Students try out Kiwi life

THE lush greenery, welcoming people and efforts to protect the environment charmed young Bahrainis who went on a scholarship to New Zealand this summer.

Star pupils from Bahrain Polytechnic in Isa Town were selected to embark on a six-week Wayne Robertson Memorial Scholarship to experience student life in an established Polytechnic.

Chosen on the basis of their academic records and English language skills, they got a unique opportunity to attend classes at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and live with local Kiwi families.

Lynnette Ayo, 50, Bahrain Polytechnic's student services and marketing director, said: "This was a cultural exchange programme that was aimed at providing students with an understanding of how a polytechnic works and helping them to improve their language skills by immersing themeselves in a country where English is spoken by everybody.

"It was also a chance to celebrate the achievements of these six scholars who were articulate and are good ambassadors of Bahrain. All of them have come back with enhanced confidence and are displaying leadership skills by taking part in various programmes and student association activities."

Bachelor of Business students - Khalid Al Khwaja, 18, Enas Sistani, 22, Asma Darwish, 19 and Maryam Abdulla Baqer, 19 along with their colleagues Mohammed Shawqi Al Muttawa, 19, Zainab Khamis, 19 and Aysha Al Majthoob, 19, pursuing Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology, were selected from more than 80 aspirants.

For former public school students this was their first trip to New Zealand. They have come back impressed with the country's natural beauty, culture and hospitality. While they got to learn the local customs intimately while living with host families they also mingled with international students at the polytechnic.

Calling it an 'out of this world' trip, Enas said: "It was a great cultural experience. It was not only about learning English but it was also about appreciating and respecting different people from around the world. It was plenty of fun.

"New Zealand is very lovely. Just taking a walk is enough to recharge you. They really take care of their environment. The government provides each family with three different recycling bins. Every Tuesday, trucks would come and empty them. The family just got used to it and integrated it in their daily life.

"The host family I stayed with had a 10-year old child. Even at that age recycling was a normal part of his life. You were growing up with these good habits ... I thought that was pretty neat.

"People would never throw away waste and would go looking for recycling bins. They are all over the place and I thought that was very smart."

Her colleague, Mohammed added: "It is marketed as the 'greenest' country in the world. Public buses and bicycles are the major means of transport whereas in Bahrain I can't ride a bicycle to my college - it's just too hot. We miss taking the bus to the university. It was just great."

Asma, a traditional Bahraini who covers her head said she spent a lot of time explaining her culture and religion to her new found friends. She said: "Many of the people I met had never had any interaction with Muslims. They naturally assumed that I was wearing a scarf because it was cold or that it was a fashion statement. Then I had to explain that we are Muslims and this is our religion.

"Many had weird questions such as why can Muslim men marry four women. We explained our perspective as best as we could. While some agreed others did not. We learned to accept everyone no matter what their opinions were."

Although the students have fond memories of New Zealand and will always treasure the experience they hope the Bahrain national squad return victorious after the World Cup play-off against the All Whites.