India: Bengaluru - Culture, Society, and Global Perspectives plus Internship

I have done 3 travel abroad programs, 2 with USAC and 1 with Rotary Youth Exchange, so am privileged in my ability to do a compare and contrast analysis. In the semester previous, I studied for a semester in Thailand with USAC.

Academics:
Thailand’s USAC program said it was USAC rules to be able to miss 3 classes per class, while in India you were only allowed to miss 1 class per class. Professors at Christ University hold attendance to high importance and are apathetic for reasons for absences. Being Americans, being forced to go to class is a strange and hard to follow, especially when you'd rather travel. Do not tell your professors you are missing your one allowed absence to travel, they will not accept it. Classes were 3 hour-long lectures, where the professor would just talk at you while everyone did travel research on their laptops. There were only 2 assignments for each class, which were the midterm and final were you wrote a 14 page essay roughly for each one. Since American schools end later in the year and Indian colleges end sooner, you will be studying only with the other exchange students therefor separating you from the local Indian students at Christ. Nevertheless, the grading system is loose and you will receive nothing lower than a B. Several Indian students go far as to say plagiarism is a norm that will be left undetected.

Accommodations:
As for living the situation, there are two options: living on campus in Jonas Hall (cheaper and only for women) and the off campus Christ Apartments (Coed). I enjoyed living in Jonas Hall despite it having stricter rules. The Indian Christ students have harsher rules they have to live with, such as only being able to go out 2 times a year while staying there and no access to the washer machines in the building. You will be treated differently with more privileges than your Indian flat mates and are allowed to stay out, but won’t be able to be let back in past 9am. The other benefit of living in the on campus dorms is you will be able to wake up 10 minutes before class, instead of a 40 minute to hour walk from the off campus apartments. Moreover, you will have a single room, much needed in a country like India were personal space isn’t as highly regarded. It will be nice to get away at the end of the day. The off campus apartments are nice, but you will have to share a room with another USAC student and it will be more expensive. Moreover, it is my observation that the USAC students in the apartments stick to each other, disallowing them from making local Indian friends.

My Experience:
My time in India will be the most impressionable travel experience I have ever had. India is adjacent to several countries on my travel list such as Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet, and Afghanistan. Yet, you will find India is so large you will not be able to even explore India enough with the 4 months you are given. I extended my time there because of this issue. From the sailing the Kerala backwaters to paragliding over the snowy peaks of Kashmir, India is stunning. If you are feeling nervous in result of all the negative propaganda that the media says about India, do not be intimidated. I have always felt safe as a woman, often times taking sleeper busses alone and meeting up with friends later.

Most Important Advice:
Cliché as it may be, please come with the intention to properly integrate yourself. Become self-aware and recognize the internal ignorances you might have about Indian men, culture, and practices look to shatter them. Since you will be separated from the other Indian students do your best to get involved on campus. I was lucky enough to find the Christ women’s soccer team my first week of being there and was able to travel for free for tournaments and make 16 lifelong friends. Having these girls guided me is what made my time here so awesome. They helped me find the best eateries, hospitals, bars, and along with provided friendships that truly made me feel like India was my second home. Through a friend on the soccer team I got to meet my now boyfriend, who is a travel blogger and who I was able to travel India with and feel safe. I learned more about India and the culture through my friends here than I did in my culturally based classes. Ask your friends to take you on visits to Hindu temples. Be cautious in asking about the caste system and where they find themselves in it. Since you can only be born into Hinduism, as an American you will be able to enter temples since you are not apart of the caste system and glorification of white skin post colonialism is still evident. If you are black you will find India to be a racist country and please be wary, but don't please don't be discouraged. It is common to receive unpleasant stares and racist commentary. All in all, India has been an extraordinary chapter of my life that will stay with me forever. I can only owe it to the friends I made here and my boyfriend for why my time here was so successful. If I hadn’t had reached out so soon to the local community, my time here would not have been as enriching. So by all means, get out there. Go to an Indian wedding. Go scuba diving in the Indian Ocean. Go hiking in the Himalayas. Visit temples of all different religions. Submerge yourself in the Ganges River. Do as much as you can because before you know it your visa is up!

The USAC India program is probably one of the most rigorous, exhaustive and meticulous program, but with the right dedication, drive, and focus, you'll be successful no matter what. I planned to go to India for quite a while, so I wasn't blindly going into the country with no prior knowledge or experience with religion, culture, etc... If you live on the west coast of the U.S., the visa process is a little bit easier, those that live in the midwest/eastern US, I heard many stories about the exhaustive visa process. Flying there is very long, one of my flights was a 17 hour flight (again depending on where you live in the US). Arriving in India, it hits you all at once, the noise, pollution, people, geography, culture, religion, societal norms, certain restrictions, and much more. Jacob, the resident director, will be like your dad. Jacob actively makes sure that you integrate well into the program and make sure you understand your living arrangements, classes, trips, etc... Personally I stayed in the apartments off campus (guys have no option, but girls can stay on campus in the dorms), and the apartments were absolutely fun! There is no curfew (dorms on campus have a curfew of 9:00PM), and living in the apartments allows you to have more freedom and control during your stay (can go to nightclubs, easy day trips, get food whenever you want, and you can immerse yourself with the locals better). Security is present at the apartment 24/7, and they do not allow other people to enter for your safety. The downside of the apartment vs the dorms is the wireless internet. The apartments are restricted to a certain amount of internet and it can be very frustrating if you like Netflix, movies etc... The apartments are about a mile from campus, so if you want to walk, that is your exercise but if you're lazy like me, you'll take a rickshaw to campus for a cheap fare (usually less than $1 USD one way). Classes seem a little unorganized, but that is just India. In India, things are very nonchalant, laid back, and be prepared for many holidays. I was out of class more than I was in. It is very similar in structure to classes in the US (midterm, final, and one or two essays). The food in India is probably one of the main reasons people like the country. So much flavors, types, cuisines, regional dishes and more. They don't use the harsh ingredients in foods which is one of the reasons why I lost a solid 20/25 lbs during my study abroad there. I recommend you also take trips in and around India. India is centrally located so it's easy to go to the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and more. Domestic flights are cheap in India so you can visit the various regions. The USD currency is really good in India, Rupees are easy to use, but there are problems associated. When at an ATM or bank, try and withdraw less than 2,000 rupees at a time. If you withdraw larger than 2,000 rupees, it will give you a 2,000 rupee bill which is hard to break (if you do find yourself in that situation, go to a fast food place like McDonalds or Taco Bell). Monitor your health while In India too, I winded up getting bronchitis the first two weeks I was there because of the pollution. Take as much medication with you that you think you will need while there! Lastly, be respectful of Indian culture and religion. Do not go to India if you have a sense of entitlement or privilege. A girl in my program had both of these complexities and more and it was not fun at all. Place yourself into a vulnerable position and be susceptible to learn this new environment and life, try and not compare to your life in the US. Don't come with expectations or it'll ruin your experience. This program will change your life as it did mine. You will see things that you though only existed in movies and documentaries, you'll be challenged in many aspects of your life, but if you're able to take on challenges, this program is for you!

There's absolutely no genuine integration through this program. They require you to volunteer but don't help you find a place to volunteer. They have a list of recommendations but their help stops there. The places they recommend often don't really need your help and you end up just feeling in the way.. or you can become one of those who indulges in "feeling useful" for a week and taking your Instagram photos for "likes". I first lived in the apartments, which are only full of international students and is right across the street of a canal full of open sewage, but two months later I requested to be moved into the college dorms. I had to put up a fight with USAC to move me into the dorms, but it was worth it. There was a curfew in the all women dorms at 9 o'clock but I didn't find that troublesome since most Indian women didn't venture out in the dark. I hated that the classes were separate from all the other university students. You are placed up in another room with only international students where the professors give you a ridiculous amount of essays... and then don't grade them. I was there for 2 semesters and in one semester I ended up writing 60 pages total for various classes. The professors also don't seem qualified or aren't really sure what to give you to do.. so the work supersedes the class. I would honestly recommend another place as well.. Bangalore is okay but there are way better places to study in India. USAC is not the program for India.. you will be overcharged for everything. I told my Indian friends how much I was being charged for the apartment and they asked if I had a full staffed kitchen, completely furnished apartment, and a private rooftop. Don't pay the prices. Travel on your own. Ultimately, DO NOT go with USAC.

The USAC program in Bangalore, India, gave me one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. Before I get into the fun and thrilling adventures I had, I want to say USAC provided excellent housing (especially for the living standards of India), and had a security guard and a gated entrance into the building. We were 200ft. from the hussle and bussle of a crowded city and I always felt 100% safe. Now, the best part of about Bangalore is that it is the 'Silicon Valley' of India, and because it much more industrialized than other parts of India, it was very easy to find things to do every night. We went to beer gardens, Indian clubs, large commercial shopping centers, there was always something to do! At the end of the night you could flag a rickashaw to take you home for a very low rate. I truly experienced the perfect mesh of both rural and urban India.

India is such an interesting place- so many colors, smells, people, religions, traffic, food....it really is a place where chaos is order. The people are so friendly and it's such an amazing place to take it all in. Jacob at USAC is fantastic and takes great pride in what he does. It's an amazing and unique experience that everyone should take advantage of.

Studying abroad with USAC is a good experience for first time travelers. If you are well-traveled it seems like they baby-sit you to much. The program advisor was an adorable racist man. Bangolare, India I would give a 10/10. USAC I would give a solid 4/10. The classes very very good and intuitive, but the rest of the program was not my favorite. But if you seek out things to do, you will not be disappointed.

I was India for a year through USAC. My experience of the country was amazing and it certainty made a huge impact in my life. Some of my closest friends in my life were made there and I learned quite a bit. India never has a dull day. There is so much life and energy. The culture is so immense and the people there are proud to show it. From my time in India I cannot recall I time were I had felt unsafe. The only negative aspect in terms of safety I could clearly remember was living with females who had felt uncomfortable from interactions with males but for the most part had a great time. If I was to travel abroad to India knowing the USAC program in India I would have taken a different route. Christ University is a nice school but the students in the program are all put in the same rooms with each other and are segregated from the rest of the Indian/International students. This does make it hard to socialize when you have no one else in your class other than the people you live with. In terms of housing you cannot have guests which is another truly negative aspect in terms of socializing. The program refused to let me shift locations. The program also over charges you for many different expenses. Such as housing, tours, and even picking you up from the airport. Its about a fifteen dollar taxi ride when the program will charge you fifty dollars per person. India is an extremely affordable country, everything is cheaper than you think. My advice would be to do research on your own, this will save you heaps of money.

The program in Bangalore was a blast. Every day, something new and exciting would happen and I would be healthfully confused about what was going. If you are looking for a humbling experience, then this is definitely for you.