Transportation – Page 4

He said. That’s what my dad told me on the way to the airport. “Traveling is easy, you’ll be fine.” While my trip wasn’t that bad, “easy” isn’t the word I would have used. First of all, my dad hadn’t been spending the last five months preparing for this trip, doing chores for DU, UKZN, Interstudy, and Daniels Fund. I had to email people like crazy and go to so many places. The to-do list was crazy, and that’s not normal for simple traveling (although it is normal for study abroad students). So, let’s just take a run through of my travels, shall we?

DIA:

July 12^th 2012: 11pm

Goodbye: United States of America.

Hello: South Africa.

I am currently sitting in DIA. To my right is a cute young man, in a white polo, a few years younger than me on his phone. In front of me there is a couple, both silent and on their computers (ouch). A different couple on their phones, eating McDonalds (at least they’re talking). And a woman with a carry-on bigger than I knew was allowed. I found that I still fear airports. Everything went smoothly, it took under fifteen minutes to get to my gate from the time I left my family. But my soul is crinched sitting here. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because it feels like limbo. I know where my past was and where my future lies. The airplane takes me to my future, but then there is this place. The place where you just sit and wait. It’s like limbo; and I don’t like it.

Everyone keeps asking if it has hit me yet. I mean, I’m going to Africa for goodness sake. In theory, it should be hitting me about now. It’s not. It just feels like another step to take. Change happens and it’s happening now. That’s all. I wonder if it’ll ever hit me.

Flight 1:

July 13^th 2012: 1am

I’m awake. I’m on a plane, and I’m awake, and I will remember it this time, unlike any other plane ride I’ve been on. It’s really pretty. It’s dark and the lights are out. Jet Blue is has nice planes. It has decent legroom and plenty of snacks and water coming around. Plus a personal TV, which is always nice.

The landing is fun. As the sun was comes up in New York I get to see the city from above while watching the sun rise. =)

JFK Airport:

I’ve spent five hours in this airport and have nothing to say. It’s not very ‘New York’ ish. I went straight to the gate and stayed there.

Flight 2:

17 hours. I have to be on a plane for 17 hours.

I fell asleep during the take off. Now they’re feeding us a full meal. The food is wonderful. Their TV’s have over forty movie choices and most musical artists I can think of.

Seriously, every single time my stomach says “mommy, I’m hungry…” the flight attendants come around with food. It’s like South Africa Airways understands the way the human stomach operates on a plane. And all of their food is really good. I’ve also slept through basically the entire flight.

My favorite feature on the plane is the flight map. It shows us the temperature outside at our landing destination, the time at our landing destination, how much time we have left on the plane, and how fast we’re traveling. Also, it has a nifty map that shows us the world, our travel path, and where we’re located on that path. So you always know where in the world you are. And it has what I call “the black whale.” It’s really just showing where the sun is up and where it is down throughout the world… but it looks like a whale.

Never again. I never want to sit through a 17 hour flight again. I’ll walk and boat back to the US. I am so bored the entire time. Just sitting there drives me insane. I never even watch a movie. Although flying above the clouds and going through them is pretty.

Joburg Airport:

Welcome to South Africa, may we have your passport?

Dear US government… you can’t issue me a passport in 2015 when it’s only 2012. And thanks to your little mistake they red flagged me, sent me through security, and scared the crap out of me. One of my biggest fears through out the last few weeks have been airports. For no reason I can explain, I have nightmares about them. Needless to say, this little endeavor put me into tears. The men in the room kept saying, “You shouldn’t cry. It’s okay.” It was cute (and also the only thing I could understand because their accents are so strong), but it just made me cry more. I knew I had no reason to cry and I couldn’t stop. I feared not being allowed into the country and losing my scholarship and not knowing what to do with the rest of my life. And on top of it all, I couldn’t understand them, so I just looked like an idiot. They just passed it off as a human error, and I have to find someway to fix it soon, before someone else official needs my passport.

At this point, it hit me. Mainly because I really wanted to call my friends and family and have them support me. I wanted to tell them the VISA story. And I realized that they’d be reading it somewhere or they’d hear it in four months. It took a while for the tears to stop. =(

I bought myself an ice cream treat after that. And coffee. The ice cream was good, and the chocolate bar in it was really good. The coffee was crap. No amount of creamers or sugar could make it taste better. Oh, and they have coins that are 2 Rand. The currency here is fun.

I fell asleep waiting by my gate. I know I said I didn’t want to fly again, but I just want out of this airport so bad that I really want to be on this next flight.

Flight 3:

Short is an understatement. By the time we’re seated and SAA hands out a full meal and cleaning up, we’ve landed. I tried the plane’s coffee. It’s just as bad as the airport’s coffee. Maybe South African coffee is just bad.

Durban Airport:

Seven hour wait. The rest of the Americans will show up and then we have an hour trip to the school. Then my traveling here is over.

I went to the ‘toilet’ (they don’t call them restrooms) and hit my head really hard on the door. Ouch. I made a friend though! He also goes to UKZN, but on a different campus. He was picking up people for a conference. After a little while I started understanding his accent. He says it’s hard to understand American accents because they’re fast.

I slept during most of this lay over. I just slept sitting down, laying my head on my luggage, which was sitting in front of me.

Interstudy finally showed up. I was worried when they weren’t there at 8:10 and the American I knew coming here hadn’t gotten off the plane yet. They were there a few minutes later. And we were on our way! Let the adventures begin.

Sarah Caulkins, DUSA Blogger

As many of us enjoy summer travels or excitedly prepare for Study Abroad this fall, I’d like to take a moment to consider our safety. In light of recent tragic events, we’re reminded that while it’s seemingly impossible to control everything around us, it also reinforces the need to take precautions to ensure our safety and security.

On the Move

You will most likely be walking or taking a lot of public transportation while you are abroad. Even though you won’t be behind the wheel, you still need to know where you are going, and how to get there, before you set out. You might be concerned about standing out as a tourist by carrying around a map of the city or the public transportation routes. However, I doubt you’ll mind too much when you get on the wrong train and end up 40 minutes south of your flat in a part of town you’ve never seen before (I’ve done something like this too many times to count). It’s pretty easy to get directions off a smart phone, but keep in mind that your phone provider will charge you exponentially to use data while abroad, so have an alternate option available to you.

Also, use the buddy system, especially at night and early in the morning, or when you will be travelling through area’s where you know you will be a target. If you can’t help it and will be travelling alone, let someone know where you are going, preferably two people – one from the place you are leaving and one who you will meet at your destination.

If you do get lost, ask someone who looks official – a station guard, a clerk at a nearby store, a policeman, etc. – to point you in the right direction. Do not be afraid – or embarrassed – to ask for help multiple times until you get to where you need to be.

In your City

While everyone looks forward to feeling at home in the city where they have gone to study abroad, you don’t want to experience the rude awakening that you are still very much a foreigner in a strange place. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has a pretty good list of tips to stay safe on the street:

Don’t use short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets.
Try not to travel alone at night.
Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances.
Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments.
Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.
Avoid scam artists by being wary of strangers who approach you and offer to be your guide or sell you something at bargain prices.
Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will:
- jostle you,
- ask you for directions or the time,
- point to something spilled on your clothing,
- or distract you by creating a disturbance.
Beware of groups of vagrant children who could create a distraction to pick your pocket.
Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse-snatchers.
Try to seem purposeful when you move about. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going. Try to ask for directions only from individuals in authority.
Know how to use a pay telephone and have the proper change or token on hand.
Learn a few phrases in the local language or have them handy in written form so that you can signal your need for police or medical help.
Make a note of emergency telephone numbers you may need: police, fire, your hotel, and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
If you are confronted, don’t fight back — give up your valuables.

Party Responsibly

It’s tempting to drop your inhibitions when you go abroad. Have fun, go out to pubs with friends, and dance at all the discotecas if you want, just make sure to watch yourself.

The establishments you might be tempted to visit in your host city are those catered towards tourists . These, unfortunately, are not always the safest of establishments and can attract some pretty seedy clientele looking to take advantage of inebriated youth from out of town. And I’m not just talking about the girls – guys are just as vulnerable as girls in this situation.

First and foremost, watch your drinks (if you choose to drink). You know the drill: always order your drink yourself and watch the bartender pour it in front of you. For whatever reason, tourist bars tend to add more liquor to their mixed drinks than what you would get at your local spot State-side, so make sure you see exactly how much alcohol is going in to your glass.

Once you have your drink, keep it close by your body at all times, and try to keep your hand covering the top of the glass. This will hopefully prevent anyone from spiking your drink. And like I said, guys are just as vulnerable. When I was travelling in Peru three of my friends had their drinks spiked while they were out – two of them where guys. People mistakenly believe that only women are at risk of being drugged, but men are often targeted, and then robbed.

If you do feel like you have been drugged, go to a hospital. Give the doctors as much information as you can provide, then contact your in-country program coordinator to let them know about your condition.

If you and your friends frequent the same bars and clubs over and over again while you are abroad, get to know the bouncers and bartenders that work there. If they are good at what they do, once they know you (and see you as a regular customer) they will watch out for you.

What if something does go wrong while I’m abroad?

If something does happen while you are abroad, you should first contact your in-country program coordinator. Your first reaction may be to call your friends and family, but to be honest, there isn’t much that they can do (except worry) from back home. Take down all of the contact information your program coordinator gives you at your orientation. Four numbers you should definitely have are:

1) Your study abroad program’s on-site address and phone number(s)

2) Your host family’s address and phone number(s)

3) The local emergency phone numbers (police, fire, medical)

4) The closest U.S. Consulate’s address and phone number

Keep them in your phone’s contact list, and written down in a second location, in case your phone is lost or stolen. Sometimes, those numbers become your lifelines.

The U.S. State Department has a very good resource for student’s who need help in emergencies while studying abroad. See their website (below) for more information.

This is hardly an exhaustive list of safety measures to take while studying abroad. Behind every safety warning is a call to be prepared and aware. Pay attention to your surroundings, especially the people around you, and prepare yourself for a misstep or mistake that could land you in trouble. This isn’t meant to scare you, but to prepare you for a true adventure. Enjoy yourself abroad! You will have a much better experience abroad knowing that you are safe and secure in your new surroundings, prepared to tackle any unexpected circumstances that may come your way.

Good Sources

More tips on how to keep yourself, your friends, and your belongings safe abroad!

http://www.hercampus.com/life/how-stay-safe-while-traveling-abroad?page=3

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/76192

http://studentsabroad.state.gov/index.php

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html

– Emily Bowman, DUSA Blogger

Tag: Transportation

It’s ‘plane’ and simple. Traveling is easy…

Safety and Security Abroad