Before leaving on exchange I was thoroughly warned about how awful Indian schools were. Everyone told me that Indian schools are a joke, the teachers are mean and the conditions are awful. All of the exchange students said that they did not go to school and not one of their exchange student friends did either. However, I do not think that Indian school is so bad. It is true that the teachers are mean and that the conditions are not up to American standards, but it is still okay. American school and Indian school is essentially the same. The main differences are that students do not change classrooms, there are only 6 subjects (math, biology, physics, English, chemical technology and chemistry), and that students are forced to wear a disgustingly unattractive uniform. Want to hear a funny story about the uniform?! So, I am sure that you are aware that the Indian people are very small, and I am also sure that most of you are aware that I am very not! The average Indian women is 5 ‘2. That being said I am 6 feet tall. When I was going to buy my uniform they gave me the biggest size skirt they had, but it was not nearly long enough! The requirement for the skirt is to be one inch above the knee, but my skirt was 5 inches above the knee L Soooooooo I have to have my skirt sewn specially for me. The shirt is also a problem because again of my height. The shirt only reaches my belly button…….. So again a special one has to be sewn for me. In America I am also tall, but in India I am a giant! This makes shopping not very fun. One insight that I have been able to make on American culture is that American people are very touchy about their weight. In India one’s weight is common knowledge. People ask you how much you weight just as casually as they would ask how old you are. In America it is incredibly rude to ask someone how much they weigh, and if someone were to suggest to an American that they need to lose weight or eat healthier they would get a slap in the face followed by many insults, but in India it is endearing to tell someone that they are fat. Teasing someone that they have to lose weight is not offensive here; it would be like telling someone in America that they need to get taller if they are short. At first I was offended by people telling me that I was fat, but now I realize that it is only cultural and they mean no harm by it. Anyway, back to school. I was also told by many people that Indian school was going to be much harder because Indians are more intelligent than Americans but I have found this to be false. I don’t think that Indians are stupid by any means. However, Indian school is just as challenging as American school. I can understand everything that they teach and it is in a different language. Growing up in America I have heard references to the “dumb American” stereotype over and over. Now that I am a foreigner I can safely tell you that this is a misconception. Americans are just as smart as Indians and probably anybody else, but I think that it is just more socially acceptable to “play dumb” in America. In general nothing appears to be shockingly different about Indian school. School is school. I don’t understand why the other exchange students said that they only stayed for a couple of days. Maybe I got lucky with my school, or maybe I will figure out what they meant in time. Either way I have signed up to take a tour of famous Hindu pilgrimage sites in the north on October 19th. I have already paid so I will stay at least until then. I will make sure to keep you updated if my opinions on school change. Namaste!
Do you mean dumb or ignorant? America is a global leader in higher education and high technologies ( Engneering, Computer Science, Nuclear Engneering, ect...), but we are not known for our knowlege and tolerance to foreign ideas. Which when you think about it is very strange because our entire country is one big melting pot of cultures and ideas.- Josh
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know you're enjoying school, and it's certainly possible you've gotten lucky. If you indeed have teachers that regularly come to class and a mature group of classmates that treat you with respect, that's wonderful. More important than anything is finding good Indian friends, and if you get along with them well, that's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAlso you would be attending a science college, na? It appears so by the courses you listed. If so, you're lucky. Science colleges are looked on MUCH more favorably in India than commerce, or arts, where I was placed.
Wait a little longer before making comparisons or judgments. You'll need a large sample size of days of instruction before truly being able to analyze and contrast the educations of our countries.
Diversity. India is a land of diversity. I can't stress this enough. There's diversity in culture. There's diversity in educational quality. There's diversity in opinions. Generally people look favorably on America, often very much so, but usually for the wrong reasons. You'll learn more about this as you meet more Indians. Be wary of making the mistake I made – telling your audience a fact meant to represent India as a whole which in truth only represents a small sample size. Talk to other exchange students. I hope they're all doing as well in school as you.
Keep the blogs coming! Feel free to message me on Facebook if you want to talk about anything. Good job so far!