CET & UW in India: Varanasi

Studying abroad in India truly is an experience like no other. It is complicated country, and is both one of the most difficult and challenging experiences I have had, as well as one of the most wonderful. In the end, if you want a program that will change who you are, this is it. One of the shining aspects of this program is the staff; they are absolutely wonderful and they are the reason that I enjoyed this program so much. They work hard everyday to try to give the students the best possible experience, and the traveling seminar was wonderful. Living with host families is a fantastic opportunity that will help you forge long-lasting bonds with a part of the community there. In the end, though, this is not an easy study abroad program full of just fun and relaxation; it requires a lot of work both academically and emotionally. But if you are looking for a program that will shape and change you in ways that you probably never imagined, you have found it.

Living in Varanasi for four months was an incredible experience and sharing a room with a local college student made it all the more impactful. The local contacts and resources from CET were huge - between the program director and the friendly staff, I could be put in touch with almost anyone in Varanasi to explore my evolving interests. My favorite course was Urban Geography, we learned in depth about the history of this ancient city and then had weekly walking tours of different sections of the city. The experience I gained working on my research project was invaluable and I've continued to be in touch with the contacts I made while there. This was an awesome opportunity for both academic exploration and living in a distinctly different culture.

This was an amazing program and I absolutely recommend it to anyone considering going to India. The staff, as are the host families associated with the program, are a great support system and are so friendly, welcoming and ready to help you. You have a lot of freedom in choosing your tutorial and research project which I appreciated and was a deciding factor for me in choosing this program. If you are looking for a place that will question your beliefs and how you approach life, come to Varanasi. Unlike other cities you could travel to, there is nonexistent nightlife (e.g. drinking and bars), unreliable wifi, and quite a bit of pollution, but I believe the benefits of Varanasi and its culture out weigh all these factors. I will never forget my time here with my host family, eating street food, going to weddings and concerts, traveling by train in India, interacting with locals, taking part in religious festivals and overcoming my fears of the unknown.

Coming home after studying abroad in Varanasi, the question that everyone seemed to always ask me was "what was the craziest thing that happened?!" I still never really have a straight answer for this question. Sure, there was some pretty 'crazy' things that happened over my four months in India. However, the reason why I always have such a hard time answering this question is because all of these things, everything that might seem 'crazy' to someone that hasn't experienced it, eventually just became so normal to me. Things like traffic jams of cows, families of monkeys living along side me in my neighborhood, goats wearing sweaters as family pets, a family of four and their pet dog riding on a motorbike, people defying the laws of how many is too many to squeeze into a rickshaw, and so many other things. There could be so many different ways to answer this question, but any answer that I give just never really seems right. I think that this is what studying abroad in a place like India is suppose to do to you. Things that you never thought you would encounter in your lifetime, soon just become part of everyday life. Just having one semester in Varanasi was not nearly enough for me to become fully assimilated to the culture. However, it was enough time to find the normality in everyday life; and that in itself is the greatest thing that study abroad could have given me.