Itsy Bitsy Spider

Itsy Bitsy Spider
Originally uploaded by mc973

Teaching English in Cambodia turned out to involve a lot of singing. Here's video of some of the kids singing one of the many songs we taught them.

Bats, and scorpions and lizards...oh my.

Greetings friends, family and random internet stalkers. We apologize for the delay in posting. It's tricky to update the blog when you're in a jungle with no internet. But alas, we are now back in the USA (New Orleans to be exact) and are here to tell you about our volunteer stint at Purasuerte in Costa Rica.

Kris and I arrived in San Isidro, and after an unsuccessful attempt to get in touch with our contact at Purasuerte, trusted a cab driver who claimed he knew how to get there. The farm was about an hour out of town, via many long and windy mountain roads. Our driver, as one would expect from a native Costa Rican, only spoke Spanish. Kris and I have limited Spanish. Yet we chatted all the way there. I'm not sure how that got accomplished but the three of us laughed a lot. We finally, after some confusing twists and turns, arrived, in the dark, at a sign that said Purasuerte. The driver turned off the car and said, "Purasuerte!" There was nothing around. Uh...we're not getting out right here, amigo. Thankfully, our next attempt to call Drennan was successful and he picked us up.

Drennan dropped us off at the volunteer house where we met Mud Flap, the friendly dreaded chap who ran the gardens, and John, the only other volunteer. In "it's a small world" news, John is a native Jerseyite now living in Philly. So, the four of us got to chatting right away, and started chopping up the ingredients for some fresh salsa.

Before I get to the details on our volunteer work, let me just tell you about my nemesis (plural nemeneaux?). The bats living above my bed. Meet Beatrice and Nadia!

If they just hung there quietly, I may've been able to adjust, but the loud swooping at night a)scheeved me out b)was just so rude and distracting for those of us who are NOT NOCTURAL. I turned into Bill Murray a la Caddyshack when it came to trying to get rid of these gals. If I wasn't on an organic farm, I may've just stabbed or punched them or both. But, alas, we're all about not killing stuff and being au natural...so I took the Flap's advice and gathered up some fresh citronella.

Here I am, working on that important project.

I tied it up in bundles all over the ceiling and alas, they found a new place to live! They still swooped through the room now and then, but I think it was clear who was boss.

So...the farm. PS, as I'll refer to it, is located in the Costa Rican jungle, in the tiny town of La Florida. There are 30 acres of beautiful, lush with flowers and plants land. There's a big 'ol greenhouse with lots of veggies and fruit. This is Mud Flap's pride and joy. Our work involved helping out in the greenhouse with watering and weeding and trimming, cleaning up dead plants and flowers throughout the property, replanting beds of spinach and cayote (This is not how you spell it. Whatever it's called, it's a tuber), and cleaning the volunteer house.

Here's Kris and I after some replanting in Mara's Garden:















Kris developing her machete weilding skills:



















And here I am, with one of the many mysteries we uncovered while cleaning:

This nasty substance was on many of the books I pulled out of the bookcase. I later learned that it's larvae from the infamous Goo Bug. Just what I wanted to hear. The Goo Bug leaves this sticky, nasty substance, which is something akin to rusty honey. In short, it's disgusting.






But it wasn't all Goo Bugs and Scorpions (oh yes, found one of those crawling out of the bookcase too!). Here's one of the many types of beautiful flora that we came upon. I forget the name but let's just call it Prettyalia, or something like that.



















And then we have our four-legged pals. Wuli, the cat that thinks she's a dog, loved reading American Pastoral. That's right Matt- she might be smarter than Don.















And, meet the new love of my life, Mana. If I was dognapping sort of gal, she'd be with me now. She's even cooler than this picture would suggest, if that's even possible.















Lots of down time was spent hanging out on the porch, listening to the sounds of the jungle, and contemplating life's mysteries. I swear it was more exciting than this picture of John and I would suggest.















When the sun goes down at 5:20 every day, it means nights are all about dinner and games. Here's Mud Flap, sorting out the rules for Cranium.



















And here I am, cooking up some banana pancakes, next to that oh so lovely fridge.















So, there ya have it. Life in the Costa Rican jungle had it's up and downs but overall, it was a beautiful place. It was nice to wind down our big trip with lots of natural beauty, gardening, reflecting on the porch, meeting new friends, and eating the tastiest fresh pineapple I've ever had.















And, now, we're off to check out New Orleans and see what's changed since we were here about two years ago. Stay tuned for a report!

Milton

Milton
Originally uploaded by kristenkk2

Here is a picture of that toothy smile...

Dangriga Days

kristen 037
Originally uploaded by kristenkk2

We've been in Dangriga, Belize for a week. Our contact for volunteering here was a man named Dennis and The Jungle Huts was the guesthouse I was told to check out. These were boh passed on from The University of San Franciso and were their contacts for student volunteer groups. My conversation with Dennis before we arrived went something like, "Yes, we will find a place for you to volunteer when you arrive. We'll meet and discuss it when you come." A few months ago I might have questioned his lax response and wondered where, how, or when we would meet. But, I've begun to trust and go with it.

And trusting worked. We showed up at The Jungle Huts and met Phil, the owner. While we were waiting for a room to be fixed up, I figured it would be worth an ask if Phil knew where we might find Dennis. Phil said, "Oh yeah, I can take you over to see Dennis right now." Uh, OK. Then Phil also offered us a discount on our room since we were going to be volunteers.

With no warning, but a beep of Phil's horn, we show up to Dennis' front door. He said, "Oh, I was just on my way out." We offered to come back at a more convienent time and he assured us now was great. I laughed and thought in America he'd be like, "Um, yes, looks like I can pencil you from 2:00 - 2:04 tomorrow." But, instead he sat down and chatted with us for about an hour. We agreed to meet him the next day and he'd show us to Holy Ghost, the school we'd be helping out at.

Holy Ghost didn't seem to know excatly what to do with us, but we found our way to a classroom where a teacher was absent and the vice-principal was filling in. The school was much different then what we became accustomed to in Asia. It was much more "American" in it's sturcture and style. The kids are much like kids everywhere...they are interested in you or at least interested in that you pay attention to them, say hysterical things, and love to get their picture taken. After our brief afternoon there, we assured them we'd be back on Tuesday because Monday was a holiday.

On Tuesday, a third grade teacher was absent and we got thrown in there without much direction. We had a good time and got to know some of the students, who of course cracked up us...There was Milton who took our name tag exmples right to heart and wrote Milton Kristen Mary on his tag. So, we called him Milton Kristen Mary all day and were given a huge toothy smile in return. There was Howard who was the first kid's name you learn because you have to. He was obsessed with the dried fruit his teacher gave out despite the fact we told him he'd have to wait until she got back. Howard couldn't stop thinking of it. And there was Latrice who we thought looked like a 70 year old Price is Right contestant. She went to the board with her long sleeve tied around her neck so she didn't catch a chill and was erasing her answer and rewriting it like she was about to win a new car!

On Wednesday we subbed in that class again in the morning and then did some small group work in another class in the afternoon. A note got passed around saying school was closing early because of a tropical storm warning. School actually closed for the next two days. We don't think the storm was so bad, but they were worried about the river flooding. More next week...

Volunteering in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Picture 059
Originally uploaded by mc973

Our two weeks of volunteering in Siem Reap, Cambodia are about to come to a close. There's so much to say about this country and this experience, but internet time is limited. Soon we have to head back to the orphanage for our last afternoon of teaching.

My friend Debbie joined us in Cambodia. Here she is with a group of the kids from the orphanage. There are 67 kids living at the orphanage. We teach the kids at the orphanage for 3 hours in the morning. In the afternoon, Kristen and I teach English to teenagers, and Debbie motorbikes out to a school about 30 minutes from Siem Reap, and teaches the kids there.

Every day is a huge learning experience here. The country is still clearly recovering from the horrific events during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Their is political unrest and corruption yet many people are working hard to create a better life here. The poverty we've witnessed is intense. The average Cambodian makes about $1.30 a day. The average age of Cambodians is 10. 65% of the population has TB.

But all those staggering statistics aside, we have had an incredible time getting to know the kids at the orphanage. Last night they had a dance recital. Debbie was the MC. I gave a few speeches, and the 3 of us were beaming with pride because all their practice paid off. They did so well and had a really great time. This morning, because it was our last day, we slacked off a bit on the English lesson and made bracelets with strings and beads. Even the security guards and kitchen staff made them.

It's an understatement to say that it's going to be to sad to say goodbye to them this afternoon. I get choked up just thinking about it. Long after we leave I'll be picturing their sweet little faces and the sounds of their giggles in my head.

Voluntour Donation Update

In a few days we'll be heading into Cambodia and beginning our volunteer stint at WLS in Siem Reap. Our time will be split between teaching at SOID (School for Poor Children) in the morning and working at the orphanage in the afternoon. Of the 23 children at the orphanage, ranging from 5 to 17 years of age, about 10 of them are blind or visually impaired. They are joined by another 180 children for English lessons throughout the day. Without volunteers, there is just one teacher to teach all 200 children in 6 classes a day. We're looking forward to pitching in and helping out whereever needed.

A quick update on the donation front...

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who has contributed. Because of the kindness of friends (and a few strangers!) our fees for the Habitat for Humanity work in Hungary were covered, as were our fees for our work with WLS in Cambodia. $1000 went directly to the HFH chapter in Hungary, and a large portion of our WLS fees will go directly to the programs being run in Siem Reap.

We are still gratiously accepting donations to help cover the costs of the rest of our volunteer projects. Our work in Khao Lak Thailand cost a total of $760, which includes a $200 donation to Volunteer Teacher Thailand . Look closely and you'll find us on the website!

Our work in Belize, Costa Rica and New Orleans will cost approximately $1600. None of this includes the fees for flights. So...if you or anyone you know is willing to contribute to the cause, please click on the paypal link and donate away! We sincerely appreciate it.

We can guarantee that your donation is being put to good use. In both Hungary and Thailand, necessary supplies were few and far between. Even a small donation made a big difference- the HFH chapter in Hungary bought a new, much needed, circular saw. Volunteer Teacher Thailand was able to buy materials like laminating paper, pens and paper to help develop more lessons for the students.

Beyond the monetary donations, we continue to develop connections with people where we volunteer and hope to continue to work with these groups in some way in the future. In our free time, we're often brainstorming ways that we can continue to assist these worthy organizations and stay in contact with the amazing people we've met. Unfortunately, our internet time is fairly limited, because we have hundreds of stories about the people we've met and the work we've done. We'll try to keep you updated as much as possible!

Thanks again for your support and please spread the word!

Blueberries and Banana Leaves

Pi is packing heat
Originally uploaded by kristenkk2

TVC partners with Home and Life Orphanage on Tuesday nights to do English education, play games, cooking classes, etc. The home was started by a couple who had an orphanage up north but thought there might be a need in this area after the Tsunami, so Home and Life was born. The "parents" looked no older than me and care for the 25 kids who live there on their own. Some of the children are orphans from the Tsunami, others are from poor families who can not afford to raise them. The kids all attend school and are also taught traditional Thai dancing, as well as the English taught on Tuesday nights.

The kids were excited and polite as they greeted the TVC crew with open arms. Well, actually it was more like folded hands...the polite way to greet or thank someone in Thailand. The kids names often translate to English words, sometimes they end up being beautiful other times unfortunate. Last night we taught the most adorable Blueberry ever. There was also a Banana Leaf in the bunch. Both were such hard workers and willing to give anything we asked a try. Although Pi didn't take his eyes off the lesson, he kept his hand on his toy gun...just in case anyone got out of hand I'm guessing. Supaporn and Poo are two of the more unfortunate names...however, their smiles and Khawp Kun Ka's (thank yous) made up for anything else.

We concluded our two week stint in Khao Lak and have moved to Railey, a beachy island with plenty of lounging and not much else to do. After a few days here we are off on what seems like might turn out to be an epic journey into Cambodia to volunteer again. Can't wait to see if it is just as amazing as Thailand...