Adelante: Meeting the Borrowers

As I outlined in my last blog entry La Ceiba is home to The Adelante Foundation. An organization supported and funded MyFight that supports local women and grants them small loans to facilitate their entrepreneur endeavors. Visiting Adelanate has been on my bucket list since working with MyFight the summer of 2011. It was/is really important to me to see my work go full circle and to meet the actual people impacted and hear a bit of their stories- ultimately to see the life they live.

I jumped on the back of a motorcycle with a Honduran loan officer (don't worry Ma they gave me a stylish helmet) and took off to meet a few of the borrowers. We cruised out of the trafic of La Ceiba to the country side surrounding it with the outline of the beautiful and appropriately named Pico Bonito in the background. Irma, the loan officer I was with, organizes her groups for weekly or bi-weekly meetings to offer continuous support through lessons and keep tabs on their money outstanding. The groups I visited had just fishished their first 6 month loan cycle and were ready to take out the second round the next week. In their first cycle most of their lessons were about health: family planning, self-care, nutrition ect. As I came in they were just working on the business  side of things; how to separate personal and business expenses and how to determine profit once all overhead expenses are taken into account. All fairly basic knowledge tools but crucial for these women to maintain a family and healthy lifestyle along with getting a handle on their new or developing business. Beyond the value of the lessons I think they have greater value in the groups they participate with. The assemblies are all from the neighborhood and anyone wanting to join the assembly must be approved by every member- empowering to women and helping to maintain the trust needed for such endevors. On top of that the assembly is divided into borrowing groups. Each member takes out their own loan, but 3-5 of those people are responsible for each other paying back  the loan in full. It creates a great community and also keeps everyone more accountable with a better success rate. Everyone wins!


Meeting these women in the most simple of settings was truely inspiring. There was a variation of Honduras of all different shapes, sizes, and ages. They were all there together to support themselves, but also to create these same opportunies for other women just like them. At the end of each of the meetings I got to talk to them, both groups were extremely unique. The second group, La Union, was made up of a bunch of feisty independent women with a chip on their shoulders due to the lack of men in their lives. The second group, El Pino, was a bit more humble and more curious about my visit. I talked to a few women before this meeting in particular opened and then briefly introduced myself to the group before I became an observer of their lessons. When it opened up for questions the women immediately presented the question "Why the support?" This was an interesting and extremely hard question to formulate words for...especially in Spanish. I told them that it was important to me to see tangible evidence of the time I had spent working to support Adelante, and as said above I told them it is more important to know the faces that have the drive and tenacity to make the necessary changes for their own well being and that of their families (word choice was not this elegant in Spanish.) Before another women could ask what I did to help Adelante the owner of the meeting space piped up and explained to the assembly that she had talked to be before the meeting and that she was blown away by the few sentences we exchanged. I myself thought nothing of it, but this women was impressed that I (and MyFight) did/do something as simple as selling shirts so that women like herself would not get left behind or stuck with out opportunity. She was thankful that people so far away work to keep this possible for them. Following this the women, these women who had already inspired me, gave me a round of applause. Something that Jesse (the founder) and all the other people who have continued to support MyFight through their growth deserve just as much- or more so than me. But I took it to heart-I am just as thankful for all these opportunities too and to be able to share them.  
After, another woman proudly rose to her feet and said that she wasn't ashamed to say how little her average sized business needed to get started. God, Adelante, and the people from afar had opened a door for her and the women surrounding her. She said she was willing to fight for her family  and fight for her business to see what other doors could be opened. Truly heart warming- this stuff happens on a daily basis people. These people fight and break through barriers every day and I got to meet them. I got to see how far our dollars have stretched to continue impacting. Furthermore, what was most empowering was their understanding that paying off their loans was not only helping themselves, but going to be available later for opportunities of others in their country. They took that civil responsibility upon themselves and are making changes through making tortillas and bread, opening Pulperias, or selling men's and women's under garments that will help more than themselves. 

If you are just recently tuning into my blog and haven't checked it out go to www.myflight.org and see how buying a t-shirt can impact lives in Honduras and Ethiopia. For me it is the best way to support, sitting in an office working for Adelante may not be my calling, but buying and selling t-shirts sure worked out well for me! Plus Christmas is just around the corner...

Crossing Fronteras

Since my last blog entry my journey has been easily the most authentic and appropriate for for me since I landed in the continental Central America...

Leaving La Esperanza was a bit harder than I anticipated. My last day was full of hugs and cute letters and drawings from all the kids I tutored or took to the dentist and/or optician. Those kids see a lot of volunteers coming through, but they still know how to show you they appreciate your help.

Nonetheless, I packed up and left Granada after a week full of cooking and feasting on all sorts of world cuisine. With my bag loaded I headed with another volunteer to experience the northern mountains of Nicaragua. Christina and I took a pit stop in Leon and didn't understand the hype about the city seeing how similar it was to Granada, but we did have an amazing conversation with a street vendor about the history and education in Leon over a cup of fresh shrimp ceviche. Later that afternoon we continued chicken busing for what seemed like forever to Esteli to make reservations for the Forest Reserve of Miraflor. Miraflor is a co-op of Nicaraguan family farms. It is all owned by the Nicaraguan people living there and is located on a very lush and productive mountain side, did I mention beautiful?

Christina and I woke up before the crack of dawn to make our way to the community La Lebranza half way up the mountain. From there we treked in through a number of farms and cow pastures to our family's home. This was more difficult than I initially thought due to all of my gear loaded in my packs and my toes slipping and sliding though mud and cow poop- It just isn't an adventure without a little sweat and mud in your toes. 

Once that battle was won we were greeted at our 24 hour family's house with a fresh cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast. We later found out all we consumed was made purely from things from their farm- even the coffee. Talk about eating local! After breakfast we took off with the farmers son to a mirador and to some waterfalls. We wandered in and around other farms, over and under barbed wire fences, and saw a mix of 300 year old trees, rivers, and cloudy mountain tops. It was a great way to pass the morning after a long day of buses. We went home for lunch and some hammock time before bogging through some freshly made rain mud to see their coffee plaintaition. It was fascinating to learn about the process of growing coffee: the different types, the flavored assumed with nearby trees, and well as the only thing needed to really maintain a family farm is a simple machete. The family grew coffee for their own consumption and we were lucky enough to get a taste of it at every meal. I know it is implied, but the 12 acre farm really impressed me! It turns out Loranzo bought part of his farm after a big chunk of farmers went bankrupt after a private bank went public and jacked up interest rates to be impossible to pay back. This pointed out to me in big bright lights the need and relevance of micro-financing in developing nations (tangential?-more on that later.) Our walk with Loranzo was eye opening. He was an open book of the politics and educational downfalls of Nicaragua- but it was exeptionalky relevant, with his farm and hosting us he has giving his family the best shot at a brighter future. His kids were finishing high school, but already taking college courses specifically designed for families supporting a farm. Really impressive after the quality of education I saw in Granada.

He later brought us home to a family dinner and sang and played some local songs for us before bed time. In the morning we rised early to learn how to make tortillas and enjoy some fresh coffee and milk straight from the utters we milked ourselves. It was a perfect cumulation of a day in the life of a Nicaraguan and easily the BEST coffee I have had in the past five months.

From the bus down from Miraflor Chrisina and I parted ways. She headed back to Granada and I went to Somoto Canyon. Here the local experience continued. While looking for a cheap place to stay in Somoto (there are none) I was greeted by an lovely lady with rooms she rents out normally monthly, but she could help me out for a few nights. She has had three peace corps American girls already stay with her so she was so excited to welcome in another gringita. It was a perfect place to stay. She kept me full of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) and entertained with conversation over peeling oranges or frying eggs depending what time of day we found ourselves. Despite the fact that sleeping under her roof with cats walking on top gave me a number of mild heart attacks (turns out is sounds exactly like a person walking on the roof) -I felt immediately a part of the family with her and her nephew to keep me company. Beyond my accomidation I ended up on a private tour (again low season can be brutal for tour companies) through the Somoto Valley. We strapped on life vests and a waterproof bag and walked and swam through the canyon an the rivers creating it. The tour itself was beautiful and reminded me a lot of the rocks around the Madison at home, despite the fact the water was a chocolate milk brown from the rainfall overnight. After a fairly mellow dramatic start I got my adrenaline rush floating through rapids and hugging walls to avoid the strong current- we even had a few jumps off of some of the surrounding rocks to avoid going over some rougher rocks or twists and turns. The most dangerous part didn't even happen in the water. Upon walking back to the highway to catch a bus, while wearing my red lifevest, a farmer lost control of a bull and he came bolting down the road aimed right at us before they pulled a rope to bring him down. Of course none of this really registered as it was happening- but I later realized I had my own version of running of the bulls.

The next morning I said goodbye to my new Nica family the next morning to chicken bus to Hondruas. Final destination-after four buses and 14 hours spent siting on them La Ceiba. La Ceiba, Honduras is the home of The Adenlante Foundation which works with MyFight to finance Honduran women to fund their entreprenual endeavors. My contact in the office was nice enough to offer me a free bed to stay along with some great tips for my longer than anticipated stay. Gina directed me to a local Girufina beach with not another gringo in sight. I spent the day reading by the beach, warding off the all too comon marriage proposal, watching the local kids pull together a pick up soccer game, and of course eating. This beach is now home of the best food I have had so far in my travels. Brought to my table was coconut shrimp served with coconut rice and beans and some fresh greens. To die for and so simple! Gina also made it her prerogative that I got a good taste of all the local Hordurian favorites by visiting little comedors and street vendors I quickly became and all knowing Honduran traveler. It was great to get a real feel of La Ceiba before meeting the women who drew me out here. For that this blog is to be continued...

Volcanic Matter

If one thing had lacked in my travels this time around it was hiking. I can't say that anymore after finding the crater(s) of four of Nicaragua's volcanoes in just a weeks time. After hiking Volcan Masaya and Volcan Mambachu we took off to Isla Ometeme where two challenging volanoes make up the island.

I will back track a bit. Our group of volunteers decided to get a big trip together a a big hooooraahhh to those of us who are leaving this month. Fifteen of us packed our packs and set off in the early morning for Ometepe. I learned quickly that traveling in big groups isn't my thing. First, you get bombarded more than usual as you step of chicken buses for taxis-they also jack up the prices-just because they can. Second, finding a hostel that suits all needs can be a bit of a headache. I just stayed in the shuttle we booked off the ferry until all decisions were made so that the real adventure could begin.

We arrived in the afternoon sat back and enjoyed a Toña before heading off to the natural water pool- Ojos del Agua. Being frugal as I am, a few of us decided that the hourly fee for bikes was too expensive so we took off on foot. Our stubbornness was worth it. About 100 meters up the road was a little comedor that rented bikes for half the price and also served really cheap food that ended up feeding us that majority of the weekend. So we mounted our bikes just behind the other group that got them at the hostel and speed off to the water pools. It was far from what I expected from a natural water spring. The water was refreshing, but it was more of a pool than sitting in what I imagined it to be a  dubbed as a natural water hole. As soon as we arrived the sun went away and a storm rolled in, but we still sat to enjoy and relax a bit before a quick bike ride  home through the rain. That night we went back to the comedor to eat. I ordered the big fish to share with our German friend for his second meal. Good thing I was sharing it too! This thing was literally better than my face! Between the two of us we devoured it.  This comedor worked out great for us. My adventure co-pilot, Jack, and I had decided to hike La Concepcion(the bigger volcano towering at 5,282 feet- and yes we started at sea level) while the others hiked Volcan Maderas the next day. We arranged to have breakfast ready for us at 5:30 am and rice to pack up to the top.

Come 5:30 everything went as planned we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and packed up our rice just before the bus came to take us to the entrance of La Concepcion. We decided to go without guide- to us it didn't seem worth it to pay nearly $30 to go on a day hike. Although every local on the way told us that we were crazy we went for it. The guy working the entrance- well actually gardening and stopping us to pull the sign in book out of his bag across the field- had no problem with us going up. The trail was straight up and straight down. Easy as pie- he basically said. We set off and instantly got some slope under our shoes. La Concepcion was  extremely steep and rocky for the majority of the trail lacking any sort of switch back. Once higher on the mountain we were wishing we had a machete because most of the bush had overgrown the trail over the low season. Just as we were thinking that the trail clearly hadn't been crossed in a few days we were greeting by two medics coming down the mountain with their 17 year old guide. One thing I love about being from Bozeman, when you tell someone you meet on a Volcano in Nicaragua that you are from Montana they automatically say "Oh? Bozeman area?" or at least that was my experience. The medics informed us we weren't far off from the top, but that the crater was exceptional. So we marched on to above the tree line where the wind was brutal and chilly after being saturated in sweat and water from the plants lining the trail. We literally crawled our way up to look over the steep drop of the crater. Since we had been hiking in the clouds the majority of the hike there wasn't much of a view more than 10 feet in front of us but the crater itself was utterly impressive! No warning just a drop and lots of sulferic gas coming from the depths. Definitely worth the summit! The way down was a bit trickier we slid down the rocks lining the top in two big sweeps to get back on the trail. Now, I hate going down any mountain, but I REALLY hated going down La Concepcion. The whole way down I felt like a crab because I was holding on to anything and everything so that I didn't slip on the steep rocks we had just climbed up. I was more than content when we got to the bottom to look at the-now not so cloudy Volcano to know what I wouldn't have to go down that again.

We made our way back to the hotel to meet up with the other group. To our suprise they hadn't made it back yet. Our hike was supposed to be super long but only took us about 3.5 hours to summit and a good amount longer to get down. Immediately upon return everyone was talking about the intensity of the hike and how exhausted they were. Naturally we were intrigued and decided to give it a go the next morning despite the wear on our bodies from that day.

We woke up at 4:30 to hit the mountain early in order to make the ferry home in the afternoon. The hike of Volcan Maderas was like a walk in the park to Concepcion, but our fatigue was super evident about half way in so we took it slow and steady. I was really proud of us for getting so much slack for not taking guides and only getting off the main track once which turned out to be  an awesome detour. We stumbled upon a hike through a coffee plantation where we were greeted by the loudest symphony of howler monkeys yet and found a massively beautiful spider. When we got back on the main trail we were fooled by the summit. Unlike La Concepción when you get to the top you basically round the crater for a mile or so over some flat ground before you decend into the lake in the middle of it. There wasn't the same sense of accomplishment in seeing the crater, but it was super satisfing to get our fourth volcano done in just over a week. Success!! The hike took us round trip 7 hours and we were more than ready and to reach the bottom. When the time came our legs were best and we were forgetting that you need to step with your right foot THEN left foot. Yet we made it back to sugar up and otake a truck, ferry, taxi, bus, and tuk tuk to get back to Granada-all in that order. Although, walking to school this week has been really rough with the soreness setting in as soon as we sat down it was an epic weekend. We defiantly bit off more than our muscles could handle, but the soreness spreading over five days was totally worth it- plus it was great to have someone share the pain with when trying to run or jump with kids. It has proved to be a quite comical hinderance. 

We wrapped up this week with a trip to Laguna de Apoyo just outside of Granada. Again, a big group was organized but this time we just kept on marching instead of waiting to gather them all. It proved to be a perfect adventure. We hopped on the first chicken bus that said we would be able to manage to get there, not sure if he was telling us the truth or not. We spent the whole bus ride in laughter not sure if we were headed to a random town to tour or would indeed make it to the Laguna. Finally, the bus stopped to let us of by a big sign reading "El Pollo" we thought we had been tricked into going to somewhere that sounds super similar to apoyo- but no on the other side of the road was a sign leading to the reserve. We ended up meeting some locals who were on their way too and made sure to show us the trail full of mud and rocks that we descended so gracefully in our flip flops. Probably 40 minutes and one detour to see where they used to get their drinking water from later we made it to the laguna. We stayed with our new friends to go to the local "beach" and get some of the thermal waters that were sitting close to shore while they fished up some bate and some larger fish for their dinner later that night. It was great to get a local feel to a place that is otherwise catered to by resorts. We had a perfectly peaceful afternoon and got a little bit of culture tied into it.


For now that is all she wrote... I am sticking in Granada the rest of the weekend to explore a bit and get things set to take off North and make my way to Guate and beyond after my last week of volunteering.

Nica Time

Rolling into Nicaragua I instantly saw the caring nature of the people here and their economical struggles. As we crossed the border our bus stopped about a minute in route to give food to someone working the other side of the border and then contines to roll by a graffiti sign on a incomplete concrete building declaring "bienvenidos a Nicaragua."

So far my experience in Ncaragua has been eye opening rolled on with a whole lot of fun. I am volunteering with an organization called La Esperanza Granada that works with the lower income schools around the tourist hub of Granada. In working with them I have got a peek ino the issues and struggles behind the education here on a number of fronts. My job is to pull a list of kids out of class and give them on one help. Yet, they don't give me what they need help with or a curriculum of any sort. Most of the kids are 7-10 and I am working with them on the alphabet, writing letters and simple addition and subtraction. The kids are beautiful and full of energy and when I have them they are (for the most part) willing to learn, but when I send then back to class they get caught trying to write the shapes on the board to fill the space in their notebooks. It is hard to see kids as old as 17 struggling to attend and pass grade six. Yet it must be said that it is great to have the chance to help them, but difficult to see how my four or five weeks here will has little educational value to them. I have had some highlights so far though... My first day with a girl Karlota she easily wrote her numbers and rattled off the multiples of ten but struggled adding. So I decided to teach her multiples of 5 and the patterns that go with it- by the end the lightbulb went off and she had he biggest sparkle in here eye. We played hop scotch with the multiples and it was obvious how excited she was to come back the next day. First success! I hope this continues, but my time is limited with random days off for teacher meetings, bi-weekly flouride rinses, and bi-weekly computer practice it is hard to meet with all the kids who need us.

We also have had an interesting perspective on the lack of education in health. Last Friday we had a dental clinic where NYU dental students came into do free dental work in Granada with kids as their main focus. Some kids walked with with all their teeth rotten and changing colors and others had cavities and doctors to take priority with only the permanent teeth. What was most shocking was the parents, after the docor explained the issue to them- that is those that were there- they immediately brought the kid a candy and/or juice for the wait. HELLO! There is a reason behind your child having to have all of his/her teeth pulled. It was heart wrenching holding kids hands while the were numbed and drilled into- it will be hard yet necessary to go to the dentist at home. Especially after indulging a few days a week on coke-to-go-in-a-bag.

My other perspective of Nicaragua so dar is the wonderful markets and volcanos. On a daily basis we meander through the markets and buy all sorts of fresh fruit, veggies, beans, and naturally...rice. Something about local markets and straight up delicious goods makes me feel alive and so content with meals on a daily basis. Volcanoes have the same affect for me. So far in my two weeks here I have been able to "hike" two volcanoes with one- maybe two- coming up this weekend.

My second weekend here we chicken bused it to Volcan Masaya just 45 minutes away from Granada. Masaya has an active crater and an inactive crater- both of which are beautiful in their own ways. The Montana girl I am I was set for a trail hike with a few switch backs only to find the road paved and full of tourist buses an we treked our way up there. The approach over the hill was kinda funny. It looked like a whole bunch of tourist ants huddling around a plum of smoke. The active crater was kinda eary and Lord of the Rings esk, but it's own lo of beauty. We later hiked up to the inactive cater and it couldn't be more different the trees were over grown and it seemed as if a number of new species could be easily discovered there. It was a fun adventure for my new little community found through La Esperanza- we finished off exploring the market and getting some good ol' El Salvadorian Papusas from the street.

The next day we got a discounted exersion (it pays to volunteer) to the isletas on Lake Nicagua right outside of Granada. We got a nice boat ride out there to a private island with a pool and barbaque. The best part was the boat ride back. I left with the first group ready to get a cold drink somewhere, but quicky jumped back on with the boat driver when I saw that the sun would besetting  just behind the volcano over the water. I have never had a more with while boat ride... It was so peaceful being on the boat alone and seeing the sun light up the sky. Worth every second and a great cap to my first week.

The next Tuesday we were randomly granted the day off so my fellow volunteer Jack and I decided to get another volcano under our belts. Volcan Mumbucho is right outside of Granada and is the volcano I was drooling over on out boat ride back from the isletas. Again, expecting a trail I was confronted my a road, but this time with a lot if slope. We heaved and sweated our way up there while stopping to sit on the road and watch some monkeys tree jumping (one sitting above me just decided to jump before peeing- at least monkeys are considerate that way). Once we got to the top we decided to take the trail that didn't lead us to the crator. We were told that is was closed and that we should have a guide, but didn't see any signs so decided to go for it. The walk was like walking though Jurrasic Park with the howler monkeys and random abandoned buildings at the start. As we got further in we discoversed that the walk was in need of a lot of repairs with random stairs missing and a slippery dissent. It was wild and quite exilerating especially once we reached the end of the trail we discovered the rope closing the trail. Turns out we did the walk backwards- opps! No wonder we didn't see any signage. We then walked around the crator- again something that surely hid dinos. It was a perfect day off, but man alive the initial hike really wore out my legs. I hope hoping to rest them up for a week weekend as Isla Ometepe!

Pura Vida Mae

Pura Vida is the best way to sum up Costa Rica. Pura vida means pure life or super great, chill, and/or happy. It is what people respond when you ask how they are or when you just say hi.

Montezuma Sunrise

It has been great returning to Costa Rica. Costa Rica was the first country I traveled to outside of Canada and the US. I studied abroad here for a short month and was able to visit Guanacaste, Puerto Viejo, and Volcan Arenal for some beach, zip-line, and rafting adventures. Now finding myself here again is super comfortable and leaves me more doors open to see some of the things I missed the first time around.

I headed to Costa Rica (unknown to me) on their independence day. As soon as we walked across the bridge making the border crossing with Panama- yes we literally got to experience crossing the border by walking the bridge- we were greeted with song, dance, and parade sporting the Costa Rican flag. It was a great welcome back for my first time returning to a foreign country.To start off Costa Rica I ended up in a place I loved the first time around: Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is a town with a lot of Jamaican influence on the Carribean coast of Costa Rica. Needless to say it is a great place to sit back and relax. Something I needed very much. So I rented a hammock for a few nights and was able to decompress. I spent the nights playing cards, sitting by a camp fire near the beach, and making dinner with people I met in the trip our in the giant room of hammocks. I spent the days getting out for a run and renting a bike to get some fresh air and listen to the awesome sounds of the birds and monkeys (I think) hiding in the trees. Just the refresher I needed before moving forward to San Jose.
I was fortunate enough to have a home base in San Jose. My mom's classrooms aide's cousin lives in San Jose with his family. He also happens to be the cousin of someone from my graduating class. Small world. The Convery family was kind enough to take me in and feed me some of the best food I have had on this trip. Keith's mother just moved down to Costa Rica and caught wind of my love for coconut so on my last day there we combined our language power to prepare a sweet shrimp and rice dish to be followed up by chocolate coconut bars. DELUXE! It was great to be integrated into this bilingual household. The highlight: helping the youngest son with his Spanish homework (which he speaks fluently...just a tid jealous) and had far too much fun for it to go unnoticed for me.

Keith and I solved the bus system to get me off for an early departure to Montezuma on Friday. My good friend Jackie studied abroad here for a year and spent a good chunk of her free time in Montezuma dancing so I knew it was the place for me with my intense desire to go dancing since I left the DR.

Montezuma is on the pacific peninsula of Costa Rica so to get there is a few buses and a beautiful ferry ride. On the ferry I knew I was headed to the right place thy were blasting Latin tunes and the garbage man kept us all entertained with his interpretive dance.

Upon getting to Montezuma I quickly met a quirky Danish girl who was ready to hike the waterfalls there. With a short break to drop my bag and get a passion fruit smoothie we were off. A group of is hiked along the river and weaved up and over trees to reach the first of three waterfalls. There we met a local Tico (term here for Costa Rican) who showed us how to get in under the falls and climb up a bit to sit and enjoy the spray- after my last experience I was a bit nervous of slipping and sliding, but he took good care of me. Since we befriended the Tico he decided to show is the way to the falls that were higher up. To get there we had to use a rope to stable part if a climb and again maneuvering around lots of tree roots and rocks. A total adventure! After getting there the Tico immediately ditched his backpack and took a jump of the fall. It seemed totally crazy to me because he jumped right through a bush! Yet, after seeing him do it I couldn't resist. So once everyone wasn't looking and he jumped off a part directly on the water fall I followed suit--44 feet later I made a splash. It was WILD! We were then able to see over the first fall and hide in the cave under this fall too. When I got to the top no one could believe that I did it- but were super impressed with my tenacity. The hike out was again complicated, but a great adventure. I was glad we had an experienced person to show is the way.

When we got back we grabbed dinner made a few rum and cokes and head out for the only bar in town. I had told everyone my main goal in Montezuma was to dance so they introduced me to a few of the locals who danced super well. I was utterly impressed by the Tico merengue skills. Merengue is a dance originally from the DR, but when they mix all their salsa turns and spins WOW! I have never had so much fun being thrown around a dance floor. Not to forget they played a good half hour of just bachata and with my excitement and evident love for it some started calling me bachatera. So perfect!

While dancing I met a Tico who lives in the states and was heading back soon so as a celebration he was going to Tortuga Island and could get me in for Tico prices. Needless to say they next day I was on my way to la Isla Tortuga not knowing anything about the tour. I was nothing but impressed for a tour free to me. We stopped at the island to let them prepare lunch while we got to snorkel around for an hour. The highlight... A massive blue star fish. After we headed to the island for some fresh fish and rice while my new friend struck up a deal to get some fresh oysters. We spent the afternoon eating and preparing the biggest oysters I had ever seen and the tiny lobsters that were doing some cleaning inside of it...totally fresh and still kicking as we bit/cut into it. Que Rico!! On the ride back I was excited to see hump back whales jumping around and giving us some "ooooohhhh ahhhhh" entertainment.

I spent that night dancing and talking in the street until I got sent back to my room by the storms that rainy season never fails to bring. Rain lasted the good chunk of the next day and allowed for a perfect movie night.

The next day I finally made it to explore the beaches around Monteverde and enjoy some local ceviche after a solid match of soccer with gringos and Ticos alike. It made me happy to play with men who didn't mind pushing you around. I left Montezuma beaming, doing nearly all of the things that give me that natural high. So many times that weekend I made sure to give thanks to how fortunate I was for that experience. 

My Costa Rica experience as far from over. I heard to Monteverde for the cloud forest. The bus ride here was longer than expected so I made sure to head to get on my feet the next day in the Santa Elena Reserve. I spent my first morning exploring through the clouds on my own and finding an exciting 14 new settings on my camera and lots of colorful flowers. Uh oh! In a nerd moment I was likening waking through the cloud forest to swimming in the SAV of the Chesapeake because of all the biodiversity that lives there. Any who,

my timing was  great, I found the lookout tower to climb and enjoy the sandwich I packed myself to dine with a clear view of Volcan Arenal- which was cloudy on my last visit.   Lindisimo! The afternoon I returned to my room to find I had a roommate-the first one after five days of sleeping alone in a dorm (one benefit of traveling in low season), but I was lucky because he was off to a great adventure. In the forest near town is a tree that was hollowed out by another tree that you are able to climb in the middle of. The locals we met there called it Fincus Extrangulador- or Strangler. It was a super neat experience literally being IN a tree to pop out the top of it.

My last day in Costa Rica was spent doing what those who come to Monteverde come to do: zip-line. Having already done a canopy tour in Costa Rica I was hesitant to come out here for it, but man was it worth it! I signed up for a tour that included 13 lines, a repel, and a Tarzan swing. After working at EHOS I thought I was totally prepared, but this way way more exiting than what we have on the Eastern Shore. With this zip-line you are in control of stopping yourself and the view is absolutely breathtaking. The tour takes you through some shorter lines and on some that you ride double with a friend (I found a group of Spanish girls to tag along with.) The last of the lines is 1 km long and you ride it superman style with all parts of your body attached to the line and your arms outstretched airplane style. This was breathtaking going over the valley as the clouds set in, the scariest part was not knowing how we were stopping at the end. The pictures of my face at the end are priceless. Yet, I have to say the best part was the Tarzan swing. Since I decided to stick with the Spanish speakers for the tour I ended up at the end of the line. While they were hooking me in the told me to turn around, so naturally I obliged only to be tossed off facing backwards with the most authentic scream I have ever produced. It was so much fun and such a thrill to be added to something already full of adrenaline rushes. Overall worth it and something anyone who makes the bumpy ride to Monteverde shouldn't think twice about doing.

After the tour I decided to get a good cup of coffee and some high quality chocolate to relax for the afternoon. The tour guaranteeing me the same wasn't worth the extra $25 dollars I would pay- but the chocolate was totally worth the food splurge.
I am off to Nicaragua in the early morning for a volunteer project after climbing the hill to the office three times to bus ticket. I am excited to be working with some Spanish speaking kids in a school setting and testing out how that shoe fits for me.

Before I can log off I must give a big thanks to Jackie. Upon getting here I was hammering her with questions about what I should do, how I should do it, and how to get there. Jackie's second home is here in Costa Rica and she really knows a lot about it. Ever since I starting traveling Jackie has been there to answer all questions and give some of the best advice I have ever received. Because of her talent and experience with travel she has started a website and just got a book published. If you are interested in learning how to travel on a budget and live it up while abroad you should totally check it out! There is a link on the middle right side of my blog about The Budget-Minded Traveler and how to buy it (right about the photos you should check out.) Don't miss this chance-believe me I wouldn't be able to do all my travels without having this guardian angel and reference at my finger tips. In supporting Jackie you would be supporting me as well, as I am an affiliate of her budget-minded travels and can benefit from your purchase as well. Thanks Jackie for always being there for me!
PURA VIDA!

Pondering Panama

I traveled to Panama with a few things in mind and quickly everything changed for me there.In making plans to go to Panama with AB back in March we were dead set on teaching English. Since then AB spent her summer on Europe and I spent my summer in the Dominican Republic. Each of us in that time decided we wanted to achieve different goals in the next few months than thought previously. For me, after being in Santo Domingo and completely immersed in the Spanish language I realized how important it is to me to continue improving my Spanish. Something, shown my my experience in Guate, that can be very slow if you are required to speak English during the whole working day. So we decided to dabble in the world of vacation and work away...
On landing in Panama AB's dad, Dale, joined us for a week of vacation and touring. With him we found a friendly, and now much richer, cab driver who toured us around the city. I acted translator while he showed us all the hot spots for Canal history. He took us to see the Maraflores locks on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. It turns out we were really fortunate for our timing; we got to see a handful of boats cross and the gates open and close for the water to rise. We later found out from our work away experience that the boats only cross at certain hours of the day so timing is fairly critical (not exactly what our hotel or our taxi driver told us, so that fact with a grain of salt). After the famous locks we made our way to Cerro Ancon which has an extraordinary view of the quick growth the Panama Canal created as well as the Panamanian flag where once stood the American flag. It was in this moment that all of us realized we were ready to leave the city. Sky scrapers can be beautiful, but the water and hills behind were far too tempting. In our day's adventures we also managed to visit a hight way constructed from the earth removed to make the canal and stop for local cevichel. No matter what Lima, Peru says I say the ceviche up here is way better. Even though AB's dad didn't like how it "grew in your mouth" he came to like it by the end of his stay.
We spent one day more day in the city getting some souvenirs for Dale to take home, enjoy the pool our hotel had, and eat some Dominican food (yes, con con) and sushi. Something we did learn (or Dale did) even though your taxi driver is nice and helpful don't invite him to join you at your hotel pool-because he will.  But more importantly we saw and experienced how such quick growth and clash of culture could change a place. All of us found that the city had quickly sprouted up with little consideration for environmental and health impact resulting in icky water everywhere. We were also able to see the huge income gap. Panama has a 30% unemployment rate, but all the cars we rode in were 2013 with the plastic still on the seat. I also found it one of the least Latin minded places I have been. People were very business and money oriented, they were less likely to greet you on the street with a kind hello than most places I have visited in the US. I even experienced my own kind of culture shock being in a nice hotel and in a city that was what I expected, but so far from what I expected at the same time. That wasn't what I was expecting going from one side of the Caribbean to the other, but it was still good to see.From the city we headed to Isla Toboga. An island off the pacific coast of Panama with a view of all the ships looking to cross with the buildings making up the skyline. Super representative of Panama in as of itself. On Toboga we stayed in a hotel with the dining room hanging over the rocks that became good areas to snorkel at high tide. Although the accommodations and service was less than extraordinary it was super nice to be able to see some colorful fish right off of the hotels steps. We experienced a lot of rain while staying on the island. That didn't stop us from seeing the second oldest church in Central America, hiking to a cross on a hill (with three stories as to why and  how it got there), spending a good chunk of time at the beach, and talking a boat around the eight mile circumference of the island.  It refreshed me to get some slope under my shoes, it excited AB to some snorkeling in, and Dale was thrilled to get a chance to try and catch a barracuda. When vacation came to a close we headed back to the city to take Dale to the airport and to be picked up by our work away job we had set up before arriving.
From the get go it looked like a pretty sweet gig. We would be selling tours and first had to take a few o the tours in order to know the material. We started off by visiting Casco Viejo. The old town of Panama City with churches and monuments to honor the French and specific individuals for starting the Panama Canal. We stayed that night in the city at a hostel paid for by out work away dude, Manuel, and headed to the area we would be working the next morning. The afternoon was spent with Manuel and his little girls visiting the Anton Vally where we saw a few waterfalls, a zoo with animals in far too small cages, and a petroglyph with a fabricated history of the Anton Valle explained by a local boy.Although I wouldn't have chosen the tour myself and we spent most of the time in the car it was a nice intro to a new place. The day we visited the beaches we were going to sell the tours at. Since all the beaches in Panama are public we walked the water line of some big all-inclusive resorts. This time of year there are never many people so we were really pulling to even talk to people who weren't just visiting from the city. The afternoon was spent in a long car ride to see a pretty awesome waterfall. There was a small hike in and we were able to swim and explore a bit. This was wild! We climbed along the rocks below the actual falling water and I was blown away by the pressure. I am pretty sure I got everything I missed out of my last month of bucket showers in a mere few seconds. Upon getting down from the fall I so gracefully slipped and bruised my tailbone-which proved to be an issue the next day. Although all the small experiences we had seeing the bits and pieces of tours were fun AB and I had a hard time with the big picture. We spent most of the day in the car and if we weren't in the car we were waiting hours (literally) for Manuel to get started or we ere getting back late and not able to leave the fenced house if needed. Beyond that we weren't excited about interrupting the handful of people as they were sleeping and relaxing on the beach. So the next day when AB and I were allowed to hit the beach alone we talked about shortening our stay. By the time we reached the end of the beach after getting a lot of "we are leaving today's from customers" and "this isn't worth it for you girls you should travel" we decided to pack up that afternoon and make plans from there. Mind you, this is my birthday and Manuel is treating is to lunch when we break the news. He was clearly not happy with or decision because he had put a lot into our short visit, but his loss seemed minimal to how miserable and trapped we felt. That afternoon we packed our bags, AB moved her flight home, and I got overwhelmed with the pace of the decisions I would have to be making in the next few days.After having a good Thai birthday dinner to officially start my birthday (we decided it had a delay due to too many emotions and being somewhere where time is a much less strict concept) we were on an overnight bus to they archipelago of islands on the Caribbean known as Bocas del Torro  (extremely painful with a bruised tail bone). When we landed ( or floated for our final leg) we found that the main island, Isla Colon, was an environmental awareness festival which made it a little harder to find a hostel, but still doable. AB and I immediately dropped our bags and went to the nearest beach before walking the souvenir shops, fried food, stages, ad booths that made up the festival. We signed a petition raising awareness for the Panamanian government about the dolphins and turtles that are unique to this region and later that night enjoyed a beach side performance of some good ol' Latin times.
The next day I was thrilled to finally have the time and freedom to go for a run and then later go on about tour of the islands. We picked a tour with a mix of everything. Our first stop was to Dolphin Bay where I was captivated by the grace and serenity of their swimming. From there we headed to snorkel and explore at Coral Caye. We saw all sorts of colorful fish and AB picked up a sea cucumber for me to test out. It was totally what we were looking for. From there we headed to paradise... Literally this is what every person wishes they had when they go to a beach. Zapatilla Island is a national park so it is literally untouched white sand beaches with crystal clear lukewarm water. We got to explore and circle the island for two hours. In that time we found another awesome reef with schools of fish, map-like coral, and loads of sea enchants. From Zaptilla we had a break for lunch which we opted out of to save room for sushi and headed (unsuccessfully) to spot sloths. You'd think they'd be able to find them doing these tours everyday seeing how their name is Spanish translates to lazy bear, but that's ok. Our final stop was a place called Hollywood. At Hollywood there are an uncountable number of Star Fish... Another first sighting for me. Super neat! From our tour we made great timing for half off Sushi, got my phone back working since I would now be solo, a packed up to split ways in the morning. AB headed home and I made my way to Costa Rica.

Although Panama wasn't what we expected and I probably won't go back, unless I get a guaranteed sighting of a Quetzal, we learned a lot... Mostly (as always) about ourselves. After getting some time to sort things out I am excited about what is coming next for me. Although  I haven't picked exactly what yet I have a few options and plans that all seem like great fits for me, my interests, and my future goals.

DR: Touring turistas

Through the eyes of a tourist in the Dominican Republic... Touring the DR on the tourist belt was really interesting for me to see. The areas that we went were packed full of people vacationing in the DR for a week or few and those people from Europe who decided to up and leave home to start a hotel or tourist agency of sorts. Needless to say I was blown away with how different the overall feeling of this part of the island was in comparison to Sabana Perdida and those areas we visited with our participants.
We started off our trip on the Zona Colonial. This is a part of Santo Domingo that I have spent a lot of time in on days off or with the kids. It is a hot spot for those who get off the cruise ships to get a peek at colonial life of the Dominican Republic. The streets are lined with your typical tourist gear and paintings while all around town are ruins and old churches in which they now hold a number of dance nights or wedding photography. Alec really enjoyed getting to walk around the ruins and getting bits of the history behind everything that lines the little sector or Santo Domingo.
From Santo Domingo we headed north, bypassing the mountains because of the rain that tends to get stuck there. I decided this because of a past day off when I had my hopes set high to hike Manabao with a friend of Alberto and it poured all morning and stayed sunny with intermittent down pours through the rest of the weekend,  I wasn't ready for heart break again. Thus, we trekked north to the beach town of Sosua which huge draw is snorkeling and, forgotten by me at the time, the ladies of the night. We scored big with our hostel, which I picked merely because if its name: Coco Hotel. What we didn't know was it had private beach access that led to an uninhabited beach where all the scuba instructors bring their groups to dive.  So after getting setting out to get Alec a taste of some Dominican food and waking up in the morning only to find four "ladies of the night" in their short dresses prancing out of the hotel we decided it was a good idea to hide away on our easy beach access. While we were out there we enjoyed the clarity of the water, buoyancy,  and got to use my snorkel gear to follow the scuba boats marking the reef so we could see massive schools of bright fish I couldn't even start to identify. This was pretty wild and super lucky- I felt like we were part of some secret club. Despite or awesome location we decided to head over to the next beach town, Cabarete. Sosua during the day was only filled with old men sitting at the bar around noon with a pretty obvious objective for their evening.We found a much better fit for our company at the surf hostel we found in Cabarete. This town has a huge draw for kite surfers and surfers alone. Meaning the energy level and thrill for new things with palpable through the air. Although we didn't surf or kite surf during our stay, we enjoyed walking the beach with the sky painted with eating at our hostel (which apparently had the best dinner in town), and experiencing the night life that also is part of Cabarete's claim to fame. It was wild to me seeing so many restaurants and tourist agencies run my retired Europeans and experiencing the night life felt like I had landed myself back in the states. Bachata and merengue could only be found at one discoteca and only for the start of the night. It was definitely the tourists lens of the DR. I had a small debate with a guy from Spain that the DR was loosing its culture because of all the tourists. Which it was easy to agree with in the north, but I could not make him believe how different life was in Santo Domingo. I suppose the longer the tourists don't try to see outside of the Zona Colonial the longer I will be right about that.
Upon leaving Cabarete we booked a trip to see the 27 waterfalls in Puerto Plata and visit a Dominican farm, taste some good coffee, see how Domican cigars are made and taste, and of course go up and down the first 7 of the 27 waterfalls. I finally got some great use out of my waterproof camera- which was enjoyed by everyone in out tour group.
After this trip Alec and I headed back to Santo Domingo. We stayed the night in the Zona Colonial and took off in the morning to Elio Franco. It was really important to me for him to see the DR I know and love and not that that was described by the Spaniard. We toured the neighborhood  and visited some of the kids and friends before sending Alec off to the airport.
Being unemployed with nothing to do in Elio Franco turned out to be just what I needed to top off this summer. My friend Yeiron's family was so great to me. His Grandma is a great cook and his brother is a riot. I had lots of fun with him and their neighbor Yessl washing clothes/having a nice impromptu bath, making all sorts of jugo, batidas, and OH! and ending up on a national TV program promoting a new Dominican Artist (I ended up being a kind of back up dancer with Yessl and her family that was there. As a thank you to Yessl's mom helped me make dulce de coco for people in the neighborhood and to send to my parents as a recruero (sorry Mom an Dad... We didn't have a fridge so it may not make it.) It was also great to spend some time with our director Alberto and the family when he wasn't crunching numbers for Visions. He even got up at 3 this morning to give me a hug goodbye which made my day :)Don't you worry I didn't leave without a lot of Bachata. A neighbor had a birthday party this weekend and Bachata dominated the radio... Along with some to retry intensive dembo dancing. They just didn't want to hear no when I wouldn't dance with them.
Now I find myself landed in Panama with another tourist lense, but extremely thankful and grateful for everything at happened in DR and the perspective it has given me.