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GENERAL INFORMATION
This information booklet is intended to provide kids and parents with an outline of important details of our upcoming Boston trip. We have been accumulating experience from this trip for almost forty years now! The information provided in this booklet should help parents prepare for the trip to maximize the enjoyment and ensure that the kids get the most pleasurable experience from this cultural exchange. For parents and guardians we hope to provide a sense of security and knowledge of exactly of what will be happening during the exchange.
Trip to Revere/ Boston, MA
Match ups
As soon as the lists of participant are finalized on both ends, the Chambly/Revere organisation will match your children up with a player from Revere. The director of your category will have the list prior to us leaving for Revere. All players in categories above Novice will be sleeping with their hosting family in Revere.
The organisation makes every effort to take special needs (e.g. allergies to animals/food, asthma, etc.) in consideration. If your children prefer to be matched up with a Quebec buddy, arrangements can be made when possible. This usually requires the approval of the hosting families who take turns hosting two Revere kids matched with two Chambly kids. Make sure you indicate these special needs on your application form or communicate with the Director of your category.
If your children speak no English, give them a few words (e.g. hello, please, thank you, my name is . . . , I am hungry, I am thirsty, bathroom, shower, etc.) to use when staying with their hosting family. Exchange your cellular numbers with your hosting family just in case of emergencies. Sometimes some of the younger children may be insecure (especially if it is the first time) and they may want to communicate with you during the weekend. This is normal and it usually just takes one phone call to comfort them. It is quite remarkable how quickly kids adapt to new environments. In the years to follow, unless instructed otherwise, every attempt will be made to keep children matched up with same players to enable a friendship to develop over the years participating in the exchange.
Due to their young age, Novice players will be matched-up with a Revere player; however, they will remain with the parents at the hotel.
Gifts
We recommend the purchase of a small thank you gift ($15 - $30 e.g. gift baskets, candles, maple syrup, bubble bath/soaps, home-made items, etc.) to offer to the family who is hosting your children. The amount spent on the gift is entirely left to your indiscretion. We also recommend the purchase of a small gift ($15 - $30 e.g. Baseball cap, tee-shirt, sports bags, water bottles, souvenirs, etc.) to offer to your children’s match up. The gift exchange is also applicable to the Novice category. The gifts can be brought with you on the bus (if they fit in the overhead compartments) or they are usually stored in one of the compartments under the bus. Make sure they are well wrapped or in a solid gift bag. The gifts will be exchanged once we arrive at the hall Friday night. Be sure not to forget your gifts on the bus.
What to bring?
Hockey Equipment: Please ensure that your children have all of their hockey equipment packed prior to the trip. They must also bring both of their Chambly team jerseys, the blue and white one. If the player is in the double letters (i.e. CC, BB) extra jerseys will be provided by your child’s category director. Remember to bring 2 towels for after game showers and extra undergarments (i.e. long johns, boxers, socks) for both hockey games. It is recommended to tape hockey sticks together for the bus trip.
Clothing: The weather during this time of year may vary from year to year. We have in the past experienced snow storms, as well as beautiful warm fall weather. Be sure to have appropriate clothing and shoes for this time of year, we strongly recommend you to verify the weather online prior to the trip. You can use this weather network site to verify: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/usma0287
US Currency: Please come prepared and bring US money with you prior to leaving. Credit cards can be used, however, it is recommended to bring some cash money for quick spending $ (taxi fare, fast food costs on the way there and back, spending money for souvenirs, drinks, etc.). Banks with instant tellers are sometimes hard to find and the interact cards do not work in all places as they do in Quebec. A small amount of US money may be provided to your children in case they wish to buy themselves a souvenir during their outings with the hosting family.
Required paperwork: Please make sure that you bring a valid current passport for all the members of your family.
If your children are travelling without both parents, please make sure that you have previously completed a procreation letter authorising the Chambly/Revere organisation to bring your children to the USA. A letter template is available and can be provided by the director of your category.
If your children are travelling without one of the parents, please make sure that the other parent of your children has previously completed a procreation letter authorising you to bring your children to the USA without them.
Camera: Bring your camera to take lots of pictures and bring back souvenirs that will last you and your children a lifetime. Give you children a disposable camera for them to take pictures during this cultural experience.
Cellular: Having your cellular handy is always a good thing just in case your children wish to communicate with your during their stay or in case of emergencies. If you decide to bring your cellular and you intend on using it often during the during, we recommend you get a US forfeit with your cellular provider.
US border Crossing
When crossing a U.S border in a bus, the procedure usually involves one or more Customs inspector to do a brief spot-check of passengers. Passports are now required to enter the U.S, therefore, each person on the bus will required to have a valid passport on them, and may be required to show it to the Custom Officers. Being ready with your passports and being polite and courteous to the inspectors will usually speed up the inspection-time. If you are not planning to accompany your child in this exchange, you are required to provide the organizers with a filled out form provided to you by the directors of your child’s category. NOTE: Please be reminded that all “illegal-substances” are not, in any ways, permitted on the bus, and that the entire bus can be refused entry to the U.S with a single infraction. Also, you cannot have a criminal record to cross the border.
The Bus Trip!
We ask all participating members of the trip to arrive at the arena for 7:30 am, on Friday, November 11, 2011, to provide us enough time to take the presence and to pack your belongings in the buses. Do not worry; gifts are placed in a special compartment under the bus. Being there early will help us make sure everything is in place and everyone is present for our 5 hour bus ride to Revere. We have very comfortable luxury-type highway buses with tilt back seats, air conditioning, a DVD movie system, and an on-board washroom.
Here are some helpful hints and guidelines that may help you and your family best enjoy the trip. We recommend that you bring with you some healthy snacks, pillows, road-trip games (i.e. cards, hand-held electronic devices), DVDS, and books. Movies will be played regularly, based on the majority vote and water bottles will be provided on the bus. The organisation is not responsible for lost or forgotten belongings. Please be sure to keep your belongings secured at all times.
The on-board washroom’s usage should be kept to a minimum for obvious reasons; therefore, drinking should also be kept to a minimum. Please respect others while using washroom facilities by keeping them clean. Do not worry, there will be several rest stops during the trip, for stretching your legs and using more comfortable washroom facilities.
We will stop around noon for a bite to eat at Fast-Food highway rest-stop center, and we provide everyone 45 minutes to enjoy the food. The bus drivers are nice enough to allow us to have snacks and drinks on-board, and we want to keep it that way! Garbage bags will be provided at each bench, please make sure all garbage is picked up and put in the bags. It is a privilege and not a not a right, keep that in mind!
Be reminded that there will be children on board the buses which indicate that there will be some amount of noise. However, we ask you to respect one and other and ensure that the noise level is kept to a reasonable level. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure electronic devices are used appropriately and that suitable language is used during the trip. Remember, there will be children of different age groups within the bus. A stop is scheduled at the New Hampshire Liquor Store on the way to Boston for the parents to shop their hearts out! No children are allowed in- they must remain on the bus. Please keep in mind the maximum amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring back to Canada.What’s the personal tax exemption when I come back to Canada from shopping?In the most concise form, the personal exemption limits are:
If you bring goods over the exempted value, after being absent from Canada over 48 hours, the value for duty of the goods shall be reduced by an amount equal to that maximum specified value and, in the case of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, the quantity of those goods shall be reduced by the quantity of alcoholic beverages and tobacco up to the maximum quantities allowed. If you are only absent from Canada less than 48 hours and you bring back goods over $50, you’ll have to pay duty/tax on the full value. How many bottles of wine/liquor can I bring back to Canada?If you have been outside Canada for at least 48 hours and are of legal age, you can bring back only one the following free of duty and tax as part of your personal exemption: 1.14 L (40 oz.) of liquor; or 1.5 L of wine; or 24 X 355 ml (12 oz.) containers of beer. How many cigars/cigarettes can I bring back to Canada?If you’re out of country for at least 48 hours, you can bring back all or any the following if you’re over the legal age.200 cigarettes; 50 cigars or cigarillos; 200 tobacco sticks; and 200 g (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco.
Arrival at Revere/Boston
If everything goes as planned, the bus(es) will generally arrive at the Hotel destination around 4:00 pm. Upon arrival, parents will take their belongings off the bus(es) and then will process to check-in to their rooms. Leave your children’s belongings and hockey equipment on the bus with the gifts (only exception is the Novice category that stay at hotel with parents).
Be patient and don’t all huddle around the front office of the hotel, you will have ample time to check-in and settle down. We stay at the hotel for approximately one hour, to allow everyone to settle down in their rooms and stretch their legs. When ready, the busses will head off to the hall in Revere where our host’s are impatiently waiting for our long awaited arrival.
Once we arrive in the parking, bring your gifts and personal belongings to the hall. Your children’s hockey equipment and bags can be left in the bus until they are ready to leave with their hosting family.
Upon arrival at the hall, match-ups are made and children are either introduced for the first time or reunited with old friends. Kids and parents meet and exchange gifts and sometimes cellular information in case of emergencies. Let the fun begin!
Food will be served at the hall by our hosts and beverages will be sold are reasonable prices. Around 19h00, the hosting families and the children say their good-byes and leave the hall to their respective homes. Hosting families will usually take your children to various activities such as bowling, arcades, cinema, etc. The next time you will see your children is the next day at the hockey game!
Once all the kids have departed, the bus(es) take the parents and the Novice kids back to the hotel. The organisation usually reserves a conference room on the main floor to gather together and have some fun! Everyone is welcome!
Game Schedule/ Shuttle from hotel
All game schedules and bus shuttle schedules will be posted on a paper pad in the hotel lobby as of Friday night. The bus will bring you and your families back and forth from the hotel to the Revere arena.
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