You're about to start your PhD?

Better get used to being friends with Maalox :)

India's a pretty great place,generally. The people are friendly,the food is great,it's beautiful and integrating will be a non-issue. Indian folk tend to be very flexible when accepting people into their culture. Similarly, they also integrate seamlessly into other societies when they move into western societies. Think of them as chips to your fish,if you will. Hehe. There's a reason why they're the highest earning population group in the US.

English is liberally spoken in the large cities. If ever in doubt,look for somebody that is well groomed and wearing western clothes. Then take it for granted that said person will be fluent in English. Don't feel embarrassed to try speaking in Hindi,even if your vocabulary is limited to only a few words. People will respect you for your effort to speak in the local language.

Hmm...what else...yeah,do not eat raw veggies or drink water of unknown provenance,when you're outside the house. Ever. If you need to drink water outside the confines of your residence,buy one of those mineral water bottles. They're pretty cheap. Alternatively,you can buy a water bottle to top off with the water you drink at home and carry that with you when you head out.

People will stare at you. There's no getting around it. Remember,do not view it from a Western perspective. They are not being rude. It's just a cultural thing. Everybody stares at everybody else too. It doesn't have any social stigmas attached to it,like it does in Western societies.

Just be aware of what's happening around you(like you should be when visiting any country) and you'll be fine.

India is awesome (mostly) and I'm sure you'll have a great time!

One last thing-it's gonna take a couple of weeks for your tummy to settle down. There's no side stepping that either :)

PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll try to help you figure it out.

Now I've got my pint of Guinness to attend to.....hehe