Last Day Blues

The weather is grey and reflects the mood. But it's not raining so some are surfing, others just hanging out. I'm at La Vela Latina having my last beers using up colones. 

The students graduated today. Most of them went to the little ceremony that happens every Friday. Charley sang a song in Spanish which they seemed to enjoy. 

I took a nap in the hammock. We have dinner at seven. I mostly packed. I will try to lie down after dinner. It's now a waiting game. 

Non event

The last day of the volunteer work was a non event. Sure we served ice cream with m&ms. Sure the kids seemed happy. But that bond we had in Guatemala isn't there. The schedule has something to do with it. Only Alex showed up for the morning session.  That meant the rest were there in the afternoon. I guess there was also the fact Andrea and Johanna were still continuing with the program after we are gone. Maybe they're used to the volunteers coming and going. Oh well. I was the constant. And I plan on returning next year.  

A Night with Max Goldenberg

We had a special experience last night. After classes we took a bus to Nicoya to see Max Goldenberg, a well known Costa Rican folk singer and political activist. First we went to his house which was a beautiful hacienda set back from the road. He and his wife had a stunning wrap around porch made mostly of post and mean natural wood (teak?). They had made some amazing drinks, one called Toad's Water which was the color of dirt water toads love. It was made from Ginger and lime and other herbs. It was really tasty. They also had pineapple juice.
He first spoke about how Costa Rica markets itself as the happiest place on earth and the Blue Zone and all that, but they have some very real problems that seem to get lost in the marketing blitz. Problems like extreme poverty, inadequate services, privatization of essential government services. He and his friend Louis also are organic farmers and they talked a bit about genetically modified corn and its impact on Costa Rica.
After, we walked to his families restaurant run by his daughters and their husbands. It had a huge brick oven and they are known for their pizzas. They brought us a variety of tasty, crispy fresh pizzas. While we ate, Max, his Brother Paco and a third played music for us. Although his lyrics were lost on me, I enjoyed the melodies and the atmosphere. The Spanish speakers in our group really benefited from the night. Max's daughter was our waitress and also got up and sang.
I was impressed because he seemed to be living an authentic life. He had his art, his farm, his family. He often smiled and laughed. I hope my students realized what a special night it was.

Last Day with the Kids

A sad day as it is the last day with the kids. Although our group hasn't bonded like the group in Guatemala did, the kids and my group had a lot of fun together. There are some striking contrasts between the two sites where we volunteer. In Samara, it is mostly the older kids (because of the time we offer the program). They are probably the more serious students and therefore we had a lot of fun with them because they were motivated to be there. The El Torito crew is much poorer, younger, crazier, and much more of them. It was often like herding cats. Yesterday both groups drew pictures about what they liked best about our past three weeks. In Samara, the dominant theme was the obstacle course game we often played- girls versus guys. In El Torito it was the "market" game where we gave them money and they got to buy things at various types of stores. All in all I think we succeeded in what we came to do. To teach a little English, to make friends,
Today we are having our goodbye party, a little ice cream social.

Whale Watching

What started as a fishing trip ultimately ended as a whale watching expedition. It was a great day weather wise: blue sky, big white clouds in the distance. We were on the water by 8:30. As soon as we passed the island / reef the captain Joquin saw a whale to the south so we took chase. It took about a half hour before we got close enough to get some photos. A mother humpback and a calf. We also saw quite a few turtles, many of them mating.

But after four hours of no fish it was getting old. We had one bite which tore the lure off, but after that, nothing. It was good to be out on the water and see how beautiful CR is from a different point of view.

The Final Stretch

The students are tired (and so am I); I can see it in their eyes. The shine has worn off a bit and things that were once exotic are now annoying. Although there is still one third of the trip still left, some are already thinking of home. I try to remind them of that. We will have four days of volunteer work. We have an exciting night planned in Nicoya on Wednesday where we get to meet Max Goldenberg, a local musician and restaurant owner. We are visiting him at his organic farm which he uses to supply his restaurant and then he will talk about some local issues, and then play a little music for us. Finally we will go to his restaurant for dinner. On Thursday, our last day with the children, we plan to have an ice cream social. Finally on Friday night is our farewell dinner. We have to leave Friday night around midnight to make our 7 am plane. In addition, I have still to surf and I hope to fish.

A good weekend

Last night the students let down their hair a bit. Some went to the Sunset bar. The clouds had mostly cleared and there were great views of the Pacific coast and you could see into Nicaragua. Bernie our guide spoke with the bartender who told him of a rodeo in the nearest s town 30 minutes drive. They wanted a group to go. However after much negotiations it seemed like the workers here wanted the Americans to fund it, charging us $10 a person for a ride down there. Thankfully that fell apart much to the chagrin of the workers who came back twice with  cheaper offers. I always say travel is a chess match of mutual exploitation. So the crew stayed in the hotel bar and drank shots. I peeled off at 9. 

At breakfast the few in attendance looked ok. Jim said some were up all night talking. Today is blue skies. We head out around eleven stop in Liberia for lunch and then back to Samara. 

Canopy Tour

After a great afternoon read and nap to the patter of rain in the roof, we met to go on a canopy tour which is a polite way of saying zip line. They strap you in with 

Hot springs

This morning we had a great breakfast buffet: fruit, cereal, pancakes, omelets made to order. After we mounted horses with little instruction of equinstry. Some freaked out a bit. The trail was wide but rocky and each horse had its own personality. We saw some Tucans along the way. We rode along the base of the volcano. We stopped around 40 minutes in and dismounted.  We hike down some stone steps to a canyon with a strong rushing stream. We changed into bathing suits and went into a rocky steam room heated naturally from a volcanic vent. Behind it were two four foot tall mirror andpistils

Filled with volcanic ash still warm. It was the color of cafe con  leche. After it dried we showered and entered swimming pool sized hot springs. There were six or seven pools with beautiful stone work with water of varying degrees. The hottest about 103•. After an hour it began to pour. We piled onto a John Deere pulled covered wagon. It dropped us off at the infamous 1200 foot water slide. A concrete trough with three foot high sides and rushing mountain water. We donNed helmets and inner tubes and walked up along the slide. A man at the top controls a dam tha diverts the water. Long enough to sit down put your hands inside the tube. He releases the water from behind you and you are literally whooshed down the mountain with little to no control of your speed. Some curves you are certain you will be flung over the edge and against one of the many trees of the rainforest. Luckily you can't see a damn thing. At the fastest point you notice a flash. A photo I suspect and then the speed decreases. You then are ultimately dumped into a pool at the bottom. Quite the thrill.  

Buena vista

We're up in the north west corner of CR near a national park called rincon de la Viaja "corner of the old lady". The myth is the son and daughter of warring families fell in love. So one family kidnapped the son of the other and threw him in the volcano. So the girl moved near the volcano to be with him. She also threw their child in the volcano so he could be with his father. 

We're all waiting for dinner. It's to be served at 6:30. 45 minutes from now.  

The bar opened @6. Hour late. Tico time. I'm watching the weather move through. Facing west a swatch of pink where the is setting. Thunder peals behind me an an occasional flash but the storm is past. In front of me rolling hills green and dark green. To the right a mountain. Low fog like dust balls settles into some of the valleys. To my left in the distance is civilization. Twinkling lights. The light is fading. My favorite time of day. My favorite word. The gloaming. Every minute the scenery changes. 

Who needs tv when you have this. 

Simplify, simplify, simplify

After speaking with the participants, I get the sense they are starting to understand the appeal of "Pura Vida" pure life. They see their Tico families lifestyle. The Tico families don't have much in terms of material possessions, but the students see their happiness, the lack of stress. It is a lesson I have to continually remind myself (said the person who brought an IPhone, IPad, and laptop). They talk about it among themselves and in their Spanish classes. They see the kids we work with who don't have the playstations or the xboxes, but are happy.
However, after speaking with many of the locals, they know this is probably going to change. I was speaking with Eric, the local sushi chef who I have known since I first came here in 2009. He would like to open a Thai restaurant. We joked about how it is only a matter of time before a Burger King opens or a Taco Bell. One day I will return and there will a traffic light, the next, a gas station (the closest is about 4km away up the hill).
These changes are all related to the US economy. When our economy booms, here booms too. And, as the saying goes, if our economy gets the sniffles, the economy of countries like Costa Rica gets the flu. So things progress until the money stops. Then there is a backslide, then things pick up again.
It is like the tides, I guess, adding to the beach and then taking away.
I hope change takes its time and leaves this place simple as long as it can.

Playa Carillo

The beach south of here is one of my favorites. Like Samara it's half moon shaped. At both ends are rocky headlands. In the middle are two miles of smooth sand that give way to picture perfect palm trees spaced far enough apart to hang hundreds of hammocks. But there are rarely more than a half dozen. The road runs along the beach and east of it there is cow pasture and a small overgrown airstrip. Occasionally the road bridges small rivers and at its south end a larger one with a twelve foot crocodile we saw today. When the sun is out and the clouds are parked like airships at the horizon and the wAter is blue green, it is the beach one dreams of in the doldrums of winter.

Jim and I went first at nine. The sun was out but not overbearing. After a swim we went to the woman selling coconuts. With her machete she deftly skinned the just picked orbs and poked a hole for a straw to drink from. After we handed it back to her and she split it in two so to eat the white subtle flesh. 

In the afternoon another group wanted to see it, so I returned with seven of them under threatening skies. A few were slow so I lagged behind to make sure they were ok. The rain held off long enough for a swim, a look around the tidal pools and a gander at the south end bridge. The coconut woman told us earlier to throw something in the water to excite the croc. So we did and sure enough a big bastard  surfaced just below us. Michelle was the first to see him.  He had a blue nylon line trailing from his mouth. 

At the first sound of thunder we rode home. We arrived in shifts at the school and I joined the group at Cocos while they ate lunch and I had a couple of beers. The skies opened up while we waited for our food and stopped when we finished. It was a good day.

Gusto

Why is it we humans want to eat by water? The ocean, a bay, estuary, river, or lake. People are willing to pay more for food served next to h2o. Is this a universal truth? I am not sure. But the western world is pretty consistent at least according to my limited travels. 

Samara excels in this regard. The restaurants that dot this beach capture the seaside alfresco dining and libation experience perfectly. For example tonight I am eating a ten dollar pizza under light roped palm trees twenty yards from high tide. I can barely make out the white foam swells but its sound is as soothing and ambient as any. The bar is palm thatched. The tables areas matched chic with nautical lights on some and tea candles. Mine is also adorned with a tropical flowers in water jars. The tables are washed up, white washed roots topped with slabs of live edged wood. The seating a hodge podge of plastic arm chairs, stools or benches. This is your quintessential Central American beachside joint. 

Cr v DR

Watching the game at Mama Africa. It's got the feeling of a drug bar. The production of the game is like a high school match. Left at half time. Walked around trying to find a place to eat. Did a lap around town only to choose the place across from Mama Africa. It's a local soda. Ordered the rice and chicken. Arroz con pollo. Fried rice basically. A leftover dish. Many families are here playing cards. Some groups of guys watching the second half of the game. 

Feliz Día de las madres!

It's no coincidence the Costa Rican Mother's Day falls on the same day as the Assumption, the Catholic holiday which celebrates Mary's ascension into heaven. Although there is seperation of church and state on paper, this is still a Catholic country. Laura told me at the school that the government is very strict about the holiday and she needed everyone who works there permission to take the Friday off instead of today.

I, however, have the day off as there is no volunteer work. So I am traveling with students by bikes to another beach, Playa Carillo, three miles south of here.

On my beach walk this morning, there weren't the usually crowds of workers along the road. The beach too was quieter. After, I rode my bike to Cangrejal to the "german" bakery for an apple strudel. It was nice to see the small village come to life. From the table out front of the store, I could see the pasture where horses and cattle grazed and beyond that the sea, framed by palm trees. The sun was shining, and there were some large, white  fluffy clouds at the horizon.

Cast of Characters II

I'll try to describe some of the "locals".
Laura is the founder and owner of Intercultura. I'm really impressed with her vision and her commitment to helping the community. She and a partner started the original school in Heredia which is just outside San Jose, the sprawling capital city and branched out here. She now runs the Samara school, and the partner runs the Heredia campus.
Lindsay is from Tennessee but grew up in NYC.She is in charge of groups. She is also a really good singer and plays weddings and bars on the weekends. She worked at CREAR when I was here last.
Andrea also worked with Lindsay and still works at CREAR. Orignally from Texas she's been here for six years. I enjoy working with her.
Johanna is Andrea's new partner. Originally from Wisconsin. She filled in for me on last weekend's excursion. Good sense of humor.
Estefania- was the receptionist at Intercultura when I was here last, now she has her own office. She is studying law. When I told her that the next time I come here I won't be surprised if she is running the entire school, she blushed. She's been helpful with dealing with the police. She's a true Samarian (2nd generation or more?) and her family owns a well respected restaurant in town.
Augustine- handyman. Also rents out horses.
Ulysis-another handyman. He also participates in the dance classes. I am not sure if this is part of his job or not.
Choco- is the local surf instructor. He's a hard working guy. Married to an American. I see him as the town's unofficial mayor as he knows everyone. When the students were robbed, I wanted him to know.

Washout

The rain started Monday night and didn't let up until Tuesday around noon. The thunder and lightening storm Monday night/Tuesday morning was the worst by far. It was hard to sleep. By the time I got to school Tuesday morning, I was walking in shin high water through the roads. We were all surprised to see three students at the community center at 10:30. It just shows how much these kids look forward to what we are doing. Andrea came by soon after and we decided to call off the afternoon session. Of course, by noon the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Today is bright sun and blue skies. It's hot again; I am already sweating buckets.
My students were happy for the break. I wasn't sad either. I've been fighting a cold since my food poisoning, so I settled into the hammock for a much needed nap. Today I feel much better.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day (it's also the Catholic Assumption- so surprise), so we are going make bilingual cards in our groups today. Because of the holiday, Thursday we won't have the volunteer work and Friday the school is closed. Friday we drive to Rincon de la Vieja for the weekend for zip lining, horseback riding, and R&R.
I'll leave you with a self portrait of Roy. He's about 4. His father died last year. His mom was pregnant with their fourth when it happened.

The Plot Thickens..

So, apparently there are two different types of police in Costa Rica. I assume it can be compared to our police departments versus our sheriffs versus our highway patrol. Regardless, it turns out Alex and Briseida went to the wrong station. I guess the girls in the office at the school called someone when they heard the disappointing results  from yesterdays adventure for the two students, and found out the mishap. The police do in fact have two suspects in custody, but not at the police station where Alex and Briseida went to. Of course, no one there considered to call the other station! Unfortunately, the two might have to go back to Nicoya to identify the suspects. I'll keep the updates coming.

8am. Main road into Samara. Rush hour traffic

Bummer

Complete let down. The police told Briseida they had someone in custody but when they got to Nicoya, there was no lineup. Just paperwork. Spanish is both their primary language so I'm not sure what happened. 

Sad. 

A good day?

Legal Disclaimer: Global Service Learners does not condone the use of vigilantism.  
When I arrived on campus I heard some good news- the police caught the people they thought were the ones who mugged my students. They even caught them with some of the loot. The students had to take a bus to Nicoya, an hour ride each way, to identify the suspects- behind a two way mirror I was assured. Briseida also thought she could get her stuff back. I hope she is able.
I spoke with Laura, the owner of the school. She told me the locals were upset that this happened and were talking about taking justice into their own hands. Apparently since this group has been in town, there has been trouble. She and I both agreed this probably wasn't right, but it sure felt good that others were upset as we were. Briseida and Alex have great attitudes. I hope all went well. They are getting an interesting education in third world police work.

Cast of Characters I

As I've written earlier, I don't know the group all that well as I haven't spent a lot of time with them. When I do it is during the volunteer work which is a pretty chaotic time.
Michael- one of the late arrivals. He traveled to Jordan this summer prior to joining us so I wasn't worried about him. If he can navigate Jordan during these times, Costa Rica should be a piece of cake.
Chelsea- transferring to Dominguez Hill in the fall. Not sure of her major. Aunt is a police woman at ECC.
Stephanie- English major. Sweet kid. Second year at ECC.
Jim- one of our mature students. Won a full scholarship. Colmbian. Spanish major, transferring to Dominguez Hills next spring.
Katie- the second of the late arrivals. Very bubbly. Not sure of her major. Second year at ECC.
Matt H- just graduated from high school and turned 18 this summer. Entering the FYE program in the fall.
Charlie- our jokester. Sometimes takes it a little too far. A piano player/junkie.
Jessica- one of the sisters. Just graduated high school as well. Has a lot of tattoos and some piercings.
Michelle- the older sister of Jessica. Sweet kid. Child development major (I think). 2+ years at ECC. Did a study abroad in high school to Australia and New Zealand.
Briseida- one of the two who got mugged. Great attitude. Worked hard to come on this trip. Had to fill out a lot of paperwork.
Matt M.- Our last participant to sign up. Anthropology major/Spanish minor. Softspoken, but with a lot of tattoos.
Brandy- another sweet kid. Not sure of her major- I don't think she knows either. Sister of a former participant.
Alex- the second of the two who got jumped. Zoology major. Nice kid. Taking some ribbing for night fighting the robbers, but I think he did the right thing.
Jean- the second of the mature students. Real go-getter. Translator. Also takes French classes here. Part of a group who helps with disaster preparedness (Red Cross?).
Dan- Marine vet, but didn't see time in gulf. Perpetually late. Not really into the Spanish classes or the volunteer work.
Nancy- a little older than the traditional student. Child development major. Fluent in Spanish and a huge help with the volunteer program.

Coffee plant by the side of the road

HGTVs House Hunters International

These two condos were featured on two different episodes of House Hunters International

Sweet ride

I got this sweet ride for $25 a week. Took it for a twenty kilometer ride this morning into the farmlands toward Nosara. Once I got to a deep river without a bridge I recalled they warned me last time that crocodiles were know to inhabit that stretch. Needless to say I didn't cross. 

Peter, my Austrian neighbor, told me that recently a foreign family was hanging out with small children near a river. Soon after they left a couple with a golden retriever , tried to cross the river. Crocodiles went after and got the dog. Right near where the young family was playing. 

Nature is real out here. 

Mass and lunch.

I always like to go to mass when I travel. There's comfort in the common ritual no matter what language or culture. 

After I stopped for lunch at a soda/bakery. This was comco six. Grilled chicken on great French roll with fries and fresh fruit juice tamerindo. All for about $7 us. 

Technology

My first trip overseas was in 1982 to Paris with my mom and dad who lead a group of girls from mom's high school during a spring break. I don't remember my parents using a phone, but post cards were definitely the social technology of the day.
In 1991, I studied for a semester in Wollongong, Australia. I was dating a girl who was still in New Hampshire. Although we did exchange a few letters, the phone calls were what I looked forward to until she told me she was dumping me for someone else. Both forms of technology were expensive, especially compared with today's technology.
In 2003, I took students to Spain for three months. The internet was in full swing, but wireless wasn't. Email was relatively fast, cheap, and readily accessible. It was the heyday of internet cafes. I was also given a cell phone which linked me 24 hours a day to my students, their families, and my family. There is a downside this. It takes away some of the romanticism of being "out of touch". The upside was I learned quickly of niece Sohpia's birth. I also used my laptop for entertainment. I could rent DVDs and watch them on my laptop.
In 2006, I was back in Spain with another group, this time for only a month. Skype was the rage as it o allowed one to easily and cheaply stay in touch while on the road. However, one still must be tethered in order to say in touch.
In 2007 I went to Yucatan, Mexico. I saw more and more signs for wireless but I didn't travel with my laptop so i still relied on Internet cafes which were still plentiful.
In 2008, in Vietnam and Cambodia. I was amazed at the poorest of the poor villages in Cambodia where there wasn't running water, there was a space with one lightbulb and two computers which was this villages Internet cafe. It was packed with 10-12 kids.
In 2008 I bought my first Iphone and in 2009, I came to Costa Rica. Wireless was here. Access codes were king. Speeds were slow, but now I could check email in the privacy of my hotel room. In 2010, I was downloading books on my Kindle. Now it wasn't just for social communication, but for entertainment.
In 2010 during my first service learning trip to Costa Rica, with my laptop, I kept my first blog.
In 2012, on my first trip to Guatemala I now used my Iphone to not only stay in touch but for photos and my blog. The cost of international roaming is prohibitive, so the airplane mode stays on while I roam for wifi.
In 2013, as I am leaving La Vela Latina I get a Facetime call from Sophia and I was able to show her a little bit of Costa Rica. I downloaded Newsroom season 1 before I left and watched it while I was sick. Yesterday, I downloaded On the Road from Itunes- it took all day to download- and watched it last night.

Compared to others, I am not that tech savvy or that experienced a traveler. I consider myself quite average. But a lot has changed since I started my journeys. Although there are times I am nostalgic for the days of old, I know technology is a useful thing. Take for instance my recent bout of food poisoning. When I got back from the pharmacy, I was able to research the medications she provided me to make sure I knew what I was taking and if I understood her directions correctly. I also have the option to go "dark", shut off the laptop, the iphone, the ipad and just experience Costa Rica, it's nature, its muddy roads, its insects and flora, fauna and get to know its people.

Food

As you might imagine, the fruit here is amazing and cheap. You can get fresh squeezed OJ on the side of the road for a buck. The mangoes are the size of cantaloupes and are very sweet. I also bought these:

I forgot what it is called in Spanish, but it's translated into "Suck Chinese". It's a type of lychee. You rip off the furry skin and inside is a giant grape-like fruit with a big pit inside. You suck the flesh until you only have the seed. My landlords provided me a pineapple, grown locally, and it was very sweet and great in smoothies.
I'm lucky in that I have a small kitchen. So I make breakfast and lunch at home. Cereal and bananas. Ham or turkey sandwiches for lunch.
Samara is unique in that it is quite cosmopolitan in its food choices, which are quite numerous. First are sodas, the Costa Rican take on the diner. Usually attached to someone's home, it's an open air spot usually serving "casados" which are some type of grilled meat, gallo pinto (a combination of rice and beans and spices, usually a salsa called Lazanos), plantains, and coleslaw. This usually comes with a drink and is the cheapest way to fill up. Gallo pinto, by the way, is served at pretty much every meal, including breakfast. The sodas will also have hamburgers and chicken and rice and some other choices.Most places serve fresh fruit smoothies. You can usually tell the chicken is fresh as there are often a few running around your feet as you eat their cousins.
Along the beach your choices to eat are international. The Italians have a great place called Gusto with the various courses. They also have funky lounge chairs and umbrellas, rope lights wrapped around the palm trees making it feel very resortish. Many places serve "Mexican" fare- tacos, burritos, quesadillas. There's a German bakery just outside of town, a couple organic vegan places. Finally, since most of the home stays do not include lunch, some of the industrious women sit outside the school at lunch with pot of stewed chicken, rice, beans with a drink for a few bucks. I haven't tried it yet, but my students seem to like it. Obviously, there is a lot of fresh fish around. However, it is lost on me. Well, at least until I go fishing...

Pura Vida

It's a quiet day. I'm still not full force. I rode my bike to Playa Buena Vista, a nearly deserted primal beach. There are logs roots and other natural debris strewn about. One must ford an estuary to get to it, but its well worth the trouble. The ride through the countryside is soothing even with the humidity. The sun has been in and out all day. Now I'm at lo que hay for lunch. My first real meal. A steak quesadilla.  The waitress has a terrible grimace. After a nap in the hammock? A swim? I am downloading On the Road for tonight. 

Friday was not a good day

So I was up all night with diarrhea. It's kind of expected when I travel to these places. I felt pretty lousy and wasn't looking forward to a five hour bus ride to Fortuna, near volcano Arenal. I brought some Immodium with me for such instances. But as I walked to school to meet the group, I started throwing up and progressively felt shittier and shittier. When I got to the school, bad news awaited me. Alex and Briseida, on their way home from the bars last night, got mugged. Three guys in a car/truck stopped them. They forced Alex to the ground. Briseida ran, but one of the guys grabbed her purse. Physically, they were both fine. Briseida is pretty tough. Sadly, they lost some money and Briseida lost her cell phone and some of her id cards, etc. They filed a report with the police and the people at the school were very concerned. They had a sense of who it might be, but there is little to be done. Some of the other girls were freaked out and one said she was thinking of going home.
Meanwhile, my health is going downhill. I go to the pharmacy and get some antibiotics and some electrolytes. I can't keep anything in my system. I talked with Lindsay our fix it girl at the school and tell her I can't sit on a bus for five hours in this condition. She tries to get someone else to go in my place. We have a guide and a driver, so even if they can't the group will be fine.
I make it back to my apartment and crawl into bed where I stay for the next 20 or so hours. I force myself to hydrate but there is always and opposite reaction when I do.
I woke up this morning, Saturday, feeling much better. I ate some toast and a little mango. So far so good. I took a walk on the beach and a swim. I'm not sure what I'll do today.

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think of the play? Well, this is a pretty easy group. We haven't had drama before the mugging. The students are settling in nicely. The weather has been great Sunshine most mornings and rain at night. Some of the rainstorms are pretty intense. A lot of thunder and lightening last night.

Food

My favorite restaurant. On the beach, palapas. Great grill. 

Dia tipico

II've got a good schedule. I'm usually up at sunrise around 6. There are curtains on my windows but there aren't neighbors and its jungle outside my bedroom window so why keep them closed? I've been going to the beach first thing. It's been low tide and good for walking. I come back for breakfast. Fruit. Cereal. Tea or juice. 

I try to write for a while. Study some Spanish- I brought a book. I head to the school around ten. The morning classes have break and I can check in to make sure everyone is ok. Our first volunteer session begins at 1030. The morning session is in town at the community center near the football field. It's a great space, a 40' x 50' hall with much needed fans. The count of children who show up changes daily, usually increasingly as the word gets out about what we're doing. We finish at eleven thirty when the children start school because they do not have enough teachers or classrooms to go the whole day. 

After I go for a swim and then home for a sandwich, some rest in the hammock. Our next volunteer session is at two but we have to drive there so it takes ten minutes. But with Tico time (the nickname for Costa Ricans and their inability to keep a appointments on time) who knows how long? 

After its time for an other swim. Sometimes I might take class: cooking for instance. After its happy hour, either La Vela Latina or back at the house. 

I usually have dinner out. Home by eight or nine. Ready to start it again. It's a good life. I'm relaxed even though I'm with 15 eighteen to twenty five year olds. They're a good group so far. 

Photos

Here's where I am uploading photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.227324244087233.1073741825.146210875531904&type=1&l=d49eecc78c

Playa Samara

Playa Samara is a former, small fishing village on the Pacific central coast. It's a four and a half hour drive from San Jose. The school and my apartment is  in the main part of the village and my participants are staying in the outskirts in a "suburb" called Canajagral. They have between a half mile to mile walk each way every morning.

The beach is horseshoe shaped with an island and a reef that protects it. At low tide you can see the reef and the waves breaking over it. The island is deserted and can be easily reached from the southern end of the bay during low tide. There is a sandbar and some good snorkeling.

In the north end of the bay, there is a small village with a scattering of house and rocky outcropping. Next to it a large field where horses and cattle graze which is ringed by coconut palm trees. On weekends you often see the locals picnicking under these trees. Rumor has it, the field was once wetland/marsh and  a developer (gringo?) came in and filled it in without permission. Apparently they shut him down and now it is an expensive pasture.

To the south of the field is a fresh water river that depending on the tides is crossable by foot. After that there are some restaurants and bars and then the school. South of the school are more restaurants and bars and then the police station which is at the western end of the main road. If you walk along the main road after the police station and post office there are stores and the football (soccer) field ringed by restaurants, hotels, hostels, the bank, and other stores. continuing on the main road is more of the same. Fishing has been replaced by tourism so there is a hodgepodge of business designed to cater to the demands of Europeans, Americans and others cash-fisted tourists.

South of the main road, along the beach are higher end restaurants and hotels. My favorite is La Vela Latina, owned by an ECC grad.
(A family of monkeys is traveling by as I write this. About a half dozen with a few babies. It's hard to get good photos but it's cool to see the little ones).

To the south is another smaller village called El Torito where many of the fisherman live. In the morning when I walk the beach I see them rolling their pangas out on round foam(?) rollers. It costs two hundred dollars for four hours to go fishing with them. They can fit up to three others comfortably. I hope to get do that again. Last time we caught quite a few fish. El Torito is also where we teach the children in the afternoons.

Creepy crawlies.

Day 3- comfort level reached

This is about the time the group has fallen into a routine. They know how to get around, where to eat, drink, shop. They are sunburnt, tired, but still excited.  They are mosquito bitten, waterlogged, and confident. They now know each other and alliances are forming. Their personalities are becoming apparent to me. I don't spend much time with them. I see them a couple hours a day at most. 

The volunteer project went well. In the morning session we are on our own. The two girls, Andrea and Johanna, who run the after school non profit have other jobs in the morning. So today we played ABC obstacle course. The  10 or 12 kids had to weave between chairs, jump over benches, hop ten feet and then choose a card with a letter and come up with an English word that begins with that letter. Girls versus boys. Girls dominated! 

They were hot and sweating when we finished and they started school right after at 11:30 am. 

The afternoon session is much larger. Close to 20 kids. Today most were the youngsters, 3-7. They worked on the alphabet. The five older kids used flash cards and played the obstacle game. The young 'ens joined in toward the end. Good fun. 

I showed the young girl Paola her photo from three years ago. She was proud and fascinated. She took my phone and flipped through the photos. The others had to do that as well. When I asked if she remembered she was non committed. Like the youngster she is. 

After I went to the cooking class offered by the school every week. Xinia is also a house Mom whom I visited last trip. At dinner time. To check on my student staying with her. Tonight she made respalader. A rice, milk, pineapple, sugar,cinnamon  and nutmeg drink. Tasty but definitely not fat free. 

Day 2- Let the fun begin.

Students had to show up at 7ish in the morning to take a placement test at the language school. The school is quite busy- around 70 students total with a couple of other teen groups thrown into the mix. It's a well organized, chaotic scene. I am impressed with the school as they really do have a great system.
Students will take class MW mornings and TTH afternoons or MW afternoons and TTH mornings. When they aren't in class, they have to volunteer teaching English with me. In the mornings we work with local Samara kids.It is a small group, about 6-8 students. In the afternoon we take a minivan to the town south called El Torito, a much poorer village. There there are 15-20 students of all ages. But they are excited to have us here and my students all seem to like working with the Torito kids better.
 I recognized some of the kids from our 2010 trip. Paola especially stood out to me. The top photo is from 2010. The bottom is her taken Monday!

Anticipation

Sometimes before trips time is precious and harried. Too much to do and never enough time. This trip isn't one of those times. I drove the dog to Ontario this morning. Cleaned the house, mowed the lawn, laundry. I have time for a bike ride and a sit near the beach. Mass at five. Finishing packing a little dinner and then to the airport at eight. 

Arrival.

Well I could never be a Marine. I've left too many behind. Two students didn't show up at the airport.As I was doing a roll call after I had cleared security and was at the gate-the first name was Michael who obviously wasn't there. I called him. He was completely dumbfounded. He thought the flight was on Sunday. It was around 9:45 and our flight was at 11. He was going to try to make it. In the excitement, I never went back to my roll call. It wasn't until we were on the plane taxiing on the runway that Charlie asked me what happened to Katie. Shit. I never noticed and it was far too late to do anything.

The flight was normally annoying. A cattle call with the only empty seats where my two students should have been. We arrived around 6 am and made it out of customs and baggage claim relatively quickly. We were on the road a little after 7. The participants were exhausted and many slept on the bus.
The hard part came when we arrived in town around 11 and had to disperse the students to their home stays. The bus driver, from the next village over didn't know many of the families. the directions were like : 50 meters west of Sol Y Mar, the third green house on the left. There are no street names or numbers. I am not sure how mail is handled. It took a good hour to get everyone where they needed to be. I could see the stress on the student's faces. It was awkward for them to suddenly get dropped off at a stranger's house. Also the differences in the appearances of the houses were striking. Two girls got dropped off at the nicest houses in the block and the rest of the group didn't hide their jealousy.
Finally I was dropped off. However, Wolfgang and Maria Fernanda, whom I have stayed with for three times weren't at the house. Sadly, Maria Fernanda suffered complications after surgery and she is in the hospital in San Jose. The other tenant, a German or Swiss named Peter met me with the key. He seems nice enough. I see him occasionally when he puts food in the hummingbird feeders. It looks like he has a local girlfriend.
After I dropped my things off, I went to La Vela Latina for lunch.I was also able to email Michael, one of the two who had missed the flight. He had focused on the dates August 4- 24th. He had never looked/read my emails or attended the meetings because he was in Jordan most of the summer. Knowing he had just traveled in the middle East, I was confident he could make it to Samara. However, Katie had me a little more nervous. She did have some international travel experience. I emailed the both of them with each other's phone numbers so they could at least travel together. I heard from Mike, got him in touch with Lindsay, our fix it girl and expected them the next day.
That night we met at the school, had a brief orientation and tour of Samara. We had a nice dinner, on the beach at El Ancla. It was a good way to start the trip. 

Let the packing commence!

Begin here

Six days and counting. 16 students, 10 females, 6 males. 18-60+ years. Three weeks, two weekend excursions. The participants will stay with local families. The list complete. I will stay at an apartment owned by Maria Fernanda and Wolfgang, my third stay with them. It is CR's "green season" a marketing -lingua for rainy. I have the week off filled with nothing but packing and worrying. A little golf and Crossfit thrown in. After my trip, I begin my sabbatical. But I can't get my head around that yet, this trip too big, a mountain that blocks the horizon.
Tomorrow I meet with some of the group to collect the remaining balances, go over some safety information. Answer questions.
Let it begin. I am looking forward to la pura vida, the slow pace, the lack of a car, the warm ocean, the monkeys in the trees. The cold beers at waters edge after a good day. Bring it on.

Winding Down

Yesterday was quite an experience. It was our last day with the children so we bought pinatas and extra candy. We brought our books to give to them. Carlos brought a microphone and the mayor of the colony said a few words and proceeded to give the six of us, Claudia, Kaleigh, Jon, Diego, Nick and I, certificates of appreciation. It was great of them. Each one of us had to say a few words. I needed Claudia to translate for me.
Next we unleashed the pinatas. One for the girls, another the guys. We then passed out bags of cookies and other candy. Finally we passed out the books. They were really happy and excited to get them. The extra we left in the small classroom.
We also brought baskets with foodstuff to raffle off. Rice beans pasta oil, etc. I gave the first basket to one of the oldest women in the village.she was in her nineties. When I looked into her eyes I was blown away. A lot of living in her face. We picked numbers out of a bag. The students and the children helped call out the numbers. The women in the village were excited to get the baskets. Many had newborns strapped to them or in their arms. After the children had a surprise for us. They decorated a classroom with balloons and posters. They made little cakes and chocolates. They had us sit in the front, our backs to the white board. They sang happy birthday. It was hard to keep the eyes dry. Throughout the day some of the kids slipped envelopes into our hands, letters written and decorated with much love. All of them hugged us and sad adios. Even the twelve year old boys. Diego gave his soccer ball to one of them and he cried too.
Some strange coincidences occurred too. We had invited everyone from Sevilla language school to join us. One gentleman who takes classes in the afternoon who I had not met came along. As I was showing him the classrooms and the field I noticed he wore a shirt with Farmington Woods, a golf course ten minutes from my house in Connecticut!
The other occurance was sad. During the pinatas I noticed a small procession down the street. A group of ten or fifteen dressed on black some carrying a small three foot white coffin down the road. I looked to one of the mothers who noticed it too. She explained a child had died the previous night. One of ours? I asked. No, she said, a newborn eight days old. I don't think many saw it. None of my students had. It gave me pause.
On the car ride home we struggled with our emotions. Our group went to sky cafe. It was such a powerful experience I think we needed to be together for a little bit.

Waterfalls

Nick, our adopted Aussie whom the kids call Queso (cheese) because he is always taking pictures(?), bought ice cream and chocolate for all of the children. It was a great start to our walk into the mountain. There were 50 children, 6 of us, Carlos, Milton, and Allen, some people from the village, and two or three dogs. When we stopped at one point there was a fight between two of them. Pretty vicious. What made it worse was the narrowness of the trail and 50 kids screeching in blood curdling unison.
Because this is their dry season there wasn't much more than a trickle until we got to the actual waterfalls. These kids were fearless climbing the slippery rocks and the parents didn't seem to mind. There were times I couldn't look. But everyone made it back safe. It was a fun tranquil day. Tomorrow is the last day. I will miss these kids.

In the Stretch

Yesterday we had the children draw pictures of what they liked best about the past two weeks. We collected them because I have hopes I will be able to display them at El Camino along with a description of what we've doing here. They're pretty funny especially the spellings of our names. In some I'm easily identified because most are stick figures but I'm usually the only round one. Gordito one kid said to me.
Yesterday was also Jon's bday. They gathered all of the students at the Spanish school and sang and clapped. Carlos also took us to a restaurant on a hill overlooking Antigua. It was nice. Around 5 the guys played soccer in the courtyard. The games are pretty competitive. After dinner we went out for a bit to celebrate Jon's bday. I think he enjoyed himself.
Today we toured an organic macadamia nut farm with our teachers and Milton. Now we are hiking to some waterfalls with the children.

The Final Week

If you want time to move rapidly, join me on one of these trips. It's hard to imagine two weeks have passed already. In the student house where I stay, i am there the longest, except for Paula, Mildred and Gladys who live there, the sage who knows how to fix the wifi. Crazy. It's amazing how quickly technology spreads because of tourism. I've written all of these posts using free wifi. A few years ago this wasn't possible.
My ECC students are feeling the strain of the pace we set for ourselves. I'm really proud of them. There have been a few hiccups ;) , but the group has really impressed me. I hope I don't jinx myself. The word has spread about what we're doing and now we usually have visitors join us in the afternoon. Tomorrow is the last day of teaching. At this point of the trip we are in two worlds. We are living in this world but our thoughts are beginning to meander into our other world. It is like that dream stage when you know you are dreaming but you also know you are about to wake up.

Flores I I.

Even though there was a disco somewhere below my room and within near proximity, I still managed a decent nights sleep. I was in bed by ten. We walked this small town, stopping here and there. We looked for a pizza place recommend in Frommers but it was closed. Instead we found another.
This morning I walked up the hill to the church and saw to the east the sun was breaking over the horizon. An old backpacker with bright white hair was chanting to the rising sun. In English but unintelligible.

Flores.

Flores is a small town , island really in the middle of a good sized lake. I'm drinking $1.50 Cuba libres trying to figure where to go for dinner and our plans for tomorrow.

Tikal

The day is long when it starts at 4:00am you drive an hour, fly an hour, and drive another hour only to hike/climb for four hours up and down some of the most amazing architecture mixed with astronomical significance. All done without IPhones Kaleigh pointed out. Our guide was Eddy who was a PhD archeological student who really knew his stuff. We not only saw the ruins but some crocodiles, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, falcons, leaf-cutter ants, and raccoon like creatures. We toured with. A German/Vietnamese girl and her friend from Sweden. What's nice Bout the small group is that we are not this huge intimidating mass and get to meet many travelers from around the world. Now we are in Flores. The hotel is pretty crappy but the rack rate is only $20. The showers are hot, there's free Internet and breakfast is included. It's like camping I told them.

Bike Tour

This afternoon the five of us and Milton and Jesus took bikes to some of the small villages that surround Antigua: San Isabel, Gaspar, Cristobel, Pedro, Miguel, and Ciudad Viejo the former capital of all of Latin America destroyed in an earthquake so they moved it to Guatemala City. Many of the churches were built in the 1600 s & 1700s. We were at the base of the agua volcano. In the distance the volcano Fuego puffed smoke. Apparently at night you can see the lava spurt. After went to the rooftop bar called Sky Cafe. It's name is honest with 360 degree views of the mountains that surround Antigua. After dinner Kaleigh and I went to the bagel barn to watch a French movie, Les Intouchables, with Spanish subtitles. I was surprised by how much I understood. What is the formulaic storyline or my Spanish improving or the acting, I am not sure. Either way a surreal experience.

San Pedro, San Miguel, Ciudad Viaja

Took another road trip during class with Jhenri. This time we went to his town San Pedro. We stopped first at the park where women were washing clothes in the spring fed common lavanderia. We ran into his grandfather, a spry 90 year old who looked like he still worked every day. After we went to Jhenris house. It was really nice, very open with great woodwork and nice tiles. It was big with many levels. On the top was a terrace with great views of the volcanos. After we saw the churches T San Miguel and ciudad Viaja. It was a good diversion. This afternoon we are taking a bike ride to some natural hot springs.

Mercado

Thursdays are market days. A wonderful onslaught of the senses. The bright colors entice and smells of the food and burning wood comfort, the hawkers chanting their products, including an evangelist on portable speakers the touch from men carrying bundles of wood, clothes , coconuts on their backs. I arrived before nine, the market just waking up. The energy of a new day, the possibility of earning some Quetzals.

Typical Day

In case one wonders what my day is like. I wake around 6:30, usually the earliest and shower. I do ish or look over my homework, read email, write the blog until Mildred walks the hallway knocking on doors saying "Listo!" ( ready).
We eat breakfast family style. Pancakes, warm milk and rice, egg sandwiches. Always fruit, tea, and coffee. Conversation is usually limited in the mornings. Then I walk to school usually alone. I stop at a bakery for a small besito, a bun with ham And cheese for the break.
At school there is free tea and coffee so I usually have tea. The first hour of class is a conversation. Then we look over my homework. Next the days lesson. Then it is break from 10:00-10:30. I usuAlly stay around the school. After break it is more relaxed going over the lesson. The last half hour we play games in Spanish.
We take lunch from 12-2. Mine is served at 1:30. It consists of a protein chicken or steak. Rice or potatoes. And a vegetable. I have to eat quickly to be at the school at 2.
Our bus ride to the project is about ten minutes west up into the hills. When we arrive the children are waiting for us and run to the van looking for the students, mostly Claudia and Kaleigh. We teach for 45 minutes to an hour then it's playtime. We stop around for and it usually takes 15 minutes to say our good yes and get everyone into the van.
When we return we might have a tour of a local site. Either way we might get a beer and talk a out the day. Dinner is at 7:30. This is usually a boisterous affair but since we jokingly instituted a Spanish only rule with a 1q fine (a jar sits at the end of the table near Andreas, it's biggest donor) the conversations are limited until the girls leave the room. After dinner I usually do my terea, homework. After that a wine down at a local cafe. I try to be home by ten, check email and asleep by 11. Ready to start it all over again.

Hookey

I needed a mental health day so I arranged it with Jhenri my teacher. The difficulty is the teachers don't get paid if the students don't show up (even though the school is paid). I serupticiously asked a out salary so I insisted that I pay him for the missed day. He earns about $10 for four hours so I will give him a 100q note ($12) and call it even. Tomorrow we visit it town and house and I will take him to lunch.
But today I will relax. Walk the town. Be a tourist.
This afternoon we teach then we will have a three legged race and a water balloon toss.

UConn

Last night I went with my housemates and the two house moms to rainbow cafe for an open mic night. The music was quite good. The highlight though was a group of kids wearing UConn sweatshirts. I spoke with one who happens to be from Avon. He didn't know Zack nor the Brackett kids but knew Brian Kelly who I went to school with at Keene and who teaches in Avon. They were premeds (16 of them) here to get clinical experience for two weeks. Go Huskies!

Tour de Colonia Hermano Pedro II

Last week we toured half the colony where we are teaching and the children in the other half wanted us to visit their homes as well. So the five us, plus Nick and my housemates Meika, Andreas, and a Canadian Wade, strolled through the lower part of the area along with the fifty or so children and a couple of dogs. In some houses there wasn't enough room for the entire circus so the children waited outside.
Most of the homes are concrete block and are an amalgamation of bedrooms and living space. Some had separate kitchens but most had some type of outdoor cooking area. All homes had dogs, one had puppies, another new chicks. There is electricity and running water. I didn't see bathrooms but I am sure they are quite basic. Most rooms had two beds and usually six or seven people slept in them. On the walls were various mementos. Many homes still had Christmas decorations, some quite elaborate Nativity scenes.
The mothers were hesitant at first, but quite welcoming and gracious. I tried to have a photo with all of them.
For the newcomers, I think they were a bit taken aback by the poverty as we were on our first tour. This time it was easier to take for us. I think it is the children's pure joy of having so many adults interested n playing with them that balances the emotions. As we walked hand in hand or on shoulders, the English lessons were reinforced usually at the kids insistence.
We are starting to remember names of the kids and able to identify their personalities. Brener the quiet one. William the smart one. Dulce with wide eyes. Sendy who loves to practice English.
And then there is little Derrick. He is one of the youngest at two or three. He doesn't attend school but his sister Brittany does. He is usually there before and after. He is the classic imp. Climbing, punching, running along with the others. I am simpatico with him.
All in all another good day.

Cast of Characters

Students
Diego - the only former student of mine. A marine with combat experience in Iraq. Was shot at by Somali pirates. Wants to be an engineer. 25.
Claudia - works at Eatalian back home. Her parents are from Columbia and her Spanish is strong. She isn't sure what she wants to be, but she's doing an amazing job teaching. 21.
Kaleigh - if you look up kindergarten teacher her picture should be there. Reminds me of Punky Brewster. Vegetarian which has provided some challenges. 21.
Jonathan- 6'2" 230lbs. gentle giant. Nicest kid. Really soaking everything in. Wants to be a firefighter. 22.
Nick- we adopted this Aussie from Melbourne. Super bright. Reads a lot. Joined us on our weekend journey and joins us with the project. 19
School people
Brenda- my fix it girl. First person I met at the school and my main contact person. Secretary but really runs the school. We've been in contact since last year. Joined us on our journey to Lake Attitlan. Also goes to university. She wants to work at an embassy. 24.
Carlos- owner of the school. Ran for mayor of Antigua recently and lost a close race. Brenda tells me he has a big heart and really wants to help people. He's responsible for setting us up the the project.
Jhenri- my teacher. Great guy. Two kids and wife who also teaches Spanish. He has great English. He's a hard working guy.
Gladys and Mildred- my house moms. They cook and clean and live in a small room in the back. They have mobile phones and laptops. And make us speak Spanish at the dinner table. Mildred has a crush on one of the young guys who helps out around the school whose name is choo- choo. We love to tease her about it. She is 16 Gladys is 18. They love telenovelas.
Housemates
Nick- Aussie from Melbourne as well. Former lawyer traveling before he goes back to school for a degree in International relations. Nice guy.
Chris - another Aussie but from Perth. Also a lawyer. Traveling around for some time. He's been here two months. Stopped taking classes and just trying to figure out where his next stop was. Joined us on the project.
Paula- a Brit who is here for two years. A Spanish teacher in Britain but is now trying to start an NGO- an orphanage here in Antigua. Very quiet and doesn't speak much.
Meika- a beautiful Dutch flight attendant for KLM. Here for three weeks. She and I are always ready for wine.
Andres- a crazy German whose favorite expression is "fuck me". Former professor in Germany but now trying to find himself - there's a lot of people here like that.
Joist- the playboy of the group. Had been here for months. Spanish is excellent.
Clay- from Colorado. MIght be older than me. Just got here.
Emily- from Belgium. Social worker. Just arrived. Has a lot of energy.

Halfway

Today is our tenth day and the halfway point of the program. Everyone seems to be comfortable here in Antigua. We've had one personality conflict but it was a minor flare up and expected even with such a small group. It was quickly rectified by switching teams for the teaching. We'll see how it goes when we travel together this weekend to Tikal. I'm also expecting some issues wi the hotel, well really hostel where we ad staying. I don't think it will be as nice as the one in San Pedro.
This morning I told Gladys and Mildred (the house "moms") I would not be there for lunch, so after classes I went to get my haircut and to get a shave. All for about six bucks. Afterwards I went to the super mercado to buy some candy for the children for participating in our scavenger hunt. I had lunch as a restaurant called Rincon Tipico which I think means Typical Corner. The food was fresh and delicious- sausage cucumber and tomato and onion salad, potato salad, and warm, fresh tortillas for $2.50. I couldn't finish it all.
At the project we had a scavenger hunt. They had to pick up items of trash like paper, plastic, metal and glass and had to use the numbers and colors they have learned. We had five teams of 8-10. It was a madhouse. I bought chocolate for the winners and gave the others some lollipops etc. it was a success as we picked up five bags of trash- at least i thought it was a success until i saw the children drop the wrappers from the candy right on the ground. I guess we didn't meet that Learning objective. afterwards we played football and jumped rope. I also brought a game called Pears like bananas with letters to make words and Kaleigh and Nick worked with some kids.
Afterward, Kaleigh wanted to get a book at Cafe No Se (Cafe I don't know). She wanted some suggestions. We picked out The Black Pearl for her. The gentleman working there was quite a character. His name is Peter Kilbryde,and he had a book of poetry to sell. He read it in his Irish brogue and gap toothed mouth, and when he read the hairs on my neck stood. The book catalogues his times on the pilgrimage of Camino Santiago in Spain. I am looking forward to reading it tonight.

Highs and lows

Yesterday had its highs and lows. The highs were in the classrooms. Claudia and Diego taught time. They introduced some of the words for telling time and then used paper plates, construction paper, and a fastener to make clocks. It really went well. Kaleigh and Jon taught numbers. They created an obstacle course in the classroom where the students had to climb on hands and knees and write a number on the board. It was an all-out battle of the sexes amidst the screams of "ninas!" and "ninos!" (girls and boys). Claudia and Kaleigh continue to be the rock stars as I literally have to peel the young girls from their bodies to get the two in the van.
The lows happened outside the classroom. On the door to one of the classrooms to be exact. Someone from the village- much older than our students -wrote some derogatory things specifically about El Salvadorians (Diego is proud to be and wears it on his leg as a tattoo). I think it was done by some teenagers who aren't allowed to attend for a variety of reasons. I showed the local "mayor" and he was embarrassed. It's sad. But Diego is tough and I admire how he handled the situation. Today we will create a scavenger hunt.

San Pedro II

The weekend went well. We toured three villages with Andres out capitan. Consumerism is the name of the game on these tours. It is an exercise in mutual exploitation. It is difficult for us foreigners as we do want to help but we cannot buy everything we see. Each village I s know for certain items. Hand woven cloth dyed with bright colors from plants found in the area. Comics from mud found locally. Wooden carvings. As a group I think we helped improve the local economies.

The lake is huge and the villages are all named for the apostles. In one we visited there is a "black saint" Maximo. He is tucked in a house tucked up in the hillside. People pour out liquor or leave cigars. It seems a mixture of Catholicism and maya practice, like voodoo. It is not accepted by all. As we were lost, we asked one gentleman for directions to Maximo and he told us to "f*** off".

The next day we arranged to climb San Pedro volcano leaving at 6:00 am. Dominic was our tour guide. The volcano is 9900 feet tall and took us three hours to climb up and two to descend. Every year they have a race up the mountain and Dominic has won it twice. His best time is an hour and a half. He only guides on weekends; his weekday job is in the fields. He showed us his still stabbed wounds from a recent poisonous snake bite while picking corn. They had to tie off his leg to staunch the circulation and they rushed him home. Someone cut out the skin around the bite and poured some mixture with milk on it to heal.
The hike was a bruise to the ego as I was the oldest by far. Dominic was 33. And I was the slowest. The climb was worth it as we had clear skies when we first arrived and could see most of the lake. However, the fog and clouds soon moved in.

Here a some photos of the journey so far.
https://www.facebook.com/gs.learners/photos_albums

San Pedro

We're on our first adventure. The sun has just climbed over the mountains and I am sitting in an Adirondack chair watching two locals in wood boats throw nets. Women to my right slap cloth on to the water and rub it against the rocks. Small birds burp and dive. The lake is high.
Our last day this week at hermano Pedro was typical and eventful. Colors and numbers. ABCs and greetings. I awed by their hunger to learn. Playtime was more co trolled chaos. Tug a war. Soccer. The girls had a game called Cebolla. (Onion). One girl grabbed onto a tree. The others lined up behind her arms around the waist of the person in front. Someone knocked o. Tree and asked for Cebolla and the ran to the last person and tried to peel her away from the group. They shrieked with in contained joy when Nick an Aussie who is roommates with guys who joined us that day played full force and with much gusto.
That night my roommates and I had a BBQ and salsa night at our house. Bratwurst, steak, corn, garlic bread and tortillas. Desert someone bought marsh mellows already stuffed with chocolate. We had a good sized international crowd. My students even came. It was was good to let our hair down, to laugh, eat and drink.
The next day most of us were a bit tired. As part of my lesson I jumped on the back of my professors motorcycle and went to San Juan obispo a small village at the base of the volcano. We toured the church with a nun of the first cathedral in Central America.
Our ride here to san Pedro was uneventful. The sun was setting as we waited to take the boat from Panajachel to Pedro. Claudia came up with the idea to take the holding the sun photo trick.
After we arrived at the hotel we found a great lite restaurant called jardin with palapas and salsa band. We walked the small town afterward.
Today we take a guided tour by boat to some of the small villages around the lake.

Spanish Class

Here's a photo of Jenri, my Spanish teacher. I am his only student in his class. The class is four hours long with a half hour break in the middle. The first hour is mostly conversational, a combination of English and Spanish. The second hour is where the real work happens. After the break its a bit relaxed. We usually end with some type of game like concentration. Today after break we walked to the local market, their version of a mall. Blue tarp or metal roofed stalls with every bright type of plastic (toys, housewares, etc), counterfeit clothes, counterfeit cds, and food. The food is fresh, but rarely refrigerated. We went through the stalls with Jenri telling me names for the various types of food.

Jenri (Henry) is 46 and has a boy 18 and a girl 17. He lives outside of Antigua and rides a motorcycle to work. He studied to be an accountant and went to school at Miami Dade Comm college in their hotel program. Both he and his wife are Spanish teachers, both at the school and also at home via private tutoring in person or on the Internet. We have a good report.

Wow.

Today was a powerful one. Instead of teaching, Carlos the owner and director of Spanish Academy Sevilla arranged for us to tour where the children lived. It was a brilliant and powerful idea. The community is called Colony Hermano Pedro (Brother Peter). Carlos explained that Peter is the patron Saint of Antigua or Guatemala. A group of ninos were waiting for us as we arrived.

The village has one dirt road that runs to it. It is situated in the valley of two steep mountains. Most of the houses are perched in the hills. They are made of unpainted concrete blocks and all are in the unfinished stage. The paths are dirt and climb steeply- a twenty pitch at least. Carlos told me they only received running water within the last five years. Previously, the ladies walked probably a mile each way to carry the water for the day during the dry season.

Almost all of the houses had dogs, early detection alarms. The houses we visited were small, with open doorways (no actual doors to protect from the elements). Most of the kitchens were outside. Chickens and turkeys, lemons oranges, and bananas in their yard are their 7-11's.

We visited about eight homes. All of the people were warm, welcoming and happy to see us. They proudly showed us their spaces. One man was a musician who played the xylophone in a marimba band. I can't imagine how he could carry this equipment up and down the slopes. I was too preoccupied talking (through Carlos translating) to get pictures.

We traipsed up and down the hillside, sometimes sliding on the dusty trail. Each home we'd visit a familiar face would appear- one of the children who is in our classes.

Claudia, Kaleigh, Diego and Jonathan had kids constantly at their sides, often their arms intertwined. The children were happy, laughing, joking, longing for the attention of one of us gringos to show us something, to practice their English, to steal our baseball caps, to poke us from behind and then hide their faces. We saw puppies and chickens. Bananas and papayas. At one house, the woman sold frozen fruit juice provided in plastic bags. Diego, quietly, bought everyone-probably 30 or 40 children and adults in all- our own delicious treat. His generosity humbled me. ( I had run into him earlier at the market in town. We both were with our professors. I was buying sunblock and he was buying a soccer ball for the kids).

By the end we were all spent. The girls would not let my students leave. We had to pry them away and into the van. The ride back to town was quiet. We were all shell shocked. It was the gauntlet of emotions, like the path we traversed, high and low. The pure joy of children and the crushing reality of poverty. After we were dropped off, we stood there talking a bit. I sensed we knew this afternoon our lives were altered by what we had experienced.

Day Two

The second day was as good as the first. Im really impressed by the four participants. Today i left it in their hands. Diego and Claudia taught the older kids. Claudia took initiative to create a worksheet for parts of the body. They used it to springboard Into teaching them to sing and move to the song "Head shoulders knees and toes". Diego went the extra step to stand on the table to demonstrate. The kids loved it.

Kaleigh and Jonathan taught the younger students some simple introductory sayings. When I walked in they were practicing "I love you". Both have a great presence in front of these kids. Kaleigh a soft spoken quintessential kindergarten teacher and Jonathan a gentle giant to these kids.

After an hour the energy was bursting from their little bodies, so we went to the football field. It was a uneven, badly rutted pitch cut into the side of a hill with two rusting, misshapen goals on each end and a ravine on one side. We played dodgeball and freeze tag and then just made the boys line up and yell out words and letters we learned before we allowed them to kick the ball at some poor soul who stood in goal. Meanwhile the girls went back to the classrooms and played hangman with their new English words. Claudia and Kaleigh cannot walk in this village now without at least a pair of adoring gap toothed girls tied to their hips. It's a great sight to see.