Photo: Nina Grützmacher
How Facebook helped me find a summer school in India
A summer in India? Why not! A lot of people like to travel, but usually you hear about destinations like Australia, Canada or Thailand. India is a special sort of adventure. I would never have dared to travel there by myself. Thus the summer school “Call of Sages to the Lap of Himalayas”, organized by the International Office, the UoC’s liaison office in New Delhi in cooperation with the NGO Ecopath, was the perfect opportunity. It took place in different cities: Delhi, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Anjanaisain and Haridwar. After I discovered the summer school on the Facebook profile of the General Student Assembly (AStA), I wrote a short application to the International Office. A few weeks later I got the reply – I was accepted!
A report by Nina Grützmacher, a student in biological sciences (M. Sc.) at the UoC’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
Good preparation is half the battle
A trip to India sounds exciting and is definitely a challenge. You have to bear in mind that you’re not just going to a different EU country. India is an emerging economy and the standard of living is drastically different from that in most western countries. So you should prepare well in advance. For one thing, you should check if you have all the necessary vaccinations, because the hygienic standards are not comparable to those in Germany. It is also good to have a first-aid kit. Insect spray, sunscreen and hand disinfectant are also a must.
Culture shock? Definitely!
I arrived in New Delhi in the middle of the night together with a few other participants. Although it was also summertime in Germany and I had expected high temperatures, arriving in India was a bit of a shock. Besides temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, it was very humid, which took some time for me to get used to. But that was not the only culture shock that night. We took two taxis to our hotel. That way, we got to know how traffic works in India. Nobody seems to pay any attention to traffic lights, lane demarcations, or other traffic rules. Everybody drives the way he or she wants to and the horn serves as a signal to pass or turn. However, what most Germans would perceive as total chaos works pretty well in India. And what you would never encounter in Germany are elephants walking around town. I had expected cows, perhaps, but elephants…
Rice, rice, rice...
If you are ever in India, you should definitely try Indian food. It cannot be compared to what we are used to being served in Indian restaurants at home. But be careful if you have problems with very spicy food. All in all, Indian cuisine is absolutely delicious and rich in variety. Besides rice, potatoes and different vegetables are popular. If you are a die-hard carnivore, you should be careful, though. Worldwide, the biggest number of vegetarians lives in India. Many restaurants offer exclusively vegetarian cuisine. Even some of the large hamburger chains do not offer meat.
Lectures, discussions and field trips – a packed program!
Over the course of two weeks, we learned a lot about many interesting topics like politics, history, religion and the environment. Professors and members of non-profit organization did their best to answer all of our questions. And we went on field trips to interesting places such as Rishikesh – the capital of Yoga. The most spectacular place for me, however, was Anjanisain. We spent four days in an Ashram in the Himalayas, where we could leave behind all of our stress and our worries. After an hour of Yoga in the morning, we visited a school and sang songs with the children. For lunch and dinner, we were served home-grown fruit and vegetables, and in the afternoons we could enjoy the spectacular view of the Himalayas.
An experience for life!
The summer school was a great opportunity to get a first impression of Indian culture. I know that it was not my last visit to this extraordinary country. Also, I came to appreciate many of the comforts I enjoy in Germany, which I had until then taken for granted. The language, the history and the culture impressed me so much that I would love to go back someday – for more than just two weeks!
Do you want to do a summer school abroad?
International summer schools are short-term programmes offered by the University of Cologne in cooperation with its international partner universities. They offer UoC students the opportunity to get an impression of a different subject or a different culture during the semester holidays. You can find the full offer of summer schools in India, the USA and China here. Apply now for 2016!