“Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone” An Unparalleled Semester Abroad Experience

LeTourneau University, Texas.

On January 9th, 2020, when classes were in full swing after Christmas break at Women’s Christian College, 10 students dragged their heavy suitcases at the Chennai International Airport. This group of students was representing the college in a Semester Abroad Program at LeTourneau University, Texas, in the United States of America. With anticipation and excitement, they set out on an adventure-filled educational trip. They were unaware that this trip would be interrupted by a pandemic that shook the whole world, leaving them stranded in the US for a while. Of the 10 students who travelled, 3 returned in March due to COVID-19 that was spreading rapidly in the US. The remaining 7 students chose to stay with their relatives or at the university. After May, when their scheduled flights were cancelled, they were forced to stay until the Indian borders opened and international flights started functioning. All 7 of them returned through the Vande Bharat Mission flights, operated by Air India as a rescue mission to bring Indians back home.

Here is an excerpt of an interview with Dainty Wellington, Ananya Varma and Dharshini Mohan from the Departments of English, History and Computer Science & Technology respectively:

A day of good food and fellowship with the Indian Community in Longview, Texas

Why did you want to study abroad?

Ananya: Studying abroad puts you into an unfamiliar situation, where you don’t know anyone at first. You learn to be more independent, learn to rely on yourself rather than family for everything, from cooking and cleaning to managing your time and study plans.

Dainty: You open yourself up to different ways of living and learning, accepting new ideas and perspectives, thanks to people from a diverse range of backgrounds you meet.

Dharshini: We were lucky enough to travel with our friends from college which helped us feel at home when we missed our family and friends.

A sunny day on campus - Dainty Wellington, Padmashree Balakrishnan and Evita Vincy

How were your classes different from classes in India?

Dharshini: The student-teacher ratio is very different from India. The ratio is 10:1 and it makes communication easier. The assignments we received were spaced out and evenly distributed in the semester. We had to take a minimum of 12 credits for our semester.

Dainty: We would have a maximum of 15 hours of class per week, with plenty of time to study by ourselves and professors prefer to give reading materials rather than teaching constantly. Visual aids were an essential part of our classroom.

Describe a typical day in LeTourneau.

Ananya: Mornings are usually cold and cloudy which made it difficult to get out of bed but we had classes around 8 am which would go on till 1 pm or 3. In the evening, we would have some fun activities on campus like Laser Tag, Gotcha, movie nights, talent shows and ramen nights. They held special gatherings and events for international students to make us feel comfortable.

What is your favourite thing about LeTourneau?

Dainty: The people. They were extremely accommodating and friendly, We were able to make friends quickly. The sense of living in a community like that warms my heart.

Dharshini: I loved the cold weather and the chill nights; it was a different experience compared to the one that I had gotten used to in Chennai. The food was amazing too but more than that I loved cooking late-night snacks like wraps, ramen etc.

A front view of Gilbert Hall, one of the dorms the students stayed in.

How was lockdown in the US?

Dainty: We were allowed to go outside as long as we wore masks and maintained social distancing. Every sector functioned normally but universities were closed. All US residents who stayed on campus were asked to return home and international students were allowed to stay if the flight back home was unavailable.

How did you keep yourself occupied during lockdown?

Dharshini: Though we were in the States, our sleep pattern entirely depended on the Indian clocks. We were able to cultivate new hobbies, venture into leisure cooking and baking, art, writing and binge-watching. During that time, most of us started to miss our families and friends. But we were also able to spend more time with them online once the lockdown started.

Dainty: Once online classes started at WCC, we would attend classes around midnight which was a different experience altogether. We missed our family and friends more than we thought we would.

A view of South Hall, a dorm specifically for international students.

How was your travel back to India through the rescue flight?

Dharshini: We travelled alone and at such a time like this, we had to be extra vigilant and cautious. Our temperatures were taken constantly, security was on alert and the flight was comparatively short but the waiting time in each transit airport was long. We were constantly sanitizing and changing masks, we felt like we were highly trained spies on a top-secret mission.

Dainty: Only when we landed in Chennai, we let out the breath we never knew we held. Some of us were taken into compulsory quarantine but some were allowed to go home. The journey was scary but we knew our families were on the other side of the world waiting for us which made it less frightening.

What would you like to tell the students who wish to apply for this program in future?

Ananya: Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and make new friends. Enjoy the present without worrying about the next day.

Dharshini: It will be a wonderful experience if you realize how precious the opportunity is.

Dainty: Make sure you set some time aside to visit places during spring break and other holidays. Just live in the present.

Editors: Sona Sunny, Evita Vincy