Ya tu sabes Coconaaaa me entiendo mano

As my summer with VISIONS Service Adventures comes to a close it is hard to recap the whole experience. The programs came and went in a flash, but not without totally experiencing this country and learning more about my strengths and weaknesses than I thought possible in such a short period of time. VISIONS of the DR truely has a community built behind it that makes the experience extremely enriching for both the participants and the staff. I am greeted every morning by a hug and a kiss on the cheek from out neighbor/father of our director/maestro at the work site, I can´t leave the house without hearing my name or my new adopted nickmame ¨Coco naaaaaaa,¨and the kids and staff are constanly sought out by the neighborhood kids and friends.

The Dominican Republic where:

:Sleeping and sweating is a way of life. For those who didn't know... It's HOT here and some nights with no power (thus no fan) left me in a lovely bath of my own sweat.
:Banter is the only way to have a real converstaion with someone. Dominicans have a lovely way of conflict resolution that only ends with smiles and laughter and everyone feeling stronger after a bit of verbal abuse.
:Music and dance IS the culture.
:Checkers is an itensely competative game.
:You have to proove your way as a woman..Machismo dominates. Many times I had to fight off neighborhood boys to tote things around. 
:Fresh fruit juice costs about $0.50 AND they reconize me at the window.
:Coconuts are everywhere! Trees, beaches with straws, cookies, and rice.
:I have adopted the name Coconut because of my obsession with coconuts and coconut water or anything coconut flavored. Coco naaaaaaaaa is something I respond to faster than my own name. 
:A brunette is concidered a blonde. After many debates with a coworker I convinced him to call me morena instead of rubia.
:Rice cooked with Con Con at the bottom by far surpasses any other rice I have ever tasted. For those of who haven´t tried it they let the rice sit and a lot of it cooks to the bottom. This makes a hard and flavorful rice which they call ¨con con.¨ I have been told that I will be remembered as the Coco girl-Coco, con con, and Cocacola.
:The locals have a hard time drinking anything but cold water.
:Bachata and Merengue music can be heard and danced to on every street corner. Bachata is easily my new favorite dance, it has so much feeling behind it and is just plain old fun!
:People are more than willing to lend a helping hand at the drop of a hat than any other type culture I have confronted.
:It is not everywhere that you get escorted to the dentist by their son and treated with family homemade juice while waiting.
:Last minute decissions to go out dancing or to travel to the North Coast are unbeatable. Especially when you pull up to the beach at sunrise.

:Outdoor Salsa festivals happen every Sunday. Their is so much spirit and pride behind the celebration that it just hooks you to the Dominican culture right then and there.
:Living, working, and playing with the same people everyday really builds a tight and understanding community.

:The locals serve Coca-Cola for guests... No matter what hour of the day. Numerous mornings I was visits people and they sent people to the store to buy a good ol' Coke to share with me and my buddies.

:If you run... You run to win. I have had numerous people extremely confused my my love for running and fun dress up races, yet my lack of metals to show for it.  

:Bucket flushes and bucket showers are your best bet for maintaining a clean toilet bowl and body.

:Street light, thus power, in houses comes and goes on and off on an hourly. 

:Plantains and or yucca accompany most every authentic food. The average family of five can survive on about $7.50 USD a day.
 

As I wrap up VISIONS and head for vacation in this country. I am more than thankful for a real peak into the Dominican world... Now off to see how the tourist see it!

Un chin chin... Dominican Republic

After looking forward to this trip/job for months it hasn't let me down yet. For those of you who don't know I am working for a program called VISIONS Service Adventures. The company itself has handfuls of different sites around the world for teens to sign up for and volunteer with the locals. It is something I would have done in a hearbeat as a kid and now I am getting paid to be here.

The trip itself started with a weekend adventure to Boston and training the Conniticut for six of our sites. Although training was a challenge for me, sitting the WHOLE day learning the things I know will come in handy, it was great to connect with people who have very similar stories and even more similar interests. Hearing all the cool things people have been doing really got me thinking ahout other future opportunites.With that said it sounded like one of the jobs that those people returning enjoyed most and found most rewarding was VISIONS. The photo blew is all of us before boarding our flights or taking a few days if rest bride it all gets started.

Upon departure I knew someting was different. I exeperienced the luxery and strange feeling of traveling  with people. I met a few of my new coworkers, Sarah and Chris, at training in CT and we took off together for the DR for  our first week consisting of set up and preparation. Having training so spaced out made us all a llittle anxious to get there. We flew late at night and were greeted by our director Alberto, our carpenter Santos (Alberto's father), and our support staff Juan de Dios. At first I was a little antsy, I haven't spoken Spanish since I left Guatemala almost a year ago and many people we met at training are extremely fluent. But that aniety went away when they brought out the fresh pineapple, banana, and melons. Something about fresh fuit can really make you feel at home. Furthermore the fact that I was understanding the conversations we were having quickly killed the anxiety I was having on the plane surrounded by a whole new accent and a whole new vocabulary... Even as a write this I am trying to write in Spanglish.

Our first day in the Dominican started off slow and relaxed. We were greeted with fresh fruit and eggs while sitting outside in our new neighborhood. As we layed out plans for the week Alberto really helped us to understand the importance of VISIONS in the specific community and how it fits into their current political system. We then set out for a day of touring our new house and walking to the local market to get what we needed to make some progress the first day. After returning we were greeted by part of a big and amazing community that has been by our side ever since. There are a number of Dominican boys/men who do whatever they can to help us and the mission of VISIONS. They spent a good two hours perfecting our welcome sign for the participants and have spent many hours since moving stuff into our houses, helping with meals and overall clean up,and most importantly adding a lot of Dominican flavor and volume to everything we do. 

The people of the DR are different than the other Latin Americans that I have met in my travels. They still have the open arms and positive attitudes that I confronted in both Peru and Guatemala, but they add a big BANG to it all. By far Dominicans are the loudest, most disruptive, and easiest people to make laugh. There is never just a simple distribution of duties. It must be done with a lot if talking over one another, a lot of jokes about this and that, and loud music in the background. I say this is the most positive way because it is extremly energizing to see how everyone in the community- literally everyone- can communicate with such expression and passion and still get everything done much more creatively than any American (even my Echo Hillians) could think of.

What has been best about this first week is truly learning about the country and creating the experience for ourselves. We had a chance to relax on the beach Boca Chica for an afternoon and we have hardly eaten anything that wasn't truly Doninican in some way. With that we have really learned the bonds and divisions that exist in this country and how we are going to be playing a big part in a story much bigger than ourselves or our participants. The Dominican has a number of national problems one of witch is poverty, felt the most by the Batey communities. Bateys are Haitian immigrants who don't have citizenship in Haiti or the Dominican Republic. The Dominican constitution specifically says that all people born in the Dominican Republic are automatically Dominicans- exept for Haitans. This keeps them in a no mans zone that really increases their suffering. Now to understand why we have to go back to the 1800s in the 1840s the Dominican gained its independence for Haiti. Since then the history books have painted in Haitians as evil people. Not only that, but the Hiatians speak French, they practice Vudoo, they have different food; they are a totally different people on one island. The last thing that creates tension between the Haitan, Batey, and Dominican communities is similar to the US Immigration debate. The Haitians will come in and work here for less- theoretically taking those jobs away from the Dominicans. With all these pieces set you can see how much of a cultural rift we are seeing, and how much suffering has and does occur on a daily basis. VISIONS side by side with many other organizations that Alberto either directs or facilities have in mind sustainable solutions to hit the problem where it starts. They are investing in developing a community focused on the eduction of the children-starting in preschool. They have motivation to build schools, provide scholarships and create a productive community in which everyone can prosper. Being a part of something that has a future and a future in the people it is helping is truely a relief and a sense of accomplishment for me. I normally have conflict with volunteer and aid normally because it creates dependency, but we will, and have, put the power on the hands of those directly impacted by the community's success and be able to create a system they can prosper in under their own control. Out projects this year will be a summer camp, English classes, finishing a community center, and constructing a community garden to top off the school VISIONS started five years ago in the pueblo San Luis. 

As the last member of our team comes today we are nearly ready for participants. It will be interesting to see what sort of kids come our way and how that will impact the dynamic we have created here. But here is to what looks like a rewarding as successful summer!!

Eastern Shore Once More

There is something to be said about returning to a place you know and love. Lately, with how vagabond-esk my life has been, the feeling of returning has been a foreign concept to me. Returning to EHOS this fall was an enchanting experience.

Last fall felt like college (in a way) all over again. I crammed more knowledge than into my noggin than I thought possible. I learned all about the Chesapeake Bay, the history of this area, aquatics, survival, and much much more. I was confident in our approach to experiential education and had the fundamental facts mastered. This season has been much more enriching. The kids have really empowered me and every encounter with a new group has brought a new energy and a new way of learning. Additionally, I have been able to add an impressive amount depth to my knowledge and really apply it to my every day life- I am constantly curious to learn more from all of my coworkers and the schools that come through here. Rather than wanting to visit friends in nearby areas over the weekends I found it much more enriching to spend a day canoeing through the swamp to see what new forms of life and colors might have popped up in the glorious spring sunshine.

What has really amazed me is spring itself. Being in Montana and North Dakota spring was more of a dreary happening during which the snow turns brown and eventually the grass turns green from the melt off. The changes that happen here in Maryland are much more gradual and of course colorful. We started season with the surrounding ecosystems full of brown with little movement in and along it. As spring quickly snuck up on us there were little things sprouting everywhere. Leaves the size of my finger nail lined our swamp board walk, buds on trees were turning the tips of the red maples a fire like, and miniature animals of all shapes and sizes were making their first spring appearance. This may seem so normal to some of you, but for me this was utterly fascinating and it kept my attention consistently for three months. Every day I would see a new color catch my eye in the form of a bird, fish, bud or flower. One of my coworkers truly discovered my obsession with colors one day while we were canoeing through the swamp when my thrilled exclamations about the rainbow of colors fully exploding all over the swamp filled our afternoon  along with his girlfriends enthusiasm about any movement happening in and around the swamp . As spring developed and summer approached more and more, when I thought things were pretty set and grown for the season BOOM the lush green plants took over everything. Our adventure course was almost unrecognizable because of the wall of green blocking the view of the other side, we even woke up to a baby goat surprise!

There were also some really great excursions over the past three months. We spent one of our first weekends brewery touring in Delaware and visiting the beach in eastern Maryland. A spur of the moment weekend trip brought is to Black Water National Wildlife Refuge where we explored some more marshy areas where I got the chance to break in Sarah's new fancy car with mucky hand prints and of course see all sorts of cool creatures. Another weekend was spent camping at Maryland State park with a swamp right behind our campsite. We hiked around and explored the area only to come up with the best got it sequence of beautiful and ecosystem equaling swamp. Yes, I may be a little in love with the swamps around here which is why I also jumped on board a weekend program to take kids marsh mucking. I don't mind making a little bit of extra dough while doing something I had been voluntarily doing in the weekends past.

Yet this season we saved the best for last. Chestertown is the nearest center of population to EHOS campus. Every year they celebrate the Chestertown Tea Party on Memorial Day weekend. The weekend is kicked off with a fundraiser run for a local school. A few of my coworkers and I decided to participate. Some of us did the 5K and others of us did the 10 miler. I have to say that ten miles is the perfect distance to run at a race, and I discovered afterwards that is was much more fitting for me than I thought. I ened up placing second in my age group for the 10 miler, I have to say I wasn't prepared to hear my name called after all the race festivities because my short legs really don't give me much pace. Yet, it was really thrilling! The rest of that day was spent helping at our booth and wandering the cool local artists that had set up camp for the day. The highlight event of that Saturday was the Tea Party reenactment. It is said that when the Boston Tea Party occurred Chestertown followed suit to protect their beloved Chester River. A big part of the EHOS staffs puts together a reenactment of this event where they hold a town meeting and then march down to the river to literally throw the red coats overboard along with the boxes labeled tea. Beyond the questioning of historical relevance it was really fun to see my coworkers totally in their colonial element. The next day went by in a whirl wind. The Tea Party has an annual raft race in which you have to put together a raft and oars to race around some buoys in the Chester River. Some staff members and me got up and rolling on our raft the morning of. We attached a whole bunch of five gallon water bottles to bamboo and used lunch trays as oars with a letter of EHOS tapped to every one. They called us an optical illusion once all five of us mounted the boat. Our boat was completely submerged for the entirety of the race, yet despite Echo Hill's track record we finished the race AND didn't even come in last. We were rewarded afterwards with a can of farts and the Biggest Spectacle award- which was quite accurate since half of the race to crowd spent cheering us on to the finish line. Not too shabby of a showing for a race day construction!

Along with all the things described in the first part of this post I was most happy to be able to share this home with people who mean a lot to me. About half way through the season my parents were able to visit me, and after spending three days in DC doing the tourist thing we were all more than happy to make our way to the Eastern Shore. I think my parents understood instantly why I like it out here. It is peaceful and full of life and things to be learned around every corner. They got spoiled out here and got a ride on the Annie D up the Chester River, and, despite their initial apprehension, I got them up and down the zip line. We enjoyed some good beer, some great seafood, and the mellow pace that the Eastern Shore of Maryland is so well known for. In addition, one of my best friends from elementary school was able to make a weekend stop. Sophie came at the perfect time in which the humidity  was to intense to do much more than sit on the beach. So sit on the beach we did ALL day. It was lovely to enjoy the sunshine and the refreshing brackish water of the Chesapeake Bay and to share a place I call home with those who know me so well.

As I am leaving EHOS (for now) yet again for another adventure south of our borders I feel completely alive. I am inspired by the nature all around us and want to continue learning more. What is more I feel pretty lucky to be able to explore the various types of education that American students experience. I have seen students from inner city Baltimore public schools out here, charter schools, small private montessori schools, and everything in between. Each student walks away from here a bit stronger and with a bit more knowledge, whether that be about nature itself or more importantly themselves. It is a great opportunity to be able to provide such a positive experience for such a large range of youth who all seem to leave this place beaming. I hope to only be able to imapact others as much as this and other jobs have allowed me to do.

Worlds Biggest Pizza Road Trip

I have landed back on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the road trip here was fabulous on so many levels. My family, being the caring and loving people they are, didn't want me to make that drive alone. Although I have done it a few times under varying circumstances (once without AC or cruise control in the dead heat of summer), I was very thankful to have my friend from EHOS, Alex, to be my roadside entertainment and navigator.

Alex had never been to Montana and we had about 36 hours to give her the best quick tour ever, while finishing up some presentations and of course packing. Alex got in at noon so we went to get some good New York bagels located on the wrong side of the country, walked up and down Main, enjoyed a margarita, send her to a brewery with my friend Brad during my presentation, reconvened with a group of 12 of my friends packed around a booth at my favorite pizza spot in Bozeman (MacRiv) for a perfect send off and start to a PIZZA road trip. We topped off the night enjoying server industry night at a hoity-toity bar downtown (Plonk). If that wasn't an action packed day we squeezed in a few more things the next morning. After getting my car loaded and running a few errands we drove up Bridger Canyon show her my favorite mountain range, then pulled off to hike up to the M overlooking Bozeman. We then continued on to meet my friend Micheal for a warm/hot/cold dip in the Boiling River of Yellowstone National Park. After a frenzy of a last few days at home this was the perfect way to start off a road trip. We got a chance to enjoy the scenic beauty (and abnormal surplus of buffalo) in the park  and get our muscles good and relaxed for long hours in the car.

We got a head start on the first leg of our trip and headed to Billings for the night. It worked out quite well because we got to get dinner with my good friend Randi and my favorite sandwich shop (Staggering Ox). This place is always my favorite to show off, because they bake the break in a coffee canister and hollow it out to fill it with all sorts of goodies. The entertainment of figuring out how to eat it is enough entertainment for any one the slightest bit sleep deprived. Alex and I then continued to my sisters house where I got to give my nieces and nephew a big hug goodbye. Both of us hit a wall at this point and once the kids went to bed we took over my sisters couch for a siesta until my friend Jenn got off work. Needless to say we went to Jenn's and headed straight to bed. Jenn was my first road trip co-polit when I first joined on with MyFight so she totally understood our fatigue and our need to hit the road bright and early.

Now, as I continue to write this blog, I must explain that this trip was so new and exciting yet FULL of flashbacks of my summer(s) with MyFight. It is also going to be quite a read. Poor Alex had to hear all about it, but it was really exciting to step back to where I was a few years ago and see how much I had grown from that experience and since that experience. Additionally, it was totally worth the extra money spent on gas vs. a plane ticket because I got to see a big chunk of the people I love and care about most in this world (I did have a mid breakdown in Chicago about gas pricing-Alex dealt with me and we got through it). Lucky for Alex (at least I think so), she really got a full tour of my life and the beautiful people that are intertwined in it.

To continue: Alex and I started our trip at Harper and Madison in Billings. This place is special to me for a few reasons. When Caleb and I left for the first leg of our road trip over the summer of 2011 H&M had heard about our trip and treated us to delicious coffee and scrumptious treats. This time around as I was leaving for, yet again, a loooong drive we started there and who was working? The one and only Caleb. Caleb was gracious enough to treat us to a coffee and desserts to send us off on our drive. We then headed towards the North Dakota. It never ceased to amaze me how much the scenery changes right outside of Billings, you literally leave the city headed east and see a whole lot of nothing.... or a whole lot of miles. Thus, the theme of our trip A) Pizza and B) Worlds biggest (Those of you just reading this via the email version may want to go to my blog to see pictures). Granted there is Theodor National Park, but besides that on the drive the best parts are the Worlds Biggest Cow (Salem Sue), a ginormous eye shaped thing kicking of the enchanted highway, and of course the Worlds Biggest Buffalo in Jamestown.  Although Alex was able to point out some natural beauty that I have become so accustomed to in the drive, I still find those the best part of the flatlands. Thus, we stopped and got some quality photos at all of these and arrived to Jamestown in time to tour campus (what takes all of 5 minutes) and get me set up for another presentation to lour collegiate students into teaching English abroad. This turned out to be super rewarding, because I had contacted a few of my professors the room so they helped to insure it was full! My last events were at universities over 10x the population and I presented to a significantly smaller group of students.

What was best about this event was the of presenting to the two professors who have had the greatest impact on my education, passions, need to follow my heart and pursuit my dreams. Dr. Johnson was shocked I was public speaking in general and Connie was probably shocked that I wasn't making random thematic conclusions from my experiences. It was nice to get the reversed perspective of a student to professor and it was quite a compliment to have them attend and participate in my rants.

Entonces Jamestown is where we really began the pizza aspect of our tour. MacRiv is great, but most of the other pizzas we ate along the way were pretty unique. IDK in Jamestown knows me quite well for ordering the Mac & Cheese pizza- I know it sound bad, but you really can't go wrong with a pizza crust topped with a bit of BBQ sauce, bacon, and cheese noodles! Some of my lovely people (Thanks Bob, Bitty and Bryan) joined us for dinner and then followed up with dessert at Applebee's for dessert to visit my normal pizza partner in crime Lauryn. Bitty and Bryan hosted us for that night and after getting a window chip repaired in some man's home garage, we stopped by the new Meeting Grounds to see my boss Kristi and get a good caffeinated start to the day.

Next destination: Twin Cities for another round of pizza, but not before a stop at the Worlds Largest "Booming" Prairie Chicken and the Worlds Largest Viking. We headed straight for Punch Pizza which is a certified Neoplotin Pizza joint. My good friend, Jackie, who has lived in Italy a few times says that a glad of wine and a pizza there is like taking a step into Italy. I had nothing of realistic value to compare that to, but I can say that it was a very unique, delicate, and tasty pizza that I could easily enjoy more than once in a lifetime. Someday I hope to get to enjoy the real deal, but until then enjoying this pizza with Alex, Angie, Kyle, Kendra, and Steve (friends from college) will definitely fill my quota. Alex and I left right after dinner after catching up with both her friends and mine to a Bed and Breakfast in Wabasha, MN (Yes, Grumpy Old Men was based on this town).

This world really is all about who you know. A new friend Michael owns the lovely Turning Waters Bed and Breakfast right on the Mississippi River (http://www.turningwatersbandb.com). He was kind enough to welcome us in to enjoy a few cozy nights of sleep and the best breakfast I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. What was best about this step of the journey was kayaking the winter worn Missisippi. Michael also owns a kayaking company so we broke out the boats and spent an afternoon on the water. This was the ultimate experience-not a lot of people would choose to kayak in March, but in doing so we got to see sooooo many bald eagles that we lost count in the first 100 yards. Wabasha is famous this time of year for eagle viewing and we got a front row view of their soaring and water hunting. Lucky us- on top of that we spent the evening getting the best small town fish sandwich (me-while wearing my purple wet suit) and crossing the river for some authentic cheese curds-fulfilling Alex's one request for the trip.

Michael sent us off the next morning with cinnamon and sugar bacon (TO DIE FOR) for our trip to the Windy City. Before arriving the Chicago we stopped to visit the World Biggest Bicyclist (Ben) in Wisconsin. I only wish I had a bike as cool as his!

As you can guess, our main objective was the classic Chicago deep dish pizza and of course the (we decided) Worlds Biggest Reflective Bean. Alex and I pulled into the Mexican neighborhood of Chicago where my adviser for the TEFL Institute so graciously housed us and headed into an evening tour of the city. Alex being the good citizen that she is went to pick up an envelope (trash) only to find it marked with a big dollar sign with $30 dollars in it. This street money ended up treated us to some much needed greens and a deep dish pizza. After walking to find the bean, navigating the navy pier in the chilly breeze of Lake Michigan, and getting stuck on public transportation under construction we were more than ready for a massive pizza and a good night sleep. As many of you probably, deep dish is a creation of its own-basically inside-out fatty pizza. After having experienced this glorious cheesy creation once before I was smarter to consume less and a bit slower so Alex wouldn't have to roll me down the street.

The next morning spent the morning back in the city to get a good cup of coffee with our coworker Zu who happened to be in the neighborhood and enjoyed some good authentic chile rellenos before heading to Indianapolis.

En route to Indianapolis we couldn't find any worlds biggest, so instead we stopped by a big interactive park with a few other photo opportunities. We found a big playground that we got to climb around on and let out our inner kids. We then wrapped up the pizza aspect of our tour and grabbed a garlic greasy totally average American pizza- a good finale to what was an American road trip. Having done this leg of the trip numerous times, we had what I can almost call a second home to stay at with my friends Sara and Joel-whom I met at our first festival in 2011. They have a nice home in a confusing neighborhood of Indianapolis and proved to be just what we needed, drinking tea and watching an evidently consuming Zombie show.

From here we made our longest leg to Annapolis- as for the theme of our tour the roads in between Indi and Annapolis didn't give us many worlds biggest. We did find the Worlds Biggest Candle and ended up spending too much time in the store that accompanies it. And after stopping in Columbus, Ohio to see the Worlds Biggest Graduation Cap we were disappointed to find that they had taken it down to repair-so we made do with an abnormally large preying mantis found on their university campus. We set out from there stoked about the Worlds Biggest Beer Bottle ahead of us- after our last disappointment Alex decided to look up the details. We found that it had disspeared long ago, the only photograph show was in black and white, so who knows where it is now and really what kind of beer was it?!?!  Thus, we pulled into Annaplolis with an incomplete worlds biggest tour of the last few states, but that just leaves us a chance to go visit Philly for a famous cheese steak and and few of the worlds biggest to round off the tour. Always ready for more adventuring!

This drive was quite the experience, I am so thankful for all the people who lent us a hand, bed, coffee, or company along the way. I am thankful for the memories Alex and I get to annoy our coworkers with for the next month or so, but most of all I am thankful that something like this is event possible and I had an awesome co-pilot to join me along the way. Although in the desolate area of the mid-west I did question my intent of going back to Maryland I was ecstatic to be greeted by the hills of the Western Shore and the ready to bloom vegetation on the Eastern Shore. Leaving my Montana mountains is much easier when you are greeted by a whole new world of nature ready to bloom. Plus, it is such a great feeling going back to something you know and people ready to give you a big hug! New is nice, but renewal is almost better! Signing off at the Eastern Shore for what looks to be a beautiful spring!

Sailing away...

Sailing on my own ship heading west and knowing I will be return I have done some reflection upon the past few months. Overall, life in the East has proven to be quite hospitable, despite the notion we have of some Easterners out West . I quickly adapted to the pace of the outdoor school, even the mountainless views. Yet, I can't help but make note of how easily some things become 'normal.'

+ When I first touched down I thought the vegetation looked like it had walked out of Dr. Seuss. Now, it is the friendly backdrop of my morning sunrise runs and the  Japanese kudzu we point out to kids while leaving campus.
+ Initially I was blown away by the fact that I could look over the bluff and see the Chesapeake Bay. Months later it is the place where I understand the integrated ecosystem and spend many dinners or classes walking the shoreline.

+We have a view over the bay facing West that produces some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Originally I wanted to sit out there for every glow of evening color, upon leaving I was selective about what sunsets I would chase down or find worthy wait out. The same goes for sunrises, if I didn't see potential in the morning I often wouldn't bother for my morning run.

+  Upon seeing the weekly schedule I originally was extremely intimidated about the courses on my plate. By the end of the season I was thrilled for nearly everything, but would merely peek at the schedule to see which of my awesome coworkers I got to work with.
+ Even if I want to squirm around GIANT spiders I can't. Those and stink bugs are an integrated part of life at EHOS.
+  Working extended days with the same weekly salary has become a part of life, and you just learn to prize the one class break you get a week and weekends have never been better.
+ As coworkers we live, eat, and play together... I get lonely if I don't see at least five of my coworkers every day.
+ When first arriving some things seemed like EHOS staff was speaking code. Now ding, NISWa, SLOP, Marshmallows, OD, EA, Mrs. Honey's Pizza have all become a part of daily vocabulary...and continuously entertaining on a daily basis.
+ I thought fall on Wilson in Bozeman was something to see. I had no idea how many autumn shades we were missing in our short Montana fall. Walking in a swamp in the fall is easily one of the most beautiful things I have experienced.
+  Humidity is not my friend.
+ I am very much still a child... JUMP for JOY!

+  Cities still are clearly not where I belong. I was able to visit D.C., New York, Richmond and Baltimore  To see the architecture and the pace of people is fascinating-not to forget their supreme international food selection. Cities are a lovely place to visit, but I find that my inner peace is in smaller communities where I am not always a face in a crowd and I can spend extended time in the fresh air.
+ I love that my job is getting paid for things that I thoroughly enjoy with people that understand what makes me tick. Now we just need a better and healthier selection of food.
+ I love running. I find it the best way to really understand where you are. Exploring by foot is way better than exploring by car, plus the extreme joy of running through excess amounts of color or hilly half-marathon tours can't be overlooked.

+ I will always be a proud Montanan.

Short, sweet and to the point. I am excited to be home and get a breather, but I know I will be more than ready to return to the Eastern shore this coming Spring.

Eastern Shore and Echo Hill Outdoor

Who would have thought a few years ago, as a History-Political Science/Business/Spanish major that I would A) teach English- a class I never took in college or B) teach at an outdoor school with an extreme science focus- classes I avoided at all costs in college. It is funny where life can take us, and how pleasant of a surprise it is. I think one of the best things I did for myself was not having a plan or an objective going into or coming out of college. Sure I had my fair share of ideas about what to do with my life, but ultimately I have been able to follow my heart and find some pretty nifty ideas. 

With that said, let me elaborate a little more about what I am doing these days. I am currently employed at Echo Hill Outdoor School, located right on the Chesapeake Bay with a swamp (what was a previously a pond before a marsh before the swamp) that Capitan John Smith mentioned specifically in his diaries exploring the “New World.”  Yup, right smack dab in Maryland, on the East coast where I never thought I’d be for more than a week.  My loyalty to the Eastern Shore (of Maryland that is) is already starting to blossom because of the amazing people, opportunity, lush vegetation, and breathtaking sunsets. That is just the cherry to top off the sundae, because what I have been hired to do is pretty special. Echo Hill is what I deem as a “field trip school,” where schools come for a 1-5 days to experience the great outdoors, expand their knowledge, learn about individual and group development, and just have fun! Our schedule keeps the kids (and inadvertently ourselves) super busy throughout the week, but with a lot of variety so that there is never a dull moment.

Since I have been out here I have done a number of new and really exciting things for a girl from Montana. Life on the Chesapeake is full of water adventure, fresh crab, and a number of new creatures I had never gotten the chance to touch before. The school itself has opened up a lot of these new doors for me. Training week started out with a hands on introduction to a core of our course. These include adventure classes focused on pushing yourself as well as your team to get through mentally and physically difficult task /puzzles, bay studies on the Chesapeake looking at the life found below the surface, scanoe class through our swamp, as well as sailing and crabbing on some of the school boats around the watershed. That is just a few of the many really cool things we have the ability to introduce the kids to here at Echo Hill. I have found myself learning just as much, if not more than most of the kids out here since this area is so foreign to anything I have studied or encountered in the past. The learning experience alone is worth the time, my coworkers and the kids we shortly come in contact with really seal the deal and really make it worthwhile to get out of bed after repetitive long days.

Let me run you through I typical EHOS day. The day starts with the ringing of a bell at 7:30 to wake you and the tent side kids for breakfast. Breakfast starts at 8:00 and starts with thanking, sharing, and a moment of silence. We then enter the dining area, known as the Whip, where we serve food family style with an Echo Hill staff member dishing up food for each person with the point of not wasting too much food. After breakfast a few members of staff wrap up breakfast with a SLOP skit (Stuff Left On Plate) and a song. We start our first class at 9:00 and run it until 12:00, when we repeat the meal process before an hour of rest time. The second class for the day starts at 2:00 and goes until 5:00, only to be interrupted for an hour of extra time which most of the kids spend on the beach. We then serve dinner, sometimes on the beach or sometimes in the woods, giving the kids a somewhat unique experience to dine outside over a campfire. The last activity starts at 7:30 and goes until 9:00. This is different than class and can be a night hike, night hayride and games, or a class based on Dr. Seuss ‘s The Lorax. Leaving little time for boredom, but lots of time for unique and entertaining experiences through the large variety of classes we offer. What is best about this is we are rarely alone leaving a lot of time to not only new material and experiential methods, but really develop the family atmosphere that has quickly adopted all of us just arriving this fall.

I am excited to see how this all develops. I am quickly feeling at home and now ready to explore the East Coast being within driving distance of a lot of the big cities, historical sites, and friendsI only used to be able to imagine visiting.

Fijate que... CAVAL!!.

The Guatemala adventure.... a few of my friends from different parts of my past all united with me to explore the natural beauty throughout Guatemala and a bit of Belize.

A.B my friend from Peru, Britney my friend from college, and Sophie my friend from childhood all pulled in the week of my last day of classes. As I was tying up a few loose ends the girls got explore the awesome market Antigua has to offer, joined me for a short chicken bus experience, had an appropriate greeting to the Guatemala rain season, and saw their fair share of restaurants and bars across the small city.

Monday morning we headed out for Semuc Champey which is a natural bridge that somewhat resembles a fresh water paradise. We bunked up at a popular backpackers hostel called Zephyr Lodge, they set up a tent for the four of us which looked out on an amazing view. The first day in the Semuc Area we floated down the latter part of the river that passes through the land made bridge. It quite an eventful float, we all hopped on our tubes ready to enjoy some sunshine only for a big storm cloud to cover any hope of bronzing. During the float we got doused in rain and I was completely amazed at how warm it remained, the Australians floating with us didn't agree though... they definitely left the water with blue lips.What was the best part of the trip was our new friend Adam loosing his camera. I know this sounds bad, but just hear me out. Adam had been traveling for eight months and set his waterproof camera on his lap while we were hanging out in a current free part of the river. He tried to dive and get it but couldn't get to the bottom so he offered a free bar tab to anyone who could find it. On the first dive an Australian successfully came up with the camera shouting "FREE BAR TAB!" I have never heard such unified excitement before, all of us travelers were extremely stoked.... we all know how hard it would be to loose so many significant pictures. What luck and skill! After the river we all returned to the hostel warmed up and siesta-ed the afternoon away. We spent the eve,ning in a local bar in town dancing and entertaining all the locals. The bar tender was thrilled to be getting so much business from the tourists, it seemed that typically those who visited Semuk stayed within the confines of their hostels. I love that we were able to give back a little to the local community too.

 Day two of Semuk was my favorite day of the trip. It fell on the 4th of July and was the most appropriate way to celebrate. Traditionally on the 4th I like to head out to our lake cabin and partake is some good ol' fashion bridge jumping, cliff jumping, and rope swinging. This year, celebrating in Guatemala, wasn't that much different from my typical Montana experience. In the morning we all loaded into the back of a pickup truck and made the 10 K journey in the open air of the truck bed. When we got to Semuk they pulled out an epic rope swing chair that we all got to jump off of, followed by an extremely high bridge that was quite a thrill. After that we continued onto a candle tour of the caves. This was quite a unique experience. The caves have fresh water flowing through them so it is a tour that involved swimming while maintaining a flame, climbing and going down a small waterfall, jumping from a small rock into a pool, and maintaining sanity from lack of sunlight. I was more than ready to see some natural light when we made our way out of the cave. From the cave tour we headed out the the actual beauty of Semuk, in the park. We hiked up about 15 minutes to a mirador that overlooks the many pools that are created by the land bridge, it is quite a sight to be seen. Once you see it the guide informs you that you are headed there next. Exciting no!? I have discovered that I am a fresh water fanatic and exploring the number of pools, no matter how hard the slippery rocks were to navigate, was an ideal way to top off our day of independence

After Semuk we hopped another bus, with nearly the entirety of our hostel to Flores for some ruin exploration in Tikal. As I have said before, the Incans really outdid that Mayans, yet with that said the grenadier of Tikal was still astonishing. We opted out of the guided tour of Tikal and toured ourselves around with our own personal teacher A.B. Tikal is full of a number of temples that are spread over a large jungle. The highlight of these temples was Temple IV where they actually filmed part of Star Wars. We hiked to the tip and the view was pretty fantastic. What made it even cooler was the audible conversations of the howler monkeys. As we were sitting on the top of the tower listening to the growls of the monkeys it was hard not to feel like you are sitting in Jurrasic Park. We kept the exploring of Tikal to a half day and got a very full tour with our American, Aussie, and South African commentaries about everything. We later returned to Flores where my the rest of my travel crew met their doom. Sophie was unable to see Tikal because she was hit by what we call the "Guate Gut" not far behind her in this experience were both A.B. and Britney. We think we can blame the hostel food for this. I was the only one who made it out without symptoms of sickness, and I was the only one who chose to eat street food (normally a riskier meal) instead of eat the hostel food. Poor girls, traveling at less than 100% is never fun.  Yet it didn't stop us...

The next day we left bright and early for the island of Caye Caulker in Belize. First off, it was really strange switching from traveling in Guatemala to Belize. Belize is significantly more expensive and they speak English. That is a switch after being accustomed to making our way around daily in Spanish. Yet, Belize in and of itself was extremely enjoyable.  Although we had to suffer through a bit of a tropical storm at the get go, the weather shaped up and made it ideal for us to get some sun time as well as a snorkeling trip. When the sun showed itself A.B. and I set up her hammock over that ocean water and vegged out listening to music in the Caribbean sunlight. Later that day we brought a package of Mac and Cheese that I demanded A.B. bring from home to a local (more or less) pizza joint. They were kind enough to cook up the Mac and Cheese to make my pizza of choice: Mac and Cheese. Nothing like a modified menu. The next day we set out to explore some ocean life, the weather was not a cooperative as the day prior, but the rain did hold out making the water perfect too see the world that exists under the sea. I must preface this with the fact that I felt like was living part of a number of Disney movies over the duration of the trip. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo was running through my head every time I was admiring the the coral reef. For my first snorkeling adventure I would call it a success- we swam along the second biggest reef in the world and saw manatees, sting rays, sharks, turtles, and an assortment of beautiful fish. This experience definatly  instilled a desire in me to get my dive certification, but that is all for another adventure.

From Belize, on a last minute decision, we headed for Rio Dulce near the Carribean cost of Guatemala. This turned out to a great end to the trip, to slow things down and have some time to catch up on everything we had been neglecting while we were go-go-going. We arrived in Rio after staying another night in the small inland island of Flores. Upon arriving we jumped on a boat and headed to our hostel located in the swamp area right off of Rio Dulce-this time I felt like I was living in the Princess and the Frog. What was great about our hostel was the amazing selection of Mexican food AND kayaks that we could take out to see the Castillo de San Felipe. This castle was constructed by the indiginous people to ward off the Pirates that made their way inland from the carribean coast. Needless to say we immediately took up this adventure, despite the fact that my Kayak was a bit broken we made our trip to the castle. It was pretty fun to expolore and fabricate events that may have taken place there... again can you see why I was stuck in a Disney movie? On our return journey my broken Kayak got the best of me and capsized about 100 meters from our hostel, I'm pretty sure we dumped out 400 gallons of water when we managed to flip it over. The next day we went to explore the natural beauity of the Rio Dulce area. For me this was just perfect, because it wasn't something we had to book a tour through and get everything done in a certain amount of time. We took a boat into town and hopped on a collectivo to Finca Paradiso. This site is a natural hot spring waterfall, apparently the only one in the world, it was quite beautiful and the perfect temperature to spend the morning swimming. From here we flagged down another collective to head a bit further up the road to a natural canyon to which the name alludes me. We payed a man with a boat to take us up the canyon and see the nearly untouched attraction. As I stated earlier, I am defiantly a fresh water fan and loved jumping out of the river to swim and explore on my own accord. From here we all headed back to the hostel to relax and indulge in their collection of bootleg DVDs.

The next morning we headed back to square one: Antigua. We have been here the past few days and are staying busy enjoying the food at all my favorite places to eat. It has been good to see everyone and say my last goodbyes....or until next times. I am sad to leave this place I can add to my list of homes, but I am ready to get back to some of the luxuries the United States has to offer...mostly not paying for agua pura at restaurants.

Aca pongo mi salute a Antigua, and cheers to the next trip. I keep finding myself leaving a little piece of my heart behind when I leave a place. Antigua will be no exception. Words can't fully describe the comfort of walking around this place. I feel like I have become a part of their community and I appreciate every general smile that comes my way. I big shout out goes to...
*Jose who walked me the last two blocks of my walk to school because he said I had a unique energy about me * The man working outside the gym near my house at 5 AM when I would run by,  who would notice and comment on the days I decided to wait until midday to run * The blind man sitting on the sidewalk playing his harmonica who returns every night to his three story house *The man selling sandwiches and hot rice drinks at the break of dawn every morning *The man who runs across the park to give a flyer to a gringo because he gets paid for every one that ends up in usful hands *The bar tenders who pull out your beer of choice before you actually order it *Coralia's big smile greeting me everymorning in class and every night when I returned to work * Those who tolerated me practicing my Spanish *Last, but not least, all of my alumnos that made me a part of thier lives and families.

Hasta la proxima vez!