Natalia Nikoniuk`s Reflection of Indo-Polish exchange 2015

A reflection upon Indo-Polish exchange to be published in a bilingual geography magazine, organised by Teacher Association in Torun, Poland.

http://www.sop.torun.pl/oddzialy-dwujezyczne,k4,l1.html

“Show me so that I can stand

On your shoulders.

Reveal yourself so that I can be

Something different.

Don`t impose on me what you know,

I want to explore the unknown

And be the source of my own discoveries.

Let the known be my liberation, not my slavery.”

 by Chilean biologist MATURANA, quoted by Ms Nina Sehgal

A note from Polish exchange student, Natalia Nikoniuk on the study visit to DPS Gurgaon

For me, as a seventeen-year- old student from Kraków, India has always been some kind of a fairytale, a dream that may or may not be seen in reality. Due to Bollywood movies that I've been watching with my sister throughout our childhood I've painted a picture of this county in my mind as a colorful, beautiful and inspiring place with an extraordinary history and religion. When I heard about an exchange with India in my school first thing I did was of course to sign in and that to tell my sister. But till the very last moment I couldn't believe that it's really happening. Before my departure I've read some articles about India just to be know some basics because life there doesn't really look like the ones in Bollywood movies. I was aware of the population problem, poverty and the water scarcity so I thought I'm more or less prepared for this trip. But I wasn't. Our exchange has a place in Gurgaon, known as the leading financial and industrial city of India which is situated very close to the capital. Seven students on each side participated in the exchange so fourteen families were involved. Thanks to living with a typical Indian family we could discover how it functions, what the social code is, how it is different from ours. Of course we were a bit stressed at first because right after landing  we were to spend two days alone among unknown  families. But what I discovered shortly after that in India there have been friends waiting for me. 
We spent the first day at home to acclimatize,  but on the second we headed to New Delhi so we could see how people live there. My first impression wasn't nice because I felt a bit like an intruder in a megacity. Everybody was staring at us and I didn't take those glances as a positive ones. After we got back I felt a bit sad, I didn't know what to do to make everybody understand that I'm not different, but a friend. But then I 've tried to put myself in their position and understood their way of thinking. It helped me to discover that those looks weren't at all negative. They were the glances of curiosity. I look differently, I have different colour of my skin, hair and eyes, I walk differently and talk differently so it's obvious that I'm perceived as a weird one. I'd probably do the same in their situation. After I understood these dilemmas, I've started to discover their mentality too. I've noticed kids playing cricket a lot, mothers dressed in beautiful saris sitting on a street and talking, my peers smiling to us and waving. Than the truth about Indian people being talkative, open-minded and extremely kind was revealed to me.
I think what I enjoyed the most during this study visit was being with my Indian family. I could spend these two weeks only with them. I loved talking to my partners` mother about religion and culture in India and Poland, I loved teaching them some Polish words and also learning Hindi with their help. But what's even more important it is that this visit gave me an opportunity to understand how families in India function, I could than see the differences very clearly. Now I know that home is supposed to be a place where you feel comfortable, you can relax, there aren't many rules to follow. Food is extremely important, shared meals are a necessity and a guest in a house is like a god. Thanks to my staying here I 've learned things that I won't be able to explore only by visiting with my family. I don't know how to thank my project teachers: Ms Sapna Dhawan, Ms Mamta Kanti Kumar and Ms Anna Krzemińska-Kaczyńska for making it happen. Since I can honestly say that this study visit changed my life. Due to this type of actions young people can learn and discover plenty of useful things about the world. It is a fact that the world is getting smaller and smaller but along with that our possibilities are getting bigger. It's all about experiencing and breaking the boundaries right now, globalization and international education are very important. Schools like VIII PALO and DPS Gurgaon are the examples of schools which are aware that they are responsible for the future of this world. The Principle Ms Aditi Misra during our welcoming ceremony at school engraved an important message that fell deeply in my mind. Ma`m told us that we are the future leaders of the world, that I can become the one too. It made me understand that I can really make a change, make something better for others, India and Poland are the places where a lot can be done by the students of tomorrow.