This story was originally posted on University of Waikato’s Global Experiences blog.
by Sheldon Rogers
I would call myself a fairly ‘seasoned’ traveller having spent a total of seven years of my life living away from New Zealand in various places of the world. However, the feelings of excitement and nervousness were still there when arriving at the Auckland Airport. A group of 24 strangers were about to embark on a life-changing six-week experience exploring India.
We flew 10 hours to Singapore, staying a night, then flew another 4 hours to Chennai. Along the trip, the group quickly broke down walls of introduction and by the time we arrived in India, everyone seemed fairly comfortable with each other. It is a great group with different personalities and everyone is great to connect with.
Over this past week, I have had many new experiences and many new perspectives have been formed. We have spent the past few days in Puducherry. Puducherry is a town shaped by French colonial influence. In the 17th century, the French established a trading post and it quickly became the centre of ‘French India’. It remained under French control until it merged with the Indian Union in 1954.
We also visited Auroville over 3 days which is a town founded in 1968 by the Mother/Mira Alfassa. The town is structured around a golden globe and the community has a vision of human unity no matter the nationality, culture, and background.
Growing up in New Zealand and in a Te Ao Maori lens, I didn’t really have the opportunity to engage with many people from India. I knew that it was hot here but I did not know just how hot. I knew that the traffic was busy but I did not know how busy. I knew that the people were nice but I did not know how nice. Being here and experiencing the country first-hand has definitely shaped my perspective. I have only just learnt that the national sport of India is not Cricket and that it is just in fact Hockey! From the abundance of vegetarian food to the creative minds of the people that we meet to the spiritual centres we attend, India is shifting my perspective drastically as I continue to learn so much in a short amount of time.
A quote that I saw at a school that we visited today was by AP.J Abdul Kalam, which said, “Learning gives you credit, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, knowledge makes you great”. I am looking forward to the rest of this experience and seeing the continual shifts in my perspective.