Exchange Diaries: Mumbai, India Part Six

By Jonny Klynkramer (ArtSci ‘ 14)

Contributor

Technically, the reason I’m here in India is to study, and now that I’ve wrapped up my first semester I think it’s about time I write about the academic aspect of my exchange. Like everything else I’ve experienced thus far in India, my schooling has been mind-numbingly frustrating.

The exchange has given me the rare opportunity to stay in India for an extended period of time, and so I must make do with the situation at hand, albeit begrudgingly.

One may ask why I am such a hater; well my friends, let me take this opportunity to vent and enlighten you on my Indian education:

• No set schedule. Of course we know which days classes are supposed to be on, but there’s nothing stopping a teacher from scheduling a make-up class on a Sunday morning. To make matters worse, we find out tomorrow’s class times each night via SMS text.

• Bureaucracy. Trying to get things like my student card and class registration settled was a nightmare. This is a problem nation-wide, so it’s no surprise that the school would function in the same way. Sometimes you just have to roll with it.

• Pseudo-organization/professionalism. So far I’ve seen professors answering calls in the middle of class, showing up late, or not showing up at all. It’s especially frustrating given that they impose rigorous demands and high standards on their students.

• Vague assignments. My projects and papers have been assigned to us verbally and lack detailed instructions. Forget about a handout or syllabus with written guidelines and instructions; you’re on your own.

• Lack of Internet access. I can handle not having WiFi access in my building, but the lack of Internet-accessible library computers is difficult to work around. Thankfully there’s an Internet cafe nearby.

• It’s high school all over again. You thought it would be fun to have a second shot? Nope. Literally half of the kids in my school are in grade 11 and 12. The older students’ maturity levels are not far detached from their formative years. At 21, I can’t handle the cliques, awkwardness and lack of intellectual stimulation for much longer. I almost lost it when a teacher addressed our class as “school children”.

As my semester continues, I often think, as I’m thinking now, why don’t just drop out of school for second semester and travel? Sometimes it can be hard to remember everything I’ve got out of this school so far —the people I’ve met, the local perspective, the opportunity to do things I never would have been able to otherwise.

This is very much like my Indian experience as a whole. Most of my time is spent anxiously trying to cope with the never-ending medley of annoyances; disgruntled and aggravated by the world around me.

Maybe by the end of the year I’ll have an explanation for why I love India, but I wouldn’t count on it. Only time will tell.

Twitter: @jklynk

tumblr: jonnyinmumbai.tumblr.com

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content