NEWSLETTEROCTOBER -2011

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

02EDITORIAL“HOW TO GET GOOD EDUCATION?”

Answer to this question is not easy and also it needs more space than what I have! Therefore I will give you a few thought starters as well as “food for thought”. Our Indian entrepreneurs have understood very well, that giving education is not only the responsibility of the government alone. Therefore, they have started doing their little bit to give education a boost-a turbo- charger! In my opinion this is an excellent opportunity for those parents who cannot give education to their children with their limited resources. How? To look around, to talk to others and seek opportunities with positive attitude and to encourage their children to become pro-active seekers for such opportunities. And not to remain Ram Bharose i.e. depending upon Godjee!Today in India there are many entrepreneurs who are focussing on education. Shiv Nadar of HCL, who started from a garage, has the SSN trust, named after his father, endowed $30 million to fund SSN institutions. It includes Shiv Nadar University on 290-acre campus in North India and to set up 8 public secondary schools for rural children with the government of Uttar Pradesh – Vidya Gyan Schools, where poor students who do very well in studies (fifth class) are given “full” education free upto 12th class, including residential facilities.Similarly we have Sunil Mittal of AirTel, who also started humbly gave $22 million to his Bharti Foundation. The focus is on education. The Satya Bharti Schools cover 17,000 children and 600 teachers in 158 schools. It also set up telecom – technology colleges at the campuses of the India Institute of Technology in New Delhi and Mumbai. It funded 26 computer centres and 100+ libraries aimed at poor children, especially girls. Anil Agarwal of Vedanta, who also started humbly, pledged $1 billion to build a new university in Orissa.I can go on and on. Yes, we have still plenty of poverty and it was far worse in the past. Silver lining in India of today is: conscious capitalism where those who become wealthy share their wealth to promote education so like they got opportunities, they can “repay” to the society. Why they do it? Simple. They want to have the feeling of ecstasy of “giving it away” so that they earn the genuine respect of the society. Giving it away is “creeping” into India, being “turbo-charged” by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates of USA. These people are 180° of greedy people who are in Tihar Jail because they forgot one big lesion of life: needs can be met, greeds never. Those who have started giving away do so after meeting their needs.In India today we have 55 billionaires out of 1210 in the world. Many of them have started in a small way “giving it away” for education. Others are getting encouraged to do so also. In my opinion, it is going to become better and better in the years to come.We all know of Steve Jobs and his Apple! He said, “People in the Indian countryside don’t use their intellect like we do, they use their intuition instead, and their intuition is far more developed than in the rest of the world. Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect. That had a big impact on my work.” Steve Jobs on what he learnt from India! I agree!! Therefore, look around and use your intuition to get hold of the opportunities around you. In life no efforts ever go waste! Remember the wise sayings, “If you can dream it, you can do it”, Walt Disney and what Henry Ford said, “Business is never so healthy, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching for what it gets.” Therefore, to discover the sources where you can get good and free education, you have to do your own “scratching” as we use our institution as Indians.. Intitution is the ability to understand or to know something without conscious thinking. Simple!! An excellent development: In a classroom at NIIT Delhi, where students carry netbooks, not textbooks. NIIT has mi-grated the entire courseware for its three-year technology training programme, GNIIT, to netbooks. NIIT will discon-tinue textbooks and offer all its courses on tablets and netbooks.To me, it will become much economical to get education for those who want education. A bunch of new applications, software, content & delivery methods are now enabling consumers to put the devices to good use. The real break-through has come from Moore’s Law: processor power doubles every 18 months & costs come down. There’s more power packed in new-gen computers.

Divya Arora

Garba Event

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

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Initiative by AFS-Ahmedabad chapter“World’s longest dance festival! That’s what they call it! AFS Ahmedabad hosted three days event starting from 1st Oc-tober to 3rd October, for all the exchange students hosted in the country. It was a fascinating moment to see all the forty-five host students with their siblings coming from different cultures and background, dressed in typical Gujarati attire and dancing on the tune of Garba .(A Gujarati dance form, usually played during nine nights long festival called Navratri).This event was of first kind in AFS India, where all the students hosted in the country came together at one place to cel-ebrate main festive of particular region. Thanks to AFS-Ahmedabad volunteers, who selflessly served and contributed their precious time towards making this event a success.According to Saransh Gupta, a Jenesys Returnee and volunteer “These three days were very short, but was the most memorable Navratri of my life. Where I got an opportunity to make many Awesome friends. And he wishes that they all can meet once again! With great enthusiasm he says “AFS ROCKS”! *Indeed it does and it did this time as well* When asked Eleonora di Felice an Italian exchange student hosted in Rajkot, Gujarat about her experience of being in Ahmeda-bad, she ran out of words. “Mind-blowing, Exciting, Beautiful, Amazingly well organized, fun” were some adjectives she used to describe her experience starting from the host family, the programs, volunteers, the time with exchange stu-dents she spent, and all the way to the Ahmedabad itself. Ultimately she says “If I could sum everything up in one word, I`d say AWESOME. .Days that`ll never get out of my mind, unforgettable!” And why not!

“It was indeed a great pleasure for me & my family to host Alessandra from 30th Sept to 3rd Oct. She, very easily got merged in our family for these four days & we felt that she was a part of our family. My wife loved to dress her up in traditional attire for Garba every evening and in fact, she also won a special category prize during our visit to Aryaman Garba on 1st Oct. We wish her all the best in her life and I surely look forward to send my son Aman dur-ing next year through AFS for his study in a foreign country.” Manan Shah,Host Parent

“As volunteer my experience in AFS event was just amazing.Got to know many new people and had awesome time with everyone!” Anushree Modi, Volunteer

“It Was indeed a great experience to host Ms. Benedetta from Italy.She was quite humble,polite,ready to learn and try new things of new culture-be it Gujju food,language,Garba steps or anything.To that extent that she picked up the Garba steps so well that she got 2nd prize for good performance in Lions Club garbas at Prasang Party Plot on first night in the age group og 15 to 20 yrs.” Mayank Shah, Host Parent

“I had a great time organizing this event. And it was indeed overwhelming to see exchange students from all over India enjoying their trip and learning the traditional dance. The emotions on their faces before leaving and the impact this event left on so many families and students was very gratifying.”

Nilay Parikh,Vice President,Ahmedabad Chapter

“Coming to Ahmedabad, I could experience for the first time the huge difference between the states! All those colors,the music and the people made this trip an unforgettable memory..and probably one of the best I have by now.” Helena Brune, Exchange Student

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

Garba Event 04

Initiative by AFS-Ahmedabad chapter

The foremost priority for AFS-Ahmedabad was to give an unforgettable , heart winning cultural experience to the students. But everything didn’t just ended with AFS Garba, everyone was glad to know that Benedetta from Italy won 2nd prize for good performance in Lions Club’s Garba event. And not only that ,it was mind-boggling to see how exchange students socialized with people.(Even if they included orchestra group)The instant at which we couldn’t find Edwardo Carletti of Italy among group during public garba and then suddenly getting his glimpse on big screen playing Drums along with musicians on the stage would never escape our hearts.Ultimately, it was fascinating to observe how quick almost all of them were at acquiring garba skills and getting fimilar with exact steps, which even being a Gujarati is out of my reach. *HATS OFF TO YOU ALL*!Garba was the main reason why they were in Ahmedabad, but not the only one! How can we forget our very own Bapu and his account in this state and the city! Co-incidentally it was Mahatma Gandhi’s 142nd Birth Anniversary on 2nd October. And students had a life time experience of visiting Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram at the banks of river Sabarmati and knowing about the place from where Gandhi carried out major movements. All exchange students are not fortunate enough to visit the place, to look at the room, utensils etc. on which once this great soul had his hand on. But they were!As well they had a chance to encounter heritage of this once Walled city ,its politics , chabutro(bird feeders), Sidi Saiyed’s mosque, Jain Temples etc....and know colors ,culture and people of this state. AND OFCOURSE MOUTH WATTERING GUJARATI DELICACY !Certainly, not a single person who was part of this event will ever forget these 3 days .At the end the fatigue, weariness, tension which the volunteers were carrying throughout this month disappeared in a flick when students ,parents, volun-teers ,all of them had their eyes wet on account of the amazing experience, due to the bonding between the students and the ever lasting relations they made!”

Written by Ruzbeh Hodiwala (AFS Returnee)

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

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YES Stories

“On my first day with my host family, I went to watch a football game of the Min-nesota Vikings, with my host family and friends. Then, there was a get-together with all of the American Councils volunteers, host families, and exchange stu-dents. A few days ago, we went to a Peace Corps Organization party, and my host brother and I swam in a lake. Yesterday we went to the Mississippi River dam, after having gone to the Mall of America to watch a movie. So far, my achieve-ments consist of learning French, a new language for me; joining cross country practice; and learning from my host mom had to cook new things. Also in the basement in my house we have a wood workshop, where I like making all sorts of wooden things.”

Ramnik Singh Handa , Hosted in Saint Paul, Minnesota says:

“Last weekend, I went to see the West Wing of the White House with my liaison which was fun. I also saw the Oval Office, Navy Mess Hall, Situation Room, and other important monuments in DC. I even went to a pumpkin patch with my family to pick pumpkins for the fall! I attended the Martin Luther King Dedica-tion Ceremony with my cluster coordinator, where I interviewed people and was interviewed on TV. This place is a great for experiencing new things and explor-ing yourself.I can’t believe that almost three months have already past. Time is flying by and I have started loving this place and think it will be hard for me to leave when I have to come back. DC rocks, School Without Walls is awesome,

and my sweet family are great people.”

Surbhi Kaul, Hosted in Washington D.C. says:

Funded by U.S. Department of State

Alumni AchievementsAFS Returnee from Japan Featured in Newspaper

“Vidhi Jain, a returnee from a year long program to Japan, had written in article, promoting high school exchange programs, published in Bangalore Mirror. Vidhi said in her article, “A year of complete cultural immersion and self realization is what I experienced [during my year in Japan]. It’s important to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect between countries and cultures around the world, because it’s believed that today’s youth—and to-morrow’s leaders—are among the best ‘bridge builders’ between nations.” Vidhi addressed the doubts that many Indian students and families have about taking a year off to study abroad, as she wrote that she was continuously asked, “So, it basically means you’re losing a year in school, right?” Vidhi responded to this skepticism by writing, “High school exchange gives the opportunity to… live with a host family, go to the local school, and learn the language… Learning from text books is one thing, but living the language and knowing how it’s locally spoken is real learning.” Vidhi also talks of the independence, confidence, and life skills that one gains from the experience. Congratulations to Vidhi for writing this articulate essay, promoting AFS, and reassuring audiences of the issues many associate with studying abroad.”

As part of local chapter activities, AFS Rajkot chapter took all three students hosted at Rajkot - Regina Cornils, Mona DiVillec and Eleonora De Felice to a one day trip to Bhadaram-Buddha Caves-Old age home etc. places near by from Rajkot city (60 kms.).Bhadardam is the biggest dam of Saurashtra region, Buddha Caves are the fourth century caves, a site with archeological importance and an old age home enroute at Virpur. It was a morning to evening trip. Hosted students were accompained by two enthusiastic volunteer Ajay Mehta and Hemal Mehta. It was liked by the hosted students and they enjoyed the trip.

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“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

Hosting“We have created history” -- AFS Rajkot Chapter

Trip to Bhadaram-Buddha-Caves -- AFS Rajkot Chapter

Tenaya Goldsen- YES Scholar, Hosted in Chennai says:

AFS exchange students hosted at Rajkot chapter created history as they were among the first batch of arts stream start-ed by the Raj Kumar College.The hosted students namely Eleonora Di Felice from Italy, Mona De Villec from France and Regina Cornils from Germany along with other students of the class depicted this historical moment through a beautiful painting.Mona De Villec of France participated in an art competition organised by Sainik School, Balachadi,Gujarat last month and won the first prize in a particular category.Eleonora Di Felice represented her school in a debate competition of Round Square Schools held at Birla School, Pilani, Rajasthan and stood 6th in the competition.Eleonora and Mona are going to take part in another national level I.P.S.C. art competition to be held at Hissar, Haryana in November.Regina Cornils took part in Yoga competition organised in the city.

“So far, my stay in India has been beyond amazing. I have made new friends, tried new foods, spoken new languages and have had a wonderful time experiencing a wide variety of new things. Over these months I have really come to love Indian culture and values. Everything here is bright, unique and possesses so much meaning. Even though there are so many new and exceptional things here, I have also learned that my friends and family back home are very much like my host family and new friends. Sure there are differences, but the basic activities, jokes, smiles and laughs are the same everywhere. When one learns to accept and respect these differences true growth and understanding of cultures is experienced.My family and friends in India have been so accepting and

kind to me. I have honestly made connections that I know will last a lifetime even though I have only known these people for about ten weeks. They have made such an important place in my life and I have already made countless plans to travel back to India for their weddings. At school I have become just like one of the students and I am includ-ed in all of the activities.”

“AFS provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.”

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Designed by:-Aadil Fahim(AFS Returnee)Information compiled by: Chapter and AFS IndiaAFS Intercultural Programs IndiaM-9 (2ndFloor), Lajpat Nagar IINew Delhi -110024, IndiaTele -+ 91-11-4100 4878 / 79Fax -+91-11-29841426

Chapter News.

AFS Delhi chapter has been very active in organizing various events. In October, volunteers of Delhi chapter organized celebrations for Nivratri and Diwali, where host

families, students and volunteers participated in various games, ate traditional foods, and enjoyed singing and dancing. The hosted students learned about Goddess Durga through a Durga Pooja for Navratri and about the meaning of Diwali, as they witnessed a Diwali pooja, and enjoyed using rangoli to decorate the venue. AFS Delhi chapter had new vol-unteers register during the Diwali celebration. The event was succesful and enjoyed by

everyone. The Diwali celebration was sponsored by the Pepsi Corporation.

Druga Puja Celebration Diwali Celebration

“I loved meeting all of the different members of the AFS-Delhi chapter at the Diwali celebration; young volunteers, host parents, host siblings, students, and prospective AFSers. Everyone brought an energy to the celebration, as we enjoyed bonding through the games and delicious food. Plus, it was fun to watch the sparklers and fireworks light up the party!”

Alycia Gideon, AFS-USA volunteer interning at AFS-India National Office.