Costa Rica 2014

Señora HuffSeñora BrooksMs. Carothers

Travel Chaperones

Sra. Huff

Sra. Brooks

Ms. Carothers

Travel Chaperone Sra. Huff

Ilsley, Anne

Ko, Ji Hoon

Laman, Russell

Lewis, Vanessa

Liu, Jonathan

McClave, Fiona

McKinley, Emily

McKinley, Katherine

Newton-Chen, Nicholas

Travel Chaperone Sra. Brooks

Andersen, Victoria

Bruce, Benjamin

Garbis, Shira

Geva, Adi

Goddard, Gabrielle

Harris, Niki

Houston, Nathaniel

Huang, Daniel

Travel Chaperone Ms. Carothers

Ollendorf, Matthew

Parizek, Lara

Parus, Mitchell

Prough, Gavin

Tavangar, Mona

Tuomi, Markus

Winter, Adam

Xie, Kristin

Yi, Jeongwook

Reminders

Slight change in cost due to ticketing fee. Total cost is $1756 (-$1,000 deposit = 756 balance)

Notary Letter

T-shirt suggestions/drawstring bags

School/orphanage suggestions

Departing Logan January 29,2014

Arrive at American Airlines Desk at 5:30 AM w/passports!!!!

Meet your Travel Chaperone to check in.

Flight 1441 Boston to Miami 7:50 AM arrives 11:25 AM.

Flight 337 Miami to San Jose 12:40PM arrives 2:25 PM.

Transfer in Miami

Short layover (1 hr 15 min.)

Pack Snacks/Small meal in your backpack

Pack a change of clothes and toiletries in your backpack (just in case suitcase doesn’t make the transfer)

Travel with chaperone in airports and customs

Airport and Airline Expectations

Representing your family, Diamond, and the town of Lexington

Recommend using the flights to San Jose to complete Team homework

Arrival into San José

Travel Chaperone (luggage, customs)

We will secure all passports for the week

Meet Rancho Español’s staff for transfer to the school

Rancho de Español is located in La Guácima de Alajuela, a small village 18 miles northwest of San José and about ten minutes away from the international airport.

Arrival at Rancho Español

Orientation

Transfer to host families

Night check from Chaperones :)

Importance of sleep and hydration

Safety in Costa Rica NEVER travel alone…travel in groups

Travel Chaperone is your contact

Know your ability (swimming, canopy tour)

Make sure you use plenty of sunscreen (remember, we're just 10 degrees above the equator!) and drink plenty of liquids

Spending Money

$120-150 in $1, $5, $10, or $20 dollar bills. Do not bring traveler’s checks or any other forms of money.

Current Exchange Rate (as of 12/12/13) 1.00 USD = 496.54 CRC

One Suitcase and Backpack

Suitcase can not weigh more than 50lbs. With American Airline, 1st check-in is free (along with one carry on and one personal item)

Your host family will do laundry as needed (1-2 times) Appropriate tops, shorts, skirts A pair of khakis pants Cargo shorts Sundress Capri's Appropriate bathing suits A warm jacket/wind breaker for the Poás volcano. Refer to the Packing List (student meeting) for a more

complete list of things to pack.

Communication Chaperones will email all parents once we have settled

into the school that first night…please be patient.

Chaperones will update daily blog on Shutterfly.

Free Wi-Fi at school. Students will be able to send and receive emails during school hours.

Students will NOT use the house phone to make calls to the U.S, but they may receive calls from anywhere. If they NEED to call one of the chaperones, they must ASK the Señora for permission.

If you need to contact any of the chaperones for non-emergency matters, please email us.

In case of an emergency, you may call us at 8820-2665 or 8826-9795

Family Gift? Go in with your roommate

School recommends kitchen items (hand towels, potholders etc.)

Candy/Chocolates

Spanish Classes? Open-air classrooms

No more than 6 students in a class

Classes are run in Spanish only

Classes run 8 AM to Noon

Volcano Poás and La Paz Waterfall Garden

Tortuga Island

Arenal +Baldí Hot Springs

InBio Park

School Visit / Orphanage

Café Britt

Oxcart Factories

Costa Rica Blog

We will post pictures/stories on our blog each day

http://diamondcostarica2014.shutterfly.com/

Email cbrooks@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us by January 6th if you want to be added to the blog

Arrival Home

Depart San Jose on February 7, 2014

American flight 353 San José to Miami 1:50 PM arrives 5:40 PM.

American flight 971 Miami to Boston 7:25 PM arrives 10:30 PM

PLEASE BE ON TIME FOR PICK UP….

GRACIAS

TO THE PARENTS

FOR

YOUR SUPPORT

Sra. Huff, Sra. Brooks, and

Ms. Carothers