John McMullin, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Class of 2011
Posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2011

John McMullin, with the Himalayan mountains in the background (and wearing Algonquin College gear), is a Mechanical Engineering Technology graduate. He did a study abroad placement at Manav Rachna International University in Faridabad, India.
India! Looking back I still can’t believe how much I have learned about life. This trip has broadened my mind about the real world. If I had the chance to go to India again I would in a heartbeat.
As soon as we arrived in India we found that everyone wanted to help us and make sure we felt welcomed. The people of India treated us like kings! We were taken to get groceries whenever we wanted, and we were able to plan trips to Agra, Jaipur, and Manali on a few weekends to see different parts of India. Studying did come first so we had to make sure assignments were handed in and we were caught up on all school work.
Learning in India was less structured and I found it harder to understand concepts than here in Canada as our learning here is more practical and less memorizing. The teaching is more of a dictation style.
The climate, language, and food were by far the hardest parts of the trip. Most mornings I would wake up at 7am to a 40 degree day, and eat maggi noodles for breakfast. I brought 50 pounds of Canadian food and had to ration that for my two months which was very difficult. I was a vegetarian for the month of March, in turn made me lose a lot of weight. The language barrier was a little difficult but with time I was able to adapt.
India is a beautiful country with a very diverse atmosphere. You will see anything in India. This is what I liked so much, everyday when I walked out my front door I didn’t know what to expect. Thank you India for opening my mind and giving me so much more than I expected. For those who haven’t been to India I highly recommend the adventure. Santra…
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