[cryptoz]

My girlfriend is going on a Field Study program with a Canadian university. She will be there for five months and have "very little" Internet access. She's forbidden from bringing her own computer, and the 40 students share a professor's laptop.

Sure, there's Internet all over Africa. It's one of the most connected continents, at least with mobile. But people going on programs there, from the West, typically don't get to access the Internet much. This is not a reflection on access to the internet there, but a reflection on how the Field Study students spend their time and money.

Please don't read into things that I said and be insulted by them. I meant nothing about how well Africa is connected, and I most certainly did mean to insult anyone.

[Zak]

She's forbidden from bringing her own computer

Why? That seems horribly broken.

[cryptoz]

Yes, I agree! She and I had a bit of a fight about this, actually. I think it's absurd (and they're allowed to bring cameras that are as bulky and expensive as netbooks!). But those're the rules. shrug Anyway, it's not that big of a deal in the end: they have very little free time when abroad, and most (all?) of them aren't software devs :) so they can live a few months without holding their own computers.

[Zak]

It seems like a size/weight limit on luggage would be the right answer there; the specific items being brought are none of anyone's business assuming they aren't illegal.