India with Jessica | Navigating Indian Culture With Love

What do kids need to prepare for the future? Are the current educational philosophies of today cutting it?

I dove deep into conscious, self-driven learning with Ms Lina Ashar.

Ms. Lina Ashar. is a renowned and prominent educationist. Not only has she started She has started over 100 centres in India, Dubai, Qatar, and Maldives today. Ms. Ashar founded Billabong High International School, was was ranked one of the top 10 internationa...

What kind of questions can you expect to be asked by the average person in India?

As a person who has lived in India for almost 2 decades, I have heard a lot of odd questions and underlying assumptions about foreigners. Hear my reaction to the top 5 overly personal questions, invasive or just plain strange questions I get asked regularly in India. Understand more about Indian culture from this video and learn Hindi with me at www.l...

Does India seem intimidating? Are you afraid you'll do something which may offend people when you visit? Or even if you attend an Indian function outside of India, what do you do?

In this episode, Jessica shares a number of stupid things she did and mistakes she has made over the years, with humor and lessons attached.

She also talks a fair amount about overcoming a white saviorism mentality and learning to take a back seat to I...

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 I...

Asking questions in Hindi might be the most important thing you can learn.

In this episode, Jessica talks about the importance of asking questions and not just making declarative statements in Hindi.

In this episode, we talk about "kya - what." "Kya" is the most important word you need to know to be able to ask questions in Hindi. This video is a sample from the larger Hindi Grammar Foundations cou...

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

-M...

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 ep...

I've been following Indicast with Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar for 17 years. They are the hosts of India's longest running multi-person podcast. Covering major business tycoon stories, to media personalities, to the latest news, these guys are the dynamic duo of Indian podcasting. 

In Part 2, Jessica talks with them about predictions for future digital India and how they think tech has changed the ways people live.

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...

What NOT to say in Hindi as a kid!

This is an preview from the Kids' Hindi Kickstarter Course coming out next week on www.learnhindianywhere.com. It is an 18 part course taking you through all the responses you need to know as a kid in your first years of speaking Hindi.

Jessica has 17 years experience in helping others learn Hindi and has multiple other courses online including Hindi Hacks, Overcome Pronunciation...

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 ...

Join me for a wrap of 2022 with snippets of the best episodes from this year.

I'm very thankful for your support and encouragement through the past four years!

Here are the highlight episodes of 2022!

• Episode 68 - Eliza Keyton (EliKutty) - Ethics of Language Learning
• Episode 71 - Devika Cariapa - childrens' author and archaeologist! 
• Episode 72 - What is it Really Like Being Married to an Indian Man? ...

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 ...

How do you build relationships in India? Part 2 of this 2 part episode deals with the relational dynamics 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.

Friendships, finding common ground, how to manage house help and language learning tips are all here. 

Whether you are visiting or planning on living in...

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 ...

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 t...

Jessica tells all 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.

You probably know Indian families are close knit. That is why having a good relationship with our in-laws is so important.

We discuss questions like what to expect when meeting the in-laws for the first time, gender biases, handling boundari...

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 ...