GAH I wish I was back in India Past Review
By Abigail W (Peace And Justice Studies, Wellesley College) for
SIT Study Abroad: India - Sustainable Development and Social Change
I love India. I dont romanticize it. I see its diversity, the positives, the negatives. I want to live there and work in the non-profit sector. But first, I plan on going back this summer to continue working with the Guild for Service in Delhi.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did not like the teaching methods. We had readings, which were not very in depth, and the lectures would just give a recap of the readings. A lot of learning took place outside of the classroom though. We constantly visited organizations, innovative villages, and local non-profit organizations. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The teachers, host families, and students were all amazing. The academics were just not as challenging as I would have liked. But I learned so much. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I could walk to school everyday. It was about a 10 minute walk, but I had to cross over the train tracks. There isnt really any night life in Jaipur. My family was nice, and we talked a lot. |
| * Food: |
It was easy to keep a vegetarian diet. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took field trips every other week, traveled all over northern india, had parties for holidays.. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I went to the hospital a lot. Many of us did, we got sick for different reasons. I ended up spending a lot of money on hospital fees and medicine bills, but the insurance I had to use for study abroad had all these hidden rules and conditions. I couldnt get the money back. But, my teachers always took me to the doctor and we even bonded a lot because of those trips! |
| 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 was not an extra expense, and SIT gave us travel stipend to get to school. But the program itself was expensive, as I was paying Wellesley tuition. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | no |
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? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned more Hindi than I thought I would. I am still using it, and want to continue studying Hindi at Wellesley. I practiced everyday using transportation and with my host family. Many people in Jaipur spoke English, but Hindi was necessary to get around. |
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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | GOOOO!!!! |
