Okay so I just wanted to add the address of the Campus in case you get the real India experience and have lost luggage as three of us did.
So computers and such to try to find your luggage doesn't so much exist in Chennai. It is a paper you have to fill out and call back to make sure things are happening.
And it made it even more fun for us since we did not have an address of where we were staying so they could bring our bags to us.
So here is the address if you are staying on campus ... even if you are not staying in this building, this is like the lobby of a hotel for the campus.
Big Bungalow
CMC Campus
Bagayam ( autorickshaws will know where to take you if you say CMC bagayam)
Thorappadi post
Vellore 632002
Just write this down somewhere and take it with you... just in case. And if you take it you won't get your luggage lost, probaly.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Photo Tour (if you're generous)
Ok. Real quick like here's some photos to hopefully help orient you.To the right is what you'll see when you go through the main gate at CMC Hospital either via auto-rickshaw or CMC bus or by horseback. There's nothing really important in this building but immediately to the left of it will be a coffee/drink stand where the CMC bus picks up to go back to campus. It is the only school bus
pick up spot at the hospital.
Wondering where to eat at the hospital. Well it's there. Right there. Right behind the "No tender coconuts" sign in the big right building is the YWCA Cantina which Western folk can eat at and tolerate. If you go even further down the path, past the building, you'll reach another hospital gate on the right and if you go through that you'll get to China Town. A much better and much more expensive place to eat.
Still in the hospital complex, this is a picture of the school bus pickup area mentioned earlier. I don't know why I didn't make this the second photo, but oh well.
The first gate at CMC Campus (AKA Bagiyam). Actually immediately outside it. There's an ATM, an international phone booth, and a city bus stop. Go through here and...
... you'll see this. A long dirt road. To your left is the...
... campus auditorium. Some things may be taking place here, but probably not. So yeah.
If you had looked to the right after going through the first gate, on the other hand, you would have seen this. I don't know what the building is called, but it's where the vice principle's office is and where you'll go to arrange for classes and what not.
If you had continued on down the first road through the gate you would eventually get to this: the school cantina. Between those trees. Maybe you should just look for the trees.
There's much more to the campus than that one dirt road, however. If instead of continuing straight through the gate and down the road to the cantina you took a right down the long dirt road running perpendicular you'd pass a couple buildings and eventually reach this. Go through that main passage, weave some there, weave some there, and you'll get to the public computer area.
If that looks pretty nondescript well immediately adjacent to it (on its right) will be this. The library. The only use for this place you'll likely have is to pay for your Internet account.
Pretend now that you walked past those random buildings, past the library, and down further along that perpendicular dirt road, and you'll reach the second gate. Right before that, though, to the left, is the Big Bungalow. Here's where you turn in laundry to get cleaned, sign up for meals at the Johnson House, and also where you'll pay for housing at the end.
Now this is when things get complicated. If you had gone to the second gate you'll reach another dirt road which runs parallel to the very first long dirt road I mentioned in the beginning, but perpendicular to the one that takes you past the library. Make any sense? In the rare chance that it does, this is the Johnson House. If you get campus made meals ordered at the Big Bungalow this is where you'll eat them. There are also two rooms on the right side of the building, but I think you have to specifically request staying there. Oh and there's a functional TV too.
Just to the right of the Johnson House is another place to stay while you're in Vellore: the Big Bungalow Annex. It's pretty nice I gotta tell ya. Even got a screened in patio!
You can probably disregard this last one, but if you had dismissed the Johnson House, scoffed at the Big Bungalow Annex, and continued right along you'd eventually get to this place. The New Housing Complex. It's pretty Spartan. If the Spartans had cockroaches that is. Not all the rooms do of course, but the fun is finding out which ones those are.Addendum: I don't know why the hell the formatting is all jacked up. Ain't worth the effort.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
One Hundred and Thirty-Three Points
The packet given out by the Humanities Department is nice, but, as I am sure many of you are now aware, a bit discombobulated. For those planning on some travels of their own it is also in many ways insufficient. Kristen sent out an email with some tips, and now we can have a central place for them all. So here's some hopefully helpful advice to supplement.
First, before trip issues -
1) Photos: As Kristen stated make sure you have a couple passport sized photos of yourself. I don't know if 4 is necessary, but, sure, why not. If it's too many trade the extras to friends.
2) Packing: January was chilly at times, but February and April will be hot, hot, hot. I seriously actually pity the April group. As such pack for heat. Bring a jacket for the plane flight over if need be, but unless you are incredibly cold blooded you should not need one otherwise. Sandals are really all you need footwear wise even at work. Work wise guys can wear cackies, a button down long/short sleeve shirt, and sandals. Girls can wear much anything, though the more modest the better. Hints of cleavage are cleavage too much. Clothing is extremely cheap in India, however, and as it seems to be very popular for Western woman to assume Indian dress many choose to do that too.
Oh and it sometimes takes a few days to get laundry back on campus so bring at least a week worths of clothing.
3) Toiletries: You can buy most in India if you want. Probably all of them even -- I didn't really check. While there will be toilet paper at on-campus housing, I am not sure of the hotels and there are certainly many places at the hospital and elsewhere that do not. Make sure you have some. Sunblock isn't terribly necessary I don't feel unless you plan to go to the beach or pool (even for CHAD while on doxy I didn't need it). Bug spray, however, is. There were mosquitos aplenty when we were there and I imagine there'll only be more as it heats up.
4) Housing: On campus housing is great. Of course I never saw anyone's hotels, but nevertheless I stand by my statement. Peaceful, easy Internet access, easy food access, easy hospital access. The youth hostel on base is full if you haven't already booked, but as Kristen mentioned there are alternatives like the Johnson House and Big Bungalow Annex. The New Housing Complex is fairly spartan, and alright if you want super cheap, but beware some have roaches. Unfortunately I am not sure who you contact for all this.
5) Airports: If a couple of you are planning on meeting at the Chennai airport and taxiing to Vellore together (which can be arranged somehow via CMC; ask Kristen) then coordination is key. There is an international terminal and a domestic terminal not connected but immediately adjacent. You can walk directly from one to the other. Once you leave baggage claim you cannot go back into the airport but have to remain outside (unless you can persuade a guard otherwise which is sometimes possible.) At the far end of the international terminal are a few small eateries if everyone ends up outside. Make sure to coordinate meeting spots before flying if that wasn't already obvious.
Now CMC issues -
6) Getting Around the Hospital: It's huge. I could not hope to begin explaining where things are. Just ask, but ask knowing there's a good chance any instructions given will be wrong. In other words, be patient.
7) Electives: Obviously chose what interests you, but for those who have lots of interests or are otherwise indifferent here's some suggestions.
Internal medicine was largerly terribly boring. It had its great moments, but they were few. There are multiple services, but they all run similarly. Most will have two clinic days a week. These are busy and fairly interesting. During the rest of the week your only real obligations are attend a few meetings (which may or may not be accurately recorded on your schedule) and morning rounds. There are also late evening rounds, but their timing is very haphazard and I would not recommend waiting around for them unless you just happen to be that highly motivated.
OBGYN is busy and a bit crazy. I did not do it myself as 6 weeks of OBGYN in the states was enough for me, but from what I have heard from others who do it you get to see a lot.
Infectious Disease is essentially just another internal medicine service. The only exception being that there is an HIV clinic on Wednesday afternoon which I personally found very interesting. You won't see any more infectious disease on the service itself though or at least I didn't.
CHAD (Community Health and Development) was great. I think it really is a must. You don't necessarily have to do it a whole week, but try to get at least one doctors' rounds and one nurses' rounds in. Be prepared to be hot and sweaty, though, as you go out to the surrounding villages.
Leprosy Hospital is, I hear, a novel experience. It seems you can schedule a visit just about any day and one visit is really all that is necessary. I did not do this either, but others who went all thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting there can be a bit difficult, though.
8) Food - There are a few places to eat at the hospital, but only the YWCA Cantina is Western stomach approved. It's in the far right corner of the hospital complex and just beyond the "no tender coconuts" sign. Food isn't great, but it's cheap and edible. There is the alternative of going across the street to China Town which is considerably more expensive than the cantina but also considerably better. To get there just walk past the cantina and take a right when it dead ends. Continue through the gate and you should see it immediately.
On campus there is only the school cantina which is very cheap and pretty good, but has a limited menu. If you want something fancier either make it yourself from component parts bought at the campus quicky mart or go to either Hotel Darling or Hotel Surabi. You'll need to take a rickshaw or bus to get to these, but the food is very good. Keep in mind you will likely pay about 200 rupees a person for a meal at these places.
9) Phones - There is an STD ISD phone booth immediately across from the 1st gate on campus. You can make calls to the US for about 20 - 30 rupees a minute here. Alternatively, for computers that have it, you can set up a Skype account online and use internet calling for 2 cents a minute. I am not sure if the campus computer lab has Skype access or not, but if you do any traveling outside of Vellore later you'll certainly find some.
10) Cash - Current exchange rate is about 38 rupees to a dollar. There is an ATM immediately across the street from the 1st campus gate next to the phone booth. Try to ration your small bills appropriately as 1000 rupee notes are all but useless for bills less than 600 or 700 rupees.
11) Hiking - There's apparently quite a bit of hiking that can be done for those motivated to seek it out. We just did the hike immediately across from the CMC campus, though. It is short, easy, and gives a nice view of the city. The trail starts across the street from the 2nd campus gate.
12) Weekend Trips - Three popular destinations seem to be Pondicherry, Mamallapuram, and Karala. Fairly good descriptions of all three are in the Lonely Planet guide.
Pondicherry ~ Didn't actually go here. It is a small coastal town that used to be a French colony and which still possesses quite a European feel. Nice beaches are outside of town. The drive is at least a few hours and then a few more.
Mamallapuram ~ Did go here, and it was nice. It is a small coastal town as well, but there is certainly no European feel aside from the feel of the many European visitors themselves. It has an interesting local stone carving industry, though, and is a few hours closer.
Karala ~ Didn't go here, and honestly do not know much about it. Many people rent houseboats and tour around the state's marshes, rivers, and lakes. You should take a night train as it is a very long commute, however.
13) Internet: The campus has fairly good Internet connections for only about 300 rupees for the month if I remember correctly. If you keep the receipt you can then also get computer access at the hospital's library as well. While you probably won't and shouldn't be able to share accounts on the campus (c'mon man it's only a few bucks!), I would advise it at the hospital once someone manages to get a hospital account as the people in charge of setting up those usernames and passwords are very rarely in their offices.
And Vellore issues -
54) Busing: The free school bus from campus leaves at the cantina near the first gate. Although schedules and half schedules are posted here and there, I am not too sure how accurate any of them are. Here's a mediocre summary:
Campus Pickup ~ At 0735 there is pickup at the cantina. At 0740 the same bus picks up at the 2nd gate near Big Bungalow. After around 0800ish there are not too many school buses heading to the hospital till about lunch time or later.
Hospital Pickup ~ At 1400 and 1630, and maybe 1300 or 1330 as well, a bus picksup at the only hospital bus stop which is immediately to the left from entering the main hospital gate. There's no official sign; the bus just stops briefly by a small coffee/drink stand. There are a few more buses that leave after 1630, but I cannot recall the times.
City Buses ~ Pickup immediately outside the 1st campus gate, and generally come about every 5 minutes. Take lines 1 or 2. Each trip costs 3 rupees. If you want to go the opposite direction (from the hospital to the campus) then the pickup is outside a seperate hospital gate back and to the left from the main gate which the school bus enters daily. As with the school bus there's no official bus stop sign in most places, but there're so many buses you can just look around a bit and they become evident.
55) Rickshaws: A good fare to the hospital from the campus is ~ 50 rupees (the campus is called "Bag-eye-yem" and if you tell them to take you to "CMC campus" they likely won't understand you despite what Shirely David may say.) A good fair to most the hotels for dinner from campus is ~ 30 rupees. Sometimes you won't get these prices, but most everyone you talk to will tell you this is what you should get. Thankfully it's just a matter of quarters. The auto-rickshaws with one headlight generally can seat 3 people comfortably while the auto-rickshaws with two headlights can generally seat 4.
56) Sites: The fort is nice to explore, but only takes a few hours at most. Inside is a fairly impressive temple, but remember to take of your shoes and leave them with the shoeminder. You'll have to pay him a few rupees to get them back, but it's the way things are done. The whole complex is very easily accessed by the same 1 and 2 bus lines you take everywhere else.What is an even better and crazier place to visit is the Golden Temple just outside of Vellore. You'll have to take a rather long and bumpy auto-rickshaw ride to it, but it's worth it. No cameras or shoes allowed, but you can store them there.
Lastly, India Issues -
130) Planes: If you plan on flying domestically Kingfisher and Air Deccan are particularly economic ways to go. It takes about the same amount of time to check in as in the States, but the order of things is done a bit differently. You'll likely first have to show a guard your ticket to get into the airport, then get your luggage screened at your carrier's luggage screening area, then check in when it's time for your flight to check in, and then wait to go through security when it's your time to go through security.
131) Trains: For a good primer go here. For online scheduling information go here. To buy tickets online go here. If it says online that they are full, well, they are not. You should almost always be able to still get tickets at the station. Trains are fun and cheap; I'd recommend 'em.
132) Hotels: You can find fairly decent budget hotels here. For fancier ones I'd recommend Lonely Planet. Just keep in mind that reservations only kind of exist even at the nicer modern businesses. It's good to make 'em, but be prepared for them to have no idea what you are talking about.
133) Safety: In all likelihood you are probably safe going about most areas of India at most times of the day whether you are male or female. That said, it would be foolish to call many parts of the country "safe" especially if you are a woman. As such it's best to stay in groups and to try and have a male around as silly and antiquated as it may sound. Be prepared for extremely aggressive people trying to pressure you into sales, rides, and hotels, however, and use good common sense. Major tourist areas like the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra) are particularly bad, and sometimes it pays to be excesseviely cautious simply to avoid the hassels. I would particularly reconsider plane and train travel at night as they quite literally swarm the stations.
Ok. The end. Helpful hopefully. If I feel inclined to add anything else I'll just edit this entry. I'll shortly put up a photo walking tour of the CMC campus to help provide a little more orientation. Or create more confusion; we'll see how it goes.
First, before trip issues -
1) Photos: As Kristen stated make sure you have a couple passport sized photos of yourself. I don't know if 4 is necessary, but, sure, why not. If it's too many trade the extras to friends.
2) Packing: January was chilly at times, but February and April will be hot, hot, hot. I seriously actually pity the April group. As such pack for heat. Bring a jacket for the plane flight over if need be, but unless you are incredibly cold blooded you should not need one otherwise. Sandals are really all you need footwear wise even at work. Work wise guys can wear cackies, a button down long/short sleeve shirt, and sandals. Girls can wear much anything, though the more modest the better. Hints of cleavage are cleavage too much. Clothing is extremely cheap in India, however, and as it seems to be very popular for Western woman to assume Indian dress many choose to do that too.
Oh and it sometimes takes a few days to get laundry back on campus so bring at least a week worths of clothing.
3) Toiletries: You can buy most in India if you want. Probably all of them even -- I didn't really check. While there will be toilet paper at on-campus housing, I am not sure of the hotels and there are certainly many places at the hospital and elsewhere that do not. Make sure you have some. Sunblock isn't terribly necessary I don't feel unless you plan to go to the beach or pool (even for CHAD while on doxy I didn't need it). Bug spray, however, is. There were mosquitos aplenty when we were there and I imagine there'll only be more as it heats up.
4) Housing: On campus housing is great. Of course I never saw anyone's hotels, but nevertheless I stand by my statement. Peaceful, easy Internet access, easy food access, easy hospital access. The youth hostel on base is full if you haven't already booked, but as Kristen mentioned there are alternatives like the Johnson House and Big Bungalow Annex. The New Housing Complex is fairly spartan, and alright if you want super cheap, but beware some have roaches. Unfortunately I am not sure who you contact for all this.
5) Airports: If a couple of you are planning on meeting at the Chennai airport and taxiing to Vellore together (which can be arranged somehow via CMC; ask Kristen) then coordination is key. There is an international terminal and a domestic terminal not connected but immediately adjacent. You can walk directly from one to the other. Once you leave baggage claim you cannot go back into the airport but have to remain outside (unless you can persuade a guard otherwise which is sometimes possible.) At the far end of the international terminal are a few small eateries if everyone ends up outside. Make sure to coordinate meeting spots before flying if that wasn't already obvious.
Now CMC issues -
6) Getting Around the Hospital: It's huge. I could not hope to begin explaining where things are. Just ask, but ask knowing there's a good chance any instructions given will be wrong. In other words, be patient.
7) Electives: Obviously chose what interests you, but for those who have lots of interests or are otherwise indifferent here's some suggestions.
Internal medicine was largerly terribly boring. It had its great moments, but they were few. There are multiple services, but they all run similarly. Most will have two clinic days a week. These are busy and fairly interesting. During the rest of the week your only real obligations are attend a few meetings (which may or may not be accurately recorded on your schedule) and morning rounds. There are also late evening rounds, but their timing is very haphazard and I would not recommend waiting around for them unless you just happen to be that highly motivated.
OBGYN is busy and a bit crazy. I did not do it myself as 6 weeks of OBGYN in the states was enough for me, but from what I have heard from others who do it you get to see a lot.
Infectious Disease is essentially just another internal medicine service. The only exception being that there is an HIV clinic on Wednesday afternoon which I personally found very interesting. You won't see any more infectious disease on the service itself though or at least I didn't.
CHAD (Community Health and Development) was great. I think it really is a must. You don't necessarily have to do it a whole week, but try to get at least one doctors' rounds and one nurses' rounds in. Be prepared to be hot and sweaty, though, as you go out to the surrounding villages.
Leprosy Hospital is, I hear, a novel experience. It seems you can schedule a visit just about any day and one visit is really all that is necessary. I did not do this either, but others who went all thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting there can be a bit difficult, though.
8) Food - There are a few places to eat at the hospital, but only the YWCA Cantina is Western stomach approved. It's in the far right corner of the hospital complex and just beyond the "no tender coconuts" sign. Food isn't great, but it's cheap and edible. There is the alternative of going across the street to China Town which is considerably more expensive than the cantina but also considerably better. To get there just walk past the cantina and take a right when it dead ends. Continue through the gate and you should see it immediately.
On campus there is only the school cantina which is very cheap and pretty good, but has a limited menu. If you want something fancier either make it yourself from component parts bought at the campus quicky mart or go to either Hotel Darling or Hotel Surabi. You'll need to take a rickshaw or bus to get to these, but the food is very good. Keep in mind you will likely pay about 200 rupees a person for a meal at these places.
9) Phones - There is an STD ISD phone booth immediately across from the 1st gate on campus. You can make calls to the US for about 20 - 30 rupees a minute here. Alternatively, for computers that have it, you can set up a Skype account online and use internet calling for 2 cents a minute. I am not sure if the campus computer lab has Skype access or not, but if you do any traveling outside of Vellore later you'll certainly find some.
10) Cash - Current exchange rate is about 38 rupees to a dollar. There is an ATM immediately across the street from the 1st campus gate next to the phone booth. Try to ration your small bills appropriately as 1000 rupee notes are all but useless for bills less than 600 or 700 rupees.
11) Hiking - There's apparently quite a bit of hiking that can be done for those motivated to seek it out. We just did the hike immediately across from the CMC campus, though. It is short, easy, and gives a nice view of the city. The trail starts across the street from the 2nd campus gate.
12) Weekend Trips - Three popular destinations seem to be Pondicherry, Mamallapuram, and Karala. Fairly good descriptions of all three are in the Lonely Planet guide.
Pondicherry ~ Didn't actually go here. It is a small coastal town that used to be a French colony and which still possesses quite a European feel. Nice beaches are outside of town. The drive is at least a few hours and then a few more.
Mamallapuram ~ Did go here, and it was nice. It is a small coastal town as well, but there is certainly no European feel aside from the feel of the many European visitors themselves. It has an interesting local stone carving industry, though, and is a few hours closer.
Karala ~ Didn't go here, and honestly do not know much about it. Many people rent houseboats and tour around the state's marshes, rivers, and lakes. You should take a night train as it is a very long commute, however.
13) Internet: The campus has fairly good Internet connections for only about 300 rupees for the month if I remember correctly. If you keep the receipt you can then also get computer access at the hospital's library as well. While you probably won't and shouldn't be able to share accounts on the campus (c'mon man it's only a few bucks!), I would advise it at the hospital once someone manages to get a hospital account as the people in charge of setting up those usernames and passwords are very rarely in their offices.
And Vellore issues -
54) Busing: The free school bus from campus leaves at the cantina near the first gate. Although schedules and half schedules are posted here and there, I am not too sure how accurate any of them are. Here's a mediocre summary:
Campus Pickup ~ At 0735 there is pickup at the cantina. At 0740 the same bus picks up at the 2nd gate near Big Bungalow. After around 0800ish there are not too many school buses heading to the hospital till about lunch time or later.
Hospital Pickup ~ At 1400 and 1630, and maybe 1300 or 1330 as well, a bus picksup at the only hospital bus stop which is immediately to the left from entering the main hospital gate. There's no official sign; the bus just stops briefly by a small coffee/drink stand. There are a few more buses that leave after 1630, but I cannot recall the times.
City Buses ~ Pickup immediately outside the 1st campus gate, and generally come about every 5 minutes. Take lines 1 or 2. Each trip costs 3 rupees. If you want to go the opposite direction (from the hospital to the campus) then the pickup is outside a seperate hospital gate back and to the left from the main gate which the school bus enters daily. As with the school bus there's no official bus stop sign in most places, but there're so many buses you can just look around a bit and they become evident.
55) Rickshaws: A good fare to the hospital from the campus is ~ 50 rupees (the campus is called "Bag-eye-yem" and if you tell them to take you to "CMC campus" they likely won't understand you despite what Shirely David may say.) A good fair to most the hotels for dinner from campus is ~ 30 rupees. Sometimes you won't get these prices, but most everyone you talk to will tell you this is what you should get. Thankfully it's just a matter of quarters. The auto-rickshaws with one headlight generally can seat 3 people comfortably while the auto-rickshaws with two headlights can generally seat 4.
56) Sites: The fort is nice to explore, but only takes a few hours at most. Inside is a fairly impressive temple, but remember to take of your shoes and leave them with the shoeminder. You'll have to pay him a few rupees to get them back, but it's the way things are done. The whole complex is very easily accessed by the same 1 and 2 bus lines you take everywhere else.What is an even better and crazier place to visit is the Golden Temple just outside of Vellore. You'll have to take a rather long and bumpy auto-rickshaw ride to it, but it's worth it. No cameras or shoes allowed, but you can store them there.
Lastly, India Issues -
130) Planes: If you plan on flying domestically Kingfisher and Air Deccan are particularly economic ways to go. It takes about the same amount of time to check in as in the States, but the order of things is done a bit differently. You'll likely first have to show a guard your ticket to get into the airport, then get your luggage screened at your carrier's luggage screening area, then check in when it's time for your flight to check in, and then wait to go through security when it's your time to go through security.
131) Trains: For a good primer go here. For online scheduling information go here. To buy tickets online go here. If it says online that they are full, well, they are not. You should almost always be able to still get tickets at the station. Trains are fun and cheap; I'd recommend 'em.
132) Hotels: You can find fairly decent budget hotels here. For fancier ones I'd recommend Lonely Planet. Just keep in mind that reservations only kind of exist even at the nicer modern businesses. It's good to make 'em, but be prepared for them to have no idea what you are talking about.
133) Safety: In all likelihood you are probably safe going about most areas of India at most times of the day whether you are male or female. That said, it would be foolish to call many parts of the country "safe" especially if you are a woman. As such it's best to stay in groups and to try and have a male around as silly and antiquated as it may sound. Be prepared for extremely aggressive people trying to pressure you into sales, rides, and hotels, however, and use good common sense. Major tourist areas like the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra) are particularly bad, and sometimes it pays to be excesseviely cautious simply to avoid the hassels. I would particularly reconsider plane and train travel at night as they quite literally swarm the stations.
Ok. The end. Helpful hopefully. If I feel inclined to add anything else I'll just edit this entry. I'll shortly put up a photo walking tour of the CMC campus to help provide a little more orientation. Or create more confusion; we'll see how it goes.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Kristen's Email Info
I just wanted to add kristen's email to help those in the future times who did not get the email -- and so I don't have to write things twice = )
Hey Everyone going to India,
Our group is finishing our 3 weeks which were amazing. We thought you all should know some little things to make your trip smoother. (Areas that we had problems and learned from them to help you all hopefully.)
1. Book a hostal or hotel in Delhi or Chennai before you arrive on the plane (if you are staying the night there before heading to Vellore) with airport pick up confirmed via email.
2. Arrange with Anbu (Shirley David's secretary) before for van or taxi pick up from the airport in Chennai to Vellore (3 people per taxi).
3. Make sure you have 4 "passport" photos of yourself before you go. (you will need these on your first day).
4. Do not travel at night (it is not safe esp due to the driving). Also, it is not safe for girls to be out after dark (even in a group is really not advised).
5. Set a meeting point for you group in the Chennai airport ahead of time.
6. On Sun. check in at the Big Bungalow if you are staying on campus.
On Monday morning go to the Principal's office first with your photos, passport ect. (This is on the college campus not at the hospital).
Then in the afternoon you can go to the hospital (via autorickshaw or the #2 bus) to meet with Shirley David or Anbu and to pay $100 usd to be officially enrolled (KEEP THIS RECEIPT! and give it back to the Principal on campus)
7. We recommend staying on Campus...it is much safer, quiet, and you'll sleep better because your away from the traffic. Also, the water is safe on campus you have some nice trails, you can order food from the hotels, there is a campus store, a phone near by, a computer room,laudry at the Big Bungalow...etc.
8. The places to stay on campus with a/c are International Hostal, Johnson house (a nice common area with a t.v, frig, ect., and Big bungalow annex. (Do not stay at the New Housing Complex!!)
9. Make sure you email Anbu ahead of time to reserve your room! They fill up fast due to the large number of students.
10. If your picky about food you might want to bring power bars with you. I personally really liked everything and it is fun to experiment.
11. Girls- You might just want to pack very light and buy clothes that are appropriate here. I brought what I thought was appropriate and it was not nearly as comfy or approp. so I ended up buying swari's and pants to go underneath.
(It is inappropriate to show your ankles or shoulders or wear tight shirts)
(You can do this Mon. afternoon...take a auto rickashaw to the CMC hospital and the street perpendicular to the front is Ghandi street which has good places to buy cheap clothes. (varies b/t 100-200 Rs which is about $2-5).
Pack 2 weeks worth of underwear just in case.
12. Mammallapurum is a nice weekend retreat. We stayed at Sea Breeze (make a reservation in advance). We rented a van for the weekend and Anbu can set that up too.
13. Get the address of the hotel or on campus of where your staying before you leave and keep it handy (if they loose your luggage they will need the address to send it to you!)
14. Exchange some rupees before you leave so that you won't have to worry about it when you get to India.
15. Vellore- other sites: the fort, the temple, the Golden Temple
16. There is a super market close by but I can't remember the name..just ask some of the INtnl students and they'll know the name.
17. Must do rotations: CHAD (the village rounds with the Dr. one day and nurses the next) and the Leprosy hospital for a day (You have to catch a bus next to the CHina town restaurant (good food) which is to the left of the front of the Hospital at 7am (to Karigiri aka Elephant Hill =))
18. Other good places to eat hotels Surabi & Darling(which you can order at the Canteen on campus at the day before at 6pm)
I did not bring my laptop b/c I would be worrying about it. There are plenty of internet cafes (if you sign up for skype at a internet place you can make calls for cheap but not all of them have this available). It was only 200 RS total for the month to use the internet on campus.
Also, girls should not travel alone at all. Don't arrive after dark (6pm) and always travel in a group. Please make arrangements to be picked up before hand from the airports, train stations, etc. especially in Delhi, Jaipur, Agra!
Ok. I think that's all. The communication here can be confusing so be patient. Hope you enjoy a different culture as much as we did!
If you have any other questions you can email me but I'll be traveling this week.
Smiles,
Kristen Sorensen
Hey Everyone going to India,
Our group is finishing our 3 weeks which were amazing. We thought you all should know some little things to make your trip smoother. (Areas that we had problems and learned from them to help you all hopefully.)
1. Book a hostal or hotel in Delhi or Chennai before you arrive on the plane (if you are staying the night there before heading to Vellore) with airport pick up confirmed via email.
2. Arrange with Anbu (Shirley David's secretary) before for van or taxi pick up from the airport in Chennai to Vellore (3 people per taxi).
3. Make sure you have 4 "passport" photos of yourself before you go. (you will need these on your first day).
4. Do not travel at night (it is not safe esp due to the driving). Also, it is not safe for girls to be out after dark (even in a group is really not advised).
5. Set a meeting point for you group in the Chennai airport ahead of time.
6. On Sun. check in at the Big Bungalow if you are staying on campus.
On Monday morning go to the Principal's office first with your photos, passport ect. (This is on the college campus not at the hospital).
Then in the afternoon you can go to the hospital (via autorickshaw or the #2 bus) to meet with Shirley David or Anbu and to pay $100 usd to be officially enrolled (KEEP THIS RECEIPT! and give it back to the Principal on campus)
7. We recommend staying on Campus...it is much safer, quiet, and you'll sleep better because your away from the traffic. Also, the water is safe on campus you have some nice trails, you can order food from the hotels, there is a campus store, a phone near by, a computer room,laudry at the Big Bungalow...etc.
8. The places to stay on campus with a/c are International Hostal, Johnson house (a nice common area with a t.v, frig, ect., and Big bungalow annex. (Do not stay at the New Housing Complex!!)
9. Make sure you email Anbu ahead of time to reserve your room! They fill up fast due to the large number of students.
10. If your picky about food you might want to bring power bars with you. I personally really liked everything and it is fun to experiment.
11. Girls- You might just want to pack very light and buy clothes that are appropriate here. I brought what I thought was appropriate and it was not nearly as comfy or approp. so I ended up buying swari's and pants to go underneath.
(It is inappropriate to show your ankles or shoulders or wear tight shirts)
(You can do this Mon. afternoon...take a auto rickashaw to the CMC hospital and the street perpendicular to the front is Ghandi street which has good places to buy cheap clothes. (varies b/t 100-200 Rs which is about $2-5).
Pack 2 weeks worth of underwear just in case.
12. Mammallapurum is a nice weekend retreat. We stayed at Sea Breeze (make a reservation in advance). We rented a van for the weekend and Anbu can set that up too.
13. Get the address of the hotel or on campus of where your staying before you leave and keep it handy (if they loose your luggage they will need the address to send it to you!)
14. Exchange some rupees before you leave so that you won't have to worry about it when you get to India.
15. Vellore- other sites: the fort, the temple, the Golden Temple
16. There is a super market close by but I can't remember the name..just ask some of the INtnl students and they'll know the name.
17. Must do rotations: CHAD (the village rounds with the Dr. one day and nurses the next) and the Leprosy hospital for a day (You have to catch a bus next to the CHina town restaurant (good food) which is to the left of the front of the Hospital at 7am (to Karigiri aka Elephant Hill =))
18. Other good places to eat hotels Surabi & Darling(which you can order at the Canteen on campus at the day before at 6pm)
I did not bring my laptop b/c I would be worrying about it. There are plenty of internet cafes (if you sign up for skype at a internet place you can make calls for cheap but not all of them have this available). It was only 200 RS total for the month to use the internet on campus.
Also, girls should not travel alone at all. Don't arrive after dark (6pm) and always travel in a group. Please make arrangements to be picked up before hand from the airports, train stations, etc. especially in Delhi, Jaipur, Agra!
Ok. I think that's all. The communication here can be confusing so be patient. Hope you enjoy a different culture as much as we did!
If you have any other questions you can email me but I'll be traveling this week.
Smiles,
Kristen Sorensen
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