First Meeting Minutes

Last night we met up with the International Affairs Coordinator at Mount Allison University, Robin Walker. It was the first chance for us to meet who will be coming along with us while we all filled out our visa applications. We also found out the finalized dates and got to ask some much needed questions.

In total there should be 14 people departing for India on May 27th. Dr. Helen Pridmore is the Mt. Allison faculty member joining us, and along with her partner and one student who went last year, Caroline Whidden, she'll be trying to keep us all relaxed and enjoying the ride... and keeping an eye on us as well.

That leaves eleven, and only two are men! The poor boys are outnumbered on this one, that's for sure, but that's not uncommon at Mt. Allison where the female to male ratio is close to 3:1. Three of the girls are actually from universities in Halifax, NS: two from King's and one from Dalhousie. This all depends on if everyone's visa applications go through without a hitch. One of the boys is from Pakistan, and it's very unusual for India to grant visas to Pakistan's citizens... *fingers crossed*

Our departure date is set for May 27th and we should be returning by July 28th. The flights aren't finalized yet so I'm not sure where we'll be stopping over - that's not going to be figured out for a few weeks at least, though Caroline says that her flights stopped in Frankfurt.

I have to drive 2.5 hours to Fredericton, NB on Monday morning to pick up my passport to be able to send off my Visa application that's getting sent out on Monday. Tuesday I have a vaccination appointment and Friday my flight deposit of $2500 is due. This is all on top of the week I'm finalizing all my papers for my full course load as all the deadlines have been stacked for the end of semester. It's going to be a hectic week.

The next meeting is set for April 9, but I'll likely update before then.

The question of money

Simply put, international travel is expensive. So is post-secondary education. Often times, combining the two can create astronomical costs. Last year I was trying to find study abroad programs in Italy that would allow me to gain university credit studying Renaissance history and Italian language and culture, but the program costs themselves would total over $10,000! That's not taking into account travel, accommodation, excursions, and variable expenses; the dream quickly faded and I realized it was completely unfeasible. I can buy a car for $10,000, I can remodel our kitchen for $10,000, I could pay off a fair portion of my student loans with $10,000... just think of the possibilities!

This India program is unique in several ways. I'm gaining almost a full semester of credits and an incredible cultural experience for a reasonable price. The total cost of the program is between $6000 and $6500 (the final figures aren't out yet) and includes flight, accommodation, 2 meals a day, and all excursions and tuition fees. In an average semester I need about $5000 of student loans to make it through, so doing something this amazing for only $1000 to $1500 more is a definite deal plus the fact that it's done in half the time. Mind you there are other outside costs that I'm going to need to find a way to manage, like vaccines, travel insurance, and passport fees that are going to add up, but I consider those minor in comparison to the cost of the program. Not to mention once I get to India things should be considerably cheaper when you take into account that one Indian rupee converts to about 0.02 Canadian dollars and you can get a meal for as little as 40 and up to 250 rupees... so $0.80-$5.00. Pretty reasonable if you ask me.

So, how am I financing this trip? Frankly, that question is the most stressful of all - it worries me. I'm pinching my pennies in every possible manner. I'm saving anything extra from this winter semester's student loans, using this year's tax return toward the trip, working for 6 weeks before I depart and taking student loans to cover the remainder of the balance. I'm also asking family members for as much help as they can, knowing I can pay them back when I resume working after the program. It's going to be a challenge, but I think it makes it that much more worthwhile in the end.

Have you ever had to scrimp and save to have a large sum of money for something? How much did it cost and how long did it take you? What was it for and was it worth it?

Thanks for reading and please comment below!

Starting out in Moncton: 11 weeks to go!

My name is Meghan Brown, and I'm a university student at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB. I live outside Moncton, NB and I commute to classes every day - a 20 minute drive, morning and afternoon. I live with my boyfriend of 3 years PJ, our greyhound Clark, and our tabbycat Charlie.

I was accepted to a study abroad program through my university that consists of 8 weeks of study in Mysore, India and awards 12 credits upon completion. It starts in June and ends in July, consists of 4 courses valued at 3 credits each, and includes language classes in Hindi, and historical and social courses related to ancient and modern Indian history and classes on sustainable development in the subcontinent. More information is available at www.mta.ca/india. After this program I will be a prospective graduate of my university, I won't need to take any more classes and I'll be graduating in October 2011, it's an exciting way to finish up!

This blog is a way for me to track the weeks leading up to my departure, and the experiences I have while I'm away. There's a lot to get in order before leaving and a whole lot more to go through while I'm there; I'll try to be as consistent as possible in my update. Thanks for joining me on this journey, and please feel free to leave comments and advice you have about travel, India, studying abroad and anything else related.