Living and Learning in a Cultural Whirlwind Called India Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

We don't have class with other Indian students, but all of the staff is Indian. Almost everyday for our seminar in class we had a guest speaker from different organizations or with different expertise. We also had 2 week-long class excursions and a week-long workshop. All our seminar homework was essays. For Hindi class we had a small homework assignment almost every night. I thought the workload was a good amount. It was rigorous at times but also allowed time for exploring India and spending time with our host families.

On-site administration of your program

The program staff is one of the main reasons this program is so great! Their flexibility, understanding, patience, and humor made the program very enjoyable. Plus, their expertise in health and human rights issues and experience with many other semesters of teaching American students was very helpful! I can't speak highly enough of each of the on-site administrators!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

For the majority of our program two students paired up to stay with a host family in Delhi. Most SIT programs have a different host family for each student, however since this is the first time the Health and Human Rights program was being run, they didn't know of enough host families in the area yet. I became very close with my host family and think it was one of my favorite parts of this program. We lived in an average sized flat for Delhi. I felt safe in the neighborhood. The electricity and water would often go out in the flat, but this is normal for many parts of India.

Totally vegetarian friendly! India is great for that. I stayed with a Muslim host family who ate meat, but it was never a problem and I still ate way better vegetarian food than I would in the U.S.!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The excursions planned by the program were always amazing! We got to visit health and human rights organizations of all kinds. Traveling on the weekend on our own also made for an adventure, which was both fun and challenging. There is so much to see in India!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Common sense will keep you safe in most situations. Being on the roads was terrifying at first, but you quickly become accustomed to the crazy rule-less driving. Our program had a very open attitude towards health issues. If you ever didn't feel good about anything we were encouraged to talk to them so they could help us. I would definitely recommend bringing all kinds of medication to India because getting sick is a pretty normal occurrence.

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

We had Hindi class 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. I mostly used my Hindi when shopping in markets, with rickshaw drivers, and with my host mom who did not speak any English. In big cities many people have at least basic knowledge of English.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family