Learning Hindi in India Past Review
By Zoe H (Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures, Barnard College) - abroad from 06/11/2012 to 08/20/2012 with
American Institute of Indian Studies: India - South Asian Languages At Multiple Sites of India
I learned that I want to spend my entire life in India. I learned that learning foreign languages is my passion and that South Asian Studies is absolutely the right major for me. I became much closer to the South Asian Studies faculty at Columbia after my experience in India because it's something we can share. (Also, I got to meet up with my professor in India!) I learned that you create your own experience, and that as long as you go into it with a good attitude, everything will be okay.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes I took at AIIS were more rigorous than the Hindi classes I take at Columbia. There were a few inexperienced teachers whose teaching methods needed some work, but since it was their first year teaching, I assume these will work themselves out over time, and they were all really willing to learn and grow. The level of academics was superb. You get lots of personal attention from instructors because of the one-on-one classes you have about once a week. The program isn't totally immersion, but they do their best to speak only in Hindi. If you're serious about learning Hindi, go! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administration was good, considering that this is India, and program administration isn't always what we're used to. But if you want to pursue some special opportunity outside of regular Hindi classes (like volunteering in the community, music classes, etc) the administration will help you out. The one thing they're not great about is dealing with housing problems, but I think they just have a real lack of host families willing to take students, so they're not eager to immediately move students out of a housing situation without trying to resolve an issue. Also, this program caters mostly to graduate students and adults who are ready to be responsible and not have their hands held all the time. Take responsibility for your own situation, and you will be just fine. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My individual housing experience was overall very positive, but the way the program manages housing is TERRIBLE. They take everyone around to visit all the host families and then make people pick, and sometimes it can turn into a very angry situation, with everyone wanting the same family/flat, people crying, etc. I really hope that at some point, AIIS will change the way that they execute the housing process! Also, I think that someone should have talked to my host family about the objectives of the program. They did NOT understand that I wanted to learn Hindi, and that I wasn't going to learn if they continually spoke only in English. I really think that program administrators should talk to prospective host families about this kind of thing. But that aside, my family was awesome. They really made me feel like a part of the family, and were really excited about how much I love Indian culture. |
| * Food: |
Food at the Institute gets old after a few weeks, but there are so many different types of food available in Jaipur! Eat at the dosa place in Raja Park. It's across from a momo shop and a hair salon. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
SO integrated. It was basically a dream. I lived with a lower middle class family to whom I paid rent. The experience was so different from living with a wealthy Indian family, having multiple servants, etc. I really felt I had an authentic and unique Indian experience. I had so many awesome experiences with the family, including getting to see the family astrologer and getting to celebrate Rakhi Bandan. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I can't speak from experience, but I had one friend who needed surgery while she was in India, and she didn't feel the program handled it well. She was sent to see a really terrible doctor who told her to get all these procedures she didn't need just so he could get more money. AIIS does give you the number of an American doctor, Dr. Kimberly, in Delhi. She is a lifesaver. You can always call her to get really matter-of-fact, accurate advice. |
| * Safety: |
Jaipur is such a great city. If you exercise all the caution that you would in a big city in America (or anywhere), you'll be fine! Sometimes you get cat-called at, but it'll be okay. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
India is SO cheap. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $25 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We were always encouraged to use Hindi! |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Beginning Hindi |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Go for it. No matter how much or how little you know, USE HINDI. It's really tough because in India, a lot of people will be excited to speak English to you, and I often found that people didn't really get why I wanted to learn Hindi. But try to explain, respond to English in Hindi, and seek out people who don't know English for practice. I talked to rickshaw wallahs, children, and my neighbors. It's hard sometimes to come out of your shell, but you will never ever regret it and your language skills will improve so much. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You have to make the effort for everything! Go into everything ready to take responsibility for your own experience. Speak Hindi as much as possible. Take singing classes if you want. Explore Jaipur on your own without fear. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Hindi |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | A.N. Singh |
| Instruction Language: | Hindi |
| Comments: | So great! We had such a variety of class (vocab, film, literature, news, magazine, conversation, listening comprehension, etc etc) that the class never got old, even though it went from 11 to 4 five days a week. Prem-ji is the best. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
