rewong

Has anyone done their oral test via the phone yet?   Just did mine......I went on a horrible tangent about peacocks in vermont turning wild and ambushing people's chicken coops. ><  whyyyy

Ok, I'll try to answer the stipend question as best I can: 
I don't know how much money students going to China receive nor how it is structured if you don't live with a family. However, I do know that the stipend directly correlates with how much you are expected to purchase for yourself. Typically, the CLS ensures that breakfast and dinner are provided by families. If there is a way, I'm sure they will make sure you have those meals provided by the institute. If not, my understanding is that they increase your stipend to cover the amount. That system might actually work better for you if you're trying to be conservative with your stipend to travel as you can choose cheaper meals. 

Hey guys, just to try and shed a little light on the stipends: 
Your stipend will cover more than what it's intended for (lunches, toiletries, etc), but won't get you far if you want to travel. Honestly, amount received varies from country to country but you will have a better time if you can go with a few hundred dollars for travel. The CLS is a really intense program and you will need some money to get away and to get some space on the weekends. For Turkey, I believe I received about $500... but I don't quite remember. 
Also, lots of things in DC will be financially covered during orientation but not everything. A couple meals are on your own and it's also fun to grab a beer with the people who will be in your cohort one night. 
Remember: you won't know what cool things are possible until you're in country. What I can recommend is that you all look at where you think you'd like to travel and budget accordingly. I recommend Rome2Rio to estimate in country trip prices (there is also an app, which is cool) and remember that in a lot of places budget airlines exist and might be cheaper (not to mention faster) than busses or trains if you book in advance. Also, if you're going to a Muslim area you will be there during Eid and have a long weekend where you will want to travel. 
A bit of extra cash never hurt. Bring some and be a little happier. 
Let me know if you have anymore questions. 

Yes! It was a miracle. I submitted at 4:58 PM!

In case any one has the same questions, here's an email sent to hindi alternates in my area. Hope this helps a little with the alternate anxiety!  

@pdh12 we haven't started the visa process yet (for China), but my first day is on the 16th. If you go on the CLS website, they have listings for all the program sites and their start dates. Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu are also on the 7th, which makes sense to have all the India ones on the same date.  The Tainan, Taiwan program is also on the 7th.