Calvin’s Experience in India

Calvin studied in Bangalore on the CIC-SPA: India, International Development in India Program in Spring 2016.

 

What concerns/fears did you have about studying abroad, and how did you overcome them?
Calvin feeding a monkey in IndiaI worried about a lot of things before I left the United States. Would there be a western style toilet in my house? Would I be able to communicate effectively with my host family? Will I have a bad time? When I got there, everything was fine. Don’t overthink things too much – millions of people live their entire lives in the country your going to study in, it can’t be that bad.

Did you participate in any service projects while on your program? How did that enhance your study abroad experience?
Yes, I worked at an orphanage in Bangalore for six weeks. That was a very powerful experience, and greatly enhanced my study abroad experience as a whole.

What advice would you give to outbound study abroad students to help them make the most out of their study abroad experiences?
overlook of city and mountains and IndiaJust always stay positive and have fun. Things won’t always go the way you planned them to, but try and find the comedy in every error, and remember that you are in the midst of an amazing experience that you will look back on fondly for the rest of your life.

Share an experience where you interacted with someone in your host culture in a way that taught you something.
Peter, an eleven year old boy at the boys’ shelter I worked at, taught me a lot about living life. Peter was always smiling, and he would hug me every morning when I came in. He was bright and inquisitive, he could speak English (as well as at least two other languages) better than most of the boys, and he was always experimenting and tinkering with magnets and other tools that he would find outside. I have no doubt that Peter would have been a model student in an American school. But, Peter will never have a chance to capitalize on his kind and intelligent nature. He has no family or money to support him, and he’s been out of school for at least a year. Meeting Peter made me realize the rare opportunity that I have to receive an education. If I, with all my privilege and fortune, can’t be as happy as Peter is with nearly nothing, then there is something wrong with me. I think quite often of my time spent with Peter and the other boys in the shelter, and the effect that they left on me.

 

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