Greetings prospective or confirmed Belize student!

     The following is information to help you decide to sign up for this course or, if you have already paid your deposit, information to help you prepare.  Please do not hesitate to e-mail or call us with questions.  We are passionate about this trip and happy to help you in any way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costs and Payments:  The cost for this trip is $2700 which includes airfare, room and board as well as all transportation and park fees.  The fee does not include accident insurance (optional), college registration fees (approx. $80), a departure tax ($40), souvenirs, and tips that we usually give the drivers and service employees who make our trip so enjoyable; typically each person contributes $40 to a fund from which we tip these people. 

 

A deposit of $700 will secure a spot in the class for you.  You may opt to pay the full $2700 at that time or pay the rest by the 21st of November.   All payments should be made at the Cashiers Office on Palomar’s main campus.  Please be sure they give you a receipt and that you contact Beth to let her know you have signed up.  We will continue to allow students to sign up until December 12th as long as there are spaces available.

 

Cancellation:  Students who chose to cancel before November 10th will be given a full refund.  Refunds after that date will be contingent on our ability to fill the spot.  If a replacement can not be found, you will not receive a refund. 

 

Registering:  To register for this class, you will need a permission code which will be provided to you when we verify that you have made your deposit.  You will need to be a registered Palomar student which can be accomplished online through Palomar’s website: www.palomar.edu .

 

Meetings:  We will have a required meeting before we leave on our trip.  This meeting will take place on Saturday, December 12 from 5-9:00 p.m. in NS-225.  At this meeting we will introduce ourselves to each other, give you lots of handouts, discuss the biology and culture of the country and give you some tips regarding trip preparations.  We will also have a post trip meeting on January 30th from 6pm-10pm at a place to be determined.  This will give us a chance to reconnect, discuss our trip and share photos.

 

Preparations:  You will need to buy or borrow a mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit for our days snorkeling.  Please be sure that these items fit you comfortably and do not leak under water.  Additionally, you will need to have a current passport.  If you do not have one, go to your local post office and start the process now.  There is a significant processing time and you can not travel to Belize without it.

 

Course requirements:  There are several components of our course.  Participation is our focus, and the basis of a passing grade.  In addition to participation, we will require each student who seeks to earn a grade better than a "C" to write a paper on an appropriate topic relating to our experience, present the topic during our trip and turn in a detailed journal after the trip.  We will cover the details of these assignments during our meetings. 

 

Itinerary:  http://daphne.palomar.edu/blowe/belize_itinerary.htm

 

We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Beth Pearson 760-744-1150 (x2874) bpearson@palomar.edu

and Candi Francis

 

Life Sciences Dept. Palomar College

1140 W. Mission Road,  San Marcos, CA  92069