Salasaca! - 5/30/09

I forgot to note down three very interesting people i met last weekend. 2 climbers from AZ who went to school in Cali named Andre and Steven, they were very nice and I hope to meet them again. Another guy from Munich named Flo who has the German patent on the beer bong, which I think is hilarious, AND he is climbing the highest peak in every country from Alaska to Antartica; I think it´s amazing. He´s another person I hope to meet again, if only to hear about how his trip went. SO, I made it to Salasaca which is so so beautiful. Its on a mountain with farms including numerous aloe plants, donkeys, cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Kristina and I, for some really dumb reason, decided not to get a pickup truck to take us from the bus station to the hostal with an unknown location. Instead we walked a really far way, in high altitude, with all of our heavy stuff. We honestly had no idea where we were going or what the hostal looked like, but people kept pointing us in the right direction along the way. So while we are heading in the direction that we were pointed we came upon this beautiful brick and wood cottage on a picturesque part of the hillside, overlooking the farms and towns below. Inside there was a large room with a fire place and it looks so cozy. We went around back and there was a large, two level terrace with insane views. We had no idea what this place was but we wanted to stay there. No one was around so we kept walking in search of our hostal and we asked the next person we saw, again where the hostal was. And this man told us that the amazing cottage was our hostal! I think we may have literally skipped back there. The whole project consists of the hostal which is rented out for the volunteers, a library with computers, and the Katitawa school with about 30 Quechua students from ages 2 to 12. The man in charge is Robert who is so kind and crazy generous. He is 77 and has lived in Arizona, Mexico for 30 years, and now in Salasaca for about 7 years. He uses his pension and savings to fund the school, pay for a teacher in addition to the one paid by the government, for the library, hostal, the cook Faviola, and whatever other expenses not covered by the one dollar a day paid by the volunteers. He only wishes that he can find someone to do what he has done after he´s gone and keep the project running. At the school I am working in the kindergarden, the lower level math class, and the higher level english class. The philosophy at the school is that kids can learn if they want to but they cannot be forced; thus, if a student stands on their desk or runs out of the classroom and refuses to return when asked, there is nothing else you can do. It is definitely frustrating at times and can make it difficult to get anything done, but the alternative is having the school like the surounding ones that have 50 students with one government paid teacher and thats it. In the long run everyone feels that the kids are definitely benefitting. There are also computer classes and homework help before and after school. It´s a huge step in learning when compared with one generation before. There are also plans to expand the library and create a reading corner for kids to be read to and hopefully develop a love for books. It has been amazing just in this week and if I continue to enjoy it I will probably stay until the end of the school year which is in late June. Since Thursday I have been having some serious stomach problems but am recovering slowly and I am relaxing today in Baños again with a couple of the Salasaca volunteers. Also, Monday is my birthday; the big 23. Hopefully I´ll be better by then. We also have two filed trips for this week to a cultural event and museum and then to someones farm and lake near a volcano which should be fun for everyone! Thus far I´m content just to look out the back door and see a volcano erupting in one direction, a snow capped mountain in another, and miles of fields in the next.

Baños, the land of bathrooms - 5/23/09

I have left Arutam for some fun in a town called Baños. I love it here; it is so adorable! I am staying at the oh so popular hostal Plantas y Blancos with all the other Arutam volunteers. The town is in a valley with green mountains and waterfalls surrounding and towering. There are a ton of nice little shops and restaurants. THe day we arrived we met this Chicago-ite who was working at the school in Salasaca for a month where I want to volunteer at. He said it was incredible and to just show up without talking to anyone because they can always use more volunteers. So Kristina and I are going to venture there on Monday. That afternoon we all went with this Chicago guy to a nice outdoor restaurant called El Jardin for Happy Hour and then back to the hostal roof terrace for some drinking games and chatting. Jacob (Chicago) ended up being pretty much the loudest psycho ever; he also insisted on putting his stellar dance moves on display no matter what location we were in. I´m okay with not hanging out with him again. Later we went to a relaxed pool bar and we met up with this big group of tourists that had visited Arutam which was fun. I also met this Brit named Carl who knows all about the school in Salamanca and told me absolutely to just go and that the guy who runs it is really a wonderfull guy. I´m so excited! Then we went to the Leperchau bar which has one part for dancing and then in the back has a huge bonfire going all night. I got some Ecuadorian guy, who wasn´t creepy (big plus!), to teach me how to salsa. It was such a nice night! The next day some of the people we met went bridge jumping which is sort of like a bungee but you swing out; i thought it looked terrifying and did not take part. You have to jump head first; there was just no way. That afternoon we went to a really cozy restaurant called Casa Hood that shows movies every day and has amazing food. Later Kristina and I just walked around for hours and eventually wandered into this church that dominates the center of town. It was super ornate and had some really terrifying paintings, one of which looked like a zipline gone bad - strange... ALSO, in the Casa Hood Restaurant there was a wall with a Michigan license plate that said Yooper on it and all sorts of post cards and wall hangings having to do with the UP. So random! The next day we hung around for awhile and then went on a nice hike up one of the mountain sides so we could see the entire valley. A very good weekend and tomorrow I am off to Salasaca!

To the equator! - 5/17/09

THe last day in San Jose was an amazing time. It was one girls birthday and we went out salsa dancing. Everyone took part and those who were more equipped with salsa moves were able to guide us; I loved it! The Ticos danced like they were in the 1950s, I was so jealous and must learn how they do it. Then I was off to Ecuador. By the way, everyone wearing face masks on the plane was hilarious; there was like whole families with little baby masks and child masks and mom and dad masks. I did not wear a mask but I dont believe I have swine flu. My hostal in Quito was really adorable but one street away from where it is impossible to escape getting robbed although I have dodged it thus far. We dont want a repeat performance from Barcelona, ha ha... right dad? I meant to go do something my first night but instaed I took a 12 hour nap. The next day I met 2 Americans staying in the hostal and they were traveling around with an Ecuadorian friend who was taking them to all the sites so they told me to tag along. We went to the Teleferico and walked up to look over the entire city which was amazing and shocking how big the city really is. Then we went to the Panecillo, a giant statue of the Virgen and then later drove through the old city past the Basilica and back to the hostal. It was an unexpectedly good first day in Quito. That night I made an Israeli friend at the hostal and we went out for drinks and fun. The first place we went to was this little hole in the wall with a couple tables and drank what i think are called calzados which is basically really sweet hot juice with alcohol - good but i dont think i need another. Then we went to a couple other bars; one of which featured a live band that was seriously lacking in the vocal abilities. All in all it was a good night. The next day I did some more venturing around the city and then a couple of us went out for pizza where the Israeli dude ran into SIX people he knew - I swear to god these Israelis are all out travelling at the same time. So we all hung out in the pizzeria for the night and then I went back to the hostal to wake up super early the next morning. The next day I left for Arutam and arrived to a completely empty camp. Apparantly all the volunteers had left for a celebration of indigenous cultures in Puyo. It was a little sketchy. Later the 5 other volunteers came back, thank god. So far in my stay here at Arutam we{ve gone on walks in the jungle and planted seeds, learned about medicinal plants, and used blow darts. I would like it to be known that I was the only volunteer in the group to hit the lemon we were using as a target with the blow gun, it is very exciting! The problem that I have found with being here at Arutam is that it is much more of an ecotourism site than a volunteer program; we do activities every day as opposed to projects or any real meaningful work. I am only going to stay for 2 weeks instead of a month which is disappointing but I am sure that there are other amazing things I can do. I am looking into another program at a school in a town called Salasaca so hopefully that will pan out and the change will be great.

Party Peninsula - 5/7/09

I have just returned from an amazing little ¨vacation¨on my vacation. Eleven of us volunteers left the island on the 30th for the outside world. We left on a boatride through a torrential downpour followed by a long bus ride to San Jose. That night our plan was to see Gentlemen, a blond goofy reggae singer from Germany. Most of us went at around 830 but no one told us that in Costa Rica they have about 8 opening acts, all of which were singing the same song by Gentlemen, which was constantly and abruptly cut off before they finished the song. It was fairly annoying. By the tie Gnetlemen came on it was almost 1am and none of us were able to maintina any enthusiasm. Two of my friends, Gernot and Jenny, were sleeping on chairs in the back, my feet felt like they were on fire, and Im pretty sure everyone was on the verge of collapsing right there. Probably not the best idea to go to an all night concert right after a very exhausing day; it was quite the disaster. The next day six of us went to the mountain town of Monteverde. We stayed in a nice smal hostal and had amazing family meals (with protein!!). THe next morning we went on the Extremo canopy tour which consisted of numerous ziplines, the longest of which was 1km, and two surprises! The ziplines were incredible; you are so high up and flying so fast and you can see out for miles. However, the two surprises were probably the most memorable parts. Surprise 1: drop striaght down the length of a tall jungle tree; fun and exciting with medium adrenaline. Surprise 2: we wlk up to a platform about 50 ft up from anothe larger platform which is like a million feet up from the jungle floor. Jenny is the first one to go and i dont think anyone expected what was about to come. The guides loop you into a rope, tell you to hold on and inch you up to the edge of the platform. Then you would think there would be a countdown but instead the guide literally shoves you off the platform. You then plummet straight down (mini bungee) and then swing out across the jungle flor and up into the tops of the trees. The swinging part was amazing but the drop was terrifying. I now know i never need to go bungee jumping. THe next day as we were leaving Monteverde at sunrise we were able to see all the clouds rolling around in the hills below us; it was so cool and incredibly beautiful. We then arrived at the beachtown/ tourist haven of Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula. The weather was good, the beaches were amazing and the hostal was very nice (minus the owner who is a Billy Bob Thorton look alike, surfer/hipie poser, who tried to cheat us out of our money), but it wasnt the most exciting town. Although we did meet a super sketchy possibly male prostitute wearing a gold lamë tube dress and heels. S/he tried to strike up a conversation with my friend Vanessa who was very confused by it all, as were the rest of us. THe next day was another beach day followed by the parting of our group for the first time when Vanessa and Raf left us. ALSO, ou first meal was a salad made in a shopping bag and served with a dixie cup because we werent allowed to cok at the hostal due to a water shortage. So, then the rest of us made our way to the other side of the peninsula to Santa Teresa, surfers paradise. We figured we didnt need to reserve a hostal but we were very mistaken. We walked in the blazing heat down a dusty dirt road with all our packs (mine weighing in at 50 lbs and yes i know that is excessive) searching we came upon an Israeli man who offered to give us a ride and hook us up with a place to stay. So he started making phone calls and then took us to another Israeli owned hotel where the entire staff was Israeli. It was super nice, right on the beach, with a pool and AC! We immediately went to the beach and watched the surfers all afternoon. We did the same thing the next day and also rented surfboards. Gernot got scraped up and Jenny got a concussion; but before that they both stood up, Jenny with the help of an Israeli surf instructor. Israeli mafia perhaps? We spent the nights watching the amazing sunsets and it was a perfect end to our time together. NOw Im back in San JOse and very excited to make my way to Ecuador tomorrow. Also, I am swine flu free, in case anyone was concerned.

Crabs and the girl who wears no clothes - 4/26/09

This morning our cabin came under attack from many many crabs. Once a year they make a mass migration from the jungles and mountains all the way down to the ocean to lay their eggs. They came in droves by the hundreds. Most are quite large and very blue. Under my bed there happens to be a hole in the wall, connected to the bodega, which happens to be just large enough for the crabs to crawl through. At around 6 am, 3 crabs made their way through the hole and as they walked across the tile thier loud shuffling noises woke me up out of a dead, benedryl-induced sleep. At first I was only nervous, but then they climbed up my pack which was vulnerably laid open. I thought they might climb onto my bed while i was stuck in my mosquito net and I freaked out and went running out of the cabin screaming in my underwear. Eventually Roel and Vanessa came to the rescue and slapshot them out of the cabin with brooms. Finally i settled back into bed and right after the paranoia subsided and I was about to fall asleep I heard shuffle shuffle. More crabs! We repeated the process and blocked up the hole under my bed. Oh the drama. Also, new people arrived today. One girl in particular seems to be a bit out of place. She came attired in giant plastic playboy earings, a mini shirt that did not cover the bottom of her bra, and a skirt that did not cover her bum. I´m not exactly sure what she was thinking when she packed her bag, but the guides certainly enjoy it.

The guides need some guidance - 4/22/09

The rains have started and apparantly I have no reason to believe they will be ending soon. It adds an interesting dynamic to the walks, especially when the waves start crashing above my waist while walking with 100 turtle eggs. All you can do is laugh because it really is ridiculous. The other night a few of us girls went to the guide Culebra´s house for lunch. It was really good, especially considering the alternative was barf smelling/tasting soup at the camp. However, most of us are quite sure his alternative intentions were to spend more time with Kira, one of the volunteers, to whom he has confessed his undying love. Call me a skeptic, but I´m not sure it´s true love. I´m pretty sure Kira feels the same way. I had a similar problem with one of the guides named Hernan whose favorite activities include smoking marijuana and hitting on the female volunteers. This isn´t an observation; he will tell you himself. I had to tell him, during our second conversation, one day after we had met, that we were only going to be friends. He then mumbled something about me not knowing spanish, told me not to tell anyone about the conversation, and promptly left. I´m pretty sure he then told the entire island that I was a lesbian which is why I would not accept his advances; which, quite frankly, is fine by me.

Best day ever - 4/16/09

A few days ago we had an amazing beach day. Right in front of the camp there was an normous snadbar that went out really far. We stayed out there all day. Vanessa came running out into the water towards us but before the snad bar there was a large dip in the floor. Just as Morgan and I yelled to her ¨watch out for the...¨Vanessa fell face forward in a complete state of shock and utter confusion. I´ve never laughed so hard. We´ve been working on building a new part of the hatchery because the nests are coming in so fast we are running out of room. This consists of digging a pit of about 3-4 feet deep and then refilling the pit with sand that is closer to the water because that sand has been cleaned by the sea water. It´s about zero amounts of fun carrying sandbags back and forth in the blazing sun, especially when your back in sun burnt. HOWEVER, we finished that today which is amazing because I seriously don´t think I could carry another sandbag if I tried. My sandfly bites have reached an all time awful point. I look like a I have the bubonic plague and new volunteers look at our legs in terror wondering, ¨will that happen to me?¨ Yes, yes it will. I´m so itchy I´ve been waking up my cabin mates with late night scratching fits. But I´m not the only one; pretty much everyone´s legs look vile and nothing heals because of the humidity, so I don´t feel like a complete weirdo.

If I ate a turtle egg - 4/9/09

Yesterday we were talking about eating eggs and someone made a joke about eating turtle eggs (big no-no) and how well that would go over with la Tortuga Feliz. This led to a comment that we would turn into turtles which soon brought us to a conversation about impressions of turtles when they are laying their eggs. When turtles are preparing their nests they have to furiously flap their flippers to find the perfect spot. During this process they are making these groaning/huffing sounds followed by enormous sighs. I know I should probably be amazed by the whole egg laying process but I generally find myself bursting our laughing because these noises just shouldn't be coming out of gentle turtles. Anyways, the turtle impressions left me doubled over laughing. This week is Semana Santa and during this week the families and friends of the people who live on the island (mostly poachers) come out in full force. During the walks the poachers and their entire families are everywhere, making it nearly impossible to collect nests and kind of ruins the calm atmosphere of the walks. It's also really uncomfortable watching a turtle be accosted by 10 people at a time. The problem is, there is a law of nonconfrontation between volunteers and poachers to avoid violence or problems so when we see a poached turtle we look the other way and vice versa. Even though poaching is illegal (punishable up to 2 years in jail) nothing ever happens. It's both good and bad.

Funny and fun - 4/8/09

Last night my friends Brett, Vanessa, and I sat around sharing stories and I don't think I could have laughed more; it felt good like I finally found a group of people that will understand me like my friends at home. The volunteer coordinator, Daniela (very German) fueled the laughter by swearing up a storm about falling on the kitchen step-up which has boards that are too far apart. Later a full out dance party commenced in the kitchen with an abundance of candy, techno at a medium volume (crappy speakers), flashing head lamps, and of course stellar dance moves. You get creative when there's not much else to do.

She has arrived - 4/5/09

So the turtle project is on a nearly deserted island, on the caribbean coast of Costa Rica. To get there I first drove through a banana plantation and then got on a boat to cruise through a river surrounded by intense plants. Just on the boat ride in we saw howler monkeys and caiman; very cool! The project itself is pretty cool and has an interesting dynamic. The problem of egg poaching has existed for years; the eggs have been collected by the Ticos (Costa Ricans) for years and are apparently not only really delicious but also an aphrodisiac. They can be sold on the black market for about a dollar an egg which doesn't seem like a lot but in each nest there is anywhere from 60 to 100+ eggs so they can make some money off of it. The way the project works is volunteers go out with guides who are ex-poachers but trained to collect the eggs properly and spot turtles. Some of them have been poaching for their entire lives but the consistent work is a real incentive, and some feel the moral responsibility, but mostly it's just the money. So between 8 pm and 12 am a shift goes out every hour for four hours walking up and down the beach looking for turtles. When a turtle is spotted you go over and watch it until it lays eggs and then you collect the eggs which are brought back to a hatchery, or vivero, where they are reburied and then guarded day and night to ensure no poachers or dogs or crabs or ants get to the babies before they hatch. On my first walk on the beach we found a turtle; it was enormous (160 cm shell). It was shocking; I had no idea turtles could actually get so big and I actually was at a loss for words when I got up close. My guide, CJ who was sixteen and had been poaching since he was 9 before he was working at the project, was so great and explained everything really well. He also told me that "los juevos son muy ricos" with a big smirk. The walks are a little weird because you can't use a flashlight and it is pitch black out with the exception of the stars and the moon; the light confuses the turtles and makes them think they are seeing the waves on the land and they won't come out of the sea. At the end my legs and knees were killing me; not so used to walking on sand for four hours. Because the shifts are sometimes super late at night, or rather early in the morning, the sleeping schedule is nuts and requires many naps in the hammocks. The food is petty terrible consisting of gallo pinto or bread in the morning, barf soup for lunch, and either rice or pasta for dinner - lack of protein and an overabundance of carbs, awesome. The people are all really great and I'm actually leaving the same day as two girls, Vanessa and Morgan, and we may travel together afterward which will be nice. Thus far, I couldn't be happier with my decision to come here!