Pune, India dressing

DonnaF

DD20 will be studying for a semester abroad in Pune, India from late August until about December 10. She will be living with a family and then commuting to the school site as well as doing independent study research and some type of volunteer work. Her program is tiny (18 or so students) so she won't be in a university setting.

Suggestions for appropriate footwear and clothing for that time of year? She hopes to buy a lot of clothing there, but as you all know, one should not fill a wardrobe instantaneously. She is 5' 2" and about 115/120 pounds with size 6.5 shoes and built more like a Junior than a Petite and her coloring is more Filipina than Japanese. I figure she should be able to find stuff that fits and flatters over there, but I'm thinking she should pick up a few things here when she is not wilting from the heat. Thanks!

9 years ago

Dressing

5 replies

Latest reply was from rabbit

rabbit

Veteran

With the caveat that my information is about 10 years old.... I lived for awhile about three hours away from Pune. She'll be there during the monsoon and then winter, so usually not super hot, but humid and rainy. The monsoon can be beautiful, and the rain tends to be in short bursts, and not all day long depending on yearly weather patterns. Travelling can be very difficult if rains are heavy. Leather goods can rot and metals can rust if they aren't stored in an airtight way. The program should give her guidelines about what to bring and what not to bring.

Especially if she is living with locals and not in a university setting I would buy the majority of my clothing there in order to blend in. There should be many basic options in Pune and you can have things made from scratch or tailored easily, and there is everything you could want in Mumbai, but she might not get that much time off and it is a long train journey.

The few things I found useful to bring: one nice business casual and/or jeans outfit for the airplane and occasionally visiting fancy hotels (for the breakfast buffet, sometimes I missed Western food). Good running/exercise shoes (this was hard to replace/find in India when I was there, but it might be different now), modest exercise clothes (nothing form-fitting), and very comfortable all day walking sandals.

9 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Our Indian office is in Pune, so I have been there a few times.

She is going dung their monsoon and winter season, so not the horrible heat of their summer. Still, hot for my northern US blood!

I am a bit surprised the university is having her stay with locals. Not sure your background, but most westerners have to be SUPER careful about what they eat there. Even being careful, I got violently ill on a trip there. Bad enough that My company sent me home early.

Either way, there was huge range of dress there from very traditional to totally western. The GMs wife and daughters all wore nothing but western clothes. The expats that were there also dressed totally western. I honestly don't know if the locals would be offended or not if a western dressed n traditional Indian clothes.

9 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

Thank you, rabbit and Thistle. The study abroad coordinator has advised modest dress, and DD has been in contact with a student who recently returned from Pune. As a Californian, I am a little stumped as to what one wears in a monsoon. Rubber rain boots get hot and aren't very good for walking any type of distance.

Thistle: Interesting about the food. It wasn't mentioned in the parents' webinar. DD likes Indian food and has a pretty strong stomach; it's other health concerns that worry me more: In the past, she has reacted badly to mosquito bites. Next week, she will get her second $400 Japanese encephalitis shot.

Rabbit: Good idea about the business casual outfit; I never would have thought of it. She's already stored most of her clothing with friends at school, so I hope she packed something along those lines when she flew out to California since she was hoping to attend a conference here. I suppose she could always buy something nice in India.

9 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

My extended family is iin Pune! My advice is to bring a few things and buy clothes there or have them made. Pune is like the Boston of India with universities and students everywhere. And lots of yoga places have apparently sprung up. Jeans and tee shirts or loose cotton clothes are fine. Not too much skin showing though, although it's quite modern it is still a conservative country in that way. India can be hard on clothing with sweat and dirt and pounding of clothes by washerfolk, so there is that consideration. I always have a shawl for A/C and chilly weather. Winter can be cooler than you'd think but August will be dripping hot. She can also buy shoes there - sandals or flip flops. I have lots of recs for things to do there too, but I'm sure she'll find out all about it!

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

oops nevermind, cross-posted with Alaskagirl and she covered it

9 years ago

Category