11 Young New-Yorkers from ‘Big Apple’ on ‘Study Tour’ in Town Visiting St Aloysius College & Kudla
11 Young New-Yorkers (residents of New York City/New York-USA) from ‘Big Apple’ (New York City) and other cities of New York on Study Tour in Town Visiting St Aloysius College & Kudla
Mangaluru: Welcome “Yooz Guys” (slang word) to Mangaluru! When the Dean of International Programs, St Aloysius College, Dr Vincent Mascarenhas called me early on Friday morning saying that a group of students from State University of New York-Cortland, USA are visiting St Aloysius College, and that I should do a coverage, I was totally excited for the fact, that “New Yorkers” are in Kudla aka Mangaluru, and that I can’t wait to meet them. Quickly I remembered about my “I LOVE NEW YORK” white coloured sweat-shirt that I had purchased in New York City a few years ago- and so digging into my closet I found it which was buried deep under a pile of clothes, and proudly wore it during my visit to SAC to meet these 11 young New Yorkers led by Dr Jena Curtis, Professor and Chair of the Health Department, State University of New York, Cortland, U.S. from the “BIG APPLE”?
Two cities that I often visited during my 23 years stay in Chicago suburbs-USA were Las Vegas and New York City- because both these cities are “Cities That Never Sleep?”- And I loved such kind of Cities for fun and what not? A little bit of history before moving into the real report- New York City has been called many things—“The Great American Melting Pot”, “Gotham”, “The City that Never Sleeps”—but its most famous nickname is “The Big Apple.” So just where did this now-ubiquitous moniker originate? Over the years, there have been many theories about how New York City came to be called “The Big Apple”. Some say it comes from the former well-to-do families who sold apples on the city’s streets to make ends meet during the Great Depression. Another account posits that the term comes from a famous 19th-century brothel madam named Eve, whose girls were cheekily referred to as her “Big Apples.”
Walking into the SAC conference room where the teams of eleven students were interacting with the faculties of the College, Dr Jena Curtis pointing at me said, “Wow, love that Sweatshirt. Where did you get it?’- and I did explain to her. The team is on a five days tour here and will be involved in academic projects. St Aloysius College had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State University of New York in 2014, and the team-visits have been an on-going feature that has been active during these past five years. The visiting team met with the faculty of departments of Chemistry, Physics, Social Work and Psychology and had an engaging interaction with the students of Psychology on Women Empowerment.
Discussions were also held on the management level on future collaborative projects in research, and student interaction to further enhance the academics of both institutions. The visit was organized by the Dean of International Programs, St Aloysius College, Dr Vincent Mascarenhas. List of team members: Ms Jennifer Nicols Curtis (Dr Jena – Professor and the leader of the team); Ms Stefania Buta – Dr Jena’s Assistant; and students- Ms Anna L. Capria; Ms Barbara Alicia D’Isselt; Ms Pooja Abhay Deshpande (Origin of Mumbai); Ms Brittany Lynne Koch; Ms Grace Orlaith Murphy; Ms Hayley Faith Rein; Ms Belladonna Sins; Ms Sarae Witcher; Jared Caro M and Mohammed Shadman Islam M.
The visiting students had a fun time interacting with SAC students of Psychology on Women Empowerment, who wanted to spend more time with the New Yorkers, but unfortunately had to go back to their classes, if not face a penalty. The visitors will also attend Sessions on various topics delivered by St Aloysius Staff, and will also see the campus facilities and visit nearby sightseeing destinations in Mangaluru. The team had the tour of the famous St Aloysius Chapel, and also enjoyed clicking a few “Selfie with Alfie”, and group photos. Following which, they all took a van for a sumptuous lunch at Hotel Taj Gateway, Mangaluru, with an awesome discount of food menu arranged by Yours Truly. Bon Appétit!
Going on exchange study tour is a worthwhile life experience- and for that matter, these 12 New Yorkers who are on a five-day tour in Mangaluru are already having a blast and enjoying every bit of their stay by exploring what St Aloysius College and Mangaluru City has to offer, and all of them are grateful for the kind hospitality and friendship showed by Mangalureans. While on a study tour, one typically has the chance to thoroughly experience the culture of their host country and the City. Such students will find themselves completely immersed within a different culture once they have arrived in their host countries, due to differences in the cuisine, architecture, familial tradition, and even the ways in which people carry out conversation! After having spent a significant amount of time within the host country, most of these students will find that they have become accustomed to the culture of their host country and will find themselves essentially able to behave in the manner of a local.
This excellent learning opportunity typically leaves a foreign student with a better understanding of people of all sorts, and can really make young people feel as though they have become “citizens of the world.” After the return to one’s native country, such student will likely enjoy sharing his or her new culture with those around them. In addition to learning of the culture of the host country, many of these students become familiar with the ways of life of people all around the world through meeting other exchange students. This is guaranteed to be amusing, and very interesting! And that’s exactly what this ‘New Yorkers Team ‘ has been doing a couple of days, and will continue to do it in the remaining days here.
The Team has already adjusted to the Kudla cuisine comprising of Kori Rotti, Chicken Sukka, Bangude Pulimunchi, Dum Biriyani, Kabas, Pork Bafat/Sarpothel etc. giving a break to their New York food comprising of juicy steaks, hot dogs, pizza’s, hamburgers & Fries, Brats and polish sausages etc. And while on this Study Tour, they will meet friends here, and this Team has already made a bunch of Friends at the College and outside. And it’s always much fun when such students get together because they have so much in common, which may end having a close relationship with for the rest of your life. Team Mangalorean did enjoy the company of this fun-filled Team, and the friendship that was created between Team Mangalorean and the ‘New Yorkers’ could end up with very long-lasting – and studded with great memories!
When asked what they have to say about their stay here in the last two days Mangaluru Dr Jena Curtis said, “We already have felt the warmth and gesture of the Mangalureans, their hospitality and friendship has been great and we are extremely thankful for that. The students have already learnt various cultures and traditions, and savoured the authentic local cuisine, which is amazing. We also learned the different way how the teachers interact with the students and their method of teaching. Our students enjoyed the interaction with the students of Psychology on Women Empowerment of St Aloysius College. We are confident that the rest of the days here in Mangaluru will be fruitful and cheerful- and in anticipation, we say “Thank You St Aloysius College and the Jesuit priests for their hospitality and invitation, and also to Dean of International Programs, St Aloysius College, Dr Vincent Mascarenhas. It was a pleasure to meet and interact with Alfie of Team Mangalorean. We love you, Mangaluru”
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