Phelps Dodge International Corporation and Dos Pinos

Yesterday was another early morning for us as we departed from the hotel to make our way to Phelps Dodge International Corporation (PDIC). There were some of us who were unaware of what exactly PDIC does, however, we quickly discovered the main purpose of the high quality wire and cable manufacturing company. PDIC is a company that produces and supplies wire and cable for mining, construction, and many other commodities for buyers all around the world. We also learned that PDIC mainly sells to the buyers in countries where there is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA); in other words, a pact between two countries that eliminate tariffs and quotas for imported and exported goods. Some of the countries that PDIC has a FTA with are Canada, United States, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago etc... The company goal is to become the leading wire and cable manufacturing supplier in all of Central America. To ensure that this is done efficiently, PDIC emphasizes 5 key aspects; 1) safety of their employees 2) health coverage 3) financial stability 4) customer satisfaction  and last but certainly not least, 5) a combination of high quality and mass production of their products at a reasonable price. The presentation that was given to us upon our arrival was the minimum amount of information that each and every person that visits the plant must be aware of. Along with the presentation came some very strict dress code rules. We were not allowed to wear any jewelry, loose clothing, or purses, we had to have worn closed toe shoes and long pants, us girls plus our tour guide Esteban had to tie our hair up and we all had to wear goggles, earplugs and shoe protectors prior to taking the tour of the plant. Inside the manufacturing area, we oversaw the many different types of cable which varied in diameter, color, and insulation; each wire was constructed uniquely for its main purpose, some being as thin as the ones used to fuse a blow dryer, to thicker ones that are used for underground mining. It was definitely interesting to how something that has become an overlooked commodity, such as cables and wires, are so intricate.

Afterward, we took a trip to Dos Pinos one of the major producers of commercial milk in Latin America. The company receives milk from numerous dairy farms that are temporarily held in cooling tanks until they reach the plant. To ensure the highest quality milk is being received from these farms the milk must first pass a series of tests. The first test is from the driver of the truck itself. He must taste the milk before loading it onto his cooling tank and be confident that it is nothing less than high in quality. As the second test, the milk is examined in a lab to make sure that the milk is rich in nutrients and free from anything that may cause sickness. Due to the fact that Dos Pinos creates the majority of their products for children, they must provide goods that are safe for them. Once the milk has passed these tests it is then homogenized with the milk from other farms, pasteurized and then dispersed to the production rooms where over 4000 products are made, contained and shipped out to buyers. These products include milks, yogurts, juices, ice creams etc... At the end of the tour we had the privilege of being able to taste Dos Pinos ice cream first hand. It was definitely the best way to end our last company visit on our trip!!!

Ashley Garcia and Erica Lopez

Earth University

Just like any other morning we had to arise early and be on the bus by 7:15. Yesterday we traveled to Earth University. This private University's main educational focus is on agriculture and natural resources and how farmers and citizens alike can keep the enviornment in mind while harvesting and distributing their products. Mainly Central Americans attend this prestigious university, however in recent years there has been an influx of Africans and also just recently students from Lebanon and Switzerland. In the student's junior year, they are required to complete an internship on a farm or plantation of their choice in any country they feel. Upon graduation, students are also required to complete a project based on their studies.
When we arrived at Earth University, we first examined the harvesting of bananas. It takes around one year for the banana plant to grow strong and healthy and be able to yield fresh bananas. An important quality for the banana plant to have are large leaves suspended over the top for sun absorbtion, which also helps the "mother" grow strong. We then went from examining a banana plant to seeing how Earth University turns the bananas into a profitable commodity. The bananas upon arrival to the plant were clustered and color coded depending on where the final destination of the bananas is. Next the bananas are separated and are checked for quality. The bananas that do not meet the requirements are not sold as bananas but are sold as other products such as paper and baby food, so no bananas are wasted. Upon conculsion of our trip to Earth University, we learned that agriculture and sustainabilty can work in harmony and in the end will be better for the economy and the environment.

Nicole Kreidermacher and Donald Mendenhall

Dokas Coffee Estate

Today, in my opinion, was one of the most relaxing days so far, while still incorporating some great experiences. After several days of early bus calls, we had nothing to do until 11:15, and everyone took advantage of it. Many of the students took advantage of the hotel's beautiful pool area and enjoyed some morning Costa Rican sun.TJ and Colin were up early and out for a nice run in the beautiful countryside surrounding the hotel, although we both felt consequences the heat and long hills natural to Costa Rica (while there is a blizzard in New England, we are enjoying temperatures in the high 80s). Regardless, it was an enjoyable start today. Upon returning to the hotel, we found most of our classmates eating breakfast outside in the warm weather, with others were taking advantage of the tropical sun.

After a stressfree morning of relaxing by the pool at our wonderful hotel, we all made the bus at 11:15 to head to Dokas Coffee Estate in the hills nearby. We were met with fantastic views over the coffee plantation and a delicious lunch put on by the Dokas organization. This lunch, natrually, included samples of fresh coffee that everyone enjoyed. We took some time to explore the plantation before taking a tour of the coffee production facility. We were amazed at the process involved in producing coffee, and gained a new found appreciation for the procedure. During the tour, our guide Omar discussed topics learned in our class earlier this semester regarding fair trade, competition, and effects of globalization. Finally, everyone utilized the gift shop to purchase some fresh coffee beans and other treats.

Next it was back in the bus to head to a local market for a bit of shopping. Although we were found high prices, we were exposed to some handcrafted Costa Rican wood products, which, understandably, can only be found in this country. Following this, we headed back to the hotel and then out to various dinner locations to experience the local food. Many of us went to a local restaurant/bar named Chery's Bar which offered various Costa Rican entrees as well as American foods for more than reasonable prices. James's dinner came to a total of $7 which included a hamburger with french fries as well as a soda. We found it humorous that that hamburgers literally had a piece of ham on them, and it actually turned out to be very delicious. After a bit of relaxing around the hotel, we must get to bed early for a 7:15 bus call tomorrow to head to Earth University. I am glad to say everyone is genuinely enjoying every second of this amazing experience.

Pura Vida!
Colin Gannon and James Lineberger

Poas Volcano and Intel Visit

Today was another early morning here in Costa Rica.  We had breakfast and then got on the bus for an hour and a half drive to the Poas Volcano.  This was going to be an exciting experience because this volcano is an unique phenomenon in Latin America.  It is a water based volcano and has one of the largest craters in the world, called Laguna Botas.  The minerals that come from the volcano have a strong impact on the coffee plants in Costa Rica, making it gourmet.  On our ride up the mountain, we passed various vegetation, which was very green and full.  Upon arriving to the volcano, we realized that being up 25,000 feet was a little cold in the shorts that most of us wore.  We hiked a couple miles through rain and fog until we arrived at the first viewing platform.  However, it was too foggy to actually see it, so we pursued our trek up the mountain to Laguna Botas.  At this platform it was also too foggy to see the crater, and after waiting awhile for the fog to maybe dissipate, our hopes faded and we began our descent back to the information center and bus.  At both viewing platforms we met many friendly people from around the world, and two of our students Julia Harney and Nicole Cook were interviewed by Channel 7 and are going to appear in the Costa Rican news in February.  After Volcano Poas we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel, where they had been preparing us lunch.  However, due to a lot of traffic and accidents, we were late arriving to the hotel, which meant we were a bit late getting to Intel.  At Intel, two employees gave us a very informative and colorful presentation about why Intel chose its Costa Rican location, the impact it has had on the economy, and the inside operations.  During and after the presentation, our group had many questions about the corporation and its inner workings.  Unfortunately due to reorganization within the building, we were unable to receive a tour of the facilities.  Tomorrow we are very excited for the Artisan Market and the Doka Coffee Estate. 

Stay classy America,
Megan Gonsalves and Julia Harney

Obras del Espiritu Santo

Today we had the pleasure of visiting Obras del Espiritu Santo in San Jose. We began with a tour of all the facilities, which encompass about a whole block of the city. We split into groups of five or six people each and helped out with many of the different areas of the organization. Our group began in the dining hall, where we cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the tables and chairs, and swept and mopped the floors. We then had the amazing experience of meeting many of the children who live at the organization's orphanage. We played games outside such as soccer and hot potato (where you had to get up and dance or sing if you lost!). The kids loved having their picture taken and also taking pictures of others. They also seemed to be very fascinated by our bottled water. They wanted to drink it and play with it as well. Who knew something so simple to us could be so entertaining to them. We broke for lunch and listened to a presentation from Anna, our main contact at the organization, and Gabby, who is in charge of the children. It was an enlightening presentation that showed us their true passion for the organization and it's cause. After lunch we split back into our groups. Our group went to the school and helped clean out two of the classrooms. We swept and  mopped the floors and washed the desks, chairs and windows. Then we moved to the restaurant, which is a fairly new edition to the organization where all proceeds benefit Obras. We peeled and sliced plantanes, washed and broke apart fresh lettuce from their small farm, cleaned the kitchen, and peeled garlic. Then we headed back over to the dining room where many of the groups participated in a social hour for the elderly. We danced with them and also served them coffee and snacks. Our final activity of the day was playing with the younger children in the nurseries. We practiced our Spanish and did our best to communicate with them. Our favorite part was when all the children decided they wanted piggy back rides and we danced around in a circle with them on our backs singing. Sadly, our day with them was coming to a close. We walked back over to the restaurant where we presented Anna with a monetary donation and a video camera. AJ and his family also donated a whole suitcase of soccer uniforms and equipment. It was a touching moment for our group and theirs, as many thanks were given. As we got on the bus and thought our day had concluded, the children and Father, who is their priest and director, boarded to say their final goodbyes. We exchanged hugs and kisses and the children handed out heart cutouts to each of us. The priest gave us a final blessing and thanks for our time and effort and the children left the bus to stand on the sidewalk and wave goodbye. The day proved to be a truly enriching and inspiring experience that touched us all. We will always remember those children and how they touched our lives today. We hope that they will someday be given the opportunity to grow and prosper as we are and will take advantage of that opportunity. Now we look forward to our volcano visit tomorrow morning and a visit to Intel in the afternoon.

Courtney Simao and Christine Poll

Pura Vida!

Hola from day two in Costa Rica.  After discovering there was a time difference in Costa Rica and waking up an hour before we had to, many students embarked on an experience that they'll remember forever. After a short bus ride we reached Titi Canopy and began preparing for an hour and a half of ziplining through the jungles of Costa Rica. Our quote for the day was Pura Vida which means pure/free life because of the adventure and thrill us as students were about to partake in.  Before we began ziplining we saw a sloth who welcomed us to the area.  We then trecked through the forest and glided through the 13 platforms.  As if this wasn't enough adventure, we ended the journey with a 50 foot free fall.  Once this journey was over most of the students met up with the rest of the group to endure on a 3 hour bus ride to our last hotel destination Orquideas Inn.  We are looking forward to spending the night in Alajuela, Costa Rica.  Tomorrow we will be waking up early to go to Obras del Espiritu Santos to brighten the day of under priviledged children.

-Vanessa Cayer and A.J. Katz

Hello Costa Rica!!!!

Very early start but for a very worthwile experience! Today, we woke up around 4 a.m. to catch a flight to Costa Rica! We left Panama in good spirits and excited for our exploration of a new country. Compared to our previous flights of three hours, the flight on Taca Airlines from Panama to Costa Rica was only an hour. We were served in our leather seats, breakfast while enjoying movies on the back of the headrests. So much to please college students. Once landed, we had to exhange our dollars for Colones, the Costa Rican currency. With different rates, one dollar in the U.S. is worth 500 colones; so we were all amused that we were paying 1,000 colones for a bottle of water! Then ahead of us was a three hour bus ride into Manuel Antonio, to stay at the Karahe Hotel. Along the way, we stopped at a local fruit market to purchase fresh fruits and nuts grown by local farmers. Even though we are only here for one night, we all immediately took advantage of the beachfront rooms that we are staying in. Finally, when we arrived, we caught some rays and jumped in the waves of the warm water for the rest of the afternoon. For the rest of the night we all plan to go into the town to have dinner along the beach and return to bed early for our exciting zipling tour tomorrow!

Thank you for following...
Emily Howe and Natasha Desai

Panama Canal Side Story (Day 4)

Yesterday, inside the Miraflores museum, I stumbled across a computer that contained a database of all the Panama Canal workers who took part in its construction. Finding this gave me a chance to look for my anscestors´ names, who had worked there in the past. Two of my great-great-grandfathers, Otto Hermanson and Louis Schwab, had been involved in its creation. Born in the mid 1870s, they were construction workers in Rhode Island and were sent to Panama near the turn of the century to help build the canal. Although on different sides of my maternal family, they likely worked for the same company and may have been in Panama at the same time. Knowing that my anscestor´s had had a hand in the creation of the Canal made the experience all the more memorable and significant.

Colin Gannon

P.S.- Thanks to my Mom and Grandpa for confirming and providing supplementary information.

Day 5

Unlike the other days, today we had a late start to our day. We had a meeting with the director of Panama Chambers of Commerce at 10am. He told us about the trade between the USA and Latin America. It was interesting and insightful. We learnt that the service industry in Panama makes up 77% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We then had an hour of lunch break, before heading off to the Seafood Market. On the way to the Market we toured the remains of the original Panama City. At the Seafood Market we saw different types of seafoods and how they are sold. It was surprising to see that a whole fish costs $10. Some of the students had an opportunity to sample some fresh ceviche. We then headed to the Duty Free shopping mall where we were able to purchase different goods. Our last and final stop for the day was at the Artistan Market. We were able to buy some traditional Panamian crafts. It was a good experience for us to learn how to bargain and practice our Spanish. We then headed back to the hotel and have the rest of the night to relax, before our early morning flight tomorrow.

Nicole Cook and Rahul

Panama Day 4

Today we went to the Panama Canal. We boarded a double decker boat at 9am and spent the day traveling through the canal. We actually went to go through the Miraflores locks of the Canal, which was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
The canal was completed in 1914 and was in the control of the US until 1999 when it was handed over to Panama. Currently, 14,000 ships travel through the Panama Canal each year. The canal is so huge it takes about 8 hours for a ship to travel completely from one side to another. They are in the process of expanding the canal in order to build 2 more lock systems. This will increase efficiency and will be completed hopefully by 2014.
After hearing so much about the Panama Canal, it was exciting to see it all in person. Everyone had a great time relaxing, eating, taking pictures, and tanning on the boat.
Once we got off the boat, we went to the Miraflores Visitors Center where we were able to view the Canal from above and watch the ships go through.
Today was a great experience which we´re sure we will all remember. We´re really looking forward to going to the Seafood and Artisans market tomorrow.

-Allie Viau and Paige Stewart

Panama Day 3

Today we left the hotel around 8:30 in the morning to start our long journey to the opposite side of the country to visit the Colon Free Trade Zone and the old ruins of Portobelo.  It took about an hour and a half to get to Colon, but it was worth it.  A free trade zone is where many stores can buy land and then buy and sell them with no taxes or tariffs or any other type of extra fee.  It was amazing to see how cheap the goods actually were.  One store sold 36 volleyballs for a little over 5 dollars.  It was interesting to learn how the free trade zone and the Panama Canal both use each other to create more business.  Colon was much bigger than expected.  It was close to 2,000 acres and I learned that it is the second largest free trade zone in the world, Hong Kong is the biggest.  We were there for about 3 hours and had a great guide named Julio who is a Bryant Alumni.  We got a rare chance to go inside the port and actually see the barge ships unloading their crates.  It was pretty astonishing at how fast they can use the cranes to lift the huge containers.  Our guide said that they can unload around 55 containers per hour.
After the tour ended, we drove to Portobello. Along the the ride, we stoped for lunch at a bar and resturant  overlooking a beautiful cove.  It was nice to experience a traditional panamanian restaraunt and food.  I had baby shrimp, rice and fried plantains.  It was all delicious.  From the resturaunt we traveled to Portobello. Portobello has rich culture and friendly locals. We visited the church of Cristo Negro, it is one of the few that the world has to offer. About a block or two away from the church were ruins of the old Spanish fortress of Portobelo.  This is where the Spaniards would keep all of the gold that they had mined out of South and Central America.  Consequently, this city is where many pirates came to try and steal all of the gold.  Our tourguide for the trip, Esteban, told me that the city of Portobelo has been destroyed many times throughout history.  As I walked down the old road made of cobblestone towards the fotress I couldn´t help but to try and imagine myself in the 1500´s looking out at the sea and imagining a pirate ship heading towards me.  It was truly a sensation that I had never felt before.  Today was a great day and tomorrow we get to see the Panama Canal and we are all looking forward to that.

Matt Brown and Mike O´Neil

Day 2

Hola todos!

Today was a long day but the weather was so nice! First, this morning we ended up going to the museum of the Panama Canal. We were supposed to have a presentation by the director of Panama American Chamber of Commerce but had to be postponed for Friday. The museum was very interesting and had information all about the history of the Panama Canal and life in the beginning of the settlement of Panama. There was also information about the rainforests and different ecological projects throughout Panama. Next we had a presentation at the Dell computer corporation. We learned about internship opportunities and what are aspects the company looks for in new prospective employees. After that we went to a part of the city called Casco Viejo and walked around, browsing in small shops and looking at vendors along the waterfront. There was a small ice cream store and we bought some which hit the spot since it was so hot outside! We are now on our way to find some authentic Panamanian food! Cannot wait for the rest of the week:)

Buenas Noches,
Stacy Stockwell

Day 2

Today was our second day in Panama. We went to el Museo del Canal Interoceanico de Panama (a museum of the Panama Canal). We were given a guided tour of the museum and learned some background history of Panama and the Canal for when we visit the actual Canal on Thursday. After the museum, we boarded the bus and drove to Dell Panama which happens to be the Latin American Hub for the Dell company. We sat in on a presentation of the general company and then were given a tour of the facility. Our tour guide's name was Chachy Ayarza-Sanchez who works in University Relations. Following our business visit, we were able to explore Casco Viejo, which is the second city of Panama. We bargained with venders, took pictures at the shore, and walked the streets. We are now getting ready to head to an authentic Panamanian restaurant to eat dinner.
Buenos noches

Kristen Overson

Bienvenidos a Panama !!!

We are finally here!! It has been a long and strenuous day, but we are finally at our hotel in Panama City! It is a lovely city and we can't wait to explore all that it has to offer. Being that we got in pretty late in the afternoon today, we begin our busy schedule manana! Tonight we get a chance to relax and explore the city on our own. Hope you all don't miss us too much =) We will keep you posted each day on what we do, so be on the look out!

Jalisa Cox

Day 1

¡Bienvenidos a Panamá! Today we left Bryant at a very early hour in order to make our way to Latin America and begin our SIE trip. After some long flights and minimal sleep we have finally arrived at the hotel and have been able to see parts of Panama City.  From our bus we were able to see the huge tankers waiting to pass through the Panama Canal and this has added to the excitment of visiting the Canal later this week. We have an aggressive day planned for us tomorrow with visits to the Chamber of Commerce, Dell, and a trip to Casco Viejo.  Tonight we will be able to explore the area around our hotel and become accustomed to what is around us. There is a lot of excitement about this trip and I can´t wait to get it started!

T.J. Burke

2 days away!!!

We are two days away from getting ready to travel to Panama and Costa Rica for SIE LA 2011.  Lots of exciting things getting ready to happen.  DO not forget your passports, pack light and see you all at 2:45 am on Monday, January 3rd in front of Hall 16.

Prof. G