Exciting Yet Exhausting

When I signed up for the USAC Bangalore program, I was ecstatic. I thought this program was going to be perfect for me and I falsely judged off of the video provided. To say the least, I was surprised. India is nothing like you thought you had expected. Specifically, the program I signed up for. I expected to be integrated into India's culture right away and make endless friends and become more comfortable in a country I know nothing about. This wasn't the case. Our classroom only included the girls that chose this program. Hence, we were not placed with any Indian students. The classes are each 3 hours long and the teachers overlap in almost every topic lectured. Plus, the tests are ridiculously hard and expectations were not clearly laid out. Not only that, but as beautiful as Bangalore is, this city is not the best location for a study abroad. While it forces you outside of you comfort zone, the big city makes it hard to make real connections. This program did have great tours provided, but besides that, I wish I would have picked a different program in India. Don't get me wrong, this was a very life-changing experience, but I wish I had been warned before signing up.