Schoolgirl Phadkule went on a student exchange programme to New Zealand and stayed with 5 host families.
Travelling to a foreign country and living with a new family sounds an exciting and a rare opportunity. A city schoolgirl was lucky to temporarily taste new life. She described her recent student exchange experience to New Zealand (NZ), which was extremely emotional, culturally enriching and academically rewarding.
Chandana Phadkule from St Clare’s Girls High School, Pune, went on a student exchange programme to Baradene College of Auckland in New Zealand during her last schooling years.
Phadkule, who just passed her Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in June with 90.37%, said, “It was a life changing and transformational learning experience. I have come back becoming a very different, self-motivated, humble and a much more confident person than before. Serving as an ambassador of India, my interest in history and geography subjects made me able to provide a meaningful insight of our culture.”
Baradene College was founded over hundred years ago by nuns who also practised in India and were involved with St Clare’s School in Pune. In 2010, Baradene College offered a scholarship to St Clare’s Girls High School student and Phadkule was selected as she met the criteria of being a top humanities student in her final years.
During her six-week stay in NZ, starting from April 29 to June 5, Phadkule undertook a full academic programme, wore Baradene uniform and participated in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
“I found the classrooms extremely neat and clean filled with beautiful charts and crafts solely made by the students. Each classroom was equipped with projectors, TV sets, touch sensitive smart boards and other gadgets. The teachers too were interactive and shared a very special bond with students,” said Phadkule. She learnt about two new subjects, media and religion, as part of her academic programme at Baradene.
According to Phadkule’s observation, most of the students at Baradene were really weak in Mathematics.
“What shocked me the most was to know that from a very young age, students were allowed to use calculators in their classes and examinations. I guess their dislike for the subject is mainly due to their casual use of calculators,” she added.
Phadkule camped with five host families during her stay in NZ, giving her a week’s time to integrate with each family. “Trying to embrace every aspect of their life including their homes, food and beautiful environment surprised me. While meeting new people, I found they weren’t formal but genuinely polite.”
As the programme also included the exchange of culture and language, in her last week at Baradene, Phadkule was asked to give a presentation on difference in lifestyles in India and New Zealand.
She spoke about the differences in living, population, culture, school education and diversity of India.
A trained classical dancer, Phadkule also impressed the students and nuns with a 10-minute Bharatnatyam dance performance and several other Indian modern dances.
Principal of Baradene College, Sandy Pasley, in her acknowledgment letter appreciated Phadkule’s exceptional desire and ability to adapt and become involved in the school activities. The students and families, Pasley stated, were able to get a wider perspective of India.
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