Minutes from our meeting:
PAPERWORK/PREPARATIONS
Wait until September to apply for Visas. On the application, apply as a tourist. The object of our journey is tourism. Port of arrival: Delhi (Nancy will double check on this). Date of arrival: Dec. 30, Date of Departure: Feb 2. We will have to mail passports with applications, so send it traceable mail with insurance, and make copies before we send it. For local reference, put Dave or Nancy. Nancy will get a name for our Indian reference. To get the visa application, visit www.indianembassy.org
For information about inoculations, visit the CDC website. We will have to go to the Health Dept for inoculations. We can take pills for malaria.
Fill out the BIO in the handbook and have it to Nancy by August 1. Neatness counts! We can mail it to her, or scan it and email it to her. Request mild food. Nancy is requesting homes with western-style toilets.
Start thinking about small gifts we can take (examples: lighthouse magnet, sand dollar, bracelet, etc.). We will need at least 20 to 30.
We will need to get travel insurance. The Harbour Group is the RI choice: http://wwwhginsurance.com
We will need to get a physical. The form is on page 17 of the handbook.
The sooner we can get paperwork stuff finished (physical, bio, etc.), the better. We can send it to Dave as you finish it.
The 1st week of October – SINCIA is hosting an Indian holiday party. This would be a good event for us to attend. Dave will inform us of the dates.
The movie Mystic India is showing on the IMAX theater in Raleigh on Saturdays 7-28 and 8-4 at 10 AM. www.exploris.org It also shows Wednesdays.
Other good movies set in India: Water, Monsoon Wedding, any Bollywood movies.
Laundry was a problem for Martiza’s team in Japan. Nancy will ask about laundry arrangements.
The team exchanged business cards while in Japan. We will discuss this further at our meeting in August.
Everyone will need a navy blue blazer (1 button). Start looking now. We will also wear khakis (bring 6-7 pair) and Rotary shirts (gray and pink).
Martiza recommended making a photo album to tell about yourself, with labels written in English. This may stimulate conversation and ease language barriers with your host families.
Maritza also recommended keeping a journal while we are there, to help remember what we did which days.
For presentations, Martiza’s team had a slideshow playing in the background the team was talking. Each person spoke for 5 minutes and told about themselves. (name, where you live, where you’re from, job, career, pets, what you like to do, your family, which Rotary club is sponsoring you, etc.) Begin working on these presentations, as well as brainstorming some kind of cultural presentation we can do together. Try to have a very good start on them by our August meeting.
Martiza said her team took a lot of pictures and it was very helpful to have team members with laptops upon which the pictures could be uploaded. Nancy said she would find out about wireless connections to see whether bringing laptops to stay in touch with our families via email would be worth the trouble of carrying them around.
Nancy gave each of us a zip drive for all of our India stuff. She also gave us a journal and our first Rotary pin.
While we are there, we will exchange banners with the Rotary clubs. Dave gave each of us a sample banner.
Dave recommends we begin reading more about Rotary. He also recommends that we attend a meeting at least once a month. At this point, he is working on figuring out which clubs will sponsor which meetings.
Book recommendations: Holy Cow by Sarah McLaughlin, and Eat, Pray, Love
ITENERARY/TRAVEL TIPS
When we arrive in India, we will attend a Foundation dinner on Jan. 4. The District Conference is January 5-6.We probably won’t fly anywhere else once we arrive in India. The club is trying to arrange for us to take a trip to the Taj Mahal, but they’re uncertain if that will happen.
We will be in Jharkhand and Bihar for the majority of the month.
It is a good idea to bring toilet paper or carry pocket packs of Kleenex and hand sanitizer.
While in India, don’t drink the water, have ice, or swallow the water after brushing your teeth. Bottled water is okay if you check the seal to make sure it hasn’t been broken.
Make sure you pack a carry-on bag with at least one change of clothing.
Try to pack light, because you will be walking and carrying your luggage a lot.
Rotary meetings tend to be relatively formal. The district conference will probably be the most formal event we attend.
Don’t carry a lot of cash – take traveler’s checks and exchange for rupees at the airport. There will be places where you can use credit cards.
Closed toed shoes are best because of the dust.
Bring flip flops to wear in the bathroom/shower and around the house.
Don’t tip servants in the homes, but do in hotels. 15-20 rupees is a good tip.
INFORMATION ABOUT INDIA
The climate is relatively cool in India – pants will suffice. You may need to pack a light jacket. Average January temperatures are 4-20 degrees Celsius.
January 26 is Republic Day, a very big holiday. (The day India became a Republic)
The exchange rate for rupees is currently approximately 40 to a dollar.
Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand. This is where the district conference will be.
MISCELLANEOUS
District Conference is in Williamsburg April 18-21. That is when the Indian team will be here.
There is an Indian Festival at the Convention Center in May (after we return). This would be a good event for us to attend and perhaps set up a booth.
