THE HEAVY LIFTERS - Stanstead College

Four Students and Two Teacher travel to India for 2007 Round Square Conference
By Christina Nash, Grade 11
In October 2007, I traveled to India with three other students and two teachers for the 2007 International Round
Square Conference. The conference was held at Daly College in Indore, and the theme of the conference was
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “The World is One Family.”
Students from over 50 different schools came from all around the world to meet for a week and discuss ways in which
we could work to make the world a better place. We had speakers who talked to us about important issues from environmental,
economic and spiritual standpoints, and we met together to try to find ways in which we could work to fix these
problems.
As well as the actual conference there was the pre-conference in which we spent a week traveling around the country
and immersing ourselves in the culture of India. We were able to visit the Taj Mahal at dawn, raft down a river through
medieval ruins, see traditional Indian dances and much more. We drove through cities such as New Delhi and Agra as
well as through a lot of the rural areas and were able to see quite a bit of the country from many different aspects. The
experience of being in a culture so different from my own is one that I will remember and cherish for my whole life.
At the conference itself, there were even more opportunities for us to take advantage of. We each had a service day,
which we spent going to different places to do volunteer work. There was also an adventure day in which students could
pick their own activities, ranging from hiking through national parks to visiting forts and temples. At the conference
there was also a “melee” or a market that Daly College organized for the delegates. At it we were able to purchase many
items, including Indian clothing and jewelry, and there was also entertainment of all kinds. It was a very fun night, which
all the delegates greatly enjoyed.
Before I left for the conference, people kept telling me that it would be a “life-changing experience” but I didn’t really
understand what they meant until I came back. To be thrown into an entirely different way of life makes you see things
differently and can really open your eyes. You can see people who are different from you and witness poverty and many
other things in the media and think you understand them but until you see them with your own eyes you don’t really
understand.
Every part of the trip, the good and the bad, was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Through Round Square
I was able to be part of another way of life, make friends from around the world, travel places few have the opportunity
to and get involved in trying to make a difference. The 2007 Round Square conference was an amazing experience and
anyone who has the opportunity to attend a future conference should definitely take it.
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