In Hindi classes, Kusum Ji always makes sure to do a variety of activities in our Hindi class to keep it interesting and engaging. Whether it's bringing in a guest every Friday to talk about cultural experiences or just playing fun games, or just having fun group activities to do during class while we learn Hindi, she takes it upon herself to keep it interesting. As a part of that, she came up with the idea for a scavenger hunt, as a way to celebrate Diwali.
The class separated into groups, each with their own unique set of instructions and items to find, that had to be translated before we could begin. We went over some terms at the beginning and then, we were off. Part of the requirements was that we had to take a group selfie with every object we were trying to find, which made for some very funny pictures.
Our group started going around West Campus taking pictures of some of the scenic landmarks, like Duke Chapel. Before long, we headed to the Duke gardens to tackle the rest of the items on our list. The Duke gardens is a beautiful and mystical place, and it was the perfect day for an afternoon scavenger hunt.
We took some more selfies with flowers, fish, trees, and a lot of nature. We ended up going through almost every section of the garden, and our hunt ended after we reached the expansive vegetable garden, and found our last item “green onion”. It was one of my favorite activities from our Hindi class, and it was the perfect way to enjoy a break from class, and be outside with nature for a few hours. It was also very fun to see everyone else’s pictures the next day after we compiled all of them together.
Here are a few comments from other students about the class:
Ali wrote, "I really enjoyed the Diwali scavenger hunt. This introductory Hindi 101 class has been really fun and educational. I have learned a lot about grammar and vocabulary in the Hindi language. The scavenger hunt was a good change of pace especially since we had completed the first reading and listening exam. It was a great way to keep our minds engaged while keeping the lesson fun and entertaining. I thought the scavenger hunt would be general things about Diwali and not about things about finding nature. However, I liked the idea of going to the gardens and applying our vocabulary. At first, reading all the instructions in Hindi was a bit difficult but after reading it out loud with the help of teammates, we were able to figure it out and take the pictures. The activity was challenging but overall, very fun and educational. I enjoyed working with a team as it made the activity more fun and allowed for more conversations in Hindi. Personally, I need to work on vocabulary more, so forming questions and talking with my peers helped to improve my conversational skills. I am proud that I was able to understand most of the instructions. I was also able to learn new words and remember old words. I am also proud of my teammates as we were able to work as a group to complete the activity. I also enjoyed presenting the pictures as we were able to learn the meaning of new words like map and trash can. I think next time, I will keep a more open mind. I think I should slow down, appreciate nature, and converse with my teammates more. Overall, the scavenger hunt was exciting and educational. Thank you Dr. Kusum ji!"
Anisha said, "I had a really good time with the scavenger hunt we did last week. Before class, I expected the scavenger hunt to be structured around finding different objects around some part of campus, so I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that most of the activity would take place in the Duke Gardens. It was a beautiful day, and this activity helped me take advantage of it and find some time to be outdoors within my busy schedule. The instructions were pretty easy to follow, and my group had no trouble finding most items. The only thing we struggled with a little bit was finding the vegetable garden, but after looking at a map, I’m proud that I helped my team locate the green onions and mint plants. My teammates were easy to work with and fun to be around. We made a lot of jokes throughout the scavenger hunt without getting off track from the task and encouraged each other to keep up the search until we found everything on the list."
Anna said, "The scavenger hunt activity was a fun way to draw connections between the vocabulary learned in the classroom and real life. I expected to connect with classmates and practice speaking Hindi with peers who share a similar background in the language as I have. All of these expectations were met. In addition, the instructions for the scavenger hunt were written in Hindi, which helped me practice word recognition even in some instructions that were less familiar. Generally, the instructions were easy to follow, and when there were concerns (such as what counts as a blue flower or green onion), we did not feel tremendous pressure to professionally identify plants. I also appreciated that each group followed a slightly different path, so there was little overlap while exploring Duke Gardens. I felt supported and comfortable in a small group setting, and am proud of myself for reading the instructions aloud to the group to guide us from place to place."
Shuba wrote, "I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt activity. I felt relaxed after the activity because it was my first time having gone into the gardens and after a tough week of classes, homework, and being indoors a lot, I needed to spend time outdoors. Being around the flowers and fresh air helped me feel better. Also, my expectation was definitely exceeded because going into the session, I thought that we were going to be looking for items that Kusumji hid around the gardens, but I liked that we were instead searching for items that are already in the garden. The activity was also easy to follow because there was a glossary so I also learned new vocabulary.
I really liked working with my team because when we were unclear on what a certain word was, we could ask each other and check and inform one another. Also, some of us were more familiar with the garden than others so we were able to rely on guidance from familiar people’s sense of direction. Something I did that day that I am proud of is learned some new Hindi vocabulary in a hands-on way and spot different colored flowers needed for the activity. I can improve by maybe memorizing some of the words ahead of time next time."
Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
