Joining the Team

Two weeks ago I took an overnight trip to San Francisco to meet the other instructors who will travel to India.  I was met at the San Francisco airport by Bryce Johnson who has been with the Science for Monks program for several years.  In addition to working with the Science for Monks program, Bryce is a post-doctoral fellow at the Exploratorium, the science museum in San Francisco.  It was a nice sunny day as we drove north from the airport to the Exploratorium.

The Exploratorium is a wonderful place.  It was the first time I had been to this science museum and I must say it is now one of my favorite places.  All of the exhibits are hands-on and there are many demonstrations that show how the mind and senses work.  Soon I met two more of my traveling companions, Paul Doherty and Modesto Tamez.  Paul is a physicist who has been with the Exploratorium for 25 years and Modesto is science teacher who has worked at the Exploratorium for 8 years.  It was great getting a personal tour of all the exhibits at the museum from these experts!

For dinner we went to a Vietnamese restaurant (Modesto knows all of the best places to eat in San Francisco) where I met Richard Sterling.  Richard is an English professor who currently works at UC Berkeley; he makes the last member of our team.

The next morning we all met back at the Exploratorium to plan the two weeks of instruction in India.  We all agreed that hands-on activities with plenty of time of exploration, discussion and debate will work best.  Our days with the Tibetan monks and nuns will be divided into four or five periods of 90 minutes.  Each of us will take the lead for at least one of these blocks each day. 

I plan to discuss neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and the senses and help Paul, Modesto and Richard with their lessons about light, sound and writing.   We all seemed to get along and I look forward to working with this very talented group of educators.

Time Zoned

The time difference between India and Seattle, Washington, is 13.5 hours.  That means, for example, that when it is 8 pm in Seattle, it is 9:30 am the next day in India.  Travelers who cross so many time zones can experience "jet lag" and may have trouble sleeping, concentrating, and staying alert.  Some people with jet lag have memory problems, headaches, nausea and upset stomachs.

I remember on previous trips to India that I couldn't keep my eyes open in the late afternoon.  I felt so tired.  My body felt like it was the early morning and I hadn't slept yet.  I also remember having a difficult time falling asleep at night.  Although it was dark outside, my body thought it was time to wake up.

It usually takes a few days to adapt to the new time zone.  One way to prevent jet lag is to reset your body clock BEFORE a trip.  However, this is not very practical for a trip to India because I would have to completely reverse my sleep-wake pattern -- I would have to go to sleep at about 11 am and wake up at 7 pm.  Another suggestion is to take melatonin supplements to help reset your body clock.  Although some data suggest that melatonin works, other data are not so convincing.  Being in good physical shape, and avoiding alcohol and caffeine on the flight may speed recovery from jet lag.  Exposure to sunlight may also help reset body clocks, so I plan to spend as much time as possible outside after I arrive in India.

Keeping Safe

BOIL IT, COOK IT, PEEL IT, OR FORGET IT. That's the advice of the University of Washington Travel Clinic when it comes to food for travelers in India. For water, it's advised to drink bottled water, boiled water, water treated with a filter or carbonated beverages. Never drink tap water or use ice made from tap water.

These are all good suggestions to avoid the dreaded "Delhi Belly." I have been to India several times. The last time I was in India, however, was almost 30 years ago. I cannot remember a time that I suffered from an upset stomach during my travels.

Nevertheless, I plan to follow the suggestions of the Travel Clinic to keep myself healthy.

Papers Please

A traveler's passport is the key to enter a new country and return to a home country.  Without a passport, a traveler will be locked out.  That's why I was a bit hesitant when I placed my passport in the mail.

Visitors to India must apply for a visa from the Indian government in order to entry the country.  An application must be completed and questions about citizenship, the purpose of the trip and the places that will be visited must be answered.  Two small photographs and of course, a fee, must also be included.  Then the application and passport are sent by mail to be processed by the closest Embassy or Consulate.  In my case, the closest office was in San Francisco.

I mailed my passport and visa application by registered mail and requested that the return package be sent by FedEx.  I was surprised to find my passport package outside my front door less than two weeks after I had mailed it away.  However, there inside my passport was my official visa that will allow me to enter India.

Getting a visa for India

Here to There and Back Again

How does one get from Seattle, Washington, to New Delhi, India?  Many airlines offer many choices for travel.  I do not have a favorite airline, but I do have frequent flyer miles that I thought I could use.  I called one airline to see if I could use my miles to upgrade to business or first class for the long flight.  I was told that I would have to purchase a ticket for $3,300 before I would be allowed to use my miles.  This was much too expensive, so I bought a regular coach ticket instead.

The total time it will take to get from Seattle to New Delhi is about 24 hours.  On the way to India, I will change planes in Amsterdam and on the way home, I will change planes in Paris. 

Travel Health

This afternoon I visited a University of Washington Travel Health Clinic to make sure that all of my immunizations were up to date for my trip to India.  The staff made several recommendations and provided some useful travel advice.  I had a buffet of immunizations to choose from but all were not needed for India.   I decided on four immunizations (see the photo on the right) and rolled up my sleeves for these shots:

1.  Tetanus, diptheria, pertussis Vaccine (Tdap)

2.  Polio Vaccine
3.  Typhoid Vaccine
4.  Hepatitis A Vaccine

I did NOT get a vaccine for rabies, yellow fever, japanese encephalitis or hepatitis B.  Although malaria is a problem in many areas of India, the places I will be going have a low risk for malaria.  Therefore, I did not get any antimalaria medicines, but I will bring some insect repellant.  We also discussed water and food safety (drink only bottled water, make sure foods are cook completely).  I was also warned against petting any dogs and be on the look out for monkeys.   Finally, I received a prescription for azithromycin that I can use if I have gastrointestinal problems ("Delhi Belly").

The shots did not hurt, but my arms are a litle sore right now.  It's not really too bad.  A little arm soreness is much better than getting one of those nasty bugs!

Why India?

Why teach neuroscience to Tibetan monks and nuns in India?  That's a fair question.  But rather than answer that question directly, I will direct you to the Science for Monks program.

Science for Monks

Several months ago, I was contacted by the Science for Monks program to see if I was interested in traveling to INDIA to help teach science to Tibetan monks and nuns.  This sounded like a fantastic opportunity and I jumped at the chance. 

My departure day is quickly approaching and I am gathering all of the necessary teaching materials that I will need for trip.

Stay tuned to this blog for updated reports!