Day 3! After getting hardly any sleep following a full 24 hours of travel, day 2 was a bit of a blur. Today sort of felt like day 1. I’d like to start by recognizing just how amazing the food is here. Our cooks have yet to give us a meal that wasn’t enjoyed by…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Poem for part 1 Here’s a summary of the first half of our trip through a poem that I wrote along the way 🙂 sorry it’s long but it barely scratches the surface of the first half of this trip. These people take life with a grain of salt They were born into poverty…
Day three of the jungle was hardcore! It rained in La Paz which caused the river level to rise drastically. This meant we couldn’t walk in the riverbed and had to carry the filters directly through the forest. This was a lot harder than walking through the riverbed. The raised river also made carrying the…
We woke up in the pouring rain with 7/12 filters left to install. Although the weather was not on our side, we had to get our work done. We split up into groups and managed to finish with only a couple issues. 1) we did not have enough sand for our 12th filter, but our…
We spent our last day in NOLA planting bullrush along the shoreline of Lake Maurepas. We woke up early this morning to drive to the swamp where we were met by our new friends Blaise, T. John, Jeremy, and Mr. Steve. We took a pontoon ride through the swamp to get to the lake; passing…
Today it rained for most of the day. We drove a hour and 15 min to get to the boat launch at Lake Maurepas, but ended up not being able to work due to the weather. Instead we went to Mr. Steve’s house to unload the plants that we were suppose to use. Mr. Steve…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]Today we woke up at 6:30 to take off the training wheels and go to the marsh. Unlike the canals from Tuesday, we were working in the mushy dead plant matter that had collected on the bottom of the marsh. As soon as we hopped off the boat we sunk into the muck past…
Today we woke up at 6:45am to go to the Blind River for planting bullrush grass along the banks of the river. On the ride to our destination, we were all pretty tired but we still engaged in some jamming to music because we were so excited !! The first thing we did was load…
Today we started work in the Common Ground Relief plant nursery with the theme of curiosity in mind. Before we went, we listened to James – the manager of the wetlands – talk about what caused the river to overflow and break the levee back in 2005. We all started doing tasks like weeding, making…
When we first arrived in Kenya a few days ago, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I was with people I had never met, in a place I had never been, surrounded by things I had never seen. Arriving at the children’s home, none of that seemed to matter to anyone. Everyone, regardless of…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]After a smooth 2 days of travel, we landed in Nairobi with a warm welcoming from Dr. Karambu, the leader and founder of the NGO International Peace Initiatives. We began our course visiting an elephant orphanage and giraffe sanctuary in a prosperous neighborhood. We later drove through Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya. Bess…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]After a day of travel, we are happy to report that the NOLA SSTS krewe is safely bunked down at Common Ground Relief. We were able to participate in a community dinner at the Hare Krishna temple on Esplenade Street and had an initial walk around the Lower Ninth Ward. Students are tired, but…
June 21, 2017 Wednesday Day 1 – Kathmandu Waking up with the light was a new and interesting experience for me, with the added confusion of not knowing the time beckoning me to consider not waking up. After going downstairs (where it was clear that the sun had risen over cloudy Kathmandu), I noted that…
This afternoon, Sarah and I sat down to chat with each student individually to debrief and close out their experience in Detroit. We wanted to share some of the lessons that they will be taking with them in hopes that this enthusiasm for service, compassion and empathy will continue long into their futures. Tomorrow they…
Today was our third day here in Detroit. We started the day by receiving an introduction to the Focus Hope Organization from their director of volunteers, Khristi. We toured their facility, and saw that they provided support for the community of all ages. We were amazed by the dedication to and strong presence in the…
When we first came on this trip, we understood that conditions would be temporary. The housing, food, and activities wouldn’t last forever. The teaching and the cement shoveling would continue after our 2 weeks. The sun would still set; its golden colors would still reflect against the serene lake, and there’d be others there to…
Well, this is it. We’ve departed with the kids. There are no more work days. And we leave Ometepe for good within the next 12 hours. For our departure, we had heard about an “inauguration” being held in our honor for our contributions to the community. I had figured it was simply a few “thank…
Before this trip, I would much rather labor over a pile of rocks than struggle to teach kids English. Yet here I am, I have done both, and I will miss it. Every day I see the energy bounce the kindergarteners as they recite the various English they were taught. Everyday I am harassed by…
It’s hard to believe that two weeks has already gone by. I can vividly remember how nervous I was during our first teaching day and now I’m sitting in a hammock reflecting about our last. The day started out like any other day, waking up to the kitchen bell that signals breakfast is ready and…
To Build a School You’ll need money and time. A lot of metal bars, countless bags of cement, and some non-corrosive paint. You will need a galvanized roof, supported by eight strong posts. Begin by building the foundation. Level it out, add rocks and re-bars. Now get some cement. Mix as much as you thought…
Today, unlike any other day, was different for a change. Unfortunately, one of our group mates were unable to work along side of us because he has fallen ill. However, that did not stop us from helping the children. For the first time in two days, we were not greeted by heavy rainfall but a…
So today we got up after a good night’s sleep on a soccer field in a tiny community in the middle of the Andes mountains. We ate in the breakfast tent, got packed up, and headed out on our last day of the trek. The hike today was mostly on a dirt road down to…
We are almost halfway through our second week and I can feel myself becoming more and more connected with the kids every day. There are kids that I have been building relationships with since the first day and kids that I am just meeting. Today, in third grade I met a boy that spoke Spanish,…
Musings on Day 1 of our Trek As we had our last breakfast at Munaychay, I couldn’t help but think of the great memories we’ve all made with the kids, the tĂas, and the German volunteers here At Munaychay. Saying goodbye was extremely bitter sweet. On the one hand, I’d like to stay for a…
It is a Monday. I woke up this morning at 4:30am to the sound of silence. Then a splitting crack of thunder boomed, like an explosion, and was followed by pounding rain. It was the kind of rain that was so loud that it sounded more like a hail storm that was going to make…
Yesterday we were greeted with another wonderful breakfast of breakfast burritos and oatmeal prepared by Bev and Fern. While we ate, we listened to a story from Bev about the history of her family and the significance of the Sundance. A Sundance is a religious ceremony in which the Lakota will dance, pray, and fast…
In a few of the group’s reflection sessions, the casual question came up: What is your biggest fear? Since I am a naturally timid person, a plethora of horrors popped into my mind: the dark, bugs, deep water, loneliness, humiliation, failure, death, and so on. I realized my fears have often kept me sheltered and…
Our group has only been together for a week now and we are already starting to discuss our reunion. I think everyone here can agree that we all have an incredible connection, despite our very different lives at home. Considering that, we have a lot in common. We all laugh at the same jokes, enjoy…
We just finished our last evening discussion at the close of our safari. In addition to having a wonderful safari that included sightings of lions, elephants, impala, hippopotamus, ostriches, and many more, the group has had some valuable time to reflect on what they have each learned during their time with IPI in Kenya. Although…
Quinn: One week ago today we were all awkwardly lounging in the Miami Airport. Silence was one of the favorite activities. It’s weird how now we play card games and connect on deeper levels. It takes time for most things to become better. For example: wine, indie films, naps. But it took less than a…