Embedded Files
May 1st, 2026
Over the past two months, the team has been attending meetings that have prepared us for our travel abroad, which would begin on April 29th. Meetings included topics such as culture shock, positive and negative impacts and safety. We completed case studies on various international projects with NGOs and discussed how to tackle the issues presented throughout the projects. Once April 29th arrived, our team packed their bags and got ready for the flight, but ..... there was a 5 HOUR delay! While waiting for the plane to arrive, the team got to know each other better and finalized some pre-departure activities. Once the plane arrived, the 14-hour flight began, and we eventually landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India!
Road rules seem to be very different here, but thankfully we had a driver to pick us up from the airport and bring us to IIT Roorkee. In India, it seems that things like lanes and turning signals are just a suggestion. The majority of the time our driver was driving in the middle of two lanes. For the first hour this was really scary, but we realized that this is actually the safest way to drive. By driving in the middle of two lanes, it gives you better visibility and makes it easier to overpass on the highway. Unlike in Canada, not everyone has the same speed limit. Here, cars have a higher speed limit than heavier vehicles such as trucks. This means that being able to overpass is a mandatory skill to drive in India. Rather than using turn signals, drivers use honking to communicate here! Again, this felt very chaotic at first, but over time, you learn how honking is used to communicate.
We made it to Himgiri Apartment! This is where we will be staying for the next two months.
Upon entering the area, we were greeted by lush greenery, towering palm trees, and beautiful art on the building walls. Inside the courtyard, there was a swing, small playground, and badminton court.
Our rooms are located in Block A. The accommodations are quite nice and very spacious. There is a living area with couches, a dining table, kitchen, washroom, and bedroom with a king-sized bed. There is also the occasional lizard roommate.
Professor Bibhuti recommended two apps to use for online ordering: BlinkIt and Swiggy. Swiggy worked with Canadian phone numbers, so we recommend using this one when staying in India without a local phone number. The service is very fast (under 5 minutes), and the cost of products is quite low. We bought cleaning supplies, cutlery, and yummy meals. One of my personal favourites was the paneer roll from Baap of Rolls! I would avoid buying any mangoes from here, though...
After a not-so-long rest, we set out to get acquainted with the university campus and meet some second-year students taking a design course with Professor Bibhuti. The campus is much calmer than outside its gates, with fertile vegetation and a variety of fruit trees. On our walk, we saw different cafes, fruit stands and university buildings.
Before going to meet up with the students, we stopped for lunch at Khosla International House which we later learned is called KIH by the students. They had a selection of soup, fruits and vegetables, rice, and different curries - I have to look up the proper names. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet for only 184 rupees a person ($2.63 CAD).
We then headed to the Department of Design building to wait for Professor Bubhuti. We sat on some comfy couches, and the jet lag caught up to us. We were all trying our best to stay awake, but most of us failed (mainly Stephanie, who was asleep on the couch when Professor Bibhuti walked in, oops...). Once Professor Bibhuti arrived, we met the students who had final presentations in one of their courses. Throughout the semester, the students had been working with farmers in the area to find solutions to various problems they were having. These problems spanned from soil pH analysis to more effective crop cleaning. After the presentations, we had a chance to speak with the students about how the school system here works and what an average day in their lives is like. We learned about their course load and how many of them came from very far distances to attend IITR. They also gave us advice for our project, and we took inspiration from the work they had shown us.
Finally, after a long day, we got dinner and headed to bed.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse