SRHS Exchange Student from India
Finds a Lot to Like in Vermont
By Anneke Van Fossen

This year, South Royalton School is hosting Shreyas Borkar, an exchange student from Wardha, India.

Everyone calls him Rey. He will be here until June and is staying with the Farnsworth family for a portion of the year and then moving to the Murphy’s house. Rey, who is taking classes as a junior, says he is willing to answer any questions from those who are curious and is also planning to teach cricket to anyone interested in learning how to play.

Back in India, Rey has a sister who is 12 years old, and his parents are both doctors.

"My dad is a pediatrician and my mom is a gynecologist," he explained. "Their jobs are connected. In our home, the ground floor is our hospital and we live on the second floor,

Rey notes that he and his friends in India play pick-up cricket or soccer, go to Internet Cafes to play games, or go to each other’s homes to play games. They also go to movies and fairs on the weekends.

"Cricket is the craze of the nation," Rey said. "The national game is hockey, and people are crazy about soccer. That’s what people generally play. I play for my school cricket team."

Rey adds that "the education system is pretty different in India. We have to have five compulsory classes that include English, Hindi, Math, Science, and Social Studies. We also have electives that have four branches: Music Vocal, Music Instrument, Dance, and Arts. I used to do Music Vocal but then I transferred to Art. We also have a period for sports that is compulsory. You study only with people from your own grade. There are no mixed grade classes like there are here in the U.S."

Back in India, Rey has studied English since kindergarten and also studied Hindi and Marathi, his native language. He said he feels "English is easier to learn than my native languages."

Asked if it was difficult to take classes in English, he replied, "No, it’s not a big deal. I understand it a lot better here because the teaching style is a lot easier, since everyone speaks the language fluently. It’s easier to focus. In India, they have accents that make it difficult."

Rey came to South Royalton through the Rotary Youth Exchange, and the local Rotary has already hosted a weekend at a lake in New Hampshire and an International Dinner for the exchange students in this area.

"I really liked the idea of coming through the Rotary because I could be a cultural ambassador of my country," Rey explained. "I also wanted to experience a culture that’s way different because I’ve never been out of my country."

Rey went on to note that, "When I thought of coming here, I knew climate would be an issue. I’d never experienced temperatures below about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m excited about the first snow because I’ve never skied or anything like that. Once, in India, it got to about 125 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. It’s really dry. Some of the rivers run all year, but the smaller ones dry up. Here, it’s green and the rivers run all year. It’s quite different."

Rey has been enjoying trying new foods and said he likes pasta, spaghetti, and stir-fry, adding, "I got to try Italian food which you can’t get in my town. I also like lasagna and calamari."

Asked what his favorite aspect of his stay was, Rey replied, "I think there are a lot of things. The people here I like a lot because they are way better than what I expected. I’d seen films, but those prove to be completely contradictory. The people are friendly. I also like the mountains and valleys and the greenery all around. because it is very different from where I live.

"After coming here with the Rotary, I got to meet all the other exchange students and I got to know a lot about these other places, especially from the people from South America," Rey concluded. "Those regions are remote from India and we don’t often hear about them. We know more about Europe. I also got to meet a couple of people from Asia and it was nice to find somebody that’s from nearby."

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