Adirondacks At My Back

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

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

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

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

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

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

The soul of Santo Domingo

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

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

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

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

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

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

I once was Bay-Bound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bay-bound, mixing the salt and sweet

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

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

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





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

Checkin' off my list...Honduras, Guate, Mexico!

Since I got one item knocked off my bucket list I had a few other items to cover before leaving Central America... three things relatively new but equally worthy of being on my bucket list:

-Scuba dive... with the intention of seeing turtles.
-Get back to Guatemala to see my alumni and friends.
-See all the countries north of the Panama Canal

First to dive. Finding myself if La Ceiba I lined myself up perfectly for a dive experience. Just an hour ferry ride away from La Ceiba is the Honduran Bay Island known for cheap an awesome diving- Utila. I had been talking/thinking about this since the last time I was down in Central America. So...I took of for Utila to get my PADI open water dive certification that came with some free fun dives after completion of the course. I didn't know how lucky I was until I got there with my choice in dive school. I did all of my training right off the doc one-on-one with my Spanish speaking instructor to learn the ins and outs of diving. It feels really great to be able to learn something so new to you in another language. Sometimes Spanglish was spoken to make sure there were no miscommunications, but still progress is being made on my part. Beyond that all the other schools started their depth dives in a pool and my first dives were all out in the open water started off with some practice exercises followed by a good 30 minutes of touring the reef.
I liked SCUBA more than I thought I would. You are breathing under water controlling the level you hang at by simply breathing AND looking into a world so different than our own. In the time of my six dives I saw loads of colorful coral and many varieties of animals. It was fascinating floating around and imagining what the fish were saying to each other throughout their communities of coral. I kid you not that I saw fish playing tag, fish on a first date, fish eating out, and so much more! The variety was impressive too, of course I love the brightly colored rainbow shaded fish, but seeing a sea horse, live lobster and sizable crabs, hermit crabs, eagle ray, sting ray, angel fish, and not to mention swimming with a turtle really made the dives. It was so impressive to see the massive creatures like the eagle ray and Hawks Billed turtle seemingly flying through the open water. There are words that can't really describe it, but they put on a good show for us and it was like a slow motion masterpiece happening right in front of me. Truly majestic.

Diving now has me day dreaming of more places to visit... as if that wasn't happening already- it is intensifying the problem.

Second to Guate. When I left the Dominican Republic my friends there said to me "Kodee, are you coming back? Everyone always says they are coming back and only one person ever has." When they said this I decided I had to fix that wrong and get back to Guatemala to visit my students, friends, and they lovely city I called home for about 5 months. After leaving Utilia with a fever and a lot less money there was no better place to be than home. I spent my week in Guate eating with my favorite people, watching and playing soccer, getting some Christmas and thank you shopping done, and practicing some of my new multi-cultural recipes.  It was so nice to be in a place where I was known on the street and people immediately noticed an improvement on my Spanish.

Lastly.... Mexico. The only place I had yet to visit north of Panama at least in the continental Americas. My plan to go to Mexico was completely random and mostly influenced by the cheap ticket prices out of Cancun and turned out to be the most luxurious experience of my trip. Out of Antigua I found the cheapest and most diverse way to get to Mexico- via the antique town San Cristobal de las Casas. Although I only was able to spend a day in San Cristobal I fell in love with the little Mexican town. With some people off my bus we sat in the chilly night and shared a bottle of wine and some tapas while getting some cheap tamales sold by boys passing on the street. We spent the next day wandering the beautiful architecture and the markets filled with colorful beans, live chickens, chile rellenos (my favorite Mexican food), paletas and super cheap scarfs and such for the cooler climate due to the altitude.  It was great to experience a bit of authentic Mexican culture before heading to the resort on the island of Cozumel. That is right... a week at a resort! Not exactly where most people end up when they are pinching pesos in Central America. I had karma on my side when a friend I met in Utila contacted me to tell me that he needed someone to fill the space of an already paid, all-inclusive, VIP status resort in Mexico- all the Kahlua flavored drinks I could ever want with beachfront access.  I figured I would be crazy to miss such an opportunity-so I met Nate at the ferry in Playa del Carmen to head over to our VIP experience. It was a super interesting  experience after seeing so many different class and economical struggles throughout my trip to end up here at the end where the trademark could be: too much, too big, and too nice (although that wasn't everyone's review.) I met a handful of interesting people at the resort. Although many people thought that Nate and I were on a honeymoon or married, the others would adopt me for random meals to exchange some fun life stories. But many people had a hard time understanding my independence and sense for adventure, but I am hoping through conversation I was able to open their eyes to some new cultures and what can be found outside the doors of a resort. With that said some of the best experiences were outside the resort. Although I was totally content reading by the beach; when we rented a open-topped jeep and drove the the rocky and wavy east side of the resort to have some killer margaritas with Jalepeño poppers and when I went in with some fellow Montanans and found some tasty 50 cent chorizo tacos in the pueblo definitely hit the top of my list. I also thoroughly enjoyed the sense of community that was created since from night one. We arrived with a few groups of people and held the nightly beach volleyball game at sunset. The last night we were even able to pull together a team Montana, for the first time ever while traveling Montanans outnumbered all other states represented at my place of residence!

Because of an ear injury I couldn't scuba dive with at the resort so I was more than ready to leave when my weeks time came up. I was restless and ready for a few more days of exploration before my flight stateside. I headed back to Playa del Carmen and spent the night afternoon getting my bearings and making sure to find the only swing-seat bar in town to enjoy a few good dark beers. Most of my travels I was lacking in the beer I consider drinkable, so I was super excited to sit down and enjoy that. The last day in Mexico I woke up with the sun and headed out to visit some of the famous cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula. These are natural sinkhole pools lining the highway between all the hot beach spots between Cancun and Tulum. This was one of the most refreshing mornings I have had. The water was crystal clear and refreshingly cold. With my snorkel gear I was able to swim with the little fish that give you pedicures, cat fish, and some turtles. It was hard to pull myself away, but once I did it was worth it. Next stop the beach pueblo Akumal, which is famous for swimming with turtles (sea turtles that is) and sting rays. So I pulled up with my gear and full intentions to enjoy that. I got more than I bargained for... I met a local tour guy just getting off work and he coached me as to where I would get to swim with the turtles and then walked me over a laguna. This laguna is something you normally have to pay for, but he knew a secret path in so we got to explore and enter without and issues. We snorkeled around the biggest school of fish I have ever seen! Diving down and testing out their lateral line and awareness of  you was like some sort of mermaid dance. Super neat! From here I headed out to the beach and saw a ray and a handful turtles along with some pretty awesome coral. With a ceviche dinner and an killer sunrise the next morning it was the perfect and most fulfilling way to end my trip.

I am sure I will have some exiting comments as I reflect more and share all my stories, but until then this is all she wrote.

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.