Instructions for US Fellowship Recipients
It is our great pleasure that you are able to come to the first Joint US-Africa Materials Institute School that will take place in Addis Ababa from December 10th - 21st 2012. Please find below some information about travel arrangements that we hope you will find helpful. It is expected that students stay for the entire duration of the school.
The school will take place at the Panorama Hotel in Addis Ababa (www.panoramaaddis.com). It will begin at 8:30 am on Monday 10th December and will conclude after breakfast on Friday 21st December. Plan to arrive during the day on December 9th.
We are working with Ricard Caldwell at Connoisseur travel (richard.caldwell@ctltd.com, Phone 202.223.1001, Toll free 800.858.0011) to help facilitate travel. You will hear by separate email whether you will receive travel support for the meeting. If the school is supporting your air travel, you may book the travel by contacting Richard by email or phone. In this case your airfare will be direct billed and you will not be charged. If your travel is being supported from other sources, you may still book through Richard if you like, or use another travel agent of your choice. In either case, please contact Richard to make the hotel reservation. If you are getting support it will be possible to reimburse travel expenses after the meeting is over, though it is preferred that you use Richard and get arrangements direct billed. Please note that reimbursement is subject to the "fly america" act which stipulates that flights entering or exiting the US must be on (or code-shared by) a US airline.
Please make sure that you are aware of visa and immunization requirements for travel to Ethiopia. Information about this may be found at the websites of the Department of State or the Ethiopian Embassy. US passport holders may obtain a tourist visa at Bole International Airport on arrival for a cost of between $20-70 depending on nationality, but please check your own particular situation.
It is also important to prepare yourself for health risks of travelling to Africa, including recommendations for immunizations and malaria medications. Information about this may be found at the website of the Center for Disease Control (e.g., see http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/ethiopia.htm). Do this as soon as possible since some immunizations take some time to take full effect.
Many of these resources are collected on the Connoisseur travel website under "Travel Resources" (http://www.ctltd.com/travel-resources.php). Advice may often be obtained from University health clinics and it is likely that you can schedule a consultation at the clinic on your own campus. It is your responsibility to arrange the correct papers, health insurance and required and recommended immunizations for your trip to Ethiopia, and to educate yourself about the risks.
We very much look forward to seeing you in Addis. Please contact Richard Caldwell directly for more questions about scheduling travel, or me (sb2896@columbia.edu) if you have any questions regarding the trip. Please make you travel arrangements right away to avoid the expense of last minute airfares which go beyond our budget.
Instructions for Africa Fellowship Recipients
Warmest congratulations to all African Fellowship recipients! We are excited to welcome each of you in Addis Ababa. Since some of you will be traveling from within Ethiopia and others from further distances, please be in touch with the Africa Committee organizers to make travel arrangements.
