travel – Page 28 – Destination NOW

A wonderful first week

So much to say, so little time to get it typed up! First an earth box report for Julie. Kathy and Jan discovered that the earth boxes at the primary school were getting a little too much love and attention. The kids had cut holes in the “shower cap” so that they could water around each seedling. They were watering from the top AND the bottom. The little seedlings were in need of an ark! What the seedlings got instead was kids educated about the need for plant roots to breathe. The team created charts so the kids would know whether the boxes had gotten their daily watering. Some boxes received a week’s worth of watering in one day because multiple kids were caring for them.

The boxes had to be moved so the ground could be leveled? ( not sure why, but Iimagine Julie would know) In the process, a box was overturned, which provided the team with a “teachable moment”…an opportunity to show what happens to waterlogged plants. The kids then painstakingly scooped up the dirt and put it back into the box. They LOVE those boxes.

When the earth box team comes to the Kiddie Homey Day Care Center, I’ll try to get some pictures, but the short report is that all is going well.

About the hand washing…take a look.

Kids are your hands clean??? The bluriness of the photos give you a good idea of the level of activity!

Today was an especially great day at the Kiddie Homey Day Care Center because the construction team installed the equipment that stops the doors from slamming. I have no idea what their official name is. I just call them “sanity savers”. There still is the noise from the high ceilings and the sound bouncing off the concrete walls, but those “sanity savers” made a huge difference in the sound level this afternoon!

The kids love to color, so I decided to try to get them to color their names. As you can see, they really got into it. I took the first shot before they saw the camera. Once they did, it was all over.

Ms Frederick tells me what the different kids need to work on. Starr and Gratia needed help with numbers, so i created a little game for them. They liked it so much, they insisted we play it again and again. I told them to “mess up the card”, then put them back in the right order.

And now it is time for the weekend to begin!

My crystal ball sees many bad hair days in the near future

The weather here has been beautiful-warm, sunny, bright blue skies. It IS just a tad humid, so by the time we finished breakfast, I could have passed for Albert Einstein’s older sister. I look scary, but the kids don’t care, however I suspect there won’t be many photos of me on this blog.

Today I continued my quest for the perfect wifi spot, and future volunteers, I found it! At the bar, sit on the FURTHEST seat to the right, with your right elbow pointing into the dining room. Believe it or not, a couple of seats over and at the round table, there is NO connectivity. (Phyllis, this is my gift to you.)

So, while the wifi cooperates, I’ll do a little photo uploading.

I’ve named the path to my room the “thigh master”. I took these on my way down to breakfast this morning:

Funny story. When I arrived Saturday night,it was quite late. Knowing I have a tendency to stomp, I was very careful to “tread lightly” so that I didn’t disturb the people in the room below. It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized the only thing below me was air, dirt,and grass!

These next steps remind me of the grand plaza at Caracol. When I ascend, I need to LIFT my leg to get to the next step.

One more turn, a few more steps, and I’ve made it to the flat land.

Not to worry, though. Anyone with mobility problems is assigned a flat-lander room.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for–more kiddie photos.

I think little Dayna is a born model.

Michelle, not to worry. Precious’ foot is fine. She was moving around so much,it was hard to get a sharp photo. Little Yasmine still isn’t talking, but I almost got a smile out of her today, and we still have another week to go!

My wine is a callin me…tune in tomorrow for more beautiful faces.

Greetings and thank you to Team One!

I’m so glad that some of the members of the first team found my blog, so I’m pleased to provide great news. The hand washing education, at least at the Kiddie Homey day care center, was wildly successful! The kids wash frequently, proudly and enthusiastically. I’ll try to take a picture before the end of my service, because it is something to behold. I had brought bottles of liquid soap with me and when one of the kiddies spotted it, she insisted that she needed to wash her hands. They are also quite fond of hand sanitizer. So Team One, savor your success. Michelle, I’ll take a closer look at the dispenser tomorrow, and will also check on Precious’ foot. I haven’t had a chance to work with Yasmine yet. She was out today, but if she is in tomorrow, I’ll get to her first thing.

I love the way Miss Frederick works with the kids. She reminds them every morning in song that they are”more precious than gold”. I’m hoping to get that morning song memorized before I leave.

Julie, if you have any questions about your project, let me know where you worked and I’ll check with those team mates for an update.

At our debrief tonight, the primary school team reported that the children were learning to write letters and could choose the recipient of their letter. Several opted to write to the January Global Volunteers, Vickie and Linda. Here are some verbatim quotes. “I loved how you treated me”. “I wish you could come back to see how I wash my hands”. Warren is going to try to get the letters to Vickie and Linda, but Julie and Michelle, if you are in touch with them, please let them know that they made their mark.

Today I found the wifi “sweet spot” by the pool, settled in with a glass of wine, thinking that I
would no longer have to sit in the reception area whenever I wanted Internet access. My success was sweet, but oh so brief. Oh well. I might not have Internet access by the pool, but at least I have my glass of wine, and cool water, so life continues to be good.

I’m in love!!!

Beautiful, funny, cute, smart, precious….I could go on and on about these kids. Suffice it to say that my heart has been stolen by these little munchkins.

I brought name tags so that I could more easily memorize their names, and I thought it would help those that don’t yet know how to spell and write their names. They really liked it. In fact, if I didn’t get out the name tag fast enough, they reminded me to get with it!

Dotty and I are loving our assignment. Yes, it is noisy, but hey, what do you expect from a bunch of kids under 5. Today we used the board books that I brought and they were a hit with all of the younger kids. Tomorrow will be Cat in the Hat day for the older kids.

After lunch the kids rest, which gave Dotty and me a chance to stroll around the town. Good news, boys and girls. There WILL be a contest. You know how I feel about dropping dollars into the local economy, so I will be picking up a few odds and ends for prizes. All I have to do is figure out the questions. Then Game ON!! (Mike and Augusta, since neither of you are with me, you get a chance to play too). I can’t do a packing question this time around because you have already seen the contents of my luggage in previous posts. I am sure I’ll come up with something eventually.

More photos of the objects of my affection. Notice how neat and clean they are…perfect in every way.

“Be flexible, so you don’t get bent out of shape”

We start every day with an inspirational thought. Jim’s quote reminded us that we should expect and accept the unexpected.

Yesterday we were welcomed to the Anse le Raye community by Father Athanase Joseph at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. He is convinced that Divine Providence sent Global Volunteers to his parish, and expressed gratitude for all that the first team accomplished in January.

The service was almost three hours long, but the music was wonderful and the beautiful, well behaved children were fun to watch. Unlike the catholic church in the USA, you are allowed to bring water bottles with you and the younger children were allowed to move from pew to pew (if they were in the back of the church). I noticed that it didn’t matter whose child it was, the women acted as if every one belonged to her, interacting with whichever one happened to slide over to her.

Yesterday’s other major accomplishment was meeting all of the team members. Introductions were a variation of the game, “I’m going to the market”…then listing objects in alphabetical order, each person repeating the list from the beginning and adding on. I remember playing with my sisters on a road trip to Florida. (I even remember the first two objects were “aristocrat” and “bing”. Okay, so my sisters are weird…especially Sandy.) But back to the intros…the last person was tasked with repeating the 24 earlier names. It was actually an very effective way to get everyone’s names memorized! In the afternoon, we learned more about our fellow volunteers. Four of us are “virgin” volunteers. The rest have been on multiple projects, with some logging over twenty.

Today was our first day at the various sites. Four of us were assigned to the two preschools in town. I’ll be spending this week at the Kiddie Homey Day Center, and I’m delighted. 40 adorable, exuberant kids under age 5. This is my alternative to whining about not having a grandchild. (You’re welcome, Greg).

Dotty and I are following the recommendations of the first team, and are working with the kids in groups of two. When I asked one four year old girl if she knew how to spell her name, she said, “Miss, I could WRITE my name when I was THREE”. I guess she set ME straight.

The dinosaur coloring book I brought with me was quite popular. One three year old boy thought the dinosaur looked like a shark, or maybe a whale. He then launched into an enthusiastic story about a whale “vomiting” and Jonah had “feesh” all over his head! Once I heard the name Jonah, I figured it out.

I’m looking forward to seeing these little cuties tomorrow! Here’s Dotty with one of our charges.

The most I’ve ever weighed…

Whew, our luggage scale was definitely a worthwhile investment. My checked bag weighed in at 48.5 pounds on the JetBlue scale, almost identical to the reading I got at home. (I left a little cushion, to allow for calibration differences.) So, between my checked luggage and my carry on bag, I am tipping the scales at 74 lbs…not counting my back pack. I have never even come close to the weight limit on ANY trip, even when we had to bring clothes for two climates. As you can see, I DID squeeze some clothes into my carry on.

Fortunately, while I was still in the packing stage, I connected with Michelle and Paddy, two incredible women who were members of the first team assigned to the Kiddie Homey Day Care Center. They clued me into the cheap laundry facilities at the hotel, which meant I could bring fewer clothes and more supplies. I also stocked up on protein snacks to supplement the box lunches I’ll be getting, and stuck in an umbrella (for the frequent, brief surprise downpours). Thanks to them, I feel prepared–at least when it comes to packing!

I was not thrilled about flying out of JFK, because the trip from central Jersey to that airport is normally rather arduous. What a pleasant surprise to get from my garage to the gate in an hour and a half! That includes going through bag drop and security. Of course, leaving the house at 6:15 AM on a Saturday might have SOMETHING to do with it, but if Mike has an easy drive back home, and if fetching me on a Saturday night goes as smoothly, then JFK will definitely be a future travel option. The jet blue terminal is beautiful and well designed. I love the free wi-fi, which is something that Newark airport lacks.

Time for another adventure

I leave on Saturday, March 10 to serve on a Global Volunteers project in St. Lucia. I’ve never been to the island, but from what I’ve read, it is very lush and beautiful. Unfortunately almost 30% of its population live in poverty. Community leaders in Anse la Raye invited Global Volunteers to send teams to help deliver essential services to the children in their village with the hope that by working together, over time, the cycle of poverty will be broken.

The St. Lucia project is new. I will be a member of only the second team, so this will be a learning experience for everyone. I just got my assignment and was thrilled to learn that my team will be working with 75 preschoolers, from infants to age 5.

The first team returned a few weeks ago with lots of helpful information, including a list of things that the preschool needs. Books, school supplies, soap, hand sanitizer and baby bibs were in short supply, so for this trip, I am packing very differently. Ah, Dr. Seuss, I’ve missed you. We spent oh, so many nights together. This will be a fond trip down memory lane.

Good thing I own a luggage scale. This stuff alone puts me at 29 pounds! Fortunately, I have never been a fashionista because this stuff took up half of the one checked bag I’m allowed.

I chose to work with Global Volunteers because I love their philosophy. Teams only serve where they are invited. They work under the direction of local leaders, doing whatever those leaders request. Because self-reliance is a primary goal, the volunteers work hand in hand with the locals. In fact a key requirement is that there be at least as many locals working on a project as there are volunteers.

There is no proselytizing–no hidden religious or political agendas, other than a desire to promote world peace.

The organization cautions its volunteers to remain flexible, noting that things don’t always turn out as planned. Well, considering that my INITIAL plan was to serve in Italy last October, and I had to cancel because my retina inconveniently decided to detach 6 days before I was scheduled to leave, I figure I’ve had a bit of experience with plan changes.

I’ll be going on this trip alone. I don’t know anything about the other volunteers on this second team–how many, where they are from, who they are, but all will be revealed by next Saturday night. We will be working all this first weekend, but will have a break the second weekend, so I’m hoping to get a chance to see the island.

Adventure awaits!

And the winners are…

Fanny has 49 points, Lissy 45 points, Lindy 39, Sue 31, Marion 4 and Dan 1. Fanny, Lindy and Sue all get their prizes this weekend. Marion, one of these days you and I will be in the same town at the same time, and I will buy you a glass of wine, (or two or what the heck, we’ll split a bottle!) Dan, nice try, but maybe next time…

Anyway, for those of you that didn’t think Ecuador is famous for its roses, here’s proof.

You’ve heard of red roses for a blue lady, but blue ROSES? Ecuador has them.

One of our traveling companions sent me a picture she took of our tubing adventure. I was actually enjoying it a lot more than it appears in the photo…too bad tubing happened before the moonshine visit. That bottle strapped to my chest would nothave been filled with water!

Remember the question about the horn from a snail’s shell? Pablo, our guide tried to teach me how to play it, but I was musically challenged.

I DID go snorkeling. Notice the fins and mask i was holding in my hand, while boarding our boat.And no, I did not wear the hat while snorkeling, or the life jacket either.

Mike took this picture of the blow gun competition. I did NOT hit the target. Fortunately, I didn’t hit anything else either.

I love this picture that Mike took. I call it “sibling rivalry”.

Finally, what blog of the Galapagos would be complete without a picture of its world-famous tortoises?

And thus ends this adventure. No more blogging for a while, gang.

Ecuador: Sunrise, Sunset, and a few things in between

What an amazing country! Although Ecuador is one of the smallest in South America, it has incredible diversity. Quito, the capital, is on the Equator, but is high enough in the Andes that in the evening I put my long underwear to good use, despite wearing my bathing suit earlier in the day.

You can’t measure distance in linear miles alone. Although it doesn’t look very far on the map, it took all day, by bus, to get back and forth between the Amazon and Quito, because we were winding up and around mountains. What a perfect way to see this spectacular countryside. As you can see, our travels took us through a “cloud forest”.

Suddenly the clouds lifted to reveal the lush valley and part of the mountain that just minutes before had been hidden.

The ride, however, was not for the faint of heart. The sign says “Danger, death curve. Reduce speed”. They weren’t kidding. Shortly thereafter we saw what happens when you ignore the warnings.

We were very fortunate to have a highly skilled, responsible driver. Here’s Paul, at a roadside cafe, making a lunch recommendation for us.

Our road trip was broken up by a visit to the famous hot springs spa. Here I am, doing my Mrs. Potato head imitation. This bathing suit is perfect for us “Catholic school gals”. Hey, don’t knock it. Less territory to cover with sun block! And yes, everyone HAD to wear a bathing cap!

Onward to those sunrises and sunsets in the Amazon basin! This is the view of the pool from the Casa del Suizo’s crows nest just before sunset, and then a few minutes after. You can see the little pond in both photos.

We were up at 5:30 am to visit Bartolome Island, in the Galapagos. This island was formed by an extinct volcano, and offers a panoramic view of Pinnacle Rock and the surrounding area. The wooden walkway was constructed to protect the island from being destroyed by visitors walking on the fragile volcanic rock. It has over 300 steps (I lost count) to the top.

What, you don’t think it looks very steep? Take another look.

Are we there yet???

The view was definitely worth the effort. Can you figure out which land mass is Pinnacle Rock?

Time for a group photo of the 15 intrepid travelers. And what a delightful group it was. I thoroughly enjoyed our evening gatherings for wine and conversation.

One more sunset–this one from our boat.

Next post–the contest winners will be named.

Quayaquil

I have always wanted to visit Ecuador, because that is where my wonderful sister-in-law (mi hermana preferida) is from. Her home town of Guayaquil is the largest in Ecuador, its economic capital, and is quite lovely.

We only spent 12 hours there (and we were sleeping for five of them), but Fernando, our guide took us on a whirlwind tour. We visited the Malecon, Iguana Park, the cathedral, a neighborhood, and a chocolate shop. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday, so the grocery stores were closed, or I would have loaded up on coffee and chocolate. As it was, our group bought out all the chocolate the little shop had in stock!

These pictures are especially for Fanny, who hasn’t been home in a long time, and por mi sobrina y sobrino, Tara and Steve.

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