‘Where are you from?’

The question garnered different responses.

Ecuador. Afghanistan. China. Dominican Republic. Spain. India.

The 47 strangers on the bus were all students from Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. They were on their way to the Adirondacks for Orange Dialogue for Peace, a retreat funded by The Fulbright Program. During the three-day retreat, students do a variety of narrative dialogues and team building exercises, learning about other cultures and acquiring skills on how to handle conflict.

Lorenz Chiu was one of those 47 SU and ESF graduate and undergraduate students. Chiu, a senior hospitality management major from Taiwan, joined the program because he wanted to meet other international students.

He wasn’t disappointed.

‘The bus ride felt shorter because of the great conversations we were having, getting to know everyone and learning about their interesting backgrounds,’ he said.

The bus filled with constant chatter, some in different languages. While students shared stories, such as personal experiences riding elephants and tigers, Elane Granger walked up and down the aisle speaking English and Spanish to the students. Granger, associate director of the Slutzker Center for International Services, organized the second year of the trip.

As they neared the Adirondack Mountains, they entered a dead zone that would last the entire trip. The comfort blanket of cellphones and Internet were gone. The only people they could communicate with were each other.

—

Set on a property with various ponds and hiking trails, Oswegatchie Educational Center is a flashback to summer camp.

Inside one of the wooden lodges, the participants closely sit in a circle for the first narrative dialogue. Not knowing what to expect, people anxiously glance around the room, keeping chatter to a minimum.

One of the facilitators grasps a large tennis ball. He announces that everyone will pass around the tennis ball, say his or her name and reveal something about himself or herself. The tidbits include being married, having children or personal passions. Those listening occasionally nod their heads inagreement, clap or make remarks.

Nira Pandya, a junior political studies, international relations and Spanish major, sat in the circle, pleased by the atmosphere the narrative dialogues were set in. Originally from India, Pandya has experience talking about issues such as peace in formal contexts through her time in Model United Nations. She said she was excited to have a different type of setting to express her viewpoints.

‘It fosters learning and getting to know each other’s cultures,’ she said.

Granger asks the group: ‘What do you want to talk about in this narrative dialogue?’

Silence. People glance around, waiting for someone to speak. A student speaks up and questions the sincerity of the American greeting: ‘How are you?’

The group launched into a long discussion about greetings in a multitude of cultures, such as cheek kissing, handshakes and how to address elders. Some even demonstrated gestures to the group.

‘It’s significant that the first time speaking and opening up to each other is about greetings,’ Pandya said.

Other conversations explore issues such as women’s roles, social hierarchies and the concept of morality.

During the final dialogue, Chiu shivers in his seat. It’s early in the morning and the wooden lodge is freezing. Silently, another student walks up, takes off her jacket and puts it over him. ‘I could tell you were cold,’ she says with a smile.

—–

A bonfire burns and crackles in front of a pond on a clear night. Sitting in an outdoor amphitheater, participants huddled up close near the fire.

Soon, Juan Pablo Cuesta Aguirre, a Fulbright Scholar and a master’s in public administration, is playing guitar alongside program facilitator Scott Catucci. They humorously entertain the crowd with music sing-alongs and silly antics from Aguirre.

Anna Ebers sat in the amphitheater, listening to the music and participating when need be. Ebers, a second-year doctorate student studying energy and environmental economics at ESF and Fulbright Fellow, is not a stranger to Orange Dialogues for Peace.

These two previous ‘incredible experiences’ for Ebers, from Estonia, allowed her to reconnect with buddies during the bonfire and also get to know new individuals.

——

After high rope courses, such as zip-lining and climbing trees, and team building exercises, the groups sits down and everyone offers each other compliments. People hug each other with large smiles on their faces.

——

It’s pitch black despite a full moon shining through the woods. Individuals cling onto each other as they wander through the forest to an unknown destination. It’s quiet and peaceful except for the occasional warnings from the participants alerting each other about protruding roots and stones. The conclusion of the walk leads the group to a large rock overlooking one of the ponds. The students sit in silence, listening to the sounds of crickets and other animals.

The silence is broken: when one of the participants howls at the moon and a coyote answers from afar.

——

All 47 participants share a word or sentence to sum their experience. Many mention the people they met on the trip. Afterward, everyone wrapped their arms around each other and moved in close for a group hug.

‘We came as strangers and left as lifelong companions,’ Chiu said. 

cbidwill@syr.edu

Published on September 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu