Welcome to SCCS

Finalizing Home Deals
U.S. Tax day is April 15 and you will be in Bolivia. If you plan to return during June-July break, you can apply for an extension until June. However, this is something to plan for.

Some teachers make arrangements before leaving to pay mortgages several months in advance so that deposit delays or additional costs are not a problem. You will have much to do setting up your life in Santa Cruz and relieving yourself of responsibilities at home, if only for a few months, will be to your advantage.

Immunizations
Immunizations and antibiotics are easy to get in Santa Cruz and they are sold for a fraction of the cost you would pay in the U.S., but health offices are sometimes less hygienic.There has not recently been a recorded case of any of these diseases in Santa Cruz; however, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following vaccines for travelers to Bolivia:

Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG).
Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, stay 6 months in the region, or be exposed through medical treatment.
Rabies, if you might be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation.
Typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region.
Yellow fever vaccination, if you will be traveling to endemic areas.
As needed, booster doses for tetanus - diphtheria and measles. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11-12 years who did not complete the series as infants.

For more information, please see the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/travel/tropsam.htm

Documentation
You must present the following documentation to SCCS when you arrive in Santa Cruz so we can begin the process of applying for your resident work visa.

Passport: If you do not already have a passport, you should apply for one immediately. Request one with 48 pages if possible to make room for travel stamps. If you have a passport and the expiration is before July 2008, it is best to have it renewed while still in the States. You may, however, have it renewed in Bolivia.
Certified copy of birth certificates of all family members traveling to Bolivia and a copy of your marriage certificate if you are married. An “Apostille” is a specific state authenticating certificate that is required by certain countries and is required by Bolivia for birth and marriage certificates. The Apostille is an additional document that should be attached to your certified birth/marriage certificate by the Secretary of States office in the state in which you were born/ married.
Official documentation of years in teaching.
A copy of your college/university diploma(s).
A copy of your teaching certificate(s).
Original university transcripts.
Immunization Record - see your doctor.
Updated Medical certificate. This can take the form of a letter from your doctor stating your health condition.
Contact List: Names, addresses and telephone numbers of people to be contacted in case of emergency.
A letter from your local police that states you are free of felonies. Interpol will use it to obtain your work visa.
An International Driver’s License is not required but you may find it useful. Bring two passport photos and $10 to your local AAA office and it is a quick process.
Your previous medical coverage card. Presenting this card to the medical insurer will speed your medical insuring process.

Packing
You will be limited in the amount of personal items you are able to bring with you on your international flight. You will fly to Santa Cruz on either American Airlines or Aerosur and the baggage allowances have been predetermined by the respective airlines. Luggage within the restrictions will be free of charge but, if you find you have more luggage than the airline allows, you will pay a fee for excess or overweight baggage. If you find you have considerably more luggage than the allotted weight, you may want to rethink your packing.

Suitcases
Duffel bags are excellent for packing excess baggage and should be locked to discourage theft. Do not pack things in boxes as they tend to get damaged or set aside for closer inspection. Make sure to bring clothes and other items you’ll want in the first few days in your carry-on, just in case some of your luggage is delayed in its arrival. A warm jacket or sweater is advisable. For travel within the country bring a sturdy bag or backpack (something that can be thrown in the back of a truck or on top of a bus).

Personal Items
Work attire is business casual. For men, that means collared or polo shirts, dress pants and casual dress shoes. Closed-toed sandals are acceptable and recommended by male staff members. For women, light-weight shirts and slacks, capris or skirts are the norm. Nice tank-tops are common but spaghetti straps or cropped shirts are not appropriate staff attire. Fridays are dress-down days, which means jeans can be worn with a staff polo shirt. If your children will be attending SCCS, they must wear a school uniform to school and the uniform can be purchased locally. Children’s clothing is quite affordable and easy to find in the markets and shopping areas around the city. All of the above items you can purchase in Santa Cruz.

Around-town dress ranges from ultra-casual to dressy. You will see women in spaghetti straps with short skirts or lightweight summer dresses and men in tank tops and shorts or nice collared shirts and slacks. Women wear mostly heels or sandals; men, mostly sandals or casual dress shoes. The women in Santa Cruz typically dress up to go out at night more than the men but daytime dress is usually slightly more casual as it can be very hot during the day.

Travel clothes are something to consider while you are packing. While Santa Cruz is a hot weather climate, you may choose to travel to the highlands of Bolivia or other colder climates. Cold weather wear in Santa Cruz is available but high-performance outerwear like a winter jacket with a shell and inner lining will be hard to find. Socks and under things may also be something you want to bring with you.

Almost all laundry is done by hand by maids and the wear and tear on delicate items is extreme. Laundry is usually line dried so cotton items will stretch. Socks and under things can be purchased here but the quality is a bit different and bras typically come in small, medium and large. Don’t forget to pack your swimsuit. Swimming pools are common in this hot weather climate and, while you can purchase swimsuits here, you may want to use your suit within the first few days. All types of clothes can be made in Santa Cruz very affordably. Seamstresses can often copy a pattern exactly so if you have something you really like, you can have another made quite simply by picture or by sample.

The footwear you bring to Bolivia should include open-toed shoes due to the humid climate. Men’s closed-toed sandals are hard to find so if you want some, you should bring them. Dress shoes for men and women can easily be found at great prices in Santa Cruz unless your shoe size is above women’s 9 or men’s 11. Tennis shoes can be purchased here and are appropriate for most excursions but will not last very long. If you intend to take trips outside the city, you should plan to bring some trail shoes as they are harder to find in Santa Cruz.

All types of toiletries are plentiful in Santa Cruz. If you have a specific brand of something you are attached to, bring a healthy supply but, you may find your brand at the grocery store or local market. If you wear contact lenses, bring plenty of disinfecting solution as it is expensive in Santa Cruz. Contacts can be purchased but supplies are limited and you may not find your brand. Because of the wind and dust, you may want to bring updated prescription glasses in addition to your contacts. There are several English speaking eye doctors here if you need a new prescription.

Consult your physician and bring the generic names for the medicines and prescription drugs you may need. The trade names may be entirely different here. If you have the generic names, many types of medicine can be bought “over the counter” at local pharmacies at reasonable prices. Vitamins and ibuprofen are less expensive in the States. Daytime and Nighttime cold medicines are hard to find so you should consider bringing some as well. Birth-control pills are available and inexpensive but certain types of birth-control devices or medicines are difficult to find. If you choose to purchase birth control in Santa Cruz, just bring the generic name of your brand.

Gear
Electronics can be found in Santa Cruz and they are similar to American pricing but high- tech gear is harder to find. Laptops, MP3 players, etc. should be included in your carry-on luggage if they are part of your everyday life. Small appliances like lamps, hair dryers and electric alarm clocks should be purchased in Bolivia as they are made for the South American current and can be plugged directly into the wall outlet. The electrical current is 220v, 50Hz and, while it is relatively simple to change from 220v. to 110v. with a transformer, the current will still be 50Hz (or 50 cycles per second). The general rule is that anything that has a timing mechanism (e.g. American CD player) should be plugged into a transformer which, along with surge protectors, you will be able to purchase in Santa Cruz. Laptops typically have a built-in transformer so you only need the surge protector. Bring rechargeable batteries or a healthy supply of specialty batteries (e.g. lithium batteries for digital cameras) as you can not find them in Santa Cruz.

Camping and hiking equipment can be found in Santa Cruz but it is expensive and there is nothing like an REI in Santa Cruz. If you are a camper, bring your gear. Do not bring a stove that uses white gas or kerosene as those fuels are not available. Butane cartridges for small portable stoves are available.

Most kitchen items are available in Santa Cruz at reasonable prices. Stainless steel or Teflon cookware is available. Corkscrews and potato peelers are sold but they are low quality so if you use them often, bring them. Bolivian spices are abundant and inexpensive. A good selection of spices exists with these exceptions: Thyme, Mexican type chili and Italian herb mix.

Children’s toys are available but if your child has a favorite, make sure to bring it, LEGOS and games in English (children and adult) are not readily available. Paperback books in English and your South American travel guides will come in handy. The school library can supply you with plenty of English reading material but much of the library consists of children’s and young adult books. Current titles are in great demand.

Mail services (courier) are available to send mail to the U.S. once a month and U.S. postage stamps may be purchased in the SCCS business office. The Santa Cruz post office is also an option for sending mail, although it usually takes two to three weeks to reach its destination.

School Supplies
You may want to bring teaching supplies of special interest to you; special books, stickers, e- z graders, charts, stamps, material awards, and posters for the classroom. You will receive information about your grade’s themes and curriculum for the year, and what to supplement with materials of your own. However, most classrooms have adequate supplies and resources. Difficult (or expensive, or impossible) items to find here are maps, contact paper, paper plates, paper bags (for puppets), games in English, Spanish/English dictionary, cellulose sponges (other sponges are available).