One year ago today I graduated from Jamestown College... I can't quite wrap my mind around that. In the past year I have grown more than I thought was humanly possible.
Since graduation I have traveled 14,000 miles around the United States representing and organization I believe in to the very core. I have had-I am still having, a journey of faith that was unforeseen. I have enjoyed some of the best chai tea and beer ever. I have eaten-and enjoyed red meat. I have stepped outside my comfort zone. I have remolded the way my mind thinks about the language we speak. I have met too many people to name that have made a significant impact in my life. I have traveled and worked in a foreign country...alone. I have knocked the two top things off my bucket list. I have become more comfortable with myself. I have discovered some of my biggest weaknesses, and hope to improve them. I have found my strengths. Last, but not least, I have been overwhelmingly happy and content!
If all this happened in one year, I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Heat of Copan
There is nothing better to refresh yourself than a little vacation away from what you know. It is great because you find comfort in solitude, but even more comfort when you go home to a place you can call home. Needless to say, this past month flew by! With teaching extra classes so a coworker could get home, cramming in a lot of subject matter in a small period of time, Spanish classes, and getting ready to move into a new place I was ready for a breather.
I decided a trip to Honduras was very much in the cards. After working with MyFight this summer I wanted to get a feel of the country. Even if where I ended up going is only 10 km past the border, I could see a clear difference. Beyond that, I was testing a boarder run theory. Honduras is part of the C-4 with Guatemala, which is basically an organization that makes it really difficult for those of us spending more than 3 months in a country to do so legally. If you travel between El Salvador, Guatemala, Hondruas, and Nicaragua you don't get your passport restamped for a fresh new 90 days. Yet, what most people don't know is that agreement was terminated long ago and there some areas that will renew your passport. The crossing at Copan Ruinas is one of those so I headed out to test my luck.
I jumped on the shuttle I booked through one of my students at 4 am headed out to Honduras. The shuttle itself was PACKED full, but that is all a part of the Latin American experience. We headed out for a 5 to 6 hour ride, and as it turns out I was very blessed to have that shuttle driver. When crossing the boarders I asked him why I didn't get a stamp to exit. He quickly tuned into the fact that I was looking for more time in Guatemala and took my passport and told the people that I was not just going to Copan Ruinas so I needed a 90 visa instead of the short visa they give you to see the ruins. With his help I slid through easily and now have a new 90 days to play around with. Thank goodness because I was not ready to deal with all the govermental stipulations in the city.
As we pulled into Copan Ruinas I could feel and see a whole new culture in comparison to that I left behind in Antigua. The men were walking through the town with the classic cowboy hats and work shoes ready to work in the fields, while the women were still sparatically dressed in their traditional clothes. I felt like it was more of a community, and it turns out I was right. I was greeted off the bus by my new friend Kristin that I had met during Semana Santa in Antigua. She walked me up to their humble abode so appropriately named "the castle." I was immediately embraced by a big hug from her roommate Jason, who I had met with her in Antigua. They made me feel right at home and did everything they could to make my visit the best it could be.
I spent the first day having coffee with Jason, and walking to the river with Kristin. The little town of Copan is beautiful and was quite relaxing to explore despite the intense heat. During my stay in Copan, I easily consumed more ice cream than I had eaten in the past four months. I am determined to figure out how they did it in Copan, because it was utterly fantastic.The three days of ice cream there will be forever burned in my memory until I can master the art myself.
Beyond the food, the huge attraction to Copan is the actual ruins that can be found just a fifteen minute walk just outside the city. The second day of my trip we headed out there in the early morning heat. I don't know what I was really expecting, but I can tell you that it satisfied my quench for some history, while also helping me to establish they opinion that the Incans are way cooler than the Mayans. The ruins themselves were pretty magnificent with the neat theories about why certain animal and plant statues were placed throughout the ruins. The part that was most interesting to me was the "soccer field." The Mayans had their own soccer, in which you couldn't use your hands or feet. This was a game set up to worship the sun and always ended in a honorary self sacrifice of the winning teams captain. Yet, despite all the history within the ruins the Mayans did little to impress me in comparison to the and Sacred Valley that I trekked through in Peru.
The best, and most satisfying part about my trip to Honduras was a nature walk just outside the ruins. I ventured off to this alone when the others were busy with work. The walk itself was beautiful and peaceful. Being surrounded by this beauty wasn't all that made it great, the best part was that it reminded me of the trails I run in at home. It was that sense of home that I had been missing so far in my travels, and there it was right outside famous Mayan ruins. Que lindo! The inner peace from a walk like that is priceless, even if I did take a wrong turn and got a little off the beaten path.
Kristin and Jason are volunteers for a non-profit called Urban Promise Honduras.They work with local children as an afterschool/camp that is focused on not only education, but education through God. It was inspiring to see them in action. It was evident that they were a huge part of the community and were making an impact by being there alone. This was amazing to see, revitalizing as well. Often I don't feel like a part of the community in Antigua. There is a divide between all the ex-pats that live here and they locals. Seeing that this is divide was not always evident was uplifting. Upon returning to Antigua, I was able to find this connection in my own classroom and with my students. My community is here, just not as evident as that of a town with 1/8 as many people. I was thrilled to see my students and I am excited to see what the next month can bring us.
That being said it is great to be back. I washed away the Honduras dirt and sweat accumulated over my short stay, but not the memories. I am now moved into my new place with a hammock set up just my room for my free time in the days.... viva la viva!
I decided a trip to Honduras was very much in the cards. After working with MyFight this summer I wanted to get a feel of the country. Even if where I ended up going is only 10 km past the border, I could see a clear difference. Beyond that, I was testing a boarder run theory. Honduras is part of the C-4 with Guatemala, which is basically an organization that makes it really difficult for those of us spending more than 3 months in a country to do so legally. If you travel between El Salvador, Guatemala, Hondruas, and Nicaragua you don't get your passport restamped for a fresh new 90 days. Yet, what most people don't know is that agreement was terminated long ago and there some areas that will renew your passport. The crossing at Copan Ruinas is one of those so I headed out to test my luck.
I jumped on the shuttle I booked through one of my students at 4 am headed out to Honduras. The shuttle itself was PACKED full, but that is all a part of the Latin American experience. We headed out for a 5 to 6 hour ride, and as it turns out I was very blessed to have that shuttle driver. When crossing the boarders I asked him why I didn't get a stamp to exit. He quickly tuned into the fact that I was looking for more time in Guatemala and took my passport and told the people that I was not just going to Copan Ruinas so I needed a 90 visa instead of the short visa they give you to see the ruins. With his help I slid through easily and now have a new 90 days to play around with. Thank goodness because I was not ready to deal with all the govermental stipulations in the city.
As we pulled into Copan Ruinas I could feel and see a whole new culture in comparison to that I left behind in Antigua. The men were walking through the town with the classic cowboy hats and work shoes ready to work in the fields, while the women were still sparatically dressed in their traditional clothes. I felt like it was more of a community, and it turns out I was right. I was greeted off the bus by my new friend Kristin that I had met during Semana Santa in Antigua. She walked me up to their humble abode so appropriately named "the castle." I was immediately embraced by a big hug from her roommate Jason, who I had met with her in Antigua. They made me feel right at home and did everything they could to make my visit the best it could be.
I spent the first day having coffee with Jason, and walking to the river with Kristin. The little town of Copan is beautiful and was quite relaxing to explore despite the intense heat. During my stay in Copan, I easily consumed more ice cream than I had eaten in the past four months. I am determined to figure out how they did it in Copan, because it was utterly fantastic.The three days of ice cream there will be forever burned in my memory until I can master the art myself.
Beyond the food, the huge attraction to Copan is the actual ruins that can be found just a fifteen minute walk just outside the city. The second day of my trip we headed out there in the early morning heat. I don't know what I was really expecting, but I can tell you that it satisfied my quench for some history, while also helping me to establish they opinion that the Incans are way cooler than the Mayans. The ruins themselves were pretty magnificent with the neat theories about why certain animal and plant statues were placed throughout the ruins. The part that was most interesting to me was the "soccer field." The Mayans had their own soccer, in which you couldn't use your hands or feet. This was a game set up to worship the sun and always ended in a honorary self sacrifice of the winning teams captain. Yet, despite all the history within the ruins the Mayans did little to impress me in comparison to the and Sacred Valley that I trekked through in Peru.
Kristin and Jason are volunteers for a non-profit called Urban Promise Honduras.They work with local children as an afterschool/camp that is focused on not only education, but education through God. It was inspiring to see them in action. It was evident that they were a huge part of the community and were making an impact by being there alone. This was amazing to see, revitalizing as well. Often I don't feel like a part of the community in Antigua. There is a divide between all the ex-pats that live here and they locals. Seeing that this is divide was not always evident was uplifting. Upon returning to Antigua, I was able to find this connection in my own classroom and with my students. My community is here, just not as evident as that of a town with 1/8 as many people. I was thrilled to see my students and I am excited to see what the next month can bring us.
That being said it is great to be back. I washed away the Honduras dirt and sweat accumulated over my short stay, but not the memories. I am now moved into my new place with a hammock set up just my room for my free time in the days.... viva la viva!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Keeping it Guate
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
Martin Buber
So far in this beautiful country I have found myself restless and ready to go, see it all. In the past three weeks I have gotten the chance to do that, poco por poco. In the process I am learning and teaching myself a lot about who I am and who I want to be.
First, I should start off with a little background about what has been happening throughout Antigua in my past few weeks here. I seemed to have arrived in Antigua at just the right time to embrace and fully experience the festivities of Semana Santa. Some say this is a blessing, some advice you to get out... and fast. I say that a mix of both is quite appropriate. Semana Santa is more than just a tourist stop. It is an event that is so rich in culture, most of us gringos walking around taking pictures of the colorful alfombras can hardly fathom the history and religious relevance behind this event.
A quick 101 about Semana Santa: during the season of lent the town of Antigua decorates itself with a vibrant shade of purple. On the weekends and during passover they have processions throughout the town. This is more than your everyday parade. The people of various churches in Antigua get decked out in what I would call purple shawls, but I’m not sure how accurate that term is. They meander down the streets with massive floats perched on their shoulders, escorted by hundreds of backups to fill in when the weight of the float becomes overbearing. The floats are symbolic of the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. Over the 40 days the cross bore by Christ displayed on top of the floats changes to represent another aspect of Christ’s self-sacrifice. Before the floats make their way down the streets the people and churches of the city decorate the cobblestone streets with alfombras. These are beautiful flower and sawdust carpets that draw the eye by their vibrant colors and holy designs.
What we don’t see as regular travelers is the heart and soul about every part of this event. What seems like a miserable responsibility of carrying the float is something that is actually something people of the respective churches work and pay to be able to do. After seeing how miserable a woman looked at the head of a float, and knowing she wanted to be there showed me how significant this event really is. People come from far and wide to see these beautiful processions. To some it is a tourist event, to others it is something that strikes deep into their spirituality and that in itself is quite moving to see.
Along with the bearing of the float, the work and planning put into the alfombras is nearly unmatchable. Days before the processions the markets are full of flowers and people are busy cutting out designs for the detailed carpets. They work under the hot sun to make them perfectly pleasing to the eye. Only to be trampled over by those leading the procession minutes after finishing them. I was lucky enough to be invited to make a mini-gringo carpet, a task in and of itself more difficult than perceived. The ending result of six gringos covering a seven foot diameter was despicable in comparison to the massive alfombra carefully planned and executed by the three Guatemalans right behind us. Yet, it gave us a little light into their culture. These colorful decorations and tedious tasks are things that matter. These are things that show their dedication to Christ and his resurrection, but also show the compassion of their lives. The people of Guatemala love the party that goes along with it, but you can tell that their hearts are in it for an entirely different reason. This is what I find a blessing of my time here in Antigua.
Yet, the curse is that this spiritual event brings in a lot of people making Antigua a very overwhelming place to be. Normally a nice afternoon you can stroll down the street without a care in the world. During Semana Santa you constantly finding yourself excusing yourself as you feel like a fish swimming up stream. This can be fun for a while, but also provides a perfect excuse to get a nice taste of Holy Week and then breaking out to get a taste of what the rest of Guatemala has to offer. So this is what I did...
One of the big things upon getting to Antigua on the gringo trail is to hike one of the many surrounding volcanoes. The easiest and most accessible of these is the Vocan de Pacaya. It is just a short trip outside of town with a nice incline to get a feel of volcanic ash, we were lucky enough to get started in a fog and have it burn off by the time we reached the end of the hike. The stinky part about this particular hike is that in the past few years the trek itself has changed. Pacaya is still an active vocano and has erupted within the past ten years. Because of this the trek has changed a bit, rather than summiting the volcano you are taken up to the base of the volcano to see its creator from afar and roast some marshmallows on bits of the hot ash. Marshmallows for me was by far the best part of the adventure, I sure do love my marshmallows. It was still a very rewarding experience and just instilled the drive to get out and hike more of the volcanoes in my time here.
The following weekend I was lucky enough to have a day off of work after my classes finished their first month with some quiz days. I had just moved into the new apartment and I recruited my only roommate at the time to head to the beached in El Salvador with me. I have never made a better decision in my life. Since I was a kid I have always wanted to go surfing, in Montana and North Dakota this is kind of out of the question. But in El Salvador I not only got to enjoy delicious fruit smoothies and delicious Pupusas-so tasty- but I also got to test my skills on the waves.
The first morning there I met some amazing people from Portland, Maine who were on a surfing vacation. We ended up spending the day chatting, reading, playing cards, and going to a nearby town to watch a less-than-eventful surfing competition. The next day they took me out on the waves. Now mind you this is no easy feat. The day prior nobody was out on the waves because they were a bit too strong. This opportunity increased my learning curve a bit. Needless to say, I intantly fell in love with the sport of surfing. Even just riding the wave like a lazy man was loads of fun. After a bit of practice I was able to stand up and ride the wave to shore, which is quite a thrill and definatley tops snowboarding in my book. Now it seems I just need to move to Portland so I can do this everyday to perfect the art, and hopefully figure out how to paddle too. We shall see what cards I'm dealt next to see if that one works out.
It was extremely hard to return to Antigua after an overly satisfying weekend. Yet I did, and powered through three days of work knowing I was headed to the famous Lake Aticlan. This couldn't have been a better place to escape the crazy crowds of Semana Santa. We successfully did a-lot-o-bit-o-nothing, and I loved every minute of it. We stayed in a little town of Santa Cruz which really doesn't have much going on. The biggest event of our short stay was a hike up the hill leading into town to get a good calf burn and an even better view of the two volcanoes that sit on the opposite shore. Of course, I met some very intriguing people in my hostel and it turned out to be a very intellectual, refreshing, and enlightening weekend. I keep finding my Spanish randomly improving with little excursions like this, despite the fact most of the people in my immediate surroundings are speaking English. This is reasuring, but still shows me a I have a long way to go on my second language...
If anything, I have learned most from Guatemala is that I do have the ability to do nothing. I am getting better and better at living a tranquilo and less chaotic lifestyle and allowing myself to decompress. With that I am more comfortable and satisfied with me time, rather than always feeling the need to do something and see people. This has been something that I think I've needed for a while, so it is good to see that side of life, while getting out and learning about the world a little bit more.
Martin Buber
So far in this beautiful country I have found myself restless and ready to go, see it all. In the past three weeks I have gotten the chance to do that, poco por poco. In the process I am learning and teaching myself a lot about who I am and who I want to be.
First, I should start off with a little background about what has been happening throughout Antigua in my past few weeks here. I seemed to have arrived in Antigua at just the right time to embrace and fully experience the festivities of Semana Santa. Some say this is a blessing, some advice you to get out... and fast. I say that a mix of both is quite appropriate. Semana Santa is more than just a tourist stop. It is an event that is so rich in culture, most of us gringos walking around taking pictures of the colorful alfombras can hardly fathom the history and religious relevance behind this event.
A quick 101 about Semana Santa: during the season of lent the town of Antigua decorates itself with a vibrant shade of purple. On the weekends and during passover they have processions throughout the town. This is more than your everyday parade. The people of various churches in Antigua get decked out in what I would call purple shawls, but I’m not sure how accurate that term is. They meander down the streets with massive floats perched on their shoulders, escorted by hundreds of backups to fill in when the weight of the float becomes overbearing. The floats are symbolic of the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. Over the 40 days the cross bore by Christ displayed on top of the floats changes to represent another aspect of Christ’s self-sacrifice. Before the floats make their way down the streets the people and churches of the city decorate the cobblestone streets with alfombras. These are beautiful flower and sawdust carpets that draw the eye by their vibrant colors and holy designs.
What we don’t see as regular travelers is the heart and soul about every part of this event. What seems like a miserable responsibility of carrying the float is something that is actually something people of the respective churches work and pay to be able to do. After seeing how miserable a woman looked at the head of a float, and knowing she wanted to be there showed me how significant this event really is. People come from far and wide to see these beautiful processions. To some it is a tourist event, to others it is something that strikes deep into their spirituality and that in itself is quite moving to see.
Along with the bearing of the float, the work and planning put into the alfombras is nearly unmatchable. Days before the processions the markets are full of flowers and people are busy cutting out designs for the detailed carpets. They work under the hot sun to make them perfectly pleasing to the eye. Only to be trampled over by those leading the procession minutes after finishing them. I was lucky enough to be invited to make a mini-gringo carpet, a task in and of itself more difficult than perceived. The ending result of six gringos covering a seven foot diameter was despicable in comparison to the massive alfombra carefully planned and executed by the three Guatemalans right behind us. Yet, it gave us a little light into their culture. These colorful decorations and tedious tasks are things that matter. These are things that show their dedication to Christ and his resurrection, but also show the compassion of their lives. The people of Guatemala love the party that goes along with it, but you can tell that their hearts are in it for an entirely different reason. This is what I find a blessing of my time here in Antigua.
Yet, the curse is that this spiritual event brings in a lot of people making Antigua a very overwhelming place to be. Normally a nice afternoon you can stroll down the street without a care in the world. During Semana Santa you constantly finding yourself excusing yourself as you feel like a fish swimming up stream. This can be fun for a while, but also provides a perfect excuse to get a nice taste of Holy Week and then breaking out to get a taste of what the rest of Guatemala has to offer. So this is what I did...
One of the big things upon getting to Antigua on the gringo trail is to hike one of the many surrounding volcanoes. The easiest and most accessible of these is the Vocan de Pacaya. It is just a short trip outside of town with a nice incline to get a feel of volcanic ash, we were lucky enough to get started in a fog and have it burn off by the time we reached the end of the hike. The stinky part about this particular hike is that in the past few years the trek itself has changed. Pacaya is still an active vocano and has erupted within the past ten years. Because of this the trek has changed a bit, rather than summiting the volcano you are taken up to the base of the volcano to see its creator from afar and roast some marshmallows on bits of the hot ash. Marshmallows for me was by far the best part of the adventure, I sure do love my marshmallows. It was still a very rewarding experience and just instilled the drive to get out and hike more of the volcanoes in my time here.
The following weekend I was lucky enough to have a day off of work after my classes finished their first month with some quiz days. I had just moved into the new apartment and I recruited my only roommate at the time to head to the beached in El Salvador with me. I have never made a better decision in my life. Since I was a kid I have always wanted to go surfing, in Montana and North Dakota this is kind of out of the question. But in El Salvador I not only got to enjoy delicious fruit smoothies and delicious Pupusas-so tasty- but I also got to test my skills on the waves.
The first morning there I met some amazing people from Portland, Maine who were on a surfing vacation. We ended up spending the day chatting, reading, playing cards, and going to a nearby town to watch a less-than-eventful surfing competition. The next day they took me out on the waves. Now mind you this is no easy feat. The day prior nobody was out on the waves because they were a bit too strong. This opportunity increased my learning curve a bit. Needless to say, I intantly fell in love with the sport of surfing. Even just riding the wave like a lazy man was loads of fun. After a bit of practice I was able to stand up and ride the wave to shore, which is quite a thrill and definatley tops snowboarding in my book. Now it seems I just need to move to Portland so I can do this everyday to perfect the art, and hopefully figure out how to paddle too. We shall see what cards I'm dealt next to see if that one works out.
It was extremely hard to return to Antigua after an overly satisfying weekend. Yet I did, and powered through three days of work knowing I was headed to the famous Lake Aticlan. This couldn't have been a better place to escape the crazy crowds of Semana Santa. We successfully did a-lot-o-bit-o-nothing, and I loved every minute of it. We stayed in a little town of Santa Cruz which really doesn't have much going on. The biggest event of our short stay was a hike up the hill leading into town to get a good calf burn and an even better view of the two volcanoes that sit on the opposite shore. Of course, I met some very intriguing people in my hostel and it turned out to be a very intellectual, refreshing, and enlightening weekend. I keep finding my Spanish randomly improving with little excursions like this, despite the fact most of the people in my immediate surroundings are speaking English. This is reasuring, but still shows me a I have a long way to go on my second language...
If anything, I have learned most from Guatemala is that I do have the ability to do nothing. I am getting better and better at living a tranquilo and less chaotic lifestyle and allowing myself to decompress. With that I am more comfortable and satisfied with me time, rather than always feeling the need to do something and see people. This has been something that I think I've needed for a while, so it is good to see that side of life, while getting out and learning about the world a little bit more.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Lo Que Pasa
Lo que pasa... how the start nearly every sentence down here in Guatemala. I found it quite fitting for a little life update...
My oh my...how time flies! I have been in Guatemala for officially three weeks, and I have yet to have words to fully describe the beautiful colonial town of Antigua. Antigua is a quaint little city where the people are always kind, the cobblestone streets are always inviting for a nice stroll, and the volcanoes in the background are always tempting me to cancel class at sunset just to see the beautiful view.
Upon arrival here I started touring and training for the job right away. This didn't give me much time for adjustment, but I was totally prepared for that part of this adventure. After two days of getting everything set up through Maximo I was standing in my very own classroom. Well... kinda. We all share rooms, but all my classes are in the same room. Which keeps thing pretty simple. Moral of the story, I was already teaching!
After my adventures around Peru following my TEFL course I could hardly remember all the techniques of eliciting, CCQing, STT... blah, blah, blah. Yet, I quickly adjusted. The first week was pretty frustrating for me. I have five classes and four of those are basico nuevos, meaning they don't speak a lick of English. This is super hard when you are only allowed to speak English to them during class time. Eeeeeeek! You can see the frustration in their eyes when I tell them something, they ask me in Spanish and I reply in English that they need to use English. My students-formally known as clients, are adjusting well and I think we are all having a good time. I feel like I've done a good job of creating a classroom chemistry, and have been able to let my personality out in all of my classes. Mind you, I think a lot of my students think I'm crazy since the best part of this job is charading around to get them to understand vocabulary. Plus, it is completely evident that my biggest weakness is spelling, making everything seem a bit more questionable. Yet anyone who has played board games with me can understand why I get excited to go to most of my classes daily- its like Cranium 101 some days...even gnilleps.
As for life in Antigua, its very mellow. Which is a really good taste of reality for my normal high speed pace. I spend my hours in between classes, wandering to the market to by the equivalent of 25 cent avocados or 13 cent mangoes, reading my books, or just laying in the hammocks. It has been nice and relaxing, yet as always I am ready for more adventure. Luckily, I have found somewhere to live and I get to move in very soon. Not that I don't appreciate the overwhelming kindness of my coworkers, but I am ready to unpack, sleep in a bed, and have a place to call home. The new set up will be ideal too. I will be living with 7 other people, the majority of which work for a really neat social organization focused on education in a poor village near Antigua. Just up my alley right?!?! So far getting to know some of them, I feel like it will be a great fit and a good way to get out and see a variety of things.
As of now, I have just stayed within the confines of Antigua, but I plan on getting out this weekend. There are a lot of quick and weekend hikes around. Not to mention some of my students work in the tourist industry and are willing to get me some sweet deals! Beyond that with the Easter holiday quickly approaching we get an extended break to get out and mentally collect. It is a lovely set up for some travel adventures in and around Guate.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Old Mountain, Big Adventure
Finally! Knocked a big one of my bucket list... Machu Picchu! We sure did it with a bang too... Eric, Randi, and I decided to do the Inka Jungle Trek which is a four day three day trip to the old mountain itself. Coming back it is really hard to summarize the range of physical and mental emotions we experienced. I guess I will start with day one:
The trek was kicked off by a windy bus ride (AB you would not have enjoyed this at all), where the bus dropped us off at the top of a mountain to ride our bikes down. This was such a freeing feeling, after I got over the fact that my wheel was making funny noises and might fly off at any moment. Riding down was never dull, full of pin turns and extremely muddy construction zones. When we got down you could literally measure our smiles with a ruler, we were all quite amused by the adventure. After we made it down safely we headed to get some grub, and rest up a bit for the next day. My dad would have been so proud of me on this trip. I pretty much turned into a carnivore and devoured two meals with a marinated steak. Easy the most red meat I have eaten in the past year. This served me well for day two.
The second day we woke up with the sun and stuffed our tummies before taking off for a 10 hour hike. It is hard to put a caption on the beauty and adventure of everything we saw. This day was easily the most satisfying part of the trip. We trekked up a part of the Incan trail that the messengers used to use to communicated between pueblos. These trails are no more than 2 meters wide and are located hundreds of meters over the canyon created by the Urubamba river. For good reason too, as we could peek over the edge to watch the river rush by at un-Godly speeds. It is pretty amazing thinking about the thought that went into everything we saw, hiked, and summited. One of the guys on our trek told me I was just like an Incan since I opted to do the hike in my Chacos. Seeing what they were capable of, I took that as quite the compliment. Day one continued to wear on and we finally reached some flat ground to give our calves a bit of a rest, but the adventure far from stopped there.... Mom you can skip the end of this paragraph if you wish not to have a heart attack.... Because it is rainy season the terrain is always a bit more difficult to maneuver. Like I said the river was really high, and quite crazy. But the rain also triggers a lot of rock slides. About an hour outside of our destination for the day we confronted one of these. Originally the plan was to descend again and go by the river to climb up to Santa Theresa to stay for the night. However, this did not workout. So we continued on, the rock slide had been a day or two ahead of us but they were still cleaning up the damage. So when we reached it our guides directed us to keep our eyes up on the hill and if we heard or saw anything to face our backs to the mountain and use our backpacks to protect our heads from flying rocks. So far so good..... we then met with a construction crew a couple hundred meters ahead. Here there was a lot of loose rock and they were working to secure the area in between some showers. So we waited a bit and then were directed to run through the rubble in pairs. When we were running through (mind you in my Chacos) I looked up and saw a good size rock flying behind Randi. Have no fear we all made it through. Eric had to get pulled against a ledge to avoid a few falling rocks, but the whole group made it completely safe. This is where I caption this story with: ¨That would never fly in America.¨ It really topped of the trip and gave us all the endorphin high to finish off the trek.
The next day was another day full of walking. This time there was very little up hill and we really got to see the power of the river as we walked by it with random splashes due to the force of the water. Not only that the afternoon was full of rain. By the time we reached Aguas Calientes, just outside of MP, we were more than ready for some dry clothes, a good meal, and a nice rest before waking up at 3:50 AM to hike up the Machu Picchu.
The early morning greeting us again with more rain. Loads of rain. We got up early and hiked up a mountain full of stairs to make it to MP before its 6 AM opening. By the time we all reached the entrance we were all soaked with a mix of rain and sweat. Lovely we all were for our tour. We spent the early morning learning about the relatively unknown Quechwa culture that populated MP in its prime, lucky the storm broke mid morning allowing us to dry off and for the fog to burn off for a few picture ops. We then set off to hike Huayna Picchu, the young mountain that overlooks the whole range we hiked in. Naturally, when we began our hike we were greeting by yet a another storm. The hike again was full of stairs, steep stairs, that made us feel like we were hiking the famous Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. When we summited we hit the heart of the storm and got soaked through. We were able to get a break in between storms to get a small peek of MP from above. It was quite entertaining seeing all us tourists whip out their cameras when we spotted the bit of green and amazing constructions below. After that small window we decided to start our dissent since the stairs were unbelievably steep and we didn´t want to get stuck in the heart of a storm going down rocks that were constructed at the angle of a latter. Our dissent was rather timely, it started bucketing rain when we reached MP again so we decided we had got the chance to enjoy the majesty of MP and food was calling us.
We headed into town to enjoy a five star meal. I have never seen prettier nor tasted better food. It was a great place to warm up fire side and enjoy some time with our new German friend. We left Aguas Calientes on my first train ride ever, and headed back to Cusco while playing some word puzzles. It turns out I may be challenged by English word games, to do that with a second language is mentally exhausting. Props.
Randi and I were able to find late night hostal and get a solid night sleep. We were lucky enough to wake up to some Carnival celebrations in the streets. It turns out the Peruvinas do it right. Carival is full of dancing, foam, and water fights. It was a nice morning treat after four days of exhaustion and really brightened what looks like a typical febrero loco rainy day.
The trek was kicked off by a windy bus ride (AB you would not have enjoyed this at all), where the bus dropped us off at the top of a mountain to ride our bikes down. This was such a freeing feeling, after I got over the fact that my wheel was making funny noises and might fly off at any moment. Riding down was never dull, full of pin turns and extremely muddy construction zones. When we got down you could literally measure our smiles with a ruler, we were all quite amused by the adventure. After we made it down safely we headed to get some grub, and rest up a bit for the next day. My dad would have been so proud of me on this trip. I pretty much turned into a carnivore and devoured two meals with a marinated steak. Easy the most red meat I have eaten in the past year. This served me well for day two.
The second day we woke up with the sun and stuffed our tummies before taking off for a 10 hour hike. It is hard to put a caption on the beauty and adventure of everything we saw. This day was easily the most satisfying part of the trip. We trekked up a part of the Incan trail that the messengers used to use to communicated between pueblos. These trails are no more than 2 meters wide and are located hundreds of meters over the canyon created by the Urubamba river. For good reason too, as we could peek over the edge to watch the river rush by at un-Godly speeds. It is pretty amazing thinking about the thought that went into everything we saw, hiked, and summited. One of the guys on our trek told me I was just like an Incan since I opted to do the hike in my Chacos. Seeing what they were capable of, I took that as quite the compliment. Day one continued to wear on and we finally reached some flat ground to give our calves a bit of a rest, but the adventure far from stopped there.... Mom you can skip the end of this paragraph if you wish not to have a heart attack.... Because it is rainy season the terrain is always a bit more difficult to maneuver. Like I said the river was really high, and quite crazy. But the rain also triggers a lot of rock slides. About an hour outside of our destination for the day we confronted one of these. Originally the plan was to descend again and go by the river to climb up to Santa Theresa to stay for the night. However, this did not workout. So we continued on, the rock slide had been a day or two ahead of us but they were still cleaning up the damage. So when we reached it our guides directed us to keep our eyes up on the hill and if we heard or saw anything to face our backs to the mountain and use our backpacks to protect our heads from flying rocks. So far so good..... we then met with a construction crew a couple hundred meters ahead. Here there was a lot of loose rock and they were working to secure the area in between some showers. So we waited a bit and then were directed to run through the rubble in pairs. When we were running through (mind you in my Chacos) I looked up and saw a good size rock flying behind Randi. Have no fear we all made it through. Eric had to get pulled against a ledge to avoid a few falling rocks, but the whole group made it completely safe. This is where I caption this story with: ¨That would never fly in America.¨ It really topped of the trip and gave us all the endorphin high to finish off the trek.
The next day was another day full of walking. This time there was very little up hill and we really got to see the power of the river as we walked by it with random splashes due to the force of the water. Not only that the afternoon was full of rain. By the time we reached Aguas Calientes, just outside of MP, we were more than ready for some dry clothes, a good meal, and a nice rest before waking up at 3:50 AM to hike up the Machu Picchu.
The early morning greeting us again with more rain. Loads of rain. We got up early and hiked up a mountain full of stairs to make it to MP before its 6 AM opening. By the time we all reached the entrance we were all soaked with a mix of rain and sweat. Lovely we all were for our tour. We spent the early morning learning about the relatively unknown Quechwa culture that populated MP in its prime, lucky the storm broke mid morning allowing us to dry off and for the fog to burn off for a few picture ops. We then set off to hike Huayna Picchu, the young mountain that overlooks the whole range we hiked in. Naturally, when we began our hike we were greeting by yet a another storm. The hike again was full of stairs, steep stairs, that made us feel like we were hiking the famous Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. When we summited we hit the heart of the storm and got soaked through. We were able to get a break in between storms to get a small peek of MP from above. It was quite entertaining seeing all us tourists whip out their cameras when we spotted the bit of green and amazing constructions below. After that small window we decided to start our dissent since the stairs were unbelievably steep and we didn´t want to get stuck in the heart of a storm going down rocks that were constructed at the angle of a latter. Our dissent was rather timely, it started bucketing rain when we reached MP again so we decided we had got the chance to enjoy the majesty of MP and food was calling us.
We headed into town to enjoy a five star meal. I have never seen prettier nor tasted better food. It was a great place to warm up fire side and enjoy some time with our new German friend. We left Aguas Calientes on my first train ride ever, and headed back to Cusco while playing some word puzzles. It turns out I may be challenged by English word games, to do that with a second language is mentally exhausting. Props.
Randi and I were able to find late night hostal and get a solid night sleep. We were lucky enough to wake up to some Carnival celebrations in the streets. It turns out the Peruvinas do it right. Carival is full of dancing, foam, and water fights. It was a nice morning treat after four days of exhaustion and really brightened what looks like a typical febrero loco rainy day.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Life after TEFL
Wowza! One month later and I am TEFL certified!
Life after TEFL is great! We finished up our practical teaching last Friday and since then have been able to enjoy the bits of Cusco that weren´t as easy to access when we were in the classroom. Friday itself turned into a long day for everyone. My practical teaching was from 7am-8am so I was the first one done with my teaching out of all my class. I then spent the day outside the classrooms to congratulate everyone on the completion of the stress of teaching. Unfortunately, this wasn´t the end for any of us. We had one last paper to finish before we were free of the chains of TEFL. By the evening we were able to get everyone out of the building to enjoy sometime and dancing together. Saturday morning followed with a mini hike and some good grub for me. I really enjoyed the feeling of seeing some Incan ruins knowing that I actually had nothing else to be doing at that moment. Ahhhhh :)
It is easy to say that the weekend as a whole was a bit of a fiasco... we definitely let loose. Let´s just say that I wish every graduation ceremony was accompanied by ¨We are the Champions¨while they call your name to deliver your certificate. My class of seventeen people each had a unique dance/celebration to greet our teacher for our certificate, which were quickly taken back for safe keeping before we hit up the discos of Cusco.
Overall, this TEFL course has been an amazing experience. I never thought it was possible to learn so much in a month. I not only learned the tedious techniques of ESL teaching, but I discovered a lot about myself. Most important of these discoveries is the fact that I really enjoy teaching and passing on bits of the American lingo to non-native speakers. We´ve been calling this the teacher high, and I am excited to see where it takes me after teaching for 6 hours a day. Yup, for those who missed the update I already found a job! The Maximo Nivel in Guatemala (I took my class at the Peru site), just started in February. Their client base has grown exponentially and they were looking for some new teachers. Lucky me they caught wind I was on my way there and asked for my resume. Thanks to great recommendations from TEFL trainer and an awesome job title from my MyFight job I was offered this past Monday. I get there in two weeks and start training immediately for my contract to start the beginning March. I am really excited to be a part of a new program and see it grow! Strangely, I am also very excited for the schedule we have. Being the morning person that I am, having classes from 7-9 and then from 3-8 just may be the perfect fit. It will give me a chance to enjoy the beauty of Antigua otherwise known as ¨The City of the Never Ending Spring¨ and work on my Spanish through discounted classes. If you can´t tell through the text of this blog I am beaming right now! So ready to start this adventure!
Until then my dear friend Randi is here visiting. So far we have been busy introducing her to my world in Cusco, mostly exploring my favorite part of town, San Blas. In the morning e are off to Macchu Pichu and then making our way to the coast next week for some good ol´ relaxation before jumping into the world of teaching English.
Life after TEFL is great! We finished up our practical teaching last Friday and since then have been able to enjoy the bits of Cusco that weren´t as easy to access when we were in the classroom. Friday itself turned into a long day for everyone. My practical teaching was from 7am-8am so I was the first one done with my teaching out of all my class. I then spent the day outside the classrooms to congratulate everyone on the completion of the stress of teaching. Unfortunately, this wasn´t the end for any of us. We had one last paper to finish before we were free of the chains of TEFL. By the evening we were able to get everyone out of the building to enjoy sometime and dancing together. Saturday morning followed with a mini hike and some good grub for me. I really enjoyed the feeling of seeing some Incan ruins knowing that I actually had nothing else to be doing at that moment. Ahhhhh :)
It is easy to say that the weekend as a whole was a bit of a fiasco... we definitely let loose. Let´s just say that I wish every graduation ceremony was accompanied by ¨We are the Champions¨while they call your name to deliver your certificate. My class of seventeen people each had a unique dance/celebration to greet our teacher for our certificate, which were quickly taken back for safe keeping before we hit up the discos of Cusco.
Overall, this TEFL course has been an amazing experience. I never thought it was possible to learn so much in a month. I not only learned the tedious techniques of ESL teaching, but I discovered a lot about myself. Most important of these discoveries is the fact that I really enjoy teaching and passing on bits of the American lingo to non-native speakers. We´ve been calling this the teacher high, and I am excited to see where it takes me after teaching for 6 hours a day. Yup, for those who missed the update I already found a job! The Maximo Nivel in Guatemala (I took my class at the Peru site), just started in February. Their client base has grown exponentially and they were looking for some new teachers. Lucky me they caught wind I was on my way there and asked for my resume. Thanks to great recommendations from TEFL trainer and an awesome job title from my MyFight job I was offered this past Monday. I get there in two weeks and start training immediately for my contract to start the beginning March. I am really excited to be a part of a new program and see it grow! Strangely, I am also very excited for the schedule we have. Being the morning person that I am, having classes from 7-9 and then from 3-8 just may be the perfect fit. It will give me a chance to enjoy the beauty of Antigua otherwise known as ¨The City of the Never Ending Spring¨ and work on my Spanish through discounted classes. If you can´t tell through the text of this blog I am beaming right now! So ready to start this adventure!
Until then my dear friend Randi is here visiting. So far we have been busy introducing her to my world in Cusco, mostly exploring my favorite part of town, San Blas. In the morning e are off to Macchu Pichu and then making our way to the coast next week for some good ol´ relaxation before jumping into the world of teaching English.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Titicaca
Peru keeps AMAZING me with its people. They aren´t nearly as blessed as us in terms of material wealth, but you can tell they have an abundance of wealth within each other and within faith. I see a bit of this within Cusco, but more so on the outskirts of the bigger cities. It is quite refreshing seeing home simple life really can be.
This past weekend we ventured out to the famous Lake Titicaca. Going into it I really didn´t have many expectations, but it is easy to say that it, by far, surpassed anything I could have anticipated. We booked a tour out of Cusco, because with the limited weekends and the nature of tourism on the lake itself we didn´t see that chance of finding a better deal. Besides the fact that we were told facts about the islands by our tour guide, after we had learned the same thing from our host families it was a great decision made.
We started out the tour headed to the Islas de Uras. These islands blew my mind! The people who lived on a family were an extended family and primarily supported each other, not only that but they continuously build the islands and the houses on the islands themselves. The mechanics and planning involved in this are far beyond my level of comprehension to describe. The people were just amazing and friendly!! The kids on the island were by far the best part. You could tell that they loved to see new faces and to play. Lucky them, we are all just as intrigued and tossed a ball around and hung out with all of them until we got to take the ¨mercedes benz¨ handmade-grass-woven boat across the lake to another floating island.
After our short visit we set off for our lake home on Isla Amantani . At this beautiful island we were set up to stay with local families that live up the hill on the island. A.B. and I stayed together and had one of the richest experiences yet. We joined the father of the family for all the meals and enjoyed broken Spanish conversation (none of our first languages) over their typical dishes. This is a place I could probably subsist forever. The food we ate never contained meat, but was very protein rich with Qinoa, Egg, or Cheese. On top of that, meals are always followed by a mint tea called Muña. The tea was so tasty it was enough to warm your heart and soul on any day. We spent the afternoon on the island playing soccer, hiking, and watching dance (really what could make me happier). The evening was spent in traditional clothing learning their traditional dances, it was far too much fun to spin in the traditional skirts. It was truly inspiring to see how simple these people lives could be and just how happy they were having it that way. This small fact will always provide me with a bit of condolence every time I get frustrated that I only have a backpack full of clothes to wear for the next few months.
Perhaps the next best thing to the people of Lake Titicaca was the lake itself. Thanks to our crazy friend Grahm we got to jump of the tour boat into the lake. It was such a refreshing feeling. Cold! But great and totally what we needed after a rainy morning. The Lake water tastes ohhhh sooooooo refreshing as well... thanks to my handy dandy steri-pen! All in all... Titicaca was all but caca, and accordingly we celebrated with our traditional mango.
The trip came just at the right time. This past week of TEFL has been a lot of work. They warned us that the class was back end loaded, and we found out why. I felt like I was in front of the computer three hours a day after class EVERYDAY. Really it isn´t that bad, we all know my focus level is low when it comes to doing homework consecutively... the amount of time doing the homework was a lot less than it should have been. Luckily in my procrastination I got to book my ticket to Guatemala. YUP... here we go Central America!! I feel like after Randi´s visit I will have gotten what I wanted out of Peru, and made some fantastic friends along they way. I may or may not have found my doppelganger. But I am ready for something new, Guatemala seems very fitting in a number of ways. There is a Maximo Nivel there too (the same organization I am taking my classes through). Thus, I will have a network to fall back on, plus I found out after I booked my flight that there are openings at the newly established MN-Guatemala English program. Fingers crossed!!!
Until then we are going into our practical teaching week. We each have a class of our own for a week and then we will be certified teachers! Can you say college on crack?? As I am writing this I am saying nound, adjective, adverb, superlative, blah blah blah... so something must have set in over the past three weeks.
This past weekend we ventured out to the famous Lake Titicaca. Going into it I really didn´t have many expectations, but it is easy to say that it, by far, surpassed anything I could have anticipated. We booked a tour out of Cusco, because with the limited weekends and the nature of tourism on the lake itself we didn´t see that chance of finding a better deal. Besides the fact that we were told facts about the islands by our tour guide, after we had learned the same thing from our host families it was a great decision made.
We started out the tour headed to the Islas de Uras. These islands blew my mind! The people who lived on a family were an extended family and primarily supported each other, not only that but they continuously build the islands and the houses on the islands themselves. The mechanics and planning involved in this are far beyond my level of comprehension to describe. The people were just amazing and friendly!! The kids on the island were by far the best part. You could tell that they loved to see new faces and to play. Lucky them, we are all just as intrigued and tossed a ball around and hung out with all of them until we got to take the ¨mercedes benz¨ handmade-grass-woven boat across the lake to another floating island.
After our short visit we set off for our lake home on Isla Amantani . At this beautiful island we were set up to stay with local families that live up the hill on the island. A.B. and I stayed together and had one of the richest experiences yet. We joined the father of the family for all the meals and enjoyed broken Spanish conversation (none of our first languages) over their typical dishes. This is a place I could probably subsist forever. The food we ate never contained meat, but was very protein rich with Qinoa, Egg, or Cheese. On top of that, meals are always followed by a mint tea called Muña. The tea was so tasty it was enough to warm your heart and soul on any day. We spent the afternoon on the island playing soccer, hiking, and watching dance (really what could make me happier). The evening was spent in traditional clothing learning their traditional dances, it was far too much fun to spin in the traditional skirts. It was truly inspiring to see how simple these people lives could be and just how happy they were having it that way. This small fact will always provide me with a bit of condolence every time I get frustrated that I only have a backpack full of clothes to wear for the next few months.
The trip came just at the right time. This past week of TEFL has been a lot of work. They warned us that the class was back end loaded, and we found out why. I felt like I was in front of the computer three hours a day after class EVERYDAY. Really it isn´t that bad, we all know my focus level is low when it comes to doing homework consecutively... the amount of time doing the homework was a lot less than it should have been. Luckily in my procrastination I got to book my ticket to Guatemala. YUP... here we go Central America!! I feel like after Randi´s visit I will have gotten what I wanted out of Peru, and made some fantastic friends along they way. I may or may not have found my doppelganger. But I am ready for something new, Guatemala seems very fitting in a number of ways. There is a Maximo Nivel there too (the same organization I am taking my classes through). Thus, I will have a network to fall back on, plus I found out after I booked my flight that there are openings at the newly established MN-Guatemala English program. Fingers crossed!!!
Until then we are going into our practical teaching week. We each have a class of our own for a week and then we will be certified teachers! Can you say college on crack?? As I am writing this I am saying nound, adjective, adverb, superlative, blah blah blah... so something must have set in over the past three weeks.
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