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國際教育旅行-印度之旅
India Reflections
領隊老師:Ms Lisa Brosseau和黃厚源老師(Mr. Steven Huang)
Ms Lisa Brosseau及學生著印度女性傳統服裝─紗麗
On July
2, 2012, 8 students and 2 teachers from IBSH went on a journey
of a lifetime to India. We were there for 10 days, touring the
“Golden Triangle’ of India during a record-breaking heat wave.
We saw the classic monuments of India: Taj Mahal, Baha’I Lotus
Temple, the Qutub Minar, Amber Palace, Fatehpur-Sikri, the Red
Fort and got to visit with street and slum children through
organizations that worked with these children; Salaam Balaak and
Deepalaya. We put on lots of miles through our travels in India,
ate lots of Indian food, and got to meet an interesting
cross-section of people. The best way to understand this trip is
through the students’ own words:
“I guess I should have listened to Matt Pardy’s advice: “Let go
of all your expectations before going on your trip. India will
change your mindset; It will change the way you see things. It
will change you.” Because it did, both physically and mentally.
If I learned one thing from this 10- day trip, it would be this:
There is so much in the world you have not yet seen, heard,
experienced. Be open to new things, and you’ll be surprised at
what you gain….I got to meet all sorts of people: from the
arrogant rich-Georgetown-bound-law-student-who-wore-Ray Bans to
the most down-to earth kids from the streets to one of the most
intelligent brains of the country. I got to hear stories I had
previously thought only existed in fairytales, stories of kids
running away from home, rising above from the ashes with huge
hopes and dreams. I had the privilege of sitting next to perhaps
the coolest Indian woman I’ve met, ever, and talking to her
about first world problems. I had the honor of learning dozens
of little boys’ names, which I shamefully admit to forgetting
already, learning the coolest handshake ever, and putting smiles
on their little faces. I had the joy of conversing with an elite
student at the Vasant Valley School while lying sick on the
cleanest school nurse office I’ve ever seen….And not to mention,
I learned how to dance Bollywood from the most welcoming,
talented hostesses I’ve ever had……Sounds clich?, but India has
really shaped me as a person; it has helped me appreciate what I
have and don’t have; it has opened me up to the numerous
possibilities around me, the real world outside elite colleges,
jobs, toilet paper, 7-11s.”
“When we first arrived at the Indian airport, I thought perhaps
India was not as bad as I thought it would be, but when I
stepped outside the automatic door, the hot air and the smell of
sauna surprised me. As the days passed in India, I realized
India was lacking in a lot of things….I found out that I would
have to check the change for the correct amount. That was kind
of a shock. At the beginning of the trip, we mostly walked under
the hot Indian sunlight. The monuments that we visited however,
quickly took all of my fatigue away. We saw lots of
architectural marvels and I think those experiences were very
rewarding. The Amber palace where I walked with the elephants,
the Taj Mahal where I visited early in the morning, and the
Qutub Minar where I struggled to comprehend the effort and time
put into the construction. Also the Saalam Balaak Trust, and its
t-shirt that I’m wearing now gives me a sense of security as I
saw that the?(street) children are in safe hands. Overall, the
trip to India has not only drastically changed my views on
India, but also provided me a memory that I will never forget. “
“Having the opportunity to visit India has been simultaneously
awe-inspiring and humbling. To see first hand the architectural
and cultural achievements of one of humanity's oldest
civilizations presents the unique and rare privilege of being
truly lost for words. On the opposite hand, coming into contact
with the extremes of poverty in great abundance also has a way
of shaming those born with privileges into humility. All in all,
spending a few days visiting India has resulted in a spiritual
and mental growth of significantly more than a few days. Yet, I
don’t think it is fair and accurate to only include the grander
parts of India. For example, discussing the embarrassment
involved with having people get out of your way on the staircase
and put out a stool to make it easier to enter a bus. To be
honest, every time some display of excessive servility was given
to me, it was a bit damaging to my pride as well. Or being
humiliated by meeting people infinitely more hardworking than
oneself but with a darker future simply because of their birth
on the same day we complain about waking up too early. The type
of spiritual and mental growth I experienced was being ashamed
of having privileges?disproportional to how hard I've worked.
While most of us have likely been told how lucky we are, it's
easy to not only take it for granted, but simply not care.”
“The itinerary was packed with tourism like activities, and we
were herded to site after site, palaces after giant tombs,
market after market. I can barely remember what I ate except for
a traditional na'an bread and can barely retell the plot of the
Bollywood movie we watched. Maybe these things were just too
insignificant compared to the extreme irony, and misery that I
have witnessed during my ten day stay. After I stepped out of
the slums in Delhi for our "City Walk" program, we were all
driven to the nation's highest private research institute. I
remember letting out a gasp as we were welcomed in by officials
into an air-conditioned building with world class conference
rooms. The contrast was to me, breathtaking. I never knew India
would have such a place. Though I tried to be as polite as I
could as they talked about India's corrupt government and
failing energy resource program, I could not help but think of
the slums, and the street kids that I just played with moments
ago.”
“When I came back to Taiwan, I was quite relieved. I realized I
wasn't happy during the trip. I was uncomfortable, and largely
disturbed by the poverty I have witnessed during my 10 day stay.
From my experience, India's not a place where one "relaxes" and
takes a "vacation" in. It is a place that shocks, and teaches
people about the reality in our world. All in all, I'm very glad
that I went to India.”
“I really enjoyed Salaam Baalak (an NGO working with street
children) and Deepalaya (especially Deepalaya) which is a school
run by an NGO working on issues affecting the poor, with a
special focus on children, particularly because I had a chance
to interact with the kids. Deepalaya was really touching for me,
how the kids could maintain an educational environment despite
their economic situations. It made me really guilty and sad
inside after seeing how determined, strong, and optimistic the
staff and the students were, when I never actually appreciated
my schooling here in Taiwan even though I had the best
opportunities. It is extremely unfair how these kids, some who
are probably brighter than some of the kids who go to IBSH, are
limited in their access to resources. This was one of two of my
life changing experiences, the other one being meeting and
interacting with an extremely bright but orphaned girl in
Cambodia. I will definitely return to both places as soon as
humanly possible.”
印度非營利組織 Salaam Balaak Trust輔導的街頭兒童
印度之行圓滿成功
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