Alumni Interview with Elizabeth Curtis

What inspired you to go abroad?

I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone and learn in a way that was impossible in classrooms in the US.

Why did you choose SIT Study Abroad?

SIT focuses on experiential learning and was a safe and reputable program. When I saw they had a program focused on public health, my area of study, in India, a country I had never visited, I knew that was it.

What was your favorite part about Delhi?

I loved being in Delhi and traveling around India for all of the reasons tourists typically say--the food, the hustle and bustle, the people I met--but the best part of my stay was my program, and feeling totally safe and supported while also being constantly challenged.

What made your experience abroad unique?

The community that you became a part of through program staff, other students, and homestay families.

How did local staff support you throughout your program?

They provided logistical support for everything imaginable, including personal weekend trips we took separate from the program; they hosted a week long orientation including scavenger hunts around major markets to help us get oriented and be safe; they checked in on us with texts and calls while we were on our independent study projects to see how we were feeling and if there was anything they could help with.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?

I honestly can't think of a thing right now besides having a longer program! Maybe more prep farther in advance for our independent study projects.

Describe a typical day in the life of your program.

(During classes) Wake up and have breakfast with homestay, then go to Hindi classes at 9, followed by a lecture from an expert in the field for class til 1. Lunch at 1, then either another class or we were done. During workshops with NGOs and on our independent study project, schedules varied as per each person's fieldwork.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time?

Hanging out with my homestay family at home, or going to museums and historical sites around Delhi, or walking around markets.

What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?

The homestay family was ideal in that they provided a real delhi-life experience, but they also went through their own orientation so they knew how best to support and accommodate Americans. We are still good friends and chat to this day.

What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?

You don't need to bring everything from the US with you!!! You'll be living in New Delhi, where you can get literally everything--typically even the same brands--of things like soap, shampoo ,and clothes; anything you have in the US.

What was the hardest part about studying abroad?

The hardest part about studying abroad was my constant fear that I wasn't "making the most" of my experience. I felt like I constantly had to be having these mind-blowing, perspective-shifting experiences in order to make my experience "worth it," in a way. I don't know where those ridiculous expectations and seeds of self-doubt came from, but that was something lingering over my head the whole time.

What surprised you most about India?

What surprised me most about India was how truly vast and varied the country is--you hear that a lot in travel guides or whatever you read before going, but it really shocked me when I arrived in New Delhi and everything felt hustling and bustling but also very Western, and then I went to Old Delhi where the sights and smells of the spice market were so distinct from anything you could experience in the U.S. And then in Bahraich, rural life followed a completely different schedule, laying down for rests in the afternoon, and cooking for hours before dinner. My program allowed me the opportunity to travel a lot in a focused academic way that really made these differences stand out, and I am very grateful for gaining that perspective.

How difficult was it to communicate with locals?

It honestly was not difficult to communicate with locals. Everyone I met was so warm, open, and happy to talk with foreigners. Yes, there was sometimes a language barrier, particularly when I was in rural UP, but we would both try to speak the other's language in a way that felt like we could get our points across.

What is one thing you wish you would have known before studying abroad in India?

I really wish someone had told me that I didn't have to try to have it all and experience everything, and that I should be open to new experiences but that I shouldn't put overwhelming pressure on myself to try to experience all of India, because that's impossible.

If you could study or intern abroad again, where would you go?

If I could study or intern abroad again, I would go to India! I say that a bit tongue-in-cheek because I have come back to do a Fulbright-Nehru student research fellowship in India. But really, the experience I had on my program was so wonderful that I know I will keep the connections I made here, both professional and personal, forever. The bigger answer to this question though is that now I really want to go everywhere! This program was instrumental in my realization that I, an over-idealistic 20-something-year-old, cannot fix all the problems of the world, mainly because it would take too many lifetimes to even begin to understand them. All that I can do is be a student of locally-based programs around the world, their trials, successes, and failures, and try to bring that back to my own community to make change there. I have loved doing this in India, and I hope I get the chance to be a student of other cultures' practices forever.

What do you feel the biggest benefit of studying abroad is?

For me, the biggest benefit to studying abroad was how it impacted my relationship to my studies and my identity as both a student and a "real person" when I got home. Having gone and had real-world experience in an experiential program, having studied from a completely different perspective than we are taught in the U.S., I came back to my college and approached my classes and my time at school completely differently. I was more focused and passionate in my classes, because I saw the real world implications of what I was studying, and I could use my experience abroad to ground discussion among my peers so that we weren't always speaking purely in the abstract. But I also became much more involved in community work and local advocacy when I got back from abroad, because I realized that we as college students don't have enough faith in what we're capable of. We as college students think that only after getting a piece of paper confirming that we have adequately read and discussed ideas in classrooms for four years will we be able to do anything or accomplish anything worthwhile. There's this divide in our minds between what we study at college and what we will someday do in "the real world." Studying abroad showed me that I was already living in the real world, that I was capable of making change and serious impact in my communities right now.

Do you have any packing tips for individuals headed to India?

My biggest packing tip is you DO NOT have to bring a 3-month supply of every personal care product from home with you, because you will be able to get literally everything you need here. You're not living in a bubble. Furthermore, if you're in a bigger city like Delhi, you'll probably be able to get the exact brands you had at home too!

Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?

It's brought me back to India! I'm now doing a Fulbright fellowship as a continuation of my independent study project.

Would you recommend SIT Study Abroad in India to others? Why?

I would highly recommend my specific program, as well as SIT, to anyone who has aspirations higher than reading and writing about things just in books.