San Juan del Sur Trip Information

From Simmons International Relations

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San Juan del Sur Trip Information & Facts

Basic Information:

San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Movil

  • established in November 2001
  • provides books, information, & community center services to the people of SJDS & its surrounding communities
  • 4,800 patrons
  • 12,500 books in Spanish & English

SJDSBM Mobile Project

  • established in May 2003
  • operates 3 days per week
  • brings over 8,000 books to 27 communities
  • provided over 3,900 library cards to children, their teachers, & other members of the community

Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All

  • 501(c)(3) non-profit
  • umbrella organization for SJDSBM
  • “Library in a Box” program offers protocols & volunteer expertise & support to other groups in establishing & sustaining lending libraries in Nicaragua

About the trip:

  • 2 times per year (January & August)
  • 7-14 days
  • currently not covered by Simmons financial aid
  • can use GSLIS Professional Development Reimbursement (contact LISSA treasurer)
  • some expenses (i.e. airfare) can be tax-deductible
  • possible fundraisers in the future to help defray costs?

Estimated costs:

  • Airfare: $500- $800 (Delta or American recommended)
  • Lodging: $30/night, breakfast included
  • Food: $20- $40 per day


A few of the past volunteers estimated the total cost of their trip anywhere from $1100 - $1300. This included airfare, lodging, meals, souvenirs, and supplies bought before the trip.


What you’ll need:

  • Shorts
  • T-shirts/tank tops
  • Dress clothes/long pants for official occasions
  • Dress clothes for meals out (dress or skirt & top for women, chinos & nice shirt for men)
  • Sneakers
  • Sandals
  • Pair of dressier shoes
  • Sunblock
  • Bug Spray (with at least 30% DEET – purchasable at REI, EMS, or any sporting goods store)
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Band-aids & Neosporin
  • Antacids/Tums/Pepto
  • Tylenol/Advil/Aleve
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Water bottle
  • Skeeter stick/calamine lotion
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Bathing suit
  • School supplies (to donate to the library  !)


  • You will need Hep A, Hep B & maybe the Flu shot (for not getting sick from air travel). You can go to the CDC website to look up the health requirements. These shots may or may not be covered by your health insurance.
  • You may want to look into the need for malaria pills and the typhoid shot. It depends on what you want to do & what your health care provider recommends. Since SJDS is not in a “red area”, some people feel malaria pills aren’t needed. Also, if you’re not traveling throughout Nicaragua, you may not need a typhoid shot. Personally, I tend to err on the side of caution. Since we were only in Nicaragua for 11 days, I took the 7 week cycle of malaria pills & I got the typhoid shot.


  • You will also want to get Cipro for food poisoning (i.e. a very bad case of food poisoning, one that can’t be treated with regular otc meds). I didn’t need it, but was glad to have it just in case.
  • You do not need a visa to travel to Nicaragua, just a passport.
  • Do not bring traveler’s cheques. Bring some cash with you, which will always be taken. Credit cards are also taken & there are ATMs where you can withdraw money in cordobas, or cords.


What if you can’t make it, but still want to help:

  • Donate school & craft supplies
  • Help sell coffee to support the library
  • Other fundraisers


Readings on Nicaragua:

  • The Country Under My Skin by Giaconda Belli
  • Gaspar! A Spanish Poet/Priest in the Nicaraguan Revolution by Simmons professor David Gullette
  • Moon Handbooks Nicaragua (Randy Woods & Joshua Berman)
  • Footprint Nicaragua (Richard Leonardi)


Questions? Need more info? San Juan del Sue Biblioteca Movil: http://www.sjdsbiblioteca.com/home.htm


Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All: http://www.librariesforall.org


Jessica Haglund (SIR co-chair & Development Initiatives Coordinator for the Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All Foundation): jessica.haglund@simmons.edu


feel free to read my blog from last year’s trip at http://www.traveljournals.net/travelers/jlibrarian/

Hannah Miller (SIR co-chair & Administrative Coordinator for the Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All Foundation): hannah.miller@simmons.edu


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NICARAGUA – JANUARY 2009 FAQ

Trip Questions

1. When are the dates of the trip?

The dates are scheduled for January 5-12, 2009.

2. How will we get there?

We will make every effort to have everyone on the same flights, starting from Boston going to Nicaragua (and the reverse). We just ask that you don’t buy your ticket on your own – that you purchase it with the group.

3. Is this a tour? Can I “take the weekend off” to go somewhere?

Firstly, the trip is library focused, although there are some local activities GSLIS students can partake in. In the past, students went on a canopy tour, went to a local beach, & went to watch the turtles hatching. The canopy tour & beach trip were only “half-day” breaks & the turtle watching was done overnight (11pm – 2 am). There have been trips to Granada, Managua, San Juan del Oriente, Somoto, and Pochote, where students participated in bookmobiles, library trainings, and visits to other libraries. If you are looking for more of a vacation, then this may not the trip for you.

There is an itinerary, but this trip also requires flexibility.

4. Do we travel as a group? Is there private/chartered transportation?

We travel as a group with private transportation. Students do have the option of splitting up, for example X amount of students go on the bookmobile while X amount work in the SJDS library. While there are opportunities to split up & do things on your own (small breaks in the mornings or afternoons for shopping, coffee break, etc.), the majority of the trip is in a group setting.

5. What are the accommodations? What is included?

We will be staying at the Hotel Villa Isabella, which is owned by the founder of the SJDS Biblioteca. It is a “western” style hotel, with beds & private baths. Plan on sharing a room with another person or two. Breakfast is included. Lunches/dinners/drinks are not, but meals are inexpensive (ranging from $5-$10 per meal).

6. Is there a possibility of home stays?

Currently, home stays are not offered.



7. What type of work is expected? What kind(s) of library work? Should we be prepared?

It varies. In some instances, we may be providing library instruction (ranging from cataloging to acquisitions to collection development) but it will not be “formal”. You do not need to prepare anything in advance.

In the past, GSLIS students have worked on cataloging (it was a Simmons GSLIS students who came up with the cataloging system), web design, computer programs, LibraryThing, story time, craft hours, etc. Even simple, basic things such as playing chess or reading to children are done. If you can’t read Spanish, then the children can read to you.

8. What is Nicaragua like? Is it more advanced and literate than other countries in that area?

Since we don’t have experience in other Latin America countries, it is hard to say. Our experience in Nicaragua is that it is a country of extreme & varied differences (like any other country). You will see very wealthy people in Managua and Granada driving Range Rovers & living in beautiful houses. But you will also see homeless youth in cities & people living in farming communities. Generally, the population we’ll be working with is the farming communities. The idea of a free lending library is still foreign in Nicaragua – we’ll be promoting the library & family literacy.

9. How much time will we be spending in SJDS?

SJDS is our home base. We will spend most of our time here (this is where our accommodations are & where the library staff lives). We will most likely be taking some day trips & all of our trips leave from SJDS.

10. What are the occasions where we’ll need appropriate dress?

Dressier clothes (not jeans & shorts!) are for going out to dinner. Usually, at the beginning & end of the trip, there will be a large dinner with all the students & library staff. In the past, GSLIS students have presented to the Nicaraguan Library Association. Also, when we visit other libraries, nicer clothes should be worn.

The culture in Nicaragua is that you wear your nicer clothes when meeting people or making an official visit – your clothes show the respect you have for the other person. Last year, we visited 3 libraries in the Granada area & we wore skirts or long pants – no shorts or jeans.

11. What about immunizations?

If you’re not up-to-date on your immunizations, call Simmons Health Plan or a Travel Health Center as soon as possible. You may need:

  • Hep A
  • Hep B
  • MMR
  • Tetanus
  • Typhoid
  • Flu

12. What about malaria pills?

There is some debate about the malaria pills. SJDS is not in a “red” area, plus it will be the dry season when we are there. However, we may be taking day trips into areas that pose a risk. It is recommended that you take it, of course the choice is yours. Past participants didn’t take the pills & just religiously applied bug spray & that worked fine for them.

If you plan on becoming pregnant in the next few months, ask your healthcare provider about the risks & possible side effects of the malaria pills. You may have to delay your plans until after the full course of drugs.

Whether you take the pills or not, BRING BUG SPRAY WITH AT LEAST 30% DEET (can be purchased at REI & EMS- type stores).

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