AGS India Immersion Programme 2017/18

Hey Matt. It sounds like Singapore has just been added to the family bucket list - night photography for you and Dad while Breezy and I hit air conditioned shopping malls. We look forward to seeing the hundreds of photos I suspect you have already taken and those to come showing the contrasts that you will encounter on this adventure. Love Mum, Dad and Breezy Sent from my iPad

We've made it. We are in India, safe and happy. The boys have just gone off to bed after a long couple of days for some much needed rest. A few have now written blogs which we hope you enjoy. Expect more to come in the next couple of days as they grapple with the unique environment we now find ourselves in. In the meantime, here's my summary of how our transition from Singapore to Kolkata went: Tuesday 5 December 8.30am - Everyone was woken by the dulcet tones of their room phones before heading down for brekky. General consensus was that great sleeps were had after the long walk the night before. 8.45am - Despite being told last night that breakfast would be included in the price of the hotel, we were told the contrary this morning and made to pay. We're not even in India yet?! Nevertheless, the boys tucked into a great buffet breakfast. 10am - After packing our bags and saying final, tearful goodbyes to warm water and beds with suspension, t...

Best wishes guys. Enjoy your experiences and transformations. Michael Lee

Matt I had some expectations for Singapore, having seen on TV that it was an extremely developed coastal nation with large skyscrapers and trade networks. Skyscrapers seem to fill half the skyline (though I expected more) and there are more ships than water in the harbour. I feel that dad would love it here, and I wish I had more time and a tripod to be able to capture the place in a way its modern stature deserves. There are malls everywhere, as expected, and they are huge. No $2 shops or Kmarts only Gucci and Prada around here. One thing I did not expect was the heat. I knew it would be hot, maybe like a hot summers day in New Zealand, but this was a whole new level of uncomfortable and time spent 'exploring' mainly consisted of hunting for the nearest air-conditioning. Next is Kolkata. I'm conflicted over my expectations for our first Indian city. 5 hours away from arrival as I write this I'm not sure what to expect. I remember a conversation wit...

Raymond Zhou For an airline named "SilkAir", our flight could be considered as anything but smooth. (Though this was mostly due to unpleasant weather, I thought I'd just share this interesting experience) Before we even took off, the faith of Aaron Wyllie and me (also presumably the other 24 boys) was put into serious question when the built in screens of plane failed to show our safety video- twice. On the first try, half of the screens failed to deploy, leaving one side of the plane without any instructions. The second try was slightly better, but was yet again another failure as videos lagged from screen to screen- making for mismatched audio and visual cues (and some good comic relief). Needless to say, we weren't exactly feeling secure. The flight itself could be described as 4 hours of turbulence as the plane shifted randomly without notice. Whilst the lightning show out the window was quite spectacular, our feelings of ...

Josh Hamilton As I left New Zealand and distanced myself from my routines and family, I became skeptical about my decision to apply for the Immersion trip. However, due to the multiple prior meetings, preparation sessions, and through many stories from Old Boys, I was sure my feelings would change.  Our first stop, Singapore, allowed us to get an idea of what is expected from us as a group and how we are going to function while in India. On our first full day together as a group, we bonded and developed a great culture and environment for us all to be in. This culture ignited a spark within me, and it has made me look forward to the next month even more than I had before. As we travel to Kolkata, I feel immensely privileged to be apart of the 2017/18 India Immersion Tour, and also excited to recreate the journeys of the boys who have been to India in the past. I am sure Mr Skeen's favourite city in the world will quickly become mine as well....

Callan Adams 24 hours into the trip, and I find myself thinking of our time in Singapore as somewhat of an anticlimax. After building myself up to dive headfirst into a raging ocean of culture, religion and sensory experience, the first day was more like a dip in a heavily chlorinated and uncomfortably warm pool, into which diving is not permitted.   Between the pristine streets and cutting edge buildings of Singapore, it was hard not to slip back into my 'comfort zone' which I seek to step out of on this trip. As the group grow closer, however, when those many moments of discomfort inevitably arrive, I know that I will not be alone.  With Kolkata looming on the horizon, I can't help but feel incredibly excited for the wave of emotion that lies beyond those airport doors, and incredibly privileged to be barely half an hour away from the most vibrant and colourful country on Earth.

Roni Chapman Last time I came to Singapore I had just finished a 2 week tour of Vietnam, a trip I like to think shares the same flavour of the India trip; an experience of a significantly different culture to the lives many of us have in New Zealand. In Singapore I look around and am reminded of a city which seems so perfect; there is a perfect balance of urban development and the greenery of surrounding trees and grass lawns. Every aesthetic and functional aspect of the city seems to be in sync, running to some overarching plan. While 2 years ago I was in love with this place and was sad to leave, I now find myself done with the setting after half a day; 'done' in the sense that we weren't really given the choice to stay, and also that there seems to be little the city can do to fuel any genuine excitement. While the city is full of endless 'must-see' destinations from which far out scale what we see in New Zealand, they failed...

Miller From what I had heard about Singapore I was expecting multiculturalism to be a prominent theme in the small city-state.  However, what I actually experienced was quite the contrary; unlike New Zealand, I only noticed one, extraordinarily unique culture.  Describing this culture is no easy task, as there is very little to compare it to, however one analogy that comes to mind is that of a Venn diagram.  Imagine each of the circles grouping aspects of different cultures, one Chinese, one Malay, one European, and one American, in the very centre you have the culture of Singapore.  As I said before, the cultures which influence that of Singapore are not segregated, but blurred together into something new entirely.  An example of this is a Presbyterian church in the city, on the front wall were words written in both English and Chinese characters.  Based purely off my description you would assume it would simply be a translation, like a...