glowingz

An update for 2011

2011-05-16T02:36:00.004+03:00

Has it really been nearly a year since my last update? Where does the time go?

I just finished up my second year of graduate school, which really feels like a major accomplishment. One year closer to my career as a landscape architect! In the last school year, I worked on a conservation plan for a natural bog in southeast Michigan, designed a green-streetscape for an historic district of Ann Arbor, worked on a plan for a massive brownfield in Flint, designed several plazas on campus, designed an outdoor classroom for a local high school, and built a large art installation in a neighborhood in Detroit. In addition to that, as a member of the student government, I initiated a garden design for my building at school, which is in the process of being implemented with the help of the university. I also began my year-long master's project with the Pensacola Scenic Highway Foundation in Florida, where I'll be helping them design several areas along the 11-mile stretch of highway in order to highlight and protect their natural resources.

Pensacola Beach

Also, my job working as caretaker at the university arboretum is over. As much as I loved living in the woods, I'm tired of living away from civilization. Two years in the forest of Ann Arbor after two years in the remote village of Madagascar is far long enough for me to prove that I'm a bad-ass.

And so now for something completely different, I decided to move to Washington DC for the summer. I'll be interning with the US Fish and Wildlife Service working with the Division of Bird Habitat Conservation helping out with their continuing efforts to conserve wildlife habitat around the continent.
This means that I will be revamping my wardrobe. Carhartts and Chacos won't cut it in DC. So on to heels and slacks. Let's hope I can pull it off somewhat gracefully.

I'm also planning my next trip out to Black Rock City. Last year's burn was epic, so I'm going back to do it all over again with the Cirque du Cliche.

And let me not forget to mention the law student whom I dearly adore. And although we'll be spending the summer apart, he's never far from my heart. <3
That's the update for now. I'm not sure anyone reads this anymore, but there it is anyway.

High Sierra 2010

2010-07-11T00:22:00.003+03:00

High Sierra will always be my favorite music festival. There's just no comparison. But one week in California was definitely not enough for me to catch up on all the beautiful sunshine and conversations with my dear friends I've been missing so much.

That week in California made me realize just how much I've changed since I started going to High Sierra in 2001.
I really love the friendships I've had over the years that have truly stood the test of time and distance. It always amazes me to see how some friendships evolve and grow while others simply fade and disappear. "Buckets of moonbeams in my hand..."

Musically, I'd have to say this was probably one of my least favorite High Sierras. I mean, sure, there were some great musicians scattered throughout the weekend, and I danced like no one was watching. But there were a few bands I thought were obviously missing.... Where was Five Eyed Hand? Leftover Salmon? Sound Tribe?
The music that was at High Sierra this year wasn't particularly my genre. I'm not sure what my genre is anymore, but somehow I felt a little off with where my musical interests are these days.

I really enjoyed checking out Zach Deputy. That guy was all over the place at the festival. I love the description on his website: "Island-infused Drum N Bass Gospel Ninja Soul". Seriously, that man has soul. Check him out. One man show, looping it up like no other.

Another new favorite (for me) was the New Mastersounds. Those guys seriously rocked it and kept me up dancing 'til almost sunrise on the last night of the festival... just when I was getting settled in, it was over!

I also really appreciated the March Fourth Marching Band and also Beats Antique for bringing the gypsy/circus freak vibe. Check out my short video of the March Fourth Marching Band.
There was a lot of funk and bluegrass and rock at this festival, but not much in the way of the Burning Man-esque, so kudos to them. If they both hadn't also been scheduled during Railroad Earth's late night, I probably would have spent my night entirely in the Funk'N Jamhouse. But Railroad Earth still wins my heart every time, even when I feel like I'm finally over them.

But probably my top favorite set of the festival was Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. Not only was the band full of completely adorable musicians, they also have beautiful lyrics, great instrumentation, and a whole lot of heart. I fell in love with them, for sure.
Oh, and speaking of falling in love... The Avett Brothers. *heart flutters* Sigh.

Other epic moments from the festival include a fabulous pesto pasta dinner with a few of my favorite people from Santa Cruz. If you're reading, big love to you for showing up to share food with me and thanks so much for making me feel appreciated. It's good to know I still have family in Santa Cruz.
Kickball at sunrise was also a scene I won't soon forget. I can't believe this is the first year I actually made it to sunrise kickball, after hearing tales of this silly event for the last 9 years. Organized chaos at it's finest.

Also, getting shots for the Slip backstage at the Big Meadow before their set was pretty sweet. Tequila, lime? Sure thing Brad.... anytime. Anytime.

Alright High Sierra. Happy 20th Anniversary. I'm in for 20 more. :-)

First year of grad school. Check!

2010-05-07T06:21:00.007+03:00

Summer break is here!! I'm finished with graduate school until Fall, and I'm ready to rock. This school year was a long blur of late nights and early mornings, too much coffee, not enough sunshine.... Someone please remind me why I signed myself up for this.

No, but seriously. I definitely made the right decision coming to Ann Arbor. I'm surrounded by top quality inspiring classmates and able to take truly rewarding and engaging courses taught by some of the best professors in the field. It's hard work, but I really love it, and I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing with my life right now. Not only is landscape architecture interesting and useful, it's also fun and artistic and creative. I am completely in my element.

But now it's time for a much deserved break.
I started things off right with a trip to New Orleans, just in time for the Jazz & Heritage Festival. I grew up in New Orleans, and hadn't been back since sometime in the 90s. It was great to come back as an adult and get to experience what New Orleans is all about... seafood, booze, and late night music. I pretty much danced all day and all night from Railroad Earth to Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk to Bassnectar to Rebirth Brass Band, the music was all over the charts, blues, jazz, gospel, funk, ROCK & ROLL, baby! It was just what I needed to seriously Shake it Off.

New Orleans is a fabulous town. The road to recovery will be long and hard after this oil spill. They were still picking up the pieces from Katrina. It's a sad, sad situation over there right now. While the rest of the country homogenizes, New Orleans has remained unique and full of it's own culture and music and art and food. What a tragedy to lose something so special. The future looks bleak. And the oil continues to spill as our diminishing water supply disappears before our eyes.

The rest of my photos from New Orleans are here.

Now I'm back in Ann Arbor. I just bought a moped, so I can get myself out of Ann Arbor every once in awhile. This means Trouble. I've got all sorts of Trouble lined up for myself in Michigan. You better believe it. I've got wheels now, look out.

I'll be starting my summer job next week at my school, doing some work digitizing GIS data. Yes, it is as exciting as it sounds. I'll be working on a project with some people who are tracking land use over time in the Great Plains. It will actually be a good experience for me, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity, as mundane as it might end up being. Luckily I still have the job living and working at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens to help me keep my sanity.

I'll also be making the trip to California for the High Sierra Music Festival again this year. I miss California like I can't describe. Michigan's great and all, and the changes of seasons are spectacular.... but nothing beats a sunny California day.
But it's not just California I miss, it's all the people I love. You know who you are out there. I miss you people. For real.

Burning Man is also in the plan for this summer. The man burns in 120 days. It will be four years since I've stepped foot on the playa. I can't wait any longer.

Overall, life is pretty damn good. I'm living it up the best way I know how. Spring is in the air. The flowers are blooming in the lovely Arboretum, the birds are singing. I'm stoked to be where I am in my life. Thanks for reading and being a part of it all.

Here are my photos from Spring in Ann Arbor.

One semester down.

2010-01-15T21:43:00.004+03:00

Alright, it's a new year. Somehow I made it through the most challenging four months of my life. Even moving halfway across the globe on my own couldn't have prepared me for this whole graduate school experience. I had too short of a winter break in Colorado, where I just barely recovered from Fall semester. Winter semester is already in full swing.

My classes this semester are more technical with a GIS (geographic information systems) class and a site engineering class. On the artistic side, I'm taking a landscape design history class, which has been really interesting so far. We'll be doing an art installation toward the end of the semester at the Heidelberg Project in Detroit. I also have a graphic communications class where I'm hoping to brush up on my artistic/digital rendering skills.

My design studio course this semester is about landscape ecology. Last semester my design studio was more design focused. Now it's all about the ecological implications of site design. We're actually doing two real world projects this semester. One will be a design for a children's garden in the Arboretum (where I live as the caretaker) in connection with the nearby Mott's Children's Hospital. We also have plans for a project in Detroit with the Detroit Wildlife Refuge.

I actually can't think of anything I'd rather be doing in my life right now. It's amazing to be intellectually challenged on a daily basis and to finish each day knowing something I didn't know the day before. So even if the dark circles under my eyes and the moments of panic and stress seem like too much, on top of the complete lack of a social life, I know I'm doing something I feel passionate about, and I'm giving this my best shot.

Meanwhile, life continues on in the world around me. The Peace Corps Volunteer in me wants to drop everything and go directly to Haiti to hand out medical supplies or rebuild houses. I am going to stick with this grad school thing though, so hopefully someday I will be leading my own restoration/revitalization projects in the world.

This is me signing off 'til sum-sum-summertime. Winter semester ends on April 27th, then I'll have four months of sweet freedom. My long anticipated return to Black Rock City is in the works. No doubt a trip to the California coast will work itself in too. I do miss the coast.

I'll leave you with a photo of my back yard at the Arboretum. Winter may be cold in Michigan, but it is beautiful.

Starting over again...

2009-09-11T01:03:00.005+03:00

Classes started this week at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I thought I'd write an update before life gets too hectic.

My graduate school orientation was last week, which included a three day trip to the northern tip of lower Michigan with the 120+ incoming students at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. It was fun getting to know people and learn about all the different fields being studied at my school. There are only 13 students in the Landscape Architecture program this year, all with very diverse backgrounds and interests, which should make for an exciting learning environment for the next three years.

Here's a photo of my incoming class with a few of our professors and predecessors.

In other news about my new life in Ann Arbor, I moved in and started my job as the caretaker at Nichols Arboretum, or as the locals say, "The Arb". My job includes free housing on the property of the Arb, where I live with two other graduate students. We are responsible for keeping the park clean, and informing people about the rules. We also spend our weekends doing ecological restoration work removing invasive species and planting natives around the property. There will also be opportunities to take part in prescribed burns within the area.

Here's a path in the "Arb":

My classes this semester are really interesting. It's a cool program which includes lots of science/ecology related courses, as well as art/drawing/design classes. I'm getting lots of practice using both sides of my brain, and a good bit of outdoor experience in my field classes. It's all really exciting, and I'll be working hard to stay on top of everything.

This may be the last time I update for several months. The course-load this semester is heavy. Only three days in and I already feel over-booked and overwhelmed. Be sure to send notes of encouragement along the way! :-)
And even better, send me money! Ha! Grad school is expensive. Wish me luck.

High Sierra Music Festival 2009

2009-07-10T23:08:00.004+03:00

I'm back from another great music festival in Northern California. High Sierra will always be my favorite festival. Even when I'm not so sure about the line-up, I always end up discovering new favorite bands and dancing more than ever before. The quality time I'm able to spend with my friends and family is especially valuable to me after so much time away.

I had a fun time working on the Hospitality Crew again this year backstage at the Big Meadow. The diverse music selection at the festival this year led to a lot of musical highlights for me throughout the weekend. Greensky Bluegrass, an up and coming band from Michigan (!!!!), had a fun set in the sunshine. Leftover Salmon, a longtime High Sierra favorite, played a fun late night set on Friday night with some of the guys from the Del McCoury Band. Paper Bird, a folk band from Colorado, played a couple of sweet sets and a nice singing workshop. Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue closed out the Big Meadow stage on Sunday night with a soulful rockin' good time. Galactic's late night show was epic with a silly edge due to hundreds of circus balloons.

I finally got a chance to stilt with my favorite group of stilters, VigilAntiUp, thanks to a new pair of stilts and some fun costumes.

And now I'm off to start my big road trip out to the midwest. University of Michigan, here I come! First stop, Colorado! Later California! You know I'll be back! :-)

Permaculture at the Esalen Institute

2009-06-10T21:57:00.007+03:00

I recently finished up my Permaculture Design Course at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California with Benjamin Fahrer, an inspiring long-time permaculture activist.

Taking the permaculture course of a period of two months gave me the time to integrate the ethics and principles into my life in a meaningful way. We had a collection of passionate and enthusiastic guest speakers throughout the course.

Two guests from the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center gave us some great information about Starting and Sustaining a Residential Intentional Community. Another great topic from the folks at OAEC was about the process of decision making in groups, a useful discussion for anyone who wants to be more effective in making truly democratic decisions.
We also had a great discussion on the uses of herbs and salve making with naturopathic Dr. Natalie Metz.
Trathen Heckman of Daily Acts gave us an enthusiastic lecture on the role of community placemaking. His suggestion and take-home message encouraged us all to "find your highest light, schedule it, and live it.... then find your community's highest light, and share it!"
Erik Ohlsen of Permaculture Earth Artisans talked to us about the benefits of growing perennial polyculture systems of food forests. Erik's campaign is Food Forests Across America!

We also managed to complete several projects, including a cob bench made for the Gazebo Preschool.
The course ended with presentations on projects that we completed in design teams. My group came up with an idea about the farm and garden at Esalen and how we could make it more sustainable and productive. Our theme was Restoring the Roots of Esalen. We thought it was important to incorporate more wild natives in order to restore the site while educating people about the cultural and natural history of the land.

There is something to be said for surrounding myself with inspiring, passionate, creative individuals. If anything it gives me the motivation to continue on an ecologically minded path with the people who share the same ethics and vision for our future on this beautiful planet.

Now I'm in Portland Oregon for the Village Building Convergence, where I'm busy getting involved in some permaculture projects in the urban environment. I've been posting photos of all my adventures on my flickr account, as usual. I'm just trying to keep the permaculture vibe alive and growing. For me, permaculture is about finding the simple, natural solutions to issues we face everyday in the world. As Starhawk talked to us about last night, the time for action is NOW.

To everything, turn, turn, turn....

2009-04-29T15:51:00.003+03:00

Living in a rural farming community in Madagascar for the last two years, I really learned to appreciate the comings and goings of the seasons. Not necessarily winter, spring, summer, and fall, but the seasons of fruits, vegetables, and grains.

In the states, unless you're living on a farm, it's easy to forget that vegetables and fruits even have a particular season or only grow in certain places. You can walk into any major grocery store at any time of the year anywhere in the country and you're likely to find lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, bananas, pineapples, and maybe even a kiwi.

In my village, we didn't have those options. When the litchis were out of season, that was it until next year. When the weather was too hot for lettuce, we do without until it cools off again and we can plant more. We have jackfruit in October, litchis in November, pineapple in December, mangos in January, and oranges in February. Each month has it's own flavor that we enjoy as much as possible while we can.

Where I lived in Madagascar, there were no refrigerated coolers to keep our food "fresh." Instead, we would eat our fresh produce while it's still actually fresh and doesn't require refrigeration.
There aren't even roads reliable enough to transport food in and out. Sometimes, depending on the weather, boats would carry vegetables from the central plateau. Usually by the time they arrive, the tomatoes are smashed, the carrots are soft, and the eggplants have dried out. The best veggies always come from local gardeners around town, and are usually more reasonably priced too.

Eating locally wasn't just a personal choice for me in Madagascar, it was a basic necessity. But what I discovered, is that when given the choice, locally grown food eaten while in season actually tastes better. Maybe this is obvious to some of you. But I think for the most part, Americans are still eating frozen and canned vegetables bought off of shelves in grocery stores.
Isn't it more appealing to visit your local farmer's market and meet the people who grow your vegetables in person? Find your local farmer's market at localharvest.org. Support your local farmers!

I think my first insight into this superior local in-season taste phenomenon happened when I moved to California back in 2001. After a lifetime of despising avocados, I had my first avocado grown by farmers in Santa Cruz bought at the local market in Santa Cruz. Maybe I'm going too far by saying that avocado changed my life, but where would I be today without guacamole? I don't even want to think about it.

Similarly, there's no better place to eat tropical fruit than in the tropics. If you've ever picked a pineapple out of the ground, you know what I'm talking about. Even rice tastes better during the harvest. No joke! Freshly harvested rice has an unmistakable quality you won't find in rice bought off a shelf in the grocery store in a plastic bag.

It's a rewarding experience being in tune with the seasons. Sure, I can't eat an apple a day, but when the time comes for apples, I have months of anticipation to flavor the experience of that first bite. As they say, good things come to those who wait... The instant gratification ingrained into our American culture really does not appeal to me. I'll visit Florida if I need to eat a Florida orange, but don't waste precious fossil fuels bringing those oranges to me. I don't actually need to have anything 'right here, right now'. And I also don't need to have it 'my way'.

This idea isn't new. You've seen the bumper stickers. Think Global. Act Local. I'm not trying to be original here, I'm just starting to come to my own conclusions about the issue. In the last several months, I've read some recent books that really made me think and got me inspired. Barbara Kingsolver wrote a book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, about her experiences eating only food she and her family grew themselves or could find locally. A similar book is Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, a young Canadian couple document their year experiment of eating only food found within 100 miles of their British Columbia home. Both are very inspiring stories and also full of great information about all the benefits of eating locally. Michael Pollan also does a good job of breaking it down in many of his books, including The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Check those out if you're at all interested in the issue.

Now that I'm back in the states, I am really making a conscious effort to make good decisions about the food I eat and the environmental impact I'm having on the earth. It's been great to be back and see how much has changed in the level of consciousness around "green" and environmental issues.

Lucky for me I'm at the Esalen Institute (until June 7th) where a majority of the food is either grown on the property or bought from local organic farms. I'm also busy working on a permaculture design project regarding the land stewardship and food production on the property, so hopefully some of the ideas we come up with surrounding the issue are implemented in the near future as Esalen works on it's effort to become more sustainable.

Life is beautiful and healthy and abundant!

Here's a nice view of the ocean from the gorgeous Esalen garden:

Back in the U.S. of A.!

2009-03-31T07:05:00.007+03:00

I guess it's about time for an update, now that I'm back in the states and starting to figure some things out.

The update on Madagascar is that the leader of the opposition was actually successful in overthrowing the government. The country is now under new rule, and democracy seems to have failed Madagascar again. The news has pretty well dropped off the international radar, so it's hard for me to figure out what's going on over there at all anymore, and especially now that the Peace Corps program has been closed (hopefully only temporarily). All of the volunteers were evacuated shortly after I left, and it makes me sad to read stories like this one.

The biggest news back here on the homefront is my decision to go to graduate school. After much deliberation, I decided on the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a masters degree in Landscape Architecture. School starts in September, but I will be moving there for the summer to get settled in before classes start. I'm really excited about being a part of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. I am really looking forward to being involved in a lot of interesting projects over the next three years.

Here are a few photos from my quick trip to Ann Arbor in March.

Since I've been back in the states, I've been having a great time visiting friends and family around the country. First I spent some time in Texas with my dad, my step-mom, and my little brother. Now I'm in California, catching up with friends in the Bay Area and just general shenanigans, as usual.

I finally got a chance to update my photos albums on flickr, so check those out if you're interested.

I am on my way to Big Sur now to spend another month at the Esalen Institute. This time I will be taking a course on permaculture and becoming certified so I can go on and spread the good word. Learn more about permaculture here.

When I leave Big Sur in May, I'll be taking off on my cross country road trip to Michigan (by way of Colorado, New York City, and New Orleans...). I'm hoping to see many friends along the way, so get in touch and let's make plans, for real. Hope to see you soon!

Veloma Madagascar!

2009-02-16T08:33:00.001+03:00

This is it! I'm leaving Madagascar. I made the decision to Early COS (Peace Corps term: Close of Service) after several weeks of political turmoil in the country.

Here's an article explaining current events:
MADAGASCAR: What went wrong?
Here's another article from the BBC.

It has been a bit hectic here. After a violent protest in the capital last month, Peace Corps had all of the volunteers pack our bags in case of an emergency evacuation. When the looting and violence didn't stop, all of the volunteers were consolidated together to be nearer to communication, airports, and each other. It has been peaceful over the last few days and the initial momentum of the anti-government rallies seems to have waned for now. However, Peace Corps is continuing to keep volunteers consolidated and has yet to make a decision on how to proceed.

For me, I decided it was best to go because I felt that it would be difficult to return to my village under the circumstances. When I left I packed all my belongings as if I wasn't returning. I said my tentative good byes, and left in a hurry not knowing if or when I would be back. With only a couple of months left in my service, I was given the option to Early COS due to the current political instability and civil unrest. This feels like the best option for me, rather than wait out the crisis and/or eventually return to site to say my good byes all over again.

The fact of my leaving hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm still in the capital waiting to finish up my paperwork, and I haven't even been told what day my flight is, or even where my flight is going. It doesn't quite seem real. Maybe when I'm on the plane and crossing the ocean, I'll realise what I'm leaving behind. It is a bittersweet ending. I am happy to be going home, but this is not the way I would have liked things to turn out. I am concerned about the future of Madagascar. Food security is already a problem without the added expense of looting and rioting. And as long as the situation remains unstable investors and tourists are likely to look elsewhere.

My immediate plans for my return include visiting family in Texas before heading to San Francisco to visit friends. Then I'm hoping to head down to Big Sur for a month long permaculture course in April, and in May I'll be going on a cross country road trip starting in Colorado! Coming soon to a city near you! Get in touch so we can meet up soon!

I heart Madagascar

2009-02-16T06:35:00.000+03:00

As I get ready to leave this country where I've spent the last two years, I've been thinking about all the things I'm going to miss about my life here. I've made some good friends in my village and also in the Peace Corps. It'll be sad to get on the plane this week.

These are the things I love most about life in Madagascar:

...waking up to the rooster's crow... the smell of vanilla and cloves drying in the sun... eating ananambo leaves (also known as Moringa: The Miracle Tree)... fresh baked bread in the mornings on my doorstep... my morning "mofo!" call.... the vanilla plantation at Antsiramanga... soahaba (a delicious sugary coconut milk porridge)... the bike ride from Soavina to Mananara along the Mananara River... Ambiditsika Beach... Mama Boda's homemade yogurt and pastries in Mananara... THB (the one and only Malagasy beer)... rice harvest season... doing my laundry at the river in Bagordan... watching men climb coconut trees.... geckos on my walls... our library of books at the Meva... candlelight dinners, every night... Robert's chocolate... Ziggy, my little Zigger Doodle (R.I.P.)... Zita's fresh juice and coconut candy... boat rides on the Mananara River... the awesome Peace Corps staff... all the yummy tropical fruit, coconut, jackfruit, litchis, breadfruit, pineapple... having all the time in the world...

Of course, it hasn't always been easy living in Madagascar. Trust me, it's not all dancing lemurs and pristine beaches over here. After all, this is a developing country and one of the poorest in the world. Sometimes life here is downright frustrating. I've been brought to tears dealing with harrassment over my white skin. The challenges I've dealt with living here hopefully have made me a stronger person, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's been a good test of patience and endurance these last two years.

As long as I'm listing the positive, I'll also mention the things that make it easy for me to say good bye:

...sleeping on a piece of foam.... the constant sound of the rice hulling machine across the street from my house... flies landing on me while i wash the dishes outside... massive snails in my garden... mosquitos... parties centered around dying/dead cows... men drunk on "betsa" (a local brew made from fermented sugar cane)... "VAZAHA!!!!"... trabona (scary centipedes with red legs that bite hard!)... the dirty market... the post office stealing my packages... the insane heat in December, January, February... bugs swimming in my drinking water... rice, 7 days/week... tucking in my mosquito net every night... constantly being told how "maventy" I am (I don't care if it's supposed to be a compliment, I don't like being told I'm fat!)... reading books by candlelight... the "road" from Soanirana-Ivongo to Mananara... random strangers asking me for money... everyone asking me for money.... no one ever showing up for appointments... my "kabone" (the latrine)...

Maybe this will give you some insight into my life over here. It's difficult to put into words all the little things that make up my daily life. In some ways it's not that different from life in the states, or maybe it is, and I've forgotten what life in the states is like?????

Anyway, I guess I'll be finding out soon enough!
So long Madagascar! Thanks for all the fish!

...under african skies...

2009-01-14T10:22:00.009+03:00

I decided to take a quick safari into the Kruger National Park during my trip here in South Africa. Kruger National Park borders South Africa and Mozambique and with over 2 million hectares of land, tens of thousands of wild animals roam freely in the wilderness.

This is the bushveld:

During my four day trip in the park, I saw some incredible sights, including all of the "Big Five" (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros, and buffalo). I also saw a pack of wild dogs (a rare sight) and a couple of hyenas. Zebras, giraffes, and antelope were so common by the end of the trip we would just drive past them in hopes of spotting a cheetah or another rhinoceros.

I arranged my safari through Footprints in Africa and they put me up in a unique lodge near the central edge of the park called the Bushman Adventure Lodge. I had a cute little hut and chilled out in their cozy space by the camp fire when I wasn't off safari-ing around searching for wild game animals.
Here's my sweet little hut:

The most exciting moment on the trip involved a certain elephant who wasn't too happy about us stopping to check him out. He chased us down the road while we snapped photos and hoped he wasn't fast enough to catch up.

I also did some sightseeing along the way to and from the park. There are beautiful mountains and canyons in the Mpumalanga Province. Unfortunately my timing couldn't have been worse with the rainy season in full effect and mostly I drove through a big cloud the whole way. I did manage to see a nice canyon, but the sun wouldn't come out for what is supposed to be one of the most spectacular views in South Africa. If you've seen The Gods Must Be Crazy... this is the spot where he throws the coke bottle off the edge of the earth.

This is the canyon at a place called the Potholes.

South Africa is a beautiful country. I only wish I had more time to spend here. However, it's about time I get back to work in the village. I'll be heading back to Madagascar as soon as there's a flight. With only three months left in my service, I need to start saying good byes and preparing for life's next adventure, wherever that may be!

an update to end the year

2008-12-31T07:37:00.009+03:00

It's New Year's Eve and I'm really looking forward to the year ahead. Only four months to go in my service with the Peace Corps! It's hard to believe it's almost over.

I've had some fun in the last couple of months here, checking out two parks and helping out with Peace Corps related events in the capital.

In November, we celebrated 15 years of Peace Corps in Madagascar.

There were events at the zoo in the capital and at the American Cultural Center. Peace Corps got a lot of good publicity around town, and it was gratifying to see how well supported and appreciated Peace Corps Volunteers are in Madagascar.

Around Thanksgiving, I visited Nosy Mangabe, an island in the Bay of Antongil in the northeastern region of Madagascar with my friends Tom and Faith and their family. Nosy Mangabe means either "Island of the Big Mango" or "Big Blue Island", whichever you prefer.
I like Island of the Big Mango personally.

There was all sorts of cool wildlife on the island... I can't decide which I like best, the leaf tailed gecko, master of disguise, or the brookesia chameleon, smallest chameleons in the world.

Then just after Christmas, since my trip I had planned to the north didn't work out, I took a spontaneous trip to Ranomafana Park (again) with some of my friends from Peace Corps. Last time I tried to get in the park, a cyclone had taken out the bridge. This time the weather was perfect, the bridge was fixed, and Tony, Stacey, and I all spent a day hiking into the primary forest inside the park. It was a long day of hiking and we saw several species of lemurs and a nice waterfall. We also checked out the hot springs pool in town and spent some time in Fianar, ending with a miserable overnight brousse ride that took 5 hours longer than it should have. Oddly enough, 5 hours extra in a taxi brousse hardly phases me anymore.

Here's a bamboo lemur in Ranomafana Park.

Now I'm in the capital to celebrate the New Year, and heading to South Africa again this weekend for another medical check-up. I can't complain really... Pretoria is a step up from Antananarivo.

Things are still going great at my site too. Clove harvest just ended and rice harvest is happening now. I'm still involved with building lots of cook stoves and figuring out ways for people to save fuelwood. Soon the new environment trainees will be arriving to replace my group, so that's exciting for us and them too!

Check out the rest of the photos I just uploaded too!

Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!!
I have a good feeling about 2009!!! I haven't figured out where I'm going yet actually. Who knows, I might be "moving to Montana soon.... just to raise me up a crop of dental floss.... gonna be a dental floss tycoon". Yeah, I've got a good feeling about it.

bike race and a(nother) tropical island

2008-10-23T16:06:00.009+03:00

After my last taxi brousse trip, I decided I would never take a taxi-brousse again.... even if it means biking hundreds of miles on terrible roads. Of course, it isn't really possible to avoid taxi brousses altogether, but I did a pretty good job of it on my way to Tamatave for the bike race.

I rode my bike south along the east coast this past month. It was a fun diversion, stopping in little remote villages on the beach, drinking coconuts, sleeping in ocean-side bungalows and basically really enjoying the fact that I live on an exotic tropical island. It was an intense bike trip, something like 120 kilometers, on a really crazy dirt road full of rocks and sand.

Once I reached the "good" part of the road, I took a brousse the rest of the way to Tamatave where I got together with a bunch of volunteers in the country for our annual bike race to promote AIDS awareness.

After the Bike Race, me and some of the girls that I came to country with (way back when), took a little vacay on a gorgeous tropical island off the eastern coast, called Isle St. Marie. We had fun chillin' on the beach, relaxin' in the sun, snorkelin' around, drinkin' red wine (such luxury!), and hangin' with our new friend, the lemur.

I went back to site just briefly, where it's the same old, same old... however, it pains me to say, my little Ziggy, aka Zigger Doodle, is no longer roaming the earth in search of geckos.... I'm not sure what happened, but while I was away, she suddenly got very sick and died before I returned. It's not the same at my house without her. She was good company. My neighbors buried her out back near my compost pile, so I guess she's helping to replenish the soil, and the geckos rejoice...

In other village news, regarding the cycle of life, my neighbor's pig gave birth on Monday, the day before I left town. It was pretty cool to see! She had eleven (!!) healthy piglets, cute as can be!! They came out all walking around and looking for food.

And now I'm in the capital to take the GRE and to help out for the Peace Corps Madagascar 15th Anniversary celebrations.

So wish me luck with all that. And while you're checking up on me here, look at my newest photos! Sorry they're all random and out of order. What more can you expect working on ancient computers with dial up speeds and outdated browsers? My patience only goes so far.

September already?

2008-09-07T11:58:00.012+03:00

Where does the time go?

I'm in the capital once again. Faith and I had a horrendous trip from Mananara to the capital, including an argument with our taxi brousse driver which almost resulted in us being put out of the car in the middle of nowhere. But we made it here alive, and now we're going to Mantasoa for a conference with a bunch of volunteers. I haven't forgotten that taxi brousse ride yet though thanks to the numerous bruises I suffered sharing a Landcruiser for 20 hours with 17 people. I think it's designed for ten. Although my perception of how many people are supposed to fit in a vehicle anymore is definitely skewed.

But anyway... here's a quick update of how things have been going for me at site since I last checked in.

My very good friends in the village, the family who has taken me in as their own, hosted a huge traditional Malagasy ceremony in Soavinarivo in July. It's called a famadihana, and basically, the family in the presence of their community digs up their most recent dead relative, cleans off their bones, and puts them in a new casket. Then they have a big party with lots of dancing, singing and of course, RICE! A cow was slaughtered for this particular ceremony.
The new casket with the freshly cleaned bones inside attends the party, and people come to visit and pay respects.
After the party is over (two days later at our party), the casket is then brought to the family tomb to be with the other dead relatives.

Read more about the famadihana here.

This is a photo at my village's graveyard. They are working on digging up her casket in this photo. The community participates by singing and drinking "betsa", the local brew.

Here we are getting ready to eat rice at the party.
This photo is taken two doors from my house, which you can't see, but is off to the right. You can see my garden on the other side of the street, which is fenced in with leaves.

And here's a nice big plate of rice. Have I mentioned the rice? Don't forget the rice.

Also in July, I painted a world map mural at our local elementary school with some local friends. Tom and Faith also came down to help with the map, and now they're starting a map in their village in Imorana.

I had people come by to see what we were doing who didn't recognize what we were making a picture of. Then once we explained they still didn't really understand. Anyway, I hope the map will encourage the students to learn more about the rest of the world.

After painting the world map, I got a little ambitious with the leftover paint and my counterpart and I along with the help of some other local community members created a mural of Madagascar. This was really fun and I think it turned out beautifully.
And by the way, I live in the green area of the map, just to the south east of the peninsula (which I recently hiked across).

Other than that, it's vanilla harvest season, so I've been helping cook, dry, and sort vanilla beans with a local farmer. (Ziggy likes to help out too.)

And this is the (second) time of the year for planting rice. I was busy with the murals so wasn't able to help transplant this year, but my counterpart and his family have increased the area in which they are using SRI because of their results last season. Here is our freshly planted rice field which we will harvest in December with hopefully more rice than last year.

And last, but most certainly not least, Ziggy, otherwise known as Zigger Doodle, has become legendary in Soavinarivo. More people know Ziggy's name than my own. She continues to climb coconut trees and eat geckos. Recently she has been diligently studying for the GRE, which is scheduled for October 25th. Here she is hard at work learning new vocabulary and catching up on her geometry.

That's the update for today!
Thanks to those of you who continue to stay in touch and send nice text messages and letters in the mail. I miss and love you all!

back online in October!

2008-06-09T08:57:00.003+03:00

This will be my last post for awhile. I'm heading back to site today, or tomorrow, depending on the oh-so-dependable taxi brousse situation.

The next time I'm online may not be until October. There's an AIDS awareness bike race every year in Tamatave, which I regrettably missed last year. I'm going to make it a point to be there this year.
Until then, I'll probably just be hanging out at my site gardening and reading lots of novels. I may take a trip up to Maroantsetra briefly in July, and I'll also be painting two murals with Tom and Faith in the next few months.
I may find another excuse to get myself online before October, but right now I have no plans.

The actual point of this blog is that an observant friend of mine pointed out I posted my most recent phone number but left out two digits (thanks Greg!). So now you all have a good excuse for not calling/texting me for all these months (since February when I lost my phone).

Here's my actual phone number:
011 261 32 55 302 61

I'd love to hear from you. Really... messages in English are few and far between these days... always always greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for staying in touch. Take care.

Here's my mailing address (not packages, just small envelopes):
BP 36
Mananara-Nord 511
Madagascar

Packages can be sent to this address:
c/o Peace Corps
BP 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar

Until next time.....

an update from South Africa

2008-05-21T11:26:00.012+03:00

After my recent hike through Masoala Park, I was on my way to the capital for a conference with my group from training (we’re down to 18 now…. natural selection at it’s finest). But instead I’m in South Africa unexpectedly for a medical check-up. Apparently the doctors in Madagascar aren’t quite equipped with all the finest medical technology… imagine that. No need to worry, it’s a common and routine check-up and I should be back in Madagascar in no time.

I am dealing with a bit of culture shock being in a country where everyone speaks my language, the roads are paved, and people don’t freak out because I'm white. Today I'm going to a shopping mall with an actual movie theater. That probably wouldn't have been as exciting to me two years ago, but right now it's the most exciting thing ever.

Another perk of being in a developed country, the computers here work! I’m finally getting around to posting some photos online from the last few months (since December ‘07). I’ll post a few highlights here in the blog, but the rest are on my flickr account.

Back in December, after my trip to Morondava on the west coast, I visited another volunteer at her site in Ambinanitelo near Maroantsetra. Letti and I painted murals on the walls at the hospital in her village with nutrition, hygiene, and environmental themes. It was a fun project and has inspired me to do a mural in my village this coming July at the elementary school.

In February, following the cyclone, I traveled to Fianarantsoa in the south central part of the island. Fianar is a beautiful historical town on the plateau where the Betsileo tribe live. Because of the cyclone, I wasn’t able to check out much of the surrounding parks and areas of Fianar, but I hope to make it back there again, maybe this August.

On March 8th we celebrated National Women’s Day here in Madagascar. Women’s cooperatives from around the Mananara region gathered together to march down the streets in honor of the power of women! It was great to see so many women organized together. I have a hard time imagining how life would go on in this country without the work of the women. Women are the strength of this country. They are the ones you’ll see most often planting, harvesting, and cooking rice. It’s too bad women only have the one day to gain some national recognition.

I marched with the fikambanana (cooperative) of women, named “Tsy Tonta”, that I helped organize in Soavinarivo on March 8th. They have been my biggest supporters in our stove building project around town and are also all hard working farmers.

Also in March, I spent a few days with the new Environment group training them on my stove building technique. As it turns out, after I left, the stoves we built were successfully installed in homes in their community with a few of their host families. One family was even using the chimney stove we built.

My stove building project in the Mananara region continues to be successful. I have a great team of people in my village to work with on building stoves, and we are spreading the word far and wide on all the benefits of using fuel efficient wood burning stoves. I’m most proud of our three pot stove with a chimney, although the idea has yet to take on popularity amongst the villagers. However the simple one pot design is being used by nearly every family in my village of Soavinarivo.

Now that the new Environment volunteers have finished their training and moved on to their new villages, the old environment volunteers are on their way back home. A few have decided to extend their time in Madagascar, but most have already said good bye. Bye Environment ’06! Good luck with everything!!

And last, but certainly not least, there’s my cat Ziggy who has a day job at the boutique next door to my house. When she’s not busy selling sugar and salt, she’s spitting up geckos on my floor and climbing coconut trees. She gives great massages at 5am as well.

That’s the update for now. I’ll be online off and on over the next couple of weeks… so send me an e-mail and say hello. Thanks for reading.

Masoala Peninsula Hike to Cap Este

2008-05-20T16:20:00.012+03:00

Just last week, I hiked with three other Peace Corps Volunteers across the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar, through some of the most pristine rainforest left on the island.

Our hike started in the town of Maroantsetra, on the northern coast of the Bay of Antongil. We brought along one guide, one cook, and one porter. We spent a total of 6 days hiking and arrived at our destination of Cap Este on the 7th day. Cap Este, a lovely little laid back beach town on the Indian Ocean, is the eastern-most point of Madagascar.

Day 1: The adventure begins! Leave Maroantsetra for a short “boat ride” to Andranofotsy. This is where the fun began… first of all, the water level wasn’t high enough for the boat to float, so we ended up pushing our boat upriver about 10 km with all of our gear. We probably would have been better off walking along the road (you know what they say about hindsight). From Andranofotsy, we start the actual hiking. Not far up the road, our porter’s bike breaks in half, beyond repair. So now he’s not only carrying all the food and equipment, but also a bike. We have lunch in a nice little town, Navana, on the beach, where we can see all the way across the Bay of Antongil to Mananara (home sweet home). Then we continue hiking until dinner where we stop for the night in Mahalevona. We stayed with a nice family at the Hotel Sylvana (4000 Ariary/night; 2000 Ariary/meal). If anyone reading this blog decides to stop through Mahalevona, would you pick up my headlamp? (17km)

Day 2: Early in the morning, we start hiking from Mahalevona, finally into an area that feels like the forest. This was the day for repairs… Sean’s shoes were bothering him so he started cutting and burning holes in them. My poorly repaired Chacos finally broke in half… and our poor porter got a huge tear in his backpack (he had already dumped off the broken bike in Mahalevona). We had a pitiful lunch of bananas, oranges, stale bread, and peanuts covered in honey. Somehow back in Maroantsetra we agreed to not pick up our pots for cooking until we reached Ampokafo on Day 3… which actually wasn’t a big deal because we borrowed pots along the way. After lunch we continue our hike to Ambatolaodama. Somehow Sean and I arrived ahead of everyone else. This was the only time our guide got lost… supposedly looking for us. We sleep in tents for the first time under a roof in the backyard of a local family. (12km)

Day 3: We wake up in the morning to the eerie sound of red ruffed lemurs howling in the surrounding forests. After an unsatisfying breakfast of infested cornmeal topped with fresh honey, we start our hike up the hill to Ampokafo. This is the day we come across two Adventist nuns who have apparently kidnapped a child and are escaping to sell the bones of a relative which they’re carrying in a duffel bag. Don’t ask me. Sean, Tom, and Faith are planning to notify authorities. We hiked for about 4 hours until we reach Ampokafo, a remote junction town on the edge of the forest. Here we spent the day bathing in the river behind our hotel, catching up on laundry, and relaxing before the big hike on Day 4. We also picked up a new porter to go with us for the rest of the trip. This is also where we bought the majority of our rice for the trip. (40 kapoakas for all 8 of us for all of our meals for the next 3 days). Rice is heavy. (15km)

Day 4: Intense hike to start out the day, straight uphill from Ampokafo. See, the trails are made for people who are trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible… not for people who want to meander through the forest checking out lemurs. Therefore, a hike over a mountain goes straight up, and then straight down. You’ll find no winding switchback paths on these trails. Once we reached the summit of the mountain (about an hour and a half hike), then we started straight down a path of thick vegetation and inevitably billions of LEECHES!!! Leeches were literally everywhere. We would take breaks to pick leeches off of each other. Not just one or two… sometimes 10 or 15… on your ankles, in your shirt sleeves, up your pant legs, biting through your socks. Nasty little fuckers. Then the rain… we kept on hiking, trying to get into some open air somewhere, away from the blood sucking little bastards… and we finally stop for lunch at a nice spot on the river. Our porters had arrived ahead of us and were already cooking lunch. The rain broke just long enough for us to eat before it was time to start hiking again. We hiked on for another 2 hours, and the rain never stopped. The leeches were in full force on Day 4. Arrival at camp could not have been more satisfying. Into our warm “dry” clothes, a cozy dinner, and a miserable night of sleep on a slanted floor. But at least there were no roosters…. (10km)

)
Day 5: On to the waterfall! The day we’ve all been waiting for. The rain let up, and the hike begins! We climb out of our campsite, and start our hike, right into the river. Nothing like wet feet first thing in the morning. We hike for an hour or so up a steep path where we come out on top of a gorgeous waterfall overlooking the heart of the Masoala rainforest. The view was incredible and worth all the leeches the day before. The hike continued and was probably the most difficult part of the trail, up and down steep cliffs, hanging on to branches, sliding down on our butts, across and over rushing rivers with big slippery rocks to navigate around. I managed to survive jumping over one particular ravine, which my guide, in an effort to “help,” pulled me over before I had my bearings. “I think you are angry”, says Dona. (I wonder what gave it away.) Earlier in the afternoon we stopped to check out a group of lemurs (red ruffs) hanging out in the trees. Gorgeous animals with amazing colors. That was about the extent of our wildlife viewings in the forest unfortunately. Other than the birds and a few reptiles, our guide wasn’t real prepared with wildlife information, but at least he didn’t get us lost. We didn’t actually make it to the campsite we had planned on this day… so we slept in a dirty little hut on the river, which was a step up from the chicken coop our guides spent the night in. Mampahinikinika! (“That makes me sad.”- our favorite word on the trip) (12km

Day 6: By Day 6, we’re all a little beat up in one way or another. Sean and Tom are both dealing with blisters and/or bites which have turned into infections and are causing them to both limp down the path. I’ve had a pain in my back for the last two days, which painkillers can no longer disguise, and may have caused me to sprain an ankle (or maybe both), although I’m not sure how or when. Faith is doing fine, and of course our guides could all probably run the rest of the way in a matter of hours. I’m not sure I’ll even make it to our destination on Day 6. Most of the day we’re in the river, back and forth from one side to the other, sometimes we’re in water up to our waists practically swimming. Then at last we make it to Antanandavahely, where a nice comfortable piece of foam is waiting for us, along with a feast of all the beans and rice we have left. This might be the first night I actually sleep on the trip. I made the mistake of not bringing my warm sleeping bag. (12km)

Day 7: From Antanandavahely, we take a boat down the Onive River (50,000 Ariary) to our final destination of Cap Este where we find a great hotel with friendly staff and big fans of the Peace Corps. Definitely stay at Chez Justin if you’re ever in Cap Este. Justin hooked us up with amazing freshly caught calamari, lobster, and fish. Oh, it’s good to be near the ocean!

Costs for the trip:Guide: 18,000 Ariary/day
Cook/Porter: 10,000 Ariary/day
Porter from Maroantsetra: 10,000 Ariary/day
Hotel/Food in Mahavelona: 4000 Ariary/room 2000Ariary/meal
Hotel/Food in Ampokafo: 3000 Ariary/room 2000 Ariary/meal
Extra porter from Ampokafo: 5000 Ariary/day
Hotel in Antanandavahely: 3000 Ariary/room
Entrance fee to park from ANGAP (1000 Ariary –residents/Peace Corps Volunteers or 10,000 Ariary- non-residents/tourists)
+ food (rice, beans, oil, salt, pepper, onions, peanuts, honey, bread, fruit, etc)
Boat ride from Antanandavahely: 50,000 Ariary

In US Dollars… split amongst the four of us volunteers, it probably cost around $100/person, quite a deal!

It was a great experience, and I’m glad I made it back in one piece. While the distance in kilometers is not in actuality all that great, the terrain is rough and difficult to navigate. I would rate this as a very difficult trail… there’s no “trail maintenance” per say, the path is sometimes not visible at all, there are countless steep slippery inclines, declines, and water crossings with strong currents. Rain is inevitable at least part of the trip, and during wetter seasons, the river crossings are probably more than a little dangerous. Be sure to bring good shoes and a warm sleeping bag (words of advice from someone who had neither). The view from the waterfall and nights in the forest under the stars make the experience worthwhile. Swimming in crystal clear rivers, meeting the sweet people who live in these remote villages in the rainforest, checking out forest animals not found anywhere else in the world, and seeing what’s left of a rainforest that is visibly and rapidly vanishing is all part of the attraction. The more I see of Madagascar, the more I love it!

Fatana Mitsitsy: Mission Accomplished!

2008-03-28T14:02:00.004+03:00

I've been traveling so much, I barely feel like I've done anything at site lately. I'm really looking forward to heading back to site tomorrow, this time for more than a week. I should hopefully get home by Monday.

My training session went really well with the new group. We built several cookstoves, which I think people really enjoyed. They're all heading to check out their new sites now, and I'm catching a ride close to home with a Peace Corps vehicle heading my way. I haven't quite figured out how to get home from where the Peace Corps will be dropping me off, but I'm just going with the flow.... if I have to hang on to the back of a pick up truck for the last leg of the trip, so it goes...

I'll be back online sometime toward the end of May. Until then, peace out.
Oh, and also, my new cell phone # is: 011 261 55 302 61 Peace

MIA: cell phone!

2008-03-19T10:20:00.005+03:00

I'm not sure how or when it happened, but all of a sudden I realised I no longer had my cell phone last night. Perhaps it fell out of my pocket? Maybe it was stolen? In any case, if you're trying to call and can't get through, this is why. No need to call DC, I'm still alive and well.

I'd buy a new cell phone, except that the cheapest phones I can find here in
Tana cost 200,000 Ariary... which is about half of my monthly living allowance. I guess I could just skip out on rice and beans this month. Or maybe I'll wait until I can find a cheaper phone.

Tomorrow I'm on my way to train the new environment trainees for the week and I'll be out of cell phone range anyway. Interestingly enough Rob Brezsny has this to say about how the stars are aligned for me this week:

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It's an excellent time to seek out new allies,expand your social network, and make connections with influences that will motivate you to grow smarter and stronger. Here are the kinds of connections you might want to be on the lookout for: 1. hard workers who find everything funny; 2. down-to-earth idealists who place no emotional value on having expensive possessions; 3. nerds who are cocky in mysterious ways; 4. humble perfectionists who obsess over the integrity of every little thing they do and then mock themselves for being so conscientious; 5. couples who hold hands and jump into big puddles with their nice clothes on; 6. sympathetic listeners who will kindly kick your ass if you need it.

I hope those are all descriptions of the new group.

I'll be checking in again online next week before heading back to site. I'm actually really looking forward to getting back to site this time. All this traveling has been exhausting. Madagascar is not an easy country for traveling.

on the road again...

2008-03-15T08:19:00.002+03:00

I just arrived in Tamatave this morning at 3am. Usually we stop and sleep somewhere along the road, but this time we drove straight through for 19 hours from Mananara. The road is so intense sometimes on the edges of cliffs overlooking the ocean hundreds of meters below with the forest so thick you have to duck inside the vehicle to avoid being impaled by tree branches coming through the windows. At one point we had to time the vehicle to avoid ocean waves crashing over the road. "The road" which was really more of a beach than a road.

But I made it here alive... and I still have another 10 hour trip to the capital ahead of me.

I love it too that there seems to be no running water at the moment in Tamatave when all I want in the world is a hot shower. Why oh why!!!! So instead I'll pine away on the internet and catch up on all I've been missing in the world, and hope that the people in the internet cafe don't mind that I haven't showered in three days... actually I can't even remember the last time I had an actual hot shower with running water.

This was a memorable trip though, driving past villages that were really hit hard by Cyclone Ivan last month. Some places looked to have been completely abandoned... as if people just gave up on trying to rebuild their houses in the same place. Whole neighborhoods of houses with no rooves and missing walls. Some houses were still under water. Massive trees uprooted or torn in half and lying on their sides near roads. It's amazing the damage wind can cause at that intensity.

My village of Soavinarivo was not hit as hard as I had expected. The road suffered some damage and some of the trees... but for the most part, the Mananara region made out okay. My shower structure came down, so my counterpart rebuilt it into the all new deluxe edition shower hut. It's much nicer than my previous shower, so thanks Ivan.

I won't get into all the details of my trip home after the cyclone a few weeks ago. I got stranded for five days in Maroantsetra waiting for a boat. I ended up taking a vehicle finally, and arrived home completely soaked from the rain and covered in mud from head to toe, which is how I often arrive places in Madagascar. I wish I were kidding.

Oh, so here's an interesting article I found recently. Forbes magazine reports on the world's dirtiest cities. Apparently the capital of Madagascar made #3. Antananarivo, the third dirtiest city in the world. Way to go, Madagascar! At first I thought, really? Tana doesn't seem that dirty.... which then led me to think, I've definitely been in this country way too long if Tana doesn't absolutely disgust me anymore.

Alright, just checkin' in. I'll try to post something more positive next time....

oh Madagascar...

2008-02-25T16:16:00.008+03:00

A word of advice to traveler's out there... Avoid Madagascar in February. Probably March and April too.

Here's the thing. I thought since I'm already in the capital, and I can't get home yet because the road's out... might as well go on a little trip and see a new part of the country.

So I headed south to Fianar, which is a beautiful little historic city in the south-central part of Madagascar. I've really been enjoying my time here meeting some of the volunteers who live in the area, and waiting for a train ride. Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be going on the train ride, as originally planned. The train still isn't going, also because of cyclone damage. Instead I decided to check out one of the nearby national parks, Ranomafana, thinking that would be a straightforward trip. (I keep forgetting where I'm at.)

We arrived at the park and asked one of the guides if they could take us to a waterfall we had heard about. Oh no, he says, as he points to a huge group of Malagasy men pulling a massive log up the mountainside. That's to fix the bridge that leads into the park which came down during the cyclone. Just lovely.

This is where the bridge should be.

So we got to see the beautiful "Ranomafana National Park" sign on the highway, and that's about it.

I'm a little disappointed.... but you know, it's not so much of a surprise anymore when nothing works out the way I plan.

update on Cyclone Ivan

2008-02-18T11:27:00.004+03:00

The cyclone did end up hitting Madagascar yesterday morning. I'm not sure the extent of the damage at this point, but from the satelite images I've seen, it looks to have gone straight through my region. I've spoken to people back home in the village and they describe depressing scenes. My backyard seems to have been destroyed... all the trees I've planted have been uprooted... My shower and latrine have blown away. Somehow my house made out okay, but my next door neighbor was not so lucky. She's living in my house until they can repair the damage. I'm not sure about the road yet either.

That's Madagascar underneath the big tropical cyclone there. It's barely visible, but we're okay down there. Don't worry about us...

I'm still planning to go on the train ride to the southeast this coming weekend. Hopefully the weather will have cleared up by then.

Alright, anyway, just a quick update today. I know cyclones in Madagascar don't make the news in the states. The storm has calmed down since yesterday. It's still really windy and rainy, but nothing like yesterday.
I'll check in again next week after the train ride from Fianar to Manakara!

a post for 2008!

2008-02-16T10:36:00.004+03:00

Just checking in online again for the first time this year! Happy New Year! 2008, a year I will spend entirely in Madagascar. Happy Valentine's Day too. And hey, while I'm at it, Happy Easter and Thanksgiving too, 'cause who knows when I'll be online again.

So let's see... the news. I'm on a business trip in the capital with a lot of the other environment volunteers. The new group of trainees will be arriving any day now, and the group before me is on their way out. We have been busy planning the training for the new group. I will be training them to build clay stoves with chimneys, which should be fun!

I'm heading on a trip next week with some of the other volunteers to go on a train ride to the southeast coast. But first I think I need to wait out tropical cyclone Ivan, which is currently heading towards Madagascar and apparently not far from my village. Luckily (I guess) I'm in the capital... But I'm worried about my friends at site and my house and my kitten. Not to mention the "road" back home...

If you're interested in tracking the storm, check out this link: Tropical Storm Risk

Other news... DON'T SEND PACKAGES TO MANANARA!!!
I no longer trust the postal employees at my local post office after several incidents of packages either not arriving or arriving with items missing. So sadly, I can only receive packages in the capital at the following address. No worries though, I've learned to cope with what I can find here in the country, and there's nothing that can't wait. But if there is, I'll let you know. Letters are still okay to send to Mananara (and very much appreciated).

Today I'm heading to the Cookie Shop.... a lovely establishment in the capital which is the closest thing to a coffee shop in maybe the entire country. They have delicious bagel sandwiches and espresso milkshakes and you have no idea how happy that makes me. It's the little things... don't take it for granted!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better, it's not...." said the Lorax

2007-12-14T09:52:00.000+03:00

It's already December? I've managed to stay busy enough at site to not get out much to see the rest of the country yet. It was time for a break before I got too burnt out, so I ended up going over to the west coast for some vacation time.

I spent the last week in Morondava, a laid back little beach town on the Mozambique Channel. All the boats look like pirate ships, the people are from the Sakalava tribe and speak a slightly different dialect of Malagasy than the one I'm used to, and it's hotter there than you could even imagine. I've never sweat so much in my life without even moving, but that's what I get for going to one of the hottest parts of Madagascar at the hottest time of year. There are a couple of PCVs living in Morondava. Molly, a volunteer that was in my group during training, and I spent a night in the Kirindy Reserve where you could barely step without seeing an iguana or a gigantic snake and bright blue and turquoise butterflies led the way on all the hiking trails. We spotted six different kinds of lemurs. My favorite was the sifaka that jumps around on the ground and through the trees. We even got to see a fosa... but unfortunately no giant jumping rats.

We also made it to the Avenue of the Baobabs right in time for a gorgeous sunrise. I think baobabs might be my favorite tree ever. Somehow I feel a bit like the Lorax working in Madagascar saving the Truffula Trees.

Anyway, now I'm back in Tana, doing some business in the capital, and waiting for the next plane to Maroantsetra on Monday. I have to fly to either Maroantestra to the north or Tamatave to the south to get back to my village. And from either airport it's a 2 day taxi-brousse ride on a terrible road with several ferry boat crossings. I chose Maroantsetra this time so that I could visit another volunteer's site and help her paint a mural before heading back to my home in Soavina hopefully in time for Christmas and New Years.

My next trip will be in February when the new Environment trainees arrive. I'm hoping to be one of the trainers. My specialty at site has been building cookstoves (which I've now built over 40 with several cooperatives in the Mananara region), so I'd like to train the new volunteers on some of the techniques I've learned. I'll probably take another vacation in the southeastern part of the island while I'm already out of Mananara. There's a train ride to the coast that sounds like a fun adventure. But who knows, plans are always changing, and I'm still practicing my patience and flexibility every step of the way.

Cyclone season is coming up here soon. I'm not sure what that means for me considering my house is made of sticks and leaves and I'm only about 3 miles from the Indian Ocean. But don't worry, I've got a sturdy umbrella.
No, but seriously, it is possible I'll be stuck at my site for several months because the "road" washes away into the ocean. There is a sturdy building in my banking town where I can go if my roof flies away or something.

Right now though it's lychee and mango season. There are lychees everywhere on the east coast. Yum! Everywhere you look someone is eating a lychee. People carrying branches full of lychees as a snack while they walk to the rice fields is a common sight. There aren't as many mangos where I'm at in the east, but there's a ton here in the capital and over in the west. So I'll be thinking of you all over there in the states freezing your butts off while I eat my tropical fruit and lay out on the beach. ;-)

Stay in touch. No really, I mean it. I miss you....
Where are all those letters you people promised?!

Here's the address again, in case you haven't scrolled down:
B.P. 36
Mananara-Nord 511
Madagascar

a quick update...

2007-11-09T08:38:00.000+03:00

I'm in Tamatave now after a hellish two day taxi-brousse ride on a road that vehicles honestly should never attempt... it's nice to take a break from my site, see what's up on the world wide web.
A group of volunteers are all getting together for an early Thanksgiving dinner this weekend in a nice beach resort town just north of Tamatave called Foulpointe. We'll probably all get drunk and complain about Peace Corps... ;-)

Life at site has been going well. When I'm not planting, weeding, transplanting, harvesting, drying, cooking, and eating rice, I've managed to keep myself fairly busy with lots of other projects in my village of Soavinarivo.

I think I lucked out with a village of really hardworking motivated people. I feel like my site is the perfect place for me. And despite being completely remote and isolated from the rest of the country, I feel lucky to be where I'm at in the Mananara region.

My main project lately has been working on building cookstoves with a group of women. I have lots of photos (and not a lot of time to explain), so check back in when the photos are uploaded (hopefully next month). I've lost count as to how many stoves have been finished in the last few months, somewhere between 10-15. And we just completed our first stove with a chimney. I'm hoping this will become an income generating project for the women I've been working with as their technique has improved with practice and they are already confident enough to build the stoves without my help. It's great to see so many people using their new stoves and saving a noticable amount of fuelwood.

I'm still gardening a lot too. Right now I'm growing pumpkin and corn and squash and sunflowers and watermelon. It's almost summer, and it's starting to get really hot, but not unbearably so. The weather has actually been really gorgeous since I've been here, other than the occasional downpour.

What else? I have three baby ducks and a kitten. Hehe. Check back soon for photos...

Yeah, anyway, that's it for the update. I probably have more profound things to share, but I'm not used to sitting in front of a computer these days, and it's a gorgeous day outside in Tamatave, and I need to feel the sunshine and see the Indian Ocean. I'm also craving coconut ice cream. ;-)

Stay in touch. Who's coming to visit??????

back to the forest I go...

2007-08-24T14:39:00.000+03:00

Our In Service Training (IST) conference is over, and I'm my way back home now. It was great to catch up with my group from training and the other environment volunteers in the country. Now hopefully we'll all go back to our villages with new inspiration and motivation to do some amazing things within our respective communities over the next 21 months of our service.

Our next conference together is not until May of 2008. In my own village, I plan to continue my gardening and composting projects. I'm also hoping to build more advanced cookstoves with chimneys to help people eliminate smoke in their kitchens. And I'll continue planting trees and teaching people to love and appreciate their environment.
There are also plenty of projects to get involved in around the country. Every year there's a bike race to raise HIV awareness organized by Peace Corps Volunteers. I also hope to make it to the east coast early next year to do some work counting sea turtles on a small island. And who knows what else is in store for me... I'm just taking it day by day.

If you feel like getting in touch, I have a new cell phone number... call anytime, I actually have service at home. I'd love to hear a familiar voice. Conversations in English are few and far between for me these days. Text messages are great too.

Here's my new number:
011 261 32 49 251 50

Here's my mailing address:
B.P. 36
Mananara-Nord 511
Madagascar

And if you're thinking about visiting, you should definitely get in touch. I only have so many vacation days, and I need to plan ahead... 2 years will be gone faster than you think.

Right now as many of my friends are heading out to the playa for another amazing time in the Black Rock Desert, I just want to say, have fun, be safe, enjoy the synchronicities, follow your hearts, and "burn burn burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."

Life in Madagascar

2007-08-10T19:22:00.000+03:00

Where shall I even begin? Has it really been six months since I moved to Madagascar?

I'm all settled in my new home on the northeast coast in a sweet little village called Soavinarivo right outside Mananara, where I'll be living for the next two years, in fact.

My village is gorgeous, on the edge of the Mananara Biosphere Reserve and bordered by the beautiful Mananara River. The streets are lined with coconut trees and palms. The houses are made of bamboo with thatched leaf rooves.
My house is great (check out the photos I just uploaded on my flickr account). But no, there aren't any lemurs.... however, I do have a mango tree, a lychee tree, and a coconut tree in my yard. And the ocean is a half hour bike ride away.
The people of my village are beautiful, sweet, and generous, and I have felt nothing but welcome and appreciated by everyone I meet.

Work is coming along fabulously, thanks to having a motivated counterpart in the community, as well as lots of hardworking, excited, and open-minded community members. So far, I've managed to build countless compost piles on farms and gardens in the area; I have a beautiful garden of veggies, which I share with neighbors and friends in Soavinarivo; I recently started a small tree nursery where I'm growing trees to be used for fuelwood; and when I'm not planting rice, I've been helping with the vanilla harvest. There's nothing quite like waking up in the morning to the smell of vanilla beans drying in my yard.

I won't be checking in online as regularly as I had hoped when I set up this blog, since there's no internet access in my region of the island. Chances are I won't get a chance to update again until December when I'll be taking my vacation in southern Madagascar near Fort Dauphin.

So keep the letters coming. Thanks to those of you who have made an effort to stay in touch, and thanks especially to my parents who have been most supportive and dedicated to staying in regular contact. I realise it's a hassle to send letters by post as opposed to e-mail, but it's appreciated more than you can imagine.

That's the news from me. Life is good. Better than good. Tsara BE!

Settling in... "Tamana tsara"

2007-05-02T16:59:00.000+03:00

Today starts the next phase of this adventure.
As of this morning, I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!!

Here's my new address:

B.P. 36
Mananara-Nord 511
Madagascar

And my phone number:
011 261 33 07 45565

Hope to hear from you.
I'll check in again here sometime in August.
Have a great summer!

Almost a Peace Corps Volunteer!

2007-04-26T13:12:00.000+03:00

It's nearly official! We moved out of our homes in Anjozoro yesterday. It was sad saying goodbye, but also a huge relief. The final presentations all went really well, and I passed my language evaluation. Now it's just formalities, and hopefully some time to reorganize and relax before being officially sworn in and dropped off at our respective villages.

Our swearing in ceremony is in just a few days. It will be held at the U.S. Ambassador's house in the capital, and the head director of the entire Peace Corps is coming to Madagascar to attend. I believe there will be a film crew, and we heard the President of Madagascar might show up for this one as well. It's all hearsay though. We never really know at all what the plan is until it actually happens.

I uploaded a few photos to my Flickr account. I wish I had time to upload more, but the computers here are an exercise in frustration. At least you can see my host family and some of the people I've been in training with over the last 10 weeks. These people have become like family. We've spent far too much time together, and it's going to be really sad to say good bye next week to all my new friends.

Oh, also, I have my new address thanks to the former Peace Corps Volunteers in my region. They're on their way out of the country soon, and left a post office box, so here it is. All future mail should be sent to this address:

Helen Graham, PCV, Peace Corps
B.P. 36
Mananara-Nord 511
Madagascar

This is not the address to send me packages though. Continue to use the Antananarivo address for anything substantial. Letters and small packages only, please. And I REALLY appreciate all the letters I've recieved so far. It means more than you know. Thanks for the love, keep it coming, 'cause it's going to be lonely here real soon when I'm on my own. Oh, and yes, I will also still be able to send/recieve text messages in Soavina.

I may get one more chance to check in online before heading off to Soavina next week. Then after swearing in, I will not have a chance to check in again until August when I come back through Tana for In-Service Training. It's just snail mail and text messages in Mananara. No internet access for me, whatsoever. So please stay in touch. I hope to hear from you all.

Did I mention before, my house is on the Mananara River, and just a 20 minute bike ride to an apparently beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean. And from what I hear, there's a shaded gazebo and a coconut tree in my front yard.
Who's coming to visit?

LOTS OF LOVE FROM THE RED ISLAND
Wish me luck on making it green.

Week 8 of 10

2007-04-13T17:15:00.000+03:00

I am counting the days until training ends... soon, very soon I'll be on my way home to Soavinarivo, Mananara. I'm dying in anticipation.

Right now, we're on a trip visiting Andasibe and Moramanga. Andasibe is one of the 7 national parks in Madagascar. It is home to many species of lemurs, including the Indri, which is the main attraction. We went on a night hike around the area last night spotting chameleons and lemurs hanging out in the trees all around. And this morning we hiked through the rainforest. The lemurs seemed just as curious about us as we were about them. And they doo like to "move it, move it" after all.

We also got our feet dirty yesterday transplanting rice seedlings in a muddy rice field. And we learned how to graft fruit trees. Fun stuff!

The main tasks over the next couple of weeks include our final presentation (in Malagasy) which I plan to do on SRI, an improved rice farming technique. We also have our final language test where we have to prove to be at an "intermediate high" level of competency, meaning we can speak about a variety of topics related to every day life using complex sentence structures. I think I'll do okay. It's amazing how much I've learned already. It's also amazing how much more there is to learn.

I'm starting to formulate ideas of what projects to do at my site. I've met some really inspiring volunteers since I've been here and I can't wait to get out on my own and integrate into this amazing beautiful culture.

That's all for now. Next time I check in I'll be on my way to swearing in.

Still in training...

2007-04-02T16:57:00.000+03:00

I guess I left everyone hanging on my last update with the whole cyclone business. Internet access is hard to come by in Madagascar, can you imagine?

I never actually made it to Soavina on my trip a couple of weeks ago. I made it pretty far up the coast, but the "road" was washed away in the cyclone, so I ended up just being a tourist and hanging out on the beautiful beaches of the northeast. I ate coconut and lychee and all sorts of exotic fruit, which almost made up for me not getting to see my new home and meet my future community. I was able to meet some of the other Peace Corps volunteers in my region, mostly in the Health and Education sectors. It was great to see how people are living and making it work here in Madagascar.

The technical aspect of training continues to be fun and rewarding on a daily basis. I've learned a lot about the biodiversity in Madagascar. Our group built a new latrine for a local school in Anjozoro. We've made clay stoves and built a bamboo water catchment system. Every day there's something new. It'll be interesting to see which projects I end up taking on in Soavina.

Only one month to go in training before we're officially sworn in as volunteers. I'm really looking forward to getting out on my own, starting my garden, cooking my own meals, and getting settled in my new house (which I hear is made of ravinala leaves). Yeah, training is great, but the schedule is hectic, and I'll be glad when we're finished.

That's the update for now. I hope to check back in once more before swearing-in.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering... no, I have not seen any lemurs yet. But as soon as I do, I'll let you know if they really like to move it, move it.

Call me in Madagascar!

2007-03-17T12:51:00.000+03:00

Times have changed for Peace Corps volunteers in the developing world.
I just set up my cell phone, so if you feel like hearing my voice sometime, try me at 011 261 33 07 45565

For those of you in California, it's 10 hours later in Madagascar.

My trip to Mananara has been further delayed by Cyclone Ind'lala. I'm hoping to be able to leave Tana on Monday. Until then, I'm stuck in Meva. (That's Malagasy for "heaven"). Meva is the Peace Corps volunteer transit house. It's like having our own private hostel, with hot showers, a bathtub, toilets that flush, a communal kitchen, and an assortment of videos and books for entertainment. It's also near the Peace Corps headquarters.

There are probably worse places to be stuck than Meva...

Manakory aby!!!

2007-03-15T16:41:00.000+03:00

Its week three here in Madagascar, and I'm currently en route to my future home in the country for a short visit (assuming the cyclone has passed). I have been assigned to a village called Soavina (which means “to be blessed”) on the northeast coast of the island near a town called Mananara. This weekend I will be visiting Soavina for the first time.

So far, training in Anjozoro has been fun and challenging. The schedule has been hectic. We’ve built fences and started vegetable gardens. We started a tree nursery. We’ve learned several techniques for preventing soil erosion, and we’ve learned an improved rice farming method (SRI), which was originally developed in Madagascar by the local Malagasy. The training is awesome because we’re not only learning all kinds of great practical information, we’re also putting our new knowledge to good use in the local community. In addition, we’re learning all the terminology in Malagasy, and have each had to make individual presentations in Malagasy to the local community.

I love living the Malagasy life in Anjozoro with my precious host family. The village itself is small set in a highland landscape of rice fields and eucalyptus trees. In Anjozoro, the Peace Corps volunteers are practically celebrities. I’m living with a family of six, my host mom and dad, and four younger sisters (age 4, 9, 12, and 14). They have all been really great and so patient with me. I’m so grateful for them. The language barrier is the biggest challenge. It’s frustrating not being able to communicate with these sweet beautiful people who are taking care of me and letting me live in their home.

For now, I’m off to Soavina. I don’t know too much about it at this point. I’ll be moving there in May after training. So think good thoughts for me this weekend. I’ve been dreaming about my beach front property…. Maybe with a vanilla farm nearby…. And lemurs hanging out in the mango trees in my yard. Not really. Mostly I’m just looking forward to my very own private kabone (that’s Malagasy for “hole in the ground where you shit”). How glamorous, I know.

Oh, and just for the record…. I’ve been here for three weeks now, and have not received any mail. Where’s the love?

This is Helen, signing out from Madagascar. Check ya later….

Staging in DC

2007-02-19T18:48:00.000+03:00

I left San Francisco early Saturday morning, on my way to staging in Washington, DC. The sunset from the plane at my layover stop in Chicago was gorgeous.

Now I'm in the midst of the Peace Corps staging meetings at the hotel here in Georgetown (DC). For the last two days, my group of 29 Environmental volunteers have all been getting acquainted, and involved in discussions about health, safety, and Peace Corps policy during our meetings. It's been reassuring talking with everyone and just knowing that we're all in this together.

Right now we're all busy with the final reorganization and repacking. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who had trouble sticking to the 80 pound limit. The big challenge with packing was knowing that we could only bring one of our checked bags with us to training, while the other stays behind at the Peace Corps headquarters until we eventually move to our individual sites in May. It's been funny to prioritize my life accordingly. I'm realising each time I reorganize maybe I didn't quite need everything I ended up bringing along.

Tomorrow we start our 15 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa (we stop briefly in Dakar, Senegal to refuel). We'll be spending Wednesday night in Johannesburg, and then another four hour flight to our final destination of Antananarivo (aka "Tana"), Madagascar on Thursday afternoon.

As soon as we arrive, we will head directly to our training site in the Anjozorobe Village of Mantasoa, which is about 3 hours from Tana. We'll be getting some immunizations, a quick language briefing, and then we're handed over to our host family for the night. There we will spend three months in Malagasy language, cultural, and technical training while living with our host family in the village of Anjozorobe.

I've been told there won't be electricity or running water (much less internet access) during the first three months while we're in training, so this could be my last post until April or May. I will be officially sworn in as a volunteer (assuming I pass all the evaluations) on May 2nd.
With any luck, I'll find a computer sometime before then. In any case, keep checking in, and send me a letter!! (It only costs $0.84!). Hope to hear from you!

Au Revoir!

2007-02-14T16:30:00.000+03:00

It's been a busy month, preparing to leave the country, and visiting family and friends all around the country. I've been racking up the frequent flyer miles lately, and there's still much more to come!
I'm just finishing up my final packing these last couple of days, and I'm hoping I haven't gone over my 80 pound limit. It's pretty close.... so much for traveling light! ;-)

This past weekend I had two 'bon voyage' parties. It was time to say au revoir to my friends in the Bay Area. On Saturday, we gathered in Santa Cruz at the Seabright Brewery. Afterwards we all headed to the bowling alley by the boardwalk for bowling and then we sang karaoke late into the night, almost "all night long... all night"! Then Sunday, I met up with more friends in San Francisco at the Connecticut Yankee. It was a great send-off. I'm so grateful for my friends, and I will be thinking of you often. Thanks for showing me some love before I go!

Here are my peeps in Santa Cruz at the Seabright Brewery:
(thanks Molly for the photo!)

"she's got the whole world in her hands!"

And here's the San Francisco crew at the Connecticut Yankee:

Check out the rest of our photos!

Thanks also to the Happy Brigade for acknowledging me on their website this month with a photo and a news story. Assolutely spanktacular! ;-)

Today is Valentine's Day and Sound Tribe Sector 9 is playing in Santa Cruz! Sound Tribe has always been a favorite, so the timing couldn't be more perfect. I'm ready to get down... ragin' it on a Wednesday night! Yeah!

I leave for Washington DC on Saturday, the 17th, for Peace Corps orientation. Then on February 20th, I set off to Madagascar with a brief stop in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm really looking forward to meeting the group of folks I'm traveling over there with. We will all be in training together for our first three months in the country near Antananarivo (otherwise known as "Tana").

And in case you hadn't noticed, there are a few new additions to my website. I added the current time in Madagascar on the right side bar, which might be of interest. Now you can also sign up for e-mail updates; when I update, you'll receive an e-mail. And I started a flickr account where I'll be posting my latest photos. I hope you enjoy. Thanks so much for checking in on me. Be sure to leave me comments so I know you're out there. And even better, send me mail in Madagascar! I promise to write back. :-)

Madagascar!

2006-12-29T23:25:00.000+03:00

Today I accepted my invitation to join the Peace Corps and I'll be moving to Madagascar this February!!

Right now it's all kind of surreal, as I look through my few remaining possessions and decide which will come with me and which to leave behind. What all will fit in my 80 pound limit, I wonder...

Two years in Africa on an island in the Indian Ocean! I feel as if I'm living in a dream. There's such a mystique about Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, home to tens of thousands of plant and animal species not found anywhere else on the planet. I'm lucky enough to be going there to work in the Environmental Program. The island is in danger from harmful deforestation practices. It's an ecological wonderland, and soon it will be my new home. I'm in love with the island already, and I haven't even set foot on its soil.

This is what wikipedia has to say about Madagascar.

You can call me an idealist. It's true, I'm an idealist. I am literally going to Africa to plant trees with the Peace Corps. It doesn't get much more idealistic than that.

I think about what I'm leaving behind in California, and I wonder where this two years will lead me. No doubt the experience I have in Africa will shape who I am and where I will go from there.

But one step at a time. First I start my three months of training in the capital.
Here's an address where you can send me letters until April:

Helen Graham, PCT Peace Corps
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar

Now I'm in the process of making final flight arrangements, visiting family and friends, selling my car, and figuring out my finances here in the states.
I leave California on February 17th, and I fly to Madagascar on February 20th.

And this weekend is New Year's Eve at the Sea of Dreams. It's a great time to celebrate! New Year's Eve is one of my favorite nights of the year. There's the anticipation about what the year ahead will bring. You can feel the excitement in the air! This year I have a lot to look forward to, and I'm ready to party like it's 2007!

Peace Corps Application Timeline

2006-12-22T23:21:00.000+03:00

As I've been dealing with the arduous application process with the Peace Corps, I've found other stories and timelines from Peace Corps volunteers online. I found it to be helpful, so I've been keeping track of my own.

March 8, 2006- Submitted my Peace Corps application online while I was traveling in Guatemala.

March 23, 2006- Received my reference kit in the mail, with background check forms, skill addenda forms, and other information to fill out.

July 2006- Returned from Guatemala.

August 17, 2006- Interviewed with a Peace Corps recruiter at UC-Santa Cruz.

September 20, 2006- School records sent, fingerprints are in, all my references are complete.

September 27, 2006- Received e-mail with two options for placement.
Both in the agroforestry field, both in Africa, one in January, the other in February. I let them know February seemed more likely as I would need time to prepare.

September 28, 2006- Went to Peace Corps informational meeting in Monterey, met with the Peace Corps San Francisco Regional recruiter.

October 5, 2006- Nominated for an agriculture program in the Francophone region of Africa starting February 2007. They told me to start studying French.

October/November 2006- Worked on medical packet.... dental exams, physical exams, blood work, etc.

November 20, 2006- Peace Corps received my medical packet. There are no dental holds, still reviewing medical, could take 4-6 weeks.

November 27, 2006- Placement Office asked for information regarding my studies with French. I submitted my test scores from the Rosetta Stone language learning program I've been studying diligently over the last couple of months. Oui, oui.

December 1, 2006- Medical office asked for more blood work (cholesterol, thyroid, glucose)
December 8, 2006- Completed and faxed additional medical information to the medical office.

December 11, 2006- Received medical clearance.

December 21, 2006- I have been invited to join the Peace Corps!

Patience....patience....patience....

December 27, 2006- Received my invitation packet in the mail! I've been invited to Madagascar as an agroforestry volunteer in the environmental program!!! I leave for staging on February 17, 2007.

December 29, 2006 Officially accepted my invitation to Madagascar.

January 5, 2007 Sent my updated resume and aspiration statement to the Madagascar Peace Corps office.

February 18-20, 2007 Staging in Washington, DC.
February 20, 2007 On my way to Madagascar!!!!

Farm living is the life for me...

2006-12-03T12:56:00.000+03:00

My ongoing life adventures have led me to work on a small farm in rural California, the Dandelion Farm and Sustainable Living Institute. As my time in the Peace Corps approaches, I wanted to gain some good experience in agriculture to prepare. I found Dandelion through the website OrganicVolunteers.com.

I feel that my time on the farm will be a valuable learning experience. Loren and Candace, the landowners, are great teachers and enthusiastic to share their experience and knowledge about living a sustainable lifestyle. They inspire me with their creativity and resourcefulness, and I feel grateful to know them and learn from them.

Right now I'm busy working on a permaculture landscaping project they're just beginning. I planted the first plants in the garden this past week, and have been involved in laying down the irrigation system. I'm also helping with some tile mosaic and painting projects on some of the sculptures and art pieces on the property. Other than that, I harvest tomatoes, guava, thyme, oregano, carrots, beets, etc, etc... There's no shortage of food. I'm enjoying learning new creative uses for veggies and fruit.

As far as my progress with my Peace Corps nomination, I am currently in the medical clearance phase of the process. This is said to take anywhere from 4-6 weeks. It's been 2 weeks of waiting so far, but if all goes smoothly, I should hopefully know something for sure by the end of December.

Take care everyone! Hopefully I'll have some good news about the Peace Corps soon! Keep checking in! Lots of love to you.

Rumi

2006-10-24T22:47:00.000+03:00

Sometimes I find a poem that so eloquently puts into words the feelings I know without a doubt in my heart. I want to share this one in particular with the people I know who will appreciate it, especially those of you I find myself dancing with again and again. You know who you are....

The Privileged Lovers (by Rumi)

The moon has become a dancer
at this festival of love.
This dance of light,

This sacred blessing,
This divine love,
beckons us
to a world beyond
only lovers can see
with their eyes of fiery passion.

They are the chosen ones
who have surrendered.
Once they were particles of light
now they are the radiant sun.

They have left behind
the world of deceitful games.
They are the privileged lovers
who create a new world
with their eyes of fiery passion.

Earthdance & Symbiosis '06

2006-10-19T14:12:00.000+03:00

Every time I return from an adventure, I always feel like I've learned something new about myself.
That's why I'm always seeking adventures. :-)

Earthdance was the most spiritually alive festival I've been to in years. The amount of loving intentions that goes into the making of this festival was apparent upon arrival. From the inspiring tarot card paintings hanging in the trees to the massive natural mandala created throughout the weekend by festival attendees, love was all around.

There was also a great selection of music, including lots of hip hop like Wisdom, Blackalicious, and Ozomatli. Awesome DJ's like Bassnectar, Cheb i Sabbah, and DJ Logic. And other new favorites like Kid Beyond, Luminous Fog, etc, etc, etc. I had so much fun bouncing around the festival and making new friends.

I volunteered at Earthdance this year for the Rainforest Action Network. I spent a lot of my time at the festival walking around with petitions for their various campaigns, and running the booth. It was a good experience, and I gathered a lot of good information talking to people about corporate power.

After Earthdance, I headed straight to the Symbiosis Gathering which started with a four day permaculture intensive workshop. We went over the basics of permaculture, surveyed the land where the festival would be held, and discussed concepts for how we could make this festival and other festivals more "green." The workshop served as an awesome preliminary to the four day festival.

The festival itself was full of some really interesting electronic music. My new favorite of the weekend was Shpongle! Check him out if you haven't already. Off the hook, yo. Nothing but good things to say. I won't even try to explain, just listen!

Other than that, there was Sporque, Zilla, Hallucinogen, the Goddess Alchemy Project, etc, etc, etc. All the good music in my life is overwhelming sometimes! I love it!

And now life has taken me to the woods of northern California for some farm work during harvest season, and camping out in the beautiful redwoods of Humboldt County. I moved out of Santa Cruz for good last week, packed up a few important items, and gave everything else to Good Will. I'm moving onto a new phase of my life starting RIGHT NOW. The Peace Corps has nominated me for a possible position doing agroforestry in Africa. I'm starting to study French now to prepare myself, and will most likely be leaving for two years starting this February, assuming all goes as planned.

So that's the update for now.
Living, learning, loving.... what else is there to do really?

Burning Man 2006

2006-09-08T17:20:00.000+03:00

Check out my photos!

Something I learned this year post-playa is that the best thing about relationships is the moment to moment of the experience. Really it's all the moments you share that make up any relationship.
And while moments are fleeting, I'm learning how important it is to cherish every one.

I'm also learning a lot about letting go... not having attachments and not having expectations. It's just one of those lessons that comes up again and again for me.

I had such an amazing time at Burning Man again this year. Each time I return to Black Rock City, it's as if I never left, like all that time in between disappears magically somehow. The playa feels so much like home to me. There's nothing in the world I love more than riding my bike across the Black Rock Desert.... going where the wind takes me, even when it takes me half way across the playa inside a giant waffle during a dust storm... or perhaps to the middle of a field of glowing sunflowers... or maybe to a giant flaming serpent exploding with fireworks.... or a psychedelic cathedral of bad ass dj's laying down the sermon of bass.

Did I mention I'm in love? I'm in love with myself. I'm in love with life.

And maybe my light burns too bright sometimes. And you know what? I'm just going to keep on shining, bright as possible, always and forever.

High Sierra Music Festival 2006

2006-07-13T23:06:00.000+03:00

Another beautiful festival in the high sierras, and the perfect re-entry to life in California!

I had another great year camping with the
Happy Brigade, who always knows how to BRING IT! With the Stoke-O-Meter perpetually gauging the level of stoke amongst passerbys, a Rock the Earth benefit party with members of Railroad Earth, and a kazoo marching band parade through the festival grounds, I couldn't have asked for a better crew to spend my festival with.

This was my fifth consecutive year at High Sierra, and I'm positive that each year gets better. Friends and families coming together, constantly growing connections, and a palpable feeling of love all around. This year was also my first year volunteering with the Hospitality Crew at the Big Meadow stage. I am so grateful for the opportunity, and can't wait for more good times in the years to come.

Oh, right, and the music! Lots of great music, all day long, all night long... Who needs sleep anyway!? At High Sierra, there's always something for everyone. There were a couple of great sets with the Hot Buttered Rum String Band for the bluegrass-inclined. Lotus, with their ambient psychedelic grooves rocked the house late night with Hairy Apes BMX, if you're looking for something more alternative. Brother showed up for an odd combination of world sounds, including didjeridoos and bagpipes. Toubab Krewe became my new favorite band this year with their afro-caribbean surfer style. Then there was Chris Berry and Panjea who made an impression on me with their conscious lyrics and positive message along with danceable beats and some fine horn players. Another new favorite was Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra who really brought the FUNK!

The music, the people, the perfect weather, the trees all around, the free sunscreen (!).... yeah, it was the perfect welcome home. High Sierra rocks my world.

Home is where the heart is

2006-07-13T12:59:00.000+03:00

It feels good to be back in California, although I'm just now starting to realise how much I miss certain things about living in Guatemala. This photograph on the left shows a typical Guatemalan market, baskets filled to the brim with some of the nicest quality vegetables and for prices you wouldn't believe. And even when they try to charge you the equivalent of $.25, you can still manage to bargain down to $.10 for a yummy avocado or a bunch of bananas.

But here I am anyway, back in the US, and the reality of life here is starting to set in. Gas prices are out of control at $3.35/gallon, and to top it all off, my car broke down over the weekend needing a new radiator and cooling system before I could get back on the road again.

I am happy to be here though, and right now I'm just taking things day by day, figuring out where to go from here, and what my next step is.

The photo album from my trip in Central America is finally online. You can also find it by clicking on the photo above.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check in on me here while I was away. I always appreciate your comments and encouragements throughout my journey.
And big thanks to all those I met along the way! Stay in touch, and maybe we'll run into each other again in some other part of the world.

Muchas gracias amigos!

Time's almost up!

2006-06-20T22:54:00.000+03:00

Well, my time here in Guatemala is quickly coming to a close. After much deliberation, I decided to actually come back to California. There was a possibility that I might stay here for awhile longer, but I think I´m ready to go after all.

I have been working at a cafe in Xela called El Cuartito. It`s a little coffee shop/bar with live music on the weekends. I really enjoy working there, the owners are super cool. It`s a fun job, making very negligible money (40Q in four hours or less than $7 a shift). But it was a great way to meet people and pass the time away making hot chocolates and capaccinos while watching the world cup games in the afternoons!

I really will miss all my new friends at the Yoga House. It`s been nice living in a community of like-minded folks, cooking our meals together, taking day trips to local hot springs, and walks through town for bake shop goodies.

I feel like I`ve learned a lot in my time here in Guatemala... from Spanish lessons to arts and crafts to world politics and scuba diving. It`s been a great experience, and now I`m ready for summer in California!

Plus, High Sierra`s right around the corner, how could I miss my favorite summer music festival with all my favorite people?! See you all real soon!

Rainy days in Xela

2006-05-27T17:15:00.000+03:00

I´m living in Quezaltenango (aka Xela, pronounced shay-la) these days at the Yoga House with my friends Rob and Carley as well as about 6 other folks from all over the world. There are yoga classes every day at the house, and it´s been an interesting experience living there with everyone so far. But you know, that´s life, living and learning about people and interactions and relationships. I´m happy to be there and I´m having a great time in Xela.

I´m also back to studying Spanish in the mornings. At this point though, I don´t know how much progress I´m making. I feel like I reached the peak of my learning curve already, and now it´s feeling a bit frustrating and tedious.

Furthermore, I started volunteering at a center for domestic violence. It´s heartbreaking on a daily basis. The place is a shelter for women and a daycare for children who have suffered abuse at home. The children are truly sweet, and it amazes me how people are able to cope with such dire circumstances. I´m constantly impressed with how resilient and adaptable the kids are. The shelter itself is absolutely pitiful. Their so-called ¨classroom¨ has a few books that no one can actually access without a key, rarely are their pencils, and it´s impossible to find blank paper. However, it´s a real opportunity for me to take some responsibility and initiative for coming up with activities for the children, and it´s a great chance to practice my Spanish. Kids really are the best teachers.

In other news, my dad has been in the hospital now for over two weeks after suffering a severe head injury. He´s apparently doing a lot better these last couple of days, although I´m still quite worried about the situation. He´s on the road to recovery, and I plan to make a trip back to Texas when I return to the states this summer.

For now, I´m going to enjoy my time left here in Guatemala. It´s mostly been rainy and cold here in Xela. In fact, last weekend, there was so much rain that the main highway in Guatemala had a major mudslide and has been closed. The pictures I´ve seen are incredible, it makes me wonder if the whole country might just eventually fall into the ocean. It´s funny to be in Central America during the summer and always need to wear sweaters and carry an umbrella. So yeah, that´s the update today.

Life continues to move forward. Sometimes there are ups, other times there are downs, but I´m grateful for it all, and learning all the time to appreciate every moment, every new friend, every bite of mango....

¡Que linda!

2006-05-15T08:31:00.000+03:00

I haven´t been anywhere near a computer for days and days. I´ve been deep in the jungle in northern Guatemala and then hanging out near caves and waterfalls in central Guatemala and on dirt roads in the mountains in western Guatemala....

After leaving Caye Caulker, Belize (I´ll leave out the seasick diving story for now, but remind me to share that one with you), I headed west to Tikal, the most significant city in the ancient Mayan world. I arrived in the afternoon and rented a hammock near the entrance to the ruins. Sleeping in a hammock in the jungle with the howler monkeys screaming nearby and all the sounds of the jungle surrounding me was an experience in itself. At 4 am, our guide came to wake us up so we could hike to the top of one of the temples to watch the sunrise and listen to the jungle come alive as the sun brightened the sky. It was eerie and absolutely surreal. From the top of the temple the shapes of the temples and the magnitude of Tikal became apparent. It was most impressive with the occasional toucan stopping for a break on one of the massive trees dripping with moss and the spider monkeys hanging from the branches nearby. Hiking around the ruins and climbing to the tops of the pyramids for panaramic views of the jungle all around, I felt as if I had entered another world and can only imagine what it must have been like for the Mayans 2600 years ago.

After exploring the ruins in the morning and before it got too hot, I left Tikal and headed south towards Cobán and Semuc Champay. I was feeling weary from travel, but had found a group of people traveling the same way, so we kept going. After a long day in a van, we finally all ended up at a lodge on the river near the entrance to Semuc Champay.

I spent the afternoon jumping from the rope swing and swimming in the river, and the next morning woke up to share the sunrise with some friends on a hike towards the waterfalls at the bottom of the pools. I swam underneath the waterfalls to a cave where I let the water and the mist cover my face. Amazing!!

Afterwards, I took a trip into a cave. At the entrance, our guide gave us a candle, and into the depths of the earth we went. It quickly became pitch black except for the light of our candles, then as we hiked further in, there were points in the cave where we were forced to jump in the water and swim across holding our candles above water so we could still see where we were going. After an hour or so, we turned around.... apparently these caves were recently discovered and have not yet been completely explored. We weren´t inside for long, but our guide claims to have gone into the cave for 8 hours before turning back. Crazy!
When we finally reached the entry to the cave, coming out into the daylight was a spiritual experience in itself. Hallelujah!

Later that same afternoon, I went into the park at Semuc Champay. I think Semuc Champay is one of the most scenic beautifully incredible settings I´ve ever seen. Caves and waterfalls and pools of crystal clear water surrounded by the jungle with bright blue butterflies and.... it´s just to good to be true. I can´t describe it.... and I won´t even be able to share pictures of it because my camera ran out of memory before I had a chance to try to photograph it. Not that a photo could ever capture the beauty of this place. I swam in one pool and then another and then another. Totally unbelievable really. I very highly recommend this spot to anyone traveling in Guatemala.

I left Semuc Champay yesterday morning, in an adventure to explore Guatemala a bit off the beaten path. I headed west into the mountains with a group I had met in Tikal. We ended up on local buses on dirt roads through small mountain villages... one bus was so full that it couldn´t make it up the hills, so a dozen or so people would hop off and run to the top of the hill so we could keep going.
A trip which should have probably only taken maybe 8 hours or so, ended up being an all day event on dirt roads in a most amazing countryside of lush mountains and tiny villages (from 5am until 8pm). We finally made it most of the way but stopped to rest in Huehuetenango before the final leg of the trip to Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela), where I´m heading this afternoon.

Looking forward to landing in one place and sticking around for awhile. I wonder what adventures Xela has in store for me....

Thanks for reading! Lots of love!

Greetings from Belize!

2006-05-08T13:39:00.000+03:00

So much has happened since the last time I wrote here, I'm not even sure where to begin. Right now I'm in Caye Caulker, an island off the northern coast of Belize. It's funny because I wasn't originally intending on coming this far into Belize, but plans change like the wind, and here I am.

I spent a week on a 46 foot catamaran on the Rio Dulce in southern Guatemala, on Lago Izabel, and then on to the Caribbean Sea off the southern coast of Belize. The group on the boat turned out to be a fun and interesting collection of people. Of the 12 of us, eight countries were represented. (France, Argentina, Spain, Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany, Canada, and the US). It felt like such an adventure, sailing along with water in every direction for as far as you could see. Sometimes we'd stop close enough to a seemingly deserted island, and spend the day near the Barrier Reef swimming and snorkeling with manta rays and tiger sharks right under the boat. And barricudas... How could I forget the barricudas!

After getting off the boat, half of us in the group decided to spend a couple of nights at the Finca Tatin just off the Rio Dulce. It was a sweet little lodge set in the jungle where you could jump from a rope swing into the river or take a kayak and explore the surrounding areas. It was a nice way to relax after relaxing for a week on a sailboat.

One disappointment was that our sailboating trip was supposed to bring us diving, but that didn't end up working out for one reason or another. As much as I had a great time on the Las Sirenas sailboat, I think they weren't very honest with us about certain things (including their border crossing procedures, which nearly caused me a serious fine). While I would definitely recommend a sailing trip to anyone considering it, I would think twice about recommending the Las Sirenas (John Clarke's boat which is advertised in the Rough Guide, the Lonely Planet, and on flyers all over the country).

I decided to come back to Belize, so I could actually arrange some scuba diving. I just spent the last couple of days in Placencia, a beautiful little town in southern Belize. It was an interesting experience being there, even for such a short time. Last night there was a huge fire that burned many homes and businesses only maybe a block from my hotel. I sat on the porch at my hotel with some new friends and we watched the fire burn while we waited and hoped that the wind wouldn't change in our direction. As far as I know no one was hurt, but it was surely a tragedy.

This morning I left Placencia on a plane, it was great to travel so quickly and also to be able to see the reef from above. Hopefully I'll be going to dive in the amazing crystal clear water tomorrow morning, and then I intend on heading back to Guatemala to visit Tikal.

back in Guatemala

2006-04-27T20:17:00.000+03:00

What a day this has been. Never a dull moment, let me tell ya....

It all started this morning when I caught the boat leaving the island of Utila. It's a two hour ride to the north coast of Honduras, where I got off in La Ceiba. From there, I caught a taxi to the bus station. At the bus station, I caught a two hour bus to San Pedro Sula. From San Pedro Sula, I needed to take a taxi to another bus station where there was a colectivo to Puerto Cortes. I had to hop off of the colectivo in the middle of the highway to catch a chicken bus to the border town of Corinto. Here I got my passport stamped out of Honduras, then caught another colectivo into Guatemala. After being stopped twice for identification checks by the police, I got my passport stamped into Guatemala in Entre Rios. The colectivo continued on, until at a point where the road forked, I had to get off the bus once again, in a place where there was little more than a woman selling mangos and pineapples to catch yet another colectivo onto the Rio Dulce. This was by far the most exciting ride, seeing as how I was almost there (after one boat, two taxis, six colectivos, and a chicken bus). But also since the colectivo which is designed to fit maybe 12 people total, in reality was carrying maybe 38 by my best estimate. I literally had to hang on to the front seat while standing in the open doorway. Yeah, so anyway, I'm here now. After 13 hours. What a trip!

About Utila though... I had such an amazing time there. I'm now officially a certified scuba diver. I took four dives in total. Three times we went down to 40 feet, and once down to 60 feet. It was absolutely amazing. I saw some of the wildest fish with the most beautiful colors. And thanks to my awesome dive buddy, Danielle, I was able to see a green moray eel on my second dive and also a spotted moray on my third, both hanging out chilling in caves. Not to mention all the coral, and yeah, I'm in love with diving.

There's more to tell, but I'm exhausted from just about the longest day ever. Tomorrow I'm starting a sailboating trip to Belize. I won't have access to a computer for probably about a week until I return. I'm super excited! We're going north on the Rio Dulce, stopping in Livingston, and then heading to Belize where I'll get to DIVE!!

¡saludos de Honduras!

2006-04-22T08:22:00.000+03:00

Another stamp has been added to my passport, as I crossed the border from Guatemala into Honduras near Copàn Ruinas. I spent a couple of days in Copàn, visited the Mayan ruins, checked out the amazing hieroglyphic stairway, saw some interesting glyphs, nearly died from the heat and humidity.

I actually couldn´t wait to get away from Copàn. The heat was suffocating. So I got on a bus yesterday morning, and headed toward the Caribbean. The best part of the trip was the boat ride from La Ceiba, Honduras (after spending a shocking 420 Lempiras), heading north to Utila, where the massive waves caused all 50 or so people who decided to sit in the open air on top of the boat to be entirely drenched by the time we arrived.

Now today I´m on an island in the Caribbean Sea just north off the coast of Honduras. Utila is probably the cheapest place in the world to get certified as a scuba diver. So today, I start the four day course. I´m excited for this new adventure. I´m feeling a bit rushed though, ´cause I made some really amazing plans for next week. I try not to make too many plans, but this was something I couldn´t pass up.... I´ll share more details soon!

La Luna Llena y Semana Santa

2006-04-15T10:12:00.000+03:00

My time on Lake Atitlan is coming to an end. This is my last weekend in San Pedro la Laguna. I´ve studied Spanish pretty consistently for over five weeks now for a little over 100 hours. I can honestly say my Spanish has improved quite a bit. It´s still difficult to speak using all the correct grammar, but I´m able to hold pretty decent conversations with people which is pretty exciting for me, and definitely fun to practice. It´s also great when people don´t realise I understand what they´re saying right in front of me....

This past Thursday night, there was a party for the full moon (la luna llena) at an amazingly beautiful secluded location on the lake. Arriving at a party after a 45 minute boat ride, stepping off the boat onto a beach with the full moon reflecting on the water, and two stages of music with black lights and trance music emanating from the woods was an astonishingly surreal scene. Then watching the sun rise directly over the mountains across the lake after dancing (and hula hooping) all night is a memory that will surely last a lifetime.

I managed to make it back to San Pedro Friday morning just in time for a special religious procession in town. This past week leading up to Easter Sunday (aka the Resurrection of Christ) is Semana Santa (Holy Week). In Guatemala, Semana Santa is a huge deal with processions sometimes two or three times a day. The people carry huge representations of Christ carrying the cross on their backs through the streets. It´s a laborious display of love and devotion, which has made quite an impression on me. Yesterday morning in the streets surrounding the Catholic church in San Pedro, the local people spent hours decorating the streets with ¨alfombras¨ (carpets) made from flowers, fruits, vegetables, and sawdust of every color.

Each ¨carpet¨ was unique, some with amazingly intricate design and the brightest of colors. It was truly beautiful and went on for blocks and blocks. When the procession began, the people carrying Jesus on their backs walked through the streets over their freshly made carpets, yet another display of the temporary nature of life and art.

I leave for Honduras on Monday. I plan to make a quick stop in Antigua before heading on to Copán, where I will visit my first Mayan ruins. It´s about a 9 hour bus ride altogether from the lake. I´m looking forward to having a new stamp in my passport.
I will definitely miss this lake though. It´s been home for me for over a month. I´ve made some good friends here in town. And I´ll miss my room at the Buenas Nuevas with a view of the lake and the nice kitchen on the roof. I´ll also miss the endless availability of ¨pan.¨ Pan de canela, pan de piña, pan de chocolate, pan de banana. ¿Quiere pan?

Los AtrapaSueños

2006-04-05T13:10:00.000+03:00

Since I´ve been in San Pedro, I´ve noticed these amazing dreamcatchers everywhere. They´re in all of the hotels, the restaurants, the schools, hanging from the trees on the street. They´re really interesting, unique dreamcatchers, three dimensional with different shapes and colors and sizes.

I have been asking around town, trying to find out who makes the beautiful dreamcatchers (or in español, ¨los atrapasueños¨). I had told a few people I was looking for the guy who makes them, who I found out is named Alejandro, and I knew eventually I´d meet him. It´s a small town, one way or another you meet everyone you´re looking for if you´re here long enough.

Today, as I was leaving Spanish class, a guy was sitting on the curb right outside my school... he had a couple of dreamcatchers and feathers and string and beads... I say to him, you must be Alejandro, and I tell him I´ve been looking for him because I want to learn the craft. He tells me he didn´t know why he decided to sit in front of the school that day, but that some energy caused him to stop there. Interesting, I think... some force brought us together today, and tomorrow I will learn how to make dreamcatchers. Alejandro learned from his father, who happens to be a local Mayan shaman.

I´m enjoying my time here in San Pedro. Interesting encounters such as these don´t happen just anywhere.

Buena Vista de Corazon

2006-03-27T15:27:00.000+03:00

Over the weekend, I decided to take a trip back to Antigua to see some live music. There aren´t too many opportunities to see good live music here in Guatemala. Also, my friends Rob and Carley were making the trip from Xela, so I thought it´d be fun to meet up with them for the show.

First on stage was a group from Livingston, Guatemala called the Jovenes Garifunas. They´re a Carribean band with unique instruments like the ¨tortugas¨, drums made from tortoise shells, and conch shell horns. The music was lively, like what you might expect from the Carribean with drumming, chanting, and full figured women on stage shaking their booties. Good times!

Next up was Sol Latino, a band from the Andes. Their music made me nostalgic for Peru with the sound of the pan pipes and their colorful alpaca shawls. It wasn´t too interesting of a set though. I was ready to hear some Cuban salsa.

The main act was a Cuban band formed from some of the remaining members of the Buena Vista Social Club along with other musicians. The music was really great. And occasionally they would have these amazingly gorgeous salsa dancers on stage. Once the VIP seats were overtaken in favor of dance space, the show got to be a lot more interesting with everyone dancing in front of the stage. It was a fun show, and the night ended with a fireworks display that would put 4th of July in the U.S to shame.

I think Rob and Carley would agree with me on this. The night of live music and dancing under the stars in Antigua was ¨muy especial.¨

Muy especial.

Then Sunday, we hit the road back toward San Pedro la Laguna, stopping along the way for fantastic views of Lago de Atitlan from the highway.
Today I´m back to my studies in Spanish. I also decided to move into a new hotel with a bigger room, a better kitchen, and a view of the lake for the same price as I was paying before (Q 20/night). What a deal. I intend on staying in San Pedro for at least three more weeks, although anything could happen. ;-)

San Pedro la Laguna

2006-03-20T11:05:00.000+03:00

I decided to move over the weekend to a little town called San Pedro La Laguna on Lago de Atitlan. As much as I loved it in San Marcos, it wasn't quite what I had in mind for my trip to Guatemala. So here I am in a new town, where I'm just starting to feel settled.

In fact, it looks as if I'll be here for at least a month. I got a great deal on a room in a cute hostel. I mean, you can't really beat Q450 for a month of lodging. (That translates to about $60) The room is fairly basic, and the bed is really just a foam slab on a board. The hammock on my front porch and the cat that likes to curl up in my lap while I read make the place quite tolerable though. There's even hot water in the shower sometimes. Plus it's a great location, not too far from any of the fun night time activity in town, and the restaurant across the road has an awesome view of the lake.

I started Spanish classes again this morning. I'm not sure how productive the class was today though. Sometimes I would rather just have a conversation than try to suffer through the grammar. It was an interesting conversation though. The history of Guatemala is so tragic, you can see how it affects people to discuss the topic. Tomorrow I'll try to actually learn something about the language.

San Marcos la Laguna

2006-03-14T15:59:00.000+03:00

Oh, how I love San Marcos la Laguna! This is the kinda place I could hang for the rest of my life, staring at the lake, drinking limonada, chatting with beautiful people from foreign lands. This morning I woke up for yoga class held in a pyramid. Then I headed to a cafe with awesome coffee made from local beans overlooking the lake with hummingbirds and butterflies flitting about.

Other than the scenery, it´s a little hard to believe I´m actually in Guatemala. I´m not sure how I´ll ever learn Spanish here, considering everyone here speaks English. Occasionally I will meet people who are willing to try to suffer through my Spanish to practice conversation, but when you both speak well enough in English, it´s hard to be very disciplined about it. Still though, I am improving day by day. I´ll start class again next Monday in San Pedro la Laguna. I´m thinking I might live in San Marcos for awhile, and study in San Pedro, which is apparently a 15 minute boat ride away.

Tonight there´s a party to celebrate the full moon. Looking forward to meeting some more of the local gringos in town... think I´ll bring my hula hoop along. ;-)

fun in the sun

2006-03-12T09:25:00.000+03:00

Monterrico turned out to be the perfect weekend getaway from Antigua. It was definitely fun being a beach bum for a couple of days sunbathing and stargazing on the warm black sand. The bus dropped us off right in front of Johnny´s Place, a cool little beach hostel with a beachside bar serving up pina coladas and yummy fresh guacamole. I stayed in a dormitory style bungalow (Q45) with ocean views. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore filled my dreams.

On Saturday morning, me and two of my new friends signed up for a sunrise boat ride (Q50) into the nearby mangrove reserve. We woke up at 5am to head to the dock and into this beautiful area where we watched the sky change colors as the sun came up, surrounded by dozens of species of birds. There were the strangest fish with four eyes that would literally fly through the air above the water ahead of us. It was all really amazing. And by 9am, I was back asleep in a hammock, and being served pina coladas by noon. Ahhhhh...

Now I´m in Panajachel on the edge of Lago de Atitlan. I´ve only just arrived, and so far haven´t seen much. The lake is amazingly beautiful with volcanos all around. I plan to take care of laundry and money stuff before heading onto San Marcos tomorrow morning. I also hope to download some photos soon.

sonrisas en Guatemala

2006-03-10T07:07:00.000+03:00

I´ve really only been in Antigua since I´ve been in Guatemala. Other than the short trip to Volcan de Pacaya, I haven´t seen much of the country yet. Antigua is an attractive little city. There´s not much poverty and suffering here on the surface.

But occasionally I hear stories and see things that change my perspective on the true story behind Guatemala... like about the hundreds of children who live off of the scraps of food they´re able to find in the Guatemala City garbage dump. I´ve met people who have given up everything in their lives at home to come here to help make a difference in the lives of those who are suffering. I´m enjoying my time here in Antigua because of all the interesting people here studying Spanish. Most of whom came here to learn Spanish for such altruistic reasons. I´ve been feeling really inspired to do good in the world. I´m looking into volunteer opportunities around the area. Yesterday, I visited a local orphanage filled with kids in really difficult circumstances both mentally and physically disabled. It was truly heartbreaking. It´s amazing how much difference it makes to them when you spend even just a few minutes playing or just holding their hands.

Yes, I feel so appreciative of my life, and will never let myself take what I´ve been given for granted, especially when there are those with so little who can still find it in themselves to smile and laugh.

I´m leaving Antigua today. I plan to spend the weekend in a little beach town on the Pacific Coast (sounds a bit familiar, eh?). The town is Monterrico, and it´s apparently one of the places the sea turtles come to lay their eggs. This isn´t really the season, but who knows, maybe I´ll be lucky and spot a sea turtle while I´m there.

I´ll return to Antigua Saturday evening for a chance to say adios to mi familia, and then I´m heading to Panajachel on Lago Atitlan Sunday morning. Just checkin´ in here... love to you, mi familia de mi corazon.

Hola mi familia! Adios mi amiga!

2006-03-05T11:47:00.000+03:00

I moved in with mi familia yesterday morning. Anabella and Cesar have two teenagers and two parakeets. The house is quite nice. In fact, I believe this would be the nicest accomodation I´ve ever had in Latin America, by far, complete with clean sheets and hot running water. It´s a bit strange though, living in someone else´s home, although they´re quite used to having Spanish students living with them. The teenagers aren´t too interested in chatting with me, not surprisingly. I did manage to have a nice conversation with Cesar over dinner last night. My grammar and pronunciation could definitely use some work. He was very patient with me though. They´re very nice people, and it should be an interesting week attempting conversation with them.

My friend Nicola took off toward Lago de Atitlan this morning. Since the day after I arrived, she´s been my travel companion here in Antigua. We enjoyed lazy afternoons drinking cappucinos while watching the world go by. One day, we indulged ourselves in an entire loaf of fresh hot baked banana bread simply because our noses led us to the bakery. Occasionally, we would get ourselves randomly lost in the cobblestoned streets. And we were nearly tempted into late night "candy floss" and costume parties in sketchy neighborhoods. It was fun getting to know her and giggling the afternoons away together.

Now I´m on my own here, and I realise there´s not much to do in Antigua. Life is slow-going and relaxed. Wandering aimlessly is the way of life, and I could probably get used to it. I hope to meet some new friends here soon.

First days of escuela en espanol

2006-03-03T10:44:00.000+03:00

I started Spanish school yesterday morning here in Antigua. Tomorrow I will be moving in with mi familia. I met mi madre, Annabella, briefly this morning, and she seems really sweet.

In school, so far, I've just been mostly going over the basics. I'm feeling frustrated though. I can understand pretty well when I see things written down, but my listening comprehension is not so good. I guess it just takes time and practice. I'm feeling a little discouraged though after eight hours of instruction.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a nearby active volcano (Volcan de Pacaya) for a hike (Q70). It was more challenging than I expected, and I didn't quite make it to the top. However, I was close enough to see rocks and dust spewing from the top. Pretty cool! There was an amazing sunset on the hike back down. Then when the sun had set, it was dark enough you could literally see red and orangish lava shooting out of the volcano. Que bueno!!

More adventures coming soon!

¡saludos de Guatemala!

2006-02-28T14:41:00.000+03:00

¡Hola mis amigos!

I wanted to let anyone who´s reading know that I arrived in Guatemala safely earlier today. I´m currently in Antigua, a colorful little town with cobblestone streets and beautiful colonial architecture. The scenery with the volcanos in the background is magnificent.

Already I´ve met up with several other travelers. I´m staying at a cute, albeit, simple hostel (Q25) with a courtyard and a shared kitchen where people gather to get acquainted. And I might add, there are plenty of attractive young men, Austrians, Canadians, and Argentinians, oh my! ¡Yay Guatemala!

Tomorrow I´m on a mission to find a Spanish language school. I think I´m going to enjoy Antigua. ;-)

next stop, Guatemala

2006-01-13T11:40:00.000+03:00

Pretty soon, I leave for Central America. I'm looking forward to spending four months in Guatemala.

Ever since returning from Peru, I've felt this strong desire to learn Spanish. I decided to make it a goal for this year. I started looking into Spanish language immersion courses around the world, and Guatemala is by far the cheapest route. So off I go.

I head out at the end of February, with plans to return in time for High Sierra and the Oregon Country Fair. Hope to see you before I go!

ebb and flow

2005-12-27T18:39:00.000+03:00

It seems that people are still checking in on me here, so I thought I'd write an update.

It's nice to be at Esalen for the holidays. Christmas comes and goes. Everything more or less stays the same. Sure there were Christmas carols, but mostly it was just another day at Esalen. I'm grateful for the gifts I'm constantly being given at Esalen, the friendships, the conversations, and the constant ebb and flow of the ocean and life all around me.

I participated in a sweat lodge ceremony a few weeks ago. In the same day I went on an 8 mile hike along the coast and later danced into the night to some amazing live jazz by musicians from New Orleans. My life and my heart are full.

Last week Esalen was closed completely to the public. With only the staff at Esalen, we're invited to let loose. The week started with a party at the hot tubs. Incredible DJ's like Laird and Brother to drop a few names showed up with their bad ass beats. Sea goddesses covered in seaweed, silk dancers hanging from the trees, faerie poets reinforcing the fact that "breathe is life." It was one of the those amazing nights that you never want to end.... And then came the sunrise. Glorious.

This weekend is New Year's. As I look back at 2005, I think it's been one of the best, most transformative years of my life. Now it seems that life is finally beginning to move forward for me. I'm excited to start this new year. I feel like I have a lot to accomplish, and it's scary and a little intimidating, but I'm up for the challenge.

Have a very safe and happy New Year friends.

back in the US

2005-12-08T20:38:00.000+03:00

I made it home safely. The plane ride from Lima to Los Angeles was by far the most uncomfortable experience of my entire trip. But I'll spare you the details.

It's good to be back. Although it feels strange to be surrounded by English speakers. I have a few days in the Bay Area before I head back to Esalen for a month of yoga in Big Sur.

I hope to catch up with some of you before then. Thanks for reading.

Nightlife in Cusco

2005-12-04T15:17:00.000+03:00

Cusco turns into a different city at night. The town thumps with beats from nearly every corner in the plaza. Last night I decided to check out the scene, see who I might meet. I wasn´t sure which club to check out first.... Mama Africa boasts a safari theme, Mythology claims it´s just for the gods, Xtreme has free salsa lessons, there´s a live band every night at Kamikase. And they´re basically all in the same place... In fact, you can be sitting on the balcony at Mama Africa and hear the music across the way at Mythology and Xtreme. No cover charges and half the time there are people on the street handing out free drink tickets. It´s quite the party in Cusco late night. Fun times. ;-)

Today I went to the nearby town of Pisac which is known for it´s Sunday market. Amazing craftwork from all over Peru can be found in Pisac. I ended up spending my very last centimos, leaving only enough to get back to Cusco on the colectivo. When I reached Cusco, I realised I had no money for a taxi back to the Plaza.... it´s not too far of a walk from the bus terminal, unless of course it´s pouring rain. It´s funny now that I look back.

Tonight I´m going to my friend Carlos´ restaurant for dinner. Perhaps I´ll try the cuy. Apparently they serve it whole, the head, the claws, everything.... an entire guinea pig on your plate. Doesn´t that sound appetizing? Yeah, I know, I´m a vegetarian, but where else in the world will I have the chance to order a roasted guinea pig. I hear alpaca meat is actually really good too. I´m more tempted to try the alpaca, when it comes to specialty Peruvian dishes. Alpacas are these beautiful creatures, similar to llamas with shorter necks and soft wooly fur. In reality though, I´ll probably just end up with another quinoa veggie soup for dinner.

I´m looking forward to another night of bailando en la discotecas de Cusco.

The Inca Trail

2005-12-03T12:09:00.000+03:00

I don´t even know where to begin to put it all into words. The last four days were spent hiking through the Andes, climbing massive mountains, trekking through cloud forests, and especially discovering ancient ruins along the trail. And then to finally arrive at Machu Picchu... that feeling is so absolutely priceless.

Each day brought new rewards and new challenges. I had a fun group to trek with. We laughed, we cried, we shared an incredible experience together that we´ll remember for the rest of our lives. I want to highly recommend Andean Life
to anyone considering the Inca Trail.

I am feeling like my trip is coming to a close here in Peru. I fly out on Tuesday night, and arrive back in California on Wednesday morning. I´m sad that it´s almost over, but I´m also ready to come home. I miss certain things.... toilets with seats... clean showers with hot water... ice in my water... and most of all, my friends.

These next couple of days I plan to go shopping. If you´re reading and you have any specific requests for something you might want from Peru, leave a comment and I´ll do my best.

Peruvian music

2005-11-28T12:19:00.000+03:00

I´ve been discovering some great music here in Peru. I was sitting in a cafe here in Cusco, and this amazing music was playing. I asked the waitress about the band, and she said in that beautiful sweet Peruvian accent, ¨un grupo de la selva, Alborado¨ I found their cd today, and I´m excited to share when I return. I think I love them even more knowing they are ¨de la selva.¨ Muy talento.

I also really enjoy the traditional Andean folk music. You can hear the sound of pan pipes along the streets day and night here in Cusco. This town is quite lively.

Tomorrow I start out on the Inca Trail, a four day hike in the Andes ending at Machu Picchu. I´ll update when I return! Adios amigos!

jungle medicine

2005-11-25T14:33:00.000+03:00

Leaving Iquitos this morning was truly heartwrenching. I fell in love in so many ways in the rainforest (la selva). My heart burst open. I was overwhelmed with love for the trees and the butterflies and the constant orchestra of exotic sounds. And most of all, the people. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.

Swimming under enchanted waterfalls in the pouring rain. Finding a deserted beach along the river in time to watch an amazing sunset with new good friends. Dancing with natives in their tiny tribal villages. Long nights of soul searching in an ancient ceremony. Cuddling with a sloth and later an anaconda. Laying in a hammock reading for hours when it was too hot to do anything else. Tasting new jungle fruits nearly every day.

There are so many beautiful memories. Iquitos has forever touched my life.

As the plane took off this morning, and I watched the winding river below, I knew in my heart I would return someday. Now as I sit here in Lima, I´m off to my next adventure in Cusco. Everyone I´ve met travelling so far tells me how great Cusco is. I´m looking forward to being there. I think I will spend the remainder of my trip there and in the Sacred Valley. Machu Picchu awaits me.

yikes, La Paz!

2005-11-14T11:23:00.000+03:00

I´m in La Paz now. I´m grateful to have met someone in Copacabana who was heading the same way, ´cause this city would be pretty intimidating on my own. Last night me and three Peruvians sat under the moon and I listened to them philosophize about the Incas in Spanish. We chewed on coca leaves and gave thanks to the earth for bringing us all together.

Today, Wayra (which means "wind" in Quechua) and I sat on the bus and he gave me lessons in Spanish and Quechua. It made the bus ride that much more interesting. At one point we all had to get off the bus to take a boat across a river where the bus met us, apparently because the highway is quite dangerous. While we sat waiting, Wayra gave me the name Ch`aska which means "star" in Quechua.

Something I´m realising I really love about the culture in South America is all the romanticism. So many stories from the history here are about love and the crazy things people do for love. The love of the earth and the sky and the stars.... It´s something I find enchanting about South America.

saludos de Bolivia!

2005-11-13T15:29:00.000+03:00

I managed to cross into Bolivia a couple of days ago. Now I´m in the town of Copacabana which is right over the border on Lake Titicaca. The sunsets here have been amazing.

I made friends with some of the locals and I´ve been spending my evenings at this hipster bar in town. There are murals of Bob Marley and Che Guevara on the walls, as well as scribblings from the many travellers who have passed through and managed to find this cool little spot. Night life in Copacabana involves playing board games and sipping cervesa with your amigos. The bar is right next door to my hostal, which I should mention has an amazing view of the lake, and for only $5 a night.

Today I took a boat ride to the Isla Del Sol. The boat dropped us off at the north part of the island, and then we had about five hours to hike the length of the island and meet back at the south part of the island. I´d say the visit to Isla Del Sol has been the most magnificently beautiful portion of my trip so far. There were times where I´d be standing at the top of a peak on the island with the lake surrounding me in every direction, and all I can say is WOW! The photos will never do this place justice. Apparently this island was once home to the founders of the Inca Empire. The hike was amazing. The weather too was just perfect. Truly gorgeous.

Tomorrow I´m taking a bus to La Paz where my main task is to find a flight to Lima. Otherwise I might end up on a 25 hour bus ride, so I´m hoping I can get a cheap flight. I need to make it to Lima in time to catch my flight to Iquitos early Wednesday morning. I´ll be in the jungle in just a few days!!!!!!!

the islands of Titicaca

2005-11-11T13:27:00.000+03:00

I´m a bit sunburned and windburned after nearly two days on a boat travelling around the beautiful Lago Titicaca. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and from what I hear, we were lucky.

We set off yesterday towards the floating islands of Uros. These man-made islands are charming made from the strong grass reeds that grow in the shallow part of the lake near the shore. The people who live in Uros travel to and from the adjacent islands on boats made from the same reeds. And the reeds also make a tasty snack, sort of like celery.

From there, we set out on a (*sings*) "three hour tour" to the island of Amantani. I had no idea what I was in store for when they said I´d be staying with a local family because there are no hotels. They passed me off to mi familia when we arrived, and the little Quechua woman, Florencia, brought me to her small hut made of stone and mud with chickens running in and out of the tiny cocina where we chopped up potatoes and cooked yummy quinoa vegetable soup. The people on the island only speak Quechua and a tiny bit of Spanish, so communication was really challenging for me. Mostly Florencia´s daughters and I all just smiled and laughed a lot with each other.

Then I met up with the rest of my tour group and we set out on a hike which turned out to be really challenging.... considering we were at 4000+ meters and it was completely uphill. We must have climbed a good 500 meters or so, and somehow made it to the top of the island just in time to see the sunset which was absolutely divine with sunbeams stretching through the fluffy clouds. From this spot we were able to see all the way to Bolivia.

Heading back downhill I managed to get somewhat lost with the group of French travellers, who were such trouble makers and so fun. I amazingly found the way back to mi casa. Florencia´s oldest daughter, Gladias, dressed me up in the traditional dress and her older brother brought me to the fiesta in town with the rest of my tour group. We danced around the room in circles and laughed over how exhausted we all were after that hike and here we were dancing.

Today we got up super early, made a stop at another island called Taquile for a quick lunch, and now here I am in Puno again.

These last couple of days have been the most culturally diverse of my trip so far. It was interesting to really experience life on the island from the inside. The people I met on the island were so sweet and happy, staring at that magnificent lake all day, it´s easy to see why. Their lives are so simple, and it´s quite beautiful. I worry about the tourists always visiting them like this though. Already the children hardly old enough to speak, hold out their tiny hands expecting money.

Tomorrow I´m crossing the border into Bolivia to hang out at Copacabana. I´m looking forward to not doing anything for a couple of days. I feel like I´ve been constantly moving from one thing to the next, and I´m ready for a break. And what better place than... At the Copa! Copacabana!!

good bye Arequipa

2005-11-09T13:56:00.000+03:00

I didn´t realise it would be so hard to say good bye in Areguipa. I really like that town with its beautiful volcano, El Misti, in the background and the relaxed atmosphere. I was starting to feel at home there. I actually ended up staying a day longer than planned after meeting a nice Peruvian... He showed me one of the lesser known miradors on a hill just outside of town overlooking the valley where Areguipa exists. The view was fantastic.

There´s only been one time where I´ve felt particularly unsafe, so far. Mostly I´ve just been using common sense, staying away from dark alleys at night, and always looking as if I know exactly where I´m going. But last night while visiting the mirador with Humberto, our taxi left us, and we had to navigate our way through this area with steep uneven stairwells and angry dogs to find our way back to the road. It was slightly unnerving. I was glad when we found a well lit street and a taxi. Anyway, it wouldn´t be a trip to South America without at least one experience like that, I think. So there, I got it out of the way, and I´m still alive.

Now I´m in Puno which sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca after a five hour bus ride from Areguipa. The town itself isn´t all that interesting, but the lake is beautiful and the weather is sunny. Tomorrow I´m going on an overnight boat tour of some of the nearby islands.

So far, I´ve been able to get by on anywhere from s/35 - s/100 a day, which translates to something like US$10-30. That includes meals, lodging, tours, and transportation. I splurged on a hotel for tonight ´cause I wanted a nice hot shower. I´m paying $10 for the room which includes a full breakfast. Livin´large here in Puno!

Thanks for all the love on the last post everyone. I´m glad you´re reading. Much love to you!

I´ll check in again from Copacabana, which is where I´ll be this weekend.... unless of course I meet another nice Peruvian here in Puno... ;-)

I love Peru!

2005-11-07T16:15:00.000+03:00

Not that anyone´s reading, but I thought I´d check in anyway. It makes me feel better to think people care, thus the blog.

I´m back in Areguipa after travelling with a group for a couple of days north into the Andes to visit the Colca Canyon. WOW! Totally amazing. We visited the little town of Chivay on the way, and stopped at these great hot springs to soak under the moon. We had dinner with traditional folk music and danced together around the room. Then we got up early to catch a glimpse of the condors. On our way back south, it was snowing. Snow!!!!!

Tomorrow I´m going to figure out how to get to Puno near Lake Titicaca somehow. I´ll probably spend a day or two in Puno. And from there, I want to cross into Bolivia furthur south and head to Copacabana, all of which is around the lake. Might as well get another stamp in my passport while I have the chance.

I love Peru! The landscape, the people, the music, the culture, the history, everything, I love it!

saludos de Peru!

2005-11-05T11:23:00.000+03:00

Just so everyone knows, I arrived safely in Peru!

I made it to Lima late Wednesday night. My new friend, Vasco was there to pick me up, and took me directly to his place where he had a room available for me to use. He and his family are very kind and welcoming. They wanted me to know that their home was my home for the duration of my visit to Peru. Vasco lives in a nice part of Lima called Miraflores. On Thursday, I walked around his lively neighborhood, and had my first meal at a restaurant known for its excellent cebiche. How very Peruvian, cebiche and a pisco sour! Yum!

I also visited a museum in the middle of town with some ancient ruins. There were these giant pyramid like structures built around with plazas and large areas on top and inside for celebrations and ceremonies.

Thursday night I took a 14 hour overnight bus ride to Areguipa, which is where I´m at now. The landscape on the way south was magnificent. Mountains on my left and ocean on the right for most of the way, then deserts, and finally farmlands before reaching Areguipa. I am really enjoying this little town so far. My hostel is near the Plaza de Armas which is where the main activity in Areguipa happens. There are impressive churches on just about every other block. Everything is within walking distance. My hostel is within a block of the local biblioteca. Finally, a reason to use the phrase, "¿donde es la biblioteca?"

Not knowing the language has proven to be my biggest challenge thus far. Hardly anyone speaks English at all. Really the only person I´ve been able to have a conversation with has been Vasco. You would think that someone might know English at the "Tourist Information" offices, but no such luck. I´m being forced into remembering back to those Spanish classes I took years ago. Mostly I just smile and nod.

I haven´t met any other travellers yet. So far I´m the only white girl everywhere I go. I definitely stand out in a crowd. The taxis love to honk at me.

Tomorrow I´ll start a two day tour to Colca Canyon and the town of Chivay. Afterwards, I´ll probably head to Puno and Lake Titicaca. I´ll check in again soon. Much love to you!

Decompression 2005

2005-10-10T16:20:00.000+03:00

Decompression this year was extra special for me. My camp, the Junkyard, set up a lounge at the event. We were given some prime real estate on the street. It was lovely having a home base to come back to throughout the day. The best part was always finding cuddle piles of friends there. It was all very warm and fuzzy. Thanks to everyone who helped us set up, and also to everyone else who made our space cozy and welcoming.

I think Decompression really got the Junkyard stoked about Burning Man 2006. I'm excited for the year ahead. The deeper connections and lasting friendships we're creating with each other have been really special so far. I look forward to more of that.

Love Parade 2005

2005-09-27T20:20:00.000+03:00

The second annual Love Parade in San Francisco was super fun once again. Our crew headed down Market to catch the parade in route. I was on a mission to find the Pink Mammoth. After last year's excursion on the Pink Mammoth, I felt like keeping with tradition. So I hopped on the giant pink float as it passed by and felt right at home. Elise even took photos! Too funny!

It was a fun day in the sun with electronic beats in all directions around that city block in front of city hall. Then late night at the Opel Productions party was most excellent. I'm a fan of the Love Parade, for sure. Love is the best reason to celebrate, after all.

Burning Man 2005

2005-09-07T20:19:00.000+03:00

I'm back from another week in that desert. I could go on and on with stories of my adventures. Like about my campmates who got engaged on a pirate ship... the billion bunny march... my mission with the Thunderdome... swimming in the oasis... receiving mail from San Francisco in my tent... the sunrise cuddle piles at the temple... following a mammoth in a duststorm... The stories are bizarre and endless. I think that's why I love Black Rock City so much.

The best part of it all was being camped with the Junkyard. Fuck yeah!

Hornings Hideout 2005

2005-08-10T12:17:00.000+03:00

Hornings was such a different experience for me than in years past. That place holds a lot of memories, not all of which I prefer to recall, unfortunately. Nothing can change the magic and allure of that forested faerie-land for me though. I remember last year how grateful I was for the Happy Brigade. And this year being camped with the Happy Brigade, and being a part of the success of our Stoke Lounge was exciting and fun. It feels good to be involved with such a loving and caring group of people.

Some of my favorite memories this year include hijacking a canoe late-night and crossing the lake with max in the dark. The Gang Green Lime Machine will also go down in history, I think. It was a beautiful festival. I hope String Cheese is allowed to return next year, so we can enjoy the lands of earth, fire, air, and water once again.

Soul of the African Drum

2005-05-29T17:16:00.000+03:00

I took a weekend workshop at Esalen on African drumming. I had the best time and now I'd love to get myself a djembe so I can keep practicing all the rhythms I learned.

Gun-Go-Do, Gun-Go-Do, Gun-Go-Do-Go-Do-Gun, Gun-Go-Do-Go-Do-Gun-Pa-Ta!

We had a drumming ceremony on the final day of the workshop. All of us dressed in white drumming in a circle, singing traditional African songs, and praising Yemaya, Mother Goddess of the Ocean. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I felt like I could drum forever!

Joshua Tree Music Festival

2005-05-16T20:10:00.000+03:00

I couldn't have asked for a better location for a festival. I love that desert.

There was a great selection of music on both stages. Definitely the highlights for me have to be Zilla on Saturday night, and then Hamsa Lila playing from midnight to sunrise afterwards. Beautiful. Trance-inducing. Hypnotic. I also really enjoyed the Benevento-Russo Duo on Sunday. I look forward to seeing those guys again when I'm not completely exhausted from a night of ecstatic dance. ;-)

The intimacy of the festival made it particularly special. I feel like I left with some new good friends, and connected more deeply with old friends.

Esalen Kid's Art Program

2005-03-25T20:04:00.000+03:00

In the Esalen catalog, I'm always looking for the art workshops. This one caught my eye... what a perfect way to introduce Daphne and Begonia to this incredible place. And right after Daphne's birthday too, it was all too perfect.

The girl's mother, Laura, brought them down to Big Sur so they could spend the weekend with me here. It was so nice finally spending time with them again. And in the context of an art workshop at that! We made beautiful glass mosaics in the Art Barn and flower mandalas on the lawn. We hiked through the canyon during the day and sat around the campfire drumming and singing at night. I couldn't have asked for a better way to share Esalen with the girls.

It was hard saying good bye. It felt like good closure though, as well as the start of new relationships between the three of us.

Joshua Tree National Park

2005-03-05T15:04:00.000+03:00

Originally I intended to hit all of the southern Californian deserts. I thought I'd head to the Mojave and Death Valley after I explored Joshua Tree. However, I've been accepted as an intern at the Gazebo preschool at Esalen. Therefore, I need to cut my desert journeys short.

Joshua Tree has been fabulous. Campsite #10 in the White Tanks Campground.... Home sweet home. I'm going to miss the heart shaped rock that overlooked my tent. And the flat rock where I spent my nights observing the night sky. So many stars! The sky is I think what impresses me the most in the desert. And I do love these funny ancient trees all around.

For now I head back to the ocean.

Anza-Borrego Desert

2005-02-26T10:22:00.000+03:00

My next adventure has led me to the desert. I was feeling drawn here like some magnetic force was at work pulling me towards solitude and vast open spaces.

I headed to Anza-Borrego State Park, east of San Diego. Heavy downpours greeted me there. It felt symbolic to me, washing away the past, a new beginning starting for me there on my own in the desert. And when the rain passed, the world around me bloomed in every color imaginable. Desert flowers stretched across the landscape. I spent my time painting, photographing, and journaling. I hiked for miles on trails, sometimes losing the trail altogether chasing wildflowers.

Two of my friends from Esalen met me in Anza-Borrego... at that beautiful campsite I never wanted to leave. We shared quality time together, and I was grateful to have company after spending so much time by myself.

One day, as I sat alone overlooking a valley, experiencing silence like I'd never known, I started to sing. A song I'd learned at Esalen... "I want spirit to walk with me." As I sang, a wind came through the valley, visible, the way that wind is sometimes. I felt it come through me, as if I'd been touched by the divine. In this moment, with tears in my eyes, a pair of bighorn sheep ran past me where I sat. I don't know what it all means. At the time, it meant everything. Nirvana.

January 2005 @ Esalen

2005-01-31T09:53:00.000+03:00

It's been another month full of lessons at Esalen. I decided to participate in a theater games and improvisation workshop for the month. I thought this would be a good way to challenge myself. What better place to face my fears than in an environment as safe as Esalen.

It's been a rewarding month, maybe most of all because of the inherent hardships within. In my time here, I feel I've gained immeasurable confidence and a greater sense of being self-assured. I think the most important lesson I've taken is to speak my truth at all times, no matter the cost.

Now I'm leaving Esalen and heading off into the unknown. I'd like to return as an intern at their preschool, but my future with Gazebo is still uncertain. In any case, I'm grateful to Esalen for all I've been taught, the friendships I've made, and for the seemingly endless love and support it has provided.

December 2004 @ Esalen

2005-01-02T14:58:00.000+03:00

I started the year out right here at Esalen. Forty of us gathered together on New Year's Day in the yoga dome for yoga mala all practicing sun salutations in unison. One hundred and eight sun salutations, to be exact. Four rounds of twenty-seven, the first for the self, the second for our relationships, the third for the world, and the fourth for our connection to spirit. The energy in the dome was palpable, to say the least. Tears of both sadness and joy flowed freely amongst our kula.

Practicing yoga over this last month has given me a lot of insight into my strengths and my weaknesses, my pleasures as well as my fears. I hope to continue to deepen my yoga practice because I've never felt more healthy and more alive in my life.

November 2004 @ Esalen

2004-11-30T19:54:00.000+03:00

On my quest for knowledge and self-discovery, I decided to become a work scholar at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. The program for the month of November has to do with dealing with transitions in life. Always we're in transition, and I'm learning that how you deal with transition can reveal a lot about who you are. I'm obviously facing a difficult transition period in my life, and I feel that Esalen is exactly where I need to be right now.

This month has been an important step for me, I think. I'm on my way to discovering my path. I'm grateful for all that I've learned here at Esalen so far. This place is special and it's been a truly rewarding experience. I have no doubt that the friendships and bonds I've made here will last a lifetime. Beyond that, I feel deeply connected to the land and the ocean here in Big Sur. If home is where the heart is, I am definitely at home.

Burning Man 2004

2004-09-07T16:20:00.000+03:00

There are truly no words to describe what a powerful experience that week in the desert was for me. Life-changing. Yes. Extraordinary. Yes. Beautiful. Yes. Okay, sure, there are words, but none of which can entirely capture the magnitude of it all.

Nothing could quite prepare me for what would transpire out there in Black Rock City. All I know is that life is different. Changes must be made because happiness like I didn't know was possible exists for me now. The beautiful thing is that it was there all along, I just needed to open my eyes.

Good bye Black Rock City. See you next year.