Maktub.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Finally Home
So I have been home for over a month now which is really weird, but it is the first time I feel really home...except not the home where everyone is there at the door to welcome you and hug you and give you balloons...its the lonely kind of home. It has officially hit me. I am not at The Traveling School anymore and it's hard, really hard. Like painful. I guess I just have to sit in it, really feel what I'm feeling. At the cabin there's no distractions, especially since the water is like the titanic waters...I definitely feel happier on the water, but that's just another distraction. I need to face it. Well I know no one is reading this but I guess its just a way to get it out since I haven't really journaled at all. Alright, well thanks. maybe I'll keep doing this. I guess I feel a little better.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
HOLA!
OH GEEZ! I am so sorry I have not posted anything lately, but we have been soo busy with mid-terms! It has been so challenging lately, physically, academically, and emotionally, but it is amazing and I know it is just going to help me grow.
THE GALAPAGOS!!!!
This was an unforgettable experience! The 14 of us, and two of the four teachers, were on a boat for seven days with a crew who cooked and cleaned for us...talk about the treatment! We had a library for a guide...his name was Diego and he was hilarious...but he wasn´t even aware of how funny he was. Every day we would land on an island and take a day hike, learning all about the species and plants of the island. We swam with sea lions and hammerhead sharks, we went on a mad dolphin chase one day when we were scuba diving, and we relaxed in the sun. But it wasn´t all relax. We still had classes on the boat, but not as much as regularly because this was kind of our spring break...and boy was it an amazing spring break! The days were long and tiring from the blazing sun, but so worth it! One day we were all hanging out on the deck doing some homework, and out of nowhere Diego yelled ¨Dolphins!¨ It was so cool!!! A pod of them flocked to the bow of out boat as we were motoring across the ocean, keeping up full speed with the ginormous, full speed moving vehicle. We hung off the bow for about 10 minutes watching them play and jump. I loved it! I am writing an article on the galapagos for travel journalism, one of my classes, for the evergreen high school newspaper, so hopefully you can hear more then...sorry my time is limited.
And now as of late...We returned from the Galapagos and reunited with Cara and Heather, the two teachers who didnt come with us. We spent the night in Guayaquil, and then travelled to a surf town in Peru called Mancora. It was soo much fun!!! We learned how to surf, resumed our intriguing classes, and hung out at the beach...I felt so at home! We then took a 24 hour bus ride to Huaraz after our week in Mancora, where we have been for the past week. Today we had a day hike in preparation for our Santa Cruz trek which we leave for on Sunday. I will be backpacking in the mountains for six days which I am a little nervous for, but can´t wait at the same time.
I am truly having a once in a lifetime experience here in South America with the 14 other amazing girls and 4 wonderful teachers. I love every minute of it, even when I come across the challenges...and trust me there are many. I know this trip is going to allow huge growth and will take a lot of processing when I get back so I am really taking the time to be fully present. I miss everyone, but I am so grateful for this time. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love, Phoebe
oh yea P.S. yesterday we had this amazing science class on trash and it is ridiculous how unaware we are...I had no clue about the pile of trash in the ocean that is twice the size of North America, ruining ecosystems. Here is the link to the article our science teacher Heather read us...please pass it on...more people need to be aware.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html
I know anyone can make a difference, so dont feel discouraged...
THE GALAPAGOS!!!!
This was an unforgettable experience! The 14 of us, and two of the four teachers, were on a boat for seven days with a crew who cooked and cleaned for us...talk about the treatment! We had a library for a guide...his name was Diego and he was hilarious...but he wasn´t even aware of how funny he was. Every day we would land on an island and take a day hike, learning all about the species and plants of the island. We swam with sea lions and hammerhead sharks, we went on a mad dolphin chase one day when we were scuba diving, and we relaxed in the sun. But it wasn´t all relax. We still had classes on the boat, but not as much as regularly because this was kind of our spring break...and boy was it an amazing spring break! The days were long and tiring from the blazing sun, but so worth it! One day we were all hanging out on the deck doing some homework, and out of nowhere Diego yelled ¨Dolphins!¨ It was so cool!!! A pod of them flocked to the bow of out boat as we were motoring across the ocean, keeping up full speed with the ginormous, full speed moving vehicle. We hung off the bow for about 10 minutes watching them play and jump. I loved it! I am writing an article on the galapagos for travel journalism, one of my classes, for the evergreen high school newspaper, so hopefully you can hear more then...sorry my time is limited.
And now as of late...We returned from the Galapagos and reunited with Cara and Heather, the two teachers who didnt come with us. We spent the night in Guayaquil, and then travelled to a surf town in Peru called Mancora. It was soo much fun!!! We learned how to surf, resumed our intriguing classes, and hung out at the beach...I felt so at home! We then took a 24 hour bus ride to Huaraz after our week in Mancora, where we have been for the past week. Today we had a day hike in preparation for our Santa Cruz trek which we leave for on Sunday. I will be backpacking in the mountains for six days which I am a little nervous for, but can´t wait at the same time.
I am truly having a once in a lifetime experience here in South America with the 14 other amazing girls and 4 wonderful teachers. I love every minute of it, even when I come across the challenges...and trust me there are many. I know this trip is going to allow huge growth and will take a lot of processing when I get back so I am really taking the time to be fully present. I miss everyone, but I am so grateful for this time. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love, Phoebe
oh yea P.S. yesterday we had this amazing science class on trash and it is ridiculous how unaware we are...I had no clue about the pile of trash in the ocean that is twice the size of North America, ruining ecosystems. Here is the link to the article our science teacher Heather read us...please pass it on...more people need to be aware.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html
I know anyone can make a difference, so dont feel discouraged...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Cuenca and The Galapagos!
We are soon ending our homestays in Cuenca, and I have had a wonderful time with my host mom Marianna and sister Rocio...It has been nice to be living in a house where I can have some space to breath...but I am excited to be living with our wonderful group again. We still have classes everyday in an actual classroom downtown Cuenca...weird. But not for long...on Saturday we leave for The GALAPAGOS where we will be having classes on the boat! I am so excited! In Travel Journalism we are writing our school newspapers for the next article...I will hopefully be reporting on the Galapagos or other exciting events we have recently encountered. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!
Love, Phoebe
Love, Phoebe
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wow...I just have to say this past week has been one of the best experiences of my life. We were just living in a Quichua community for the past 6 days in a town in Ecuador called Agualongo. I have never lived in an area which had so little but had so much in their hearts.
When we first arrived the people welcomed us with open arms. All the little kid's shining faces lit up as they shook each of our hands. We ate soup with the community and then played one of the most exciting games of futbol (soccer) with all the kids...they just dont stop running and they are amazing! I stayed in a home with one of our teacher's Cara and my friends Laura and Melissa. We slept on matts on the dirt floor of our wonderful host family's small home. Suzanna (the mom) Manuel (the dad) Tanya, who was 12, Hernand 11, Elvis 8, and Sadie 3 opened there house to us and by the second night I felt as if I was eating dinner with my family. We had discussions, played games, taught english words, and ate on the matts of their kitchen floor as we ate dinner. The kids were so smart and amazing and I felt like I instantly bonded with them.
We taught English classes to the kids of the community in the afternoons...they were so eager to learn which was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by. As we stood in the community center with our lesson plan posters they chanted my name Phoe be! Phoe be! And sang Old McDonald. Franklin, one of the smartest boys caught on immediately. He wants to be a doctor because his dad just died of an infection so he has an interest in helping sick people. His family barely has enough money to put their 7 kids through school.
On Saturday and Sunday we participated in a Minga, a big project the community puts together once a year with the help of the traveling school. This year we built bathrooms for the community kindergarden which was a lot of work but so worth it. I helped dig a 5 meter hole for the ceptice system, we carried 20 pound cinder blocks, we mixed cement, and we got really dirty. It was so cool to see the community come together and get the project done. We had an amazing goodbye ceremony where they served us Qui, gunieau pig (a delicacy of ecuador)all that they have, and we danced. It was an amazing time.
Well that is it for now because i have to be back at the hostel but i will check in soon.
Love Phoebe
When we first arrived the people welcomed us with open arms. All the little kid's shining faces lit up as they shook each of our hands. We ate soup with the community and then played one of the most exciting games of futbol (soccer) with all the kids...they just dont stop running and they are amazing! I stayed in a home with one of our teacher's Cara and my friends Laura and Melissa. We slept on matts on the dirt floor of our wonderful host family's small home. Suzanna (the mom) Manuel (the dad) Tanya, who was 12, Hernand 11, Elvis 8, and Sadie 3 opened there house to us and by the second night I felt as if I was eating dinner with my family. We had discussions, played games, taught english words, and ate on the matts of their kitchen floor as we ate dinner. The kids were so smart and amazing and I felt like I instantly bonded with them.
We taught English classes to the kids of the community in the afternoons...they were so eager to learn which was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by. As we stood in the community center with our lesson plan posters they chanted my name Phoe be! Phoe be! And sang Old McDonald. Franklin, one of the smartest boys caught on immediately. He wants to be a doctor because his dad just died of an infection so he has an interest in helping sick people. His family barely has enough money to put their 7 kids through school.
On Saturday and Sunday we participated in a Minga, a big project the community puts together once a year with the help of the traveling school. This year we built bathrooms for the community kindergarden which was a lot of work but so worth it. I helped dig a 5 meter hole for the ceptice system, we carried 20 pound cinder blocks, we mixed cement, and we got really dirty. It was so cool to see the community come together and get the project done. We had an amazing goodbye ceremony where they served us Qui, gunieau pig (a delicacy of ecuador)all that they have, and we danced. It was an amazing time.
Well that is it for now because i have to be back at the hostel but i will check in soon.
Love Phoebe
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Quito Ecuador!
I have now been in South Americ for almost three weeks and I have experienced so much already! We just came out of The Amazon yesterday and I am now in Quito Ecuador! It is a pretty big city. We are staying in a Hostel called Posado de Maple. It´s so pretty because there are maple trees lined up along the whole street. Today is out study day rest day which is much needed because we have been running pretty strong for a while.
We left The Hacienda Guachuala (the first place we stayed for about two weeks in Cayambe Ecuador) on Valentines day. We then arrived in Tena and stayed at these beautiful cabins. On friday we went white water rafting which was probably one of the best days i have had in a while! It was amazing to be surrounded by the rainforest! We then visited a Quichua community which was so eye opening. The kids had arranged marriages at 14 and our boat driver Nilo was 18...he was married and had a child. It was so crazy. We also did a 6 hour hike into the jungle. It rained the whole time but it was really awesome. we ate ants that supposedly tasted like lime...i didnt really taste it. we hiked down rivers in our rubber boots. and we ate these really good plants. we learned all about hunters and animals. it was awesome! I was also shamanized by a shaman in the amazon. it was quite the experience. And i got to blow a blow dart which was super long and took a lot of arm strength to hold up. It was sweet!!
Well now we are in Quito and continuing this amazing adventure. I hope everyone is doing wonderful! i will keep you updated when I can.
Love, Phoebe
We left The Hacienda Guachuala (the first place we stayed for about two weeks in Cayambe Ecuador) on Valentines day. We then arrived in Tena and stayed at these beautiful cabins. On friday we went white water rafting which was probably one of the best days i have had in a while! It was amazing to be surrounded by the rainforest! We then visited a Quichua community which was so eye opening. The kids had arranged marriages at 14 and our boat driver Nilo was 18...he was married and had a child. It was so crazy. We also did a 6 hour hike into the jungle. It rained the whole time but it was really awesome. we ate ants that supposedly tasted like lime...i didnt really taste it. we hiked down rivers in our rubber boots. and we ate these really good plants. we learned all about hunters and animals. it was awesome! I was also shamanized by a shaman in the amazon. it was quite the experience. And i got to blow a blow dart which was super long and took a lot of arm strength to hold up. It was sweet!!
Well now we are in Quito and continuing this amazing adventure. I hope everyone is doing wonderful! i will keep you updated when I can.
Love, Phoebe
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Hey Everyone,
I have now been in Ecuador for two weeks, and it is so amazing! All the girls on my trip are awesome as well as my teachers. I am now at an internet cafe in Tana, right outside the Amazon and it is soooo hot!!! We are going white water rafting tomorrow which I am so excited for! The academics are pretty challenging but so engaging. It is so awesome to be emmersed in what I am learning...right now we are reading savages for global studies which is about all the oil that is being extracted from the Amazon...I feel so connected when reading it cause we are actually here. Today we were in the bus driving to Tana and we drove uner the pipes that take the oil up and out of the rainforest.
In english we are reading the alchemist which is an awesome book about personal legends. We had a sweet class discussion about it the other day. Well I have to go and meet up with the group again but i will try and update this as much as possible! hope everyone is doing wonderful!
Love Phoebe
I have now been in Ecuador for two weeks, and it is so amazing! All the girls on my trip are awesome as well as my teachers. I am now at an internet cafe in Tana, right outside the Amazon and it is soooo hot!!! We are going white water rafting tomorrow which I am so excited for! The academics are pretty challenging but so engaging. It is so awesome to be emmersed in what I am learning...right now we are reading savages for global studies which is about all the oil that is being extracted from the Amazon...I feel so connected when reading it cause we are actually here. Today we were in the bus driving to Tana and we drove uner the pipes that take the oil up and out of the rainforest.
In english we are reading the alchemist which is an awesome book about personal legends. We had a sweet class discussion about it the other day. Well I have to go and meet up with the group again but i will try and update this as much as possible! hope everyone is doing wonderful!
Love Phoebe
Monday, January 28, 2008
Hello!
Dear people,
I am about to leave for my semester in South America and I heard that these blog sites work better than something like facebook or myspace... so i wanted to try it out! I have four days until I leave! I am so excited, but really nervous at the same time...I just wanted to see if this would work before I leave so I can communicate easier with friends and family. Oh by the way I just got back from the X Games and they were AWESOME!
Phoebe
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