sas trip to spain 2011 - pre-trip document

TRIP TO SPAIN

March 18-28, 2011

SAS Trip to Spain - of 13

INDEX

Information package March 5, 2011

1.- Flight information 2.- Accommodation 3.- Emergency numbers 4.- Spanish school walking with us 5.- Sweaters 6.- Trip preparation 7.- Electronics 8.- Pocket money

9.- Passports + Safety

10.- Insurance

11.- Final list of students going on the trip

12.- Documents to get signed

iWeb of the Spanish trip ´11:

http://tinyurl.com/27gv5b5


1.- FLIGHT INFORMATION Air Company: Emirates Shanghai (China) – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Madrid (Spain) Friday March 18 – EK303: Pudong Airport (23:00) – Dubai (05:00+1) Saturday March 19 – EK141: Dubai (07:25) – Madrid (12:20) Duration (20h20’): EK303 (10h00´) + Stop-over (2h25´) + EK141 (7h55´) Madrid (Spain) – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Shanghai (China) Sunday March 27 – EK142: Madrid (15:25) – Dubai (00:30 +1) Monday March 28 – EK302: Dubai (03:10) – Pudong Airport (15:30) Duration (18h05’): EK142 (7h05´) + Stop-over (2h40´) + EK302 (8h20´) Departure – Meeting time: Friday March 18 at 20:45 Pudong Airport The flight departs at 23:00 on Friday night. For international flights we need to check-in two hours before, so we will meet at 20:45 (08:45 p.m.) at Pudong Airport – Terminal 2, in front of Emirates check-in counter. The Emirates check-in counter is located at Terminal 2 Island E counter E09-E18 on the departure level. SAS doesn’t provide transportation to the airport, we will meet there. Emirates allows 20 kilograms for check-in and 7 kilograms for carry-on for each person. Please don´t exceed that weight. If you are planning on bringing presents from Spain, count on saving some space in your luggage for the return trip. Please don’t forget your passports. Some students need to bring two kinds of ID, one to exit/re-enter China, one to enter/exit Spain. Please if you are not sure about this, contact Sr. Castro. Arrival in Shanghai: Monday March 28 at 3:30 p.m. Pudong Airport We will come back on Monday March 28, at 15:30. Parents have to complete a form indicating the chaperones if:

- they will meet their child at the airport. - the child is authorized to take a taxi home unaccompanied. - the child will be picked up by a driver. - Other – to be specified on the form

You will receive this form through your kids the week of March 7th.


Skywards Skywards is the Frequent Flyer Program operated by Emirates Airline. Partner Airlines are: 1.- Continental Airlines 2.- Japan Airlines 3.- Jet Airways 4.- Kingfisher Airlines 5.- Korean Air 6.- South African Airways 7.- United Airlines 8.- Virgin Blue If your kid is enrolled in any of those programs and you would like him/her to collect the miles please ask the student to provide us with their Frequent Flyer number. 2.- ACCOMMODATION Friday March 18 – Shanghai - Meet at Pudong Aiport at 20:45 (08:45 p.m.) Saturday March 19 – Madrid - Arrival to Barajas Airport, Madrid (12:20) - Transfer to hotel by private bus - Check-in and lunch at the hotel Accommodation at ¨Hotel Convención (****)¨ (Madrid) http://www.hotel-convencion.com/ Tel. (+34) 91 221 40 60 / 91 574 68 00 Sunday March 20 - Madrid Accommodation at ¨Hotel Convención (****)¨ (Madrid) http://www.hotel-convencion.com/ Tel. (+34) 91 221 40 60 / 91 574 68 00 Lunch at ¨Restaurante La Taurina¨ http://www.lataurina.com/ Monday March 21 – Madrid – Ávila – Ponferrada – Sarria - Breakfast at 8:30 - Lunch in Ávila at ¨Mesón Tres Siglos¨ http://www.tressiglos.com/


Accommodation at Älbergue O Durmiñento¨ (Sarria) http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergue-o-durminento#bloque-informacion Tel. (+34) 982 53 10 99 / Cell phone: (+34) 600 862 508 Tuesday March 22 – First stage: Ferreiros – Hospital (21K) Accommodation at Älbergue O Cruceiro¨ (Ventas de Narón) http://albergueocruceiro.blogspot.com/ Cell phone: (+34) 658 064 917 Wednesday March 23 – Second stage: Hospital – Campanilla (20K) Accommodation at Älbergue Buen Camino¨ (Palas de Rei) http://www.alberguebuencamino.com/ Cell phone: (+34) 639 882 229 Thursday March 24 – Third stage: Campanilla – Arzúa (20.5K) Accommodation at Älbergue Santiago Apostol¨ (Arzúa) http://www.alberguesantiagoapostol.com/ Tel. (+34) 981 50 81 32 Friday March 25 – Fourth stage: Arzúa – Arca do Pino (19K) Accommodation at Älbergue Porta de Santiago¨ (Arca do Pino) http://www.portadesantiago.com/ Tel. (+34) 981 51 11 03 Lunch at ¨Restaurante Bule Bic¨ http://www.bulebic.com/ Saturday March 26 – Fifth stage: Arca do Pino – SANTIAGO (20K) Accommodation at ¨Hotel San Lorenzo (***) (Santiago de Compostela) http://www.hsanlorenzo.com/ Tel. (+34) 981 58 01 33 Sunday March 27 – Santiago – Madrid – Dubai – Shanghai - Wake-up call at 3:30 a.m. (technically 2:30 a.m. as that night the time changes, and at 02:00 a.m. we need to set the watch at 03:00 a.m.) - At 4:00 we´ll take a private bus from Santiago to Madrid Airport(600 km., around 8 h.) - At 12:00 arrival to Madrid Airport - At 15:25 return flight to Shanghai Monday March 28 – Shanghai - Arrival to Pudong Airport at 15:30


DON´T FORGET YOUR SLEEPING BAG! As you can see, in Madrid we are going to sleep in a four star hotel, in Santiago it will be a three star hotel, but during our walks we are going to sleep in hostels or ¨albergues¨. That means that in some of them you can expect bulk beds in a big room, with a lot of people sleeping in the same room. This is the way it is when people do the pilgrimage :-) To have an idea, look at this room at ¨Albergue Santiago Apostol¨ where we will sleep on Thursday: We need to assume that these hostels only provide the bed, but no blankets or towels, so… DON´T FORGET YOUR SLEEPING BAG AND A TOWEL! 3.- EMERGENCY NUMBERS Telephones in Spain Time difference with Spain: +7 hours (+6 starting on Sunday March 27) (At 4 p.m. in Shanghai it is 9 a.m. in Madrid –same day-) - Sr. Javier Castro´s cell phone in Spain: (+34) ____ (24 hours) - Ms. Yvonne Zhu´s cell phone in Spain: (+34) ____ (24 hours) In section 2 of this document you have the phone numbers of the hostel/hostels where we will stay each night. - Spanish travel agent (Dani): (+34) ____ - Spanish travel agent (Ana): (+34) ____ The Spanish travel agents will stay with us during the pilgrimage. Please contact them only if you are not able to contact us (Sr. Castro or Ms. Zhu)


Telephones in China: - Sr. Castro´s cell phone in China: ____ - Ms. Zhu´s cell phone in China: ____ - Mr. Ed Kidd (HS Principal): ____ - Mr. Michael Sheehan (HS Assistant Principal): ____ - Mr. Alan Knobloch (Assistant Superintendent): ____ E-mail addresses: - Sr. Castro´s e-mail addresses: [email protected] [email protected] -Ms. Zhu´s e-mail address: ____ 4.- SPANISH SCHOOL WALKING WITH US It is confirmed! 23 students from a high school in Spain called I.E.S. Ría del Carmen http://centros5.pntic.mec.es/ies.ria.del.carmen/index.htm will do the walk with us! :-) This is going to be an excellent opportunity for our students to meet new friends in Spain and of course to practice their Spanish. Hopefully they/you will even keep in touch in the future. I know the leading teacher of that group, Sr. Carlos, personally. He is from Spain, he has 33 years of teaching experience, and our students for sure will like him a lot because he is fun. We are friends since 2001, when we met for the first time working together at a public school in South Carolina (USA). 5.- SWEATERS

As it is becoming a tradition with some school events (Habitat, Relay for Life, sports, …) we will also have our trip sweaters.

Thanks to Jessica Lu and Katie Zheng for the designs.

The design on our sweater is the one that you can see on the first page of this document. Students voted for blue sweater and yellow letters. These can be considered the colors of ¨The Way of Saint James¨, as you can see in the pictures below:


6.- TRIP PREPARATION

Weather

Spain = Sun

Well, that is what many people think (Spain = Sun) but it is not totally true. The weather in Spain in the summer is beautiful, and that´s one of the reasons why this country receives a lot of visitors. But during this time of the year, the weather can be very unpredictable.

We took this picture from the on-line newspaper ¨El País¨, from March 4 2011.

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/nieve/corta/cerca/horas/A-6/kilometros/Madrid/elpepuesp/20110304elpepunac_38/Tes

What you see there is a road next to Madrid, blocked by snow, exactly two weeks before we will land there. Totally covered. To snow in Madrid in March is not normal at all, but… you see it can happen!

The weather in northern Spain, where we will walk 100K, it is also very unpredictable. Keep that in mind when you pack! It can rain…


What to TAKE:

Before we give you some suggestions about what to pack, we would like to explain again when will you have access to your luggage, and how.

In Madrid your suitcase will be in your hotel room, so you could access it at any time.

During the pilgrimage, this is what we are going to do:

Step 1: In the morning, before we start walking, you will ONLY take from your luggage the things that you need for the daily walk, and you will put them in a small backpack that you will have to carry. There, you will need to put your raincoat, your picnic lunch that the travel agency will give us everyday, your camera, and maybe whatever you think it is totally necessary for you. Only things you absolutely cannot live with in the hours you will be walking. The lighter you walk, the better for you.

Step 2: After you have prepared the small backpack that you will walk with during the day, we will put your suitcase in a bus. So you will not have access to your luggage until you arrive to the next hostel in the afternoon. Then, you will take your suitcase, put it in your room and you will have access to it. Until the next morning, that you go to Step 1 again.

So this is a list of suggestions:

LUGGAGE

- Suitcase or large backpack: The one you will take on the plane. The bigger the more unconfortable it will be to take it from the bus, put it in your room, and again put it in the bus during 5 days. Try to pack light, think twice about what you will need or not.

- Small backpack: This is the one you will take while walking. The lighter, the better. This also could be your carry-on luggage on the plane.

SLEEPING BAG Remember, in the hostels they will assign us a bed… but blankets may not be included. So this sleeping bag is totally necessary in some of them! The travel agency in Spain reminded us so. 3.- SHOES - Walking shoes: Trekking shoes, or confortable shoes to walk with. Used, don´t bring anything new as they are likely to produce blisters after a 20 kilometers walk. AB-SO-LU-TE-LY no flip-flops or open shoes for walking. This is one of the most important things to have a healthy walk.


- Sneakers or Not-walking shoes: After you have finish the stage of the day you could take a shower and change into a more confortable shoes. - Flip-flops or shower shoes for the shower. CLOTHES - Rainproof nylon jacket / windbreaker / all weather jacket / poncho: Spain can provide downpours at any time of year. Take something for the rain that you can easily fold in your small backpack and take out if it starts rainning. - Warm clothes. Remember, in Madrid it was snowing. It would be very rare that we find that weather when we fly there, but don´t pack thinking you are going to Miami, FL. Think in Shanghai time right now, anything can happen… - Shorts for walking: If the weather is nice and you like to wear them. - Jeans or trousers. We will be in Spain 9 nights. - Underwear 9-sets - Socks: 9 pairs (It is very important to start the walking stages with clean socks, to avoid the risk of blisters) - T-shirts: A least 5 for the walking days - Pyjama or Sleepwear of some sort TOILETRIES - Towel: Very important. - Toothpaste, toothbrush, etc. - Suntan lotion is a good idea for walking, as we can get burnt - Hankerchiefs / tissues MISCELLANEOUS - Plastic bags for dirty laundry - Aspirins / medications if you need any - Pens and writing materials - Small Spanish/English pocket dictionary - Digital camera and battery charger. In Spain the plugs are two round pins. Bring a power adapter plug is you need one - Small flashlight, as you will be sharing the hostel room with more people - Bottle for water - Hat for the sun - Earplugs and a mask, if you cannot sleep with people snoring or the light bothers you while sleeping.

We recommend that you pack light and leave room in your luggage for the souvenirs that you may want to take home.


Please note that all SAS rules apply for this trip. By virtue of travelling as a group we are representing our school abroad and therefore project a school image to anyone who meets us – tour guides, hotel personnel, other pilgrims, …

Pack one set of clean underwear, sleepwear and a fresh shirt in your carryon luggage in the unlikely event that luggage arrives a day late.

Label your suitcase inside and out with your name and your home address and we will attach colored yarn to all suitcases so that we can spot them easily as a group. We will do this at the airport.

Carry a copy of your passport with you in your luggage. You should also leave a copy of this at home with your parents while you are away.

Remember to bring more than enough of any medication you might need along with you and carry prescriptions for any medications that you carry with you.

7.- ELECTRONICS

LAPTOP COMPUTERS

We totally recommend and encourage you to leave your laptop at home in Shanghai. It is true that it can become useful in the plane, in the hotel in Madrid or in the long bus rides. But it will be very inconvenient to have it during the 5 days walking.

A.- Hostels: The rooms are not going to be locked, and you are going to share the room with more people. For safety reasons it is not a good idea to carry your laptop with you.

B.- Apart of on the plane or on the bus, you will not have much time to use it. The travel agency has prepared fun activities for us for the afternoons and nights, so expect to be busy in a fun way. Also, with another 23 kids from Spain joining us you have there a great opportunity to socialize and make the most of your trip.

Parents, please talk about this with your kids. Some of you may want to hear from your sons/daughters. In that case, please give us a call to the phone numbers indicated in point 3 and we will pass the phone to the student or indicate you a good time to call. We believe that ¨No News Good News¨ is a good philosophy for the trip.

MP3, OTHERS

We do not recommend bringing electronic gadgets for the reasons mentioned before. If you do bring any, you are totally responsible for safeguarding it and you will agree to good etiquette in using it. Please respect the chaperones when they ask you to disconnect in order to participate fully in trip activities. Please be aware that we will not turn the bus around to return to the hotel or restaurant because you forgot your MP3 player there. If you bring one be supremely responsible.


8.- POCKET MONEY

Except attending other optional events (like bullfighting if possible) everything is covered, so the students don´t need to pay for anything extra. Depending on your budget and souvenir shopping you may want to bring 100-200 USD. You will need to change them into Euros in Spain or at Pudong Aiport. ATM cards with an international link up (Cirrus, Plus, Maestro, Visa) can also be used. You can also change RMB at Pudong Airport.

EMERGENCY MONEY Parents, please don´t consider giving your kids more than the pocket money in case of emergeny. Everything is covered, and in case of emergency the chaperones could pay for the emergency and get a refund from you later. It is better that the kids enjoy the trip without having the responsibility of carrying a lot of money.

9.- PASSPORTS + SAFETY

Passports and other travel documents –as taibaozheng- will be kept by the chaperones during the whole trip, to avoid the risk of getting lost. Students shouldn´t have very valuable items with them. In Madrid there are pickpocketers in tourist areas. Nothing to worry about if you are careful, but it could be a problem if you have a lot of money on you and you don´t pay attention. Pickpocketers don´t use violence, you don’t have to worry about that at all, Madrid is very safe. But they are very smart and they can take your belongings without you even realizing. So please don´t put yourself on that situation. Parents, the chaperones will talk about this with students before the trip. But please remind them to be careful with their things.

10.- INSURANCE

In the price of the trip is included the travel insurance, so you don´t have to worry about that. Before the trip we will send you the coverage and name of the company so you are aware of it.

11.- FINAL LIST OF STUDENTS GOING ON THE TRIP

14 female / 6 male 17 freshmen / 3 juniors


Student Male/Female Grade 1.- Ann ____ F 9 2.- Cindy ____ F 9 3.- Esther ____ F 9 4.- Jessica ____ F 9 5.- Jocelyn ____ F 9 6.- Katie ____ F 9 7.- Kiah ____ F 9 8.- Marilyn ____ F 9 9.- Michelle ____ F 9 10.- Robyn ____ F 9 11.- Samantha ____ F 9 12.- Sharon ____ F 9 13.- Shin Hee ____ F 9 14.- Vicky ____ F 9 15.- Douglas ____ M 9 16.- Richard ____ M 9 17.- Timothy ____ M 9 18.- Ethan ____ M 11 19.- Joshua ____ M 11 20.- Kevin ____ M 11 11.- DOCUMENTS TO BE SIGNED The week of March 7th students will receive in their homerooms the following documents that need to get signed by our next meeting on Wednesday March 16th. A.- ASSIGNMENT CONTRACTS Students will miss the first day of school after vacation (Monday March 28) School policy says: ¨Students who will miss classes due to school sponsored or approved activities are requiered to meet with their teachers prior to the departure date to discuss assignments, make up assessments and due dates. Both student and teacher will sign an Assignment Contract indicating understanding of commitments and a reasonable timeline for submission of work to be missed¨. B.- STUDENTS´ CODE OF CONDUCT FOR SCHOOL OVERNIGHT TRIPS C.- TRIP WAIVER, MEDICAL INSURANCE AND EMERGENCY CARE PERMISSION We are finalizing these documents with some insurance details. As soon as they are finished they will also be e-mailed to you for the record.

sas trip to spain 2011 - pre-trip document

Documents

madrid arrival

pudong airport terminal

madrid airport600

spain page

santiago arca

spanish trip

return trip

pino santiago