CHIREC hosted 15 students & 4 teachers of Labourdonnais College, Mauritius, as a part of the 6-day Student Exchange Programme from 26th Nov ’17 to 1st Dec ‘17. Each student was assigned a host family, who took good care of them and served regional cuisine. In school, the guests were given a warm welcome in the traditional Indian style during the special cultural assembly, followed by the school tour and interaction with the CHIREC students, faculty members, principals of both the sections and the Director. M
During their time at CHIREC, Labourdonnais College students attended English Language, Business Studies and Psychology classes with the International section students of CHIREC. They visited the sports facilities and played table tennis and volleyball. They attended Art class, Music class, the Clay Modelling class where they used the potter’s wheel and made decorative pots and flowers and the Home Science Lab where they learnt how to prepare two South Indian delicacies.
During their spare time, the school took the guests to various tourist spots in Hyderabad, such as the Ramoji Film City, Golconda Fort, Salarjung Museum, Charminar and Qutub Shahi Tombs. The guests purchased the Bidri craft articles, lacquer and pearl jewellery from the old city, and thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Shilparamam where they purchased Indian handicrafts, souvenirs and ethnic dresses. They also relished the Hyderabadi Biryani and Mughlai food at the city restaurants.
On the last day, the students of Labourdonnais College, Mauritius, were given a grand farewell. They were invited to take part in the carnival wherein the CHIREC students presented about the colourful festival of Mardi Gras. Later, the Mauritian students showcased their talents by singing and dancing to their traditional and popular songs, while collaborating with CHIREC students during the presentations. A Mauritian student delivered a speech about Mauritius and its beautiful islands, and extended an invitation to CHIRECians to visit them. The guest faculty members thanked CHIREC for the hospitality and the cultural showcase.
Mr. Shafeeq Soobadar, Director and son of the founder of the Labourdonnais College, Mr. Houmayoun Soobadar: “The world is becoming a global village and people of different backgrounds and origins should all stick together as then we can achieve a lot. Friendship is important and distance should not be a problem. CHIREC & Labourdonnais College share the Cambridge curriculum and can share knowledge and the way of teaching. Both the schools insist on holistic development for our children. While, Mauritius has 1.3 million people and has one culture and habit, meeting different cultures is rare and is a unique experience. In Mauritius, the school environment is completely different. Here, first thing I notice is the positive environment. The students are disciplined and well behaved. The cultural exchange programme has given a clarity and the experience of the Indian culture to all the students and staff. This is the second time I am visiting Hyderabad and it is the loveliest city in India. When I came for the first time, I was amazed by the city. I wanted my students to come and see how Hyderabad is growing fast and evolving.”
Sajjaad Sunnooman, Economics Teacher :“This is our first exchange programme. Our staff were reluctant at first to travel this long distance and we took 2 months to plan this. I would like to thank the management team, teachers, and students who accommodated us. The hospitality was beyond my expectation and imagination. It was unbelievable and we were not expecting it. The host families did not allow us to pay. The students have been asking me how will they exchange this money in Mauritius, there is nothing to buy in rupees. We were not expecting that there will no expenses. Students would like to come back with their families. About the teaching at CHIREC, the methodology is quite different. Teachers allow the students to develop their skills in what they are good at.”
Oliver Owen Gaetan Joseph, Head Boy 2017-18 “It was a great experience. The people of Hyderabad are very friendly and they mingled with us very well. They have a sense of oneness and togetherness and treated us like king. We went to many attractions such as Charminar, Museum, etc, where we discovered the Hyderabadi culture, style and art. We attended a class on sociology and they were talking about how emotion can act on someone and how you can influence someone’s perception. We even attended Business Studies class, where we studied type of advertising that is informative and persuasive. This helped me as we study same subjects in our college. The takeaway for me from the experience is the sense of cooperation and oneness, I experienced here. I am going to try to instil it in my friends and family and show them how we were treated and treat others likewise.”
Melanie Shannen Typhis, Head Girl 2017-18 : “It was my 1st time travelling in a plane. There are some stereotypes about India that it is polluted, and dirty. When we were transiting through Chennai, it was very polluted and people were driving like crazy. In Mauritius, it is not normal. When we came to Hyderabad, my expectations changed. It is not so polluted and people are friendly. I enjoyed staying with my host family. I was not homesick. We had breakfast and dinner together. I was lucky to have found my family in them. CHIREC is a big school and people here talk to you even if they don’t know you. We attended Business Studies and English classes. I prefer English. It was interesting the way teacher teach their students with video projection. Our generation understands something when we see with our eyes because everything is digital. It was very interesting. Ramoji Film City was my favourite place. I knew some of the places there as I watch Indian movies. We went for rides, had lunch and took pictures & videos.”
Marie Alycia Michelle: “I attended the science class and learnt about cells and what do cells constitute of. The school took us to the museum, which was a really nice place. We also visited Ramoji Film City, where we enjoyed all the rides. I really liked the way people treated us here. I really liked my host and their hospitality. I made a lot of friends. Basically, I thought it was going to be like I don’t know her, I won’t talk to her but it was otherwise. They talked to me and played with me especially my host family. I would like to tell my friends back home about the hospitality that we received here and I would like to say that when people give you too much, don’t abuse.”
Marie Christabella Annais Charlot : “India is different from our country and we experienced a new culture. The people are very friendly and I don’t want to leave them. It was amazing. I really like the Shilparaman market, which had traditional dresses and sandals at good prices. CHIREC students here are so friendly. We have the same subjects and books. We attended the Clay Modelling class, which was a new experience as we don’t have this in our school.”
Bibi Haajarah Dhoomun : “I really loved coming to India and I did not think it would be such a great opportunity. We spent an incredible time here. Everyone was nice and caring. The host families treated us like families and I feel really touched. I don’t want to leave India, I want to stay here. Classes are very different from Mauritius as we don’t have video projection to discuss topics.”
Charles Yohan Alexandro Chan Lok :“Everything was well organised especially Ramoji Film City, which was a wonderful experience. I really liked the host family with whom I stayed. We attended the commerce and the sociology classes, which were very instructive as we have same syllabus.”
Haadiyah Bibi Dhoomun: “It has been a very nice experience. We were welcomed with garlands. We attended the Psychology and Business Studies classes, where they showed us an informative video. It was very different. People at CHIREC are very friendly. We were taken to the Inorbit mall, where we had Italian lunch. We also went to Shilparamam and Ramoji Film City. On our last day at CHIREC, we performed on Exo Growl, during the morning assembly.”
Bilal Oozeer: “It was an awesome experience. I don’t have a word to describe it. It was amazing. We enjoyed and had lots of fun. We played with the CHIREC band and they were very friendly. We practiced once and performed during the assembly on our last day. We even attended Business Studies classes, which I thought is similar to our school. Ramoji Film City was the best.
Humairah Bibi Faatimah Dhoomun: “It was a very nice experience and we got to share our cultures. Ramoji Film City was very nice and we saw a film shooting. At CHIREC, we attended the biology class, where we were taught with a projector. The teachers explain in detail.”
Shiekh Muhammad Ibrahim Bin Muhadjir Jaunbocus: “My experience of this programme was very good. The school is very nice and we attended the Biology & Home Science classes. I didn’t make many friends but learnt about the culture. Ramoji Film City was my favourite place. It is so colourful and big.”
Irfan Oozeer: “Hyderabad is a very beautiful city. It is the most beautiful in India. The people here are well educated and have good manners. I am really happy to come here and I will come again. I also liked the host family. They were like my own family.”
Samuel Jean Christopher Lamto “It was an amazing experience. The whole school is very nice and big. All students are very friendly. It is like our school. Hyderabad is very beautiful and clean. I would like to come later again. My favourite was the Ramoji Film City, from where I got tattoos.”
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