The first activity we got to participate in today was farming. It was a strenuous walk full of humidity and heat guided by the farmer’s son Kevin. Finally, we arrived and we’re greeted by Kevin’s friendly father Felix, who was the person in charge of the farm. He let us rest and geared us up…
Today was a very eventful day that began with waking up and listening to the soothing waves and birds. We all got ready and sat in the main room to eat breakfast with a lookout of the beautiful ocean. The breakfast today was pancakes and fruits. My favorite fruit was the pineapple because of how…
A long day for our crew but the leaders report, “Great day at Machu Picchu learning form our guides Victor and Puma – some particularly meaningful conversations about growing up in the high Andes and the generational changes for Andean people. Despite the 4am wake-up to get into the park early, the group persisted through…
The last two days have been an adventure! Yesterday was filled with many activities including visiting a giraffe sanctuary, safari walk, cultural center, and meeting Dr. K in Nairobi. I loved being able to bond with everyone in the group and being able to learn more about the Kenya tribes and cultures. We got to…
This morning, the group spent their time on a tour of Rancho Verde’s organic farm. Not only did we see many different plants, but at each new species we paused to learn about the plant’s essential role in the jungle and in the lives of the family that lives on the farm. Our tour leader…
The group spent the day in Nairobi, visiting a giraffe sanctuary and learning about the history and culture of Kenya. Tomorrow they are off to Meru!
A long day but our leaders report “the group had a great day learning and the Quechua people with visits to Maras, Moray and Ollantaytambo archeological sites. Great context for the history and culture of the people we will be working with in the mountains. We will be up very early tomorrow morning for a…
Today, we spent most of the day at the Common Ground Relief(CGR) nursery planting baby cypress trees. It took us about 3 hours to finish all of the work which was very quick, and we planted over 300 Cyprus trees. After our work, we went back to the clubhouse to get ready for the Juneteenth…
The group is happy to be settling into Rancho Quemado. What a journey!
June 18th Today was our first full day in Panama, and it has been very eventful! We started off the morning with a tour of the city as we learned about the history of this place. Panama is a country filled with so much diversity and culture! As we were walking through the city, we…
June 18, 2023 Allillanchu (hello in Quechua) from Peru!!! Today was our first full day in Peru. After a long travel day, everyone was ready to get up and explore the city and start learning about native cultures and the NGO we will be working with. In the morning, we heard from Alejandra, the founder,…
Today, around 10 am, we took an informative and fascinating driving tour with Rollin (a spokesperson from a local non-profit, Sustain the Nine). Caravan style, Rollin took us to three main sites: the flood wall that took on the biggest break during Katrina, the bayou, and overlook of the Mississippi River, and several stray barges…
The Kenya leaders have let us know the group has arrived safely to Nairobi. They are off to their hostel to get some rest.
The Peru crew has arrived safely in Urubamba and had the chance to meet with our NGO partner, the Llama Pack Project. After a long day of travel the crew is off to rest up for their first full day in Urubamba tomorrow.
The New Orleans group is all together and ready to get the week started. We will have more updates soon.
The group has arrived safely to Panama and is enjoying their first day together. Here is a picture of the group at the Trapiche Restaurant where they had dinner tonight.
The Kenya crew has boarded their flight and is off to Nairobi.
Next stop, Cuzco
The border itself has a power that manifests itself differently for all who view it. It was the parting thought Alex left us with as we said our goodbyes drenched in the San Diego sunset. For him, the border will always be magical realism before his eyes, a piece ripped out of Gabriel García Marquez’s…
Around 8:30, we drove rental cars 30 minutes to the Border Wall, near Chula Vista and Tijuana. Before reaching the Border State Park, we read an article titled “Desecration” by Paulina Velasco. It detailed issues surrounding the history of Friendship Park, its Covid-19 closure, and its recent destruction by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Valasco…
This morning we started out in the movie room and met Maria. She gave us a summary of what her organization (Madres y Familias Deportadas in Acción) does for those who get deported. Maria told us how she has several educational classes that she holds to give the deported individuals working skill sets in order…
Today was a pretty good day. We started the day off with Robert, who a leading force at the Veterans of Foreign Wars San Diego Post. Robert works on cases regarding Deported Veterans and collaborative efforts to bring them home. He talked to us about what immigrants that have served in the army have to…
The San Diego Border Course crew has all arrived and is settling into their hostel.
Good evening from Round the Bend! Today was such a wonderful day on the farm, everyone woke up late as a result of late night star gazing. Jorge, Sydney, and Celia started their day by helping Nate with concrete mixing and helping fill hexagonal shape frames for the cement. As for myself and the rest…
Good evening from Round the Bend! We had a relaxing day on the farm today that began with fresh bread made by Gustavo, and ended with homemade pizza from our farming friends across the street. I woke up around 8:30, and was greeted by the beloved dog Mayla on the way into the kitchen. Jorge…
Today was our last full day on Bastimentos. We are feeling lots of mixed emotions as our trip draws to a close. We had an adventurous day as we began with snorkeling to look at coral reef structures. We then spent the majority of the afternoon getting to explore a bar cave. It was a…
Today, I (Fer) woke up at around 5:40 AM to the beautiful harmony of the rooster, the gentle wind swaying the trees, and John Stephen snoring next to me in the tent. Having soaked up the sounds that the morning had to offer, I joined Celia in feeding the pigs, and looking for eggs in…
Dear Sandro, thank you so much for all of the hospitality that you have offered us. You are truly a great person and have made our time in Rancho Quemado awesome. The tour of the cocoa farm and making the chocolate was an amazing experience to understand working with nature. The planting really helped with…
Today was a day full of bittersweet goodbyes and “final” memories. This morning, sandwiched between two long car rides of karaoke and a cappella riff offs, we went to Starfish Beach in Bocas Del Drago. After some beach games and reading, our group privately journaled in an experience we have cherished or found impactful during…
Hello from Round the Bend Farm; we had another very busy day today! This morning brought bananas (big news) and a new team leader (Vivian). After everyone had woken up, gotten ready, and had breakfast, we had time to hang out and journal. Sydney, Fernando, and Jorge helped out with the cement project from yesterday….