Sadie I. Wolfe ’18

I chose Hood because I liked the sense of community and the ability to be more than a number.  I knew Hood was the right place for me when I attended their college fair.  I remember talking to Dr. Amt about the History program and I knew Hood was the right place for me.

I was actually hesitant about studying abroad, but when I joined the Global Studies program I decided that I wanted to take that opportunity to explore another culture and country.  I was drawn to India for two reasons, one I had several family members travel there and told me all these stories about their experience there, and two, I wanted to go somewhere different. I felt like everyone goes to Europe.

The most challenging part of my life in India was just getting used to the climate and culture.  When I first got there, I wasn’t accustomed to the intense heat and I got really sick.  The most rewarding part of the experience was getting to meet so many new people and experiencing a different way of life.  

One of the advantages of the higher education system at Hood is that everything is organized.  For example, professors usually have a syllabus and specific learning goals for each class along with reading material and textbooks.  At the University of Hyderabad there was a general outline for the class but there was no structure to the lectures the professors gave or assignments that tracked your progress.  Some of this could have been due to lack of resources, but it still made it difficult to adjust to the different system.  One of the advantages of the higher education system in Hyderabad that is different from Hood is that upon entering the university, you are set in a particular major or field.  There are advantages and disadvantages to this, but you only take classes within that area of study.  In the US, we tend to have multitude of different classes we take before honing in on our chosen major.

My favorite non-academic experience in India was when I went to an ancient desert city, Jaisalmer.  I went on a camel safari where I got to ride a camel for several hours across the sand dunes. After the safari, our guide made camp in the desert and we got to eat and tell stories under the stars.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.  

Another favorite experience was going on this camping trip to Hampi, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It felt like an Indiana Jones type of adventure, we were rock climbing among the ruins and sailing across a river with crocodiles in a tiny flat hat- shaped boat at night.  It was a fun experience! 

If I could give one piece of advice to current Hood students that are considering India as their study abroad destination, I would say go because you’ll have an experience that will change your life, but to also be aware that it is different from here and that it will take some time to adjust.  There are a lot of negative stories and events that have been in the news about India, but don’t let that stop you from going because there is also a rich and diverse culture and history to explore.