Time Zones
International Students’
Experiences
Maldives
To NITK
By Ibrahim Zaid
The Shoreline | 35
M
aldives is an independent nation with a group of 1200 islands lying in the Indian Ocean
south-west of India. It’s the smallest Asian
Country with a land area of 298 km2. The
population is around 3.2 lakhs and we speak
Dhivehi. Those are the answers to the usual
questions I have been asked over the past
few years.
Now to tell you a little bit of history, the
first people who inhabited Maldives arrived
from Kalibanga in India. Next came tribes
from Mahrast (present day Maharashtra and
Gujrat) in India. Over the years we were
ruled by Portuguese, the Dutch and the
British. We became an independent country
on 26th July 1965.
Maldives has been in the news lately,
mainly because of environmental concerns.
It is the country with the lowest natural
highest point in the world (2.4m above sea
level), so every time you talk about global
warming, melting of polar ice-caps, sea
level rising, “Maldives” is at the tip of your
tongue. Once a cabinet meeting was held
underwater, to show the world how important it is to tackle climate change.
Our economy is mainly dependent on
tourism: it accounts for 28% of the GDP
and more than 60% of Maldives’ foreign
exchange receipts. Last year more than 12
lakh tourists visited, which is nearly 4 times
the population of Maldives. Tourists are
mostly interested in the natural beauty of
the country - it’s famous for the crystal clear
waters, white sandy beaches and also known
around the world as one of the best scuba
diving spots.
The Road to NITK Surathkal
After completing Edexcel GCE A/L exams
(board exam after 12th standard), I was applying for scholarships abroad for higher
studies. Later I applied for jobs, worked at
Housing Development Corporation followed by Department of Immigration &
Emigration. After 3 years I received a letter
from the Indian Center for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to Study Civil Engineering at
NITK.
To tell you about my experience at
NITK, my first impression was good after staying at the guest house. I expected a
room like that at the hostels, but later when
I moved to my hostel room, everything
changed. It was really tough, neither did I
like the food, nor the hostel. The culture
was totally new to me, the language was a
problem and finally, it all happened to be in
Surathkal. It was the most challenging year
of my life!
Long chats, card games, sports, hotel meals
became part of daily activities. Trips to nearby places such as Kudremurk, Coorg, Wayanard, Saint Mary’s Island, Dandeli are some
of the most cherished memories. There
were numerous new experiences along the
way, namely dogs, elephants, mountains,
railways, empty stretches of land, the concept of “seniority” and vegetarian food
(even our dal contains tuna!).
Last few lines…
Truth being said, without companions
the NITK experience would have been
incomplete. The past 4 years have been a
joyous experience, especially with the new
acquaintances made. But as all good things
come to an end, and we gear up for our
“real” life, I can say with confidence that
NITK will always count as a memorable
journey for each and every Final Year.
Signing off in Maldivian style, Kendy Ye.
Ibrahim Zaid is a final
year student of Civil
Engineering. He is a
member of the institute’s
swimming team and
enjoys tuna with maggi.
Fun Times?
Friends were the best part of the NITK life.
The Shoreline
35