My Trip

Home again....

2008-05-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mt. Kilimanjaro summit at sunrise, from the airplane

It took us almost 48 hours to get home but we're back; safe and sound. The whole year went by so fast and now seems like a dream. I really can't put into words how happy I am with the way my trip turned out or how much all my experiences mean to me... so I won't. It's weird to eat vegetables and not have to worry about getting Typhoid, and living out of a closet instead of a suitcase, and not seeing Becky and Phil everyday, and hearing only English, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
In a lot of ways I'm different now, but home is the same and I'm glad to be back. Thanks for reading or at least looking at pictures.

Rachel

More from around

2008-05-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Mt. Kilimanjaro

When in Africa...go to a 50 cent concert?

2008-05-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

The three of us decided that for our last weekend the hot, stinky, long, bumpy, cramped, not-so-safe, 16 hour in 1.5 days bus ride to Dar Es Salaam was completely worth a 50 cent concert. Firstly, because it was our last "big adventure" and also because when the hell would we go see 50 cent, let alone in Africa. A few other people were thinking of coming but it ended up being just Becky, Phil, and I; typical. I blame this weekend for turning my sporadic back pain into a chronic problem. Regardless, and as usual, we had an incredible time and it was well worth it.

50 and Lloyd Banks (Tony Yayo - not pictured)

Pictures from the bus:

Another continent, another pretty sunset

Rawanda

2008-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that CCS does a lot of cultural activities and programming. Moshi (the town I live in) is an hour and a half drive from another city called Arusha, which is where tribunals for the genocide in Rwanda are held. Some of the trials are open for public viewing and although it took two trips, we were lucky enough to get to see one. I've never been to a real trial before (although it's hard not to include the many times I've seen Legally Blond) so for something such as this to be my first one, was a definite once in a lifetime opportunity. The first trip we made to Arusha was a bit of a bust because the witness was deemed unfit to testify since he hadn't eaten in 48 hours (I was not happy because despite Malaria, I decided the trip was worth getting out of bed). Luckily, the second time around we saw an interesting testimony of a man who was the Belgian ambassador to Rwanda during the early stages of violence. Bittersweet is the only word I can think of right now to describe the experience. Witnessing some thing so closely related to an event such as a genocide is unsettling because it adds a level of reality to the stories; a reality that textbooks, the news, or Hollywood could never create. I felt the same way every time I heard my Grandma Lisa speak about the Holocaust, or any other survivor for that matter. On the other hand, seeing this process of exposing truth and bringing people to justice was in a strange way, comforting. The judges and others involved in the trial, were all from different countries. It may seem like a strange adjective, but to me, seeing people from all over the world unify to honor the victims as well as the cause was nothing short of beautiful. It's a relief to know that there are substantial efforts towards peace in this day in age. Although the everyday media makes it difficult, there's no harm in taking time to focus on, and appreciate the positive efforts of humanity.

We are Step-Up, the kids of Step-Up, everywhere we goooo

2008-05-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

Anneti

Gladness, one of the smartest kids in school

My boys

Raymond

Juma!!beautiful LuLu

From top left: Teacher Moses, Teacher Ishmael, me, Teacher Olivereh, Becky, Teacher Louis, and Naseem.

His smile will change your life

Africa - pictures from around

2008-05-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Masai tribe:
On the first day of our safari we stopped to visit a village of Masai Tribe members. The village is made up of a fire pit and about seven huts made of cow dung. In each hut lives one of the chief's wives and her children.

They wear shoes made of tires so as not to be tracked when stealing cows that they believe are rightfully the tribe's.
Hike to the waterfall: Phil's birthday!

us at the Bilbao

Step Up

2008-04-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

My placement here is very similar to the others in India and Costa Rica. Becky and I work in an educational center called Step-Up, teaching mostly English and Math. There are about 90 kids total at the center, and we work with the sixty 5-8 year olds. My attitude toward the work I'm doing at Step-Up is definitely different from the other two places. From the start I was much more confident, skilled (especially in dealings such as language barriers and effective classroom activities), and able to quickly establish goals both for myself and the kids. The biggest challenge at this particular placement has been trying to teach large groups of children at various skill levels, while keeping them each challenged and stimulated. Becky and I try our best by making lesson plans that each kid can benefit from, and by giving extra attention where needed. Although I have no teaching certifications or other qualifications of the sort, the most important thing I feel I can contribute are alternative teaching methods and forms of encouragement that build good morale and work ethic. The time I've spent in educational centers has been a series of positive experiences, which further support my desire to pursue a career in education.

As usual, the kids are adorable and you can roll your eyes all you want, but their smiles, hugs, and well earned achievements (no matter how small), make me just as happy as any of the other things I've seen and done in my travels.

Yes, I got Malaria...No, I didn't die

2008-04-29T08:04:00.001-07:00

Considering all the traveling and contact with germs the three of us have been through, we've been really lucky that nothing terrible has happened, including contracting various diseases...until now. Becky and I just got back from the doctor and it seems as though we've come down with mild cases of Malaria (don't be to worried Grandma). Thanks to the Malarone my symptoms aren't that and it should be gone within the next couple days. Here, Malaria is like the common cold, many other volunteers have gotten it, and treatment is readily available. I know you're going to hate me for saying this mom and dad, but I actually think it's a cool story, went to Africa...got Malaria.

100% Deet

Safari

2008-04-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Of course, when in Africa, go on safari. Ours was a three day trip through the Ngoro-goro crater and around Lake Manyara. If you've never been on Safari, it's time to start making plans.

Animals I saw: Lion, Lioness, Hippo, Elephants, Flamingos, Wildebeasts, Rhino, Cheetah, Giraffe, Monkeys, Gazelles, Buffalo, Zebras, crazy birds, a giant lizard, and more (unfortunately it's the low season so we didn't spot the dinosaurs or unicorns). My favorite part were the elephants that crossed the roads right next to the cars.

I really love the elephants...

Petra

2008-04-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

I was really lucky to be able to spend time with my dad while I was in Israel. I was also lucky to get to go to Petra for a couple days with him and my cousins Arielle and Karen. We had a great time hiking, seeing the ruins, and of course the Turkish bath. It was a bit uncomfortable at times being in an Arab country; but all's well that end's well!

Next year in Dar Es Salaam??

2008-04-22T11:47:00.001-07:00

Our first weekend in Tanzania was Passover. Some of the fellow volunteers went to Zanzibar for a special moon-party, but the three of us opted for a Passover Seder in Dar Es Salaam. It was once again affirmed that the true beauty of Jews, aside from the strong emphasis put on food, is that there is in fact a community of them everywhere. I had heard about the Seder from a friend Eli (look you made my blog) and I contacted the Chabad for information. It was held at a restaurant called Nargila that is owned by Israelis. The seder was mostly attended by other Israeli families (plus a few kibbutzniks, one of which used to work at Revivim) and various Embassy employees from the U.S. and the UK. There was nothing so different in the Seder other then the repsectable fight the Chabad guys put up to hold the attention of the for more then two minutes. Regardless, it really was a once in a lifetime thing that I'm more then glad I traveled 16 hours on a bumpy to do.

They only look into it because this is the English speaking side of the table

Mambo Rafiki

2008-04-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

After a couple plane rides through Adis Ababa and Nairobi, the three of us finally made it to Moshi, Tanzania. Moshi is a cute small town located at the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At this point we're seasoned CCS volunteers and came to Tanzania with a different, more confident attitude about living and working here. The staff is friendly and professional as always, and I'm having a lot of fun getting to know the other volunteers. One of my absolute favorite parts of all the traveling I've done (and I may have written this before) is getting to meet so many different kinds of people; people of all ages who are from anywhere and everywhere, all of which are complete "characters". Branching out and diversifying my social circles has taught me many valuable lessons on all aspects of life's . It's also pretty cool to be able to say I have friends in Ecuador, Canada, France, etc. Now me and Becky have somewhere to stay when we're in London overnight on our way home. Anyway, back to Africa. T.I.A. I haven't experienced very much culture shock but I attribute that to my personal travel-mindset of "expect the unexpected and if you have to expect something, expect nothing." I think the most shocking thing so far has been the impossibly large amount of weight the women here are able to balance on their heads throughout the day. As with the other programs, I'm taking language lessons (Swahili for those who don't know), and we've had some interesting lectures on AIDS/HIV, Education, and medicinal witchcraft. Leaving kibbutz and Israel was pretty upsetting to me but I'm really happy to be here and I think it'll be a great ending to my trip this year.

Just another morning

Israel

2008-04-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Illegal photograph taken at the Kotel on shabbat

The two months I spent in Israel were really some of the best times I've had in my life. First of all, after being in a place as stimulating and challenging as India, and being away from home for so long, it was nice to be somewhere that felt comfortable with familiar places and faces. I've been many times before, but always with my family and always with at least a bit of the typical tourist activity. With so much of my experience there in my control, I now feel as though I was able to form more mature and personal connections with the country and have my own feelings of sentiment. I had more fun then I think I deserve meeting up with my workshop friends on the weekend in Akko, Carmiel, and Tel Aviv (despite the frustrations of commuting in a country that is observant of shabbat). But the absolute best part of my experience was the time I spent on Kibbutz Revivim. I realize now how my parents feel about Kibbutz Grofit (where they lives for a few months at my age), in that it really feels like a second home. I know every time I go back to Israel I'll go back and visit there. We had a pretty consistent schedule of working and "shooting the shit" (for those who don't know this phrase refers to hours spent talking about nothing and everything at the same time, which is what most of kibbutz life consists of). Aside from the zoo, tree garden, junkyard, mitzpeh, and the other great things that make up the Kibbutz, the cast of characters that live there made almost everyday a good day (I know how cheesy I sound). Crazy stories and hilarious habits. Becky and I worked in the Machsan (laundry room) everyday, doing a coveted job that only the most skilled workers can have, ironing sheets. We were told that only Eastern Europeans and members of kibbutz Revivim partake in this part of the cleaning process. The Kibbutz also has an Ulpan and people from Maccabi (Mexican Habonim) so there were lots of people around are age to hang out with after work. I took beautiful bike rides to see the sunset almost everyday. I cannot wait to go back.

Derman and Fischel doing business at the Arab shook

Sushi with dad for my birthday!

Purim with friends on kibbutz

Our immaculate room

Crazy monkeys from the Kibbutz zoo

Tree Garden of "tortured trees"

Goldie...The greatest man alive

Becky and I: Kibbutzniks hard at work.

Again, hard at work; yes, we're ironing sheets

Leo and Alonzo, some of our favorite Ecuadorians.

Some pictures from my daily desert bike rides:

For those who don't know what a Kibbutz is, I suggest the ever reliable source of Wikipedia.

More placement pictures

2008-04-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from my placement in New Delhi, I'll add more to the post when I get a chance:

The three of us with Simee, this was actually taken at her house where she invited us for tea.

Pawan...infamous for stealth trouble-making and snacking on stolen chalk

Dpac, we don't have favorites but if we did...

I wish I could add more but the internet connection has been painfully slow and I think it's time to put effort into making my blog at least a bit more current. Life in India was crazy but I loved it. I learned a lot and I plan on going back for longer one day to see the whole country. Being there was like being in another world and for anyone who has the time and energy to go, I can confidently say it would be a worthwhile trip.

Delhi

2008-03-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

Some more pictures from around...

Lotus Temple
Henna

The oldest minaret in New Delhi

Phil and his sitar

top bunk on the train

"Indian Style" bathroom

Always time for Macaroni

Don't call me a blogger.

2008-03-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm aware of how long it has been since I last blogged. I've been really busy/distracted but I'm still going to add more when I get a chance. I'm safe in Israel now and having a great time. I still have two or three more posts to write about India but they will be a bit shorter then the others. For our last weekend away the three of us went to Varanasi. The city is said to be the holiest in India and was built in honor of Goddess Shiva. Varanasi is made up of narrow alleyways which are filled with everything that signifies Indian culture and Religion (including piles of cow poop everywhere that we have developed a sixth sense for quickly dodging) . We made a point to visit the Golden Temple there. I went expecting to witness a peaceful, organized ceremony of sorts but that was not the case at all. The temple is essentially a square with rooms at each corner. The people push their way in lines from room to room making offerings (i.e. money and marigolds) to the various gods and goddesses. It was loud and unlike anything I've ever seen and just like so many other times on my trip, I left thinking to myself "what exactly just happened a minute ago." Our hostel offered a free boat tour so in the evening we went and watched a giant ceremony from the water. Hundreds of people were there watching as priests performed the prayers and syncronized offerings. Aside from our lovely Ganges boat ride, everything we did was entirely chaotic, random, overwhelming, exciting...I'll try to think of new adjectives for my next post. More later.

India: Motorcycles, people, cows, garbage, colors

Outside of the temple entrance

Taj Mahal

2008-02-13T10:08:00.001-08:00

Mobile Creches

2008-02-05T06:15:00.000-08:00

This time around Becky, Phil, and I are all at the same placement. We work at an education/nutrition/daycare center called Mobile Creches, which was specifically created for the children of construction workers. As I mentioned before there is a ton of development in New Delhi, and around the various construction sites are tents where the workers live with their families. In addition to keeping the kids off the streets, their main purpose is to nurture and give them the basic care they lack in their daily lives.

At the center we're working with two groups: the 3-6 year olds and the 7-14 year olds. Each day two of us start out with the younger kids and eventually join the other in the "library" with the older ones (this rotation only begins after our 10 minute greeting of namaste's and high-fives). The little ones are absolutely adorable and always make us smile no matter how sick or cold we are. With them, we'll usually do some basic educational stuff using blocks and mini chalkboards. Once they inevitably get bored and begin to cause trouble, it becomes our challenge to keep them organized, productive, and behaved.

Although they're only in the next room over, working with the older kids is a much different experience. The fact that they are different ages and at different skill levels can be both beneficial and difficult. We try to come prepared with an activity but we never really know who will show up or what Simee, the authoritative figure, wants to accomplish. In general, we work on reading and writing in English, and more recently, conversation skills. Thankfully, I think we've been able to form a great dynamic with the kids of when it's time to either work or joke around. At first it was a bit hard to figure out our role at the center, which was frustrating. Now that we've established relationships and goals, we go in everyday with more confidence and awareness.

I would like to take this paragraph to elaborate a bit on the woman I mentioned named Simee. Simee is the tiny Indian woman (we were not aware of how tiny she was until recently when she finally stood up), who rules the 7-14 year olds with an iron fist. Each morning we find her sitting in lotus position, armed with her cell phone in her left hand, a bindi between her eyebrows, and a scowl that could never be properly imitated. Her mood is like a rollercoaster complete with sharp turns and double loops. At first we didn't understand her at all; she sat quietly for a good portion of class and would then randomly yell in Hindi at the top of her lungs. Not only did this put us on edge, but to be honest, I was a bit scared for the children. It's our third week and we finally get what Simee is all about. She's warmed up to us and we can easily catch her smiling, singing, or laughing (usually at us but beggars can't be choosers!). Not only that, but last weekend she invited us to her home for tea and we had a dance party with some of her family. She's going to miss us.

It's very difficult for me not to compare my placement here with my program in Costa Rica. The biggest, or most unsettling difference between the two is the way people go about discipline here. Just like the grand olden days, hitting a child is acceptable as a form of punishment. Not only that, but we've found that females in the class are at times given the authority to hit another child that's been misbehaving. Obviously this makes us sad and uncomfortable but it's a cultural difference that we have no place intervening with.

Overall, my placement has been a wonderful experience and the thought of leaving the kids in a week and a half is already making me sad.

Om Shanti Om

2008-02-02T07:22:00.001-08:00

We're going to Agra to see the Taj Mahal this week!

Republic Day

2008-02-02T01:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the kids at my placement celebrating Republic Day. I know have yet to write a post about what I'm doing there everyday, but just like the pictures, I promise I'll do it soon.

Cartik aka Panda aka Fat Albert

Riya and Sonya aka trouble

Rishikesh

2008-01-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

After another overnight train and freezing cold rickshaw ride we made it to Rishikesh. If any of you have ever heard of this place its probably because the Beatles stayed at an Ashram there, while writing much of their Sgt. Peppers album. Thus far, Rishikesh is my favorite place we have traveled to. It's quite a hippy town with flyers everywhere for various classes and services such as: yoga, meditation, massage, reiki, palm reading, etc. The town is divided by the Ganges River and to get from one side to the other there is an amazing long narrow bridge that offers pretty views of the surrounding mountains and architechture. Overall the weekend was pretty relaxing; Becky and I did a lot of exploring on our own. One of the highlights was the group yoga session we did with other volunteers (who by the way I've been having an incredible time with). We had our class around sunset in a room with windows all around overlooking the Ganges (showed below). The monkeys were a bit disruptive but we all had a really great time. Rishikesh is another beautiful, peaceful place, with a unique energy that made me want to go back and spend more time there. The only downside was night time, which was freezing and left Becky and I shivering in bed wearing every layer we brought.

Hebrew everywhere

The view of where we did yoga from our hotel

Purifying my fingertips of all sins at the Ganges

I miss beef

2008-01-24T09:17:00.001-08:00

This week's excursion was to different religious sites around the city. We went to the largest Mosque in Delhi, where we saw a test tube containing what is believed to be a hair from the beard of the Prophet Muhammed. After that we visited a Hindu temple and a Sikh temple. The CCS staff acted as our guides and taught us a lot about the different religions. The temples were all beautiful, elaborate, and welcoming.

The city is full of images relating to religion and spirituality. Almost every room has some representation of the Gods and Goddesses as well as different symbols. The two major symbols are the Om and the Swastika. The swastika has been a part of Indian culture for hundreds and hundreds of years. We went to the National Museum the other day and walked through the ancient art exhibits. A lot of the pottery had swastikas engraved as decoration. Here, it represents fortune, accomplishment, and perfection (coincidentily all happen to be qualities of Hitler's "Aryan Race"). Unfortunatley since Hitler decided to steal it, rotate it, and then make it a Nazi symbol, most of the world sees it as so. It felt a bit strange to see it everywhere at first but I'm used to it now.

Bollywood

2008-01-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

We went this week to see an Indian movie. The one we saw was called Taare Zameen Par. .Its a really great movie and I was told it's playing in other countries to so if you get a chance, I recommend going to see it.

Pushkar

2008-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Becky, Phil, and I went to a town called Pushkar. Since the town is about 8 hours away, we took an overnight train and got there late Friday night. When I first got on all I thought about was how much the car reminded me of...well I'm not sure how politically correct this is so if you care enough to know you can ask. Basically, the car was lined with beds that fold out of the wall. On the left there are two rows with three beds over one another and on the right, there are two beds. After a terrible meal and interesting conversation with two business men across from us, we got a few hours of sleep (with our backpacks safely protected under our heads). It was dirty and uncomfortable, and I can't wait to do it again this coming weekend.

Magic on the sleeper train

*Side note: In addition to vendors, shops, and advertisements, I forgot to mention that the streets are also lined with stalls, bathroom stalls. Here they have what are called "Indian toilets" and "Western toilets". The stalls in the streets are Indian style which is pretty much a hole in the ground. The type of toilet depends on how nice the place is, but most hotels, restaurants, and trains have Indian style toilets. It's pretty hard to balance on a moving train. Enough said.

I really enjoyed my time in Pushkar. The town is centered around a holy lake where many people come to pray and bathe. It's a really beautiful place temples and hills. Aside from prayers being projected over a loudspeaker from 4am-9am, it was a very peaceful experience. The locals in the town clearly get all their business from tourists. Aside from the homes, Pushkar is mostly made up of restaurants, hotels, and shops (there is literally just stuff everywhere). The markets are hectic but also really colorful with lots of cool things to look at and learn about. We've gotten a lot better at haggling. The secret behind it is that neither you or the merchant really cares what the final price is, as long as you feel you've gotten the better end of the deal. So clearly, the best strategy is to confuse the merchant as best you can and make them somehow feel that they have won. Not to mention that we're usually arguing over the difference of $0.50, which to us obviously isn't much at all. I would say that unless you are heavily into meditation, all you need is a few days in Pushkar to see all of it. Also, there were monkeys everywhere. They just sit around in groups on the steps or jump and swing across the trees and rooftops.
I think I've written earlier that Israelis can be found at virtually any backpacker town in the world. My trip to Pushkar has once again proven this to be true (granted most Israelis opt to go to India for their post-army travels). Almost every restaurant and shop had a sign in Hebrew welcoming guests and explaining the various deals.

One of the hardest things that happened a lot in Pushkar as well as Delhi, is seeing the children who live and work on the streets. Often times the kids come up to you and ask for money or food. They will grab your hand and hold it as you walk for a block or so and just look up with sad eyes and beg. It's a really hard thing to ignore and brings tears to my eyes but at that moment in time there is really nothing to do. The truth is that a lot of times the kids are "pimped out" and report back to an authority figure with the money they get. Buying them food is useless because they will just sell it back to the vendors. When we drive in the streets, they come up to the cars and try to sell magazines, which we aren't supposed to buy either. I'm still struggling with accepting, or even processing, the notion that although I feel I've already seen too many kids on the streets like this, there are still millions more in the world who are in the exact same position.

I'm in India

2008-01-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Where do I start?

I've been in India for almost a week and a half. Although in this time I've both learned and seen a lot, the knowledge I have makes only a small scratch in the surface of the country's culture and history. There is already a lot for me to write about, and I'm still not exactly fond of blogging so I'll do my best to keep whoever actually reads this informed.
The set-up of my weekly schedule is basically the same as in Costa Rica so for those of you who don't know, scroll down. The CCS homebase is set-up in a very large apartment complex where other locals live. We have three flats that are all pretty close to one another. The other volunteers here are definitely much different then in Costa Rica (I can't help but make constant comparisons between the two programs). The average age is a bit higher then before but as usual we've managed to find a clique of our own with similar priorities and of course, sense of humor. I also expected to be starved at this point, but we manage. I'm starting to try and accept that everything we eat is going to be spicy. Fortunately, I can say that none of us have gotten to sick yet as we were warned would inevitably happen.

A common phrase here that I see or hear on a daily basis is "Same same but different." Whenever it came up I would naturally be reminded of a Ben Kweller song with a similar title. After that, I would wonder what this phrase meant; today I found out. Simply, it implies that India is made up of many diverse groups that are all able to unite and be the pieces that make up the same great country. In my professional opinion, the fact that this phrase is so present in everyday India is a reflection of the people and their values. They truly have a strong respect for each other's differences and a strong loyalty to their own identities. To me, this phrase is a recognition of the beauty in co-existence and I hope one day it can be globally relevant.

New Delhi:
This is the only way I can think of to begin describing this city...
Dirty, crazy, overpopulated, exciting, exploding, friendly, sketchy, historical, changing, safe, traffic, impoverished, rapidly developing, languages, different, confused, customs, systems, corrupt, spicy, respect, stinky, complicated, religious, fragrant, loud, values, colorful, careless, deep, contradictory (that goes for the whole country), and Chai.
New Delhi is a place that cannot be easily compared to the rest of India. Like any other big city, it has different neighborhoods or parts of town. The streets are lined with cows, shops, and vendors. There is construction everywhere and tents set-up on the sites where many families live. It's a lot like NYC in the sense that your eyes are constantly stimulated by people, places, and advertisements.
The first thing that everyone notices when they get here is the traffic. There really is no such thing as rush hour because bumper to bumper traffic happens all day long. In orientation, Bella, one of the staff members, told us that to Indians, having a working horn is more important than breaks (although there are many accidents and deaths due to traffic, almost never has a cow been hit). There are no legitimate lanes or rules for that matter. The first couple days we would all be at the edge of our seats gasping, but I've gotten used to it and I've come to trust that our drivers know what they're doing. In one of the lectures we had, the professor told us its been predicted that in the next 5-10 years, driving in Delhi will be virtually impossible. Crossing the street is also an experience in itself. The best way I've thought of to explain it is that it's a lot like playing a game of Frogger. It's overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful. Bella said our best shot is to grab a cow to walk next to us.

(Toilet stalls on the street)

I'm a bit sick and it's lunchtime so more later...

London??

2008-01-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well, Becky and I are on our way to India (we're meeting Phil there). We're going to be stuck in Heathrow for the next 10 hours so I thought it would be the perfect time to start blogging again. We're excited for India and I'll write about it as soon as I get a chance.

Patagonia

2007-11-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

The airport in Trelew...the whole airport.

17 mile hike to Fitz-Roy/Land Before Time pt. 5

Super windy

Trekking on the glacier

Collecting clean glacier water

Mom, ready for hardcore whale watching

School's out

2007-10-25T11:07:00.001-07:00

This week there was no school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so Tuesday was my last day. My last few days at the school were very laid back and I mostly just enjoyed being with the kids. Its sad to have to say goodbye and I miss them already. The feeling of being part of a community in foreign country, with people I had never met prior, is both unique and unexpectedly comforting. It's reassuring to know that good people like them exist and share the same world as me.

In the background is the main entrance of the school. Behind that is the sugarcane factory where most of the children's fathers work. I met the owner the other day. He came to the school to check things out because he donates money regularly for upkeep:

My surprise going away party:

The woman in the middle is the English teacher I worked with, Vielka, she's really beautiful.

Manty Ants

2007-10-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to another touristy town called Manuel Antonia. We relaxed most of the time and on Sunday Becky, Phil, and I walked around the National Park.

We went to an open house for some new condos in Manuel Antonio. If anyone is interested, this is the view from the balconies.

A herd of cows added another fifteen minutes to our six hour trip:

Centro Duirno

2007-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

I went to an elderly day center last week because there was no school. It was a lot of fun. Everyone there is a character. the man in the picture above is 102 and still participates in the daily aerobics (which are done to instrumental reggae versions of The Sound of Silence). The woman he's standing with has the nickname Gossip Queen. I played a rousing UNO and was beaten by a cheater who was not remotely slick with any of his moves. We also had an intense game of Bingo that did not end in tears but throwing beans at one another instead. It was a fun day and definitely very relaxing compared to school.

The man below is named Santiago but we just call him The Don.

Pictures

2007-10-18T12:51:00.001-07:00

More picture from Escuela:

Jah Live

2007-10-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

We took a gruesome 6 hour drive out to the carribean coast last weekend to a town called Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is completely rasta-ed out. Everything is covered in red, yellow, and green and I was asked 15 times if I wanted to be given dred-locks. Our room at the hostel was empty with the exception of two stained beds, a pipe sticking out of the wall as a shower, and some sort of red powder on the floor that mysteriously stained everything. None of that really mattered to us though because the beachfront was right in our backyard. The water was really nice and aside from some awful food experiences I won't go into, we had a good time.

There were two pigs hanging out on the beach with us...probably Phil's dinner.

Waterfall

2007-10-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

For last weeks day trip we went to the La Fortuna waterfall. It's the one the zip-lining went over. We all just sat on the rocks in the water next to it. The leaves looked really cool because they were moving in waves along with the wind from the water. I've seen a lot of waterfalls, in Israel and such, but this one was the most beautiful and impressive.

Talented Tuesdays

2007-10-16T15:27:00.001-07:00

Becky and I made everyone in the house participate in talent show the second week. We thought it would be a good bonding experience, and we were also just bored. Everyone here makes fun of our Chicago accents, especially when we say words like talented.

Here is a picture of the the kids in the house. They made masks and crawled in a circle for 10 minutes singing a Disney song:

One of my good friends here is leaving this weekend so we're having a costume party at the local Pizza hut.

Escuela

2007-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Becky came with me to school and took a picture of me teaching

This past week at school has been fun but also very difficult. Like I said before, the kids don't have a lot of context for the text and vocabulary that's taught, so after class it's usually forgotten. I decided that giving them a basic grammar lesson would help with their comprehension of the readings. English is my favorite subject but I always hated Grammar and I don't have a strong knowledge of all the rules. Planning the lesson with my teacher turned out to be really frustrating. I had to teach her what I wanted to teach the students, and explain the activities I had in mind. Grammar is difficult enough as it is and the rules don't always make sense. Given the differences between English and Spanish some of the concepts are almost impossible for the kids to grasp. Class ended up going pretty well but I'm working on more ideas for next week.

Doing review of lessons is also something that the teacher doesn't do very much of. I think she's starting to understand how important it is and I'm in the process of making simple tests for all the grades. Today I had white pineapple.

Last Friday was the celebration of a holiday here called The Day of the Cultures. The holiday is pretty much a day to give recognition to all the different nationalities that make up Costa Rica. Here they have Nicaraguans, Italian Nicaraguans, Germans, Blacks, Chinese, Canadians, Americans etc. On The Day of the Cultures the kids learn about what each group has brought to Costa Rica and the importance of respecting one another. The kids got dressed up and performed dances they had been practicing all week. Once again, they were adorable and I had a lot of fun.

P.S. I finally brought my camera to school so I'm putting up a lot of pictures.

CAFTA

2007-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

The free trade agreement between the U.S. and Central America basically eliminates all taxes on U.S. manufactured goods. This referendum has been at the forefront of Costa Rican news for weeks, because although people in America have yet to hear about it, the decision effects every worker in the country, rich or poor. In general, the progress which CAFTA engenders for Costa Rica, is another step in its economic development. Along with the agreement will come an influx of big American companies that will compete with smaller local businesses. Since these large companies can afford to have lower prices than the local businesses, what starts as healthy competition will end in brisk elimination. Farmers, who represent 19% of Costa Rican workers and 10% GDP, are the ones whose livelyhoods are at stake. Unfortunately Costa Rica doesn't have the resources to cut themselves a better deal than CAFTA, which is an agreement that is more in America's favor.

The results of the vote were 51.5% to 48.5% in favor of the agreement. Last night as we sat in our living room, people were driving around, honking, playing music, and shouting in celebration. Being here during such an important part of Costa Rican history has been an interesting and eye-opening experience about global politics, especially from a non-American perspective.

I still think blogs are weird

2007-10-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

I had a great time on Friday at Becky's placement. Her kids are trouble makers, but like all the rest, they're adorable. Her Tia (the woman running the day care) is pretty incredible. She takes care of the children from morning until evening five days a week. The government gives her money for meals and toys but she doesn't recieve a salary. She loves all the children as if they were her own. She also makes really good juice.

I promise i'll put up pictures of my school soon, I just haven't had a chance to bring my camera.

Now I know why my dad got me Medivac insurance

2007-10-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

My kids didn't have school today so I went with Phil to his placement. He works at a pre-school with the cutest kids in the world. Like always here, I was greeted with infinite hugs and kisses. Phil warned me that they don't really care if I speak Spanish or not and will just keep talking anyways. This was true so I just said Si and smiled a lot. I was really happy playing with them and letting them take turns showing me their favorite games. Phil is a musician so he brought his guitar and we sang beautiful renditions of Casey Jones (Grateful Dead) and All the Small Things (Blink 182). Phil also sang an incredibly inappropriate song about Pokemon (yes, THE Pokemon song), which they loved and could not understand a single word of.

Today's trip was to a small hotel nearby to go horse back riding through the sugarcane fields. Again, the scenery was more beautiful then i can describe or show in a picture. It was also really fun because they let us go as fast as we wanted on the horses. Mine went the fastest. Interesting story though: as I was riding as fast as the horse would go, my saddle loosened up and fell to the side. I then fell of the horse on to the ground underneath me. Becky was freaked out because she thought I was trampled and dead, but somehow I was fine. I got back up and kept riding. Lesson learned. Sort of.

As I sit here I'm still not sure how I'm ok but I am very sore and tired. Tomorrow I'm going with Becky to her placement and her dad is coming to visit this weekend.

On Sunday Costa Rica is holding its first non-electoral vote on whether or not to have free trade with the U.S. As of right now, the country is split 50/50 on voting yes or no. All around there are signs people put up saying whether or not they support CAFTA (the free trade agreement). I'm going to a discussion about it on Monday so I'll write about what happens.

La fortuna

2007-10-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

We liked the Volcano so much that we decided to go back to the town near by it for the weekend. Its called La Fortuna and its one of the more touristy areas. Nine of us from the house went and all stayed in one room at a backpackers resort aka hostel. Israelis were present. It was one of the girl's birthday so we went out to a nice dinner on Friday. I had fish. After dinner we went to a disco-tech and saw a live reggaeton concert.

Saturday was one of the funnest days of my life. All of the girls decided to go zip-lining while the boys went to a hot spring spa. We were about 300 ft in the air and the longest line was 1/2 a mile. I was literally flying over trees and a huge waterfall. At first I was almost to scared to do it and was shrieking the entire time. By the end I was having the time of my life. Everyone reading this should come to Costa Rica and try it (except maybe Grandma and Grandpa). Sunday we walked around the town and took the bus back home.

Pura Vida

2007-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

My Spanish has gotten a little better. I've memorized how to say my name, where I'm from, that I have two brothers named Evan and Gabe and no sisters. Evan is 20 and Gabe is 14. Also that I have a dog named Murphy who is Negro Y Grande.

School this week has gotten a lot more comfortable. I have a better understanding of my role in the classroom and the kids are getting to know be much better. The topics I cover with them are things like fruit, vegetables, beverages, places, clothing, family, etc. In my not so professional opinion, I think the way they have been taught isn't as successful as it could be. A lot of the lessons are hearing and repeating. For this reason, they do well during class, but the next day don't remember anything because they weren't given any context. I'm working on helping them actually understand and doing more review.

For our day trip this week we went to the Arenal volcano in La Fortuna. We went on a short hike over the hardened lava from the last big eruption, which was in 1992. I also learned that Jurassic park was filmed in Costa Rica. A volcano is as cool as you would imagine, probably cooler. Enough said.

(In the picture: the black is hardened lava from the last big eruption)

Jaco Beach

2007-10-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

All the traveling I've done throughout the country has so far been really great. The first weekend was Yom Kippur so me, Becky, Phil, and some other people in the house went to a place called Jaco Beach where services were being held. The hotel we stayed at ended up being owned by Israelis and we've managed to find some everywhere we've gone since then.

The services were run through the San Jose Chabbad. Even though it was bit to orthodox for me, it was still really cool to be able to find a community to have Yom Kippur. Jews always find Jews, lesson learned.

The rest of our weekend was really nice. We explored a little, saw an incredible sunset on Saturday, and Sunday we hung out at the black sand beach. Becky and I both tried surfing and both failed. We also discovered the best part of dining out in Costa Rica, which is the yummy $9 fillet minon dinner you can get at most places.

On the way home we stopped on a bridge where all the crocodiles hang out. The view was also really great. Between the beach, the sunset, and other places, I've seen a lot of natural beauty that I thought was only possible to google. Its nice to get away from my regular life and be around people who are relaxed and take the time to appreciate what matters and what is beautiful. They have a phrase here called Tico Time. In short Tico Time means everything runs twenty minutes late. It's not because people are lazy or unmotivated, it's because they take the time to do what makes them happy at that moment. for example, this might mean waiting a few extra minutes at the supermarket for the customer in front of you to finish a friendly conversation with the cashier. Or, kids coming into class a few minutes late from their soccer game. For Americans, who are used to everything being fast paced and efficient, the concept can be irritating. Every morning I whine about having to wait a few minutes in the van for the driver. For meals and such a lot of us run to get there, only to then wait in line. I like being in a place where people's actions are based on what they really value. At home actions are often based on the things people are distracted with when what matters is forgotten. I'm glad to be reminded. I'm also glad that I have the chance to see how beautiful our natural world is before we as humans ruin all of it. Remember your three R's. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. I'm clearly getting to tired to right anymore.

Blogs are weird

2007-10-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

The first week went by pretty slow but was also pretty eventful. My drive to school every morning is about twenty minutes and we pass a beautiful view. On a clear day you can see all the way to Nicaragua and the Arenal volcano,which is about forty minutes away. Early Tuesday morning it had a small eruption so on the way to school I could see the steam coming out from the top.

Our day trip was to the hot springs close by. It was really relaxing and pretty. Later that week we went to a peace parade instead of our placements. Becky and I did face painting for all the little kids. After that there was a march and performances by all the kids. The cutest were some little boys marching with a poster that said"Militia of Peace".

2007-09-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody!
Its taken me a really long time to finally make this, but I promise I'll keep it updated from now on...or at least try my best.

The district I'm in is called San Carlos and the City is Ciudad Quesada. I'm living in a house with 20 other people, mostly 18-22, but Becky and I share a room to ourselves (our group name is #75 which is the opposite of 57 if Fischy or Arielle are reading this). We get three delicious meals a day, all of which include rice, beans, and fruit. There's also two bakeries on either side of the house, which is starting to become a serious issue for most of us. At this point we've all become good friends and usually spend our afternoons together hanging out or walking around the town. Oh, and we have to throw the toilet paper in the garbage instead of the toilet paper because the plumbing is so bad.

During the week there are various optional activities for us to participate in. Twice a week I go to Spanish classes, but I'm having a hard time learning much because I keep confusing it with Hebrew. Every Thursday there is some sort of day trip, which I'll go into more detail about later. We also have different kinds of cultural activities. Things like a lecture from a historian, dance lessons, cooking lessons, discussions about current social issues, etc. I like going to some of them and I take notes because I do miss school...a little.

My placement is at an elementary school called Juan Santamaria, teaching English to 1st through 6th grade. Most of the children are Nicuraguan (we're about an hour from the border) and their fathers all work at the sugarcane factory right next to the school. Elementary School in Costa Rica is free and mandatory but the government has been cutting funding for education so the teachers have very few resources and supplies. I work with a teacher named Vielka who is twenty-two couldn't be sweeter. She studies at night and doesn't know English very well. The kids are all adorable and give me lots of hugs and kisses, they usually call me Teacher or "Ra-shel".

The hardest part of my day at school is the language barrier. Vielka wants me to do most of the teaching but she helps explain directions to the younger kids. There's a vague set of topics and words that should be covered but otherwise the curriculum has no real structure or formula. During breaks at school or in the evenings I make lesson plans and activities (i.e. handouts and teaching tools.) Its strange and difficult to suddenly have the responsibility of teaching English to 100 kids from a different country, but I like the challenge and I'm finding that I really enjoy teaching. Anyways, that's enough for now, I'll try not to make my next posts as long and boring.

I'm happier here then I ever thought I would be. Every time I do something new I get genuinely excited and I'm just really appreciative that I get to have such great experiences. Hopefully my next posts won't be cheesy either. I miss you all but not enough to come home.

-Rachel