General Game Plan and Itinerary:

3/16/09:  Applications due at St. Mary’s. Also, a photocopy of each student’s passport should be turned in to help facilitate booking airline tickets (below).  Students MUST write the 250-word personal essay but do NOT need to obtain a teacher’s letter of recommendation. Download the application here.

3/20/09:  Applications submitted by St. Mary’s School to Hanban (Chinese Ministry of Education) in Beijing

3/24/09:  Hanban, Beijing approves final list of participants

4/1/09:    Flights booked

4/8/09:    $1,000 Airfare, hotel, and bus fee deposit is required to be paid in full to St. Mary’s.  If payment cannot be made in full at this time, please contact Mr. Phillips. The remaining balance will be announced as soon as possible.  

5/11/09: Visa fees of $213.00 are due to St. Mary's.

April –June:  Hanban, Henan Provincial Department of Education, and St. Mary’s make detailed plans for each day’s activities.  Final detailed plan will be published on June 30, 2009.

7/13/09:  Students and chaperons will depart St. Mary’s School at 1 pm and will be bused either to Portland or San Francisco.  Students and chaperons will stay in a hotel close to the airport and prepare for departure the following day.

7/14/09: Students depart for China

7/15/09:  Students arrive in Beijing and will be housed at the Beijing Foreign Language School.

7/17/09: Students attend the Chinese Summer Bridge opening ceremony.

7/19/09: Students depart for Zhengzhou, Henan Province

7/19/09-07/30/09:  Students will take part in Chinese language and cultural programs as well as sightseeing. 

7/31/09:  Students will depart Zhengzhou for the United States.  Upon arrival in the United States, students and chaperons will be bused to St. Mary’s School.

*Timelines and details may change.

Passports:

Each student is required to submit their actual passport to St. Mary’s School by May 4th, 2009.  We will ship the passports to an agency to obtain the necessary Chinese visas.  In addition to submitting a physical passport, parents must make two photocopies of their student’s passport.  One copy is to remain with the parents, and one copy is to be submitted to St. Mary’s School.  

If you do not currently have a passport, you will need to apply for one as soon as possible.  Passports can take a considerable amount of time to obtain from the U.S. Department of State. 

FAQ’s:

How many bags is each student allowed to take?
Air Canada allows each passenger to take two bags weighing no more than 50lbs each.

Where will we be staying in San Francisco and Portland?
The Holiday Inn Express in Burlingame and the Radisson in Portland.

Who is paying for this trip?
Hanban will cover room and board, activities, air travel and ground transport within China, and sightseeing.  Parents are responsible for round-trip airfare from the USA to Beijing, passports and visa costs, plus bus and one night hotel the night before departure from US (approx. $100 for bus and hotel). We anticipate the total cost for each student to be around $1300-$1500.

Where will students stay while in China?
Students will be staying in college dormitories.  There will be two students assigned to one dorm room. The dormitories have telephone lines, air conditioning, a laundry facility, restrooms, and lounge space. 

How do students do their laundry?
A laundry facility will be onsite at the dormitories.  Students will be responsible for their own laundry, and laundry payment cards will be provided.

What will the food be like?
The food will be traditional Chinese food.  Vegetarian fare will be available.

Is there internet access or international phones?
Yes.  The host schools will have computer labs available to students for emailing purposes.  International phones are available in the dormitories for calling home. 

What kind of insurance does my child need to have?
Every student must have international travel insurance.  Please check with your insurance carrier to ensure that your child will be covered. 

What is the chaperon: student ratio?
One St. Mary’s teacher for every nine to ten students.  There will also be numerous guides, instructors, and group organizers in China.  The trip is very well-orchestrated by Hanban.

Does my child need any particular immunizations for this trip?
No.  However we do recommend that your child be current with all immunizations required by the Oregon Department of Human Services for school attendance.

What are the age requirements?
Students must be between the ages of 14-18 for the entire duration of the trip. 

Do certain students have priority over others?
No.

The following link from the UCLA Confucius Institute may be of interest. It contains student and teacher feedback from the 2008 Chinese Bridge Summer Camp. UCLA Confucius Institute