1. Costa Rica 2014 Señora Huff Señor Colombo

2. Travel Chaperones  Señora Huff  Señor Colombo

3. Travel Groups  Sra. Huff  Avani Kabra  Leni Mandl  Andrew Croke  Patrick Reynolds  Sarah Watanabe  Anelga Hajjar  Ilana Rosker  Sr. Colombo  John Larrabee  Susie Swan  Vrinda Chandar  Carmel Schneur  Karl Abramson  Zack Greenberg  Mandy Marcell

4. Departing Logan January 28th  Arrive at American Airlines Desk TERMINAL B between 4:45am.  Meet your Travel Chaperone to check in.  Flight AA1619 Boston to Miami  Flight AA0943 Miami to San Jose arrives 2:11pm.

5. Transfer in Miami  1 hr. and 50 minute layover  Pack Snacks 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

6. Airport and Airline Expectations  Representing your family, Diamond, and the town of Lexington  Recommend using the flights to San Jose to complete Team homework

7. 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.

8. Arrival at Rancho Español  Orientation  Transfer to host families  Night check from Chaperones:)  Importance of sleep and hydration

9. Safety in Costa Rica  NEVER travel alone…travel in groups  Keep your money in a safe place! Use a luggage lock if you want to leave money in your suitcase at home!  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

10. Spending Money  $120-150 in $1, $5, $10, or $20 dollar bills. Don’t bring traveler’s checks or any other forms of money.  Current Exchange Rate (as of Dec.2014) $1 US converts to approximately 533 Colones.

11. One Suitcase and Backpack  Suitcase cannot weigh more than 50lbs.  Appropriate tops, shorts, skirts  A pair of khakis pants  Cargo shorts  Sundress  Capri's  Appropriate bathing suits  A warm jacket for the Poás volcano.  Refer to the Packing List for a more complete list of things to pack.

12. Communication  Chaperones will email all parents once we have settled into the school that first night…please be patient.  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

13. 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

14. Volcano Poás and La Paz Waterfall Garden

15. Tortuga Island

16. Arenal +Baldí Hot Springs

17. InBio Park

18. School Visit / Orphanage

19. Café Britt

20. Oxcart Factories

21. Costa Rica Blog  We will post pictures/stories on our blog each day  http://diamondcostarica2015.shutterfly.com/ http://diamondcostarica2015.shutterfly.com/  Email scolombo@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us by January 21 st.if you want to be added to the blogscolombo@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us

22. Arrival Home  Depart San Jose on Feb. 6th  American flight AA2365 San José to Miami 1:02pm  arrives 4:50PM.  American flight AA2440 Miami to Boston leaves 7:45pm  arrives 10:54 PM  PLEASE BE ON TIME FOR PICK UP….

23. GRACIAS TO THE PARENTS FOR YOUR SUPPORT Sra. Huff and Sr. Colombo