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…
Editor’s note: This insightful and refreshing reflection was somehow “misplace” in technology. As you read, you’ll understand that its quality makes up for its late post. Even though we only spent a day at Namo Buddha, what I experienced in that short amount of time was different from anything I have ever seen. When we…
The shaman spoke Quechua and called upon countless apus to protect us. He gave us each three coca leaves so that we could make the intentions of our journeys known to the apus. We then buried the leaves, giving them to Pachamama, or “Mother Earth.”
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…
Today was a great day due to the fact that we were able to go to the Buddhist temple. We were able to participate with the villagers and provide food to the monks there. After this, we were then blessed by the monks. They got a bucket of water and splashed us all as a…
. . . we were mostly on the road with a quick stop for a scenic view of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Dinner was at an international restaurant in Ta Gong: yak burgers to get a taste of home. This morning we stopped by a nunnery where Tempa, our guide, explained aspects of Buddhism to…
Many of us were feeling a bit under the weather and breakfast seemed rather empty. Today, however, we finally installed the trash cans – 6 total. Digging the holes was extremely hard because of rocks, roots, and even trash in the ground. We even mixed cement on the ground – in the absence of a…
Today’s our last day of work. We wake up at four or five. The monsoon season twists the usual crowing into white noise, and the wind calls to us from the other sides of our doors. There is no way to separate the darkness of our closed eyes from the darkness around us. By seven,…
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…
Traveling with a group of people that one may not know is very daunting, especially when we meet to go to the other side of the world. When we first arrived at the airport we played a couple of card games while we waited for the whole group. After everyone made it and finally made…
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…
Yesterday, most of our time was spent making and pouring 15 individual piles of concrete. We had some small breaks between mixing, and it was great to be able to play with the children. We were standing in the field area between the two school buildings. The children…
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…
Today was our last day at Munaychay. We woke up at 7:15 and had our usual breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread. At 8:00, we headed down to Santa Rosa and began clearing out a space for farming. About an hour into our work it started raining so we went to the house and chilled…
GOOD MORNING VIET-MERICA! Today was a great day. One of the best at Munaychay. I had a great night’s sleep and a weird dream that I was in a video game. We had hard boiled eggs for breakfast with the always delicious bread and jam. After our yummy breakfast, we headed off to the farm…
The morning began with an impromptu breakfast composed of bananas, tea, and granola. After, we met our guide, Pedro, who took us to Moray– an ancient Incan site entailing agricultural terraces. Our eccentric guide told us that the terraces were filled with spirits of fertility, duality, and “good vibes”. He continued to explain the ancient…
Something that’s always bothered me is our society’s need for everything (and everyone) to be groundbreaking and extraordinary at each moment in order for the activity or person to be noteworthy. This leads to raging disappointment (at least for me) when I am a part of something that doesn’t shout “impressive!” However, as I’ve grown…
The view from my new home is incredible. I live in a second story room on a refurbished coffee plantation that was built on an island created from 2 massive volcanoes. The porch outside overlooks a torn down building; covered with a mixture of a vibrant green moss and pruned ferns. Tall trees surround the…
Today we drove to Chogaria to visit Chure Women’s Empowerment Group. We were warmly welcomed with singing and dancing as soon as we pulled up. Chogaria’s Women’s Empowerment Group received an award for Best Community Based Organization in Meru, and our group had the honor to witness the ceremony. The Deputy County Commissioner was there…
This afternoon we visited AINA, a HIV/AIDS children’s home. It was very inspiring to see how kids with a deadly disease can be so happy. Throughout the experience today and all of our other visits around Meru, it has been incredible as to how powerful our presence can be. Whenever we drive by someone,…
Our second day of work greeted us with the bluest skies and hottest weather we had seen since arriving in Nicaragua. Despite the heat, we were all optimistic as we began our day’s work. Once we arrived at the worksite, Janier, the leader of the construction project, appointed us the task of creating and mixing…
The following day, we discussed the question–“what does it mean to be a global citizen?” Some of the words that came up were open-minded, resilient, caring, determined, and risk-taking. After thinking about this, I concluded that these adjectives mean nothing unless one is able to realize the world’s imperfections, rather flaws, and have a desire…
(editor’s note: while on the trek, the instructors took advantage of a found signal to send an earlier journey entry.) The Himalayan Hope Home is full of girls capable of changing the world. Leading these girls to success is Pema. As a young girl, Pema always tried to change the way people viewed the world….
The night we left the Himalayan Hope Home will forever be one of the most memorable moments of the trip. The girls of the Hope Home had put on a ceremony for the SStS group, which eventually led to an emotional good-bye. Many tears were shed and many hugs were shared as we said good…
This morning we all had eggs and tomatoes with rice – but some of us were too tired to be hungry. Afterward, we continued our project by decorating the barrels. Tim wrote “garbage” using Chinese characters while the rest of us drew mountains, smiley faces, flowers, and an abstract painting of a howling wolf. After we…
At the end of our first work day we were laying on the dock as the crickets chirped beside us and the waves splashed below us. We gazed up at the stars reflecting on our first days on the island. As we talked, we realized that despite being from Boston, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, New…