'It's a bit too disciplined here'

Understanding Culture

Cross border experiences are always packed with adventure, information and eye openers. Dayananda Sagar Institutions (DSI) recently played host to a group of architecture students from University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany, who took back with them a lot more than they expected.

When they first learnt that they were to come to the City for a case study as part of their course, each one of them had a different perception of the country. Many in the group had a good idea about the cultural differences but nothing beyond that.

“After coming here and seeing the infrastructure and the availability of the latest brands and cars, I find there is really not that much of a difference,” says Irina, one of the students. Edo, another student, was surprised to know that girls could not sit in the boys’ rooms.

“It’s a bit too disciplined because back home it’s totally ok for boys and girls to hang out. But I guess it’s the way things are here and we respect that,” he adds. Although the weather, clothes and  food were different, there were also lots of similarities between the two groups of students.

“Meeting the students here I realised that we face many of the same problems and obstacles. We may live in different countries but ultimately we are the same,” says Edo. So what are these problems? “Simple things like approaching strangers, taking time to understand complicated topics, completing home work on time and regular student stuff,” he adds.

During their week-long stay in the City, the group visited a lot of Metro construction sites and the NICE Road which helped them with  their project. They also tried to go to some of the places where youngsters hang out. “We couldn't really take them ourselves so we tried guiding them to a few places in the City but they just got lost,” says Nidhi, a student from DSI. In the end, they did  go shopping, visited hangouts and even enjoyed a memorable farewell party thrown by their hosts.

Ask them what is the one thing they would take back from the City. And they all unanimously answer, hospitality. “The hospitality here is lovely. Everyone was so kind and approachable. Not once did we feel that we were away from home,” says Tiathias, another student.