Pushed to the Limit

International travel can be very draining.  Wait, wait and wait some more.  With airports crowded with passengers, it takes time to get through check-in and security at the start of a journey and more time to get though immigration and customs when a destination is reached.  Add time waiting to get on and off an airplane and a person’s patience can really be pushed to the limit.

I try to maintain a calm demeanor when I travel, but sometimes I am tested. 

One such test was when I arrived at the Delhi airport.  After traveling for more than 24 hours and arriving in Delhi at 2:30 am, I just wanted off the plane and into a hotel for a short nap.  But it took me about 30 minutes to get through immigration/passport control and another 20 minutes to find my one piece of luggage.  Then another 10 minutes to change some dollars into rupees.  I suppose that’s not too bad, but after traveling for so long, I just wanted to rest...sleep deprivation was starting to have its effects.

Now That's A Trip!

After 22 hours in transit, I finally made it to India.  The 14-hour trip from Seattle to Dubai was made easier for me because I had an entire row to myself.  I suppose I slept for 2 or 3 hours.  My lack of sleep gave me the opportunity to perform a little experiment on myself about how fatigue affects reaction time and hand-eye coordination.

The flight I was on had a flight entertainment system with many movies, TV shows and games.  One of the games was a simple baseball game where a player had to press a button to swing a bat to hit home runs.  The pitches were either high, low, inside or outside and a player had to pick which of these areas the pitch was thrown.  Points were scored by the number of home runs and the distance of a hit.  If the ball was not hit, then a player would strike out: 10 strikes and the game was over.

During my experiment, I kept track of my score during the long flight.  As you might guess, my scores got lower and lower as I grew more tired.  Even with more practice over time, my scores still fell as the flight went on.

Although my scores got worse over time, I was still able to leave my mark on the game with the top 8 out of 10 scores on the flight.

Away We Go

The journey has started.  The most dangerous part of the trip -- driving on the freeway to the airport -- has been completed.  SeaTac airport is crowded as usual, but my check-in at the Emirates Airlines desk went very quickly and the security line via TSApre took only 7 minutes.  The 14-hour trip to Dubai, 3-hour layover, and then another 3.5-hour flight to Delhi awaits.  It is Sunday afternoon now; I arrive in Delhi at 2 am on Tuesday.

Supplied

When I teach in the Science for Monks and Nuns program, I like to reinforce important concepts with experiments and demonstrations.  Some of these activities require items such as toothpicks, string, cups and sandpaper.  The first time I participated in the program, I brought an entire suitcase filled with supplies.  In more recent visits including my upcoming trip, program staff have asked me for a list of supplies so they can purchase everything locally.  This has been a great benefit for me:  now I do not have to carry an extra bag filled with teaching supplies halfway around the world.

Program staff will also translate my PowerPoint slides into Tibetan. When I teach, a computer will present the Tibetan version of my slides for the monastics to see.  To ensure I do not forget anything, I will have a second computer with the English version of my slides that only I can see.

Tibetan / English Stroop Test

Not Lost in Translation (I hope)

The translators who work with the Science for Monks and Nuns program are amazing.  Most of them have a background in biology so they are already familiar with the neuroscience material.  Also, I have worked with them in the past, so they know my style of teaching.  I just have to remember to slow down when I speak and make sure I don't talk too long without waiting for a translation.

The high speed with which my spoken words are translated into Tibetan is incredible.  Sometimes I am surprised at the translation:  although I do not understand Tibetan, the length of the translation sometimes does not match the duration of what I said.  I might speak several sentences and then the translation might be only a few words.  Or I might say only a few words and the translation will go on and on.  

A Return to the Area

My trip next month will take me back to an area near Dharamshala, India.  Dharamshala is a city at the foothills of the Himalayas in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. 

I've been to Dharamshala a few times on previous trips.  I'll be at an elevation of about 5,000 ft, so the weather might be bit cool in March.

The photo on the right was taken on one of my earlier trips to the region.

 

Passport Protector

How do you keep your passport safe when you travel?  Do you keep your passport in a bag, a suitcase or your pocket?  I usually carry my passport with me at all times when I am overseas because the consequences of losing a passport can be dire.  Most times my passport is in my shirt or jacket pocket.  However, I sometimes fear that such pockets are not the best places for a passport because they are not safe from thieves in busy airports and marketplaces.  Also, it's possible for the passport to fall out if I have to bend down, for example, when tying my shoes or lifting a backpack. 

So, what do to?  Well, I've invented the inside-the-shirt passport protector pocket!  (Actually, someone else has probably already done this.)  What is the inside-the-shirt passport protector pocket, you ask?  Simple:  it is just an extra pocket sewn inside a shirt on the opposite side of the outside pocket that is already on the shirt.   To make sure the passport will not fall out, I have added a button to close the pocket.

The passport fits completely inside of the inside shirt pocket and it is easy to remove the passport just by unbuttoning the button.  Yes, you can see the seam of the inside pocket when you look at the shirt from the outside, but it is not very noticeable.  I have several of these shirts now and will test them out during my upcoming trip to India.