International students week pakistan vision was to push young emerging young leaders from pakistan aspiring to become a part of international community and their stage. Their mythology was to combine international and national delegates. Their agendas covered a world without violence extremism. Challenges and way forward.
Plan of the event:
ISWIP divided the event into two forms as follows:
Part 1: conference which covered academic workshops, input lectures, plenary sessions and symposiums
Part 2 Activities : which covered world food estival, musical and cultural night, flag parade and city tours
Countries participating in ISWIP:
More than 35 countries participated In the event such as china, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Viatnam,singapore,Indonesia,Afghanistan,Egypt,England,Poland,France,Germany,Russia,South Africa, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan ,Uzbekistan, Turkey, USA, Brazil, Algeria, Tunisia, Slovenia, Belarus, Nigeria, Serbia etc. All the participant were undergraduate and master degree students.
Summary of the days of events :
27th october 2019:
The accommodation was at the University of education. The first day of the event started at 8 in the morning with a very heavy traditional Pakistani breakfast called chaane with puriyaan, sided with a sweet dish called halva. The dining table was filled with discussion of how different countries have their breakfasts and how different it is in each part. After the breakfast everyone gathered out in the open grounds and introduced each other. Later we went out to the markets were we experienced the crowd of pakistan. The colors, fabric, touch and designs of the stuff amazed everyone. The delegates bought some traditional kurtas, khussas( traditional foot wear ) , churiyaan ( bangles ) and ghumke ( earrings). Some had a few traditional snacks from the vendors selling at the site. We came back to the accommodation at 4 and started getting ready for the opening ceremony that was to be held at 6. By 5:30 we were guided to the buses that were to transport us to the venue of the ceremony. The event was hosted at Lake city lahore which was a very lavishing housing. The President of ISWIP welcomed everyone to the event and gave a speech of what his vision, methodologies and ideas were while planning for the event. Several speeches were also delivered by the delegated including Dua E Meeqat Aamir who was representing kazakhstan at the event. The evening was continued by a concert by a very famous Pakistani band “JAAL’’ who invited the delegated onto the stage with their flags indicating how we all are so same yet just differentiated by a single flag. The delegates were severed food which comprised all traditional Pakistani food and sweets. After the event we were bought back to the accommodation where we had a ice breaking session. Here all the delegated introduced themselves once again and played games such as truth and dare.
28th october 2019:
As usual the day started by breakfast. This time the organizers provided a light breakfast, with eggs and bread sided with milk. Today was the first day of the workshops. After the breakfast the buses took s to the university of management and technology which was a huge campus with more than 16000 students and 25+ undergraduate degrees. All the delegates had a warm welcome by the organizers of the university. To get more familiar and comfortable with each other we played game of human bingo which really bonded the delegates with each other. It got more interesting when delegated proposed to play games that weren’t really familiar with others. Later all danced the traditional style of pakistan which is of the cast of Pashto’s which was highly enjoyed by everyone. After this all the delegated were divided into 4 groups of different topics in which the workshops were to be given. The topics were conflict resolution, gender equality, social media and music and arts. All the delegated went to their cabinets with respect of the topic they were given. We were given the topic of conflict resolution. , which was followed by 5 hours of very productive discussion and presentation of how each country is facing different conflicts and how they can resolved through different lawful ways. Each delegate of different country shared of how crime is handled in their country. Which really broadened the perspective of everyone. Later at 4 we had a plenary session where the topic was rise of pakistan. Here speakers came in to speak of the rise of pakistan. Taking in account of the past few years of pakistan and its international standing. They as a nation have been tagged with certain stereotypes which was a result of misunderstandings and lack of communication. They elaborated of how this event was a major step to eradicate those stigmas which are bringing an image that pakistan as a non-peaceful country. After the session we were taken back to the accommodation were everyone changed to their cultural wears for cultural night which was hostel in Al hamra Mall road. On the way the bus ride was enjoyed with singing and dancing to songs. For cultural night they organized a few performances where the performers played traditional instruments called flute, rubab, ektara. It was followed by qawali which is a traditional pakistan style of singing accompanied by the instruments called harmonium and tabla. The flutist also played familiar songs like the Song Despacito and game of thrones which was really amusing. The day ended with dinner at the accommodation where we were served traditional dish called biryani which is a dish of rice and chicken filled with Pakistani spices.
29th october 2019:
Today we were served another traditional breakfast which contained naan ( bread) with potatoes. After breakfast we went to the university for our workshops. We were accompanied by the very well known lawyer who got us through the laws and ways of judiciary. It was followed by group discussion and examples of situations of using them in real life. Later lunch was served to us sponsored by the university itself. The plenary session was on the topic business and innovation where very professional business men shared their stories and gave information how to be innovative and to be an entrepreneur yourself. There was a question and answer session where the delegates were given chance to ask questions from the business men. After coming to the accommodation we were given free time where delegates caught up on their sleep. We were served dinner where we had chicken curry and rice with a traditional sweet called kheer. After this we had musical night at the accommodation where musicians were welcomed. We sat in a circle and enjoyed live music session where everyone sang along. A few german delegates bought in their own guitars as well and sang songs of their own. It was such a warm and enjoyable atmosphere that it lasted till 2 in the morning until people realized its probably time to sleep now.
30th october 2019:
Todays breakfast contained fruits and juices as requested by the delegates.. At the workshop we covered the area of world conflicts. Different conflicts from the past. The delegates shared their views on the topics. Everyone had a healthy discussion. It’s amazing how cultures clash in discussion as some ways seem so unfamiliar for different countries yet so normal to others. The delegated also shared how different issues where to be handled in their countries. After the workshop we had a session with the university where they introduced themselves, called some delegated for a dance off, a few students of the university gave a ramp walk representing the cultural wear of different areas of Pakistan like Punjab, Singh, kpk and Baluchistan. A professional karate trainer also demonstrated some easy moves in times of an attack. A delegate from Afghanistan also performed a few magic tricks which is always amusing. After this we were taken to the accommodation for dinner where we were served rice with kababs. After which we were taken to lake city for movie night where a private room was rented for all the delegated where we saw the movie Joker. Later there was another music night organized by the delegates themselves where everyone sang and played guitar.
31st october 2019:
For Todays breakfast we had Aalo ka paratha. It’s a chapati stuffed with potatoes and then cooked in oil. After a heavy breakfast we went to the final day of the workshop. For the final day of workshops we were asked to organize a play emphasizing on a resolution of a conflict. So we took up the topic of domestic violence as discussed was one topic that had to be risen awareness of. All the group members participated actively. Later presented it to the organizers. The final plenary session was on the topic of world without extremism where we made an image of how beautiful would a world seem without boundaries, conflicts wars and hatred. This session emphasized on peace building within oneself and around. They monitored the seriousness of the threat of terrorism on education and economy. They also covered the subject of islamophobia. One of the very famous Pakistani Actress, social activist, A Harvard medical graduate was welcomed who gave a speech promoting peace and harmony. Spoke on gender equality, educational sphere and much more. At the end asked the delegated to introduce themselves and told many interesting stories from her travels. The workshops were ended by handing the delegates gift bags containing notepads, pens and small sovereigns. The delegates were taken to a restaurant later that evening and asked to order the food they like. Everyone engaged in talking as the night ended.
1st november 2019:
Todays breakfast was quite unusual. For today all the delegated presented their countries food which contained more sweets, other than that they bought biscuits cakes teas sauces, canned peas and corns. It was a whole mouthful of different tastes. A few delegates experimented with the foods and joined two different country foods together which was amusing. After heaving a quite sweet filled breakfast we got ready to explore the Walled city. It was also known as old city as it forms the historic core of lahore. The city was established in around 1000 CE during the medieval era. It is from the Mughal era when they constructed the lahore fort which is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The walled city was bestowed with numerous moments during the Mughal era. It comprises one of the most lavishly decorated Wazir Khan mosque, the massive Badshahi Masjid and the Shahi Hammam. Shahi Hamam is the Persian style bath which was build in lahore in the1635 CE during the reign of the emperor shah Jahan. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal emperor was at the height of its splendor and opulence. Everyone throughly enjoyed and clicked pictures of themselves in the historical sites as the guides explained them the history behind each building. One mesmerizing thing were these huge stair steps which when explained as we came to know were for the elephants to go through the fort as through the Mughal era the emperor and empresses used elephants as a mode of transport. After exploring the fort we went to Minar e Pakistan which is a national monument of pakistan built in1960 on the site where the lahore resolution in march 23 – the official call of the separation of pakistan as a separate independent homeland was established. After a very hectic day of exploring and visualizing everything we headed for dinner. Todays dinner venue was At Haveli restaurant where the restaurant official gave us a warm welcome at the door. The restaurant had 5 floors and our venue was reserved at the top most floor which had the view of the whole city and the very beautiful Badshahi Masjid. Once everyone was seated the waiters presented all the girls with gajre which is a traditional hand bracelet made of rose petals. Before the dinner a few TV reporters came and asked for an interview from the delegates asking their reviews about pakistan and their experience. After this the dinner was served. There was barbecue, chicken and meat gravy, rice and vegetable stew and a whole lot of other stuff. After the main course we were given gulab jamun and kulfi which are traditional sweets. I might say Lahore eat a lot as we were stuffed at the end. After the dinner we went and explored the rest of the food court. The architecture and design of the area was beautiful. Everything was decorated so traditionally with wooden windows from the olden time. The blend of tradition and modern ers was at its best. The aura of food filled in the street. Indeed made our mouth water even when we were stuffed. Review on Pakistani food is that people like it spicy yet so tasty that you just can’t get enough. Later on we went to the vendors selling antique boxes, souvenirs and jewelry. All the delegates bought a few sovereigns It was indeed a magical day.
2nd november 2019 :
Today was the most important day of the event. As today we were meeting the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi. Everyone got dresses right after the breakfast and he headed towards the hamra hall which is located in the colonial period of lahore. We were asked to leave our mobile phones and after a thorough check we were seated on reserved seats. The president of pakistan entered and we stood for the national anthem of pakistan. The main emphasis of the presidents speech was to promote peace. He spoke on the building a nation without hatred and how important it is to establish peace. He stressed on the topic of education as he said that it’s the main element of a successful generation and to broaden the minds of young generation. He gave importance to the youth as they are the tomorrow of each country. He shared a story where he gave the children of an urban area pencils containing seeds and told them the importance of it and instructed them the way of planting it. He later found that he influenced them to plant more trees later on. He also covered the area of self development and the importance of maintaining discipline by giving the example of japan of how they were still maintaining a queue for food aid after their country was hit by a calamity. He also covered the area of environmental changes as its something to be taken a quick action yet no one really is taking up an action against it. And the consequences we will face if we don’t take up an action right now! After a very inspirational speech we got back to our accommodation and got dressed in much more casual attire and headed towards the Wagah border. We were taken there in a double decker bus in which on the way all the delegates had a sight seeing of the city and enjoyed quite a lot by dancing to the Pakistani songs. Wagah border is the border between pakistan and India. Every morning and evening there is a ceremony that is a military practice that the security forces of India and Pakistan have jointly followed since 1959.The drill is characterized by elaborate and rapid dance like maneuvers and rising legs as high as possible which has been described as colorful. It is alternately a symbol of the two countries rivalry as well as brotherhood and corporation. Slogans such as “ Naraye taqbeer, Allah hu Akbar “ and “ Pakistan zindabad were shouted by the citizens as well as the delegated. Some found it very amusing while other were rather were astounded by the level of patriotism showed by the citizens. We arrived back to the accommodation and had dinner. Where to shake things a little bit and to have something other than traditional spicy Pakistani food we had pizza.
3rd November 2019:
The final day of the event was filled with emotions and we reached to the final day and the fact of leaving soon made everyone very emotional. But we still had to make the best of it. So the day was given all to us to finish our shopping and so we headed towards the very crowded markets of pakistan to experience it. Here we got through the different attires and wedding dresses. A lot of street food. The most memorizing part were the buildings and how these shops were located in such tiny lanes yet still people got through it all. We explored the traditional shops which sold very antique things of Pakistani culture. It was indeed a beautiful experience. We returned back to our accommodation and got glammed up for the closing ceremony which was to be taken place at the governor house lahore. This is the official residence of the governor house of lahore. The closing ceremony was very official where all the members of ISWIP came and gave their gratitude to the delegates. Speeches were delivered by the President, Vice president and the general secretary of ISWIP. Later on, all the workshop members were called with respective of their groups and were presented certificates. Dinner was served where we had Kababs, chicken gravy and other delicious food. Everyone sang along to the live band and clicked the last moment pictures. At this time all we could think was how some people come too close to us that it physically hurts to say goodbye. And how we are just divided on the basis of small differences. This is what ISWIP was all about. Bringing us all together. At the end one of the Belarus delegate sang a song and we bid goodbye. After coming back to the accommodation, the delegates headed towards the airport while the other sat together and sang songs, wrote on each others diary and talked for the last moments.
Conclusion:
ISWIP is an excellent platform for exploring new cultures, collaborating on different points of view, discussing and interacting with global issues. There are several stereotypes that all of us have. This is a great platform to gain experience in a new country. We hope that many students from Kazakhstan will participate in international forums and expand their horizons.
We want to express our deep gratitude to the Medical University of Semey, rector – Zhunussov E.T., Volunteers Corps and its chairman Ertayev A.A., also, the Department of Youth Policy for providing such opportunities for students! We hope that in the future we will be able to share our experience and new knowledge with student volunteers, and we will also be able to contribute to the development of youth in Kazakhstan![vc_row dt_title=”” mode=”grid” responsiveness=”browser_width_based” bwb_columns=”desktop:3|h_tablet:2|v_tablet:2|phone:1″ pwb_column_min_width=”” pwb_columns=”” gap_between_posts=”5px” loading_effect=”fade_in” image_sizing=”resize” resized_image_dimensions=”3×2″ image_border_radius=”0px” image_decoration=”none” shadow_h_length=”0px” shadow_v_length=”4px” shadow_blur_radius=”12px” shadow_spread=”3px” shadow_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.25)” image_scale_animation_on_hover=”slow_scale” image_hover_bg_color=”default” custom_rollover_bg_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.5)” custom_rollover_bg_gradient=”45deg|rgba(12,239,154,0.8) 0%|rgba(0,108,220,0.8) 50%|rgba(184,38,220,0.8) 100%” hover_animation=”fade” show_zoom=”y” gallery_image_zoom_icon=”icomoon-the7-font-the7-zoom-06″ project_icon_size=”32px” project_icon_color=”#ffffff” project_icon_bg_size=”44px” project_icon_bg=”n” project_icon_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.3)” project_icon_border_radius=”100px” project_icon_border_width=”0px” project_icon_border_color=”” loading_mode=”disabled” jsp_posts_per_page=”” jsp_show_all_pages=”n” jsp_gap_before_pagination=”” jsm_posts_per_page=”” jsm_gap_before_pagination=”” jsl_posts_per_page=”” navigation_font_color=”” navigation_accent_color=”” include=”” dt_project_icon_title=”” css_dt_gallery=””][vc_column]
