Exchange

between Jamnabai Narsee School and Pius X-College

25 October 3 November 2017

Report by Pim Meijer, Pius X-College

In a world that has never been globalizing faster than todays, getting acquainted with cultures all
over the world is an important premise on the way of becoming a world citizen. EUmIND provides
students in Europe and India with the opportunity to do exactly this: learning about other cultures in
an interactive and fun manner, by visiting each others countries, schools and families. These are our
experiences and insights on why this programme should be continued and spread.
At the 25th of October, we embarked our plane to Mumbai to commence this memorable adventure.
Instantly, we were submerged in Indian culture. Outside the airport our friends, who had visited us in
May, were waiting already, welcoming us with flower garlands and a typical Indian welcome
ceremony. We knew that this experience would be one to never forget, even though it had just
started.

After a good nights rest, our first whole day in this beautiful country began. We had a chance to
experience the crowdedness of Mumbai first hand by driving in quiet traffic. Furthermore, driving to
school gave a good first glimpse of the city in all its facets. The wealth and poverty could be observed
simultaneously, giving an indication of the inequality that accompanies a rapid increase of wealth.
This inequality could be further experienced at the end of the exchange, when all the students visited
a school for the less privileged children, giving everyone an opportunity to converse with people with
whom they otherwise wouldnt have.
Furthermore, the Jamnabai Narsee School arranged a lot of activities, ranging from interactive
cultural programmes like discussions on burning issues to fun sustainable fashion workshops. A
cultural evening could not be omitted of course, so, at Monday, this was exactly what was scheduled.
Many parts of the Indian culture were shown, ranging from classical dances to a mix of classical
music and beatboxing. All these experiences illustrated the cultural diversity of this immense country
in all its glory.

Besides the activities organized by school, all the Dutch students had an active role in the exchange
too. They prepared lessons for the fourth grade students of the school on Dutch culture. Lessons
ranged from teaching Dutch songs to Dutch traditions and Dutch food.
Of course, we also visited the beautiful old centre of Mumbai and learned about its history. In
addition, we visited the beautiful Sanjay Gandhi National Park, under supervision of a brilliant guide
who showed us all the marvels of this park which we would not have seen without him. These
experiences delineated the beauty of the city itself and its immense history.
Naturally, not all time was spent in school arranged programmes. Our hosts organized activities like a
Halloween party, going to an amusement park and of course, trying as much delicious Indian food as
possible. These memorable activities only resulted in an even better bond between everyone,
reinvigorating the goal of the exchange: bond beyond borders. And this is what made this exchange
and unforgettable one. Not only did we experience the marvellous Indian culture, its people and its
history, we also made friends for life with whom we spent a fantastic ten day experience.

In conclusion, participating in a EUmIND exchange is a great way to broaden your horizon and to
make friends for life. The programme gives students a chance to get out of their comfort zone and
explore the world. It teaches students skills like inter-cultural communication and it prepares
students to be better world citizens. All in all, EUmIND forms a great foundation for the next
generation of open-minded world citizens.