Columbia Pacific Hosting/Departure News
DEPARTURE – JUNE 27
Host families, your students need to bedropped off at Lents Park in S.E.Portland no later than 4:00 p.m. onSunday, June 27. The park entrance islocated near 88
th
and S.E. Holgate. Thisis the same meeting place used forPendleton Roundup and Arrival. Allluggage will be weighed and then placedin a rented van. You will no longer beable to access this luggage after it goesinto the van. It is extremely importantthat your passport and everything youwill need for the evening and next day isplaced in your carry-on.If you are late or lost, you can contactSally Ann Wells on her cell phone (503)703-8223 or Ron Combs on his cellphone (503) 314-5243.
Directions to Lents Park
Lents Park is located in S.E. Portland at88th and S.E. Holgate Blvd. From I-205 South take exit17, Turn left OntoPowell, go to first light turn left onto92
nd
, go to Holgate, turn Right, the park will be on your left about two blocks.From I 205 North take exit 19Division/Powell, stay in right lanetowards Powell, turn right onto Powell,get into center lane go to first light andturn left onto 92
nd
. Go to Holgate andturn right at the first light. The entranceto the park will be on your left about twoblocks. Should you get lost, call RonCombs on his cell phone: 503 – 314 –5243 or Sally Ann Wells on her cellphone (503) 703-8223
SANDY H.S. ACCEPTS TWO AFSERS
Sandy High School does things alittle different. They have acommittee that selects a total of 6students from all programs. Lastyear we were lucky when theyselected four of our students--Adriano (Italy), Luci (France), Josef(Germany), and Sari (Japan) Thisyear they have selected two of ourstudents: Natalia from Paraguay andKseniya Vizerova from Russia. Nowwe have the job of finding families forthe two girls. If you know of any onein the Sandy School District, pleasecontact Bernice Schuchardt, (503)775-4161 or e-mail atbmschuch@aol.com.
Columbia Pacific HostingSpring 2004
Congratulations to Ruth Ladage andthe Camas-Washougal AFS Chapter.They have four students placed and allthe paperwork complete! We are off to a bit of a slow start this year (mostregions seem to be behind the pace of last year.) and we have earlierdeadlines because of visa interviewsand delays. Please speak AFS tofamily, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Promoting Peace person byperson, family by family is what weare all about and from the state of theworld in turmoil, our work is moreimportant than ever. We still have afew students to select for our AreaTeam and we are waiting for the restof our FLEX and YES students.We have new wonderful electronictools to make sharing information,filling out applications and viewingstudents very easy. Give a call and I’llbe happy to walk you through theprocess. (503) 452-1868 or email atsawells@teleport.com.
We can email web links of completestudent applications and thanks toAlaska’s Jane Ginter, we have fillableelectronic forms for all of theapplication pieces.If you or someone you know mightlike to know more about us andhosting, please refer them to the AFSUSA websitehttp://www.usa.afs.org/ or have them call a local volunteer orthe 1-800-AFS-INFO number.Please take a look at some of the greatstudents who will be arriving inAugust and let us know if you haveany host family nominees. It will takeall of us pulling together to get this jobdone in a timely manner. Everystudent deserves a loving permanenthome and experience shows us that thesooner the student and family begintheir correspondence and bonding thebetter the outcome. If you would beinterested in assisting with host familyinterviews, liaison training orbecoming an Aunt-Uncle family besure to let one of your Area TeamLeaders know!Sally Ann WellsCol Pac Volunteer HostingCoordinator
Aril 2004
YOUR LUGGAGE – WEIGHT AND SIZE LIMITATIONS
End of Stay:
Space on the buses you will be riding enroute to Departure Day and to yourinternational flight is extremely limited.We recommend that you take only thatwhich is essential, and send the remainderof your belongings home.
You should not exceed the limit of twosuitcases and one carry-on. Less isbetter!
Flights:
Be advised that
you
are responsible forany and all excess baggage fees chargedby airlines, both international and domesticflights.
AFS is not responsible for any of these costs.
If you have a question onwhether you will be traveling by bus orplane to the EOS or your internationalcarrier, please contact your RegionalTravel and Logistics Coordinator. You willreturn to your home country on the sameairline that you traveled with whenarriving to the United States.
Weight and size limits
:Generally, the
weight limit
for eachchecked piece of luggage is
70 pounds
(about 32 kilograms). Please be aware thatsome airlines have weight limits of
50pounds
per bag.The
size limit
for each checked piece of luggage is
62 inches
(about 152.4centimeters - add the length + depth +width of your luggage to figure out thesize). Your carry-on bag must be less than45 linear inches.Be aware that if either of your bags islarger or heavier than these figures, youmay be charged an “excess baggage” fee -which can be anywhere from $80-$300 (tobe paid by cash or by credit card).
AFSwill not pay these charges for you!
Theairline may also not allow you to check these bags in at all. You will have to leavebehind anything that is overweight. Pleasemake sure you have a credit card you canuse in case of excess charges.Carry-on luggage needs to be able to fitunder the airline seat or in an overheadcompartment. Items such as golf clubs,bicycles, skis, and snow-boards aregenerally considered “over-sized”baggage, and you will usually have to paya charge ($50-$110), depending on theitem’s size and weight, even if such anitem is your second “checked” piece of luggage. It is a good idea to call the airlinebefore-hand to check on any oversizedbaggage. These regulations are also postedon the websites for each airline.Finally, remember that items on airlinesget banged around. Be sure to pack yourmusical instrument or electronicequipment in hard cases to protect them asbest as possible. Such items will likelyneed to be checked as a third piece of luggage, and you will need to payadditional baggage fees as required by theairline.
Students from Central America:
be aware that airlines have an embargo on additional baggage during the summer months. You will NOT be allowed to travel with additional baggage, whether or not you are willing and able to pay forit
.
Federal Regulations prevent the airline from allowing any weight over 70 pounds per bag, with a maximum of 2 bags. Theywill also not allow you to travel with boxes or odd shaped bags.
Security:
Airlines are now searching all bags when apassenger checks in for their flight. Pleasetake this into consideration when packing.Someone may go into your bag after youhave closed and locked it and may not helpyou re-close your bag! In addition, lockson luggage can pose a problem at securitycheckpoints in airports. Please make sureto unlock your luggage while it is goingthrough security, and/or keep your luggagekey available while checking in.Due to recent security measures that allairlines have taken, the luggage limit istighter than ever. For most airlines, it is
not
possible to pay overweight charges.The airline will make you leave anythingover the weight restrictions behind. Also,airlines have instituted
very strict
rulesabout carry-on luggage. Most airlines areallowing only
one piece
of carry-onluggage plus a purse or small backpack.
Packing Suggestions:
We strongly recommend that you beginsorting through your belongings to see if you can mail anything home.As soon as the weather allows, you shouldsend your winter clothes or shoes home.
•
If you have collected papers andprinted matter (schoolnewspapers, playbills fromconcerts or shows, books, photoalbums, etc.), consider sendingthese home, too. Paper becomesvery heavy when you try to pack a big stack of it, and there is aspecial “printed matter” rate thatis available through the UnitedStates Postal
•
Service – check your local postoffice for information aboutpackaging and rates.
•
Remember, you will beresponsible for carrying
yourown entire
luggage whiletraveling. PACKACCORDINGLY!
•
When in doubt, pack your thingsand try to walk up and downyour block a few times. Thatshould give you an idea of whether or not you will be ableto handle your bags during thebus trip and the final trip to theairport from the Departure Daysite.
Baggage Tags:
All of your luggage must be clearlylabeled! You will be given some baggagetags at your Pre-Return Orientation onMay 15 and you will be receiving specificinstructions about your return home soon.Be sure to put your
natural familyaddress
on the baggage tags. Additionaltags will be available at your starting pointand at Departure Day.
JUST A NOTE FROM EXPERIENCE
REGARDING YOUR CARRY-ONS
:By Bernice Schuchardt
Recently I was flying home fromPhoenix, Arizona. I had checked twobags and my carry-on consisted of my purse, a briefcase, and a tubecontaining a print. I had no problemtaking the tube as a carry-on on my flight from Houston to Phoenix, but upon return, the security people inPhoenix considered the tube as acarry-on and I had to go back toticketing and attempt to check it. I had already checked 2 bags so it was“iffym”, but finally they relented and let me check it. Therefore, the moralof the story is make sure your carry-ons are no more than 2 items or youmay be leaving something that’s reallyimportant to you at some
airport on your way home. Airline security and airlines have different rules indifferent cities
.
Please remember to add a swim suit andtowel in a plastic bag as part of your carry-on luggage.
Student News
FUN AT INTERNATIONALFAIR
“I really enjoyed going to the International Fair at Lewis &Clark College. We heard a lot of live music which is traditional for oreign countries from all around the world, ate their delicious food,we were even able to play their traditional games. It was a lot of un! It was kind of like a little tourwithout going anywhere. Studentswho represented their countrieswere willing to share how beautiful their native countries are. It made me want to visit all of them. To my mind this is the best way to learn something new about the world, notust read about it in the books but discover it yourself without actually oing there.
By
Yuliya Fabrovska, Ukraine
A CHRISTMAS MESSAGEFROM LISA
Toni and Nelson Palmer shared their Christmas message from Lisa Schmidt (2000-02), their former AFSer from Germany. Sheis on an exchange with another program inSouth Africa. The photo is of Lisa with someof the African children she is working with.
“Dear Toni and dear Nelsy,My first Christmas away from home withyou guys was as special as the one this yearwill be. I will spend a hot day at the poolwith the other 15 girls and 2 boys. Maybewe will go to church with the blacks, watchtheir soccer game where they play for a malesheep, and enjoy the sun. For you two, Ihope you can spend special days justenjoying your being together and theChristmas atmosphere which I will bemissing. Hugs and kisses from “African”Lisa.
LOST & FOUND
We still have a large number of itemswhich were left in vans, at mountain, orat the Jagows. A list of these items waspublished in the last newsletter. Allitems will be available at the orientationon May 15. Families and students pleasecheck these items and claim any thatmight be yours. All items which are notclaimed will be donated to a charityorganization or we will have a garagesale.
ALERT
!!
Please help me find the Lost and Foundfrom ski trip. Judy Gross let Farhadborrow a very valuable "riding wintercoat" with hat and gloves. This is a $400+ item. The coat is a long, horseback riding winter coat, with multiple snapsdown the back and sides (to fit overhorses rump); plus very high quality,thin insulated riding gloves and a warmhat. Farhad thinks he left these atJagow's. Did anyone see them at thelodge or in the lost and found? It iscritical that we recover them orreimburse Judy for them. It is this sortof thing that breaks a family spirit.If you saw these items, please talk to me!Sally Ann Wells, 503-452-1868 ORe-mailsawells@teleport.com
Want to go bowling????
How about joining us at Hollywood Bowl, 4030 NE Halsey, Portland, Oregon, on June 13(503) 288-9237. at 1:00 PM but be there at 12:30 PM. Fee: Free for AFS students and $6.00for all others. Directions to Hollywood Bowl: I-205 to I-84 west, take exit #2, (43
rd
ave.),go left (or south on Halsey) at light, the bowling alley is on the left about two blocks down.You can park on the right side of the street in lot or under the alley is parkingalso…OR…you can take the MAX Go to the 42nd Ave. Broadway stop. You will see thebuilding. Contact: Ron Combs, 503 777-8117. Come and have fun.
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2004 April Newsletter
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