Se Levanta: The MUNDO Puerto Rico Experience 2018 Planning Resources
About the Experience: The Puerto Rico experience began in 2013 and was repeated in 2015 with the Black Student Association. Both the past experiences have focused on the commercial and cultural side of the island. The group has done volunteer work on the island during our last two visits as well. We volunteered at the Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico both times we were in Puerto Rico.
The Latest Draft of the Itinerary: MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING THROUGH NONTRADITIONAL DISCOVERY OPPORTUNITIES (MUNDO) SE LEVANTA: THE MUNDO PUERTO RICO EXPERIENCE 2018 (DECEMBER 14-20, 2018)
About the Experience: The Puerto Rico experience began in the year 2013 as part of MUNDO’s commitment to exploring communities all across the globe. The experience continues to be designed to explore the social, environmental and economic changes that have transformed (and continue to change) this unique Caribbean community. The experience has traditionally featured a look at life both in the larger cities and smaller towns of Puerto Rico, focusing on the history of tourism, indigenous cultures and cultural heritage. In 2015 the experience included participation from the Black Student Association (BSA), with a focus on African-Caribbean cultural influences on the region. This year the experience will include meeting with native Puerto Ricans who attend Ohio State, a visit to El Yunque Caribbean rainforest, volunteer work at a local food bank, a look behind the scenes life in the Caribbean, and more! The cost of the experience for participants is $775.
Key Notes from Past Experiences: Communication • Use Groupme and guidebook to keep the group informed of the itinerary and any updates (have a specific responder to specific questions raised using these services
Recommendations • Including a visit to a Taino historical site would be good, but the Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park is very difficult to get to, and took a lot of time out of the schedule. The Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center near Ponce is recommended as an alternative visit location • Be sure to emphasize that the group will need to do the English Slavery tour of La Hacienda Esperanza • Additional free time was also recommended
SUGGESTED ITINERARY FOR THE EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR: Friday, December 14, 2018 ▪ Morning—Bus to airport, Flight to San Juan, Bus to hotel ▪ Late Morning—Check in to Hotel (Sheraton Old San Juan - https://www.youtube.com/embed/DwR- Sr9LG1g) ▪ Afternoon—Orientation to the area ▪ Evening—Group dinner ▪ Late Evening—Rest/Group Exploration
Saturday, December 15, 2018 ▪ Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ Mid-Morning—Tour of Old San Juan and Food Tasting ( Spoon Food Tours) ▪ Late afternoon- Tour of Old Morro ▪ Evening—Rest/Group Exploration
Sunday, December 16, 2018 ▪ Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ Mid-Morning—Tour of El Yunque Caribbean National Rainforest ▪ Afternoon—Bag Lunch/travel to La hacienda de Esperanza ▪ Late afternoon- Slavery focused Tour of La hacienda de Esperanza ▪ Evening—Rest/Group Exploration
Monday, December 17, 2018 ▪ Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ Mid-Morning— Volunteer work at the Banco de Alimentos Puerto Rico (Corujo Industrial Park, Hato Tejas, ▪ Bayamón, Puerto Rico, ph. 787.740.3663) ▪ All participants will need to wear comfortable jeans that go to the knees. Open toe shoes are not allowed for safety reasons. Comfortable cotton t-shirts are recommended, but nothing tight or that shows cleavage. ▪ Afternoon—Reflection/Break ▪ Evening- Depart for La Paguera (Bioluminescent Bay) ▪ Late Evening—Rest/Group Exploration
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 ▪ Early Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ Morning— Depart for Tibes Ceremonial Indian Center (See notes about this) ▪ Afternoon—Lunch at Las Guanchas ▪ Late Afternoon—Tour of Castillo Seralles and City of Ponce (Parque de Bombas, Cathedral of Our Lady of ▪ Guadalupe, Hotel Melia) ▪ If time permits, King’s Cream (61 Calle Vives, Ponce, 00730, Puerto Rico) is a recommended group snack ▪ Late Evening—Rest/Group Exploration
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 ▪ Early Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ All Day- Group Exploration ▪ Evening—ACTION TEAM dinner (Optional) ▪ Late Evening—Rest/Pack for departure
Thursday, December 20, 2018 ▪ Early Morning-Breakfast in hotel ▪ Depart San Juan for CMH ▪ Arrive in Buckeye Country/ Thank pilot ☺
Things to consider for planning: • Review the budget carefully. Puerto Rico is fantastic, but gets expensive really, really quickly. • In the past, we have used RST Sun Tours (http://www.rstdmc.com/) to coordinate our bus to and from the airport in Puerto Rico, and travel to all the sites which we visited and volunteered. We sent them the itinerary and they sent us a complete quote for everything. If you choose to use them this year, I would consider comparing other vendors to see what’s the cheapest price. • I have heard that much of El Yunque rainforest is still closed because of the hurricanes from last year. I recommend checking on this to make sure the right amount of time is dedicated to visiting that to which the group will still have access. • The Puerto Rico area foodbank was easy to work with, and really appreciated our volunteering there. • Two tours that are highly recommended are the Coffee Plantation tour at Hacienda Buena Vista (http://www.paralanaturaleza.org/en/hacienda-buena-vista/) and Hacienda La Esperanza (http://www.paralanaturaleza.org/en/hacienda-la-esperanza/) a sugar plantation that also discusses the history of enslaved Africans in Puerto Rico. • Be sure to check if admission to El Morro is included with the food tour, if not, the fort is definitely worth touring for the admission price. • Check out the websites for Castillo Seralles (http://www.museocastilloserralles.com/) and Bioluminescent tours Mosquito Bay- (https://travel.usnews.com/Puerto_Rico/Things_To_Do/Mosquito_Bay_Vieques_61160/) – the brightest of the bays, Laguna Grande (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review- g147319-d148821-Reviews-Laguna_Grande-Puerto_Rico.html) or La Paguera (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1593211-d148805-Reviews-La_Parguera- Lajas_Puerto_Rico.html). Half the group, including me went to La Paguera last time, and really enjoyed it. La Paguera has bigger boats for groups who don’t want to canoe on the bay, which might be a plus for non-swimmers.
Working Budget Expenses Puerto Rico- Airfare $17438.4 Puerto Rico- Hotel $16000 PR- Onsite Transportation $4592 PR-Castillo Seralles $175 PR-Hacienda BuenaVista or $336 PR-Biolumnescent Tour $1344 PR-El Yunque $112 PR- El Morro $196 PR Miscellaneous (bus to CMH airport) $600 Total $40,793.40
Income Participant Funding (24 x $775) $18,600 (minus $806.60 to reduce cost for planners) MUNDO $20,000 RHAC $1500 PASS $1500 Total $40,793.40
Note: Food Tour $2185.40 (Confirmed and paid last year)