Our Reunion!

Our reunion will be Sunday, September 23rd, from 2 to 4 P.M. at the Round Table Pizza at 7011 27th Street West University Place. The phone number for the restaurant is (253) 565-3000; please call them only for directions.

Katie, Janet, and Charlie want to thank those of you who wanted to invite Anna to our reunion. Unfortunately there was not enough participation in the drive to collect funds for her airfare, so she won't be able to join us. However, we hope all delegates will plan to attend! For those who did send in a check, we'll either destroy it or give it back to you at the reunion.

If you truly believe in the value of the People to People experience, we would like to invite you to attend the next Informational Meeting on Saturday, October 13th at 1:00 P.M. At those meetings we invite Alumni to tell potential delegates about what they experienced on their trip. Also, if you know of a student who would make a great People to People delegate, please let us know and we'll extend to them an invitation to that meeting!

Pictures

I know, it took me a long time to get them ready, but here are my pictures:
http://charleshall.myphotoalbum.com/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album05
If anyone has anyother sites with photos, please email me the address so I may also post it here. Enjoy!

Pictures

If you have any pictures you would like for me to post on this page, please email them to me at:

charleshall@yahoo.com

Warwick Castle survey

Delegates, I recieved this notice by email upon our return home. Please feel free to "cut and paste" the quetions to your own email, and send in your answers!

Welcome home, Ambassadors and leaders!

We hope that your program was everything that you’d hoped it would be and that you brought a lot of memories and stories back with you. This summer has been filled with incredible new experiences, and you’ve taken part in one of the newest and most exciting. The Warwick Castle visit, and the accompanying encampment, is the reason we’re writing to you.

As some of the first delegations to participate in these new activities, your feedback and information are very important to us. We want to hear what you thought of Warwick Castle so we can use that information to make it even better for future programs.

Please answer the questions below as completely as you can and send your answers and comments to submit@ptpprograms.org. We encourage you to include any photos you have of your program, especially Warwick Castle , so we can post some of them on the web or in some of our materials.

Thanks again for your participation and feedback.

What are your impressions of the Warwick Castle Experience?

Did you participate in the overnight encampment? If so, what was the experience like?

What was your favorite part of the overnight encampment?

How do you think we could improve on the overnight encampment?

What kinds of hands on experiences did you have at Warwick (got to wear armor, etc)?

How did the encampment compare with other activities during your program?

How do you think you’ve changed as a result of your People to People experience?


Thanks again for your feedback. We look forward to reading your replies and seeing your great photographs. Enjoy the rest of your summer and best of luck in everything you do.

Calls from Belgium

Many of you plan to use MCI phone cards for delegates to call home during our adventure. I've just found out that these cards cannot be used from pay phones in Belgium. I'm going to assume that other cards won't work there also, as such regulations aren't usually "card" specific, but rather a rule established by each country's governmental regulators. We encourage delegates to make phone calls home NOT from their hotel rooms (as this costs a whole lot more!) but from pay phones, for example in the hotel lobby. Accordingly, please don't expect any phone calls home on either July 19th or 20th.

Of course, should you have any questions those dates you may call the People to People Delegate Assistance Team at 1(800)669-7882, and they will help you out. Incidentally, that's the number to use for any questions any time during our trip.

Airport meeting

By know you all know this, but just a reminder: we'll meet at 4:00 A.M., Wednesday, July 4, near the Delta ticket counter. Where, exactly, at the ticket counter will be a factor of conditions there at the time. Worry not, as you'll be looking for us, and we'll be looking for you.

Please don't be late! I know it is very early, but we must get 31 people through the check-in process, and through security. And as you no doubt are aware, security measures will be tight at the airport, which translates into taking more time. Usually, airlines won't let us start checking in until everyone, including anyone who is late, has arrived. Being just a few minutes late can delay the entire process for the whole delegation.

Weather

Just a reminder, but we aren't going to the tropics, delegates! In fact, currently the weather in Ireland is around 60 degrees and light rain. So make sure you take a light rain coat. Think of what the weather would be like around here; one day it can be hot and sunny, the next day cool and rainy. It will be much the same on our trip. Think "layers" when you dress for the day, and you should be prepared.

Credit and Debit cards

I have found out, just within the last couple of days, that many credit and debit card companies have added some hefty charges for using these cards overseas. In addition to selecting the exchange rate most favorable to the company, they are also tacking on "exchange" fees that can be as much as $5.00 per transaction. I realize this isn't much notice, but before we leave you might want to call your financial institution and find out what their fees are. Then have a discussion with your delegate about how they should spend their money. Perhaps they should get more cash at an ATM and use the card less frequently?

You did remember to call the financial institution and let them know the card would be used overseas, and the dates of travel, didn't you?

Clarification

A couple of families have expressed some confusion about a notice on the "On-Board" web page that references a form for unaccompanied minors flying alone. That does NOT apply to us, as your delegates won't be flying alone, they'll be flying with us.

The form would only apply if your child had elected to travel with a group from another part of the country, and was flying alone to JFK to meet them there. On behalf of People to People, I apologize for any confusion.

People to People Binder

Earlier, People to People sent you a three ring binder filled with different booklets. The only one you need to take on our adventure is the "Explore Guide." Whether to pack it in your suitcase or your carry-on is a question best answered by answering this question: "Have you read it yet?" If not, put it in your carry-on as reading material during our flight!

During the trip

Should you have any questions during our trip, the Delegate Assistance Team is always ready and available to assist you and get your questions answered! You may call them at 1 (800) 669-7882. The team is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during our trip. If necessary, they will even be able to call me on my cell phone.

The Eiffel Tower

Since so many of you indicated this was the place you were most looking forward to visiting, I thought I'd post this link to the Eiffel Tower's official web site.

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

The "tour" in the address doesn't mean tour; it is the French word for tower.

Arrival in Ireland

We are scheduled to land in Shannon, Ireland at 8:55 A.M. Thursday, July 5th. I will activate the phone tree to let everyone know of our safe arrival. However, that means you'll be getting a call about 1:00 in the morning. So, if any family would like to "opt out" of the phone tree for that phone call, please let Tanya English (the first name on the phone tree) know before we go. You may email her at englishtm@comcast.net .

Of course, you may also check our flight status on-line at Delta's website:
http://www.delta.com/home/index.jsp
Check the "Flight Status" box on the lower left side of their home page. Our flights are:
Seattle to JFK 0030
JFK to Shannon 0102
Amsterdam to JFK 0081
JFK to Seattle 0107

The Challenge

The history challenge is still open!

Battle of the Bulge

Today, most adults hear the phrase "Battle of the Bulge" and think "weight loss." However, there was a time when the victorious result of World War II was not "known" and the final outcome was still very much uncertain. At the time of the original "Battle of the Bulge" the final outcome of the war between Nazi Germany and the Western Powers was anything but certain. Here is a link which tries to tell the real story:
http://ice.mm.com/user/jpk/battle.htm