Arriving at Inverness Youth Hostel was daunting for all those involved. Whether we travelled there by train or plane, expectations were high and tensions mounted as people began to mingle and grasp the enormity of the project they had undertaken…
The UK participants had a day alone with initial training and time to prepare for a welcome when the Bangladeshi counterparts arrived. They were greeted with an English style tea party and ‘energising’ games to ‘break the ice’ which slowly melted as names were remembered with ‘totti totti’ name game and enthusiasm from all. Sessions sometimes dragged, sometimes flew and always involved a conscious effort to mix with others from the exchange country. This gradually became something more natural as friendships formed, but cultural differences and issues were obvious almost immediately with great honesty within the group from the start.
With help from Sarah and Jakira, our trainers, we soon learnt more and more about the project and what to expect. We considered eachothers hopes and fears and began to understand the extent of what Global Xchange entails. It was obvious that much adjustment was needed, in terms of food (lack of spice), climate (too much wind) and language (lots of translation). Some Bangladeshis experienced their first time in a Pub and a Primark. Others learnt pool and cards, when UK participants were taught the rules of Kabadi (the Bangladesh national sport) or had cooking lessons in Bengali dishes.
After deliberation from the Programme Supervisors, much awaited decisions were eventually made on the final day and we were told about our counterpart pairs, host home arrangements and work placements.
Overall, it was an intense five days with sometimes forced discussion contrasted with an eagerness to start and learn by all. Majority opinion was that we were all ready to go our seperate ways, at least for now and so the journey by coach to Caithness on Friday was well-appreciated, if only for some much needed rest…
Bridget
