Mystified in Myanmar

Upon entering Myanmar I knew that something drew me there, but I wasn't entirely sure what that something was. I came willing and ready, while I left inspired and full of wonder. From stepping off the bus (lucky for us it was organized from the airport... and free) I was immediately impressed by the people of the wonderful nation formally known as Burma. 

On the flight I met a European couple who, initially, decided to check out my hotel with me. Before any major decisions were made we decided it was crucial to feed ourselves. Upon sitting down at a street stall we had no idea how or what to order or how to communicate anything. It turns out English is a bit harder to find in a country that has only been officially open for tourism a few years. Lucky for us we sat next to a self-taught-English-speaking taxi cab driver who ordered us delicious food (we never found out what exactly) and turned out to be our saving grace in organizing our afternoon. Over lunch the couple convinced me to hop a 4 a.m. train to a less touched area of Myanamar where trekking and adventure awaited. I quickly cancelled my hotel reservations on the other end of town and jumped in with them and our new cab driver friend to buy a ticket at the train station and to find a nearby hotel for a few hours of sleep before boarding my first train ride ever. He even escorted us in buying our tickets and made sure we had satisfactory seats. What hospitality!

In the few hours of the evening wandering Mandalay I could tell this was country unlike anywhere else I had been. The men walk the streets wearing skirt/tube like garb called longyi or paso, while chewing betel leaves and tobacco leaving their mouths a blood red. Street lights are non-existent. Every meal is served with green tea made in the nearby villiages. Tourists can only enter certain parts of temples. You are always asked "Where are you going?" (A cultural way of saying hello while checking to make sure you have everything you need.)

We left Mandalay short of the touristic experience, but full of delicious Burmese curry and coconut rice-you can imagine my satisfaction. The train itself was super basic and very... Springy. It was an experiences of thirteen hours rocking the opposite direction of cars in front of you, catching a small amount of air on bumps, watching the train go backwards at a stop with your stuff on it and not knowing if it would come back, screaming goats in the back, bridges only safely taken at ten kilometers per hour, locals transporting their harvested veggies, and views and insight into the landscape that makes up beautiful Myanmar. 

I really enjoyed how ruffed and true the train was to the country. I especially liked trying to communicate with my 14 year old seat mate over tic-tac-toe and origami, until her parents seemed to suggest me taking her back to the U.S. with me.

Once we arrived in Hsipaw (the Shan district) I separated from the couple o give them their own space and bunked up with some other girls for the night before taking off on a three day trek through the mountains and villages of Northern-ish Burma.

The trek itself was easily one of the most wonderful things I have done in my travels. Anyone who knows me knows I need to be active and outdoors to really be in my element-it only put a cherry on the experience to be with fantastic people and a well educated and willing to share guide through some rural villiages. The trek through the farmlands, hills, and mountians was broken up by stops for locally grown green tea, visits to school and monestaries, and heaping amounts of rice and traditional Burmese dishes. As I mentioned before a highlight was our guide: Aso. Aso studies economics in the university and worked abroad for many years to put his siblings through school before marrying his high school sweetheart and settling in Hsipaw. His knowledge of the history and development of the region was such a treat. He made sure we spread out our food money and accommodations to help distribute wealth and he was very open about sharing about the "dark era" and his hopes and aspirations for future generations as Myanmar gets itself on its feet politically. I learned so much from him and was only inspired to learn more as my travels continue.

We ended our three days in the countryside trek at the "hot springs"  for me a much needed rinse of the feet and explored the quiet town of Hsipaw before the three Americans (for lack of a better word in the English dictionary) took off for the historical site of Bagan. We only made the bus out thanks to a local man on a motorcycle who came up to us asking "Where are you going?" and pointing out to us we had passed the bus station by a long shot and allowing me to jump on his moto in the opposite direction to make sure one of us was there to hold the bus on our less than timely arrival. The generosity of this man and so many others... Wow! He wouldn't even let us give him money or food in thanks.

Arriving to Bagan at five in the morning we managed to reserve accommodations and set out to explore the thousands of temples on e-bikes. Something Myanmar has an edge up on is promoting environmentally sustainable tourism- like electirical motorcycles (that don't always maintain a charge, but add to the adventure.) We were able to explore some of the best temples and do some more yoga pictures on the motos before we ran out of steam for the day and headed back to New Bagan for the evening.

                        

Being the sunset and sunrise chaser I am, I didn't rest long and to a pagota on the river and watched the sunset while watching a local man paint.

The next day we awoke beside dawn to watch the sunrise and the release of the hot air balloons and over the temples. This is just as beautiful as all the pictures in all the magazines make it seem. The light and glow at that hour is unreal over all the historical structures. 

After the sunrise Olivia, from Wisconsin, and I set out in search of a view people on our trek told us about...and only found a pool with overpriced coffee. Yet, in the process we were able to find the first restaurant that opened in Bagan, where Olivia's parents had eaten at in thier short and limited visit to Burma 30 years prior. 

After our failed expedition we visited a few more temples and headed back to the hostel before our bike batteries failed us again (we didn't quite make it, but luckily they can seat two for a short while.) Afterwards, I ended up going by foot in search for that man from the sunset and his painting and was again blown away by the kindness of strangers here. I sat with him and another man selling paintings for an hour or so asking them questions about the Buddhism, history, and politics represented in the paintings. They were more than willing to share and also very hopeful for change and a brighter future within the growing Democratic Party. After I ended up buying a painting from each of them (I'm a sucker for a story behind a trinket) they treated me to a sugar cane juice and more conversation. This little spot by the river quickly became my favorite place in Bagan. I returned there the next day and took the local boat across the river to watch the sunrise with Olivia for a different and more local perspective before jumping on a bus to Inle Lake.

I had been told that Inle Lake was where the true Burmese lake culture was preserved. This is true and false in a number of regards. I was able to share a boat ride for the day on the lake with two German girls. We hired a female guide, interested in getting that perspective on things which for me wasn't as rich due to my trekking experience, but she was informed on the area and very helpful. In the end Inle was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing the fishermen in their unique tension based fishing strategies spread out across the lake, as well as the homes and gardens that are floating on or above the lake. The tour itself was insightful into the industries from the region such as: silvering jewelry making, cigar rolling, boat making,

and different types of materials in weaving, but it was also clearly modeled to try and sell us tourist priced goods. There is always a fine line between educating, displaying, and selling and they are walking on it with binoculars backwards (monocular vision-for you outdoor ed friends.) They didn't push it on us too much but it seemed established for a purpose. 

After such a touristic experience  (yes, I understand I am a tourist) I decided to spend my last day (after another over night bus ride) in Yangon on a more local level. I wandered Yangon and sat down at a number of street vendors and chatted with locals to our best ability. The most interesting of which was a man who had a tattoo of a peacock-the nationals bird and symbol for democracy. He got the tattoo after spending five years in jail after being a part of the 1988 demonstration for democracy. He was very open and kind, but he was also very injured by his own government wearing false teeth and not being able to see out of one eye due to all the interrogation he suffered through. Despite all this he insisted on buying my thirty cent breakfast because as he said: "Myanmar are friends." Throughout the day other locals continued greeting me with a smile and sharing as much conversation as we could (I've nailed three phrases in Burmese), and even guiding me to the train station to take a loop around the outskirts of Yangon.

Overall Myanmar is a beautiful country with intense history. I haven't even touched the surfaces of fully understanding it. What I do know and fully understand is that the people here have huge hearts and are compassionate and inspiring. I feel very blessed having had a short experience with such amazing people and only hope that growth continues in a positive way for their futures. This country stole a piece of my heart.

                          

Chang and Cambodia

Thailand is to smiles, as Cambodia is to laughter. I have never had so many innocent giggles shared with locals trying to earn a living as I have in Cambodia.

I left the North in a mission to get to Cambodia only to make a last minute decision at the bus station to get some beach time in first. Cambodia is also known as Scambodia, so when there wasn't a headache-less way to get across the border an island I had just read about in Thailand called for a visit. This is how I ended up beach bumming at Koh Chang  and sharing a bunglaw and cocktails with a girl I met in the bus. The island itself is huge! In my two days there I only had a chance to beach it, rent a kayak to the islands, get a Thai massage, and watch some AMAZING fire shows along the beach. Besides suffering from post traumatic stress disorder upon discovering that I was dinner for a lot of bed bugs in one of the bungalows, Koh Chang deserves a big thumb up.

From those (mostly) refreshing days I headed to the beaches of Cambodia. When I had thought of Cambodia prior to my trip I never imagined such beautiful sandy beaches. Again, I met another solo female traveler and we opted to split a room on the river tucked behind the beach. The two of us stuck together like glue for a few days; reading and eating fruit on the beach topped with an island/snorkel tour for a day. The beach we stayed at was Otres 2. It was a more mellow beach that still had access to the more frequented beach restaurants a sandy walk away-perfect for vacation from travel.

From Otres we headed to the little town of Kampot located on a river and well known for its sunsets and cusine. My roommate, Kristin, stayed with me for one night before she headed back to a big music show on one of the islands. Since Cambodia (unlike Thailand) drives on the right side of the road I decided to do as most do in SE Asia and tour the country side with a motor bike. I convinced a couple I met at breakfast to tag along with me in search of some scenery and salt. We found just that, with some rock-formation-mountain-things off of a dirt road before they parted ways and I found some fresh and far-too-small crabs and coconut water to enjoy along the beach a few kilometers from Kampot. In route to home I stumbled (more accurately-rolled) into some salt fields where the famous French Kampot Salt is cultivated. It was pretty extraordinary to see how expansive the system was for a normal household item.

That evening I hoped on a river cruise to watch not only the sunset, but also fireflies. For those of you following any social media of mine you know that this is where my nostalgia for the Eastern Shore really set in. Crabs, sun setting over water, nighttime fishermen like you read about in The Lord's Oysters, and the mating dance of fireflies. Although the day and experience was amazing, I have to say that the Eastern Shore takes the cake in all of those categories. 

From Kampot I headed to the history. Prior to heading up to Phenom Penh I read a book and watched a movie on the killing fields. It was really useful to have more knowledge of the emotional trauma  endured before heading to the sites where it all started. A little background knowledge is good here, because I know the genocide of Cambodia was not something I ever studied in school:

After some of the bombing in the war in Vietnam rolled over the borders of Cambodia a gourilla group called the Khmer Rougue was able to make their way into power in the vounerable country. The Khmer Rouge was exenophibic and exeterminated any and all educated people and their families to avoid any internal resistance. The rest were sent to work in the fields with little food and care. In the events that passed over the three years of the regime over 1/4 of the population of Cambodia was killed. It is something one can still see today, with nearly 40% of ther Khmer (Cambodian) pollution under the age of 16. Perhaps while they are so giggly in the land of eternal youth. 

The capital Phenomn Pehn is were they play tribute to the events of the past at the S21 Prision and the Killing Fields, where if they weren't harshly imprissoned they were taken and slaughtered in the thousands. As hard and as heavy that this was to take in- it gives me a little hope because on a global scale such tributes are raising awareness and hopefully will empower future generations to be less naive to what happens behind closed borders.

                       

Needlesstosay, I was very thankful to have a friend from Nature's Classroom now living in Phenom Penh to fall back onto after feeling so vounerable from the day on top of nearly getting extremely sucked into a huge scam running out of the capital. I found my happy place with Ox after some good street food and playing soccer under the bridge with some lively locals.

I left that bloody history behind to go further back in time and explore the famous ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in Siem Riep. I stayed at a wonderful hostel that allowed me to book a sunrise tour with other solo travelers. This was great for picture sharing and hanging someone to admire the master piece with. Ankor Wat was a city, but is really famous for a number of temples. We did the small circuit to the most famous and, in my uneducated opinion, most extrodinary structures. The stones used to construct these masterpieces are meticulously stacked on each other and elaborately decorated with all sorts of  designs, people, sceneries, faces, and animals. The details were far more impressive than I could begin recognize. My favorite part of the temples that we saw were the massive trees that have started to dominate some of the temples. There some trees that reminded me of the redwoods in California (because of their size) just weaving roots between the walls and bricks of the old buildings. After the destruction that some of the areas suffered in the Khmer Rouge regime this was a very redeaming feature to see.

                     

I ended up going back by bike the next day for sunset to see more of the detail. I It was a great way to end a day of finding a yoga class at a spa that allows you to hang out in their saltwater pools. Life is sure rough out here.

Clearly, I loving my trip so far, but ironically enough I am finding  my excitement about Latin America continuing to grow. Some of the best people I have met and shared time with have been from the lower Americas. Their attitude and enthusiasm is making me excited to explore that part of the world more. To start traveling is like entering a ring of infinity... There is no getting it out of your system once you start.

                       

     

Ellies and Elevated Tribes

I think that most people can say that the sight of an elephant is a wondrous site- and boy do I agree! My main purpose for picking Thailand as a destination for this holiday was to spend some time with elephants in the land of elephants. Their beer, cities and even a few islands are named after this wondrous creature. Unfortunately due to everyone's fascination, many elephants have been moved from their already abused lives in logging camps to elephant trekking "villages" or camps. In these areas people pay a minimal fee to get the chance ride elephants-which I admit seems like a neat idea, but is quite obviously no form of fun for the elephants. As I was riding my bike around Pai I rode by a few elephant camps and even passed an elephant touring some people around the road. My initial thought was "Neat! Not a traffic jam, but an elephant jam!" Until I got closer and could see the look on the poor creature's eye. This elephant carrying the weight of a massive stool and two people on it looked as if the life had been sucked out of it.

This broke my heart, but made me optimistic for my future endeavor at Burm and Emily's Elephant Sanctuary in the mountains tucked behind the village of Mae Chaem. Emily and Burm personally picked me and two other girls up (they ended up going home quickly after not enjoying the other adopted critters and rustic nature of the place) to make the drive out there. On our way out there we drove around Doi Inthanon (the tallest mountain in Thailand) and through the accompanying national park for a pit stop at the biggest and most beautiful waterfall I have seen yet! 

Once we arrived at the Elephant sanctuary we got a quick info session on safety and intro into mahout's customs before we headed to welcome the elephants back from wandering in the forest. The four retired Elepahants and the Mama and Baby elephants in rehabilitation spend their days wandering through the greens of the forest, doing what Elephants do best- eating. They normally travel in pairs with their best friend and they are followed by elephant trainers called mahouts. The mahouts, both Thai and Burmese, are there to make sure the ellies don't go into farms or knock down too large of trees, they act as guides and shadows.

Let me just say that seeing the Elephant's up close and feeding them was amazing! I was in awe of their size and grace. Everything about them was quite mind blowing. I mean I know I am a wee person, but WOW they are biggins in every way! I was also overjoyed to see these elephants had a twinkle in their eye that wasn't there with the elephants I passed on the road. One can easily see that elephants are emotional animals. Especially these ones that had seen and experienced some pretty harsh things before the were relocated to BEES, and now were given a chance at living more freely. I could tell that the forest life was suiting them well.

In my four night stay with BEES we spent two days alone just wandering with the elephants. When we would spot them we would just sit and watch. I would take pictures and ask all the questions that came to mind, while Emily, Burm and the intern(s) told other elephant stories. In my time I observed that elephants really like to eat all sorts of trees, and baby Elephants like to chase humans around tree roots to see if they want to play (true story and sooo much laughter.)

The wandering alone was great because I felt like I was on a field group at Nature's Classroom just watching elephants, spotting any sort of living thing, and checking out the neat tricks of the local fauna. I really couldn't have asked for a a better experience with the Elephants and mountainous region of Northern Thailand.

Something that I really like about BEES is their support for animals which is met  equally with their support for the local cummunity. The mahouts are not only given a full time job, but also a house and supplemental food on top of their salaray.

They also really focus on giving to the local youth with a mid-week children's day normally focused on teaching English. Despite my love for teaching I was happy that I got to experience a very unique children's day. We hopped into the back of a pickup truck lined with pillows, blankets, and food to head to a hill tribe village to help distribute some donations. The drive out there was absolute increadable! We were literally weaving through the mountains I had been admiring from Pai Canyon. They were so endless and grew more dense and greener as we climbed further and further. The people who saw us western folk in the truck craned their necks watching us and just kept staring. We are pretty sure that they had seen less than a handful of cacasion people in their villiages- so we were seeing the authentic them. Once arriving we had to wait for the kids to get out of school so we followed some locals and Monks to go fishing and explore their very deep cave. Emily, who has lived in Thailand for three years, even said "This is a story to tell! Blindly following monks into the forest!" 

It was totally my type of adventure. We left some people below with their intriguing fishing techniques while the rest of us hiked up the hill to a very dark and very deep cave. I could have been in Lord of the Rings with how endless the cave felt. We admired some carvings in the wall, stalagmites, stalagetites, and some bat dwellings. When I was trying to take a picture I got very excited as a bat started creeping out of hiding to the warm light, and even more excited and spooked when it flew out at my head.

                                 

As we explored deeper and deeper into the cave it got harder and harder to breathe with oxygen levels going down so we headed back and distributed the donations. The women and kids were very excited about the tins of sweets we were offering, yet I still preferred the cave exploration. The ride home was amazing to reflect on how big of a world we live in. Even being from big sky country I think I saw more stars than I have ever seen before.

As you can tell reading this I had a great time with the elephants, I wore I smile day in and day out. These elepahnts  need a the love they can get. If anyone is traveling to Thailand look them (BEES) up, and try NOT to ride and elephant. It may turn into the best adventure of your trip and worth every pretty penny. 

The Land of Smiles: BKK to the North

Asia has been enchanting me since I started day dreaming about the world. Why you may ask?

+ I have had a Buddhist prayer hanging in my room for nearly a decade always wanting to know what it said and more importantly what it meant. Learning about Hinduism, Taoism, and other Eastern religions and history only spiked my interest more. 

+I've got this thing for colors. Cultures of colors draw me in.

+ Native wildlife! Elephanta being the one of the only animals-next to humans- that can show compassion threw me into a love for the enormous animal.

As an experiential leaner I had to jump at the opportunity to cultivate the knowledge and experiences this holiday had to offer.

Upon arriving in Bangkok I was instantly reminded of past travels in Latin America: the smells, the layout, the colors... Only this time I didn't know what the signs said nor what the vendors were saying. After a short explorative run/walk outside my hostel I packed my gear onto my back to explore the temples via river boats with some Thai girls who had worked with my friend Clarence. I couldn't have asked for a better day on no sleep in such a culturally rich part of the country. Lily and Mae guided me to Wat Pho (the home of the large reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (known as the temple reaching to the sky), and a local flower market. The temples themselves were architectural and decorative feats in extremely unique ways. Beautiful and so meaningful for the Monks and Thais who were also getting just as many photo ops of the temples. Yet, what I enjoyed most was lunch and dinner. Being with two locals we found local food stands without a word in English and they ordered me what seemed good. We all shared a variety of noodle, curry, and veggie dishes. The most interesting of this was one dolloped with some brown-ish cubes that are apparently chicken butt....

My second day I was out on the metro trying to find things around the city with my guidebook as companion. After a few other Buddhist exhibitions and meeting up with Lily, we stumbled upon a parade laced with all sorts of Thai dancers outfitted in a variety of tradition dress. Although we didn't stay for the whole parade, we wove through all the groups and captured the moments prior to their smiles exhausting in the extensive crowds of other tourists lining the street

That was a perfect end to my city experience before I headed on an overnight train ride to the North.

The North is more my kind of place. The mountains, trees, and rivers stretch near and far. My first stop was the little town of Pai- nestled right along a river in a valley of mountains. Pai is well known as a little hippie town full of foreigners on motor bikes, with beer and booze flowing, and night markets with all sorts of tasty treats until the wee hours of the morning. For me it was a place to nail my handstands in yoga with a eccentric Thai Hindu, rent a bicyicle, chase sunrises, and drink an unreasonable amount of tea.

My mornings all started with a beautiful sunrise. The first of which I headed up to Wat Phra That Mae Yen- a white Buddha in the middle of the mountain. My walk up there was a bit unnerving with overhearing what I can only hope as tourist police reprimanding some English speaking man and dogs chasing me for a good 500 meters. Upon arrival I was releaved and pleased to stand alone with such an iconic symbol on a hill, only to be joined by a handful of his faithful followers all the way from Bangkok. The monks prayed and blessed the temple with me looking on. After the sun rose over the valley we all descended around the same time and they were taking photos of me. Just as I had some of them atop the temple. Deciding that their photo taking meant I could talk to them I asked them for some portraits and they even joined me in some together- very careful my to touch the lone woman, a really humbling experience for someone like me who is still star struck by any monk walking down the street.

My other mornings were spent watching the sunrise alone from the yoga studio overlooking a mini pond and big peaks and on the back of a motor bike admiring the sun with a newly made friend above waterfalls in the farm fields.

My days were spent on the back of my rented bicycle. I rode the hills by depressing elephant riding camps, past the memorial bridge built after the conflicts between Burma and Thailand, to Pai Canyon where red and white rocks trail out for a beautiful view of the ranges surrounding Pai. With my bike as my vehicle I enjoyed tea overlooking gardens and mountains, to a strawberry farm, ending at a hot springs with some British friends whom had never experienced such a wonder.

Pai was a refreshing place place to be- and somewhere I could have spent much longer having great Chai and coconut milk with the wonderful  people I met. Yet, I had to head to the city of Chang Mai as an outlet for my next travels. Chang Mai is a city full of temples- rumored to be over 300 in the old city inside the moat. I spent a few days chasing sunrises and visiting all the temples appearing at random entrances along all the streets. My favorite of these was Wat (if you haven't caught on, wat means temple) Phra That Doi Sutep- which basically translates to the temple on the hill. I convinced an Irish girl to join me at sunrise and it was the best time to go! The temple was lit in the darkness while the sun rose overlooking the city. Pretty fantastical- despite the shallow layer of smog. 

The north has treated me well and still have more to share about my experience in the jungle with some giant beasts, but that is another blog post entirely!

It is where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are.

-Joyce Carol Oats

Adirondacks At My Back

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived"

Henry David Thoreau, Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

Named after the Algonquian work for tree eater the Adirondacks are worthy of any tree-esk name you give them. Although Adirondack was originally introduced as a derogatory term describing the indigenous of the area, it is quite fitting for the land where wild eatables line the trails and captivate the children's curiosity.  I have been consistently learning about the new ecosystems and local plants all round me, as well as a little taste of the history of the area. Despite all this new learning, the breath-taking beauty of fall's variety of COLORS that the foliage offers takes the cake for my upstate New York experience. I found myself on a daily basis picking up leaves or vibrant colors-trying to find the one that I could call my favorite. What my students learned to recognize in the searches I sent them on for my favorite leaf is that all the colors are AMAZING and their is beauty in every shade, even if they struggled to find my absolute favorite.

To give you a little insight, I picked the site on the shores of Lake George with the Adirondacks in my backdoor not only for the fall colors, but also to get some slope back in my life and a chance to explore the hills with kids at my heels. What has been best about my experience here is the look of the kids' faces when you mange to rangle them 1,000 or so feet above the lake for an expansive view. Nothing has worked better to brighten a kid's impression of and outdoor experiences and hiking. Nothing. With little restrictions and boundaries all adventure was possible and the little ones took that chance and ran with it-quite literally. More than any other season I found the kids' enthusiasm and energy rejuvenating and keeping me coming back for more.

Beyond my experience with the kids getting active in life outdoors I have been able to explore the area a bit. One of our first weekends we spent on a whitewater raft adventure on the Hudson. Being by the water as the leaves were starting to reach peak was so refreshing and needless to say BEAUTIFUL! Another weekend was spent hiking to a "high" peak in the Adirondacks for a "360" view when we really got a nice jaunt into the rain clouds. It seems that every time I hike for a view I find the clouds... it was still great and quite an adventure. The rest of my weekends and free time very fairly nomadic visiting the Nature's Classroom homesite, friends around the North East, Maryland, and North Carolina (I know that doesn't fit), and just getting to know the overall vibe that New England has to offer.My last adventure in the Adirondacks was spent staying a few nights in a yurt and summiting Buck Mountain-located on the other side of the lake- where I got to see one of the best views of the expansive range and why there is some sort of magic here that brings in some good people.

I have also found that I still crave a stable community. There are eleven of my coworkers here and on a weekly basis we may have as few as six to as many as 18 coming and going from other sites. A few really great and inspiring people, but here was no consistency of homes to visit or dinners to be made. Lucky for me, it allowed me to visit the people in the Echo Hill community that now call the north country home. I found in my last weeks in the great North I was traveling a few hours to visit some lifelong Hillian friends to go wander around farm, trick o' treating, thrift store shopping, or a good ol' Rockfish fest. My nomadic fall may not reflect where I am in my life's adventures. Interestingly enough, a friend keeps telling me that every time he sees me I am getting closer and closer to settling and not living my life on three month contracts... I have a few adventures and things to check off my bucket list before I get ahead of myself on that one. But as I do live by my bucket list, my fall in the North East can now be checked off.
It is important to reflect that I feel intensely satisfied. After this fall I can easily say that I am living my life, and living it how I want to be. No matter how obnoxious it can be constantly on the prowl for new opportunities or how much I may stress out my family, I couldn't ask for much more. I wear a smile on my face daily from the amazing experiences I have had, inspirational people I have met and call friends, and the drop dead gorgeous places I not only see-but work and live.

The soul of Santo Domingo

"Happiness, when it comes, is stronger than all the jerk girls in Santo Domingo combined."
-- Junot Diaz The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

I can't say I experienced any of those "jerk girls" while in Santo Domingo, but I can defiantly see them easy to come by with the attitude Dominicans carry about them. What I can tell you is that I experienced can be defined as strong feeling known as  happiness. I had moments in the last few months of my life in which I felt so utterly me a sense of "bliss" was unavoidable.  There is something about the Dominican culture and the people that make it up that give me a natural high and a sense of home. That is not to say that I didn't get overwhelmed in moments or in near locura because our local friends had taken over our house. I just felt completely content with just being. Realistically with music everywhere, smiles abundant, coconuts on every corner, and crystal blue water to dive into a sense of happiness seems unavoidable, but I am a bit biast.

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting outside the white sand beaches of the Dominican Republic it is hard to put into words the energy the place has. For those of you who have some of these words may ring a bell: interesting, loving, alive, incredible, inspiring, lively, grateful, fun, vibrant, welcoming, animated, electrifying  and HOME. These are all words posted by our participants from this summer and I couldn't agree more with every single word stated. There is a trust and a pace that is very much its own.Something about the Dominican Republic brings a new life to you- even if it is the exact opposite of the life I lead in the states.

With that said it was also quite fascinating returning to the same program for another year. I feel like I got a whole new take on it all. Having left the Dominican well versed in the social life as well as culture with and without VISIONS I had a running start going back. I not only got big welcoming hug from all the friends and family of our neighborhoods: Elio Franco and San Luis, but I also got to see a whole new side of Santo Domingo. Upon leaving last year I made a friend at the airport who taught a bilingual school in the capital. I reached out to him when I got there and spent a lot of my days off touring la cuidad with him. He was born in Santo Domingo, but was a part of a different class than I had been previously exposed to. We spent Friday nights at jazz concerts, rooftop gatherings, and museum led telescope star watching . These things would be unheard of and considered very strange to my other Dominicans counterparts. No all night discoteca gatherings with gelled hair and shiny shoes? WHAT? Not only that, no-one would be whipping out iPhones in mass quantities on Elio Franco- some motorist would be trying to make profit off of that as soon as possible. It was truly eyeopening to be a part of all the sides of the social coin that is Santo Domingo. I have to say I'll take our little bario over the city slicker any day. The colorful half-constructed buildings with laundry hanging outside and shoeless kids in the street to the tune of Romeo Santos warm my soul no matter how nice an hour in airconditioning might feel.

I think the biggest thing that kept my fire burning this summer was the family and community that I got to go back to. The friends and quite honestly family i went back to couldn't have taken care of me better. They know my love for coconut, dancing, and Dominican cuisine quite well. I smile looking back on: daily hugs and greetings from Santos, heated debates over vocabulary with Daniel, cultural lessons and guidance from Alberto, guagua tours from Santiago to get me to finally hike a mountain out there, my own coconut tree climber in San Luis, sunrise runs through the market with participants, street vocab lessons from all the neighborhood "kids", our cook guarding me a good portion of concon and rice for dinner, making homemade dishes and mango juice with Yissel, dancing and rum with Deivi and Daniel in the discoteca or the kitchen (it really doesn't matter which), learning how to make coconut oil on my last night... the list could go on....

Cheers to another great summer in the DR and all those who made it an unforgettable experience (again). A big salute to the VISIONS participants who taught me so much, to Alberto who pushed my abilities and continues to teach me daily, to my coworkers for making up a quirky team, and to the Dominican's for letting another mass of gringos into their lives. It made a difference to this one...

I once was Bay-Bound

Looking back it has been quite a while since my last blog. I could say it is because things have been so busy- definitely true, I could say because things are in a boring norm- that just makes me laugh to think about what normal and boring may be, but I think the reason my love for what I have been doing and my constant aspiration for more.
Let’s flashback….

I came back to the states with a drained bank account and quickly made my way up the East Coast from a deluxe southern style thanksgiving in North Carolina, to my car and friends in Maryland, before taking off for a winter in Montana. Some things sure were in the cards for me- a well paying job cleaning houses for the top 1% at a private ski resort in Big Sky landed on my lap. Despite my moral conflicts with the amount of waste and over consumerism- it was quite a blessing. Not only that, but I was able to have a winter in my happy place; full of family visits, microbrews, delicious “family” dinners, cross country skiing adventures, cabin outings, dips in the boiling river and a whole lot of snowy wonderland.

Yet, with a mundane job I was more than anxious to head back to Echo Hill as Spring Break approached. My family and I visited my grandparents in Vegas and explored some of the areas natural beauty (Hoover Dam, the red rocks, and Lake Meade) while being quickly deterred by the crowds and party that attract many people to that area. It was quite entertaining to see how much we were alike in our instant claustrophobia in the madness of the downtown area.

Needless to say, touching ground on the Eastern Shore was just what the doctor ordered. I had my good friend AB visiting for the week and EHOS launched into yet another Spring season. Since that week everything has gone by in a flash. It is easy to say that this season has been the most stretching of any season at EHOS. From bugs taking over our dorms…to being understaffed…and hosting overly rebellious, kids… we have had quite the ride. I can’t even begin to touch on the dedication and determination that our core staff has showed to pull off quite a season. To put it simply: All of us now have the tools and experience to answer any interview question or curveball thrown at us.  Believe me I know this from experience. I have really enjoyed it despite the craziness. I got to (as they say) wear a lot of new hats, expand my ability to problems solve, and really hone in on my teaching style. Mostly, I enjoyed and fed off the energy of the kids.  What we do is quite magical-that is evident on the smiles, enthusiasm, and mud on the kids as the come and go.

Beyond the job I have been able to explore the Maryland area more and more. Some of us have done our best to get out and about while also enjoying some local shenanigans. Highlights:

-A double birthday bash with transportation provided by the school minibus.
-Including Kale in nearly everything prepared.
-A day in Baltimore exploring the pier and finding a random pirate festival.
-Training our directors’ dog in bird hunting a.k.a. drinking beer in the field.
-Fish fries and potlucks.
-Kayaking men literally washing ashore our beach.

-Surprise storms causing flying tents on Assateague- the Atlantic island with wild ponies.
-30 miles biking broken up by a ten-mile race and giving historical tours or Chestertown and it’s tea party festivities, ending with a dip in the bay...our own triathlon of sorts.
-A bucket of tatter tots and meeting up with people from my summer with MyFight and my first closest friends from my first seasons at EHOS in the DC area.
-A ridiculously cheap fruit market in the middle of PA.
-Girls weekend to Philly with a localhome-base,  international food tastings, recycled mosaic art museums, home cooked meals, and friends from all stages of our lives.
-First Canoe trip of the Summer season on the Chester River with a member of my original EHOS crew...Complete with violent overnight thunder storms that made for an amazing and intimidating light show in my tent (sound effects and all), mulberry trees, early morning swims, and sunset canoes.

With all the madness and adventures, I have also come to realize that despite my love for the Bay area and the lush forests and swamps, the mid-Atlantic isn’t a place for my to be stagnant. After a number of applications and interviews I have decided to head up to New England for another seasonal position this fall. Something about the colors of the leaves, the Appalachian route, and maple syrup is calling me. I am not sure which state I will be exactly- but I will still be hanging out with kids outside, getting muddy and learning lots!
Regardless, I owe a big salute to the bay and all that it has ignited within me:

I'm bay-bound, where the rivers meet the sea

Bay-bound, mixing the salt and sweet

Bay-bound, I was only gonna dip my feet
But then I landed in the Chesapeake

By: Merit Shalom (EHOS staff) listen to the link!!

https://myspace.com/merityasmin/music/song/bay-bound-95763352-106703942?play=1





As for now,  I am rejuvenated and ready to head back to the Dominican…. I can already hear them calling: COCONAAAAAAA!