Advice for future EAP students

We stopped updating the blog just before we left for Udaipur, where we spent a week and then went back to the US, but today is the EAP India orientation so I thought it would be a good idea to compile some advice here for you guys who are getting ready to leave in a month and a half.

Stuff I highly recommend bringing:
• Lonely Planet guide to India
• A laptop
• A digital camera
• An MP3 player
• Movies
• A sturdy backpack that is about standard size and has lots of pockets
• A 6-month supply of Pepto-Bismol and Imodium tablets, antacids, and multivitamins (the Indian equivalents are weird and almost universally made me feel sick or actually throw up)
• A 6-month supply of stick deodorant if you use it (you can't find it anywhere in India)
• A light but very waterproof rain jacket
• A sleep sack (like a sleeping bag but just a sheet - this is great for sleeping on trains and sketchy guest house beds. You can get one at an outdoor store like Sport Chalet)
• A microfiber travel towel (you can get this in the same place as the sleep sack)
• High quality sandals you can go hiking in (e.g. Chacos, Tevas)
• Clif bars/energy bars (this was especially true for me as a vegan...until I got some of these in the mail, I was suffering from some pretty serious malnutrition)
• 1 roll of toilet paper (you can buy toilet paper there for about Rs. 25 a roll, but it's good to have one in your backpack at all times)
• Sunscreen (you will never need this in Delhi because the air's so polluted, but don't forget to put it on when you travel somewhere else)
• Razor/nail clippers/tweezers etc. (you can buy this stuff there, but it takes up like no space in your bag, so it's good to bring it - don't be like me, I left mine at home because I got a bit carried away with packing light)
• Mosquito repellent
• Some books to read on the plane and at the YWCA (there are plenty of bookstores in Delhi, but you will probably want something to do during your downtime before you have a chance to get out to one of them)
• A multi-tool
• A few pairs of wool socks
• Condoms (they do have them in India, of course, but they can be hard to find sometimes...it's always good to be prepared, anyway)
• Pepper spray (I'm pretty sure you can't get this in India anywhere)

Stuff I don't recommend bringing:
• Your phone (you can get a prepaid cell phone when you get there)
• Shampoo/conditioner (the EAP guide says "you can't find this anywhere," which is completely untrue, you can find it everywhere)
• Outlet adapters (they cost like $5 here, just go to Palika Bazaar when you get to Delhi and offer them Rs. 20. They'll try to charge you 100 or so, just offer 20 and walk away when they say no, they'll come running after you)
• Power converters (you do NOT need this for anything you're likely to bring, like your camera battery charger or your laptop - if it has a power brick type thing rather than just a cord, you're probably good. It will probably also say "110-240v" or something like that on it, which shows that it has a built in voltage converter.)
• Small appliances - hairdryers, electric razors, etc. (even if you get a converter, there is a good chance the difference in voltage will destroy small appliances like these)
• A water filter (unless you plan on going trekking, this is totally unnecessary, as bottled water is cheap and plentiful, and tap water tastes awful, even when filtered)
• Any clothes that you will be upset if they get ruined

General tips:
Some of these are more applicable to Delhi students, but most of it should be helpful to everyone, I think.

• Get a Citibank account before you leave and use that as your bank account while you're in India. You will find branches all over Delhi, and in other places as well, so you can withdraw cash without any additional fees. This is really important - if you have an account at a different bank, you will probably have to pay an extra $5 fee every single time you want to get cash. It really adds up.

• Pack light. Remember: you're not on an expedition out into the jungle, you're going to a major city with all the modern conveniences. Pretty much anything you forget, you can buy there, probably for cheap.

• When haggling in touristy areas (e.g. Palika Bazaar, Janpath, Connaught Place - all places you are likely to go in your first week in Delhi) offer 1/3-1/2 of the asking price (unless it says "fixed price", in which case you can still probably haggle it down a little). Bottom line: do not ever offer more than half of what they're asking, even though they'll protest, and you'll feel like a jerk for making such a big deal over 3 dollars. Offer them half at the most, and when they say no, just walk away. They may not come after you, but odds are they will. Consider every walk away to be good practice at learning the Indian style of buying things, since the biggest obstacle to get over is feeling like a total jerk. Also keep in mind that if you walk away from something you wanted to buy and don't end up getting it, odds are many of the other stores in the area will carry the exact same item.

• Try to carry small change as much as you can. Don't expect anyone to make change, as most people won't. Rs. 500 notes are pretty hard to use, and Rs. 1000 notes are almost impossible. If you find yourself needing change, stores like the Exchange Store near the study center and upscale clothing stores like Fabindia will take large bills.

• Pace yourself, especially at first. India is overwhelming, and you'll want to see everything all at once, but the heat, noise, crowds, and smells will produce a sensory overload that will totally wear you out. Recognize when you need some time out and let yourself rest.

• "No problem" does not mean the same thing there that it means here. If you ask someone to provide some kind of service for you (e.g. tailor, tour guide, etc.) and they say "no problem," it does not mean they can do a good job or do it for a reasonable price. Be explicit about what you want and make sure they understand, and agree on prices in advance.

• That brings me to another point: agree on prices in advance, ALWAYS, for everything!

• Get ready to be stared at, all the time, everywhere you go. It will weird you out at first, but you'll get used to it. You can read some of our early blog posts to see what our experience with this was like.

• (for Delhi students) Viji has totally got your back. He's awesome, trust him, ask him for advice. He'll help you if you have any disputes with your landlord, or you need to buy appliances, or whatever. Viji's the best.

• (for Delhi students) When you're getting set up in your apartment, check the study center before you go out and buy things you need. When we left, we donated a ton of kitchen stuff, and they may have tables, microwaves, gas tanks, etc.

• Nothing runs on time, ever. Trains are usually at least an hour late, and appointments are approximate at best. If the electrician says he'll be over in 5 minutes, expect him in an hour or two. 6 PM today means 9-10 PM tonight or tomorrow morning. This is actually kind of a nice way to live when you get used to it.

• Beware of monkeys. They are everywhere in Mussoorie. They may look cute and exotic, but they can be dangerous and aggressive. Don't make eye contact with them, and carry rocks with you just in case you might need to throw them to scare them away. Langurs (the big grey ones with long tails), on the other hand, are pretty chill, you don't really need to worry about them.

• Laundry service is cheap, but be careful. It's pretty much essential in Mussoorie because the weather is too cold and damp for your clothes to hang dry, but be warned, the dhobi will write on your clothes in permanent marker (on the tag at the back of the collar, or if there is no tag, on the fabric in that area); also, make sure to make a list of every item you give him, and check to make sure you got everything back right away. A lot of people lost clothes thanks to the dhobi in Mussoorie. In Delhi, we washed all our clothes by hand in a bucket and it was fine.

• When you get internet in your apartment, make sure you get an UNLIMITED plan. All other plans have download caps that are actually really small, and then they start charging you for data that goes over that, which can result in unexpectedly huge bills. Airtel worked well for us.

• Get take-out menus for all of the restaurants you can find near your house. Food is cheap and delivery is free. You will probably find yourself ordering food at least once a day.

• Buy train tickets online. You can do this at http://www.irctc.co.in/. Buying them in person is a huge pain in the ass that requires waiting in line for a long time, probably being told you're in the wrong place, and probably paying someone a bribe. If the online system isn't working (a problem we encountered during our last couple of months in India), go to a travel agent in Paharganj. The small extra expense is worth not having to deal with the train station. Check prices online before you go to a travel agent, though, to make sure they're not ripping you off.

• Speaking of traveling, I encourage you to do it every chance you get - go by train and travel non-AC sleeper class. It's a lot cheaper and I've never found myself wishing I was in an air conditioned car. Also, I recommend requesting an upper berth: your space is a lot more private and out of the way than the lower or middle berths. Side upper berths are fine if you're about 5'5" or shorter, otherwise you'll probably be too cramped. This article does a pretty good job of explaining the railway system and what to expect on a train.

• http://www.indiamike.com/ is a great resource for travel ideas and general tips for being in India as a foreigner.

Approximate price list
Many things you'll buy in India (e.g. water, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) will have prices printed on them, so you don't have to worry about getting ripped off. But clothes and gift items are much more likely to be overpriced, so here's a list of how much they should cost.
• Short kurta - Rs. 100-400 (in places like Palika Bazaar, it should be close to the low end)
• Salwar kameez outfit - Rs. 150-500 (again, touristy areas tend to have poor quality stuff)
• T-shirt - Rs. 150
• Scarf - Rs. 100-250
• Carved statuette - Rs. 50-150, depending on size
• Small jewelery items (non-bangle bracelets, earrings, pendants) - Rs. 100-250 (bangles are much cheaper, but are often of very poor quality and may break easily)

Places to visit
A very incomplete list of some of our favorite places.
In Delhi
• Majnu-ka-Tila, the Tibetan Colony, near Vishwa Vidyalaya metro station
• Jain temple in Old Delhi
• Karim's in Old Delhi (awesome meat dishes...not much for vegetarians here though)
• Hotel Saravana Bhavan (really tasty South Indian food - great for vegetarians!)
• People Tree (awesome store that sells clothes, bags, accessories, books, and other miscellaneous stuff - it's all handmade and screen printed, you should go check it out)
• Fabindia (has a few locations in Delhi, sells nice clothes at reasonable fixed prices)
Elsewhere
• Agra (if Viji isn't organizing a group trip here, you can make a nice day trip of it by taking a morning train there and an evening train back)
• Leh (we recommend going up in September/early October; everything closes up mid-October)
• Varanasi
• Haridwar (go while you're in Mussoorie, you can get there by taxi - we recommend staying at Bhaj-Govindam)
• Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj (we recommend staying at the Green Hotel, also eat a lot of street momos, they'll probably be the best you'll ever have)
• Amritsar (makes a nice quick weekend trip - go for the Golden Temple and the border closing ceremony)
• South India - our biggest regret from the trip was that we didn't have time to make it to South India. We heard it's a totally different experience in that part of the country, so try to visit it if you can!

Advice for the ladies
Hey ladies - there are probably some lady-specific issues you were wondering about, so here's my advice:

• Get a Keeper/Diva Cup. You can get them at the Herb Room on Mission St. in Santa Cruz. If you've never used one before it might seem a bit scary, but when you get used to it, it's great. I was really grateful to have mine. It's great for traveling, since you only have to bring one thing, instead of stuffing your backpack full of tampons, and you don't have to worry about disposing of anything. I don't think I even saw tampons anywhere in India, but to be fair, I wasn't looking.

• Bring all the underwear/bras you need. Underwear in India is strangely expensive, and the cuts and fabrics are very weird. Also, don't bring your nice underwear, because it will probably get wrecked. Before I left, I went to Ross and bought a non-underwire bra for 8 bucks. I recommend doing something like that for yourself.

• I recommend bringing a couple of pairs of leggings - you can wear them with Indian kurtas and look fashionable (by Indian standards, anyway) while keeping cool.

• Don't go out by yourself until you've had plenty of time to get used to being in India. Although you may be a strong and independent woman, it's just not worth it. A lot of us had kind of scary and uncomfortable experiences when out alone. Indian men view Western women as promiscuous and will probably treat you accordingly - expect to be stared at in a way that will almost certainly make you uncomfortable, and maybe hit on and/or groped. Bring a male friend along. I should note, though, that some women have had really good experiences traveling alone, myself included. Oddly enough, when you're traveling, people seem to treat you better than if you're just doing stuff around Delhi. If you want to travel alone or just with female friends, I'd say go for it, but be vigilant and bring pepper spray.

• If you're in a crowded area, keep one hand by your side. You will almost certainly get groped at least once on your trip, and if you keep a hand by your side you can grab the perpetrator's wrist and stop him. Bring attention to yourself and make it clear what he did, and bystanders will almost certainly help you out.

That's all we can come up with at the moment, I hope it's helpful! If you have any questions, before you leave or at any time on your trip, don't hesitate to email us! Also make sure to check out our Flickr page, we have over a thousand photos from our various travels throughout India: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39830606@N03/