SEA2013 - Second Info Meeting
At tonight's informational meeting we went over many trip details. We
talked about the itinerary,
paperwork,
what's
next, payments,
and the chaperones answered questions.
Trip applicatons are now being accepted. All applications
need to be submitted to Mr. Seamon in
SV21 by Friday, 5/18 at 3pm.
Paper copies of the paperwork
due on 5/18 can be picked up in SV21 from Mr. Seamon, or from Ms.
Wilbur or Dr. Sayarath.
Here's Dr. Sayarath's story about the trip and what it means to him:
"Good evening. My name is John
Sayarath. I am a science faculty member, boys varsity tennis head coach
and dorm counselor here at the Academy. I'll be one of the chaperones
of the SEA2013 trip. I am honored and excited to accept this role and
responsibility, not only because of the opportunity to return to SEA
after SEA2011, but also because of the opportunity to do service work
in Laos especially in the Plain of Jars in Xiang Khouang province,
where I was born. I came to America in 1976 after my father was killed
in the war and my mother, baby brother, older sister, and I left the
plain of jars and headed towards the capitol city of Laos. I am very
excited to see the Plain of Jars again after 48 years. It has a
significant history and meaning to my Kmhmu people. The Kmhmu people
are the first inhabitants or the natives of Laos much like the
American Indians are first inhabitants or natives of the United States.
In the Plain of Jars, the landscape
consists of megalithic archeology. Growing up I remember seeing these
stone jars appear in clusters, ranging from a single or a few to
several hundred jars at lower foothills surrounding the central plain
and upland valleys. I can't wait to see, study and show this
prehistoric site to our students. Research suggests the Plain of Jars
is dated to the Iron Age (500 BCE to 500 CE), built by my ancestors
Khun Cheung, and is one of the most fascinating and important sites for
studying Southeast Asian prehistory.
Like the SEA2011, the SEA2013 trip
will also be a very special and meaningful one for us. We'll explore
different cultures, languages, customs and religions while providing
service work to some of the poorest of the poor in the world. We'll be
able to help the sick, work with children and students. We'll stay and
eat with the locals in the villages that will be totally different from
what you have ever seen.
I hope you will consider joining us
on this trip. If you have any questions or would like more information,
please let me know and I will be happy to talk to you."
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 May 2012 )
Item Checklist
Written by Josh Seamon
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
A master Item Checklist of all the tasks and paperwork that each trip participant needs to complete is now online right here.
Detailed information about all of the trip paperwork is online right here.
Our morning began with yet another sunny day-break. Calm wind and lots
of sun mixed with a stunning coast and gorgeous city... it's a hard
place to leave. By a little after 10am Ms. Paupst, Chef Hale, and I
were down in the lobby of our building, and right at 10:30 the van
showed up to drive us to the airport. With very little traffic and a
short drive, we made it to the airport very quickly. About 40 minutes
later all three vans had dropped off their passengers and we were all
grouped up next to the Swiss Air desk.
For the next hour and a half we relaxed and socialized. Some kids made
lemonade and other ate snacks. There was some napping, music, and
reading. At 12:40 the desk opened, we quickly got our tickets, and then
cruised through the very short security line. At the gate we had
another round of relaxing social time. Ms. Paupst and I burned some of
our last Euros and prepped for our first flight of the day. At 2:40 our
flight took off and we were on our way home. In Zürich we cleared
through another passport check and then rallied at the gate. We enjoyed
the very comfy seats and took in some more sun. It was also not hard to
spend our last Euro change as the prices in Zürich are rather high. At
5pm we boarded and soon after we were in the air.
On the plan we found that we were seated around a college group coming
back from Florence. Everyone in both groups was in high spirits. Over
the course of the 7 hour flight kids watched movies, took photos, and
sketched. I also think there was some homework getting done. I read
most of the way and then slept for the last bit. Around 7:20pm we
touched down in Boston, about 30 minutes early. We then got our bags,
cleared customs, and connected with our bus in record time. After one
short stop in Concord, we cruised back into St. Johnsbury a just before
11:30pm.
We unloaded from the bus surrounded by many happy parents. After lots
of hugs and goodbyes, everyone headed home.
What a trip.
3/8/12 - Antibe, Picasso, Yachts, and Nicoise Cuisine
Written by Josh Seamon
Thursday, 08 March 2012
3/8/12 Antibe, Picasso, Yachts, and Nicoise
Cuisine
Our morning began with cafe cremes, classes, and lots and lots of sun.
At 11:20 the kids were out of class and Ms. Paupst collected their
lunch orders. We all then enjoyed the cauliflower soup that the kids
made the day before. (Eating a round of food before a meal is a kind of
tradition for our group!) By 12:30 we were digging into yet another
great lunch at the next door restaurant.
At 1:10 we walked up to the train station and didn't have to wait long
at all for our train to take off to Antibe. The ride was very smooth
and under 30 minutes. In Antibe we unloaded and walked to the water
where Craig gave us another great overview of the area and its history.
We snapped some group and singleton pictures, and continued out walk up
the coast past some enormous super yachts, many of which were from the
Cayman Islands.
We then continued our walk down the coast to the Grimaldi museum, which
for a long while now has been the Picasso museum. Craig gave another
spiel and then we spent 40 minutes exploring the 3 floors of the
building where Picasso made many of his paintings and sculptures. Back
outside we grouped up and headed into Antibe for about an hour of free
time. The city has a very appealing charm. It's laced with small alleys
and very cute shops. Chef Hale, Ms. Paupst, and I enjoyed a round of
cafe cremes and a couple crepes before meeting back up with the kids.
Soon, we were back on the train heading to Nice.
Back in Nice outside the train station we grouped up for a few
announcements and then the kids were sent off for a little free time
before we grouped up in the Carnival square and walked 10 minutes to a
fantastic 3-course group dinner. We had absolutely wonderful pasta
dishes as our main course, which was proceeded by a plate of Nicoise
cuisine -- some of the best we have had during our entire trip! After a
very tasty dessert, we grouped up outside and said a big thank you to
Craig. We will see him for a bit tomorrow, but tonight was a good way
to start to say good bye.
The kids were then sent off into the night and the adults headed home.
Tomorrow we have a morning tour and classes in the afternoon, followed
by our last night in Nice! Time has absolutely flown by.
Bonus media: The recipes from
our cooking session with Jean Montagard can be downloaded through the
link provided above. A big thanks to Ms. Paupst for translating the
recipes into English!
Our morning began with another round of language classes, followed by a
cooking demo where the resident EF Chef, Gil, prepared a very yummy
soup. Right after the cooking classes ended at 12:40, we
scooted over to the restaurant for lunch which we gulped quickly down
in order to make our 1pm bus. We made it on fine and headed about 20
minutes north of Nice to the Matisse museum. There we met our guide
Michel, an art history professor from the University of Nice. He acted
as our guide through the stunning Matisse collection. In addition to
being highly energetic, he was wonderfully fluent in all the minutia of
each piece. (No photos were allowed in the museum.)
Next, we all walked about 15 minutes down the hill to the nearby
Chagall museum. Filled with large, colorful paintings, our tour with
Michel was spectacular. We learned about how each piece and the whole
museum was designed in one plan by Chagall. We saw biblical scenes and
a room of paintings made for his wife. Our tour ended in the small
auditorium area that has one wall covered in blue Chagall stained
glass. After a bit of free time in the outside park area in front of
the museum, we caught a city bus back to Nice and arrived back at
around 5pm.
After a bit of free time, we all met up in the Carnival square, and
headed east into the old town for a Nicoise food sampling at a rather
famous restaurant. We piled into several tables and were then fed
several rounds of terrific local food. The Socca was delicious as was
everything else. One of the dishes -- an onion pizza of sorts -- was
made by the kids during their sessions with Jean Montagard. Everyone
left the event with a great spectrum of tastes to remember. After the
tasting everyone was set off to their homestays.
Ms. Paupst and I enjoyed a gelato from Fennochios before calling it an
early night. Tomorrow the kids have morning classes followed by a day
trip to Antibe. It's going to be very hard to say goodbye to this city
on Saturday!
Our morning began with another gorgeous walk to the EF Language School
and several language classes. While the kids were in class, Ms. Paupst,
Chef Hale, and I took care of some errands and then met up with the
kids for lunch. After filling up on a great round of food, I took off
with 9 kids while the rest stayed at the school for their afternoon
cooking class with Jean Montagard. For 5 hours the cooking class kids
cooked up a huge meal of wonderful dishes that we all came together to
enjoy later in the evening.
While the cooking class was going on, 9 of the kids and I took a 45
minute train ride east to Ventimiglia, a small town just across the
border in Italy. While there we walked down to the coast and enjoyed
standing out on the rock peer. We then enjoyed some great gelato at a
small cafe in the rather quite town. While we were initially a little
worried that none of us spoke any substantial Italian, we were put at
perfect ease when the first person we talked to -- the person behind
the gelato counter -- spoke perfect, unaccented English (American
School in Monaco). After gelato we walked back to the train station
where the train we wanted to catch was promptly canceled. So, we took
the next train, 45 minutes later, and after a short walk, were all back
at the EF Language School.
For the next hour and a half we gorged ourselves on all the wonderful
food that had been prepared. The food and social time was fun and
wrapped up at around 7:30. Everyone then headed home through the cool
night.
Tomorrow there are morning classes and then we have a round of museum
tours with Michele, a local guide arranged by Ms. Paupst.
