Orientation And South India Tour
Orientation
 Orientation is designed to help students adjust to an unfamiliar environment and culture and to become comfortable in a new country. A member of the SIP administration team will be at the Chennai airport to receive the incoming students and will help them adjust to the local environment and norms. An eight-part presentation, cultural outings, and comprehensive tour of Pondicherry University and its facilities gives students the background to begin to understand India and feel comfortable in their new home at Pondicherry University. The topics covered in the presentation include: Culture Shock and Adjustment; Historical, Political and Global India; Indian Society and Culture; Managing Cultural Differences in India; Introduction to Pondicherry University; Rules and Regulations of IISAC and Pondicherry University; IISAC’s South India Tour and Recommended Indian Destinations; and Safety Issues and Risk Management. The purpose of Orientation is to help students prepare for the cross-cultural transitions inherent in international education, and the implications of those transitions, especially with regards to health and safety. It provides a framework for integrating the study abroad semester into undergraduate studies so that it optimally becomes an educational experience that contributes to the methods of inquiry that are employed in courses, and it facilitates civic engagement on a global scale.
South India Tour
 The program offers you more than just an educational experience. It offers first-hand encounters with all of India's culture, environment and history. As part of the introduction to Indian culture, students embark on a three-week South Indian Tour before beginning classes at Pondicherry University.
On the Experience South India tour, students will travel through some of the most beautiful, tropical and diverse environments on earth. Located in the southernmost states of India, these sites are the heart of India's traditional culture and religious practices. The tour, lasting twenty days, takes students from the beautiful city of Pondicherry, to one of the largest sustainable communities in the world in Auroville, to the city of Cochin, to backwater boating on the Vembanattu Lake in Alleppy, to village walks in rural south India, to Ayurvedic centers, to Kumily exploring various eco-systems en route, to spice plantations, to elephant safaris, to Kathakali classical dancing and martial arts, and to some of the most beautiful and historic palaces and temples in all of India. They will stay in some of the best hotels and enjoy authentic south Indian food all along the way. Many of the sites they will visit are off the beaten path and introduced by locals to have the most authentic experience possible. From the hill stations of Tamil Nadu to the backwaters of Kerala to the bustling cities and ancient temples of Karnataka, students learn what the soul of India truly is.
Sample Itinerary for South India Tour:
Phase I: Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Day 1 Arrive at Chennai Airport and travel to Pondicherry
Day 2 Visa Registration and City Tour
Day 3 University campus tour and Auroville visit
Day 4 Leave hotel and visit places between Pondicherry and Chennai. Leave
Chennai by train to Cochin
Day 5 Arrival at Cochin and city tour
Day 6 Site-seeing at Cochin, leave for Kottayam
Day 7 Backwater boat ride on Vembanattu Lake
Day 8 Shopping, relaxation, and cultural exchange
Day 9 Village walk, local family interaction and Ayurvedic experience
Day 10 Travel through various eco-systems of Kerala on the way to Kumily
Day 11 Visit spice plantation and other farms, elephan ride and tribal walk
Day 12 Watch Kathakali dance and martial arts, night walk through tropical jungle weather permitting
Day 13 Travel to Maduri Meenakshi temple and leave for Villupuram
Day 14 Arrive at Villupuram and travel to Pondicherry and stay in Hotel
Day 15 Move into Foreign Students Hostel, register for courses, and classes begin
Phase II: Karnataka – Mysore and Bangalore
Day 1 Leave Pondicherry in the evening after classes
Day 2 Arrival at Bangalore, site-seeing
Day 3 Leave for Mysore and walk around the city
Day 4 Explore Mysore, travel to Bangalore and board bus for Pondicherry
Day 5 Arrival at Pondicherry
Additional Travel
Travel throughout the program is highly encouraged and students are allowed to travel during weekends to wherever they would like to go. At the conclusion of the program, IISAC encourages its students to take a tour of Northern India, visiting especially Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. IISAC provides recommended sites, itineraries, and other details and can help plan the students’ trips.
|
