The Chinmaya IB School experience!

Hey it’s Preena!!!!

Although Mr. Medved has already given a brief description of our visit to the IB school, I thought it would be great to write about our experience in detail. Once we arrived to the school we noticed the sufficient amount of security. There were guards at every corner and there certainly was not a way to get out! The landscaping, partially because of the hot weather, was beautiful. For the most part, the school was built with an open concept. It was completely different from York! At first, we were escorted to the lobby of the school and were introduced to the principle. Subsequently, we were served tea and had an opportunity to talk to a few teachers. Then, we were taken to a room where all the York students along with the Chinmaya IB students, IB coordinator and other teachers discussed our experiences with the extended essay. It was interesting to learn about the diversity of topics and it was certainly evident that the teachers there were fascinated to hear about our topics. After this, we went to their library and were given time to talk to the IB students. There were only about 16 of them in total. We were informed that the students are from various places around the world such as Singapore and Bombay. Their IB schedule is dissimilar in that their exams are in November as they have an eighteen-month program as opposed to our two-year program. Similar to York, they have four houses that compete with each other for points. Most of the students practiced Hinduism and spoke several different languages such as Hindi, Gujarati and French. They were all fluent in English so it was an immense change for us to be able to talk other students who understood us! After chatting with the students it was time for lunch. The students were constantly complaining about the food yet I thought it was delicious! They eat in a massive room and the food is placed in the middle of the table. It is extremely dissimilar to York in that they have servers who, if you put up your hand, bring you whatever you want! Having lunch there was an experience on its own! After lunch we went back to talk to the IB students about CAS. We were informed about the amazing things they did. One girl, for example, raised about $20 000 on her own for an incredible cause. Their great fortitude was apparent. After we discussed our experiences with CAS we watched a brief movie regarding the school. All of us then had a discussion with the greatly respected swami. He was especially keen on discussing the prominence of India and the dissimilarities between Western values. After a profound discussion, it was free time. While the girls were given a tour of the school, the boys played a game of soccer. The school was remarkable! It had a huge complex with tennis and basketball courts, along with an outdoor track, soccer field and several other facilities. Given that it was Holi, a Hindu celebration, the entire school gathered in the front of the lobby to acknowledge the celebration. The swami placed himself at the front of the school and told the story of Holi. Throughout this portion of the night the students chanted Hindu prayers. At this point it was clear that each student had a great amount of discipline. They had ample respect for the school as well as the swami. Personally, this was an overwhelming experience. Seeing that I am Hindu, it was astonishing to celebrate Holi with hundreds of other students. It was an immense experience to be with numerous other people who shared similar values as me. Although it may have appeared to be diverse for the other York students, the numerous prayers and rituals were ordinary for me. Finally, there was one last ritual and then we had pizza for dinner! It was totally different from our regular pizza yet it was a nice change. Subsequently, it was time for us to leave. We took pictures with the students and exchanged emails. An additional ritual of Holi is to throw coloured powder on each other. It’s a great deal of fun yet unfortunately, we were not able to experience this due to the timings. Nevertheless, people on the street pestered Andrew and me the next day! There was coloured powder all over our face, clothes, and hair! It was a great deal of fun yet I have to admit that it was especially difficult to wash it all off! On the whole, the IB school, because it is so dissimilar to York, was a remarkable experience. Individually, since I am Hindu, it was great for me to have an opportunity to interact with an abundance of students who share comparable values. In general, it was amazing to see the diversity of the IB program. We definitely had a great time! Hope everyone’s enjoying the blogs!!!!

p.s. meesha/mom/dad missing you guys!!!!! you too shiv!!!

Two days ago we returned to the Chinmaya IB school for the second time (since last year) and once again were warmly received. We were treated to a fabulous day of tours and discussions with their IB students and staff. The students made some great connections and friends. I will leave it to them to tell in the next post. Right now we are in the coastal town of Cochin in Kerala and will be returing to FFC tomorrow. Look forward to stories from the trip and from the pictures below.

Mr Medved