Originally posted by UKjoshD:
hey Bri, I posted a different thread but il gladly post advice here instead, cheers Vishal..
theres just the few questions to answer haha!!
So...
1. Take plenty of clothes!! You'll be there for two weekends where theyl let you wear casual stuff, and in a lot of the evenings there's activities so you can get changed. They're not too fussy so long as you look smart, my advice is wear nice light cool stuff as it gets really hot(for a poor english guy anyway) and comfortable shoes, theres a fair amount of walking!
2. Not Much! But think of the whole experience as fun times... basically there's stuff to do from 8 in the morning till 10 at night! At dinner theres usually about an hour of spare time, to be spent queuing for internet at the hotel or playing football or frisbee at manhattan college without getting caught! This means you'll end up chatting wayyy into the night with your room mates, but theres plenty of time to sleep when its all over!!
3. The rooms get allocated before you arrive, theres no choice in the matter!! You'll most likely share with 2 others at the hotel, and at the college the rooms are in 'flats' with 4 sharing. But you're sure to get on brilliantly with whoever you're with... my first encounter with my roommate was him asking me to pass the soap... needless to say things improved and we got on awesomely! The rooms are nice though, beds at the sheraton are v. comfy.
Jeez lots of questions!! Erm...
4. you can pick up lunch for like $7-10, but its hard to find something remotely healty to eat in the states lol! You get to sample some great restaurants in little Italy in NY though. i never got a cab although some did, there never seemed to be enough time!!
5. there'll be an FA (faculty advisor) to pick you up from the airport, and providing you're not the first to arrive there'll be plenty of people to meet and a couple of hours to get to know them!
6. I'm not really sure but i guess if it's all done on time you've got a good chance, i didn't have any issues
7. Depends really, i took two suitcases and a carry but most people had one. If you're going to do lots of shopping then make sure you have plenty of room!
8. Get ready to be up early!! Bear in mind three people have to use one bathroom, and most days you'll be rushing round trying to make yourself look as smart as possible!! Breakfast is normally between 7 and 8, but be ready to leave/meet by about 8.20. As for Curfew there's a head count in rooms at 10/10.30, but after that as long as you're quiet and/or good at bending rules you should be okay!!
9. Absolutely bring a camera, take millions of photos and you will treasure them; be sure to have lots of memory cards/spare batteries/charger because the memories are priceless. MP3s are a good idea for the long bus journies and if you have speakers its good to share music, so long as you don't lose them i don't think theres much chance of theft! In NY they told us all about pickpockets but the US guys didn't seem to think there was much risk.
10. Deffo take a cell phone, its great to keep in touch as 2 weeks is a fair amount of time. My bill was pretty huge however, might be worth getting a yankee sim card or something!
11. Weather is hot hot hot. We had beautiful sunshine from June 22 - July 3, about 30c but very humid (sweaty!!!) in NY. it was awesome...
12. supervision...if i'm getting what you're asking... lots of counting on and off buses, plenty of GYLC staff... generally theres loads of time to wander around, they give out leaflets when you go out so you'll know exactly where to find the staff. I think most people felt pretty free, but also very safe!
13. DC to NY was great fun, two 3 hour bus journies but if you have a good bus group it'l fly by! It's broken up by lunch in Philadelphia and thats great, theres plenty of history to see and the legendary cheese steak to try!! Arriving in New York is sooo exciting seeing all the huge buildings in the distance!
14. take plenty of money but if you're like me then the more you take the more you'll spend!! Food is pretty cheap so you could probably get by on like 200 if you wanted, but i took loads and spent most of it at the abercrombie stores :S lol
15. there's loads of exploring to do, its all so much fun!! i won't spoil the surprise of telling you all the cool stuff you get to see, but one thing we did do was see a broadway show, which despite my initial reluctance to engage in musical theatre, was an amazing experience!!
16. every day you'll have plenty of meetings with your country group, all of which are brilliant fun, the work never seems too hard or boring! There's a surprisingly good amount of time to chill at manhattan college, we managed to get some pretty good football games going most days! Also there are loads of opportunities for shopping; only like for an hour or two at a time, but great nonetheless.
17. I probably got to sleep at 1 most nights and got up at liek 6.30, although the first few nights we barely slept! But I never really felt tired because its such a unique and energising experience... although i did see one person asleep at the UN during the Global Summit!!!
18. I can't pick a best moment as there were so many, but i particularly remember the river cruise in NY on the last night, partying with so many amazing new friends!! It's like seriously one of the best things I've ever done. The trip has made me wayy more confident in meeting people and in public speaking.. and keen to travel the world to see my new friends (have only been to germany to visit so far, a start, i'l be off to brazil next year hopefully!). Also I managed to get a place at Cambridge University to study law, and i'm sure that gylc had something to do with it... my interviewer asked me all about it!!
19. hmm i cant really think of much, but id say take a diary. I'm rubbish at writing stuff down and i wish i'd done more; i had a travel journal but only wrote like the first couple of days, but reading it back is so much fun afterwards. so yeah, take a diary and try to find time to write in it!!
20. Planes are great. Takeoffs dead exciting, landings always nice and the foods not too shabby. I love it. But i know some of the Aussies spent the best part of 2 days flying to get there.. and i dont think even i would have enjoyed that!!
And there it is. I deserve a medal after all that haha. hope i have been of some help. i'm off for a lie down now lol...
Loves, Josh