Kelsey Serier
Hi everyone,
Today we had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. We were invited to visit after meeting the Consule General Andrew Simkin at a school we were observing at. I was asked to prepare a 5 minute presentation relating some of the main themes and memories from this trip. I am posting the speech that I presented to the public affairs officer at the consulate. I hope you enjoy this synopsis and synthesis of our observations and experiences. More posts to come soon.
Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting us to visit the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. I can speak on behalf of all of my colleagues from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA that we are all honored to be here. Thank you.
Our group arrived from the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest a mere two and a half weeks ago. We arrived with unknown expectations and a hesitant uncertainty of what was to come. The only scaffolding we had for building our expectations around were the media portrayals of India: portrayals of poverty, overpopulation, and collapsing infrastructure. Yet despite this insecurity, we had a clear understanding of our mission here: to study the different opportunities for education in India and compare these opportunities to the educational system in the United States. And so we spent time traveling around Chennai, Hosur, and Bangalore visiting with different educational institutions, interacting with teachers and students, and taking in cultural traditions in the realms of religion, dance, and festival. In a matter of these two weeks with our experiences and with the help of our professor Vidya Thirumurthy, that pre-existing scaffolding has been demolished; the expectations have been replaced with realities and the uncertainties with understanding.
Throughout our time here, we have had a chance to experience a variety of educational environments from a school catering to a low economic status to a Montessori school to a number of private schools with different religious affiliations. We have seen the diversity in educational styles and facilities, but the overarching significance from these school visits has been the emphasis of education and the power that education holds. The schools are filled with big dreamers…kids who see that through their education they can change their economic status and can change the realities of their everyday world. The schools are filled with respect, respect for their peers, respect for their teachers, and respect for their education.
India is a land of juxtapositions, a land with contrasting dualities, and opposing polarities present in the Western vs. tradition, religion vs. religion, and wealth vs. poverty. However, versus is not a correct representation because there is no struggle, but an understanding and a peace in these oppositions. There is so much diversity present in India, in the dress, in the sheer number of languages spoken, in the view for the future. As the U.S. consulate mentioned in his speech at the Razeema Matriculation School there is unity present within this diversity. Another key observation has been the hospitality of the communities here. How although we look different from the people present here we are taken into homes and taken into schools like family. This hospitality also involves rampant curiosity about others and their way of life. I think it is fair to assert that India is not a country looking inward, but is looking outward to the world to learn from the world and to affect change upon the rest of the nations. Furthermore, the culture centers around this collectivist virtue. The care of the needs of family and others before one’s self.
While here we have also had the opportunity to participate in a variety of religious traditions stemming from Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Although, most of us come from a Christian background it has been a learning experience to participate in rituals and customs so very different from our own. We appreciate the openness that this nation approaches religions. In the States, we are so used to keeping religions privatized. Yet, here it so openly expressed and in this openness comes dialogue and understanding.
All in all, I think we will take back home with us many personal and individual memories that will revolve around five main themes. The first theme is adventure. I don’t think any of us in this room would have believed that at such young ages we would have had the opportunity to travel and experience a culture in such a rich and passionate way. This opportunity has been so phenomenal that it has whetted my appetite for future cultural immersion experiences and a desire to become a global citizen. The second theme is humility. For many of us this is our first direct experience with poverty and the first realization of the immense opportunities that have been afforded to us as American citizens. I know each of us will return to our studies with great fervor because we now realize education is not something to be taken for granted, it is a gift that should be actively pursued. We are also humbled by the fact that our opinion and our viewpoints might not always be right. The dynamics or policies in India might be different than those in the United States, but those differences are not to be wiped away, but to be points of dialogue and learning opportunities. The third theme is tradition. The cultural rituals are so immense in their display, their color, and their significance that the harvest festival of Pongal or the traditional kurta and saree will always hold special places in our heart and serve as direct reflections of the abundance of history and culture within this nation. The fourth theme is hope. Through our interaction with the students, teachers, and others it is evident that India is heading in the right direction to create a better future for tomorrow, to reduce poverty, and to help improve environmental conditions. I think I can speak for everyone in that we are all excited to see what the future holds for India and all the young, bright, and inquisitive minds present in the schools. Change needs to occur, but change needs to occur everywhere, but from what I have witnessed and what I have read the infrastructures and motivations are in place for a promising future. The final theme is unity. Unity in the fact that India is a nation that can exist in the presence of so much diversity and can exist in a state of polarity in peace and reverence. Furthermore, through our interactions and dialogue we have realized that despite our differences and despite being raised on opposite sides of the world, we as humans have so much in common and so much to share. The recognition of these similarities has broken down any barriers and stereotypes and opened the possibility for dialogue, equality, and love.
Thank you again for allowing us to come share our experiences with you at the U.S. consulate and for giving us the opportunity for new discoveries and new perspectives of India that we will carry with us throughout the entirety of your lives. Thank you.
