Arrived to Costa Rica
The Costa Rica Turtles crew has arrived in Costa Rica and is on their way to the hotel. They will spend the night in San Jose before leaving tomorrow to drive to Turtle Trax in San Francisco de Coyote.
Reflecting on Opportunity
While watching the kids live through their daily lives, I realized how numb I’ve become to my privilege back at home. I talked a lot to a child named Jesus, and as we read picture books together, we were equally teaching each other our respective languages. For me, the Spanish I learned has become helpful…
Learning Service
As our trip goes on, we begin to learn, focus, and practice Learning Service and how we shift our comfort zones. Seeing the group practice to understand Learning Service has been so amazing. Understanding in Cristbol & Basti that we are not here to benefit or change people’s way of being, but instead, learn about…
First Impressions
Today was the first official day of our Panama trip! Despite the heat and humidity, I really enjoyed our boat ride to Bocas Del Toro. I’m really happy that everyone has learned a lot about each other already. My favorite part of today was meeting all of the kids at the Cristobál school. I was…
Settling In
We just received a message from the field informing us they have settled into their program with Give and Surf. The group arrived in Bocas del Toro this morning and, after orientation, jumped right into supporting the after-school centers run by Give and Surf. They will be staying on Cristobal Island until Wednesday afternoon, at…
Travel journal day 1:
After our group came together at the airport, we made our way to cross the border to Tijuana. We ate dinner with our NGO partners, Alex and Maria, and we got to see the Madres y Familias deportadas office. Maria showed us what she does, and how she helps people who come to the office…
A Poem of Comparison
I’ll finish the rest of the story later, but one thing that has been really fun is the construction we’ve been doing. To start, we dug a huge ring in the dirt. We brought down bags and bags of sand and rocks. We mixed it with powdered cement & water, and then it became concrete….
Homestays
Going to a home away from home for one night was not something expected to leave in awe. Solomon was the second oldest brother of the family of seven. The back side of the home was all garden; it was not neat and inorganically planted but was grown in harmony with the surrounding plants for…
Without Being Judged.
So many different experiences and stories have already been made on this trip, so it is not so easy to pick one day. If I had to choose, I would say both days where we hiked up a mountain are top on my list of my favorite memories that I will take home with me….
The Edge of The World
Two days ago we all went to see the other children’s home that was being built. After a brief tour of the campus and the different zones, we all hiked up the lone mountain looming over us. We started hiking. It was a steep treacherous path if you can even call it that. It was…
Everywhere You Look, There is Love
Hi Mom and Dad, I hope you are having a peaceful couple of weeks. Enjoying time together and with Myles too. I am enjoying my time here in Kenya. I have a wonderful group of people here that is easy to have fun with and learn. I am enjoying the time away from my phone…
Reconnecting with the Piano
After our church service, I had the opportunity to try playing some of the instruments. The music during the service really touched. While talking to the piano player, he showed me several cords and cord progressions for gospel music. A couple years ago I quit playing piano, but after this I feel as though this…
Blessed
The sweet Juices of sugar cane flushed our teeth at Momma Joy’s house two days ago. Mama Joy is a wonderful and courageous woman who let my friend Mariam and I spend a night. It was a night filled with song, laughter, and chat; our tummies filled to the brim with chapati, soup, and tea….
Wheel Barrows, Pavers, and Justin Bieber
This week, I have earned a few new bruises and a few new rips in my previously brand-new pants. Whether it was moving sand from point A to point B, or following “uncle” Silas’s paver pattern, I am always left with a little something. Most often, it’s not a tear or a cut, but a…
Seeing the Struggle and the Beauty
There’s a specific allegory that was written by Plato, or maybe it was Socrates or some other old white guy who had way too much time on his hands, either way it’s one killer allegory. It’s called the cave allegory and it opens with three prisoners. These three prisoners are chained to a wall and…
Beginning our Trek
Today we started the day with another rare sight of Mt. Numbur, which since our first day has been obscured by clouds, an affect of monsoon season in Nepal. After a final yummy breakfast and hot milk tea, we left to begin our three day trek which will take us though different villages with hopes…
One of the Seven Wonders of the World: Machu Picchu
“Wake up!”, the boys called as they banged at our door. It was a ripe 3:30 am. All of the girls groaned as we slowly opened our eyes into a pitch-black room. We had to be out of the hotel and on the bus by 4. I had fallen asleep on the 30-minute bus ride…
Final Day in Salleri
Our final full day in Salleri was one to remember. The day began with a delicious breakfast featuring banana pancakes which tasted like home. After breakfast we were lead on a hike by two local Nepali women who were extremely kind and well knowing of the area. The hike took around one hour and featured…
Where We Are and Where We Live
Today was a special day for the community; they were celebrating San Juan and Humisha. To contribute to the decoration of the Humisha tree, we brought over toys and gifts for the children. In the community, we helped the villagers chop wood with an ax to start the process for creating charcoal. Then, we placed…
First Impressions
I walked into the Miami airport and bumped into a circle of teenagers with huge duffle bags who were dressed funny. I figured – well, this is probably the group of people I’m going to be spending 24/7 with for the next 2 weeks. I observed them for a second and they were playing cards,…
The Drive to Meru
This post is a few days old from when the students first arrived to Meru. I am writing this a day late. Yesterday was an incredible journey as we drove 7 hours north to Meru. The drive was filled with new landscapes and new (to me) ways of life. Driving started promptly at 7:00 after…
Bonding While Working
The second day in Salleri did not disappoint. Everyone was up early in the morning again, and we passed the time waiting for breakfast by talking on the deck and appreciating the foggy views. I finally took my first bucket shower, and it lived up to my expectations. After Breakfast we got right back to…
First Day in Salleri
The first day in Salleri has been magical. The village is frequently engulfed in fog, but I woke up to a clear view of the 22,828 ft Mount Numbur, a peak that is so far unclimbed. A sacred mountain to the villagers, it is told that any time adventurers attempt to summit it, severe weather…
When Creativity Meets Sustainability
Great day at Carite 3.0, the group is learning a lot from one another and soaking up all that our amazing host Fernando has to offer. We’ve also been learning from our friends Sergio, Carmen, and Gui about life in the Puerto Rican mountains. Today was capped off by a great workshop about Javier and…
Thank You Kenya
A travel journal entry from Annadelle A in response to her experience watching dancers from Kenya: Tears rumbled as I watched the beautiful people of Kenya share a piece of their home and hearts. I watched as their movements unfolded the stories of their tribes. Their feet moved to the sound of the drums as…
Exploring Kathmandu
The second morning here at the hotel in Kathmandu was quite different than the first. On the first morning, I did not know what to expect, but this morning I was full of reflection on the previous action-packed day and excitement for what was to come. The morning started on the rooftop restaurant, which has…
Hope In The Challenge
One Big Idea: Today, school leaders attend to a broad influence of mental health issues in their school communities; the challenge is finding the time and resources to address what’s upstream, where today’s problems were once in a more manageable, nascent form, and where tomorrow’s challenges simmer. Why It Matters: Another wave of research connects…
Homestays and School Visit
We’ve stayed in our home stays now for two nights and it’s been really great to get to know the host families and get to see their daily lives. We helped today by visiting two schools where we spoke, danced, and played with the students. We also toured the schools and helped to paint a…
New Perspectives
We started by taking the trolley to the airport to pick up rental cars. We traveled a 30 minute drive to the US Mexico border on the coast. We met up with Alex and Daniel. Daniel is a Spanish teacher and an activist, supporting transnational relationships. Daniel discussed Friendship Park, which was created with the…
Learning about Plastic Waste
Today our group started out with an early morning trash cleanup. We got out to the beach and paired up to start collecting the plastic together. We learned methods of picking up trash that made our efforts much more effective and quick. After our beach cleanups, we then headed into the house for breakfast and…