India: A place I will never forget Past Review
By Corra M (Global Studies, Providence College) for
SIT Study Abroad: India - Sustainable Development and Social Change
Yes
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was the same actually. The program used the American teaching styles |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everything in India is very slow paced so I do not blame the program people for not being fast-paced as well. They did what they could with their resources, and I think they did a pretty good job at it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
NA |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The farewell party at the Hotel Gold Palace - the fanciest hotel I have ever been in my life. You can google it! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Good |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | India is cheap. I lived a luxurious life while I was there. Do not stress about money over there - local Indians cannot afford many luxuries anyway so it's OK if you can't afford them as well |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The best I figured to improved Hindi in India is through conversations with teachers, host family, rickshaw drivers and random strangers at market places. Everyone in India is so friendly and they are genuinely interested in people, especially foreigners. They often ask to help you around, and this would be the perfect opportunity to practice your Hindi. DO NOT BE FOOLED. Not many people in India speak English, well at least not the people you come into contact with everyday at rickshaws. The majority of people who speak English are educated so if you are playing in those circles then you will be fine. If not, then you need to learn basic Hindi, which really isn't that hard |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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