By Abigail Crisman
AIIS Hindi Language Program
The AIIS Hindi language program was an amazing experience. It offered a supportive environment in which I could focus completely on learning written and spoken Hindi. The teachers were a wealth of knowledge and had different areas of expertise—allowing flexibility among students to focus on newspaper, literature, spoken/dialects, poetry, etc. The structure of the program involved intensive study in the morning/early afternoon while still allowing me time to interact with people in the community and research my individual project (female infanticide).
Following my year with AIIS I worked for a public health NGO in urban slum areas in northern India. While I was initially hired for my English proficiency and to write reports, my language skills were strong enough that I was able to spend significant time helping with a baseline health study and profiling community-based groups for our annual report.
During my time in India I became passionate about the issue of violence against women, and returned to the US to obtain masters in both nursing and public health. I currently work in family medicine and forensics, and am still able to use my language skills on occasion. More importantly, my time in India gave me insight into another country and culture and has helped me when meeting and connecting with new people.
I encourage anyone to step out of their comfort zone and spend a year (or more) overseas. The AIIS program is not limited to language. It involves history, culture, research and more.
I am grateful for my time in Jaipur. Not only did I leave with increased knowledge, I formed a lifelong friendship with one of my fellow students. In fact, it was through my AIIS friend that I met my husband!
I have only fond memories of my time with AIIS, and am happy to know it is continuing to touch others.