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| SojournAsia
offers a twelve-week program in South India that
focuses on the art, architecture, and the traditional
and sacred arts of the region, including Colonial
and modern influences. Like all of SojournAsia's
programs, the South Indian Traditional Arts semester
is designed for adventurous students taking a
break from the classroom and who wish to learn
through independent exploration and hands-on apprenticeships.
Shifting from Goa to Kerala and then to Tamil
Nadu, students will witness the cultures and traditions
of three distinct southern Indian states, as well
as undertake a pilgrimage to the sacred wilds
of the Western ghat mountain range, rich with
ancient temples. From the Portuguese influences
in Goa to Jewish settlements in Kerala, these
areas truly illustrate the variety of traditions
found in India. The people and activities in India
generally move at a slower pace than many students
will be used to, but it is through this slow pace
that students have a real opportunity to open
their hearts and minds undistracted by the hustle
of modern lifestyle. |
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| Cultural
Sensitivity |
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Our
program is designed for students taking
a break from busy lives in their home countries
who have a sincere desire to experience
and learn from a foreign culture. It is
vital that students come to India sensitive
to others' beliefs and with a willingness
to temporarily live by Asian ways. Our guiding
credo is "comprehension of the self
through detour of the other". When
studying in a foreign culture, our students
often find they learn more about |
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themselves and their own culture while living
abroad than at home. The most important
luggage you can bring is an open heart,
one that is open to learning from new experiences.
We believe there is an enormous amount that
one can learn by immersing oneself in an
unfamiliar culture. |
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| Group
Involvement & Independent Emphasis |
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of the activities that take place during
the program will call for the entire group,
usually 10-15 students, to be together.
During these times a strong emphasis is
placed on group process. As a balance to
this, students are given a great deal of
unstructured time in which to experience
the program sites and surrounding areas
on their own. We urge students to consider
the SojournAsia house a home base, resource
center and community from which to explore.
We believe that the best way for us to help
students to come to know South India and
its rich culture is to provide opportunities
for direct contact and close interaction
with local residents, while allowing participants
the freedom to pursue their personal interests. |
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| Homestay |
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Students
will live with local families for
a portion of the semester. The character
and structure of these families vary
considerably. In a very traditional
household, as many as twenty relatives
may live together in the same house.
Yet more modern families may surprise
you with their relative adoption of
Western values. During homestay, in
addition to sleeping in your family's
home, you will eat breakfast and dinner
with them. The food is most often
centered around rice with spicy curries
and soups and fresh fish in coastal
areas. Living and eating with other
people always entails giving up some
independence and privacy as well as
certain habits, but the benefits of
temporarily adjusting your lifestyle
can be enormous. By adapting to the
lifestyle of a family, you will be
able to see and to experience the
essential nature of South Indian life. |
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| Language
Study |
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| During
the homestay period, the language classes that
began during orientation will continue. You will
be given two hours of organized language instruction
every day, five days per week, for four weeks.
Your own additional review outside of class will
greatly facilitate mastery of the language. Do
not let past experiences with language training
discourage you; the language is very easy to learn.
Unlike most other languages, in a short time you
will be able to communicate with Goans, Malayalis,
and Tamils in their own language if you choose
to apply yourself. Furthermore, locals are usually
so pleased that students are trying to learn their
language that they are very forgiving of mistakes!
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| Lectures
& Field Trips |
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During
the homestay period, Sojourn offers lectures,
discussions and field trips concerning environmental
and development issues, geography and geology,
arts and architecture, healing, government
and politics, religion and the history of
the local areas. Sojourn attempts to expose
students to prominent local scholars, artisans,
women's advocates, environmentalists, healers,
and religious figures. Field trips may include
Indian classical |
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performances, yoga classes, meditation classes,
and trips to temples, villages, and beaches
around the sites. |
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| Apprenticeship |
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| As
a way to enhance one's experience in India, a
vast variety of internships are available for
this period. This offers students the chance to
explore and focus on their individual pursuits.
The coordinators will help arrange apprenticeships. |
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includes: |
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- Studying
the sacred and traditional arts-yoga, meditation,
martial arts, dance (Kathak, Bharat Natyam),
instrumental music (sitar, sarod, tabla),
or traditional singing and sacred chants.
- Learning
native healing practices and the philosophy
of Ayurvedic medicine.
- Undertaking
a traditional study of Sanskrit or Indian
religion and philosophy.
- Exploring
coastal ecology and organic farming methods.
- Volunteering
with environmental-related projects, women's
groups, local school children, or helping
the indigent, old and mentally handicapped.
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choices are limitless. This can be an unbridled
learning experience if you disregard the fences
into which academic learning is often penned.
It is one thing to know facts about a place. It
is another to experience it, to interact with
it. In the process of learning about the traditions
of South India, you will learn about yourself. |
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