Indo-Czech Exchange 2013-14

Our visit to Czech Republic was as memorable as it was enjoyable. During our stay, we took a day trip to Prague, which included an extensive tour of the city and their Christmas market. On another day we visited Cesky Sternberk, one of their famous castles and Charles Bridge, which connect their old town to their new town square. One of our most valuable experiences there was attending a classical concert called “Czech Philharmonic Orchestra”. We had never heard anything like it! Their food was one of the most important cultural aspects that made us fall in love with their country

Czech Republic’s cuisine is quite different from ours in that it is not as heavily condiment based as Indian cuisine, but harnesses the natural flavour of the foods and meat itself. Dumplings, colloquially known as knedlíky, are one of the mainstays of Czech cuisine and are typically served with meals; other sides such as French fries and bread are also notably present. The Czech Republic also has foods from nearby countries such as the German Schnitzel, a chicken fried in bread crumbs, which was presented to us in a “Food Fest” that we held inside the school canteen, where both, the Czech students and the Indian students cooked up a feast that would make your mouth water. The Indian food that we prepared for them consisted of Sev Puri, delicious Tandoori Chicken and Gajar ka Halwa. There was a vast array of drinks including the legendary Kofola, or Czech Coke. Undeniably, at the conclusion of the exchange, both parties were left absolutely delighted by the gargantuan variety of the tantalising food present there, forging bonds that would last over time and distance, with a subtle and spicy aroma drizzled with oil.

During our time in there we engaged in some service activities. The original plan was to visit an old age home, but instead we went to a nursery where we interacted with the children, played Bollywood songs for them and taught them a few signature Bollywood dance steps. Few of us also performed a Bharatnatyam and Bollywood fusion dance for them, which they thoroughly enjoyed. We also played a few nursery games with them and sang Hindi lullabies and nursery rhymes. At the end of our session with them, they thanked us by singing a jolly Christmas carol for us in their language, Czech. Their enthusiasm towards our culture was truly rewarding!

The last two days were spent leisurely with our respective hosts and we engaged in various activities like ice-skating and go karting. Overall the trip was a great success and we could not wait to be reunited with our hosts when they visited India!

10 Days of Experience
Open Gate – DAIS Exchange

In February 2014, nine of us – girls exclusively - from the Czech school Open Gate took up the opportunity and set out for Mumbai. As a part of an international exchange between the two schools we visited our hosts, who had visited the Czech republic in December. During our stay, we visited different places and experienced India in all its forms – hot weather, Mumbai traffic, spicy food, hard work in the villages and much more. In this article, each of us decided to describe the stay from our own point of view and shortly introduce you to our programme. Thank you again for this amazing opportunity and enjoy the reading!

1st day – Tereza Janková

After an exhausting flight and even more exhausting trip in the car through Mumbai traffic our group reached Swadeshi where we could refresh ourselves and have lunch. Unfortunately, Mr. Marks, our teacher, fell ill and we had to do without him during the upcoming two days. Even so, after a short rest, we started our first sight-seeing trip – to a slum. Though the picture we saw was quite shocking, we soon realized that those people managed to survive and even find jobs despite all difficulties. We were introduced to a few sections of slum where people recycled plastic materials, prepared animal skins for further production and recycled aluminum.  Exhausted, we came to the school where our hosts were waiting and we were taken home to meet their parents and get some rest.

2nd day – Sára Ehrlichová 

We had another day full of excitement. In Mumbai, our tour started in the laundry. One of the most interesting things was the use of ropes instead of clothespins. The ropes were knitted into braids, therefore the clothes held in the spaces 'between' each of the ropes. Next place that we visited was a mosque in the middle of the sea. People can could get in the mosque just when low tide occurs, which we found fascinating. After we saw the house where Mahatma Gandhi lived, our tour ended with a lunch in a typical Indian restaurant. We spent the rest of the day with our host families.

3rd day – Nina Fuchsová

We had a great opportunity to visit the island Elephanta, where the temple of god Shiva is situated. We were happy to see that Mr.Marks was alright and could share the experience with us. It was the first occasion on which we met with cunning macaques and an unique chance to buy some local souvenirs. The way to the island started at the Gateway of India, which was built for queen Maria and King George V. at the beginning of the 20th century. We sailed from there on a boat to meet and explore Indian culture. During a detailed lecture, we'd been told many facts about Hinduism and could apply the new learnings while looking at the carvings in the Elephanta caves. Despite many warnings, one of the students couldn't resist her delicious mango juice and unintentionally invited few monkey which required a snack as well. Fortunately for us, everything ended well and we have wonderful memories from the impressive island Elephanta. In the evening, one of the girls had her Indian style 18th birthday party, organised by the Windlands which everybody enjoyed!

4th day – Dominika Trcková

Thursday was our first day in the school and of taking part in the IB classes. Each of us had different timetables depending on our own choices. I went to a math lesson and was surprised how similar it was to our own classes in all aspects, considering the huge difference in number of pupils at Open Gate. Later, we had an opportunity to attend a big meeting about extended essays. Despite leaving early for practicing our assembly for the upcoming day, we all agreed it was quite an unique day for us as we are used to small gatherings where the pupils are not half as excited for essay as the students of DAIS were. After we prepared our presentation, we attended the rest of our classes. In the afternoon, we had our own programme with the host families, most of which took us shopping for the traditional clothes.

5th day – Bibi Beláková

Friday started with a short assembly about the Czech republic that we ended with an recital of one of our traditional dances - Mazurka. After we finished the assembly, we gathered to attend Mr. Windland’s ToK class, which was a lovely experience, given that Mr. Windland taught us in Open Gate as well. Then we dispersed throughout the whole school to attend our individually assigned classes. When school ended we decided to go shopping in Mumbai with our hosts. Many were surprised by the amazing variety, colour and low prices of most goods, and since all students in this exchange were females, shopping proved to be quite a pleasurable activity for the afternoon. I was most delighted to find spices, masala chai and Indian desserts to take back home.

6th day – Kristýna Fišerová

We departed from Mumbai to Matheran early in the morning. Shortly before noon we got to our residence and after a short break we went to the village Hasachhipatti. It was a difficult journey because we had to climb many steps, some of which were built by students of our school. We taught the children different things, played with them Rock, Scissors and Paper and other games. Then we had a look around the village. We enjoyed the markets in Matheran in the evening and made preparations for the next day.

7th day – Johana Scholzová

This day might be considered to be the one filled with the most diverse and exciting experiences in India for many reasons. Starting with a beautiful sunrise, we enjoyed horse riding and later, the kids from the local villages climbed up to the residence where we stayed. We spent a wonderful morning playing educative games with them. After the kids had lunch with us we said goodbye and they went home to their village. Following that the girls set off for the markets that were tempting with lots of colorful shoes and clothing. Unfortunately some naughty monkeys did not share their excitement and the good mood as they attacked the girls several times and took their stuff. Shouting and throwing rocks did not help for it made the apes even more aggressive and anxious to possess the delicious candy. When the girls returned they were tired and frightened. Despite these inconveniences I think that I can say that all of us enjoyed this day.

8th and 9th day – Karolína Horská

On February 24 and 25, hard work awaited us in a village called Kumbhargarh. The village was situated in the middle of nowhere on a sunny dry place far from the main road. The houses there were mostly made of wood and straw and that was the reason why our help was needed that much. We came to make bricks, dig foundations of new houses and build walls of the unfinished ones. And even though we were a group of nine girls and one teacher, I am proud to say that we worked diligently and our effort will stay forever written on 100 bricks, a new school wall and foundations of a new house.

10th day – Markéta Hrehorová

All things have an end and unfortunately so did our stay in India. We got to experience some more IB lessons at DAIS and we thank all teachers for having us in their classes. We got to spend our last rupees on delicious Alfonzo mangoes and finally headed back to our host families to pack. After an adventurous journey through Mumbai, we arrived at Natasha’s house, where we had our hands painted with mehendi while watching a Bollywood movie. After a long process at the airport, where we finally met up with out teacher, and running to our gate while hearing: “Final last call for flight E501 to Dubai” we fell into our seats and slept. When our airplane touched Czech ground, we clapped and were grateful for being safe home again, yet we all missed India. We’re still waiting for our suitcases to arrive from Dubai, but it was a lovely experience!