Big Trips, easily the most expensive option in the OES Winterim Catalog, are announced the spring before departure so students and families may converse about cost and how to raise the funds. All other trips are announced in the fall, before Thanksgiving. Registration for Big Trips must be completed by Thursday, October 2, 2008 (unless it is announced otherwise). Trips without enough sign-ups will be cancelled. Registration includes a check made out to OES for 25% of the total cost of the trip. Obviously in case of cancellation, all checks are returned in full.
Financial Aid is available for Big Trips. There is an application form on this website. Instructions are included there. There are 2 deadlines for Financial Aid for Big Trips: June 12, 2008 and October 2, 2008. Awards will be sent within 10 days. Please note: the promise of financial aid does not guarantee a spot on the trip.
Contact trip leaders as instructed in each course description for further information.
Travel with us to Northern Minnesota to enjoy an experience unlike any other. We will spend 4 days on the lakes and trails of the Boundary Waters, driving 2-person sleds with a team of 4-5 Inuit dogs each. Experienced guides will provide hands-on training on the first day, and then you will handle your own team of dogs, including feeding and harnessing them every morning. We will stay in lakeside lodges each night, where you can relax by the fire and enjoy fabulous meals that are prepared by the resident chef. There will be a chance to try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and a Finnish sauna. We will also pay a visit to the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN, to observe and learn about the native timber wolves. Get ready for an amazing experience, and prepare to fall in love with dogsledding!
Leaders: Bettina Gregg and Jeff Gadette
Cost: approximately $1850
Enrollment: 8-10 students by September 25, 2008 (early deadline required by deposit)
Dates: March 13th-18th, 2009
Summer Contact:
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For our students who have had at least two years of French, we have
established an exchange program with a high school in the Lyon region, in France. L¹Externat Sainte-Marie is located in La Verpillière, twenty minutes to the south east of Lyon. Our students spend a little over two weeks in home stays with the family of their host student, going to school at l¹Externat, and touring the surrounding region. In previous years that has included Geneva, the medieval towns of Crémieux and Pérouges, and further south, to Avignon and les Baux de Provence. The trip also includes three to four days spent in Paris. Beginning the weekend before Winterim, the entire program lasts through Winterim and a part of Spring Break. In return, the French correspondents who hosted the OES students come to Portland and spend a little less than three weeks with their OES families, attending classes and touring the region.
Leaders: Katrina Perry and TBA
Enrollment: 10-12
Dates: March 7 to March 26 (approximately)
Cost: $3000 (does not include travel documents, snacks, personal phone calls, souvenirs or lunch during the 4 days in Paris).
Summer Contact:
VJ Sathyaraj and Terry Hansen will lead a Winterim trip to Chennai, Madurai and Kodaikanal in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. The focus of the trip is religion and culture along with a service opportunity among victims of the 2005 tsunami who live around the city of Chennai. The Government museum in the city of Chennai contains exhibits from various parts of India including the civilization of the Indus valley. Fort St. George, the first fortified structure in India built by the East India Company also contains a museum with exhibits about Gov. Elihu Yale, benefactor and namesake of Yale University. The city of Madurai and the great Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple offer the experience of a classical civilization believed to have been visited by Megasthenes, a 3rd century BCE Greek traveler and geographer. The temple complex is an enormous and grand example of the Shaivaite tradition. Kodaikanal is a “hill-station” established in the 19th century 7200 feet above sea level as a vacation spot for British and American missionaries. It is surrounded by rain-forest and is the site of the oldest American school in India, founded in 1901. Kodaikanal is the perfect place to examine some of the effects of colonialism while enjoying the beauty of the mountains.
Leaders:
and
Dates: March 11-25, 2009 (approximate)
Numbers: 8
Cost: $2500 - $2800 (airfare may rise significantly). Does not include travel documents, inoculations, snacks, souvenirs, transportation to or from Portland airport, laundry, or private phone calls.
Vietnam’s physical beauty, long complex history, and its many century struggle for Independence (from the Chinese, the French and the Americans) have been hidden for many Americans because of what we call the Vietnam War, what the Vietnamese call the War for Independence. Join this trip to visit important places and learn ancient culture and history, colonialism, forgiveness, and much more in Hanoi, Hue, Dalat and Hoi An, to enjoy the excellent cuisine (a blend of Chinese and French – could one go wrong?!) and to meet and mingle with students from the excellent Hanoi-Amsterdam School in a service project. Three OES alums from the class of 2002 are also alums of the Hanoi Amsterdam School. As a special bonus, we’ll travel to and from Vietnam with the Drama group and meet up our last night for a mutual sharing of culture and history.
Leaders: Sopha Hang and Hope Stevens
Enrollment: 6-8
Dates: Winterim through March 27, 2009
Cost: $2600 - $3500
Initial course sign-up deadline is September 25, 2008 – for more information contact
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Take an exciting journey into the theatre world of an ancient culture. Adventurous, patient and adaptable students with a passion for the arts will want to be a part of this excursion. Experience the three major forms of Vietnamese theatre: Cheo, the folk theatre; Tuong, a traditional opera form; and Kich Noi, contemporary scripted drama. You'll enjoy a trip to Hanoi's famous water puppet theatre and you'll also have an opportunity to meet the actors and see dancers and musicians perform the various styles of Vietnamese music.
Theatre Professionals Stephanie Mulligan and Laura Widener will lead a team of 8 students for this 15 day trip to Vietnam's beautiful capital city, Hanoi.
As a service element we plan to work with the Hanoi chapter of the American Friends Service Committee, a group that provides support to orphanages and impoverished communities around the world.
A highlight of the trip will be a visit to magnificent Halong Bay, one of the natural marvels of Southeast Asia. Legend has it that the islands of Halong Bay were created by a great dragon that plunged from the mountains into the water. In fact the name Ha Long means "where the dragon descends into the sea"
Leaders: Stephanie Mulligan and Laura Widener
Enrollment: 8
Estimated Cost: $2575
Dates: March 9 – March 24
Summer Contact:
Come to beautiful Romania! Spend fourteen days immersing yourself in the wonderful culture of this Eastern European country. It has all the charms and history of typical Western European countries at a significantly lower price. We will start our adventure in lovely Bucharest, spending about four or five days experiencing the rich history and sight seeing this city has to offer. Then travel up to the Wallachia and Transylvania area (the birthplace of DRACULA, who was real, even if he wasn’t a vampire). Spend time with friendly Romanian students from the International School in the city of Cluj, with several days spent on a joint service project. Take day trips to some of the most amazing castles in all of Europe, plunge into the rich culture of north-western Romania, and learn some fascinating history and language, as well as seeing some beautiful sights. Accommodations have yet to be determined, but there is a possibility of a home stay with a Romania family. The focus will be on getting to know the fascinating culture and people that Romania has to offer.
Leaders: Cynthia Doran and Tanya Horvat
Enrollment: 8
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Cost: estimated $2000-$2300
Dates: March 12 – March 26, 2009
Summer contacts:
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To provide the students of Spanish with an immersion experience in the Spanish language and culture, OES is offering a homestay program in Sevilla, Spain. Our students are paired with students their age from Colegio Santa Joaquinade Vedruna, a K-12 school very similar to OES. The students will live with the family of their host students, attend school with them, and participate in family activities. The dates for the Spanish students to be in Portland have yet to be determined. Host families will need to be able to immerse the Spanish student in their family life, which includes providing appropriate sleeping quarters, meals, and entertainment. The students will attend OES classes during the day along with their OESian guest from Spain.
Leaders:
, Gary Crossman
Dates: March 7 - March 24, 2009 (tentative). Participants will miss four days of school, the week of Winterim, and part of Spring Break.
Enrollment: Must be in Spanish III or higher, 10-12 students
Cost: $2,500 |