Becoming a Delhiite in One Semester! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There was a lot of course material through the study abroad office, which competed with my Master's level courses at Jawaharlal Nehru University. The readings were interesting though as well as the class field trips. It made our subjects truly come alive by taking expeditions out into the research field. The center has a small library, but it's growing. Many of the resources we needed for IES courses were either online or in that library.

On-site administration of your program

The Delhi IES center was more like a home than anything. The directors and staff are constantly checking in on student and try their best to run the office to the best of their abilities. We all try to go on group outings together as well. We also can reach the staff any time for any issue that we have. They really know Delhi as well, so give us lots of advice for the places to visit for anything we need!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a homestay with a very loving older couple, so it was very quiet in comparison to other homestays that had children. I connected really well with my host parents-we would go on religious and work outings together and just sit around and chat while watching TV. I had a large bedroom and my own bathroom to myself, so I had plenty of privacy. The area in which they lived was pretty quiet, though once you got out on the street, that's when the city became alive.

My host parents only ate meat once a week, so we had chicken on occasion. This didn't bother me at all, but might be a problem for some non-vegetarians. We had simple food for their diet, which I liked. It was always Indian food as well. We never ordered out-there was always a home cooked meal waiting!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

From my outings with friends I already had, friends I made at Jawaharlal Nehru University, independent trips, and my outings with my host parents, I feel I had an advantage in India due to my extensive immersion in the culture. I was able to navigate through Delhi solo with ease halfway through the semester and help out other students in my group. I also was able to understand a lot of what was happening day-to-day and even blend in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

IES had a recommended doctor who we could visit for any problems we had. One of our directors even offered to come with us on her first visit. I visited the doctor a few times-one at her home and a couple times at the hospital (hospitals aren't always used for serious issues, but rather more as a clinic). It was a bit inconvenient to go to her home, but the hospital visits were pretty quick and cheap in comparison to hospitals here. I could also pick up any medicine I needed from any pharmacy, which cost cents.

Delhi has often gotten a bad reputation for its safety, but the area in which IES Abroad operates is in South Delhi. This area tends to be well off and much safer and modern than the rest of the city. Taking autorickshaws and the metro wasn't much of a problem around Delhi, though buses tended to be tricky. After 8 pm, much of the street traffic cleared, so that's when I tried to get home or take the metro only. It basically comes down to having street smarts. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and try not to be too friendly with strangers.

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

Delhi is very cheap, so you don't have to spend much money to get by. Most of my money went towards traveling and food, which tends to be relatively cheap as well. I could get by very comfortably by spending $300-400 a month, which includes traveling to other states with accommodation, eating out, and buying new clothes. I also paid for a gym membership. One expense I didn't really expect was for clothes-you need to buy clothes there. The cotton clothing tends to be more conservative and traditional and is perfect for surviving the Delhi heat!

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

When I traveled outside of Delhi, I had to use Hindi. I was really forced to use whatever language skills I had to communicate because I couldn't guarantee that English would be spoken wherever I went. In some areas of Delhi, I could get by with English, but it was minimally spoken.

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The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer