To India and back ...

Derek Dickinson (left) and Evan Holschbach, both Augustana students and former Princeton High School graduates, pose before a map of India. The two recently returned from studying there. (BCR photo/Barb Kromphardt)

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PRINCETON — “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things,” said the American writer and painter Henry Miller.

Evan Holschbach, 20, of Princeton and Derek Dickinson, 20, of Wyanet, recently returned to Bureau County from a two-and-one-half-month stay in India.

The two 2005 Princeton High School graduates are college sophomores and roommates at Augustana College in Rock Island. When the young men found out about a study abroad opportunity in India, they both decided to give it a try.

“I knew I wanted to go on a foreign term in college,” said Holschbach. “India seemed like a good idea because it would be difficult to go there on your own.”

Dickinson and Holschbach were part of the India Term group which included 22 Augustana students, three Augustana professors and one professor’s wife. The group arrived in New Delhi on March 5 after an approximately 16-hour flight. They returned to the U.S. on May 15.

In addition to taking three college courses taught by the Augustana professors, the students participated in many activities and trips, such as visiting many Hindu temples and monuments, touring the Taj Mahal, hiking through the Himalaya Mountains for five days, and visiting the Sundarban, a nature and tiger preserve containing the largest mangrove forest in the world.

“Probably the most shocking thing there was the poverty,” said Dickinson. “There are no trash disposal systems, so it’s pretty dirty.”

“Still, the people were really happy,” said Holschbach. “It was clear they didn’t measure happiness by material wealth.”

Dickinson and Holschbach spent a day at one of Mother Teresa’s charity houses, helping to care for handicapped children.

“It felt really good to do because it felt like we were helping out,” said Dickinson.

“It was the most simple of places, definitely underfunded,” said Holschbach. “Here we have such nice facilities for the handicapped.”

One of the most shocking things for Dickinson and Holschbach upon their return to the U.S. was the smaller things most Americans take for granted.

“It made me really appreciate things like having hot showers and toilets that flush,” said Dickinson.

The young men said the college had planned about 10 hours of activities per day during the first few weeks, to ensure the students wouldn’t become bored or homesick. Even the weekends were full of plans and trips.

Holschbach and Dickinson agreed they were able to enjoy the study abroad experience without becoming too homesick for friends and family because the group of students bonded well.

For Holschbach, who is a member of the Augustana men’s track team, going to India during the spring involved another sacrifice.

“This was the first time I haven’t done track since junior high,” said Holschbach. “I missed the team, and I checked online results to see how they did in their meets.”

Upon their return to Bureau County, Dickinson and Holschbach were surprised about several things.

“When we were in India, we were kind of like celebrities everywhere we went, just because we were the only white people,” Dickinson said.

After Holschbach and Dickinson’s travels in India, they have returned with both a first-hand experience of a developing country and a deeper appreciation for the conveniences and comforts enjoyed in America.

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