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Lancaster Girls' Grammar School
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Pupil Views
India Exchange 2009
In October eighteen LGGS girls accompanied by Miss Gates and Miss Sheen and four teachers from our UKIERI cluster schools, Arkholme Church of England Primary School and Dallas Road Primary School, began a journey of adventure to India where they would experience the sights, smells and sounds of a truly intriguing nation. Below are some accounts, written by the girls, of their experience:
S Bristow:
Going to India has always been something I’ve really wanted to do since I first heard about it in year 7 and so actually being able to go was really good. However, the actual trip was so much more amazing than I could have ever imagined! There were many highlights including seeing India and experiencing its completely different culture, also meeting and bonding with the Indian students. I have made some amazing friends and met some incredible people who I think I will remain friends with for a long time. The culture of India was one of the main things that hit me when we first arrived, it was so much more amazing and so much more different than I had expected and looking back, I still find it hard to believe some of the astonishing things I saw. Being at VDJS was so much fun; everyone was so welcoming and friendly making our stay there so much more enjoyable. It was a lovely school and it was interesting to see the wealthy side of India in contrast to some of the real life poverty we saw in the streets of Delhi and while we were travelling. I really enjoyed the travelling around India and seeing the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple of Amritsar; they were both so beautiful and also huge highlights of the trip! I feel that going to India and experiencing it was a once in a lifetime experience and has really changed my perspective on life. If I ever get the chance to visit India again I would definitely go because I loved the country so much and there’s still so much more of it that I would like to see.
G Baldwin:
Visiting India was really amazing and I will never forget what I experienced while staying at VDJS and travelling to places in the surrounding area. I noticed many differences between our culture and the Indian culture; the contrast between the rich people and the poor people was huge and the culture hit me more than I thought it would. However, there were many more similarities between the lives of the VDJS girls and our lives than I expected. I made many friends with the girls who were all very friendly and welcoming; I hope to stay in touch with them for a long time as I think links between countries are very important. One of my many highlights was taking story sacks to present to the young children. It was really lovely when they clearly enjoyed the book and it was great fun to help them with the many activities that went with it. Visiting India has made me realise many things about the country and about the society in which girls my age have been brought up in. The trip was at times very emotional and made me realise how important it is for people to experience the vibrant and diverse Indian culture. Travelling to India has made me determined to go back there one day as I had such a great time and would like to experience more of such an incredible country.
Abigail Davies:
Despite having spoken, on numerous occasions, to both staff and pupils from LGGS who had previously been on the Indian exchange, I don’t think anything could have prepared us for our time in India.
The culture shock was extraordinary. Although I had realised that as a group of British school girls we would attract some attention, I hadn’t realised just how much! During our shopping trip to Hisar, which was our first real taste of Indian life outside of VDJS, we literally caused traffic jams simply by being there. I personally found the experience utterly terrifying, and barely said a word from the moment we stepped off the bus to when we got back on it. However, it was really incredible to see how from just one shopping trip it was so clear how different our attitudes and cultures are. During the whole trip we saw so many breath taking sites, both positive and negative. Although India is a country rich in culture the sheer poverty is unbelievable. One of the most bizarre experiences we had was witnessing both extremes of wealth and poverty literally side by side. My time in India, and seeing the poverty first hand, has definitely made me more aware of how important it is that people in richer countries make a huge effort to support those suffering from extreme poverty. I would like to thank everyone who made the exchange possible as it really was a once in a life time experience, and the memories from it will stay with me forever.
Holly Hughes:
My experiences in India were fantastic. The culture is so different to the one in England, from the food to the number of temples and beautiful monuments. The Taj Mahal was a shock, because it is so famous it seems almost like a myth, a piece of fantasy, so seeing it in its full glory was a humbling and wonderful experience. The VDJS girls were considerate and kind and seeing the difference in the way they teach was enlightening, as well as seeing the similarities and differences in the subjects they study.