Is India safe for foreign travelers? I believe that in 95% of situations, having the right skills and language will help you get out of sketchy situations.  But how? With most Hindi travel guides out there, the book is going to teach "Namaste, Mera naam Jessica hai. Aap kaise hain? Aapka naam kya hai?" While these are not bad things to learn, but actually not that important if you’re just trying to survive in India. But what are the things you need to know? How to book a taxi and how to give directions to an Uber coming to pick you up. How to get out of an uncomfortable situation, how ..read more

If this is your first trip to India or eighth, this episode highlights the top 10 pro pointers you need to known to reduce the headaches, inconveniences and ripoffs that are likely to happen while visiting India. Download the new e-booklet "The Traveler's Guide to India" What's Included in the e-booklet? 30+ pages of practical tips, which will put you years ahead in: -Language Learning -Transportation -Money & Payments -Guide to Food -Communication Strategy -Things NOT to Say in India -& so much more! Also see the accompanying YouTube video to this episode! https://youtu.be/H918-ESq ..read more

Navigating the Indian medical system can be incredibly confusing, intimidating and even downright frustrating if you didn't grow up in South Asia. Knowing the ins and outs of how the medical field is run in India is crucial to being able to care for yourself and others in routine visits and especially emergencies. If you are visiting India, living in India as a foreigner, or an NRI who is caring for someone, this is the episode for you. A recent injury prompted me to record this episode while my mind was fresh with lots of doctor visits, medical tests, procedures, pharmacy experiences and ev ..read more

Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar were two of the first people in India to start podcasting, and today more than 15 years later, their show theindicast.com is still running. Interviewing some of the biggest celebrities in India, with humility, intellect and humor, Aditya and Abhishek are a dynamic duo. During this interview, Jessica gets behind the scenes of what it meant for Abhishek and Aditya personally to run the show this long and how the podcast has opened new opportunities for them during the dawn of Digital India. Mentioned in the Show: See the newest Hindi course from Jessica at www ..read more

In Episode 80, Jessica Kumar and Mallika Thoppay take on colorism in South Asian communities.   Mallika shares about her activism and how colorism affects everyone and hurts us all. She works with children in helping them to accept others as they are and stand up for themselves if they are being discriminated against.   She authored "Unfair and Lovely" to combat colorism in India. The book tackles colorism and is an effort to nip this social issue in the bud. It chronicles the journey of Sahana, who is a middle school girl. She and her sister, Surabhi, move to a new city and start a ..read more

If you've ever wondered what the differences are between the educational system in Western countries, this episode is for you.  If you're an NRI wondering if you should move back to India, or if you are a Westerner thinking about making the shift to India, this is for you too.  In this episode, Jessica details the major differences between Indian and Western education styles as well a a LIST OF QUESTIONS you need to ask a new school before enrolling your child. Mentioned in this Episode: Check out Jessica's new Pronunciation Course, Overcome Hindi Pronunciation Pitfalls! Be sure to ..read more

What are the crucial elements you need to life life well in India? Part 1 of this 2 part episode deals with the practicalities of living in India as someone who didn't grow up there. Skip the outdated guide books and listen in to this advice from Jessica, who first started living in India in 2006.  Negotiation, dealing with the complications of Indian currency, how to give and receive directions and of course tips on learning the local language(s) of the place you are visiting or living in. Whether you are visiting or planning on living in India, these tips will help you go beyond survivi ..read more

Episode 75 contains a teaser of Jessica's upcoming course Overcome Hindi Pronunciation Pitfalls! Abhishek joins Jessica to work through some of the most common pronunciation errors that learners of Hindi make. In this episode, we take a small slice and discuss the vowel sounds of Hindi which are often mispronounced.  Hear the subtle differences between short A and long A, and why you may have been saying "Namaste" incorrectly all these years! Keep an eye out of the upcoming course later in the summer of 2022. www.learnhindianywhere.com  Links mentioned in this episode: The "Hindi Hac ..read more

Jessica dives deeper about having Indian in-laws as a foreigner. In this 2 part episode, Jessica discusses listener questions about having Indian in-laws when you didn’t grow up in Indian culture. We talk about how to address conflict, what happens when you're in a multi-generational home and how to address the different view of boundaries in East vs West. Be sure to listen to Part 1 to hear about meeting the inlaws for the first time and other popular questions about marrying an Indian. _____________________ Links mentioned in this episode: The "Hindi Hacks You Never Knew You Needed" course i ..read more

Hearing others' perspectives always brings out new perspectives. I interviewed two other women who are married to Indians who bring various cultural and linguistic background to their stories. Sheida is from Iran living in Canada. Parneet is French, living in Belgium. I asked the various questions to bring out these women's thoughts and experiences: 1) Things you enjoy about being married to an Indian. 2) Your favorite thing about Indian culture. 3) One challenge of being cross culturally married. Hear their thoughts, opinions and be exposed to different cultural perspectives. Find Parneet @pa ..read more