BEST study abroad experience!!! DO THIS PROGRAM July 18, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This programs academics were awesome! The excursions were by far my favorite part, we were able to go to different states all around India including the Himalayas, Goa, and Kerala. We met with different health centers and health care professionals. I will say the excursions were much better than the learning in Delhi - some of the lectures were a bit tedious. But Hindi was a very fun class and probably the best language class I have taken. We only had one semester to take Hindi and I felt like I actually learned a decent amount of the language. I would not say the program is too challenging, but by far the best part of the academics is the final month internship/ISP experience. You get to go on your own to another part of India to research or intern at any organization you would like. Some examples of what people researched was mental health in India, sex education, disabled women and sex, trans-masculine healthcare, etc. I personally chose to do both. I loved this part and after everyone did their own research or internship we were assigned to write papers and present our findings to staff and peers.

On-site administration of your program

I absolutely LOVE the staff on this program!!! They are all so kind and amazing. By the end of the program we all felt like family and I felt as though I could go to them for anything. The program would not be the same without them and I can feel as though they gave me the best support I could have asked for. The program director was so kind, smart and funny. He really valued the students feedback and voices

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was amazing! They were so welcoming of me and my roommate with their family events and activities. They always made sure we were comfortable and had what we needed rather that being food, blankets and bedding, or entertainment. My roommate and I lucked out with our family and made great friends with our 17 year old host sibling as well. We had very deep and meaningful conversations I will always remember. We had a blast playing games, walking around our neighborhood, watching movies, and just talking and laughing with each other. Our host family also helped us with our Hindi homework sometimes and helped us study for quizzes and tests. We still keep in touch after returning to the US. We had a bedroom with a bathroom attached which ALL home stays have. There are definitely challenging moments adjusting to your new family and getting used to their cultural norms. Like how we would eat dinner very late, sometimes around 9:30 or 10, or not cleaning the kitchen after dinner, or having to take very fast showers. I think that was one of the first times I had real culture shock, but was also one of the most rewarding experiences of the entire trip.

Omg - the food. The FOOD. Too good. Hands down had some of the best food abroad. Chole bhature is by far my favorite Indian dish. The program chefs are amazing and so sweet. They not only cooked for us but my host mother was an amazing cook and even taught me how to make egg curry (one of my fav dishes). The program makes sure you never go hungry, they feed you well during the school day with snack and chai breaks. Also I thought I would get sick of Indian food by the end of this trip, even though it is one of my favorite cuisines ever, but there were so many different kinds of food around India. And India food is so versatile. I had wings, pizza, pasta, bagels, greek, mediterranean, and American food. I will say not great pizza, not great pasta, but did scratch a craving.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I'm gonna talk about the dress code, so bare with me. This was one of the most curious things to me before going to India. The cultural norms of how you dress are very important to uphold for respect, safety, and of course how you integrate to the culture. Coming from America (where what's appropriate is very different) this was a challenge at times. I do think I went very extreme at first with the clothes I brought. Warning - THE BEGINNING IS COLD. They are not joking when they say bring a jacket. January till maybe the middle of February was chilly especially in the morning and at night. 60 degrees is very different in India then in America. So bring a coat and even a sweater!! I brought a simple puffer and it was easy to store when I no longer needed it. But it does get reallyyyyy hot around March, but I promise the jacket will be worth it in the beginning. I do wish I brought some more long skirts and shirts. Let me establish, you can wear more "westernized" clothes!! Just remember to remain respectful of the culture. You don't always have to cover your knees or arms. It also depends on where you are for what is and is NOT appropriate. For example, in Goa we were able to wear tank tops and swimsuits when we went to the beach and when we walked around because they are more progressive area of the country. But in rural areas or even in Delhi, none of that. You have to be more conservative and respectful with what you wear. The baseline for the clothing is NO low chest showing shirts (cleavage), NO tube tops or spaghetti straps (unless you wear an over shirt like a button down or cover over it), NO shorts at all, NO short skirts or see through anything, NO belly shirts. Kids mainly wore mid-rise jeans, cargo pants, stretchy/flowy pants, long skirts, t-shirts, over shirts or covers with tanks, long dresses, button downs. Within the first week, SIT takes you shopping for traditional Indian clothes like kurtis/kurtas and dupattas. So don't worry if you don't have traditional Indian wear, they got you covered.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Shocker - I got sick abroad. But nothing too serious!!! You are bound to get a little sick while traveling ANYWHERE outside the country. Personally, I got stomach sick. The first time I believe was either food poisoning from a restaurant or dehydration. I threw up all throughout the night and had diarrhea, staff took me to a health care facility in the morning and they gave me an injection which stopped me from throwing up and calmed my stomach down. The second time I was at my home stay and same thing - threw up. Probably from dehydration again, but I went to bed and felt better in the morning. It sucked, was gross, but I survived and my immune system felt stronger than ever. Not everyone got sick on my program but most students did - mainly stomach sicknesses. In terms of vaccines - I personally didn't get any extra vaccines for this program like Japanese influenza, malaria, cholera, rabies and more. And turns out I didn't really need them. Most of the vaccines are "recommended" by the CDC but aren't mandatory. So don't be too worried if you don't get the vaccines, I didn't get any of the extras and I was perfectly fine. Make sure you stay hydrated!!! They will tell you over and over to drink lots and lots of water and I urge you to listen to them. Many students who got sick was mainly was from dehydration. So bring a water bottle and electrolytes and constantly make sure you're refilling it and bringing it with you all around. And if they ask you to drink ORS - just do it. It's gross I know, but it works.

I can't speak for everyone on my program, but personally for the most part I did feel safe while being in India. I would like to say before I continue, large part of my experience definitely has to do that I am a young white American woman, while some students on my trip were of different marginalized groups and had very different experiences than I did in terms of safety and feeling safe. And while I am not saying being a woman was always easy abroad it definitely is not comparable to other identities experiences. As a New Yorker born and raised, I am pretty used to large crowds, busy streets, and other aspects which come with city living. So a lot of navigating Delhi was pretty familiar. But it was also challenging in new ways like learning a new metro line, getting used to cultural differences (staring is a big one), and walking on the street instead of sidewalks. In my opinion, the staff did a very good job of letting us know how to be safest while commuting alone and in groups. We had all of their numbers and always communicated when we got back to our home stays after school. In a large city like Delhi, they advised we always travel in groups (especially if you are a woman or trans person). However students did solo travel including myself. The program is in South Delhi which is apparently much more safe than North Delhi, I never went to North Delhi. At first going around without program staff was a little jarring, but we all got pretty used to it within the first week or two and were able to confidently go on the metro, walks and take rickshaws all over South Delhi. We also learned phrases in Hindi for rickshaw drivers, markets or even cafes to use (this helped a lot with learning the language). It was so fun exploring with your friends!!! If you are from a small town or not used to cities/traveling, don't feel discouraged!! There were many students on my program with no big city experience, and they did just fine.

Was an incredible experience, I made lifelong friends and connections with other students, staff and my home stay family. I feel so grateful for everything I learned. I am eternally grateful to have experienced this beautiful country. Couldn't have asked for a better study abroad experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

India is so much cheaper than the US, was so much easier to save money and minimize your spendings

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We spoke with the professors as much as we could and used our Hindi around India as much as possible.

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• Host Family

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Friends I made
• Excursions
• Staff and faculty

• Lectures in Delhi