting partners, who embraced this new culture with open arms.

Emma and Palak

My partner and I, for instance, shared a common fascination with jewellery, and India holds a plethora of different kinds of ornaments, influenced by our culture and history. I don’t remember a single store at Janpath that we didn’t stop to admire. Despite the designs and styles being so different from the ones back in Germany, every piece was appreciated for its distinctive handiwork.

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Wicke(d)/(t) Cricket

Who is the best cricket player in the world? Which team do you support? Questions that are easily answered by anybody from India. But what answer would a German exchange student give? None! Cricket is hardly known in Germany. Many even confuse the sport with croquet.

Our German exchange student Jakob therefore started the quest to explore the world of cricket. He interviewed his Indian host to explain the rules to him.

At the end, Jakob was still quite confused. But, just listen yourself.

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The Timeless Architecture of the Symbol of Love

by Konstantin, Viren, Leon, Shreerao, Shrishti, Annika

The Taj Mahal, known for ist stunning architecture, attracts millions of visitors every year. Its story makes it a symbol of eternal devotion.

The Taj Mahal, often regarded as the jewel of India, was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died at the age of 39 during the delivery oft he couple’s 14th child. Completed in 1653, this white marble mausoleum symbolizes love, devotion and architectural excellence. It is a UNESCO World heritage site and is considered one of the Modern Wonders oft he World. The structure is an exquisite blend of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles. The main building with its massive dome is surrounded by four minarets and the complex also includes beautiful gardens, a mosque and a guest house. The central chamber contains the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Intricate carvings and inlaid precious stones add to the monument’s beauty. Visitors are often mesmerized by the Taj Mahal’s symmetrical design an the way it reflects the changing colours of the sky throughout the day. During sunrise, for example, it glows with a warm, golden hue.

Visiting the Taj Mahal is a moving experience for visitors around the Wold. Its architectural beauty in combination with its captivating story about love beyond the borders of death has everyone in awe who is lucky enough to see it.

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A trip to the temple

by Konstantin W.

On the first day of our journey, my exchange Student and his mom brought me to two temples. The first temple, called the Mata Rani temple is dedicated to many different gods like Ganesha, Ram and Shiv Ji. We also read about the gods representing the solar system and standing for each day of the week.

At the temple
At the entrance of the temple

There was a huge shivling wich is a symbol for praying for lord shiva. It’s a giant metal rock where water from a pot drops regularly onto to cool the anger of Shiv Ji. The second one is devoted to Sai Baba, he was a devotee of god. He was very wise and it is said, that he healed everything he touched. We also offered money for donations and also got prashad, wich are little snacks, mostly sweet and they are given to the people who pray to the gods as a form of a blessing.

It felt differently nice. I am really happy to experienced that.

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India on Air

Media Rules! That is the name of this year’s topic and therefore our Indian guests explore not only the lovely forests of Lower Bavaria but also work hard on their project.

While they visited a local radio station in Straubing they interviewed many reporters but also got interviewed. With this media content the radio station Radio AWN created a small report about the exchange which was aired last Friday.

Even if you can’t understand the German language you will definitely recognise the voice of Megha Gupta. She tells the anchor about our exchange and the so far experiences during the exchange.

Megha Gupta speaks about the Indo-German exchange
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German students get ready for the exchange

Nineteen German students have applied for the recent exchange with Lotus Valley International School. They all are eager to explore India, to get to know the food, the people and the culture. Furthermore, they are looking forward to hosting a foreign student in their house.

But hosting a guest as well as traveling abroad is not a task to manage easily. That’s why both projects must be prepared accordingly and that’s also why the German students met this week to train for the exchange.

The German students write down their first thoughts on India.

At the beginning of this first meeting, the students played a little game. They had to greet themselves with different greeting rituals from all around the world. These rituals varied from shaking hands, to touching food or to the traditional Maori hongi. Afterwards, the pupils of Johannes-Turmair-Gymnasium talked about the awkwardness they felt during that game. Next the teacher in charge Wolfgang Poeschl explained to them, that this awkwardness can happen when different cultures come together. “What´s quite normal in one culture can be fairly awkward in another.” Therefore, the exchange students always must keep in mind that it is essential to learn about each other’s culture before meeting our friends from India. Only with such a cultural preparation we can avoid misunderstandings and can even show our Indian friend respect.

After that little game the participants agreed to learn some words in Hindi to welcome our new friends properly. And even if the pronunciation wasn’t perfect all the students had a lot of fun.

The one our meeting went on and the children described their expectations towards the exchange. They talked about their fears and about practical preparations like a valid passport.

But the most important topic that was addressed by the students was the profile they have to write about themselves. Only with a good description of their hobbies, their allergies or their diet it is possible to find the matching partner. In the next week, all the German students, therefore, will fill in a “small letter of introduction”. Perhaps they will already get to know the names of their Indian partners when we meet next time.

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Last Parent Teacher Meating Before The Flight

In barely two weeks we are going to fly to our partner school in India. This means it is high time to inform the parents of the latest news from Lotus Valley, to hand out the schedule prepared diligently, and to answer the most pressing questions of all participants. Therefore, the German parents, some of the exchange students and me, being the participating teacher will gather at the Johannes-Turmair-Gymnasium this Monday evening.

Schedule
Fragment of the latest schedule

The most urgent question to answer will certainly be whether we will get our visa in time. Luckily, I got an email this week from the consulate of India in Munich guarantying us the help of the consulate. Thus, I feel more than positive that the visa problems of the last weeks are off the table and that there won’t be any more surprises.

As we also already got our tickets from our travel agent we are theoretically ready to travel, and the meeting is obsolete, isn’t it? That’s a hopeful but somehow naïve wish. The experience of several years of exchange have taught us that there are far more topics to clarify, not only to settle the parents’ worries but also to avoid further misunderstandings.
So, here is my checklist for all the teachers who must conduct such a meeting. I tried to make a list of all the topics that usually arise during the meeting and that I put in my presentation in advance. Please drop a comment if I forgot an issue.

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