On a roll in India!

Many new and novel things were a part of their trip that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Students and teachers from Baveria, Germany at the Goethe Institute in Thiruvananthapuram as part of a cultural exchange programme organised by the institute. Photo: S. Gopakumar

It is all shock and awe for a team of German school students and their teachers who are currently on a week long visit to the State.

From eating having to use their fingers to terrifying traffic, the five-day trip seems to have left a lasting impression on the visitors. They are here on a week-long cultural exchange programme organised by the Goethe Institute.

The group, led by the school principal Kilian Popp and three teachers consists of 26 high school students from Bavaria, Germany. And on the last day the students were here at the Goethe Institute, some of them dressed in drindl, the traditional Bavarian costume, recounting their impressions and experiences in God's Own Country since their arrival. Eating the State's traditional feast on plantain leaves turned out to be a novel experience for them. “It is the first time I am eating with my hands,” said Lena Schneider.

“It felt really funny,” she said. In fact, cross cultural experience is precisely the objective of this eight day trip to the State which will conclude with a visit to Tamil Nadu, said Mr. Popp, the school principal.

For many like Lena Schneider and her friends, Verena Mahn and Agnes Binder, it was the act of eating with their hands that captured their imagination the most.

Interesting trip

The occasion provides an opportunity for the students to learn from each other and also see how globalisation has impacted and transformed communities , said Mr. Popp, flanked by Bettina Natterer and Jan Froehling English teachers at the Bavarian school. The educators who also visited a couple of primary schools in the government sector during the stay were all praise for the educational system.

However, the duo could not help conceal their horror at the chaotic traffic on the road. “Crossing the road here can be suicidal,” said Mr. Froehling.

“Vehicles don't stop for pedestrians here unlike in Germany where you have designated lanes for cars,” he said. The cross-cultural exchange is a part of ‘Schools: Partners for the future' a programme launched by the Goethe Institute to encourage greater communication and understanding between diverse cultures.