TravelStream™ news feed for member hayestm on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/hayestm en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:10:15 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/14/1222164480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/14/1222164480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/14/1222164480/tpod.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:10:15 -0400 U.S. Virgin Islands: Secret dive spots

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St. John, Virgin Islands US

The U.S.Virgin Islands offer some of the clearest waters in which to dive in the Caribbean. There are a host of dive shops available that can take the millions of tourists along well-beaten paths...but where do the locals go? Since I lived in St. John, I'll fill you in on some secret dive locations that you'll love to experience.

Although the waters of Haulover Bay can be finicky due to its location and remote openness, it offers a great little beach dive. One of the benefits, of diving this spot, is that you can pull your car up along the side of the road and haul your gear to the beach in a matter of minutes. Once you are ready, swim out and to the left; that's where you'll find the coral and most of the fish. The dive is best from 15 to 40 feet. When you are done with the dive, plan on relaxing as you gaze across the Channel at Tortola and the beautiful hillsides along St. John's coast.

Salt Pond Bay has become more of a tourist beach in the past few years, so expect to find plenty of people milling about in the crystal clear shallows. The main problem with this dive is the long hill that stretches down to the beach. Carrying your gear, plan on taking a fifteen minute stroll to the beach. This dive will also require quite a long swim out to the best spot; around fifteen minutes with a relaxed kick and air filled BC. If you don't mind the hike or the swim, you will be rewarded with a beautiful dive around a coral formation that just barely peeks above the waves. The dive is around 65 feet and, due to the swim out and back, should only be done by experienced and fit divers. You'll see many schools of fish and the occasional shark. If you're not into a long swim or seeing sharks, there is a small coral formation located almost dead center in the Bay; it's not as spectacular a view as the formation that is farther out, but you can still see fish and enjoy an easy shallow dive.

Newfound Bay can only be reached by boat, which has kept this spot a secret that only cruisers and locals know about. You can stick to the shallows for the best coral views. With an average dive of only 15 feet, plan on spending quite a bit of time underwater. There are a host of lobster hiding in the nooks and crannies, so keep a sharp look out for their antennas. The Bay is also where a huge barracuda hangs out, and since they're territorial, you might get lucky enough to see this giant gentle wolf of the sea.

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

France is the fourth most popular destination for Americans studying overseas. French is the second most popular language studied in the United States. While studying in the country; sample some of the best cuisine in the world, visit the Eiffel tower, spend a weekend browsing through the thousands of pieces of art in the Louvre, tour the beaches of the French Riviera, and even ski the mountain slopes along the Swiss and Spanish borders. The culture and beautiful countryside are truly some of the greatest jewels that Europe has to offer.

I traveled through France several times and have seen the country from the English Channel on the west coast to the border of Switzerland in the east and all along the French Riviera in the south. One trip, during a Graduate program in Europe, my school group spent three amazing weeks in Paris. I've fallen in love with the beauty that the countryside holds and the friendliness of the French people. The secret to finding open arms and a friendly smile is to learn and use some of the French language while shopping, strolling down the street, and eating in the restaurants. I've had a lot of great conversations with the locals in small outdoor cafes while sipping an espresso.

There are programs for everyone; the casual traveler that wishes to learn more about a specific subject, summer sessions, college credit sessions, high school programs, and, Graduate programs. Research these locations, which offer a wide variety of appeals, when searching for a place to study; Paris, Bordeaux, the French Riviera, Grenoble, and Strasbourg. Paris is such an obvious favorite for most Americans wishing to study in France that it might be hard to look through the other suggested destinations. The city is filled with historic sites that make most dreamers swoon. Aside from its famous cultural sites, that would greatly add to any study abroad experience, the city is centrally located and offers a great home base to explore the other parts of France. Bordeaux is in the region made famous for its internationally distributed wines. The city is also home to several Universities that would make it easy to meet other French students. The French Riviera stretches from the small University town of Aix-en-Provence, which is located near the city of Marseilles, all the way along the Mediterranean coast to the city of Nice. Studying in this area will give you access to the most beautiful beaches in France as well as the opportunity, if your program takes place during May, to visit the world renowned Cannes Film Festival (be sure to book your hotel reservations well in advance as the rooms in the entire area completely sell out during the festival). Grenoble is located in the mountainous region of France, which offers a winter wonderland for enthusiasts of any snow related activities. Being a small city and surrounded by scenery that is both awe-inspiring and romantic, Grenoble is one of my favorite places to visit. If you are interested in studying and networking for an internship with a large European based organization, then you should choose to live in Strasbourg. Among other large organizations, the city is home to the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the International Institute of Human Rights. Another great benefit, of studying in Strasbourg, is its central location on the Rhine bordering Germany, which allows you to use this city as a base to easily explore deep into the central parts of Germany.

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Madrid, Madrid, Spain and Canary Islands

Spain is the third most popular destination for Americans studying abroad. Studying in Spain can provide a great opportunity to explore the vibrant culture and passion of the Spanish people. Fun loving and full of life, every city in Spain abounds with great nightlife and historical sites that you can visit when you're not in class. From the party scene around Ibiza in the Costa del Sol to the ski slopes along the French border, you'll never run out of things to do during your time away from classes.

I had a friend that studied business in Madrid for his Junior year of College. Madrid, of course, is a huge city but it is also loaded with University students from the major schools of Spain. In fact, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid itself has approximately 100,000 students. During his studies, my friend was sitting at an outdoor cafe, enjoying some coffee, and met the woman who would later become his wife.

There are programs for everyone; the casual traveler that wishes to learn more about a specific subject, summer sessions, college credit sessions, high school programs, and, Graduate programs. Some of the cities in Spain that offer great cultural events, plenty of activities, in addition to a multitude of study abroad sessions are; Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia. Madrid, being the capital, obviously has all the benefits of a major city; shopping, nightlife, historic sites, et cetera. Also, since Madrid is centrally located, you can branch out in any direction for weekend sightseeing trips. Barcelona is truly filled with an International atmosphere. With the city's location in the northeast of Spain, you can choose to hit the beautiful beaches or, in the winter, take a trip up to one of the ski resorts in the Andorra region. Also, the city is home to another huge school, the Universidad de Barcelona, so you won't find it hard to meet students from all over Spain. Seville is a beautiful city and the people are fun loving and friendly; maybe that's why its the birthplace of Flamenco, a beautiful flowing dance. If you are there in April, you can enjoy a week of festivities at the Feria de abril de Sevilla. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is home to the largest aquarium in Europe, El Oceanográfico. Being a coastal city near the Baleaeric Islands, it also provides ferry services out to Ibiza.

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Malapascua, Visayas, Philippines

Freediving is an inherently dangerous sport in which, wearing only fins and a mask, you dive down as far as you can on only one breath of air. The benefits of freediving are that you can "free" yourself from having to wear SCUBA gear and also you can legally spearfish in areas which prohibit doing so while breathing from a compressed air tank. SCUBA enthusiasts might point out that a person doesn't get enough time under water to make freediving a viable alternative, but with new techniques in breath holding the world record currently stands at 10:12 and the world record for swimming under water on one breath is 112 meters (approximately 367.4 feet).

Starting out, I taught myself how to freedive simply because I wanted to see how deep I could dive. My initial mistake, which is very common for rookie freedivers, was to try and go down too fast; this had the negative effects of keeping my body tense and also depleting valuable oxygen...it was difficult to get to 25 feet. Eventually, I learned to relax and go down slowly; my depth jumped down to 45 feet almost immediately upon trying the new technique. Another secret that will help, when you first start, is the initial transition from floating on the surface to being vertical underwater and beginning the dive. When you're about to go down, gently pull your knees in towards your chest, turn your torso and head down towards the bottom of the pool, ocean, or lake and push your legs straight up in the air (your fins should be completely out of the water); this movement will drive you down about eight feet with the least amount of effort and get you into a relaxed position as soon as possible.

After a few months, I began freediving with a friend from the British Virgin Island of Tortola. While swimming off the coast of St. John, U.S.V.I., he taught me a few secrets. First, while descending, keep your eyes closed. At first, I thought this would cause me some disorientation, but, after trying it a few times, I realized that the only effect it had was to relax my entire body; after trying this new technique, my depth jumped down to 75 feet. Second, when you are down as far as you can dive and about to come back up to the surface, your mask actually holds a little bit of air that you can suck in through your nose. Most of you will say this is cheating because its supposed to be a one breath dive, but when you're down at a hundred feet and you get rattled by something, and you need that little bit of extra air, you're not going to be caring whether the freedive is "pure" or not.

If you are new to the sport of freediving or a seasoned SCUBA diver that wants to try something different, increase your comfort underwater, or even build a new skill that will give you the confidence to SCUBA more efficiently, then put some fins and a mask on and dive deep. You'll love the freedom that this sport offers. Start out practicing in a local pool by swimming back and forth from wall to wall under water. My last and final tip is; concentrate on relaxing, swim fluidly, and try not to smile underwater because it will flood your mask with water (just kidding, smile all you want, you can clear your mask later)!

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One of the greatest experiences in my life occurred while freediving a shipwreck near the Island of Malapascua in the Philippines. The bottom depth was 93 feet, however, the sunken ship rose up to around 60 feet and would be my guide in the murky soup of the Pacific Ocean. After some warm-up dives, that allowed me to get my blood pumping and practice equalizing my ears (it's necessary to equalize the pressure, so during the descent, they won't hurt), I was ready to dive to the bottom and "grab some sand". Resurfacing with something like sand or a shell is a clear indication to the other divers on the boat that you were actually successful in reaching the bottom.

As I approached and passed the eerie shadow of the ill-fated ferry, eventually my goal began to come into view. Trying to subdue my excitement, I continued down until it was almost within reach. At about 85 feet, suddenly, there was a loud explosion which caused me to lose some of the air I desperately needed to safely return to the surface. I stopped and looked over towards the SCUBA divers who were hovering above the shipwreck, thinking that maybe one of them had knocked something loose on their tank and, with the force of the escaping gas, was being shot around as if strapped to a torpedo. All seemed well in their direction and, puzzled, I ascended to the surface.

Upon regaining my breath, I asked one of the deckhands what had happened. He pointed over to some locals in small rafts and exclaimed that they were dynamite fishing! I couldn't believe it. The thought that they were using dynamite to scoop up the fish was why so few were left around these parts of the Philippines and why the coral was all broken and dead.

It was difficult to regroup for another deep dive so I decided to simply go down and play. After relaxing, I went back down to where the SCUBA divers were hanging out, about 65 feet, and got into a Buddha position, crossing my legs and holding my fins for stabilization, while I floated motionless in the water. My heart rate dropped as I relaxed more and more until a feeling of calmness pervaded my entire being. The feeling of the "breath" of the ocean pulsed through my body. I began to imagine that I was completely alone, separate from the physical realities of our world. I closed my eyes. My mind was devoid of all thoughts and yet as expansive as the Universe itself...I had reached Nirvana.

I've only experienced this mental state of "being one with the Universe" two times in my life. It's a difficult feeling to describe, hence the seemingly unintelligible suggestions of guidance, in obtaining this mental and spiritual state, we so often read from monks and other enlightened people. When I think about those moments, I can still relive the experience, although it's a very subtle feeling of peace and not fully pervasive throughout my being. And then the thoughts of the present invade my mind again and the feeling dissipates, but when it does, I'm always left with a big smile.

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/10/1221247020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/10/1221247020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/10/1221247020/tpod.html Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:20:35 -0400 Italy: Guide to studying overseas

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Rome, Lazio, Italy

For those of you who wish to study in a romantic and historic environment, Italy is a perfect destination. The history, art scene, food, vineyards, and people all add up to an incredible experience living overseas. Just visiting the main cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice are enough to make the dreams come true of so many Americans...but there is so much more to see and do! Consider a study abroad trip and taking the weekends to ski the Alps, swim along the beaches of Sicily, or visit Mount Vesuvius.

My friend studied Fashion Design in Rome during one semester of her Undergraduate studies. Whenever she speaks of her overseas experience, she can't help but get a huge smile. During her program, there was a fashion design competition, which she ended up winning and gaining great publicity and enhancing her resume. She is now teaching at an American University.

There are programs for everyone; the casual traveler that wishes to learn more about a specific subject, summer sessions, college credit sessions, high school programs, and, Graduate programs. The four main cities to consider for your overseas adventures are Rome, Torino, Siena, Florence, and Venice. Rome will obviously have the most programs available since it is the largest city and the country's capital. The benefits of studying here include the multitude of historical sites you can visit, a vibrant festive atmosphere, and using its great location as a jumping-off point to visit other Italian and Mediterranean locations. Torino was made famous by hosting the 2006 Winter Olympics and would be a great place to live and study during the winter months; if you like skiing, of course. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy's primary wine growing region. Living in this ancient city, you will feel as if you've been transported back into the ages while walking through the many beautiful piazza and courtyards. Florence is world famous for its Michelangelo's David, the nightlife, and all around Italian charm. The city offers a cultural experience that rivals any program in the world. Venice, of course, is surrounded by the mystique of its romantic aura. Since the city is actually made up of over one hundred Islands and over four hundred bridges, to get to classes, there's a good chance you might have to take a stroll along the canal or ride a water taxi as you people watch everyone strolling by.

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London, England, United Kingdom

There are many reasons England is at the top of the list for U.S. study abroad students. More Americans study in England than any other country in the world. For one reason, they speak English! It's such an easy transition to make when you take living and communicating in a foreign language out of the stress of going abroad. Also, we, as Americans, are intimately familiar with the history and culture of the country. Who hasn't had to read Shakespeare, Chaucer, or Dickens in High School? And we all know about the historical sites; Stonehenge, London Tower, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, et cetera. I'm sure, since most of us are descended from someone in the United Kingdom, that must have a part to play in choosing England as the top destination for studying. If you are interested in genealogy, you can even take some time on the weekends to research your family background. My brother visited Scotland and eventually tracked down some of our family history from that area.

I studied at the London School of Economics during a summer Graduate school session. I had a great experience. The visiting lecturers were Parliament members and successful businessmen. Our group tours included the Lloyds of London, the Land Rover plant, and seeing the Kingdom's crown jewels in an underground vault at the Tower of London. Also, my dorm room had a pub in the basement; you can't beat that!

There are programs for everyone; the casual traveler that wishes to learn more about a specific subject, summer sessions, college credit sessions, high school programs, and, as I previously mentioned, Graduate programs. The three main cities you should look into are; London, Oxford, and Brighton. London obviously will have the most programs available because it is such a large city. The great benefits of studying here are the multitude of things to see and do like shopping, nightlife, and visiting the historical sites. Oxford is a smaller academic town and has a lot of University students milling around. The benefits of studying here are that you will easily meet other students from the United Kingdom. Brighton is a small sea-side resort area about an hour from London. The benefits of studying here are that the city holds two Universities, so there are a lot of students, it is a good jumping-off point to visit France just across the channel, and, if you're lucky to study there in the spring or summer, you can attend a three week city-wide celebration in May, the Brighton Festival.

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St. john, Virgin Islands US

There are few situations that occur in one's life when a nightmare suddenly turns into reality; a shark attack can definitely be included in the list. First, I want to point out that I grew up during the summers and winter school breaks in the U.S. Virgin Islands where I spent most of my time in the Caribbean waters and never had any problems with the sharks I encountered. I have nearly a thousand SCUBA dives and freedives; alot of them in remote waters away from the packed tourist sites where most groups frequent.

The situation occured in New Found Bay, St. John, when I was out looking for lobsters. I was about a fifteen minute swim from the sailboat, when I first saw the eight foot lemon shark quickly bearing down on me from behind. It was approaching in two feet of water, so my first option to get back towards land had been quashed by the skillful ambush. The shark glided past me with such effortlessness and speed that, I must admit, even with the shock of seeing the predator, I observed it with awe and respect. Suddenly, it turned towards me and rushed in three successive attacks. Luckily, I was holding a two foot long piece of steel with a cord looped through it to catch any lobster I might have come across. I used the rod to poke aggresively at the shark and succeeded in thwarting its attack at the last moment. After the shark's third blitz, I turned back towards the sailboat, hoping that would calm his agitation; It worked. We swam parallel for approximately ten minutes before he turned away from me and disappeared into the ocean blue.

So, what do you do when you are suddenly faced with an aggressive shark? First, you need to remember that it is initially observing you to see if you might be injured or could possibly be an easy target. Sharks are ambush predators and seek out moments of opportunity to strike. One way to counter its hunting instincts, is to get off the surface of the water; swim fluidly up and down to show that you are not injured. Another way of protecting yourself, if you have SCUBA gear on, is to sit back so your tank is below you and kick away from the area. Yet another way to defend against an attack, is to loosen your BC and slide the entire vest over one's arm, with the tank facing out (still keeping the regulator in your mouth of course), and using the entire equipment as a shield between you and the predator. Remember to always keep your eyes on the shark. Unlike dogs, that may feel threatened when stared at and become even more aggresive, sharks respect a target that has all its attention facing in its direction.

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/7/1221138600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/7/1221138600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/7/1221138600/tpod.html Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:12:43 -0400 Argentina: Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires

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Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina

Studying Spanish in Argentina

When I first arrived in Buenos Aires, I found the city lived up to its reputation as being the "Paris of South America". The downtown area has some beautiful buildings and tons of shopping areas, so it's a good place to hang out, drink a coffee and people watch. Of all the places I visited in the region, Buenos Aires had the most European looking people; this was because there had been a huge wave of immigrants from Italy and Germany.

The downtown area has a main walkway called Florida street and because the hotels were expensive in this area, I quickly looked for an apartment elsewhere. Eventually I found one catering to foreigners; brick walls, a loft bedroom, fully furnished, and in the Palermo Hollywood district, a hip place with a lot of lively nightlife. Another area you might consider looking into, for an apartment, is the San Telmo district. On Sundays, in good weather, there is a street festival with the streets packed with casual walkers, tango shows, street vendors, and musicians.

Finding a Spanish school is easy over the internet; they are located all around the city. Since the subway system is really good, although hot in the summer, you can stay in any district and get to the farthest areas in a matter of 20 minutes. However, I'd suggest first finding an apartment or hostel then finding a school that's located nearby; it makes it easier if you can simply wake up and walk to the school. And since they all have rolling admissions (you can enter classes whenever you want), you will have no problem with scheduling your courses.

I paid by the week and it was around $130 for 5 two-hour private lessons, with the instruction manual included in the first week for free. You can also do group lessons, which typically have three or four students. I'd suggest doing the privates for a few weeks then going into the group lessons. The reason being, in two weeks of privates your Spanish skills will remarkably improve and then you can go into the group classes and have fun with it.

One caveat, is that Argentine Spanish is unlike any of the other Spanish spoken in South America. They pronounce some letters different because it is the most similar Spanish to that spoken in Spain. Also, it sounds very beautiful and flowing, almost like Italian.

I studied at CEDIC on Reconquista street downtown. The link is; http://www.spanishcedic1.netfirms.com/public_html/home.htm

My school offered Friday night "get-togethers" at a restaurant, which turned out to be really fun. On most school's websites you will also see offers for sight seeing around the country as well as weekend trips to the beaches in Uruguay.

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/6/1221059820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/6/1221059820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/6/1221059820/tpod.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:46:23 -0400 Peru Amazon plant market: In search of the fountain of youth

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Chiclayo, Peru

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Visiting an Amazon plant market: in search of the fountain of youth

While growing up on the Island of St. Croix, I came across a plant that, when ingested, produced a feeling of power and strength (yes, it was considered an aphrodisiac). The locals prepared the drink by taking the leaves, bark, and roots and either brewing a tea or soaking it in rum for two weeks. Because I actually felt the effects of the drink first hand and not through a book or magazine advertisement, I realized there must be other plants in the world that locals intimately know and outsiders would marvel at their positive effects on the human body.

Although it was difficult to track the plant down through the chain of Caribbean Islands, due to the fact that they all had local nicknames for it, my research finally revealed that it had more than likely originated in Brazil. Its name is Muira Puana.

After traveling the world and finding similar plants in Asia, like San Sam (mountain root), I finally decided it was time to go to South America and investigate the medicinal plants of the Amazon. However, trekking through that mysterious and remote jungle seemed too difficult. Once in Peru, my quandary was solved when I heard about an open-air market, in the Mercado Modelo, that was billed as having the largest medicinal plant collection in the Western Hemisphere; in the little town of Chiclayo.

Chiclayo is located about an hour flight or a twelve hour bus ride North of Lima. Since it is located along the Pacific coast and has been inhabited for several thousand years, there is a dusty ancient feel to the place. Originally the area around Chiclayo was the site of a pre-Incan civilization called Moche. These people lived in the area from roughly AC 100 to 800. There is a museum near Chiclayo that has a lot of items on display from the Moche time period, specifically from the wind beaten pyramids of Tucume, including shards of ceramics depicting healers and healing scenes; from this evidence, it is obvious that the area has long been the center of a flourishing medicinal market that stretched North into Ecuador and East into the Amazon.

The Amazon plant market is fairly large and packed with a lot of stalls selling herbal type products. Although some of the plant-based powders are packaged in gaudy boxes adorned with swimsuit models, there are plenty of stalls with hand packaged plant mixtures and fresh branches hanging from the roof, drying before being sold. Everything can be found that would interest a traveler in search of the fountain of youth; tonics, hallucinogenic beverages, aromatic herbs, amulets, as well as specially made traditional herbal treatments.

Chiclayo is also home to curanderos, traditional healers, who use a variety of methods to cure the sick and exorcise any bad spirits that may be tormenting the person wither physically or mentally. Another type of healer in the area are the brujos, witch doctors. Although few people outside of Peru know about these traditional healers and shamans, they are well respected and, in some cases, their profession is considered essential to the communal feeling of security and well being in many small towns.

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/3/1219747740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/3/1219747740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hayestm/3/1219747740/tpod.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:51:53 -0400 Studying and working in Vienna, Austria

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Lima, Peru

http://www.world-joblist.com/ When i first got to Peru, it wasn't long before i was learning spanish at a rapid rate by dictionary, necessity, and improvisation. After a month of intense "real life" learning, i realized i needed to take a class and put it all together. So off i flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I found a school on the internet that was downtown and offered 2 hour classes, 5 days a week for about $140. It wasn't long before i realized Argentine Spanish is totally different from that spoken in the rest of Central America and South America...in Argentina, they speak Castillian Spanish which is directly related to the Spanish spoken in Spain. They pronounce their L differently and inflect different parts of words. It's really a beautiful type of Spanish because it flows like Italian and can sound romantic...of course being in the city that made the Tango famous helped.
There are schools all over Central America and South America and they offer weekly and monthly packages that range from $120 to $200 a week. There is no contract, so you can take a week or a month or study every other week...it's all up to you. Guatemala has marketed itself as the premier location down south offering spanish classes to North Americans, however, like i said, you can find schools everywhere.
Usually you have to find your own room and board but they all are happy to help locate something for you. Typically, the class sizes are small; from private lessons to maybe 4 people in the class. I'd recommend taking a few weeks in a private then moving to a group lesson class. Of course, the greatest thing about studying a foreign language overseas is that you can go out into the streets and immediately start practicing...improvement is immediate and so is the satisfaction.
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