FAQ

How much will it cost?!

The cost depends on things like the number of students and airfare. We will have a decent estimate after people register for the prep course; it will be under $4,000, hopefully closer to $3,500. We will give a better estimate over the summer and then we will have a final number by the time people pay their deposit in fall semester. Early sign-ups and payments help keep the costs down.

Can I use my financial aid for the trip?

Yep! Also check out https://www.pacificu.edu/admissions/financial-aid-scholarships/undergraduate-students/scholarships/study-abroad-scholarships for scholarship info.

Can men go on the trip?

Yes, people of any gender can participate! However, there are some gender-segregated settings (e.g., separate lines for security screening), so you should plan to choose male or female as your gender in public settings for the duration of the trip.

What do we wear?

There are three types of attire for the trip depending on the activity . . .

1. What Indians call "ethnic": For people who present as female, this means a sari for one formal event and legging/tunic/long scarf combos for other events (not the black yoga capri kind of legging, though). We will buy these clothes in India. For people who present as male, this means a nice button-up shirt (linen/cotton) and a sarong-type garment for the formal events. For other activities it would be a nice button-up, polo shirt, or solid color t-shirt with long pants (e.g., khakis/chinos).
2. What our group calls "Indianish": Our best approximation of the Indian look with clothes we already own. For male-presenting people, it's those pants and dressyish shirt. For female-presenting people, it's a long flowy top or loose-fitting dress with leggings or pants underneath. You can get by with this on the Lady Doak College campus.
3. What we'll call "modest western": When we are at our writing retreat, we can be most casual. Bring on the long shorts, your most modest sleeveless shirts, and least revealing bathing suit!!

It is customary to remove shoes when entering buildings in India, so flipflops a.k.a. slippers and sandals will be your go-tos.

What do we eat?

Very delicious things all the time!!!! Most meals will be with the group and generally prepared by a local cook. The South Indian diet is based on rice and lentils. Food will be mostly vegetarian and often vegan and gluten-free. Some of the most popular dishes among trip alumni are dosas - a kind of filled crepe, flatbreads such as paratha and chapati, and tasty steamed rice dumplings called idli. And chai - sweet milky tea! (What we call chai in the U.S. is called masala chai in India, because of the "masala" or mix of spices that has been added.) Tamil Nadu is also famous for their sweet milky filter coffee. The Indian food that is served in U.S. restaurants is more often North Indian, so many Americans have not been exposed to much South Asian food. Some food is a little spicy, but many typical dishes are only lightly spiced. Our cooks will be able to tone things down if people's palates are feeling sensitive. And we will mostly eat with our fingers, right hand only (left hands are kind of taboo). Don't worry, if you can't manage to shovel up enough food with that one hand, someone will find you a fork.

Can I drink the tap water?

No!!!! In fact, do not brush your teeth with it, or swallow any in the shower, please. We will always provide you with water that has been bottled and/or filtered by reverse osmosis . . . you will carry your reusable water bottle with you everywhere. Following these guidelines is an important way to maximize your enjoyment of the trip and minimize the amount of time you spend miserable with diarrhea or worse.

Where do we stay?

It will be youth-hostel like conditions. In a guesthouse on the Lady Doak College campus, and in simple hotels in some other places. You will often have a single bed but might sometimes end up sharing a larger bed with with a classmate.

What about health and hygiene?

India is a diverse and teeming country. That sentence describes its people and its microbes. Regular handwashing is critical, as is washing your feet before you get into bed. Soap and water is better than hand sanitizer, but we'll use that when we have no other options. When it comes to food, you are looking for things that are piping hot (heat kills bacteria!). You do not want to eat fruit if it has not been carefully peeled. Follow the traveler's adage: boil it, peel it, or forget it. In the "forget it" category is juices and milkshakes, we are very sorry to say. And you must resist the siren song of ice cubes, no matter how enticing they are! The program will provide food prepared by cooks known to use good food safety practices; outside of trip activities, please be careful and try to stick to mass-produced, hermetically sealed products like soda or chips. You will need to consult with a healthcare provider before the trip about immunizations and malaria preventing-medication. In the unlikely event that something more than first aid is needed on the trip, high quality medical care is readily accessible in India.

And bathrooms?

Bathrooms merit special discussion, because they can be kind of different in India and people can feel a little stressed out about them. First, toilets are not so readily available in India. Finding a place to do one's daily business is a huge public health crisis. We will be in developed places that generally do have bathrooms . . . . BUT. Some will be squat toilets, where you squat over a hole in the ground. Some will be western toilets that don't really flush. And you generally won't be able to flush toilet paper or tampons (there will be a trash bin next to the toilet). There may not be toilet paper; there may be a hose with water instead. With more than 1 billion people in India, there is a lot of human waste produced. You will probably see some of it and will definitely smell it. Most of the students on the trip will get diarrhea at some point or another. Some will also get constipation. There is a good chance you will end up talking about your poop with the other people on the trip. There is also a chance you will end up peeing in a field by the side of a road. Practice squatting before we leave!!! This includes techniques for preventing tragedies big (the contents of your pockets from falling out and disappearing down the whole) and small (peeing on that aforementioned long scarf because it drifted in an inopportune manner).

What's the weather like?

Really really hot and sunny. Not much air conditioning.

Is there wifi? Do our phones work?

Wifi access will be rare, and bandwidth is expensive for our hosts. You will likely to be able send a quick, "Hi, it's so hot and I love my new outfit!" e-mail here and there, but please do not try to send photos/videos or update social media while we are traveling. Take advantage of this opportunity to unplug. We will travel with an Indian cell phone and the university will be able to reach us in case of emergencies. We do not recommend that you get an international plan for your phone for your time in India; they're expensive and unnecessary - some .

What about safety?

Most visitors feel incredibly safe in India. The various cultures in India are very family-oriented and there are always lots of people out on the street. We will pretty much be tucked in by nightfall, so that helps prevent problems too. Because of local norms (and for health reasons!), consuming alcohol is not permitted on the trip; ditto tobacco use. The most important way to stay safe is to follow the program rules (buddy system!) and always know where you are, how to get back home, and how you will pursue help if you get in a jam.

What about language?

English was the colonial language in India and is a lingua franca among the elite. People with limited formal education often know some English words but probably don't know how to write in English and may not even know the script in their own language. Our goal is to try to get comfortable trying to pronounce the names of the people we meet and the places we go. That alone is an ambitious goal for most! Tamil is the dominant language in Madurai, where Lady Doak College is. When we travel to Kerala - a different state - Malayalam dominates. Each of the Indian languages has its own beautiful script. (There are 122 major languages in India.)