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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….
Throughout our time together on this journey, we have learned about ourselves, each other, and ways to positively impact our environment. Today, we started the morning by eating pancakes and fruit to give us the energy necessary for the day. After our nutritious breakfast, we went to pick up our friend, Edgar, before we went…
Hello from Dartmouth, Massachusetts!! Today was a day filled with fun, laughter, hard work, and support. We began the day by eating breakfast together, which consisted of delicious homemade bread. During breakfast, everyone talked and Jorge, the group leader of the day, shared the itinerary for today. The morning was peaceful as after breakfast we…
I woke up at 8 am and had some breakfast with the group. Some of them had woken up a bit earlier than me, but there was no rush to start the day. After breakfast, we all went on a tour of the farm and ended up on top of a huge boulder where…
Last night’s turtle patrol was slow. We began by going to the southside, and then took a 15 minute break. Then we went to the northside and took another 15 minute break. We decide to head back early because a thunderous storm was rolling in. We started off the next day with some french toast…
Today we started off with a very adventurous morning that consisted of a jungle hike to Up In The Hill. We learned a lot of interesting facts about Javier and Jeanettes farm including that bamboo grows about 1 foot a day and that pineapple grows in bushes! After learning about how the owners created their…
Summary by Kevin and Alondra based on group reflection… Today was all about food! This community lives and eats in ways that are closely tied to the local environment. Most of the foods that we have eaten have come from the area. We began the day with a visit to a small dairy very close…
Greetings from Costa Rica! Last night, the group that went on turtle patrol found two turtles. Unfortunately, one of the turtles was a dead male turtle who had washed up on shore. However, the other turtle was a female who dug a nest and laid 109 eggs! These eggs were also the first batch to…
One moment or experience that I am choosing to reflect on was earlier in the day at the gold mines. Specifically Dona Rosa and her cooking. Not only was the food delicious, but I really enjoyed her eagerness to share a little bit of her culture. She made a variety of traditional dishes using…
After a week at the San Cristobol community center we feel mixed emotions. On the one hand, we have loved getting to know the kids. On the other hand, we are dreading having to leave as we know we almost certainly never see our new friends again. To make matters worse, the youngest kids don’t…
Today we woke up around 7:30, which is our usual time when we get up. Breakfast was served at 8am. We had toast, eggs and watermelon. It was very delicious, especially the toast. After we all ate, we cleaned all of the plates and got ready for the day. Today I was very excited for…
Hello all! Today we had an exciting day of touring a cacao farm and medicinal plants in San Cristobal followed by volunteering at San Cristobal‘s community center. We started off our tours by meeting the Ngobe ladies who ran the farms and our translator Sergio who helped with the Ngobe to Spanish translations. Although I…
While we were at the trapiche Don Carmen, Victor shared with us a very personal story about his life and the struggles he faced, including not being able to go to school past third grade. This was very touching and really gave us a new perspective and new awareness for the privileged life we live….
Today was a relaxing day in Panama! We had a beach day that started off with a 45 minute boat ride followed with snorkeling adventure. While in the water, I noticed that the ground I was standing on was all dead coral. This made me realize the dangerous condition our oceans are in. We relocated…
Lily: While riding horses with Victor I was able to talk and reflect with him about his life and Rancho Quemado. He talked about his job and how he loves what he does, he owns multiple horses, many that are used for riding in festivals in Costa Rica. He also monitors a farm close to him…
Today we boated to the farm of a man named Luis, who’s the son of the man who owns the hotel we’re staying at. There was a path for the boat through the mangrove trees that took us to his family’s farm. Luis showed us the different exotic fruits he grows and let us try…
Hey! It’s Elsie writing to you from our 5th day on the Southern Nacoya Peninsula. Today, we started our morning with a beach clean-up along Playa San Miguel. We spent a little over two hours picking up trash of all sorts along the beach, that ranged from plastic water bottles to Cars-themed crocs. To be…
When shoveling the irrigation systems at the center, we all had to work together and help each other out. There were no leaders or group members with higher authority, but we all were equals in the process, as Jessica taught us, allows organizations to thrive. It also helped us to understand that everyone working at…