STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM ARCHIVES
In philosophy, empiricism is a theory that states
knowledge comes primarily from experience. And to experience the richness of a
diverse country, one must eat the food they eat, wear the clothes they wear and
dance to the tunes they dance to.
Indians and French are similar on many grounds. The one worth mentioning is that we’re both big on
gastronomy. In India, it’s all about variety — of dishes, of spices, of
regional specialties, of elaborate platters a.k.a. thalis. In France, it’s all about pairing the right
foods — wine and cheese, wine and main course, main course and sauce, liquor
and dessert. With the result that we spend considerable amounts of time in the
kitchen and at the table. And yes, guilty as charged, during lunch breaks at
work/otherwise.
IMI Bhubaneswar, home to
students from a mélange of cultural diversity, hosted a student exchange program
in collaboration with Rennes School of Business, France. It was a three month
exchange program where six students from France travelled all the way to IMI
Bhubaneswar to experience the nuances in cultural diversity and celebrate the
similarities between the two countries. During their sojourn at IMI, French
students were exposed to the same curriculum as followed in IMI (classroom
teaching, presentations, exams and industrial visits). In fact they were also a
part of the annual cultural event Phronesis 9.0, where they represented team
IMI and won laurels. Indian students were as exhilarated as the French, to
welcome the latter during celebrations of Lohri and Holi. It was a reciprocity
of language, culture, food and above all; love.
The six French students (Fatine
Azim, Cyril Chollat, Romain Payet, Sara Salhi, Ambre Faucon and Leslie Lefevre)
collectively expressed their desire to visit the country again while their
Indian counterparts expressed avidity in playing the host in future.
Here’s what some of the French
students would like to share:
Sara Salhi
“Being a part of IMI Bhubaneswar
for three months was a great pleasure. In fact coming to India was one of my
childhood dreams. So the fact that I experienced this with wonderful people
around, made me love this trip even more. What I liked the most about this
college is the capability to stay inside the campus and share our daily life
with other students. This gave me an opportunity to get involved with the Indian
culture and meet new people, who I can now consider as my good friends. Though
the school program may be considered as tough when you compare it to the French
system; but I took it up as a challenge. The overall experience has been
over-whelming and I’ve fallen in love with the Indian culture.”
Cyril Chollat
“This trimester at IMI Bhubaneswar
has passed rather quickly for me. From the beginning we were very well received
by the professors and the students. I experienced a friendly atmosphere that
reigned in the establishment, Indian students were close in their
relationships. Above all, they were warm, caring and didn’t have any reluctance
in trying to gel with us; which was very appreciable. Some habits were
disrupted; the food of course, the surveillance of the institute,
accommodation, distance from the city center and etc. Others are getting close
to France like the courses I thought would be taught differently but to my
surprise group projects, schedules and other activities were the same. It was
indeed an enriching experience that made us discover how a business school
works in a culture that’s so different from ours.”
Romain Payet
“What I have learnt from my time
in India is, that people are very welcoming, respectful and friendly. They are
always there for you and make you feel at home. IMI Bhubaneswar is a quality
school, with values and ethics worthy of the name. I was very excited to come
here and now I don’t want to go back.”
With this student exchange
program IMI Bhubaneswar has just reaffirmed its motto of ‘Shaping global
leaders for tomorrow’.
On behalf of the college we would
like to wish our French mates all the very best for their future endeavors and
it was a pleasure having them here.
Bon chance!
If you’re in a larger group, it might be difficult to find a time to view a property that suits everyone’s schedules. Because time is a factor, it might be that only some of your group can attend a viewing and they’ll have to report back.
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