Kate's story: a life-changing experience in India
Education and Healthcare students get the chance to travel to India to learn what life is like in healthcare settings and schools, while gaining experiences they can bring back to Worcester.
“I thought it would be a really interesting opportunity to go and see different parts of the world,” explained 3rd year Early Childhood student Kate Patten. “I’d already been to Canada for a summer camp the year before that, and I really wanted to go somewhere else as well to experience a completely different, completely new place.”
She said: “We went around to different schools and met with teachers and children. The topic we were looking at was how to create a good learning environment, and we based it around wellbeing and getting on well with your peers and how that can build a more positive learning environment.”
Opportunities for travel abroad are popular with students from a host of disciplines at the ºüÀêÊÓƵ, so Kate was able to mix with new people and have unique experiences.
She said: “There were nursing students as well, so we actually got the chance to look at medical clinics and hospitals which was really interesting.”
As well as the educational side of the trip, Kate and her friends got to explore and experience life in a totally different culture.
“On our days off we were able to explore different sights,” she said. “I went to a temple, to the Indian markets, it was so nice to be able to go and do the travelling side of the trip as well.”
As well as being an important experience for personal and professional growth, Kate’s time in India has given her knowledge which she has been able to feed into her studies back home.
“We were definitely able to bring our learning from Worcester to our experience in India. We were able to bounce ideas off each other while we were out there, and it definitely helped with my learning when I returned as well,” she said.
“It really fed into my assignment writing because I’d had so many experiences that I could just draw into my work,” she said. “We did a module about community and culture, and people and place, and my experience in India integrates so well into the module so I can link those ideas together.”
Kate’s trip meant she could gain valuable life experience while travelling with purpose.
She said: “The trip meant I could travel, and see the world. I’ve never really been the type of person to go ‘all inclusive’, I much prefer to go somewhere you can be involved in a community project, you get to really immerse yourself in it and it can give you a whole new outlook on life.”