Visiting Nitte: A Life-Changing Experience for S6 Pupils
Saorcha Warren and Rhona Williamson, both S6 pupils at Hutchesons', report on their recent trip to India.
During the February mid-term break, seven S6 pupils and two members of staff embarked on an educational trip to Nitte, India.
Our first experience of Indian culture came in Mumbai, where we took a bus tour of the famous bustling city with a population of over 20 million, four times greater than the whole of Scotland. We got to see the main attractions of the city, including the gateway of India, the Dabbawalas and the Dhobi Ghat. Finally we were taken on a small tour of the working part of Dharavi, the largest slum in India. Initially it was very daunting walking through the streets with many people staring at us. However, we soon got used to this and it became a very surreal experience as it opened our eyes to the extreme poverty, but also the strong sense of community amongst the residents living there.
After catching our connection to Mangalore, we were met by one of the teachers from our partner school, which is situated in the small village of Nitte. We were then treated to a traditional Indian dinner before retiring to the school's guesthouse for a good night's sleep. The following morning we went into the school to meet the pupils taking part in the Nitte-Hutchie Challenge, which was established by the previous visitors from Hutchie in October 2010. The aim of this competition is to encourage pupils to raise awareness about the importance of education in their local area.
We were overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm with which the pupils had approached this competition, going to exceptional lengths to fulfil the requirements of the project they had embarked on. The prize for the winning project is a fully expenses-paid trip to Scotland, which, as a group, we are currently fundraising for.
We then got to tour several of the most common industries in Mangalore, which included a cashew nut factory, a steelworks factory and finally a candle-making factory. That evening we were invited to a traditional Indian religious cart festival. Local religious leaders sit inside the hand-built wooden cart, which is then towed up and down the hill by the men of the community. The principal behind this is that it will bring in good luck for the following year.
Our next outing was to the medical college in Nitte where we got a talk from the Dean. We were then allowed to look round the college facilities and chat to the pupils studying there. We were all very impressed by what the college had to offer. After this we were invited for a tour around the local hospital, which was another inspirational experience. It allowed us to draw a comparison between Scottish and Indian hospitals and we were all impressed by the high quality of care and facilities on offer. Hutchie has now established a link with this hospital and medical college, which offers Hutchie pupils in S5 the opportunity to gain work experience in the hospital with accommodation in the nearby student dorms. This would be an invaluable experience for any pupil wishing to study medicine as it would enhance their application and show maturity and understanding of a health care system in a developing country.
We spent the following day in the school teaching several classes about our culture, school and life in Scotland. The pupils were all very eager to find out more about Scotland and thoroughly enjoyed learning how to ceilidh dance. We were all taken aback by their positive attitude towards education and how much they appreciate the opportunities it can provide them with in the future. That afternoon we were honoured to be included in the leaving ceremony for year 10 pupils. This was a lively event filled with speeches, games, songs and dancing where everyone could get involved. We were invited on stage to receive gifts from the staff and pupils and this was a truly heart-warming experience.
Our final day in Nitte, like all the others, was jam-packed. We were up early and into the school where we got to spend time in a classroom environment with the year ten pupils before saying our goodbyes. One of the pupils was kind enough to have us over for lunch, where we were treated to an authentic Indian meal. This was a unique experience as our plate was a banana leaf and the floor was our table. Without any cutlery to hand, we learned how to eat using our fingers which was a tricky skill to master. Without any time to spare we were whisked off to a buffalo race where we were VIP guests and our photo was taken to be published in the newspaper the following day.
The next morning, Neeta, the school's headmistress, accompanied us to Mangalore airport, where we said an emotional goodbye and headed on our way to Goa for three days of relaxation. The highlight of our stay in Goa was the Tuesday morning, which was spent riding and washing elephants (and being washed by them!) at a nearby spice farm.
We all agree that it was a truly sensational trip, like no other. We are all extremely grateful that we were privileged enough to have the opportunity to go on this unique, life-changing trip and meet such honest, hard-working, kind people. It opened our eyes to a completely different way of life. Every year there is the opportunity for S6 pupils to plan and organise their own trip, as we did. We would highly recommend that they chose to do so as we found it to be such a rewarding experience.
