Tonight is the last day of my Fulbright research grant, and I am on the plane heading home. As I sip on a glass of wine (Wine! At last!) on the plane, I am feeling a range of emotions – relief, sadness, trepidation about leaving my now familiar Green Park, regret over things I never got to do in India, and gratitude for all that I have been lucky enough to experience in these past months. I am reminiscing on so many wonderful, or trying, or career-defining experiences I have had, and trying to piece together in my journal what I have learned, how I have changed, and where I want to take these experiences next. Though I have traveled extensively, this is the longest period of time I have lived abroad, and for the first time I am anticipating real culture shock when I return to the States: I will miss the numerous “eases,” as I think of them, in India: the ubiquitous 10R hot sweet chai, the delicious and readily available street foods, the autos and Ubers at my finger-tips, the help with cleaning and cooking in the house.  But far more, I will miss the constant, reassuring interactions with people – from chai walas to shop clerks to street guards and even the auto drivers clamoring at me when I climb the Metro steps. Life will feel so quiet – I think I will quite isolated from humanity – when I return.

I will be journaling on India for many months, I am sure – but for now, I thought I would share just a few tips to incoming Fulbright researchers.

Tip One: Keep an Open Mind on Research Topics

I came to India with the intent of writing on women’s access to finance, including microfinance and the need for special consumer protections for new and less-experienced women borrowers. I did end up doing field work and writing on this exact topic, but also decided early on to go with the flow and follow other related research opportunities that might arise through contacts on the ground. I couldn’t be happier that I did. Through my host professor’s guidance in particular, as well as some fruitful contacts with a couple different NGOs, I found myself covering several other related research topics as well: gender budgeting (i.e. how government spending can better impact women in India) as well as the nexus between the Indian private financial sector (banks, pension funds, etc.) and women’s advancement. Thanks to these unexpected opportunities, I have gained subject expertise and field research experience that I know will help me in upcoming job applications or academic writing.

Tip Two: Lean on Your Fulbright and Local Contacts re: Research Confidence

This was my first real opportunity to lead my own field research project, and at first, I found the prospect incredibly intimidating. What if others found my topic uninteresting? What if I asked all the wrong questions and had to go back and repeat interviews? How should I best tie my field work to academic theory in my subject?

What helped me over the hurdle of feeling intimidated was talking about how I felt with Fulbright friends, my other PhD roommates, NGO contacts, and my host professor. Many of them had – or used to have – similar fears, and they could offer great personal insights. They could advise me on developing my research methodology and questions, and they also could remind me that now is precisely my time to be a rookie. The worst thing would be missing the opportunity to try. Sure enough, once I got going, my fears disappeared, and every day I felt better and better about the data I was collecting. Leaning on other colleagues – including some more experienced than myself, and others facing the same first-time fears – was such a help.

Tip Three: Learn Some of the Local Language

I came to north India without speaking any Hindi. I love learning languages, so although I hadn’t applied for a CLEA, I decided to sign up early in my grant for a month of language study at Hindi Guru anyway.  This was an incredibly worthwhile use of some of my grant money. The class schedule put me in a rhythm of work right off the bat in India. And through good teaching at Hindi Guru, I was able to master enough Hindi to communicate pretty well with auto drivers, shop clerks, the maid and cook at our house, and regular people asking me what I was doing in India. While I couldn’t conduct research without an interpreter, I was also able to demonstrate, in field interviews, that I could follow along with many aspects of the conversation. All this made me feel safer in India, more connected to the community around me, and more respectful in my research.

Tip Four: Read the Local News

We all know this year has been a tumultuous one in the United States, and it has felt important to me to stay connected to what is happening in social movements and politics back home. At the same time, I found it important to stay as informed as possible on events in India. Checking your U.S. home newspapers and blogs can already be time intensive, but I really recommend staying abreast of the major news stories across India – understanding what’s happening with religious discontent, local elections, farmers protests, even cricket or Bollywood star gossip – in India. I mostly read the Indian Express and a couple legal/Indian Supreme Court blogs, but there are a host of other papers and blogs to try besides.

Tip Five: Use Your Weekends Well

You can pack in a lot of good work in a week, and then use your weekends to really explore your city and India (budget allowing!). I am so glad for all the walking tours, museum visits, cultural shows I went to – and still wish I had planned ahead a little more to use my weekends better. This is your one shot to be in India: take advantage of all the exciting places right nearby, or a bit further afield, around you – for personal exploration or research exploration.

Tip Six: Be Gentle With Yourself, With Others

There is no denying that India can be a huge challenge – the bureaucracy can be exasperating, the line-jumping and overcharging infuriating, the pollution and trash and poverty deeply disheartening, the push of people trying. I felt myself always struggling both to be gentle with myself in dealing with the challenges – reminding myself that these experiences are difficult and it’s ok to react to them – and also to be gentle with others, even the others driving me crazy. I was not, sadly, a model of courtesy in every interaction, but I would suggest that you try to be: try to keep your head above it, take a deep breath, remember that what matters is respecting others, treating yourself and others with kindness as best you can. Invariably the situation will feel better if you can muster this ability.

I hope you enjoy your Fulbright! Enjoy this time and opportunity, try to make the most of it, and be gentle with yourself in dealing with all the new experiences!