Detailed Logistics: a rundown

This section outlines logistical needs and when you need to act on them. You can refer to this list easily as we prepare for the field school. In coming weeks and months, we will work together to:

1. Determine makeup of groups G & H
2. Plan small group projects
3. Develop field-schoolers’ service opportunities and major projects
4. Fundraise – possibilities include dinner, t-shirts, ashram gifts, tea fundraiser
5. Lock down logistical aspects of travel including flights and dates, visas & passports, health & travel insurance

*Regular preparation meetings will keep us on track. We understand you may not be able to attend all the meetings, but they are collectively an important element of the process. Please make every effort to arrange your schedules to allow for your full participation. The meeting schedule is located here.

May 2017 – January 2018

• Your first India program fee deposit of $250 is due May 1, 2017 through the MRU fees office.

• Determine membership in Group G and Group H by September, 2017: Since 2012, we have always divided the field school into 2 groups (A & B, 2012; C & D, 2014; E & F, 2016). This year, groups G and H are going to India! The purpose of these smaller groups is to keep our numbers manageable while visiting the Ashram. Group G will leave after Block Week on Monday April 30. Group H will leave Calgary on Tuesday May 8.

• Your second India program fee deposit of $1750 is due Oct.1, 2017 through the MRU fees office.

*Your final India program fee deposit of $1750 is due March 1, 2018 through the MRU fees office

• Investigate costs and options for flights, trip insurance and medical insurance and make notes.

• Attend all meetings, please. All calendar information is located here.

• Do you need a new passport? We need a passport number for you that is valid through 2018. We require it to book your trains/hotels in India, and you’ll need it for flights, and to obtain a visa to travel in India. If your passport expires before January 2019, please renew it now.

• Risk Assessment: MRU requires that field school professors prepare a comprehensive risk assessment and risk mediation plan. You will be provided with this plan in January 2018, and we will have a full discussion of risks inherent in travelling and any risks specific to India. Participants are then asked to sign a document confirming they understand such risks.

• Make a packing list. It seems early to do so but it is not. Making a list now gives you time to obtain items you need for the trip, or to borrow items (like a backpack) instead of buying one. This website has a useful packing planning tool you might want to use as a guideline. (If you do use it choose a ‘medium’ sized bag).

• Taking electronics? Check out costs of phone plans, and ensure that your technological items are insured.

February – March 2018

India Field School To Do

• You will pay your third and final program fee deposit of $1750 on March 1, 2018.

• Obtain your India visa. Details on this process are located here in the guide, and we will review this in class as well. A visa will cost about $100 CDN.

• Book your flights, and make an effort to connect with other field schoolers about your plans so that you can fly in small groups.

!Group G, you must arrive in Delhi by May 2.
Group H must arrive in Delhi by May 10.
Flights generally arrive between midnight and 3 a.m., Delhi time.
Note: we will arrange transfer from the airport to the hotel.

• Start packing. Review the ‘Packing for India’ section of the guide,here.

• Vaccinations and some medications will need to be administered in advance of your departure. Please talk to your doctor/pharmacist.

• Register with Canadian government your travel plans here

• Register for the SOS app provided to you by Trina

Personal Travel Plans To Do

• Planning to extend your stay in India, or arrive earlier if you are in the second travel group (Group H)? You’ll need to extend your travel/medical insurance; connect with other field-schoolers to travel with; consider the additional cost; connect with our trusted travel agent Exotic Tours if you need train, air or hotel travel support. Contact Naresh, moa@exotictours.in

• Don’t leave it to the last minute! Train bookings, for example, need be done 60 days in advance of travel.

April, 2018

• Course fees – estimated at $1410 for the two India courses, are due this month. The International Education office will register you in the two courses and inform you when that has been done.

• Vaccines and some medications will need to be administered before departure. Please talk to your doctor/pharmacist about when.

• Contact your bank to report your out-of-country travel plans.

• Paperwork and photocopying
  - Make 6 photocopies each of your passport main page
  - Make 6 photocopies of your India visa
  - Make 6 copies of your flight e-ticket (you won’t be allowed into the Delhi airport upon your return if you cannot show guards a copy of your ticket)
  - Make copies of your travel insurance policy number and important contact numbers; note credit/debit card numbers, and phone numbers to report a lost card.

• We inquired about ensuring you had some India Rupees from a currency exchange or bank, prior to departure. However, it’s not legal to bring Rupees into India any longer. Once we get there, we will ensure we stop at a bank machine. Ensure your debit or credit card has a 4-digit password. Anything more than 4-digits doesn’t typically work well, there. $1.00 CAN = approx. $50 INR. So $20 CAN is about 1,000 INR.

• Obtain about $150 US in cash in small bills that you can change at a bank if there is an ATM problem.

• Consider getting a roaming plan for your phone for emergency calls. We will have wifi access in most if not all the hotels and host facilities we visit.

!Please use your devices sparingly as students have reported too much technology can sidetrack your journey, taking you out of the moment, and away from your adventure. An ideal way to keep your friends, partners, and families updated is by asking them to follow our Facebook page, which is here. This will help you happily fall into bed without feeling pressured to give everyone back home a personal update on typically slow WiFi platforms.