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As the 2010 summer break approaches and students make their plans for the three month break, a group of Wesleyan students will use their break to participate in a study abroad trip to India.
The trip is scheduled for July 1-14, with a total of three professors and 24 students going.
Dr. Mark Hanshaw, assistant professor of comparative religious studies, said this will be Wesleyan’s first trip to India.
Hanshaw said the experience will “help expose students to a culture and set of religious systems that are very different from what we are accustomed to.”
Hanshaw said this exposure will help challenge barriers or assumptions students often have about other areas of the world, especially third world countries.
But students have a variety of reasons for going on the trip.
Senior religion major Carlos Careaga said one reason he is going is because Wesleyan makes the trip financially possible for students.
“I decided to go to India, because it was affordable,” Careaga said. “The price, $1,250, was peanuts compared to what it would normally be if you were paying on your own.”
The price includes airfare, lodging, in-country transportation, transfers, insurance, hand-outs, lectures, museum and tour site fees.
Hanshaw said most of the students going are religion and education majors, but he encourages students from any major to join.
One such student, sophomore business major Oscar Lazarky, said this trip could look great on a future resume.
“I feel like having this on my resume will help my career tremendously,” Lazarky said. “It says I can go places and take care of different things and communicate with many different races and cultures of people in the work force.”
But aside from listing this experience on his resume, Lazarky said he intends to enjoy the trip as well.
“I’m not too excited about the food, but I can’t wait to see all the crazy souvenirs I can find,” Lazarky said.
Hanshaw said the cross-disciplinary aspect of this trip is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities for students.
Hanshaw also said students from both religion and education majors can complete up to six hours in a span of two weeks.
But Careaga said the credits weren’t as important to him as the experience itself.
“I don’t even need those six hours,” Careaga said. “I would have graduated this semester, but I wanted to go…so I postponed my graduation until August.”
Careaga said it will benefit him in his future career in the ministry. He believes this trip will give real experience to his studies in Buddhism and Hinduism.
“The study of religion can build bridges,” Careaga said. “Ignorance is what divides us.”
Hanshaw said students would have the opportunity to travel to many famous locations in India.
Students will tour the Dalai Llama’s home in Dharmashala, the Himalayan Mountains, and the fairgrounds where the Beatles studied under the Maharishi yogi.
“This trip will allow you access to places you wouldn’t normally be allowed to go,” Careaga said.
Toward the end of their journey, Hanshaw said they will travel down the Ganges River to witness a traditional ceremony of the scattering of cremated ashes and visit Varanasi, the birthplace of Buddha.
“I hope that the university keeps helping students with trips like this,” Careaga said.
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