Book with the group travel agent. Better be safe than sorry.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Lesson Learned: Book with the group travel agent.
Sooo if you have the option of booking your flights through a travel agent with your program, do it. I am currently being evacuated out of Mexico 4 days early because of the swine flu epidemic, and dealing with the airlines is a pain. I've been taking to robots and bounced between human sales representatives for hours, and it looks like I'm spending a night in LA on the way home, as planned, but also on in Cincinati... Which makes no sense. The kids who booked through the group travel agent are all busy studying away for our finals, which start tomorrow (early as well, because we're leaving early...) while I'm battling robots on the phone to try to figure out how to get home.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Why You Should Make Friends with Your Program Assistants
Hello Colby,
I just got back from a travel week with my study abroad group in India. We went to the metropolitan (and very American-like) city of Bangalore, the majestic and less modern city of Mysore, and the small town of Hampi (oddly a very very large hotspot for Israeli tourists, only second to Goa) where the ruins of one of the largest empires in India (the Vijayanagar Empire-- Yes, it is pronounced very crudely... with a gar at the end) stands. My story/advice comes from my 5th day on tour while in Hampi, a day after we had explored the ruins in depth and vaguely knew the area well enough to take a bicycle out on our own and explore.
Just to give you a sense of the town of Hampi: it is a small touristy outpost with one main road. In the center of the town is a river, which you can pay 10 rupees to cross. Hampi is laden with colorful clothing and fabrics, internationally oriented restaurants (and because it is a hotspot for Israelis, I was able to get FELAFEL, humus, pita, and an israeli salad for a mere $1.50), friendly people, and a truly stunning landscape. For those of you that have been, picture the rocky hills that one would see around Jerusalem, and then place intensely green rice paddies and outbursts of colors from street shops and people walking to and fro in saris or loose touristy shirst in the middle of the valleys. Then add a river in the valley, cutting the town in two, about 200 yds wide, rocks in the middle, and green water plants growing on land edging the rivers. All the while, all you can see for miles and miles are rocks and green jutting out in space. Now add it to the effect of driving to Hampi: the land surrounding the town is incredibly flat and monotonously green and cultivated. When the road approaches a clearing, you can see for miles and miles on end. And then when you get closer to the town, you seem to enter another planet (I wish I had pictures with me-- I'll post them tomorrow I think): the rocky hills and intense green catches you completely off guard.
My mom once said "Hampi is so beautiful"; what an understatement. I would edit this sentence in the following fashion: Hampi is one of the most beautiful places in the world, one place that you must see and experience before you die.
With all that in mind, I'll tell you my story. On the fifth day of our travel, me and 7 other people were walking out of a restaurant, having just finished some delicious french toast and idilli (which I will make for some of you when I get back-- tis quite delicious), we approached the bicycle rental place to explore the ruins in more depth. In the establishment were also 4 scooters (like a motorbike, except smaller and much easier to control... and fucking fast). Someone let drop a hint about possibly renting a motorbike to go exploring in, to which our PA's (program assistants) said "well, you can do it if you really want to; we'll turn a blind eye. Just don't get hurt". Wait what? At the beginning of the program, we signed a contract that distinctly said "you cannot under any circumstances drive a scooter and/or motorbike on the street. If you fail to comply with this rule, you will be kicked off the program". We were about to break policy at the risk of being kicked off the program, and it was going to be glorious... So, with our resident director back in Madurai, and our Tamil teacher back at the hotel reading, we each bought 5 litres of petrol (which is good for 50 km each) and a full day for scootering for a mere 10 bucks (500 rupees each). The guy gave us quick lessons, and because the scooters had no gears, it wasn't all that hard: just like a bike without pedaling. I picked up on it really fast, and after we had paid our dues, me and my partner Mike (and Seabiscuit... our scooter's name) were flying down the long stretches of road nearby hampi.
I don't think I've ever felt more free in my life. Driving a scooter was so easy for me, and I was soon flying down the roads at 100 km/hr (around 40-50 mph) with rice paddy farms, coconut and banana trees, and the mars-like rocky hills in the background. Luckily, we happened to pick the one day it was 100 degrees on our whole trip-- so the extra wind flying by definitely helped us cool off a bunch. After visiting the few ruins we hadn't seen yet, we crossed the river. Here's where the real fun began. Getting across on a rickety wooden boat with a makeshift motor could spell easy disaster. How this worked: they put the bikes on the front of the boat, and then you sat on your bike, balancing it carefully with full brakes applied as the speedboat took passengers to the other side. Mind you, this boat was like 30 by 5 feet, with the hull having a small landing where two bikes could barely fit (and if one happened to lean a little too hard, it could push the other into the water). It was a difficult feat, and one that most motorbike riders in the US wouldn't experience, what with the invention of huge ass bridges.
After almost falling on multiple occasions, we reached the otherside, and then set onto the road for another 80 km/hr ride to the nearby lake, where we jumped off 20 foot rocks into the deep water below-- there are some epic pictures on one of the guys' cameras of us jumping (the group is currently very obsessed with jumping pictures, and for good reason-- they're sweet!!!). After dipping in the lake, it was time for the shirts to come off-- we all went for a 30 minute drive down long winding roads edged by cultivation farms and the ancient ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire. Banana leaves floated down upon the road, and the sun was at the perfect height: it's light was more orange than yellow, allowing kodak moments to occur at every shift of the eyes. Mike was behind the wheel at this point, and we sped off into the great unknown with the other six SITA kids: we had no idea what lay ahead. However, we did know one thing for sure: that this long ride would be engrained in our memory for a very very long time.
Since that day that we rented those scooters, I've been on such a high-- I don't think I've felt that happy at any other point in my life (which is saying something), and the day will be permanently engrained in my mind as one of the best days of my life.
In conclusion: gain your PA's trust. There are some very nice benefits to breaking the rules of your program in places that are truly special, and this can't happen without your PA's trust and friendship.
Keep on being beautiful people.
Hasan Bhatti, '10 Colby College
South India Term Abroad in Madurai, India
I just got back from a travel week with my study abroad group in India. We went to the metropolitan (and very American-like) city of Bangalore, the majestic and less modern city of Mysore, and the small town of Hampi (oddly a very very large hotspot for Israeli tourists, only second to Goa) where the ruins of one of the largest empires in India (the Vijayanagar Empire-- Yes, it is pronounced very crudely... with a gar at the end) stands. My story/advice comes from my 5th day on tour while in Hampi, a day after we had explored the ruins in depth and vaguely knew the area well enough to take a bicycle out on our own and explore.
Just to give you a sense of the town of Hampi: it is a small touristy outpost with one main road. In the center of the town is a river, which you can pay 10 rupees to cross. Hampi is laden with colorful clothing and fabrics, internationally oriented restaurants (and because it is a hotspot for Israelis, I was able to get FELAFEL, humus, pita, and an israeli salad for a mere $1.50), friendly people, and a truly stunning landscape. For those of you that have been, picture the rocky hills that one would see around Jerusalem, and then place intensely green rice paddies and outbursts of colors from street shops and people walking to and fro in saris or loose touristy shirst in the middle of the valleys. Then add a river in the valley, cutting the town in two, about 200 yds wide, rocks in the middle, and green water plants growing on land edging the rivers. All the while, all you can see for miles and miles are rocks and green jutting out in space. Now add it to the effect of driving to Hampi: the land surrounding the town is incredibly flat and monotonously green and cultivated. When the road approaches a clearing, you can see for miles and miles on end. And then when you get closer to the town, you seem to enter another planet (I wish I had pictures with me-- I'll post them tomorrow I think): the rocky hills and intense green catches you completely off guard.
My mom once said "Hampi is so beautiful"; what an understatement. I would edit this sentence in the following fashion: Hampi is one of the most beautiful places in the world, one place that you must see and experience before you die.
With all that in mind, I'll tell you my story. On the fifth day of our travel, me and 7 other people were walking out of a restaurant, having just finished some delicious french toast and idilli (which I will make for some of you when I get back-- tis quite delicious), we approached the bicycle rental place to explore the ruins in more depth. In the establishment were also 4 scooters (like a motorbike, except smaller and much easier to control... and fucking fast). Someone let drop a hint about possibly renting a motorbike to go exploring in, to which our PA's (program assistants) said "well, you can do it if you really want to; we'll turn a blind eye. Just don't get hurt". Wait what? At the beginning of the program, we signed a contract that distinctly said "you cannot under any circumstances drive a scooter and/or motorbike on the street. If you fail to comply with this rule, you will be kicked off the program". We were about to break policy at the risk of being kicked off the program, and it was going to be glorious... So, with our resident director back in Madurai, and our Tamil teacher back at the hotel reading, we each bought 5 litres of petrol (which is good for 50 km each) and a full day for scootering for a mere 10 bucks (500 rupees each). The guy gave us quick lessons, and because the scooters had no gears, it wasn't all that hard: just like a bike without pedaling. I picked up on it really fast, and after we had paid our dues, me and my partner Mike (and Seabiscuit... our scooter's name) were flying down the long stretches of road nearby hampi.
I don't think I've ever felt more free in my life. Driving a scooter was so easy for me, and I was soon flying down the roads at 100 km/hr (around 40-50 mph) with rice paddy farms, coconut and banana trees, and the mars-like rocky hills in the background. Luckily, we happened to pick the one day it was 100 degrees on our whole trip-- so the extra wind flying by definitely helped us cool off a bunch. After visiting the few ruins we hadn't seen yet, we crossed the river. Here's where the real fun began. Getting across on a rickety wooden boat with a makeshift motor could spell easy disaster. How this worked: they put the bikes on the front of the boat, and then you sat on your bike, balancing it carefully with full brakes applied as the speedboat took passengers to the other side. Mind you, this boat was like 30 by 5 feet, with the hull having a small landing where two bikes could barely fit (and if one happened to lean a little too hard, it could push the other into the water). It was a difficult feat, and one that most motorbike riders in the US wouldn't experience, what with the invention of huge ass bridges.
After almost falling on multiple occasions, we reached the otherside, and then set onto the road for another 80 km/hr ride to the nearby lake, where we jumped off 20 foot rocks into the deep water below-- there are some epic pictures on one of the guys' cameras of us jumping (the group is currently very obsessed with jumping pictures, and for good reason-- they're sweet!!!). After dipping in the lake, it was time for the shirts to come off-- we all went for a 30 minute drive down long winding roads edged by cultivation farms and the ancient ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire. Banana leaves floated down upon the road, and the sun was at the perfect height: it's light was more orange than yellow, allowing kodak moments to occur at every shift of the eyes. Mike was behind the wheel at this point, and we sped off into the great unknown with the other six SITA kids: we had no idea what lay ahead. However, we did know one thing for sure: that this long ride would be engrained in our memory for a very very long time.
Since that day that we rented those scooters, I've been on such a high-- I don't think I've felt that happy at any other point in my life (which is saying something), and the day will be permanently engrained in my mind as one of the best days of my life.
In conclusion: gain your PA's trust. There are some very nice benefits to breaking the rules of your program in places that are truly special, and this can't happen without your PA's trust and friendship.
Keep on being beautiful people.
Hasan Bhatti, '10 Colby College
South India Term Abroad in Madurai, India
Monday, February 2, 2009
Advice from Abroad.
Welcome to outsideColby!
As I was getting ready to study abroad, I realized that talking to people who have already studied abroad was what prepared me most, got me most excited, and helped me out most when I got nervous before leaving. I thought that there should be a place where all of that wisdom that studying abroad surely brings (I've only been here a few hours--I'll let you know when the wisdom starts showing up.) can be stored and shared for people who are planning thier own semesters abroad.
Let me know if you want to contribute--I can add you as an author--or just put advice in the comments from this post. You can post these tips/advice about anything aspect of studying abroad/preparing to study abroad that you think you would have liked to know before you left.
For example:
at home, the large task of deciding what you need for the next few months may be just as daunting--and more immediate--than worries about adjusting to a new country, new classes, new people, and a new language.
Packing advice will depend on where you're going, but: make sure you keep a change of clothes, toothbrush, cell phone charger, all that good stuff in your carry-on. If you're luggage goes on an adventure without you, you'll be glad you did.
Emma
SFS, Baja California Sur, Mexico
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