Homestays and Community Work in Pucara, Now Onward to Peru!

Our week in Pucara came and went. We arrived there on Friday and left early Thursday morning. Within that time, we did tons of hiking, a lot of learning and tons of community work. When we arrived, the town of Pucara had a big welcome for us, where we played games, listened to music and performances and bonded quickly. We each stayed with a homestay family alone, which was a first, but which gave us plenty of time to bond with our homestay families.

Pete was our community leader. He was also an inspiration and great worker. He showed us some of his work around the small town of Pucara. For example: the spanish school he created to help women to have jobs and better finances so they can better take care of their families. Pete hopes that Pucara can be a community that other communities can follow in its footsteps, by creating a way of living where people do not have to leave hoping for a "better" lifestyle. Pucara can be the community where people go there and hopefully stay and live there, rather than people coming in, trying to find solutions, and then leaving with tons of abandoned work with no one to maintain it.

The next few days were filled with a lot of work and walking. We walked to Pete's house where we learned about his farm and the plants he grows – such as the coffee plants. The next day the group split into two. One group planted flowers and the other seperated bottles for Pete's recycled wall then they planted medicinal plants.

Monday we did a few hour hike through the cloud forest where we met Carlos. He told us about mining and what we can do to help create awareness around the issues against mining. Wesenday we planted over 285 trees on a steep slope. There are so many many things we did and learned. I cannot even explain all.
Thursday we left to another small town. There we learned the next steps about what happens to the coffee in the coffee factory before it is sent out to other places for sale. Shortly after we did the tallest zip line in all of South America. Personal shout out to myself for getting on after freaking out for a good 25 minutes. When we got to the other side we stayed in the cabins for the night. The next day after we waited for 3 1/2 for a bus back to Quito, we hitched it on the back of a boxed truck to Otovalo. There we caught a bus back to Quito where we all started. We are already in our midpoint. Early sunday morning (22nd) we will be heading to Peru. The group and I are really excited and cannot wait to spend the rest of our 6 weeks in Peru. Sorry this is extremely long, but we did so much and learned a lot!

-Ohna

Volunteer Work in Guatemala: Satire, and the Cost and Benefits of Volunteerism

Last week, the Maya group headed to the rural Pueblo of Pasac, Guatamala. We entered their village and after a week of hard work, made a lasting impact on their lives.
Our first task was to flatten the dirt in an area designated for a building project. For over TWO hours, we labored in the hot Guatamalan sun flattening the earth with makeshift tools of treetrunks attached to sticks. I am proud to say I only took a 45 minute break afterwords, during which I updated my Facebook Profile picture so that my friends could see how cultured and giving I am. The next day, we cut down banana leaves and carried them to a garden project where they were to be used as shade for the plants. The rest of the day was spent patting each other on the back, taking pictures with children using our DSLRs, and trying to find a cafe with air conditioning. Hearts full and chins high with the knowledge that we made the world a better place, we departed Pasac with a traditional goodbye ceremony (We sang them Wagon Wheel and dressed up in their clothing) to Antigua, where we spent a couple days rewarding ourselves with greasy fried food and chocolate.

(Again, please note the above is strictly satire…except for the part about greasy fried food)

Some people today may argue that pairing travel and volunteer work, largely in the developing world (AKAVoluntourism) is ineffective, wasteful, and just an excuse for rich westerners to inflate their ego, spruce up their resumes, and travel to a foreign country. No approach to charity is without its flaws, and voluntourism is not perfect, but many positive effects of the practice are simply ignored or patronized. First, while certainly not large, volunteer work does leave an effect on communities. The relationships formed between locals and volunteers can at times be superficial, but I have firsthand witnessed genuine, caring relationships develop and last far past the two weeks of volunteering. Voluntourism is not about Westerners who "know better" coming in to save the day, but instead an opportunity for people from vastly different socioeconomic backrounds and cultures to work together for a common cause. Volunteers don´t pretend to have made a huge difference, its clear that their skills and timeframe do not allow for that. But to have people from truly different sides of humanity spend time together sharing culture, values, and space whilst working together for a positive cause is truly a beautiful thing.

Furthermore, Voluntourism also serves to expose unknowing Westerners to the reality of true poverty in the developing world. It can change lives and influence young people to strive to make a difference in the lives of others, whether they choose to do so locally or internationally. The real value in voluntourism lies in getting young people invested in ending global poverty so that the next generation of mankind will suffer less.

So although it may be easy to criticize your officemate´s trip to help build a school in rural Uganda as insincere or self-serving, please consider the value of exposing society´s power players to the reality of the 80% of humanity that struggles to survive  daily on less than the value of a Starbucks Latte.

Rwanda Genocide: Updates from East Africa

Translation: Hope

I espère you daaaaaaance (with Rwandans)!

KIGALI. NYABAGOGO STATION. 3:17 PM. We emerge into a sea of persistent and perspiring taxi drivers. As our butts are slowly recovering from the drive and our stomachs are crying for the pizza party to come later in the day, we skillfully navigate our way to our hostel.

We were greeted by paved roads, traffic lights, and newly developed buildings – a drastic change from our experiences in Uganda. Our first day was spent enjoying the luxuries of Kigali and preparing to learn about the Rwandan Genocide the following day. While we expected this to be an emotional day, we had no idea what we were in for. The morning was dedicated to learning about the details of the genocide at the official Kigali Genocide Memorial and Museum. From walls listing the names of the victims to a room full of stories of children affected by the terror, we each got the chance to reflect at our own pace and in our own way. Later that afternoon, we visited Nyamata Church and witnessed for ourselves the ruble and remains of some of those massacred in 1994. With heavy hearts, we headed back to town. However, our unexpected mode of transportation (bicycle taxis) helped lift our spirits. The next day, we took time to discuss, reflect, and process as we prepared for our week at Lake Kivu.

Our rustic accommodation.  We LOVED it!

Bonjour, L'Esperance (translation: hope)! After a winding and dusty bus ride through the mountains, we arrived to a sort of paradise among the hillside above Lake Kivu. Our accommodations, along with the views, were in TENTS. We spent our first day learning about the organization's history and the direction it's moving towards now. Before the Rwandan legislation to abolish orphanages was enacted on December 31st of 2014, L'Esperance operated as a haven for children in need. It was on its way to becoming an oasis for innovation of green technology and sustainability – they were even going to invent the world's first Kivu cheese! However, these projects were put on hold after the legislation passed, and L'Esperance was forced to seek a different mission. Today they are transitioning into becoming a home for teenage victims of rape and their babies. There are currently thirty girls and twenty -six babies (some still expecting to arrive), and they are all remarkable humans. Working alongside the girls this week, be it cultivating pineapple fields or pruning a eucalyptus forest, touched all of our hearts in unique ways. Most nights were spent learning locals songs and dancing until we were entirely drenched in sweat and our cheeks hurt from smiling. None of this would have been possible without the generosity and kind spirit of our dear friend Fanny, a young agricultural worker at L'Esperance. In addition to spending time with the girls and their babies, we repainted the organization's hillside sign and explored the nearby village, including a dip in the lake and a trip to the market. Some of us also had the opportunity to edit the girls' life stories alongside the director, Prince. His own story of survival through the genocide made the history of Rwanda feel so real for us. As one of five survivors of a 10,000-victim massacre, he embodies the resilience of the Rwandan people. We wound down from these days by gazing at the stars from our sleeping bags, enjoying spirited bonfires, and even going for a midnight swim.

Campfire Time!

L'Esperance provided such a special experience for all of us, and it's safe to say that we each left a piece of our hearts and feel that we could never give as much as we gained from this organization. We're so excited to move forward and face the challenges and joys ahead of us during our homestays in Morogoro, Tanzania!

Lakes, Yoga and Volcanos: Central America Updates from Lilly

Our group on the beautiful Lake Atitlan

We stayed on a beautiful farm on Lake Atitlan. This lake is northern of Guatemalan, in the highlands of the Sierra Madre de mountain range. Everyone here is very nice and friendly. Every morning we practice meditation at 6 a.m, and yoga sessions at 6:30 a.m. On this yoga farm they grow their own food and herbs. Every meal is vegan and gluten free, we also had fresh pineapples, strawberries, and papaya. We also participated in the caoco ceremony, tasting real chocolate along with feeling our flow of energy through people.

On the Road in Ecuador: South America Updates from Jake

The view from the bus

This week has been our student directed travel. We started in Tena and stayed for two extra days to go see the Jumandi Caves. We had a great time there in the dark. After that day in Tena we bought our tickets to Otalavo. After a long bus ride it was really relieving to get to a nice hostal, but figuring out who was going to stay in which room was irritating for everyone. With that settled we all went into town where we saw an amazing market place called Plaza de los Panchos. Everyone except for me and Sunte'Ohna bought alpaca sweaters. Gabriela bought two. On the ninth it was Sunte'Ohnas birthday and we all went out dancing. We had a blast. The day after Sunte'Ohnas birthday half the group went to Cotacachi which is big on leather working. A day later we went on an amazing hike around lake Cuicocha. The hike took us about three and a half hours and the distance was around eight and a half miles. It is a crater lake around a volcano. Almost everyone in our group got burnt through the clouds. Today is the twelfth and we had some QT time in the morning. Later tonight we are going to listen to Betsy's life map. We listened to Mac's life map yesterday. I think everyone knows how they will do theirs after hearing his. We will be leaving Otavalo Friday the thirteenth. We are heading towards Pucara a small village about an hour and a half away from Otavalo. That will be the end of the student directed travel. It was difficult because we were the first group to do it in Ecuador thus far in the carpe Diem program, but we made the best of it and had a blast of a time.

-Jake Timney

Buddha, bicycles and "Holi" water: India Updates

Can you find the Buddha?

Hinduism, and so India, had begun to make sense to our group thanks to plentiful immersion and instruction. We had started to understand this colorful country and its colorful religion as we left Varanasi for Bodhgaya. But since the nature of seeing the world is surprise after surprise, we were thrown for a loop as we arrived in this new city of Buddhism, where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Instead of the familiar portraits of Hindu Gods Shiva and Vishnu, we faced statues of Buddha and seas of monks.

Our group was overjoyed to find ourselves in the company of smiling monks as we stayed for three days at a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery. We encountered monks everywhere: in their temples, in restaurants, and haggling alongside us in English for lower prices at Indian street shops. Being in Bodhgaya gave our group its first taste of Buddhism, with opportunities to visit temples of Burmese, Tibetan, and Thai origin, just to name a few. It also meant a trip to the Maha Bodhi Temple, a grand and ornate place which is visited by folks from all over the world who come to see the holy Bodhi tree under which Prince Siddhartha Gotama sat thousands of years ago, and became "the Buddha".

We also arrived in Bodhgaya just in time for Holi, the festival of happiness. Little did we know that Holi is also the festival of throwing remarkable amounts of colored powder and water at unsuspecting tourists who naively thought that they would make it through the day with the same color shirt they started with.

On Holi, our group took a bike adventure towards the Buddha Cave, where Gotama Buddha is said to have sat in meditation. We had an unpredictable, splendid and unforgettable adventure, which inclued a moment of worry when Hava's bike chain split and fell off of her bike in the middle of a small village…but not to fear! Our fearless leader Topher was there to save the day by fixing her chain using his two hands and a nearby rock. Some of the village people seemed to think this spectacle was the funniest thing they had ever seen. They also took our stop as an invitation to being dumping colored water on us. Though we never quite made it to the Buddha Cave, we managed to circle the entire small mountain range which holds the cave, and ride through several Holi parades that showered our whole crew in colors galore. The trip ended with all of our bikes roped to the top of a lone rickshaw, with all of us smushed together inside. Although the trip didn't go quite the way we planned, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

The rest of our time in Bodhgaya was peaceful, and we made our way via overnight train to the city of Kolkata. Kolkata is another absolutely unique city. It is busy, loud, and lively, filled with endless street peddlers and food carts, as well as fully Westernized malls and movie theaters. Every morning, we wake up early and walk to the Mother Teresa home, where we each volunteer until noon at one of the various homes founded by Mother Teresa herself. These volunteer houses include a hospice-center, a home for handicapped women, and home for handicapped children.

It has been profoundly humbling to be able to share time and space with the residents, patients, other volunteers, and nuns. I am beginning to feel sure that none of us will walk away from this experience unmoved or unchanged. Each day we choose to face both immense joy and immense challenge. As one of my old friends once said, "struggle is a companion of passion, The two need each other to exist." And here we are, submerged deep in both and so much better for it.

Farewell to Uganda-Updates from East Africa

After a bittersweet farewell to the children at SNEC, we headed to Bukinda primary school for four more days of home-cooked meals (Mexican food galore!) and goofing around with kids. It wasn't all just fun and games; however, as we helped construct a play structure and tire swing using fresh lumber and assisted in teaching a few lessons. While the workload wasn't super heavy, our abundant free time allowed us to get to know one another through dance parties, yoga lessons, essential oil classes, and intense card games with one of our hosts, Agnes! However, we are still adjusting to how service work is performed in Uganda and are challenging ourselves to not set expectations based on our preconceived ideas.

Before we set out on our canoe trek on Lake Bunyonyi, we had a chance to explore Kabale on our own and get a taste of what solo travel in a foreign country is like. Some of us hit the dance floor on Friday at a club called "Mist" and showcased our mutual love of 90's R&B.
Early on Saturday we departed for Lake Bunyonyi and embarked in dugout canoes for our first day of trekkin', all while admiring the beautiful hillside communities surrounding us. That night we ate a delicious home-cooked meal at Mama Bena's, a local woman who hosts Edirisa groups, hiked to the top of the island at sunset, and gathered around a bonfire for storytelling. Sunday began with short canoe ride to the island of the Batwa people, who were driven out of their homes in the forest in the early nineties. We were briefly introduced to their way of life, including learning how to shoot a bow and arrow. It was interesting to learn about the different class systems within the tribal system, as most of us were unaware of the oppression of Ugandans by Ugandans.

The rest of the day consisted of an eight-mile hike in the mountains accompanied by a killer quad workout, frequent renditions of songs from The Sound of Music, and a tasty mountaintop picnic. We took a dip at Tom's Island to cool off as we waited for yet another delicious home-cooked meal and cozy bonfire. After another tent slumber party, we awoke to homemade chapatis and a tour of the island led by Tom, himself. He started off by showing us the tree under which he was born and explained how he inherited the island from his grandfather who was also born there. Additionally, he told us about the older generations' way of attaining a wife, which essentially involved kidnapping and potentially raping a woman, thereby trapping her into the marriage. Happy International Women's Day, right? We also talked to our knight in shining armor, our ray of sunshine, our diligent guide, Owen, about his opinion on President Museveni (a very controversial figure in Uganda) and homosexuality. Our last destination on the trek was a craft shop owned by a woman named Anna who taught us how to weave papyrus bracelets.

While we are all going to miss waking up to the beautiful lake views, we look forward to the adventures ahead in Kigali, Rwanda!

Sawatdee Kha-Southeast Asia Updates from Raisa

Happy Trekking!

Hope this post finds you all well and happy wherever you may be out there!

After a two day trek through the Northern hills of Thailand we have found ourselves back in our near and dear city of Chiang Mai- a place we've grown increasingly familiar with over the past few weeks. Each day has felt so much longer here and it's hard to believe that our trek was just a couple days ago. The first day, we spent around 5 hours traveling to a Thai Karen village where we all got to spend the night together in a giant wooden house- which was awesome, it was like a big slumber party in a tree house (my childhood dream come true!) The second day our trek was about half the distance, allowing us the pleasure of a much more leisurely time which we spent taking in the scenery, stopping for a swim and eating a delicious lunch of noodles and veggies wrapped in banana leaves. Our guides even picked up some bamboo along the way to make us all chopsticks by hand! Afterwards, we trekked the rest of the way up to a Thai Lahu village where we all got to stay in a large hut made out of woven bamboo. It wasn't the comfiest night's sleep I've had but my admiration for the skill it took to build the place made it much more bearable. The next morning we had breakfast and set off for bamboo rafting, which some local men had spent the morning building! I can't even put into words the beauty of the water and the surrounding flora of the river… it was truly a delightful experience that I will never forget. Our guides passed along the responsibility of captain to a few of us during calmer waters so they could rest up for the faster currents. It's quite an exhilarating feeling to be directing a giant bamboo raft! When we finally reached our ending point, we were greeted with a lunch of pad thai and fresh pineapple and watermelon- the icing on the cake of a bustling morning. We then had a two hour drive back to Chiang Mai to rest up and prepare for our next adventure. In a few hours we will be boarding an overnight train to the World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya (see a list of sites around the world here: http://wikitravel.org/en/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site). Although it is sad to think we won't be coming back to Chiang Mai between our upcoming adventures as we have been, it's exceedingly more exciting to think about all the amazing new places we have the privilege of exploring. Our time in Thailand is quickly coming to an end- after Ayutthaya, we will spend a couple nights in Bangkok and wrap it all up with our mindfulness retreat at Thai Plum village learning about the traditions of Thich Nhat Hanh. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are saddened to leave Thailand so soon but are vastly thrilled to embark on new adventures in Cambodia and Vietnam.

All my best until next time friends and family, take care of yourselves!

~Raisa

P.S.
The photos below are from our trek- one through the dry rice paddies, one of our group in front of a herd of cattle and one of a local man working on our bamboo rafts!

Building the rafts we would use...

Part of our Trek

Feeling Right at Home in Southeast Asia

The hustle and bustle of Old Chiang Mai has become a familiar homestead for me. It's the constant place we come back to after new experiences with home-stays, farms, long treks and elephants. Void of my family it has me feeling a bit homesick. Dodging the cars, motorcycles and tuk tuks has become second nature to me, and I surely am going to miss this city. The long alleyways that lead to our new hostel reveal the hidden beauty that this city had to offer. Our hostel is..interesting. While I am grateful for the hot shower and a toilet with both toilet paper AND a trashcan, (a huge luxury) I was given a giant terrycloth towel as a blanket. So that was weird. Not that we needed it though. Today is fairly hot as the city gets covered in a good layer of smoke and pollution from the hill burning. But apparently people from Chiang Mai go to Bangkok to find clean air. 

Alley way in Chang Mai, Thailand

We packed up our things and headed down to the river where we hopped on our bamboo rafts and started our 2.5 hour voyage down the river. Oh my goodness what a spectacular sight to see. I must have said a million times how this would be the perfect location for a movie. It was so beautiful that it seemed surreal. Going down the river was not only beautiful, but it was fun and exhilarating. After every rapid we though the rafts would break apart, and sometimes they did. Ama was standing in the front leading one of the rafts when all of a sudden one of the pieces of bamboo snapped and her leg fell straight through. Luckily she and everyone else who received bamboo rafting battle scars were ok!

We wrapped up our trek, said goodbye to our guides and headed back to Chiang Mai for a rest day. Tomorrow evening we will board an over night train which will take us to Ayutthaya where we will spend the next couple of days exploring this out of this world ancient city. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to post again once we conclude there. But for now I just wanted to say thank you to my parents and the parents of everyone else here on this journey. You all have given us an opportunity to grow and have the experience of a lifetime and for that we are ever so grateful.

Pop gan mai! 

Exploring the "Monument of Love"- Updates from India

After having witnessed the world famous beauty of the Taj Mahal, or the "monument of love" according to Samuel Kessler, the group set off to Varanasi, the city of lights. Straight upon arrival with the overnight train on fell in love with Varanasi, being the oldest city in the world. Straight away one felt at ease with the relaxing and spiritual vibe of the city.

India group sitting in front of the Taj Mahal

You want to know what a classic day for the group in Varanasi looked like?
It started with a grateful smile for being able to eat fresh fruits and salads in the morning at a small cafe, overlooking the holy river Ganges. Afterwards the group was to split and left for their individually chosen internship; whether it was jewelry making, Ayurveda courses, fire dancing or traditional Indian painting… There was lots on offer and creativity went viral! At 10.30 the group came together again to attend the daily Hindi class with our kind local teacher Pinku-ji. In the afternoon everybody in the group enjoyed some free time, reflecting on the daily experiences in India and soaking up some of Varanasi's spirituality, while strolling down its numerous ghats.

Apart from this daily routine, we also shared some special and fascinating moments, like the morning worshiping to the gods at Assi gath, the never ending and world famous fires at the Burning ghats and a traditional as well as highly impressive fire dancing performance. For the perfect ending to our time in Varanasi, the group got up at 5 am to witness a beautiful sunrise, during a boat ride on the Ganges.

Overlooking the holy Ganges River

Now the circle closes again and the group is once more to take a lovely Indian train ride, heading off to our next stop "Bodhgaya", fiercely awaiting Holy, the festival of happiness!