India: Really Challeng and Rewarding but with a Very Confusing AD!! Past Review
By Katherine S (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Barnard College) for
SIT Study Abroad: India - Sustainable Development and Social Change
Changed my perspective on everything!! I just hope my perspectives won't rub off! I will definitely be going back to India soon to gain them again. but don't go to India to "find yourself" because most likely India will just throw you off your horse completely and leave you stranded and confused with a bruised tailbone. instead go to India with an open mind about learning about others and the way the world is so vast diverse, scary and beautiful.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was really crazy, not because I am not used to a rigorous workload but because we were constantlyu travelling, making time to spend with the homestay etc (all good things though). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff is amazing. Dr. Mary Storm is an incredible teacher, but she can loose her temper and make going to school a really stressful environment. When she's lecturing in class, she's great, but outside of the classroom she kept claiming that my group didn't get along with her very well- this was very awkward and discouraging. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family and host home were stupendis. We developed a great relationship with them and everything was great except that it is very difficult to live up to conservsative Indian values for some american students 9including my american roommate). In the end they ended up being rather paranoid about their affiliations with us (bc American/Indian political relations had soured) which cause problems but before that it was great. |
| * Food: |
The food was incredible. My homestay made amazing food and the program center had lunch that was even better (if that is possible). the only issue with food was when we were travelling and you had to be careful in restaurants in fear of infection or food poisioning. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You will see and learn about a lot of India. When you get there you realize that even in 100 lifetimes you could never see the whole country, but SIT at least helps you see as much as possible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Health was an issue. i was hospitalized three times for stomach infections but even though i was nervous the first time I went to the hospital it was not as scary the second or third time when I knew what was wrong with me. India is really physically and mentally trying. The food, the water, the heat, and the mosquitoes can be very tiring. I felt very safe when i was with my homestay and when I was at the program center. Any other time (especially when you are alone you just always need to be on your guard). One week there was also a Maoist terrorist threat on the market I was living in in New Delhi- this was very eyeopening and scary but fortunately security in India is trying to improv since the Mumbai attacks two years ago. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | food- None-$20 a week unless I went out with friends to a restaurant. New Delhi is a place where you can spend money though (there are some big American-looking malls you might go to when your stomach is feeling weak). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | i spent about $2000 on hospital bills which I am trying to get reimbursed from SIT, but I did have to pay with a credit card initially. I also spent money on travel for a quick spring break weekend (about $200 for transportation, hotel, and food). You can spend very little or Americanish costs depending on how you live, eat, cook, etc. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Hindi I |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I needed hindi in many everyday interactions, but you can get by without knowing more than basic hindi. My homestay did speak english. I had great Hindi instructors though, but I am not sure how much my hindi improved. There were not enough hours in the day for extra hindi studying. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Dr. Mary Storm is confusing, don't try to understand her because she is a different person every day. She will teach you a lot though, and India will teach you more. maybe consider going to Jaipur, just because I hear that program is a lot more relaxed (unless you like feeling the sting of a whip everyday- then go to Delhi). |
