Deciding on Delhi

Written by Jane Merriman, (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Student Correspondent UW in India: Delhi Internship, Summer 2018

Namaste! My name is Jane and I am a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am spending the summer in Delhi, much to the surprise and awe of many.

Welcome to my inaugural New Delhi blog, wherein I will inform my readers as to why they should not come to India for this program (as well as why they should). Many people have told myself and my other classmates why we shouldn’t be in India right now. So, I compiled a list of the reasons. Nevertheless, we are living successfully in Delhi during the hottest time of year. Look at us go.

That being said, here are some anti-“be in New Delhi in the summer” sentiments:

1. The heat! Weather! Smog! Trust me, everyone under the sun (pun intended) has told us that we should have come at a “better time” in the year, such as December or January. Well, we are college kids and if we are going to come to India, why not do it during the hottest two weeks of the summer? In comparison to Delhi’s weather, everything else from here on out will be a breeze.
2. Don’t come to Delhi if you want to feel comfortable. This is a city of all kinds, so branch out and get used to being uncomfortable. If you like being tucked away in A/C, please do so! That means there’s more Delhi for the rest of us 🙂
3. Don’t come to Delhi if you don’t like learning, because if you don’t like learning then you’re in the wrong place! Learning is a massive part of any experience and makes it even more fun and rewarding when you can use what you’ve learned in real life.
4. Don’t come if you get carsick or are afraid of traffic. Sometimes you just have to put your hand out and be confident while crossing the road.
5. Don’t come to New Delhi if you don’t like people. I know that New York City is known as the “City That Never Sleeps,” but with a metro area population of 26 million people, India’s capital is sprawling, fast moving, and hard if you only like being by yourself.

My classmates and I have been told these five reasons countless times…but we didn’t let anyone deter us! I am now going to give you the reasons why you should come to Delhi; it could be for a visit, a trip, a summer, a festival, who knows! Any time is fine by me.  Oddly enough, we haven’t gotten as many comments from other people as to why we SHOULD be in India right now…but my classmates and I have taken that upon ourselves to figure out. Delhi is an amazing city with so much to offer!

Come to Delhi if…

1. You like riding the metro.
2. You like going on adventures even if they were unintentional.
3. You like not knowing what you’re eating or how to pronounce it.
4. You like learning phrases and words in a new language.
5. You are a vegetarian…this will be your happy place.
6. You really like chai…this will also be your happy place.

And so much more! There are many things to love about India and even though there is a ton of people and it is extremely hot, we are determined to make it feel like home for the next two months.  This is a very different and new city, unlike anything we’ve experienced in the US. The best part is knowing that with time everything gets easier. I’ll admit it – the first week or so was hard. We weren’t sure how to get around, the language barrier was extremely difficult to navigate, and yes, it was hot. But everything gets better with time, and we can speak to that!

We’ve already visited some amazing places in the two and a half weeks we have been here and are now realizing just how large and diverse India is… and we’ve barely scratched the surface. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us…probably some chai. Namaste!