Overseas in Singapore, Vietnam, and China
An interview with Nikita Deshpande, Kamesh Darisipudi, and Sahas Mehta.
What were the details of the program you attended this summer?
Kamesh: It was a faculty-led program that had a duration of around twelve weeks. The first month was spent in Singapore, following two weeks in Vietnam, and one month in China. The program has partnerships with local universities, so in Singapore we studied at the National University of Singapore which is one of the best universities in the world. We had only two local students in our classes because in the summer students are usually interning. However, we got to know them really well and they ended up traveling and spending time with us throughout Singapore. In Singapore the instructors were local, but in Vietnam we studied at the International University of Vietnam where the classes were taught by Georgia Tech professors. The university provided local students as our student buddies and took us to many places, which allowed us to get to know the student better than when in Singapore. In China, there was a mixture of Georgia Tech and Singapore professors teaching the classes.
Sahas: Another big component of the program was the company trips that we took. Throughout the program there were around four big trips. In Singapore we had a factory visit. In Vietnam we had two factory visits: Nestle and Heineken, as well as a tourism day and went to Mekong Delta, held snakes, and visited a honey farm. In China we went the Henergy which was a solar power company.
What was student life like? What classes did you take?
Nikita: Everyone on the program did the same set of classes, there were three Industrial Engineering classes and one history class. The student life was very different in each country we were in. In Singapore we were staying in dorms, and we didn’t see as many local students because most of them were interning. The student life was centered more around exploring campus and the area around. However, in Vietnam and Beijing we stayed in hotels which made it different as we didn’t have a go to study spot or resource center to go to
Sahas: Also, the classes were done one class at a time so each class was given around two and a half weeks to complete. This made it more rigorous , however, we still got time to experience and enjoy the countries we were in.
How was navigating a new country like while maintaining classes?
Kamesh: Singapore was easier because they spoke “Singlish” there and they were very westernized. Vietnam we used a lot of google translate, but in China we couldn’t really type characters into our phone if we didn’t know something so it was a lot harder. However, the local students who we knew helped us out a lot and in the end it was a learning experience.
Sahas: The best part was that we were not really alone, so we ended up staying in big groups. Part of the fun was figuring things out together, getting lost together, or getting confused by the language barrier together. Navigating the classes weren’t that bad once we got in the rhythm of knowing how much work to put in a day.
What is something that you learned?
Nikita: In the United States, we tend to become a little close minded in the fact that we think everyone should know English, this is how our culture is and this is probably how it is in other places. However, in reality, there are a lot of cultural differences in other countries. It was a lot of making sure to be respectful of their language and working with them and their differences.
Sahas: I learned that no matter how different people are, everyone is a person. Even though they are on the other side of the world and speak a different language, you can still connect to people. There are still a lot of commonalities with humor. In China, one time we had a conversation with an old man in a park over tea, we were asking each other about our experiences in our countries and it definitely showed me that we are all more similar than we think.
What was one of your favorite experiences and what did it teach you?
Sahas: Camping on the Great Wall. There were around fifteen of us who weren’t that close, in the middle of nowhere in China, walking on something thats thousands of years old. Something about that was really special. It was a once in a lifetime experience. It teaches you that sometimes the unexpected can be a lot more enjoyable than you think.
Kamesh: Hiking and camping on the Great Wall was also my favorite experience. It was definitely challenging especially because it started raining and we were slipping and falling. However, knowing we were sleeping in a tent in one of the most important historical sites in the entire world and being with everyone else made it one my favorite experiences of the trip!
Would you recommend this program to anyone?
Nikita: Yes, definitely! I know that sometimes this program doesn’t work for everyone, because a lot of people get stressed by the classes or the two and a half week terms. I know there are some exchange programs in Asia, so even with another program, studying abroad in Asia is definitely worth it!
Sahas: I would recommend this program over others because of the fact that you get to experience Singapore, Vietnnam and China! Any IE major who wants to study abroad I would definitely recommend it to them.
Anything interesting cultural differences you noticed?
Kamesh: One thing that was hard for me was the food, being vegetarian and allergic to peanuts! Also, in Shanghai there is something called a marriage market there. We didn’t get to see it but it essentially is an in person tinder. Parents make stalls with pictures of their sons and daughters with their biographies and encourage people to come potentially marry their kids.
Sahas: Because of communism, the cafeteria was subsidized by the government so food was only around one dollar to buy! Also, when asking about certain news, a lot of people mentioned how news was hidden from them by the government. We had to use a VPN to get outside internet, and even with that we only found some news from Taiwan Times.
