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The Program:
The Study in Costa Rica Program is the first service learning based study abroad program offered at El Camino College. The focus of the program will be volunteer work; students, as part of their coursework, will work on a variety of ecological and community based volunteer projects. El Camino College is partnering with Intercultura, a language school in Samara, Costa Rica http://www.samaralanguageschool.com/ . Intercultura will handle all of the logistics of the program (eg: transportation, accommodations, volunteer project coordination, weekend excursions, etc). All payments except the initial deposit will be made to Intercultura.
The Cost:
$2500*
What is Included:
· Airfare from LAX to Liberia, Costa Rica
- Transportation
- Airport pickup and drop-off in Costa Rica
- Bus fares to and from excursions
- Accommodations
- Lodging in home-stays while in Samara,.
- Breakfasts and dinners
- Weekly laundry service
- Classes offered (ECC tuition and fees are not included in price):
- English 1C- the Volunteer project is linked with the English 1C course. All students are required to participate in the volunteer project. The project might include wildlife rescue and tutoring school children
- Spanish 21 or 22 (perquisites need to be met). Other Spanish classes might be available. Contact Pete Marcoux for details.
- 8 hours of Conversational Spanish class every week (no ECC credit- enrichment course)
- Native teachers with advanced university degrees and teaching certification
- 6 students max per class, focused on conversation and communication skills
- Cultural activities
- Dance class, cooking class, Spanish movie, arts and crafts, yoga, aerobics, nature walks
- Two Weekend Excursions
o One night in beautiful Arenal: http://www.arenal.net/
§ Natural hot springs, ecological park and river swing.
- One night in Monteverde National Park: http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/
- Hanging bridges or canopy tour.
- All breakfasts, some lunches and dinners
- Double or triple occupation in hotel/lodges during excursions.
- Welcome and farewell dinners
Who can participate?
· Anyone who is eligible to attend El Camino College
· 18 years or older
· 12 units of college level coursework
· 2.5 GPA
· Eligible for English 1C
What is not included:
· Airport fees and taxes
· ECC tutition and fees
· Books for courses
· Transportation to and from LAX
· Any variations of the program made by the student
· Most lunches ($6-12 per lunch)
· Anything else not explicitly mentioned
If you are interested in joining, this is what you need to do:
· Fill out El Camino Application (if you are not already a student
o http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/pmarcoux/costarica2010/CR2010Application.pdf
· Fill out ECC Study Abroad Application
o http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/pmarcoux/costarica2010/CR2010Application.pdf
o Application plus 2 photos required
o Academic Reference- a current or former ECC professor is preferred
o Character reference- a former high school teacher, coach, or some other non-relative
o Eligibility Checklist
o Student Conduct Code: Print Name, Sign, and Date
o Behavior Contract: Print Name, Sign, and Date
o Preliminary Course Agreement: (let me know what courses you are interested in taking)
o Need & Merit Scholarship Applications (these are optional)
· Attach $500 check made out to El Camino College to application and give to Pete Marcoux
· Apply for financial aid ( you don’t HAVE to, but why not try? It’s free!)
o http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
· Apply for a passport
o http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738_2.html
· Pay balance to Intercultura
o Due December, 2009
· Attend First Mandatory Meeting
o Mid December 2010
o Hand out equipment list (just in time for Santa!)
o Syllabus/Course assignments
· Attend Second Mandatory Meeting
o A week or so before departure date
· Complete Essay Assignment (all participants)
o Due prior to leaving
*All information is subject to change. No details have been finalized and are an approximation.
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