ADELPHI UNIVERSITY
Volunteer Nursing Program in Costa Rica
January 5-14, 2020

Reservations via Adelphi‘s Center for International Education

Reservations Closed

ITINERARY

Sunday, January 5 – Travel Day
Arrive at LGA Airport. Students go through check-in and security. Meet the group at the gate. Adelphi has reserved a ticket block for all students. A copy of your ticket is in your orientation folder. Students are responsible for their own transportation to LGA Airport.
7:55 am – Group flight (American 1782) departs from LGA to Charlotte
10:03 am – Group flight arrives in Charlotte
11:25 am – Connecting group flight (American 1707) departs from Charlotte to San Jose
2:30 pm – Group flight arrives in San Jose Students are recommended to exchange money at the airport ATMs before you go through customs.
TBD – Airport Transfer to Guacima Country Inn
Gail Nystrom, Director of the Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation, will meet students upon arrival outside the exit door.
Exit to the right to find the bus.
Guacima Country Inn +506-4070-0317
Evening Welcome Dinner at the hotel
After Dinner Welcome & Introduction to La Carpio by Gail Nystrom, Director, Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation

Monday, January 6 – Introduction to La Carpio
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
8:30am – Meet in hotel lobby to take the bus to La Carpio.
Morning Walking Tour of La Carpio Gail Nystrom, Director, Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation
Students will gain familiarity of La Carpio and visit the EBAIS Clinic, (Los Equipos Básicos de Atención Integral de Salud), which is the basic healthcare clinic funded by the government. This clinic is run by Clínica Biblica, a private healthcare provider. Students will visit a private clinic run by the same provider on January 10th and discuss the differences of national vs. private healthcare in Costa Rica.
Group Lunch at Montessori Center.
Afternoon – Meet the People of La Carpio
View a play by the “Las Abuelas” group, a support group· for the elderly in La Carpio  Women of La Carpio will display their crafts.
Adelphi students lead an activity pertaining to Nicaraguan· migrants fleeing turmoil
5:00pm – Group Debrief at Hotel
Please meet faculty on the outdoor patio of the hotel to debrief on the day’s activities.
7:00pm – Welcome Dinner Prepared by the Women of Piedades
Women of Peidades will prepare dinner for the group to be served at Finca Hope (The Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation retreat center).
Students will also engage in a discussion about the WHO Sustainable Development Goals, sustainability practice and agriculture.
Discussion on the potential role of such a model can play to positively impact the people of La Carpio.

Tuesday, January 7 – Work Day at La Libertad in La Carpio
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
8:30am – Meet in hotel lobby to take bus to La Carpio Morning Exercise Program with Children
Adelphi students will visit a children’s day care center and talk with children about exercise and its impact on the health of self, family and society. Use play and activities such as dance, soccer, as mechanisms to spread the message of exercise and health.
Tour of La Carpio Residence
Students will visit a residential home witnessing firsthand the living conditions and the social and environmental injustice that families of La Carpio must endure.
Lunch – Group Lunch at Montessori Center
Afternoon – Animal Conservatory (Restate Animal Zooave)
A conservation center with over 125 species of animals, focused on animal welfare and environmental education. Visit will last about 2 hours.
Chocolate Tour – Students will learn about the role cacao plantations have played in the history of Central America and their effort to adapt socially responsible business practices.
5:00pm – Group Dinner at La Fiesta del Maiz
Group takes vans to dinner
6:00pm – Group Debrief at Hotel
Please meet faculty on the outdoor patio of the hotel to debrief on the day’s activities

Wednesday, January 8 – Work Day in La Carpio
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
8:30am – Meet in hotel lobby to take bus to La Carpio
9:00-12:00pm – Nutrition and Healthy Eating Program for Children
Adelphi students will teach children (ages 6-13) about nutrition and healthy eating. Students will have an opportunity to talk to the children about nutrition and healthy eating in difficult circumstances.
Cooking meals for the people of La Carpio – All students will prepare a healthy meal for the children and families they worked with at La Virilla. Opportunity to enjoy an activity and a meal together.
Lunch – Eat meal with children and families Distribution of donations
Students will distribute donations collected by the group to children and families.
Afternoon – Visit to Hospital Mexico 633 bed hospital with trauma and emergency medical services operated by the Costa Rican Department of Social Security. Located several miles from the entrance to La Carpio.
5:00pm –  Group Debrief at Hotel
Please meet Professors faculty on the outdoor patio of the hotel to debrief on the day’s activities.
7:00pm – Group Dinner at Hotel

Thursday, January 9 – Visit to San Jose
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
8:30 – Meet in hotel lobby to take bus to San Jose
Morning Site Visit to Clínica Biblica
Originally founded as a Christian clinic for the indigenous community, the clinic is a private hospital for affluent Costa Ricans and International patients. The group will have a one-hour presentation and tour of the hospital. Students will compare this facility to the care offered at the government-funded clinic and hospital.
Lunch – Group Lunch
Afternoon – Explore San Jose
Students explore the city, including the central market and museums.
Dinner – Group Dinner in San Jose at Delicias de Mi Tierra
Students will eat together in San Jose
Evening – Students return to Hotel
Students will present and discuss the differences in healthcare institutions and delivery systems seen during the three opportunities (Clinic, Hospital Mexico, Clinica Biblica).

Friday, January 10 – Visit to Cabecar Indigenous Indians Reserve
6:00am – Meet bus to travel to Cabecar
The group will eat a traditional breakfast at a restaurant along the way. The ride will take approximately 4 hours, depending on traffic. During this ride, students will present and discuss their research concerning the Cabecar Indigenous Indians, human rights and challenges that affect their future in Costa Rica.
10:00am – Arrive at Cabecar Indigenous Indian Project
Students will have the opportunity and gain insight into the traditions and everyday life of an indigenous people who are protected by the Costa Rican Government.
Students will eat a lunch prepared by the Cabecar and have an opportunity to learn about the process of craft making while having the opportunity to purchase local crafts.
Late – Group Returns to Guacima Country Inn.

Saturday, January 11 – Travel to Manuel Antonio
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
7:30am – Meet Bus to Travel to Manuel Antonio
Students should check out of the hotel and have all luggage packed and ready to go, as the group will not return to this hotel. The trip will take approximately four hours.
11:30 am – Arrival in Manuel Antonio and Check into Manuel Antonio Hotel Mimos, Quepos, Costa Rica
+506-2777-0054
Lunch – Students are on their own for lunch at their own expense.
Afternoon – Free Time in Manuel Antonio
Dinner – Students are on their own for dinner at their own expense.

Sunday, January 12 – Beach Day
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
Free Day – Free time at the National Park: Manuel Antonio Park Beach.
There is an entrance fee and students are advised to leave the beach by 5pm.
Lunch – Students are on their own for lunch
Dinner – Students are on their own for dinner
Suggestion: El Avion Restaurant: The restaurant is an old airplane and the sunsets are remarkable

Monday, January 13 – Beach Day
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own.
Free Day – Free time at Manuel Antonio Public Beach
The National Park is closed on Mondays.
Students are advised to leave the beach by 5pm.
Heed all warnings and swimming restrictions.
Optional Activities – Optional River Rafting Trip or Zip Lining
Rafting trip is 7am-3pm ($64). Need to sign up in La Carpio with Gail. Hotel will set up zip lining ($45). Takes half a day.
Lunch – Students are on their own for lunch.
Dinner – Final Group Dinner at Hotel Restaurant

Tuesday, January 14 – Depart for USA
Breakfast – Students eat the complimentary hotel breakfast on their own and check out of hotel.
7:30am – Meet bus for travel to the Airport
Students should have checked out of their hotel and have their luggage packed and ready to load on the bus. The drive to San Jose airport will take 2-2.5 hours. Group will leave 5 hours before flight departs.
Lunch – Students will eat lunch in the airport at their own expense.
1:38 pm – Group flight (American 1600) departs San Jose for Miami
5:50 pm – Group flight arrives in Miami
7:50 pm – Connecting group flight (American 1171) departs Miami for LGA
10:56 pm – Arrive at LGA

Note:  Itinerary subject to changes according conditions beyond our control

 

LIU POST

presents

A Community Service Project in Costa Rica

March 9 – 14, 2020

Experience the beauty and spirituality of this natural wonderland!

Costa Rica offers you one of the world’s greatest collections of rain forests, wild rivers, historic culture, mountains and volcanoes. With its unique combination of beauty and spirituality, it’s the ultimate refreshment for your body, mind and soul.

Enjoy this unique “Vacation with a Reward!”
Most of us look forward to our vacations and take a traditional holiday. But how much better would it be if you could visit a great destination, do sightseeing,

Enjoy local cuisine and a unique atmosphere with an opportunity to “give back.”

We are privileged to partner with a Volunteer Project at La Carpio, one of the poorest areas of Costa Rica. The program is called “Carpio Clean … Carpio Green … Carpio Healthy … Carpio Happy.” This trip combines traditional touring with participation in a volunteering program that assists children and their families who live in poverty in Costa Rica. What a great way to spend your Spring Break holiday.

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Monday, March 9: To San Jose (D)
Early morning departure from LaGuardia for Costa Rica. After Immigration and Customs, transfer to reserved accommodations. In the afternoon, time to relax by the pool before we meet with Director Gail Nystrom for discussion on the Volunteer Project at La Carpio called “Carpio Clean … Carpio Green … Carpio Healthy … Carpio Happy.” La Carpio is a shantytown of 34,000 residents that sits between a trash dump and the Tobias Bolaños International Airport northwest of San José, where a splash of paint, a small toy and something green can go a long way. La Carpio is one of the poorest areas of Costa Rica, inhabited largely by Ticos from other parts of Costa Rica and Nicaraguans who fled a bloody revolution in their home country, and later, a collapse of their economy, began settling in La Carpio in the 1980s. So here on your Costa Rica journeys, you will truly have an opportunity to “give back” and make La Carpio a better place. Meet for your welcome dinner

Day 2 – Tuesday, March 10: In San Jose- Volunteer Program (B/L/D)
After breakfast it’s off to La Carpio. Upon arrival, there will be an introductory seminar that will give a more extensive session on how YOU can help with the eradication of poverty. This will be followed with today’s volunteer program will be “Carpio Clean.” Painting the front of houses. Picking up trash and promoting recycling through talking with people and showing how to sort trash. It will be an opportunity to show how pleasant it is to have something to look at that’s not trash, not gray dirt, but clean. Working with the local youth of the community through the painting of a mural with this theme. An example is a mural painted over a flap of corrugated tin shows a tree reaching into a night sky. Lunch (Box lunch will be prepared at the hotel & taken with you on your way to La Carpiuo). After lunch, continue today’s volunteer program. Pick-up at La Carpio back to hotel to relax and some R & R. Dinner at our hotel.

Day 3 – Wednesday, March 11: In San Jose- Volunteer Program & Time in San Jose (B/L/D)
After breakfast, it’s back to La Carpio. Upon arrival, today’s volunteer program will be “Carpio Green,” an initiative to improve the crude caliches roads and haphazard constructions that visually define La Carpio and to make it into something prettier to look at. Building a sense of self-worth in a community requires it to look presentable. We will create and pass out bottles to start Bottle Gardens to all the house for plants potted in modified plastic bottles, for residents who want to decorate their spaces with something green and sometimes edible. We will be working with the children to show them how to care for their plants. A chance to grow herbs like thyme, basil, spearmint, parsley and coriander, as well as potted cherry tomatoes, carrots and potato plants. Some plants you may be giving out are butterfly plants, the ones that attract butterflies. Lunch (Box lunch will be prepared at the hotel & taken with you on your way to La Carpiuo. After lunch, depart Carpio for San Jose city center and a city sightseeing tour of  this wonderful city.  Founded in 1737, San José was a forgotten backwater of the Spanish empire until the late 19th century, when it boomed with the coffee business. The city boasts some of the finest museums in Central America, including Costa Rican Art Museum, featuring a lovely open-air sculpture garden. There will be some time for shopping, local craft items and inexpensive souvenirs at the Mercado Central, or the open-air market on the Plaza de la Democracia. Be sure to check out the extensive and impressive collection of indigenous art and craftworks on offer at Galería Namu. Back to the hotel. Meet for dinner at the La Gallera Restaurant.

Day 4 – Thursday, March 12: In San Jose – Volunteer Program (B/L/D)
One more time to La Carpio for Volunteer program for “Carpio Healthy and Happy.” We start by pairing up with local children and youth of the community as they create their own “Dream Mat” program, which will be an opportunity to teach the children the value of dreaming: how important it is to have dreams, to wish for things, to have goals in our their hearts as they put their names on cloth (in Spanish of course). Each child will leave with two mats as a decoration that they can hang in their homes. So, bring your loving and creative self and give these children an experience that can affect them very positively for years to come. This will be followed by passing out the hygiene kits you have put together and as they are given to the children, you will be interacting with them to practice hand washing, hair care, nail care. Lunch with the Locals at Carpio, followed by a special Play.  It is a story of a girl who gets involved in drugs and the consequences she incurs. It is performed by a local Grandmother’s group. We end our stay at La Carpio with a local handicrafts program and exhibit (also for purchasing items). Depart Carpio back to the hotel in the afternoon for some “R & R” by the pool. Meet for dinner.

Day 5 – Friday, March 13: White Water Rafting and Sarapiqui River Cruise (B/L/D)
After breakfast it’s off for an exciting day as we depart for the Sarapiquí River rapids that are moderate class II-III (the picture is more dramatic than the rapids) and is the perfect adventure to satisfy your daily dosage for adrenaline and water splash! In addition, the clear, warm water is perfect for enjoying a swim between rapids. The crafts used are very stable, easy to maneuver and really fun! The run takes two and a half hours combining spectacular rainforest with colorful farmlands.

In the afternoon, we will continue our tour as we navigate the Sarapiqui River on a small cruise boat past beautiful scenery river surrounded by lowlands of tropical rain forest with lush vegetation and a large variety of plants, animals and birds. Lunch will be served at a Hacienda style house at the end of the tour, and some time will be given to enjoy some of the other activities offered. Return to our hotel about 5:30 pm.
Note: Bring: Hiking shoes or sneakers, light jacket, insect repellent, swimsuit, binoculars, sun block and camera.
Meet in the lobby for dinner.

Day 6 – Saturday, March 14:  To New York (LaGuardia) (B)
Breakfast on own time. Meet in lobby for a late afternoon transfer to Airport for our flight back to LaGuardia Airport

Note: Itinerary is correct at time of printing and subject to conditions and changes beyond our control.

YOUR HOTEL – The Best Western Irazu

The 325 room Best Western Irazu is located only 10 minutes from Downtown San Jose. “The prestige of a great name and the experience of a hotel… to those who deserve nothing less than the very best” is the promise of quality, friendly service and value in lodging accommodations to all its visitors. All air-conditioned rooms offer a 25″ color TV, in-room ironing board, hair dryer and full-length mirror. Guests can enjoy complimentary coffee served 24-hours a day in the lobby. Happy Hour from 5 pm to 6 pm at the “La Cantina Bar,” free local calls and Internet access. The hotels facilities include: Denny’s Restaurant, La Cantina Bar, Pizza Hut, and Burger King “touch button” for delivery service, lit tennis courts, outdoor swimming pool, laundry service, room service, exercise room, landscaped gardens. A shopping center is located next door to the hotel with souvenir shops, bank, grocery store, pharmacy and much more. All this and more from the most comfortable atmosphere of the happiest and entertaining hotel in San Jose.

TOUR INCLUSIONS:
• Round trip air transportation from NY to San Jose
• Round trip Airport/Hotel transfers
• 5 Nights accommodations at the 1st Class BW Irazu Hotel in San Jose
• Hotel taxes
• Continental Breakfast throughout
• 4 lunches (including a special lunch at a local farm in the rain forest)
• 5 dinners
• Afternoon city sightseeing tour of San Jose
• Local transportation for Community Service programs
• White Water Rafting tour & Sarapiqui River Cruise tour
• Special lunch at a local Hacienda style home

Not included in the above are:
• Any beverages including mineral water, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks etc. unless specified
• Any items of a personal nature such as baggage handling at hotels or airports
• Any changes in the program due to conditions beyond our control

Please read our RMC Travel Terms and Conditions.

** Bonus! SAVE! You will receive a 5% discount if ALL payments are made by check or money order. This discounted price is noted below in red.

*Special No Interest + No Payments for 6 Months Plan Now Available!
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Price Per Person:
$1,699 ($1,788 via credit card) in Triple rooms.
Plus $50 ($55 via credit card) prepaid gratuities for guides, drivers & escorts
Double room and Single room prices on request

FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS CONTACT:

Julia Pagano
Associate Director
516-299-3448
E-Mail: Julia.Pagano@liu.edu

 

Travel Insurance

RMC highly recommends the purchase of Trip Cancellation/Interruption Travel Insurance, and we therefore provide you with an easy way to contact RMC’s preferred insurance provider, Allianz Global Assistance. If you need additional information or have questions, please call Allianz directly at 1-800-284-8300, and refer to code F025323.

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