Trip date options, payment schedule and 12/12 meeting recap

The travel agent has gotten back to me with prices for 8/9 - 8/18!

These flights are American Airlines from Hartford at ~$778 per person. 

So our options are:

1) July 20 - 29 from Hartford on Delta for ~$763 per

Or

2) August 9 - August 18 from Hartford on American for ~$778 per

PLEASE CONTACT ME ONLY IF EITHER OF THESE DATES WILL FORCE YOU TO DROP OUT. Based on responses I will make a decision that will accommodate the most travelers. If you asked me to set your money aside, please let me know where you stand with these options. 

Here is a link to the forms that travelers need to fill out through Amped's website:

http://ampedforeducation.org/volunteer-in-nicaragua/upcoming-volunteers/

In addition, I will need a copy of the traveler's passport for the travel agent to secure their seat on the flights.

The payment schedule for the cost of the trip made out to "Amped for Education" is:
12/12 -- $350
1/30 -- $150
2/27 -- $150
3/27 -- $150
4/24 -- $150
5/29 -- $150
6/26 -- $99
***Any/all payments can be made using the online payment feature on Amped's website!  Use the link above!***

As soon as we lock in travel dates, I will post more information about paying for the flights. Checks will be made out to "Pioneer Valley Travel".

I am looking to make a decision soon on travel dates and post again during winter break.  Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Joe Costello
508 944 7917
joe.costello2@gmail.com

Potential Trip Dates: Late July 2015

They way I organize flights will dictate what dates the trip will be held.  I'm trying to get the lowest cost possible so I tell the travel agent to work in a range of about a month to find the lowest price for what our group number will be (30ish?).  Some of the feedback I got from the last meeting was to try and move it a bit earlier, so I asked the agent to look from 7/20/15 - 8/20/15 for 9 days and here is what she found:

7/20 - 7/29 (Note: there are no direct flights to Nicaragua from our area)

1.)
From Hartford, through Atlanta, to Managua.  Return to Hartford.  Don't have times yet.
$743

2.)
From Boston, late in the day (not ideal) through Miami, to Managua.  Return leaves Managua very early in the morning (not ideal) to Boston.
$591 plus $20 fee (plus we would have to organize a separate transport to get us to and from Boston which could be close to $100 per person)

3.)
I asked her to keep looking for dates in August but I haven't heard back yet.  It is hard to find travel for ~30 people to a place like Nicaragua 8-9 months in advance.  Hopefully I'll have something by 12/12.


These are a little more expensive than I thought they would be, but they are on par with what we've paid the past two years.

I'd really like to lock in a block of seats for our trips as soon as possible so I'm going to definitely need a more accurate number.  Please consider whether these earlier July dates will work for you or not and contact me if you have an issue.
When I lock the flights in with Pioneer Valley Travel, the payments for the flight will be made out to "Pioneer Valley Travel" and not to Amped.

Don't forget to bring your $350 deposit to our meeting on 12/12 at Frontier in my room at 7pm!  I've already collected 1!  We are on our way!

Deposit collection and meeting 12/12!

Thanks to everyone who came to the informational meeting on Thursday! What a huge response! This will be the best group yet!

Next on the schedule will be collecting a non-refundable trip deposit of $350, checks made out to "Amped for Education". This will take place on December 12 at Frontier. Time is still TBD, but online payments for this trip can be made through ampedforeducation.org.

Here are some other notes to consider:

This will bring the remaining trip balance $849. I will post a payment schedule on this blog prior to the 12/12 meeting. 

We will also finalize trip dates on or before 12/12. I will research some flights/group rates with Pioneer Valley Travel and have travel dates to consider. I will post these dates on this blog in the coming weeks. 

Payment for the flight will have to be made first, once we lock in our group numbers and dates. This will probably mean a check or two made out to PVT for the flight cost (~$600)

There will still be time to opt in after 12/12 at the $1199 trip cost, however flight costs are variable as the trip dates move closer. It will also be more difficult to travel on the same flights as the group. 

Please contact me with any questions! This blog will be essential for relaying information for the rest of the way. So check back often!

Joe Costello

Joe.costello2@gmail.com

508-944-7917

Info Meeting for August 2015 trip on Thursday 11/13 at 7pm!

Here is the text of my mass email for the August 2015 trip:

Hello!

You are receiving this email because you are someone who I think may be interested in this service trip that I am organizing for this summer.  I have organized similar trips in the past 2 summers with Frontier students that have been tremendously successful, and I am excited to lead another trip for this summer in August 2015! 

Amped For Education (ampedforeducation.org) has been increasing their efforts over the last 3 years to change the educational outcomes of Nicaraguan students.  Thanks to Frontier students and their meaningful work with Amped in the past, Amped now facilitates trips year-round like this one for groups based across the US!This past summer, my Frontier group helped to build a learning center that offers academic support for secondary students in an impoverished area outside of Granada. 

I will be holding an informational meeting in my classroom at Frontier (A218) on Thursday 11/13 at 7pm to make a more detailed pitch and answer questions.  If you are curious in the meantime you can scroll through my blog of our 2013 and 2014 trips here:
frontiergoestonicaragua.blogspot.com

The cost of the August 2015 trip will be $1199 excluding flight costs.  This figure includes all meals, ground transportation, some cultural excursions, housing costs, and program/project costs for 9 days in Nicaragua.

I am planning on collecting deposits in mid-December or earlier.  The non-refundable deposit will be $350 made out to "Amped For Education."  Amped is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization and any contributions to Amped are tax deductible.


Please contact me with any questions and I hope to see you next week!

Joe Costello
508 944 7917

Here are some links to check out if you want to explore some more:

Amped For Education's Youtube page with tons of media from past trips, including a lot of video of the Frontier trips!
https://www.youtube.com/user/ampedforeducation

Amped For Education's Facebook page.  Lots of great pictures and updates!
https://www.facebook.com/ampedforeducation

The Learning Center needs our help!

Here is an update of the learning center from the Amped staff:

With the help of Frontier and Turners Falls High School students, Amped for Education opened a learning center in August 2014 in an impoverished area of Nicaragua. The area schools have dismal records when it comes to test scores, attendance rates, and achievement.  The idea behind the learning center is to communicate with public school teachers and reinforce concepts that are learned in class through project-based learning.
The need for education in the community could not have been more profoundly demonstrated as the center was broken in to and the learning materials for the children were stolen. The chairs that our students sit in each day, the soccer balls that they use during recreation time, and the food that they eat during break were all taken. Our instructors used this as a learning moment to explain to students that doubling down on their commitment to themselves through education can prevent their generation from being so desperate. We have now provided another job, albeit unexpected, to a Nicaraguan, as we have a security guard at the facility overnight to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
The students and community have shown great resolve during this, still attending class the very day after the robbery; sharing what was left of the chairs and taking turns standing during lessons. Community members rallied around us and provided temporary supplies to repair our fence.

Now, we need your help to replace the items taken and help pay for the caretaker that will help ensure security in the future. For example, one chair costs approximately $6, but absolutely no donation is too small.  All of the money raised will go directly to supporting the learning center and the education of Nicaraguan students.

We put a lot of effort into building that place and I want to make sure that we continue to support it even though we are back in the US.  I created an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to try and raise the money to restock the learning center. 

Here is the link:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amped-for-education-learning-center/x/6403569


Please contribute any small amount that you can, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, share what you did with as many people as you can!  Show them your pictures and tell them the story of what you did in El Pantanal.  Share this fundraising campaign as a way to spread the word!

New Frontier Video!!

Check out this new video of our trip from this past summer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUOgG3FYY8w

Exciting announcements coming up very soon.  I am starting to promote another trip to Nicaragua for this summer, August 2015.

Stay tuned!

Finished Products!!

Hey everyone!

Now that we have a week of school under our belts, I've been doing some reflecting on our experience in Nicaragua this summer.  I know that some of you that I've seen in the halls have been as well.  I'm motivated to continue working with the community in El Pantanal by helping to coordinate a "sister school" program here at Frontier.  That way, we can stay in touch with the communities that we've visited year round.  More details to follow!

Amped wanted me to share some recent videos and photos of the learning center that we helped to build. 

Storage shed.

View from the road.

Much bigger than I thought it would be. 


And here are some short youtube clips of the finished project and a thank you from Amped:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BlC37zwOUQ  (finished product)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_HlEGz9gA   (thank you to all summer volunteers)

Learning Center in Pantanal finished!

The project that we worked on in Pantanal is now finished! Check out Amped's "15 seconds or less" video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6BlC37zwOUQ

Day 9

Our final day in Nicaragua was short. Breakfast was improvised and before we knew it we were driving from Gigante to Managua to catch our flight to Miami. Because of the time change we lost 2 hours and then spent 90 minutes trying to get through customs. This eliminated what was hoped to be a 2 hour layover, AND DINNER. 

In Boston we felt relief but then we discovered that Jill's bag was missing and our bus was running late. While we waited for the late bus Jill started the process to file her lost luggage when Serina miraculously tracked down another passenger with Jill's bag who was about to leave with it! We definitely needed something to go right. 

Right now we are finally on the road in our big comfy bus (hoping to stop somewhere and eat!) People have high spirits and are excited to be home with friends and family. In a lot of ways, putting this trip into perspective has just be done. 

I want to thank everyone who made our experience a reality: parents who cooperated, the Amped staff, and the incredible young people involved. 

Katie is sad the leave the beach house. 

Checking out some Nicaraguan stats on the ride to Managua. 

At Managua airport waiting. 

Line after line after line in Miami. 

Joe's and Heather's bags: a NUTC tribute. 

Can you imagine being stuck next to THIS GUY on a plane?

Serina finds Jill's bag! Incredible!

USA! USA! USA!

Day 8

Today we spent more time at the beach and enjoying the house.  Cam, Myles, and I went on a fantastic hike around the bay.  After family dinner (pasta with meat sauce!), Jeff handed out superlatives to the group:

Cam -- Festivals Wow Award

Rowan -- Most Likely to Be A World Traveler For Life

Halle -- Most Likely To Find A WiFi Signal At The Bottom Of A Volcano Crater

Jill -- MVP of the Job Site

Hannah -- Most Likely To Find Their Wallet In Miami

Serina -- Most Likely To Leave Donald For Geno

Ashlyn -- Most Likely To Win The Amped Photo Contest

Myles -- Up For Anything Award

Molly -- The Butterfly Award

Trish -- The Tennis Ball Award

Katie -- Most Likely To Return To Nicaragua

Jasmyne -- The Neon Dream

Heather -- The Lobster Award

Joe -- Most Likely To Be An Amped Member For Life

After the superlatives, the Amped staff engaged the group in a round-table discussion about Nicaragua's history and the direction of Amped. Tomorrow we have a long travel day but we are ready to get back to the states.  We should be back in Boston tomorrow by around 11pm!!  Crazy!

I recorded a conversation that I had with Molly tonight about her experience here.  Here is some of what she had to say:

Joe: What can you say about Oasis, where we stayed in Granada?

Molly: The hostel was a very unique place.  I met a lot of interesting people there.

Joe: Who did you meet?

Molly: I met some Australians as well as some Germans and some Americans.

Joe: That's cool.  That's something that happens that we didn't even talk about before the trip!

Joe: What are three things about Granada that really stuck out to you?

Molly: The trash, the dogs, and the homeless/very poor people everywhere.

Joe: Pantanal is the place were we had been working.  It's kind of like a "suburb" of Granada, but not really a suburb.  Same question: what are three things that really stuck out to you about Pantanal?  You can't repeat.

Molly: The skinny horses, amount of people just sitting in their homes, and the houses.

Joe: What about them?

Molly: Like, how some of them are just made of scraps.

Joe: You work with horses at home, right?  As someone that works with horses what can you say about the horses that you saw in Nicaragua?

Molly: The horses were definitely malnourished.  Their hooves were not properly done.  

Joe: Is that a product of them putting the horse shoes on or is it the owner's fault, or a combination?

Molly: What I'm assuming is that the people that own the horses are just doing it themselves and either don't know how to do it properly or don't have the resources.

Joe: That's a cool perspective.

Joe: What was your favorite cultural excursion?

Molly: I think my favorite would be the Lake Nicaragua boat tour because it was really cool to see the stars.  I was laying on my back at the front of the boat and you could see all the stars and I've never seen the sky as filled.

Joe: Can you give me a specific interaction with the kids at the work site that you'll remember?

Molly: We taught them Hopscotch.  I'm not exactly sure if they already knew Hopscotch or not because of the language barrier, but from what they were doing I don't think that they did.  On the second day, I think, they were teaching me a hand game, similar to "patty cake" I guess, that had a song that went along with it and that was cool.  On the third day, one of the girls said "Molly!" and remembered my name and that was really cool.

Joe: When we got to the beach house, where we are now, what were some of the first things going through your head?

Molly: It's such a change from where we were to where we are now.  There not as much pollution.  Actually, I haven't seen any.  The running water is nice, there's hot water.  We're right next to a spa.

Joe: This being your first trip out of the country, did you enjoy it?  What do you think you're going to take from this when you get home?

Molly: I definitely enjoyed it.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to take from this when I get home because I'm not home yet.  Hopefully I'm going to realize what I'm going to get out of this, but hopefully I'll be more grateful.

Joe: Anything you want to say to your fans on the blog?

Molly: Can I say something to my family?

Joe: Sure!

Molly: I'll see you guys tomorrow.  To my family out there, I love you mom and dad. Ethan, Justin even though you kind of annoy me sometimes, you're awesome! Hopefully everything is going well and I'll probably see you 10 hours after you read this.  Thank you and goodnight!

Here are some pics from today:

This little guy has a crazy shrill and drinks pool water every morning. 

Ashlyn is sick. Fell asleep holding her phone. 

Cam, Myles, and I went on a massive hike around the bay and saw some incredible things. 

This cave took a while to get to. I got stung by a prehistoric wasp in there.

Festivals Wow.

Myles showing Dan how far we hiked.

The mustache doing card tricks. 

Last sunset at the beach house. 

Trish built this card pyramid OUT OF NOWHERE.

Glow stick + water bottle = genius.

Jeff handing out superlatives to the group.

This moth is about the size of an iPhone.

Day 7

Here are Myles and Hannah with some perspective from Playa Gigante:

Today was the group’s first full day at the beach house!  It felt really nice to sleep in and wake up in a well air conditioned room. As soon as you step out the door, you are greeted with an extravagent sunrise that is reflecting over a beautiful view of the bay. this day was a relaxing day, there was nothing to do and nowhere to be so it was amazing to take all of Nicaragua’s features on the Pacific ocean. After a big breakfast we all went to the beach and rode the waves and snorkeled, it was a great kickstart to the day. When we went home we all made ourselves lunch with all of the great food that is at the house. For the rest of the day we all did our own things. For dinner we all pitched in and made a huge meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad. As the day was winding down the group decided to take a walk down to the beach at dark zero-thirty. As we jumped in the water we realized that the water surrounding us was bio-luminescent. Every stroke was illuminated with a glowing splash of water, and as you looked out over the ocean you could see huge lightning storms out at see. and as if that wasn’t the best swim i have ever taken in my life, you look up and you can see the Milky-way and all of the millions of stars shining down on you.

And of course, here are some pictures from my phone:

Monkey paw prints on the deck table this morning. 

So much chill right here. 

The sunsets here are a spectacle. 

Family dinner: fried chicken and mashed potatoes!

Hannah leading a sing along.

Giant hermit crabs are all over the beach at night. 

Slide in your DMs like...

Sorry for the inconsistent posting times!  The wireless at the beach house is spotty.  And also, this is what we're dealing with.

Day 6

Today we left Oasis for the last time. Jeff picked up our baggage in a truck and we walked to Pantanal for a short but rigorous work day. We withstood some rain and earned another delicious lunch and then we were gone!

We made it to our beach house after a drive and now we are enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Pacific. With more relaxation and reflection in the next 2 days, we will have some more travelers contributing to the blog. Stay tuned!

Here are some pics from today:

Packed and ready to leave Oasis after breakfast. 

Ashlyn doing work. 

Halle doing work. 

Some of our group will be interviewed as part of Amped's new marketing campaign. 

After a half day of work and our last lunch with Ramona we took a group shot with her. Truly amazing woman. Her kindness and dedication to her community was essential for Amped to purchase the land for the new support center. And she refused to be paid for cooking us all lunches for 4 days. 

2+ hour ride from Granada to our beach house in Redonda Bay...

...and there it is. 

Jill and Hannah take in the scenery. 

Main room and kitchen. 

We got down to the beach ASAP. Vamos a la playa!

Playing games before dinner.

First sunset view from the deck.

Family dinner: tacos!

Day 5

Today is Nicaraguan Independence day so we could not work on our project.  Instead, we packed our day with cultural excursions.  We visited El Coyotepe, a political prison turned tourist attraction, and then Masaya Volcano and markets.  After a short rest at Oasis, we braved the crowded streets of Granada in mid-festival on the way to dinner and did some sight-seeing on the walk back.

I talked with Halle, the only one down here not directly associated with Frontier, about her experience so far.  I've transcribed part of our conversation here:

Joe: Compared to some of your expectations going in to this trip, what are some of the things that have surprised you or that you didn't expect?

Halle: I've had a lot of fun.  I like all the people, they're funny.  I was not expecting such hard work!  Its very difficult.

Joe: Like, physically?

Halle: Yeah.

Joe:What are some of the images that have really stuck with you over the last 4 days that we've been here?

Halle: Definitely the trash on the street and how poor the communities are.  How unsanitary almost everything is.

Joe: So, I've noticed you playing with the children a lot that live next to the work site.  Give me one story about what that has been like.

Halle: Well, when they were playing with our phones it was really cool to see the excitement on their faces holding that technology that they've never seen before.  We also played games with them like hopscotch and kicked around a ball.

Joe: How about the excursions that we've done?  What are some of the things that really stick out?

Halle: The prison was really shocking.  Learning about how they were treated as political prisoners.

Joe: Hearing about the history was really cool.  What is, like, an image from the prison that really sticks out?

Halle: Definitely imagining people hanging from the hooks and being tortured.

Joe: Lake Nicaragua?  Boat tour?

Halle: That was amazing!  I thought seeing all of the islands was so cool.

Joe: Going back to the work site and the project that we are working on, building a center for the sole purpose of after school help and programming, what is your impression knowing that in Nicaragua there aren't really that many opportunities like this?

Halle: I mean, I think that they will definitely use the center because they don't do anything otherwise.  And I think they want to better themselves.  The kids we talked to said they liked school.

Joe: Cool.  Anything else?

Halle: Umm...

Joe: Are you excited for the beach house?

Halle: Yeah, that will be nice!

Here are some pics from today!

Myles and Hannah trying a licha spiny fruit for the first time at breakfast.

Molly walking across the walls of El Coyotepe before our tour.

Going down to the first level of El Coyotepe.  We learned a lot about this political prison from our tour guide and Jeff that made this trip a thrill to experience.

On the first level there are bullet holes everywhere from the most recent regime change about 30 years ago. The horrors that occurred in this structure happened much more recently than many would like to admit.

This is a poor picture but the graffiti on the wall reads "Yo quiero morir" which translates to "I want to die" in English.  Scrawled into the wall nearby is a phrase that translates to "Only Christ can save us."  Thousands were tortured and killed in these rooms over the span of about 40 years.

In this cell, all the human waste of the prisoners in the sections above drains in.  Any prisoners here are doomed to die slowly with disease.  40 prisoners at a time packed tightly for months.

Prisoners would hang and be tortured into this pit.

At Volcan Masaya.

Masaya is an active volcano.  It had an eruption just 3 years ago.

Looking fresh heading out into Granada during the Festival Hipicos, the largest party of the year.  Nicaraguan independence day.

Sitting down to an Americanized meal: Pizza!