Sebastian Scott left The Armidale School for Asia's oldest international boarding school, Woodstock. Jay Yunas swapped Woodstock for TAS. Both boys' schools are part of Round Square network. Here's what each had to say about their immersive time in one another's country.
Sebastian Scott Stepping out of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, my senses where overwhelmed with the new, the unfamiliar. I felt excited about this new adventure.
Sebastian Scott (left) and Jay Yunas undertook a six-month school exchange between India and Australia.
The first days in India involved travelling to my new school with other new students, new acquaintances who would soon became friends, and we were able to help each other out as we discovered new environments.
When we arrived in Dehradun, in the Doon Valley, we hopped on a bus which took us up a winding path to the foothills of the Himalayas, climbing to a height of about 2000 metres above sea level. We glimpsed the hill station called Mussoorie and nearby 100-hectare Woodstock School.
Woodstock School, India, in the Himalayan foothills.
It was founded in 1854, has about 750 students and the campus has with views down the valley, across mountains and back to snowy Himalayan snowy peaks.
Woodstock has about 750 students. Most are Indian, with some from neighbouring Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan and others from across the world.
My dorm-mates and I shared hobbies and interests – from familiar sports such as cricket, football and basketball, to food. At first I struggled as the food was too spicy, but my new mates soon found a way to overcome my low tolerance by giving me Naga King Chilli Paste. It's so hot it measures more than one million units on the Scoville Heat Scale. Their idea worked: I wasn't able to taste the chilli or anything else really for about the next two weeks!
At Woodstock everyone was friends with each other; people from different demographics, ethnicities, cultures, and religions.
There's a compulsory subject which teaches students about all religions and world views. It was eye opening. I also enjoyed learning beginner's Hindi, which was really useful when I travelled around India. I learned important phrases and how to read the language, which surprised shopkeepers as I was able to hold a conversation with them.
Four friends, from the beginning of my stay, each came from a different country: America, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Through them I was introduced to new views and ideas, and they taught me to cook dishes from their home town and we traded stories about our lifestyles and friends.
In six months in India, I was incredible sights and experienced life changing moments. I now have friends scattered across the world and a much more global perspective on life.
Jay Yunas got accustomed to wearing a uniform when he joined The Armidale School on exchange from India.
My exchange to TAS was my first solo international travel. Alot of things made this exchange special including it being a six-month exchange rather than the usual school term, and meeting gracious, genial, humorous Australians.
In Armidale, I learned to swim, to survive the training of young cadets, understand that it takes grit to gain success and, importantly, the rules and dangers of rugby!
I represented the school in under 16s basketball, under 16s football and played on an under 18s district team.
I travelled, experiencing life in the country, on the coast and in the city: staying with friends on their farm, at the beach, taking the school expedition to Canberra, and a trip to Sydney with Sebastian's parents. These few words aren't enough to encompass all that Australia has given to me.
Round Square is a not-for-profit network that promotes experiential learning. Founded in 1966, about 160 schools on five continents engage with Round Square, either as member schools or as candidates. The Round Square approach "doesn't focus on what is taught but rather how learning takes place. It recognises that learning is most effective when it is practical, cross-cultural and collaborative." MLC School Sydney, New England Girls School (NEGS) and Radford College Canberra are members. See roundsquare.org