tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51635208111887014762024-03-13T04:41:53.798-07:00Tim's secret public travel journalOne mans travels and so called adventures through latin america and beyondTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-27863391192468127452010-03-18T15:35:00.000-07:002010-03-18T16:05:45.791-07:00The chris Malone PrincipleRecently ive been thinking more and more about the different people ive met and about people in general. Part of this thinking was spurred on by my host mother describing me as charismatic to one of the waitresses in her restaurant. Now i have never been described as charismatic in my entire lifetime. Ive been described as shy, egotistical, condescending, a bit of an ahole, exasperating, arrogant, ridiculous and often as tall but never charismatic. So it got me thinking about how people perceive me and really how i want them to perceive me.<br /><br />This brings me back to the people i have met on this trip and what i have learned from all of them about who i want to be. I was talking to my friend adam and he asked me what the people in monteverde were like and who i was hanging out with. I told him about this couple that i think are two of the cooler people i have ever met. Their names are heather and jonathan and on the surface i dont think we have much in common but i would say that they are two of the greatest people i have ever met, period. They are a couple who play violin and cello, enjoy talking and teaching about bird calls, and run english country dances on saturday nights. Not one of those things would i ever choose as my number one option for leisure activites and yet these two are extremely cool and any conversation ive had with them has left me overwhelmed with their overall greatness. In figuring out their appeal i realized it all comes down to the chris malone principle/factor.<br /><br />Chris Malone is on my list as one of my favorite human beings on the planet and to know him is to love him. Now Chris has an affinity for role playing computer games, fantasy novels and action films but he is by far one of the coolest people on the planet. The major part of this and the core maxim behind the chris malone principle, is that chris is one of the most genuine people on the planet. When he asks you something about your life he is truly interested in your response. He likes the things he likes and never feels a need to defend those likes or to try and convert other people into liking them, its just what he likes. He is never afraid to put himself out there or be goofy or silly. Its all these things and that understated undefinable chrisness that makes him who he is and its that quality that i find in other people that makes me think they are great. People like chris, jonathan and heather should be the considered the coolest people on the planet plain and simple.<br /><br />So i guess i wonder more and more how i am perceived and if i come across the way i hope. I hope i dont come across as phony and i hope im likeable for the right reasons. I hope somehow i have a piece of that chris malone factor.<br /><br />_____________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />Other updates....<br />-so i was totally stung by a scorpion the other night. I had heard that it was basically inevitable that i would be stung because everyone gets stung but i thought i had made it this long and avoided it so i would probably be lucky. But i was sleeping the other night and felt something like a tac on my back and when i went to move it my finger got a pinch and then some ridiculous throbbing pain. Ive heard scorpion stings described as being hit with a hammer and being as simple as a bee sting and the truth for me lies in the middle, it hurts like a bastard but is only a little sore for about a day. Now heres where i was confused with myself, i looked for the scorpion for about 5 minutes after the sting to try and wage my revenge but had no luck. I then immediately went back to bed, was that silly, i mean i know he could have just been waiting and lurking for a second sting of this sweet sweet flesh but a man needs his sleep and if its going to happen its going to happen<br /><br />-went to two concerts here. One feature the 2nd place winner of season three of latin american idol. She was probably what you would expect out of a latin american pop star, i heard many stories of her divaness but i found her pleasant. At one point massimo, my tico 4 year old brother, walked near the front of the stage yelling "donde esta mi amigo" and she made some jokes and tried to help him find his amigo. We then all got our pictures taken with her and all of the girls in my class/family decided i should marry her, because thats apparently how marriage works, good to know. They began to tell all the kids at school that she is my girlfriend because i touched her butt. Also good to know that randomly touching a girls tush(wich i did not do btw) puts you in a commited relationship. The second concert was one of double basses which one of the teachers heard not as contra basses but as contra racists so she assumed that these based players would be playing many songs that fought against racism. They might have but i think they were just plain old bassists.<br /><br />-Speaking of music tomorrow i am performing a rap for one of the kids' senior project, its going to be awesome and it will be my first time recording any of my rap songs since jon drew and i blew up the rap scene with our song black or white later ripped off by michael jackson(RIP)<br /><br />- speaking of michael jackson, one of the recurrent jokes for the kids in my class is the word michael jackson, they can answer any question with it and they love to sing mj songs but mainly its just thriller, once they throw ben in there then we will be talking<br /><br />-also had my birthday here which was a lot of fun. My tico family all made me cards and bought me a sweet tshirt and then at the school i had happy birthday sung to me about a dozen times. My tico mom happened to hear this and decided that my birthday should be a national holiday in costa rica or at least just in the school. I suggested they erect a statue, its in the works.<br /><br />-Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-10392997884037755402010-03-14T13:45:00.001-07:002010-03-14T13:45:05.661-07:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2ODU5OTQ3Mzc1NiZwdD*xMjY4NTk5NTAxNjgzJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1lZDA3OTMzZTg1Nzc*/NmVhYjBmOTdkZjNhMDkwZDI5MiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FAndy%2520and%2520Lindseys%2520visit%2520but%2520mainly%2520photos%2520of%2520me%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/Andy%20and%20Lindseys%20visit%20but%20mainly%20photos%20of%20me/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-43631070530373604702010-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:002010-02-23T14:27:01.406-08:00http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindseyhehman/1/1264350373/tpod.htmlAndy beat me to the punch and posted a blog about the visit that he and Lindsey made to Monteverde so i will let him have sole ownership over the writing of the blog about said visit.<br /><br />A couple of quick notes from this guy though. One: I dont know if ziplining is different in other places but it is one of the most underwhelming experiences that i have ever had. I mean you look out at nature, i get that part and you slide "quickly" while suspended high in the air but really its over pretty quick and you do a whole lot more walking than anyone advertises. Two they also dont tell you that you should probably bring a partner. I mean i have no problem with a 300lb polish man wrapping his legs around my waist as he slide gracefully through the air but they should tell you that in advance. The second time he chickened out and i had to go alone, when the guide asked me if i wanted to go alone we had this confidence inspiring exchange-<br /><br />Tim-"Do people usually go alone?"<br />Guide-"Nope"<br />tim-"well will it work?"<br />guide-"maybe"<br />tim"so should i do it?"<br />guide-"i dont see why not. Just dont mess up"<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindseyhehman/1/1264350373/tpod.html">http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lindseyhehman/1/1264350373/tpod.html</a><br /><br />Other than that though it was really great to see Andy and Lindsey. I am a completely unhelpful travel companion and was basically just riding their coattails for much of the trip but they tolerated me anyway. It was actually really tough to say goodbye but they are off to bigger and brighter things in Peru and beyond. One of the highlights of their visit was hearing all of the amazing ideas they have for changing the world not just on this trip but in the future. Andy and i once talked about starting a school or afterschool program inconjunction where he would handle finances and business plans and all that stuff and i would handle curriculum and kids and all that stuff and if something like that ever worked out it would be beyond fantastic.<br /><br />More interesting blogs and information on travelpod. Just follow the link above and do some searching for lindsey and andys stuff.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-79355653864081474642010-02-23T14:16:00.000-08:002010-02-26T16:04:47.260-08:00Just another day at the BeachReaders note: this entry contains adult situations and partial nudity. If you are sensitive or judgemental than do not read this post, just move on and do something else.<br /><br />This past weekend the I went to Santa Cruz to visit my families parents/grandparents. The school was having no classes on Monday and they wanted to take me to the beach and to see some different parts of Costa Rica. There was no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ziplining</span> or climbing volcanoes and yet it turned into a really interesting weekend.<br /><br />On <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">saturday</span> morning we all woke up extremely early, well early for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">saturday</span>, normally the family wakes up around 11 on weekends. So at 9 we were off in a taxi to pick up the families car and then head to the grandparents house. It was basically a hellish morning of tons of driving. After the ride down to our car which took about an hour and a half, i was put to the task of loading the car. Somehow i end up being the errand boy for the family, i bring in groceries, pack cars, i move furniture in their restaurant and am always in charge of the main gate leading into the house. Not sure how i became king of all these odd jobs but its a pretty basic expectation for the family now.<br /><br />The car of course was not fixed. The windows <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">didnt</span> work and after about 5 minutes of sitting in the blistering heat it was obvious that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tha</span> ac was not working either so we did what all kids want to do when they are expecting a two hour trip to the beach, we went to a repair shop and sat there for an hour waiting for all the stuff to get fixed. The kids were to put it mildly pissed. Not even the classic 80's videos on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">tv</span> could cheer them up, i mean <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">freddy</span> mercury at his glory or tears for fears, how can you be angry during tears for fears i think <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">thats</span> the opposite of what they are all about.<br /><br />Eventually we do get to our location, the grandparents house in Santa Cruz. After i unloaded the car the and got the prerequisite your tall jokes in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">spanish</span> they decided that the dad and i should head off to the grocery store and make sure we have everything for the beach tomorrow. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Im</span> not going to lie, foreign <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">junkfood</span> products have been one of the highlights of my trip. Junk food in general is one of my favorite things not so much because i love and need to it all the time, though i do, but i like how silly and creative people can be. There are some beyond good junk food products down here as well, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">im</span> a big fan of the entire bimbo line from cakes to fruit filled cookies and have become a recent convert to jalapeno nacho chips and lime flavored nacho chips(heavy lime).<br /><br />After the stop at the grocery store the dad decided i should see more of the town which implied a quick drive and then straight to a seedy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">chinese</span> food restaurant where we could drink heavily. Honestly i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">havent</span> had much to drink my entire trip and the family thinks <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">im</span> a wimp because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">im</span> never up for slamming down the mid day beer(they honestly have brought beer home on several occasions and when i say i prefer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">pepsi</span> they give me dirty looks). After a beer and some chat our table started filling with the regulars. These guys are what seedy bars are all about. They drink early in the morning buying bottles of liquor and then putting them half finished in the fridge and then head back at night to finish the bottle.<br /><br />Since i was the new guy everyone wanted to hear all about me, but really they just wanted to all buy me a drink. This is the type of bar where when you are half finished with your beer you have another one on the table waiting for and everyone gives you dirty looks and calls you a wimp because you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">havent</span> finished the previous one yet. Now ill tell you one thing though, if you want a true test of your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">spanish</span> speaking abilities sit in a bar with drunk elderly and middle aged men. They talk all sorts of crazy crap and then laugh their asses off and you just have to hope they <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">arent</span> talking about you.<br /><br />I was a big fan of the grandfather though, he just sits there real quiet and drinks slowly. He is totally relaxed and laughs <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">subtly</span> but its like hes got this whole thing figured out and he lets the yahoos act crazy and just enjoys the show. Though at one point he tried to ask why i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">wasnt</span> a big drinker because he had only seen me have one beer, when he was informed of how many i had actually had to that point he was impressed and i think i won his respect with that.<br /><br />At some point in the bar we got a call from my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">costa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">rican</span> mom and she wanted to talk to me. Apparently someone i had never met wanted to know if i wanted to head to a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">different</span> bar at a beach 45 minutes away. So i was pretty confused and had to admit i had no idea what she was talking about. This has begun to drive her nuts because generally when i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">dont</span> know what someone is talking about i just fake like i do until things pass. I just nod and say "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">si</span>" and hope that i can figure everything out. She figured <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">otu</span> my strategy first though and it began to really bug her, so now everyone time i say <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">si</span> she laughs and tells me and everyone around that i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">dont</span> understand, although its true a good portion of the time it still hurts.<br /><br />Eventually though we get back to the house and i figure out everything that is happening. There are some cousins, college aged kids and they want me to go out with them. Its a nice offer but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">im</span> already pretty drunk and really tired at this point so i decline, which turns into a whole family debate. Literally everyone in the family from the grandmother(she thought i should go home and sleep god bless her), the drunk guys(i should keep drinking with them), the mom( i should go have fun but not talk to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">skanky</span> girls) and the kids(i should go, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">im</span> already drunk so why not). Eventually peer pressure and lack of personal decision making ability won out and i was off to a beach bar.<br /><br />This ended up being a 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">th</span> birthday party for some random chick. She rented out the bar and for about 4 bucks there was open bar. For some reason only tequila rum and vodka were free. I slowed my personal night down and just taught everyone how to do the wave the sprinkler and the kid and play dance. How is it that more people <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">arent</span> familiar with the kid and play dance its a travesty.<br /><br />Then at one point one of the cousins had her purse stolen with cell phone money and ids inside. She figured out who probably stole it and when she questioned them they had a perfect alibi, they knew who stole it...and started pointing directly at me. Now this was the worst attempt ever i had been hanging out with their group for the whole night and if they had been doing any scouting at all like a good thief should then they should have known this. It turned into a pretty interesting night. Though as i am telling this i wonder if its one of those stories that is much more interesting when you are there, which i am sure it is.<br /><br />The next day at the beach was pretty typical for me. I ended the day with a ridiculous sun burn that highlights the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">handprints</span> where i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">wasnt</span> able to reach the rest of my back and then a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">las</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">vegas</span> bright red back. This i have to blame all on the family who wanted me to go take a walk on the beach not matter how hard i told them i really <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">didnt</span> want to. They literally had to all yell at me to go walk on the beach and enjoy the view. I mean i get it , <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">ive</span> been to beaches before you walk <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">theres</span> sand and an ocean but if your solo its really not all its cracked up to be, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">youre</span> supposed to walk on the beach with someone and going by yourself while the sun scolds you is not what people mean when they write it in their personal ads. The other amusing moment for me at the beach was that at one point the grandmother went into the water and when she came out her bosom was completely exposed. She had a blouse on so their was no viewing but it was obvious. The funniest part about all this is that the bosom was out for a solid half hour, i mean at some point you have to realize it right. Ladies help me out if you have a bosom exposed you can feel that right. And what kind of family <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">doesnt</span> tell you that you are showing the whole world a boob? if i had boobs i would definitely want someone to give me a heads up if it was out.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Im</span> going to end on that note just because i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">dont</span> think i can say more. I spent the next day in utter pain and though we got to go to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">mcdonalds</span> where i got to share my many entertaining <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">mcdonalds</span> anecdotes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">theres</span> not much more to tell. Overall i got to know the family better, the cousins were really nice and one might even be going to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">umass</span> next year so it would be fun to see them again, and i was able to experience some typical <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">costa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">rican</span> stuff, even if it was heavy drinking.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-18765397893485680142010-02-19T13:33:00.001-08:002010-02-19T13:33:00.886-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2NjYxNTEyMTM2MiZwdD*xMjY2NjE1MTYzNzI1JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1lZDA3OTMzZTg1Nzc*/NmVhYjBmOTdkZjNhMDkwZDI5MiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FMonteverde%2520and%2520such%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/Monteverde%20and%20such/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-14136714711960677252010-02-11T09:21:00.001-08:002010-02-11T09:24:01.442-08:00Update on MonteverdeWell the best I can do with this particular blog is to make it a rambling jumbled mix of all the different things that have happened over the past few weeks. Bare with me, there will be some superfluous crap that you have no interest in but hopefully there will be some nuggets of interest.<br /><br /> I'm going to start off with school since that is my primary reason for being here. In a lot of ways school is pretty similar to any school ive ever been in. Except for the fact that you can randomly see white faced monkeys on the library roof, or you can have gigantic spiders and scorpions in your class at any time. The classes I am working in are learning ancient rome, biographies, Buddhism and reading Asian fiction. For the most part I am just like an assistant in the room which is a whole different perspective of a classroom for me. Usually I am a control freak and I dont like other people telling me how to or what to teach but this has actually been kind of a refreshing change. I'm seeing teaching in a different light and realizing how I need to improve to work better with my co teachers in the future. For the most part though I work with small groups and just annoy kids with my incessant questions about anything and everything.<br /> I did get the opportunity to teach sex ed to the 5/6th grade boys the other day which was an adventure all in itself. Frankly I am a terrible person to teach this subject, I laugh every time I see or speak the word penis and in fact I just laughed right now after writing it. I am far from mature, I have bizarre beliefs about personal hygiene ranging from super uptight and anal retentive to completely and absolutely lax. In essence the things I know about the human body and puberty are not beneficial for anyone let alone those who dont know much. The basic summary of the class: wear deodorant, wash up, and if and when you ever have sex dont be an idiot. Hopefully those gems of wisdom will make those gentleman into upstanding citizens that we can all be proud of.<br /> Some other interesting notes from school. I am starting to make friends but its more with the kids in the school than the teachers, not because the teachers aren't nice but because I think 7 year olds like me better than adults. I even got invited over a 6 year olds house to play soccer , I am probably going to take him up on it and then totally dominate because I dont care how old you are im not letting anyone win at anything.<br /> Oh I am teaching basketball as well. Its quite the class and I am super psyched that we are starting to master lay ups. Full court games are an absolute mess and its impossible to teach them how to play because they have very little attention span and for kids who have seen a sum total of 10 games in their life they have a self righteous know it all nature about the rules and the right things to do.<br /> We also had a slight lice scare in the school which freaked me out a bit. The whole day I kept scratching my head and thinking I had lice which would be devastating because I cant afford to cut these sweet locks of mine, its one of my go to features. Long story short im clean and the school is lice free, toca madera, so I can continue to stroke my fingers through this sweet sweet head of hair.<br /><br />Family<br />I think ive written a little about the family but ill use this space to right more. There are 3 kids, Annalise(11), Angelina(6) and Massimo(4), so there is never really a dull moment in the house. Just a few minutes ago I had Angelina and Massimo throwing toys in my room for about a half hour and last night at dinner I was entertained as Angelina kept showing me her tongue with piles of chewed food on it. I have played a crap load of memory and made some pretty sweet stuff out of play doh over the past few weeks. The eldest daughter Annalise is actually in my class, she is a violin prodigy and completely obsessed with Twilight so ive had plenty of conversations about how cool it would be to be a vampire. (im awaiting a mugford joke on that comment). Most days it is actually a blast to have them around though there are moments where they can turn pretty nasty, like when Angelina hid the remote controls to the TV because she knew I wanted to watch jeopardy. I figured out a way around that whole debacle though.<br /> The only big hang up that I have is that basically I am treated like a child, which most times is pretty appropriate but there are shining moments when I am a real adult. Its one of those things where they ask me questions “do you want ice in this drink” and ill respond “no I dont really like ice” and then they'll give me a look like your an idiot and just put the ice in my drink anyway. Or how much food do you want and ill say stop and then they'll add 4 more scoops because I dont know what im talking about. This week I baked cupcakes in ice cream cones something they had never seen before and therefore theoretically I should be the expert. Though through the whole process they kept telling me I didn't know what I was doing and would try and fix it themselves, changing the temperature of the oven, arbitrarily moving the pan remixing the batter. I mean I know im an idiot but I am capable of doing some things in life.<br /> Other than that they are beyond nice. Last weekend they invited me to a wedding and I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. I mean if I'm getting married and some tall awkward foreign dude comes strolling in uninvited im probably bouncing his ass from the reception. Especially when he is bringing nothing to the table, no gift, no witty dinner conversation, and no dance skills whatsoever. The people there were incredibly nice they made sure I had plenty of food and kept sneaking me shots of tequila(it was a dry wedding due to the father of the brides drinking problem) and basically going way out of their way to make me comfy. As a wedding it was pretty interesting, it was in a beautiful location tucked into the valley surrounded by waterfalls. Everyone dresses casual, jeans and hoodies mostly, or slutty(im talking about the ladies) and then just hangs out, maybe dances(some ridiculous kind of dancing). I also pitched my idea of an all cake menu(cake for every part of the meal, possibly cake designed like steak chicken or fish for the main course) at my wedding to one of the daughters in the family and she said I was an idiot and I would never find a woman who would let me do that. So true but maybe if I pitch that idea my other wedding ideas wont seem as stupid and one of them will slip by.<br /><br />Well im off for now. Andy and Lindsey visited a few weeks ago so ill blog about that as we did some zip lining and visited the cloud forest reserve, though im waiting for the pics because as many of you have told me you dont really read any of this and only look at the pictures.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-72378061044678936112010-01-17T08:30:00.000-08:002010-01-17T08:38:38.404-08:00Monteverde first impressionsI made it to Costa Rica even with 5 hours at the costa rican nicaraguan border. I wasnt sure if it was normal and then i saw people laughing and videotaping the line so i knew i was in for quite the day. It all worked out for the best because they didnt check anything and once you were done waiting you got stamped and sent on your merry way.<br /><br />Monteverde is a much much different place then i am used to. It is an extremely small town. I got lucky that the school is right across the street, literally a minute and a half walk. My family here in Costa Rica owns a cafe/art gallery/spa/internent cafe/rental car company about thirty minutes from our house. They are slowly trying to murder me through gluttony. I eat close to 7 pounds of rice and beans a day and they try to fill in any not eating moments with snacks. I have been laughed at every day for how enormous my lunch is. At one breakfast I told her i was good with two scoops of rice and she shook her head and put on 4 then shook it again until i had about 8 and then decided i might as well finish off the pan. I have been giving myself pep talks before every meal, telling myself that i can get through it and finish this off if i just try my best, so far it has worked most times. Dont get me wrong the food is delicous but im not sure if they know im not a grizzly bear.<br /><br />School is off to great start. The teacher i am working with is really talented and easy to get along with. She has been very open to my ideas and i have already picked out a bunch of stuff i am going to steal from her when i get back.<br /><br />The school itself is a great place overall. The classrooms are very open and full of light and the kids are pretty similar to any kids you would find anywhere. The only big difference is that they call you by your first name which is weird at first but you get used to it quick and many of them walk around shoeless which weirds me out a bit but im getting used to it.<br /><br />It was really drizzly and the wind was ridiculous knock your on your ass kind of wind the first few days i was here but it has all cleared up recently and if it stays sunny here it will be an amazing place to live. Im ok walking 45 minutes for a pepsi as long as the weather holds up like this.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-34887294849209152162010-01-17T07:22:00.000-08:002010-01-17T08:23:44.819-08:00Perquin and El Mozote<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM03nfzQ5YBDhFqds7OJEnHz58D270f2Y5qGZsyBtcHZMaxzfx1IQG341xhtk0axXIUFye_MkRWQgp6VJirgeOq1NotRR1FOEf8eKqrQ3eYwOd2dJC8X_bKJYJUzVz9MoDgB2dFLCaNY/s1600-h/IMG_0723.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM03nfzQ5YBDhFqds7OJEnHz58D270f2Y5qGZsyBtcHZMaxzfx1IQG341xhtk0axXIUFye_MkRWQgp6VJirgeOq1NotRR1FOEf8eKqrQ3eYwOd2dJC8X_bKJYJUzVz9MoDgB2dFLCaNY/s320/IMG_0723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427741027225273586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKcL1SJQ7x6yTMAlIj0Y13EJUYeIVuRVDi4mpJZu-BEBO-y7QlxN20xowmAFi_jOzfSk-1DMJYnI1ZqKAhKlTZQNpOpF6XBSI2xYJnisCwhNaccW4kISY3skzqhgddA1ENdC8lOmt47Y/s1600-h/IMG_0703.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKcL1SJQ7x6yTMAlIj0Y13EJUYeIVuRVDi4mpJZu-BEBO-y7QlxN20xowmAFi_jOzfSk-1DMJYnI1ZqKAhKlTZQNpOpF6XBSI2xYJnisCwhNaccW4kISY3skzqhgddA1ENdC8lOmt47Y/s320/IMG_0703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427738504821107138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpeBThPTdTFiIwpl7ZjzzwHrkbw-MQ005E5XDoutvbl2Yfn_i1RzQKoGCq27De1MZXmW60ktDa506M44_HuiSZvIeD8DIQQD4NyIE_A8JTIGKJsrRQtoTFRV07e5D5h16py_SFd2cVwc/s1600-h/IMG_0700.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpeBThPTdTFiIwpl7ZjzzwHrkbw-MQ005E5XDoutvbl2Yfn_i1RzQKoGCq27De1MZXmW60ktDa506M44_HuiSZvIeD8DIQQD4NyIE_A8JTIGKJsrRQtoTFRV07e5D5h16py_SFd2cVwc/s320/IMG_0700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427738495587655394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2FlCmAXEThUIdjmGaC7ID9nlHPuEHC_Y1tB1azgoTi8gEal9L7Xr7U6PkmRJN81NnC6Giffi-6dfCd9OESBewhyybpX7zJGpJZVXYlm8laSgrj2XEs4wi6cZMhrdyO18JUzKWHNGurM/s1600-h/IMG_0696.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2FlCmAXEThUIdjmGaC7ID9nlHPuEHC_Y1tB1azgoTi8gEal9L7Xr7U6PkmRJN81NnC6Giffi-6dfCd9OESBewhyybpX7zJGpJZVXYlm8laSgrj2XEs4wi6cZMhrdyO18JUzKWHNGurM/s320/IMG_0696.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427738491713136754" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Throughout</span> most of the later parts of the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> century El Salvador found it self in one of the most brutal civil wars in modern memory. The exact rationale for its start are a little foggy, at least to me, but in general it started because some people had everything and others had less than nothing. As people began to speak out and protest for reform they were met with more and more resistance and eventually the two colliding forces took to armed conflict. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">guerrillas</span> took to the highlands and a force of us trained soldiers took to snuffing them out. The war has moments of extreme violence including the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">assassination</span> of Archbishop Oscar Romero in public as he was delivering mass and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Mozote</span> massacre.<br /><br />After spending time at the beach it seemed like a good idea to check out some of the sights of the civil war and learn a little bit more about the history of the country we were staying and enjoying. We headed off for a remote village called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Perquin</span> where the rebel army had a base and recently converted some of their headquarters into a museum and walking tour through some of their camps.<br /><br />The museum was interesting though a little bit scrappy, i guess would be the best adjective. Some rooms looked like they just had a bunch of pictures and tossed them up on the walls well others had authentic machine guns and destroyed parts of helicopters and plains that they shot down. They also had the sight of their radio station. The pictures though they looked just tossed on the walls were pretty interesting, showing some extremely young soldiers and you just wished you could take them out of the picture and put them in school or something.<br /><br />After the museum we got a quick walking tour through a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">guerrilla</span> camp. Our guide had fought and made a point to let me know that he was not a soldier, he was a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">guerrilla</span>. He walked with a severe limp, having taken <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">shrapnel</span> in his chest and extensively in his right leg. He led us through tunnels and over rope bridges,<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">showed</span> us huge craters from bombings and was even nice enough to let everyone in our group know that even though the us is frequently painted as the villain there was a tremendous amount of aid and volunteers who came from the us to help the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">guerrillas</span> as well as the government money that helped the soldiers.<br /><br />We then took a quick hike up a mountain where every twenty feet or so tremendous craters lined the way. They were all created from bombing raids during one of the major battles of the war. It was a pretty compelling series of sights, that takes you aback a little. It is nice to see how proud all of the people are of being <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">guerrillas</span> and changing their country the way they did. They have incredible perspective on t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGxjLDZqUkGC5t0wKe0496rJ_39Q9tQvj7vul2xJQlbQA9EA2usefIvsj-y3rDvh8LR4uM8_1HxKIu7RdfivU3d-HwcW8JBGs9Wgso2uRTUi1YjS5JCxtREMqtHUX9MUcUdBxc02bRKY/s1600-h/IMG_0717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGxjLDZqUkGC5t0wKe0496rJ_39Q9tQvj7vul2xJQlbQA9EA2usefIvsj-y3rDvh8LR4uM8_1HxKIu7RdfivU3d-HwcW8JBGs9Wgso2uRTUi1YjS5JCxtREMqtHUX9MUcUdBxc02bRKY/s320/IMG_0717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427740999975166626" border="0" /></a>he situation and i learned <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">alot</span> just from listening<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-pdpU1n_p97hpRLObMydeMFdzcz8o_AnxM3ge2isKMy3HvT3G5ixQGLD3HGJNbbQfjeKGCfG1gw4svPl5EJiTgC33T8dJauuX_EZD0VZZmMRISdc4u89MVgyghCbnw2hhRA9buRJjo/s1600-h/IMG_0724.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-pdpU1n_p97hpRLObMydeMFdzcz8o_AnxM3ge2isKMy3HvT3G5ixQGLD3HGJNbbQfjeKGCfG1gw4svPl5EJiTgC33T8dJauuX_EZD0VZZmMRISdc4u89MVgyghCbnw2hhRA9buRJjo/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427741013924206290" border="0" /></a>.<br /><br />The next day we headed off for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Mozote</span>. At best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Mozote</span> is a village of two and a half streets with a church and a school. When we headed in that morning all of the restaurants in the main square were out of breakfast food and we were walked by a tiny girl to her home which was kind of a restaurant but really just a table in their cluttered tin roofed home and we got a breakfast of basically what they had left on the shelves. In the background the family showered and got ready for their day as we ate eggs and sipped coffee, a strange breakfast in deed.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Mozote</span> is the sight of one of the if not the biggest massacre during the war. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Im</span> not sure i have all the facts but i will do my best. The military came in looking for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">guerrillas</span> and really in an effort to intimidate and set a precedent that they were done screwing around. They pulled everyone into the main square and scared the crap out of them for hours and then sent them back to their homes and told them if they step outside they would be shot.<br /><br />The next day the soldiers tortured and interrogated the men and eventually executed them all over the town. When the finished they raped and executed the girls some as young as 12 years old. When the finished that they shot out the windows of the church and murdered the remaining children both in the church and other locations. After murdering everyone in the town they left the bodies out in the open, presumably to send a message to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">guerrillas</span> but no one can be certain exactly why they left the bodies out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI3ZrJ-dvC4NCxcrp8vCXEnD0AgI9_esuPa0QUhkrtU0A1mEg4dc1EBhwwCcatsB0Hg3WuwTZkP9p1mMBQfEXqs5gie8Ap5sufDBw6CWJG19gUnfd73AZmTzNv5eFHECRYrAyHdTyums/s1600-h/IMG_0719.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI3ZrJ-dvC4NCxcrp8vCXEnD0AgI9_esuPa0QUhkrtU0A1mEg4dc1EBhwwCcatsB0Hg3WuwTZkP9p1mMBQfEXqs5gie8Ap5sufDBw6CWJG19gUnfd73AZmTzNv5eFHECRYrAyHdTyums/s320/IMG_0719.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427741009857326530" border="0" /></a><br />All in all over a thousand people were massacred some children as young as just a few days old were murdered, some of whom had never even been given names. When the army finished they went on to continue there actions in a second village though to a lesser extent. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Mozote</span> was destroyed though it served to bring international attention to the situation in El Salvador and shed a negative light on the united states who consequently started distancing themselves from El Salvador. It is widely considered the largest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">massa</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sGbl617PJ89kgqVEs-ewfFWq-ynI-djH3PSKn9TITPK20HCpROCkbE7yt4_w_LK48t6vPi8DC0a58dmULm3mHIHLz-Dpya7tKd_eSGvJjUOWUvto7RuNkNAt7_9bwbHboxGDOv8cVjs/s1600-h/IMG_0718.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sGbl617PJ89kgqVEs-ewfFWq-ynI-djH3PSKn9TITPK20HCpROCkbE7yt4_w_LK48t6vPi8DC0a58dmULm3mHIHLz-Dpya7tKd_eSGvJjUOWUvto7RuNkNAt7_9bwbHboxGDOv8cVjs/s320/IMG_0718.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427741023109815458" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">cre</span> in modern <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">latin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">american</span> history.<br /><br />The town has erected two monuments to the citizens who were massacred. One is a garden dedicated to the children who were murdered. The garden is simple, it has a large mural and then a series of plaques with the names and ages of the children who were killed. The plaques are enough to make your stomach churn but they also kept many of the bricks that people were killed on and even though the massacre took place about 20 years ago you can still very much so see the blood stones, it takes you back and leaves you speechless for a good portion of time. The other is dedicated to others who died and includes a shadow figure family looking at tall of the names of the dead while they hold hands.<br /><br />For more info;<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_Civil_War<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_RomeroTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-12580556522459784392010-01-01T09:46:00.001-08:002010-01-01T09:46:03.304-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2MjM2NzkzNjA5NyZwdD*xMjYyMzY3OTU5OTUyJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1lZDA3OTMzZTg1Nzc*NmVhYjBmOTdkZjNhMDkwZDI5MiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FEl%2520Salvador%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/El%20Salvador/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-18254685238755149412010-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:002010-01-01T09:40:57.779-08:00El SalvadorSo we headed off for El Salvador the day after <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">christmas</span>. Christmas in Antigua was pretty interesting, at midnight on New Years Eve the entire country goes out in the streets and lights off as many firecrackers as they can physically get their hands on and then everyone goes out in the street and hugs everyone they see. I did my fair share of kneeling hugs and received a wicked headbutt in the process. We ate tamales and exchanged gifts with our family, no one really seemed to understand the jokes that i was trying to convey with my gifts which i guess i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shouldnt</span> have been surprised at. It was a fun <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">christmas</span> but as i returned home from calling my family the mood was a little more somber in our house and I was told that the father of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">homestay</span> mom had passed away. She was really broken up and on top of losing her father she was going to have to travel 6 hours to get to her home in the middle of the night on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">christmas</span>, just an awful awful thing to happen. Saying goodbye was already sad enough but it was just that little bit sadder with this hanging over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">everyones</span> heads.<br /><br />We headed off for El Salvador at 4 in the morning with a little bit of an awkward feeling in the air but arrived in our new country after a surprisingly quick and easy bus trip.<br /><br />Our hostel was one of the nicest places that i have ever stayed period. It is run by a borderline alcoholic named Javier who is a painter who <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">doesnt</span> paint, a man who loves his fiestas and a man who believes America is a terrible place because we have school shootings every other day. During our stay we had a few political conversations with an Australian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">hippy</span> named Zen, Javier and then two remarkably interesting and well informed Danish people. Not sure what makes that remarkable maybe it was just the juxtaposition at the table where Zen and Javier liked to come off as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">supereducated</span> and well informed people but really appeared to just generalize and oversimplify very complex subjects like global politics and religion and the danish couple would break out facts and figures and used that silly little thing called reason. Long story short America is a terrible terrible place with too many guns, fat people, and we need to vote more, so work on that will you.<br /><br />While we stayed in Santa Ana we took two day trips one to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">volcan</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">santa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">ana</span> and another to the lake(i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">dont</span> remember the name). The volcano was about as anticlimactic as a volcano could be. We climbed up to the top, not a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">particularly</span> challenging climb(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">im</span> an expert on challenging volcano climbs and not afraid to brag about it suckers) and when we reached the top the wind was ridiculous. It was treadmill wind where you try to walk but you are stuck in place. I may or may not have fallen down while trying to gracefully sit and losing my footing on some loose rocks. All in all i got a ton of sand and dirt in my mouth and eyes and never was allowed to get to the top of the volcano. The lake was actually pretty nice and we had the capability to swim in it which was different from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Atitlan</span> in Guatemala.<br /><br />The beach, specifically <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Playa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Tunco</span>, was our main reason for heading to El Salvador in the first place and after our brief stay in Santa Ana we caught a series of buses and stood in the back of one pickup at 80mph and arrived at our destination.<br /><br />Let me preface all of this beach talk with a little background. I am not nor have I ever been a big fan of the beach. I burn to ridiculous life threatening degrees, I cant swim, i sweat to a disgusting degree, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Im</span> not that comfortable taking off my shirt in public and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">im</span> easily annoyed by sand.Ive only been once in the last 5 years and only really enjoyed it because i was with a fantastic person who loves the beach so much you are almost compelled to like it by peer pressure. So one good beach moment in 5 years and now i was headed to a beach for 4 days, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">doesnt</span> seem like the smartest plan of all time but i said at the beginning of this trip that i would try new things so there you have it.<br /><br />Well to my surprise i have actually enjoyed the beach. I had some fantasy about surfing but i think that was just a dream based on too many viewings of point break, airborne and riding giants. The second i got in the ocean i realized that i was terrified of it. I mean completely frightened of the water, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">im</span> not arbitrarily scared of sharks the way some people are(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">dont</span> get me wrong if there is a shark in the water <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">im</span> not going to go pet him, well maybe if i had one of those sick shark suits) just really petrified of drowning. The second i got in the ocean i realized my dream of surfing was just not going to happen, i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">dont</span> even like diving under waves and i make a full bodied protective contortion when a wave is too big and comes near me. So surfing not my thing. I mean i am not even joking when i tell you that i am pretty darn proud of myself for going out as deep as i went out. There are times i realize that i am just a little boy and its generally when i realize how proud i get of myself for extremely minor life accomplishments.<br /><br />Andy on the other hand decided to ride the waves and though he had limited success you have to admire his gusto. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Thats</span> one big thing i keep learning more and more about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">andy</span>, he really is a pretty fearless person when it comes to trying new things. He may do do it all in his own way but he is very willing to try things out of his comfort zone(though not trivia damn it) and you have to admire that. Lindsey as well is quite the adventurer and pretty fearless in general especially when it comes to travel, where i am admittedly a wimp. I know that i would not have experienced half of what i have if not for the two of them and i appreciate them letting me tag along, though im sure they are just about done with me at this point in the trip.<br /><br />New years was not dramatically different than any other new years i have been to except that it was 80 degrees and there was an impressive impromptu dance contest that involved some serious flips including one off a 15 foot set of speakers. Other than that they lit off firecrackers and everyone drank and either walked on the beach or danced in the open air bars.<br /><br />There are a couple of things that i have learned from my short time here in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">el</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">salvador</span>. One would be that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">el</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">salvadorans</span> are an incredibly nice people in general, sure there are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">aholes</span> but for the most part they go out of their way to help you. I learned this on the buses where they went out of their way to help me with directions or with my gigantic backpack and on the streets where they would yell anything they knew in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">english</span> at us, including at one point a very direct i love you from a guy on a bike. The other thing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">ive</span> learned is that i can enjoy the beach so in the future as long as i am prepared with plenty of incredibly strong sunscreen i am up for trips to the beach.<br /><br />Well take care everyone i hope you all had a great new years and are busy working on your first new years resolutions. In a day or two we are off for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">nicaragua</span> and ill write again when something else happens.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-850874618420249692009-12-26T12:46:00.000-08:002009-12-26T12:54:26.515-08:00And were OffHey just wanted to give everyone an update that tomorrow morning around 4 am we are off and headed for El Salvador. We have a tentative plan to stay through the new year, hopefully celebrating on the beach while looking at the full blue moon(its really rare for the moon to be full on new years so you should check it out) and then off to Nicaragua. I should be in Costa Rica on the 10th for three months of teaching in the rainforest. Hope everyone enjoyed their christmas and hopefully you all have a good time on new years!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-13306014698747258032009-12-21T13:50:00.001-08:002009-12-21T13:50:09.506-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2MTQzMjE4NTY1MyZwdD*xMjYxNDMyMjA2NDg*JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1lZDA3OTMzZTg1Nzc*NmVhYjBmOTdkZjNhMDkwZDI5MiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FLake%2520Atitlan%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/Lake%20Atitlan/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-3968417000405780102009-12-21T11:57:00.001-08:002009-12-21T11:57:14.646-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2MTQyNTM5ODk5NSZwdD*xMjYxNDI1NDMxNjg1JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1lZDA3OTMzZTg1Nzc*NmVhYjBmOTdkZjNhMDkwZDI5MiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FDay%2520of%2520the%2520devil%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/Day%20of%20the%20devil/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-66875861922821224262009-12-20T08:03:00.000-08:002009-12-20T09:00:24.702-08:00Meditation Camp: Prying Open My third eyeTwenty minutes in my foot falls asleep. This is the pattern, I have a clear understanding of the time based on when my foot falls asleep. I know that at twenty minutes we are nearing the end and if I can just readjust my legs and get some blood flowing that foot Ill be fine for the homestretch. At this point Ive given up on my focus and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Im</span> into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">survival</span> mode, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Im</span> not sure how long your foot can stay asleep but at some point in needs blood, right. I mean what happens if you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dont</span> get blood, how long do you have until you lose a toe, all your toes, the whole foot. I need that foot, I use it daily. So i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">dont</span> mind cheating and sending some blood there in place of positive thoughts. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Im</span> not sure this is how the great gurus of history have envisioned their students meditating but it is the reality for me.<br /><br />Once Ive gotten some blood back to my foot, my mind is lost and my meditation is all but done. I will hold out for the rest of the time repeating over and over "hit that gong" in my head, praying that our teacher realizes we have been in this position for far too long and it is time to give this up. I send my vibes to her trying to beg her to end this session as quickly as possible. I doubt this is how you reach spiritual enlightenment but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">im</span> sure that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ive</span> heard somewhere at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">somepoint</span> that we all take our own paths and mine just involves some inner complaining.<br /><br />For some of you, you must be wondering how I got here. How did I get 40 minutes into an hour long meditation inside a pyramid shaped temple with twelve other soul searchers. Well long story short Lindsey and Andy met a couple on one of their travels who told them all about Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Pyramides</span> and they thought it seemed like an interesting place to spend a week, and i having decided to try just about anything people suggest tagged along for the week.<br /><br />So on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">sunday</span> we packed up our stuff and headed off for San Marcos, a tiny little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">laguna</span> town on Lake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Atitlan</span>. After a pretty standard shuttle bus trip and a choppy boat ride we ended up in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">san</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">marcos</span>. We arrived at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">los</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">pyramides</span> and it was what you could best describe as a ghost town. Everyone was in a silent meditation and the only people that we encountered were people who were in part of a month long silence, and came across as jerks. I would learn that there is a nice way do your silence and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">jerkway</span>.<br /><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">pyramides</span> looks like your a pretty typical summer camp except that all of the cabins are shaped like pyramids. Other than that you have your communal bathroom and kitchen(<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">vegetarian</span> only) and your cabin is full of spiders, mean disgusting spiders who played extras in Arachnophobia. After an interesting night of sleep we were off to start our week.<br /><br />Yoga in the morning<br />Every morning began with Yoga. We were up early and with a pretty solid bedhead going ready to stretch it out with some intense yoga. It was pretty fast that i realized i might be out of place with my basketball shorts and sweatshirt, when the teacher was clad in an all white yoga suit that i thought only existed in movies where they mock yoga teachers. Right off the bat i knew i was in trouble, i have never been able to touch my toes not ever, in the presidential physical fitness test the toe touching was my nightmare and yoga seemed like it would continue. Our first teacher was a relaxed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">british</span> guy(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">ithink</span>) who ran you through some intense yoga drills and rolled his eyes at those of us who struggle like the goofy goofy tall bastards we are. The other teacher was great though, super encouraging and positive. She would come over and tell me that i was doing perfect except that you need to fix these 5 things. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Im</span> not sure she understands the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">definition</span> of perfect. Her positive encouragement did help me get through some pretty ridiculous sessions of yoga. One of our final yoga sessions also finished with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">andy</span> and I giving each other back massages, where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">andy</span> critiqued my massage style the entire time.<br /><br />Metaphysics Class<br />After breakfast of cornflakes, or in my case <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">choco</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">zucaritas</span>(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">choco</span> frosted flakes, which would also be my dinner several times) we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">heaeded</span> off to metaphysics class. Coming in the middle of a session(the run a weekly schedule on the moon, wed-wed) we were headfirst into classes on lucid dreaming and astral travel. We spent the week learning techniques on controlling your dreams and using your mind to change your dreams and the locations of your body, in order to have out of body experiences. We learned about traveling outside of your body to other countries or down to the bottom of the lake where you can find a temple and you are more than welcome to come down and pray late at night. Overall the classes were interesting and a little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">kooky</span> but in the best possible way.<br />***A special note to those of you who indulge in illegal substances. They are apparently destroying your aura causing rifts and holes to develop that will make you tired and more run down. There is a remedy though, and I will be kind enough to help you all out at this point. You will need to run a hot bath and create a mixture of several natural plants and herbs. You will need rosemary, mint, basil, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">chamomile</span>, lavender, sage and red roses. If they are fresh and natural you are better off but if you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">dont</span> have the option you can use <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">any form</span>. The mixture should make up the size of a fist and for god sakes you need to check to see if you have allergies to any of these, you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">dont</span> want to jump into a tub of aura purifying substances only to learn that you break out from lavender, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">thats</span> bad news. If it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">doesnt</span> work the first time, well you are probably a big pothead(you know if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">im</span> talking to you), and need to do this for a consistent 7 day period every month until you feel invigorated again. Good luck my friends, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">youre</span> welcome!***<br /><br />Meditation<br />After metaphysics we were given several hours to hang out and do whatever we want. So I spent the week reading way too many books ranging from the motorcycle diaries and tom sawyer to books on coping with death and a guidebook on lucid dreaming. At 5 though we headed back to the temple for our meditation class.<br /><br />*quick note on the temple here. The temple is a giant pyramid that is actually really awesome once you are inside. You need to crawl down a staircase and tunnel before you can enter the temple. In the hall of the tunnel there are pictures of different <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">religious</span> figures from ancient pharaohs to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">buddah</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">jesus</span>. Andy felt like the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">jesus</span> picture looked like a dad who knew his son had done something wrong but was letting the son explain himself and weave a tail of lies even though daddy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">jesus</span> knew the truth, so in reality <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">jesus</span> was wearing one of those give me a break, oh really faces. My view was that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">jesus</span> was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">tv</span> or radio talk show host listening to a particular messed up story, and he was making front of being concerned when really he was thinking "good lord <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">thats</span> awful, good luck with all that," face. The debate rages on. The temple inside has a giant pyramid in the center with a crystal globe that represents the world and they put a silk sheet over it when we are not meditating or focusing on it. other than that we all sit on mats or wooden blocks for our meditation or classes.*<br /><br />Most of the meditations were painful exercises. I already described the process of pain a little but let me tell you it flat out killed. When we finished and had to change positions i had to manually move my legs with my hands and struggle through the pain to get them straight.<br /><br />Guided meditation had to be my favorite part of the week though. The first night we worked on an exercise where we visualized a garden, a pond, a house, animals a boat and other things. All were metaphoric and represented something in your house. The garden was how complicated your life is the pond represented how you approach new situations(i only dipped my toes and sat on the edge so reading into that its pretty accurate, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">im</span> a toe dipper in social situations), the animals represented my fears and though i saw giraffes, polar bears and dogs i totally approached them and tried to pet them all. My biggest issues came with the house and the boat. My house was the lake house from the bodyguard with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">kevin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">costner</span>, the house represents my soul so i have no idea what that says about me. I was afraid to get on the boat because i am afraid of boats in general, the boat represented my future so i guess either <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">im</span> going to die or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">im</span> really afraid of my future, great.<br />Other exercises involved thanking our loved ones and friends, so thank you if you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">didnt</span> get the message on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">tuesday</span>, visualizing points in our past and focusing on our life mission. If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">youd</span> like to know more about my life mission feel free to ask, its long detailed and still a little cloudy.<br /><br />Closing thoughts<br />I went into the week with a precaution but interest. Many people were skeptical of me going to meditation camp, not taking my interest in the spiritual world seriously, they <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">didnt</span> realize that i once made my mom buy me incense and a tape on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Gregorian</span> chants to practice relaxation and meditation(the outcome being that i realized i was allergic to incense and just sneezed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">alot</span>), and my interest in spiritual matters has always been deep. This week solidified that i have an interest but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">im</span> not willing to fully commit to any one belief and need to keep working on making my perfect spiritual practices.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-79985650099579120032009-12-12T12:37:00.001-08:002009-12-20T09:42:02.927-08:00Schools OUt!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhuBxu2DAOu22sItjJTKe98IzfWNJZ0VAm7E6KLLnAN4hYiyn424VAsfsFHhtnD1s01wz2ySgREJBXnOkZAf4cw6cV7hPFCrEitz6k2yS6IWrjGtdIkfzhjYUJyeQO3OtEN1HJPnJs4g/s1600-h/IMG_0500.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhuBxu2DAOu22sItjJTKe98IzfWNJZ0VAm7E6KLLnAN4hYiyn424VAsfsFHhtnD1s01wz2ySgREJBXnOkZAf4cw6cV7hPFCrEitz6k2yS6IWrjGtdIkfzhjYUJyeQO3OtEN1HJPnJs4g/s320/IMG_0500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417367105991259282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_I0Yt_Gewr_NB2euB5FKQbsxHVwqVUXWnzAaXZ_RQWjd2DIByYM5SQ2ncAmPFS7Lojwqtpe1kcOheq7qp3jTaz4I5DLFXeIMnOJlYHfCLwPlQ9PoqusX4Xane2dZ4-9UshKmOuTOREw/s1600-h/IMG_0514.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_I0Yt_Gewr_NB2euB5FKQbsxHVwqVUXWnzAaXZ_RQWjd2DIByYM5SQ2ncAmPFS7Lojwqtpe1kcOheq7qp3jTaz4I5DLFXeIMnOJlYHfCLwPlQ9PoqusX4Xane2dZ4-9UshKmOuTOREw/s320/IMG_0514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417367101327839138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVrZeeW1-1N6m8MNOasM3T25i1ubZe8VdZdzvX4v1l74RCBSRK5ZbOft8feeYUkyiXd2gP6wt15TEFyu4rxDvsaNsZ60CPe9HY9xVPNTZ5O3j5V9HNr4uQnqzAsCxUV_EH8XjNdyNXUU/s1600-h/IMG_0515.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVrZeeW1-1N6m8MNOasM3T25i1ubZe8VdZdzvX4v1l74RCBSRK5ZbOft8feeYUkyiXd2gP6wt15TEFyu4rxDvsaNsZ60CPe9HY9xVPNTZ5O3j5V9HNr4uQnqzAsCxUV_EH8XjNdyNXUU/s320/IMG_0515.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417367099832732210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfLNSBB4PHSLtoImnIozvS387FIShjrzMPX-f1oQczdkdqgts7JD1DKNIhIFbWA4_9EWb8sChTjTgBKOc60XkFt2kSsN-vvW5sMZBCHCGPe2qIROI8D1tp0yI8lTaCuWg12sTydVVtYU/s1600-h/IMG_0512.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfLNSBB4PHSLtoImnIozvS387FIShjrzMPX-f1oQczdkdqgts7JD1DKNIhIFbWA4_9EWb8sChTjTgBKOc60XkFt2kSsN-vvW5sMZBCHCGPe2qIROI8D1tp0yI8lTaCuWg12sTydVVtYU/s320/IMG_0512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417367083995056738" border="0" /></a><br />This Friday signified the last day of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">spanish</span> school and the last day of volunteering at Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Patojos</span>. I'll do a little recap of the experiences and my overall impressions from them.<br /><br />Spanish School- COINED<br />From my first day until my last learning <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">spanish</span> was a struggle. I remember before i left and everyone told me within two weeks ill be fluent, how little they understand the complexities of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">spanish</span> language and the limited nature of my brain.<br /><br />I was able to have some really great teachers at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">spanish</span> school. I loved the rapid fire intense energetic nature of my teacher Francisco and the long discussions on politics history and social issues where we both practiced our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">spanish</span> and learned that we are not nearly doing enough to improve the world. The lessons with Diego where i had to use my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">spanish</span> to say what i would do if i met <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Shakira</span> and to discuss who i would rather date Jennifer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Aniston</span> or Angelina Jolie, as well as the discussions we had on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">syracuse</span> basketball and district 13. Antonio and his perpetual and hysterical use of the word <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">jesus</span> and his love for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">rasheed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">wallace</span> as well as his mild temper tantrums and the week where we drove him mildly insane with our lack of progress. These were probably my favorite teachers though down the stretch I became hated by one or two teachers because i was very much a wise ass and contradicted them constantly. Live and learn i guess.<br /><br />On our final week i was given the opportunity to translate one of our final <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">activities</span>, the day of the devil and i was able to stagger through that exercise. On the last <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">friday</span> we gave speeches and mine was a top ten list of things from the school, which was kindly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">received</span> with what i hope was authentic laughter. To finish the day i was given a giant number one medal for my perfect attendance and all of my hard work, i was genuinely touched by it and they really did not need to do that. I had been bugging them all week to put up a picture of me in the main corridor for other students to admire and aspire to, but the medal was much subtler and made more sense. Though that giant picture would look great.<br /><br />Overall i think my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">spanish</span> came along pretty nicely. I still mispronounce a ton of words and can easily get lost in the most basic of conversations and my favorite phrases are all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">gimicky</span> or only said by idiots(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">toca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">madera</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">tengo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">frio</span>, en <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">tus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">zapatos</span>) but hopefully what i have will be just the beginning.<br /><br />Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Patojos</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujXFwUAtBOmA8_pt95c2ZuGfj-eMElUkgn4n05LgWSXEigTq-78KNIdr_IxaCRFhNfhNscNh9f40tNXHwp6FsP8zAPERt3yyv_gWgejTiicPvJH_RxGIBLGMR-SRQE4lGh5tZilh-258/s1600-h/IMG_0521.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujXFwUAtBOmA8_pt95c2ZuGfj-eMElUkgn4n05LgWSXEigTq-78KNIdr_IxaCRFhNfhNscNh9f40tNXHwp6FsP8zAPERt3yyv_gWgejTiicPvJH_RxGIBLGMR-SRQE4lGh5tZilh-258/s320/IMG_0521.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417371265866437650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My volunteer opportunity at Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Patojos</span> ended with two pretty great days. Andy had been working with the kids on different team building challenges throughout the past month and I tagged along on many as well as teaching and playing basketball with the kids on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">fridays</span>. On our second to last day <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">andy</span> set up an obstacle course with several different challenges for the kids from making a human knot to crossing an acid river and then crossing a mind field blind folded. My team won the race which should be no surprise, my team also won the dancing shapes competition.<br /><br />After the competition I was pretty blown away when the kids gave a little speech thanking us and giving us some bracelets that they had made for us. They could not have been sweeter and some of the girls snuck off during their a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH78CrcDIu-4548091aWGx-KlXCeJTFHR95E5oI_LFpvqrZduDjU5qp_amFt54Vt7l_quSXe8i4cqzklhrMPlBXn7B38oQfLkzCMtZe-CBdFSn9rlmMmpY4aJ5biJ2wtc5KJIGsyGkraM/s1600-h/IMG_0543.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH78CrcDIu-4548091aWGx-KlXCeJTFHR95E5oI_LFpvqrZduDjU5qp_amFt54Vt7l_quSXe8i4cqzklhrMPlBXn7B38oQfLkzCMtZe-CBdFSn9rlmMmpY4aJ5biJ2wtc5KJIGsyGkraM/s320/IMG_0543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417371283079892658" border="0" /></a>rt time to make us cards. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Im</span> a big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">softee</span> and had to hold back tears pretty bad especially with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Sarai</span> who was probably my favorite kid overall. She came across as abrasive at first but is really one of the sweetest most intelligent kids i have ever come across and she has a great sense of humor, of which i was frequently a target. She also embraced the pound and explode handshake which made my day <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">everytime</span> we did it. (goofy handshakes with the kids kind of became my thing)<br /><br />The next day we played a game of capture the flag and then headed back to the center. I almost cried again when Mr. Cool Boris realized we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">weren't</span> going to be at the school anymore and literally started to tear up a little himself. To put it bluntly Boris is the man and is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">lightyears</span> cooler than i can ever hope to be so the fact that he was disappointed and upset that we were leaving was one of the biggest compliments i have ever <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">received</span> in my life.<br /><br />When i first walked into the school i was shocked at the chaos, lunacy and seeming ineptness that seemed to be prevalent in the structure of the school but it is really the kids who make this program. They are your typical kids in so many ways, moody sarcastic teenagers who test your limits at every turn but over time we all grew to bond and it seemed to happen so much quicker with them than it should have.They were accepting of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">lim</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxzPaVLxkN9kKzXY1Fcc02E8TH19NSSkeTgXcYi6JSGTJvWml5vJSw1JX1r2JLnhdcOyR28g3IOMW0xk2sNofK79fziEbO3PaEp0te4cgE_Kjt7IVTsYeH8c83J4sI5mon-Uwisexa2U/s1600-h/IMG_0522.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxzPaVLxkN9kKzXY1Fcc02E8TH19NSSkeTgXcYi6JSGTJvWml5vJSw1JX1r2JLnhdcOyR28g3IOMW0xk2sNofK79fziEbO3PaEp0te4cgE_Kjt7IVTsYeH8c83J4sI5mon-Uwisexa2U/s320/IMG_0522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417371269668727922" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">ited</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">spanish</span> and worked on our pronunciation, they joked and teased, and in the end i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">couldnt</span> have been happier to know them. I hope they all go on to be the things they are dreaming to be, the architects, writers, doctors and lawyers of a future <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">guatemala</span>.<br /><br />I was also thankful to many of the teachers who embraced our presence and made things easy for us. Diego the persistent and die hard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">yankees</span> fan who is far more mature than his 17 years and taught me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">alot</span> about tolerance and what its like to be truly open <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">mind</span>(except about baseball) who claims to have been john <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">wilkes</span> booth in his past life and has a love for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">gabriel</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">garcia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">marquez</span>. I hope he goes forward to do a poetry slam, which we discussed at length and he spent hours looking at slam poems on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">youtube</span>. Or Juan Pablo the passionate head of the school who is realistic about his extreme political views but is the lifeblood of the school. Linda who is the nurturing mother hen for the older group, whose subtle sense of humor always caught me off guard and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">murio</span> one of the first adults with a rat tail that i found respect for.<br /><br />It was definitely an interesting experience that i am grateful i got the opportunity to have.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-71103102779718495472009-12-06T12:30:00.002-08:002009-12-12T12:36:45.436-08:00Futbol Americano w/ Los Patojos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp9CPYL1PtW6Vl6VVDpZfPooJOs2AMVOvBu-fB0pLJUNUdKI4Tckd_X6ZU-xq7Ag8_BelvpcXjtmj5IjvIrKU9aQHindmtOmR2O7r8R4jYIEoHzUGTnblH-8YzShFSQ6FERYMMuMmLps/s1600-h/IMG_0455.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp9CPYL1PtW6Vl6VVDpZfPooJOs2AMVOvBu-fB0pLJUNUdKI4Tckd_X6ZU-xq7Ag8_BelvpcXjtmj5IjvIrKU9aQHindmtOmR2O7r8R4jYIEoHzUGTnblH-8YzShFSQ6FERYMMuMmLps/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414451282119675058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDG22Nf5f7ySx-mzJTF7Kz6jV_es1aLTXhjbVdvKbACQeJSupTXpQgEqMwFI6UOkks58Nk81J9lT8U47J119pKLHxn9pnRg_BdsEl35DOVu-wHMzghkUo9BC22O5DA-ID1XUGO1aPZ-g/s1600-h/IMG_0458.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDG22Nf5f7ySx-mzJTF7Kz6jV_es1aLTXhjbVdvKbACQeJSupTXpQgEqMwFI6UOkks58Nk81J9lT8U47J119pKLHxn9pnRg_BdsEl35DOVu-wHMzghkUo9BC22O5DA-ID1XUGO1aPZ-g/s320/IMG_0458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414451275823041602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYRJ85cDROwhtXgUYBjSvMmbdTRUprPWokJOlHjxt24eJgNA9s3AkDU7qEqMSDQWNcnpm6tXL5d2qZXnXo8EXdydFeWWObYWNA5tMjB4aew5pZLWSJZ2UGlkaq37_YikbaQlV2MC0X_Q/s1600-h/IMG_0452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYRJ85cDROwhtXgUYBjSvMmbdTRUprPWokJOlHjxt24eJgNA9s3AkDU7qEqMSDQWNcnpm6tXL5d2qZXnXo8EXdydFeWWObYWNA5tMjB4aew5pZLWSJZ2UGlkaq37_YikbaQlV2MC0X_Q/s320/IMG_0452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414451271920007602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ3zuATvOY6shwk29ZXEsQSy-Tdl2gPFM0fsDLcwpLnqZnHf18jthsYpdCfu3PlHPZaYixoUpZGkgDEP6L6Nw8uIwcdW6yhvJCdJLJEc2i7YdIvCcxds7ZNcqcJwPvw5bvHvMHI4SXwM/s1600-h/IMG_0448.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ3zuATvOY6shwk29ZXEsQSy-Tdl2gPFM0fsDLcwpLnqZnHf18jthsYpdCfu3PlHPZaYixoUpZGkgDEP6L6Nw8uIwcdW6yhvJCdJLJEc2i7YdIvCcxds7ZNcqcJwPvw5bvHvMHI4SXwM/s320/IMG_0448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448916427328594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlLl_JGyox64TuuRDq-ma3yoYjjXLZSz374mc_Y-TQg6z9WR_8MWsmaejlueaxmKLrIMC0VDxt4w_r3q9zFx-xGLe6sIYh2XRE97eFsimjpCQYtlTlqRHei2Ib-dsgmXDt8tbbqACi0U/s1600-h/IMG_0460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlLl_JGyox64TuuRDq-ma3yoYjjXLZSz374mc_Y-TQg6z9WR_8MWsmaejlueaxmKLrIMC0VDxt4w_r3q9zFx-xGLe6sIYh2XRE97eFsimjpCQYtlTlqRHei2Ib-dsgmXDt8tbbqACi0U/s320/IMG_0460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448913353954306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZLEmn_QFGascPjNbCceaEg4W8tUt7L51fJ9vp6nas0Aqxw-Okae00DFjYhKnny0VCaKN0rrVUuqZGm5x-OYuUkbhvsm2hTNYf8B2fxzyiGj4vwqgDTrqB9xouQLPD8HIxcB1Ty3iWMY/s1600-h/IMG_0446.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZLEmn_QFGascPjNbCceaEg4W8tUt7L51fJ9vp6nas0Aqxw-Okae00DFjYhKnny0VCaKN0rrVUuqZGm5x-OYuUkbhvsm2hTNYf8B2fxzyiGj4vwqgDTrqB9xouQLPD8HIxcB1Ty3iWMY/s320/IMG_0446.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448897403059154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VYp6DYPk8gKF2b_hV-EBK-vVkQc5q8DstXWbNYXkyael-StP_TMvm5BYC1m5WdTNp2qMjiNBopH6GQEmQe-NtE2i-17mlR-Td7J8-AzYCsD_kvYA6aralFgGny-TLbgpFtAXwALcPPQ/s1600-h/Guatemala+Antigua+023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VYp6DYPk8gKF2b_hV-EBK-vVkQc5q8DstXWbNYXkyael-StP_TMvm5BYC1m5WdTNp2qMjiNBopH6GQEmQe-NtE2i-17mlR-Td7J8-AzYCsD_kvYA6aralFgGny-TLbgpFtAXwALcPPQ/s320/Guatemala+Antigua+023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412227970589326642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRpuM6KGbRGq2aftiMWV7RqLcxv2XPpcvSsbnqhy1S7tNcH0ayjE1F6sn4QH_L3Z7kyI63x3urH8ch9uQHv4IXllOYcm5tDliCwv1TqUubU3d3XoUnmsBIEQN95L8Uyydt0OYLEaWfug/s1600-h/Guatemala+Antigua+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRpuM6KGbRGq2aftiMWV7RqLcxv2XPpcvSsbnqhy1S7tNcH0ayjE1F6sn4QH_L3Z7kyI63x3urH8ch9uQHv4IXllOYcm5tDliCwv1TqUubU3d3XoUnmsBIEQN95L8Uyydt0OYLEaWfug/s320/Guatemala+Antigua+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412227959844330978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Usually we play basketball or soccer every friday but this week we got the opportunity to play a little good old fashioned american tackle football. It was an interesting experience, for the most part the kids got the game pretty easily but they had trouble understanding that you are only allowed to throw the ball once, its easy to make that mistake, and we probably had a more fun game because of it. I think in the end Andy's team defeated my team but thats because Boris has a rocket arm and victor was a sick receiver. My team had many communication issues and our precise route running left something to be desired. I was a yac machine though but really let my boys Eduardo and Frank down with my shabby passing ability. I should have gotten that premonition when on our walk to the field I overthrew frank by ten yards and the ball bounced into the back of a huge truck(im a ridiculously strong person and often have trouble restraining my full power). We had to get permission to climb into this truck and get the ball out, overall a pretty embarrassing experience only saved by Boris' smooth talking with the truck owner.(Sidenote- i did not take any of these pictures they are the courtesy of the kids at Los Patojos)Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-28314223437729909742009-11-24T15:10:00.000-08:002009-11-24T15:23:33.599-08:00Random PostHey everyone,<br /><br />I have nothing really interesting to post today but I thought I might ramble on about some of the different things that are going on. A note to some readers this may not be terribly interesting so i apologize for that in advance.<br /><br />School right now is a bit of a mixed bag, i have no idea if im getting any better at speaking spanish. I know that i have the capability to use at least two too many verb tenses but i have no idea if that is translating into more accurate and understandable conversations. To no ones surprise i am terrible at pronouncing everything and when i try to explain to them that i dont pronounce things in english very well either(bagel for example) and that it is just a very me thing to pronounce things a little off they are not very accepting of the concept. Apparently i also have a habit of shrugging my shoulders in that i dont know fashion when i try to pronounce things correctly in the subjunctive tense and it is literally impossible to stop that habit so i look pretty ridiculous most of the time, and im sure if i had to pronounce multiple words in a row i would be doing my patented shoulder dance pretty easily. Other than that i would guess that my spanish is going ok, im churning through the books they give us and people only get mildly frustrated with me, especially when i get stubborn and decide that despite the fact that i dont know spanish i know better than the teachers.<br /><br />Volunteering is a mixed bag right now as well. I really like all of the students in my english class but they show up so sporadically that my many hours of planning tend to get tossed out the window. Last week i made all of these cards for travel vocabulary with pictures and all sorts of destinations and only three students showed up so we ended up just talking about soccer for two hours. Not bad but a bit demoralizing. Teaching basketball is pretty much the same except the kids are so full of energy that we tend to just have a fun time no matter what. Its basically the girls who like to play bball so we end up just playing 3 on 3 for a few hours and they are so funny at times that i have literally fallen on the ground laughing. They love to cheer and yell bravo everytime they score and they love to tell me im a tramposo(cheater) because im so much taller than them, but lets be honest i would be dominating no mattter what my height was. Oh and talking trash with limited spanish to 13 year old girls is a blast, i mean if i was the type of guy who would talk trash to 13 year old girls, doesnt really sound like me though, im far too classy for that.<br /><br />Other than that im currently feeling a little like crap, probably developing a little malaria or yellow fever or it could just be a headache or cold but im no doctor.<br /><br />Let me know if you guys want to hear about anything in particular especially when there is nothing big happening.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-44220884838220045592009-11-16T14:21:00.001-08:002009-11-16T14:21:02.905-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI1ODM4ODQ2NjQwMCZwdD*xMjU4Mzg4NTAwMjg5JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1mYzA5YzZhYTA5OTI*NDEyODBlZjY3MjFjYzVhOGI3ZCZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed875.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab320%2Ftmahan28%2FAcotenango%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" > </embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab320/tmahan28/Acotenango/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-19287994216869936302009-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:002009-11-16T14:44:25.589-08:00Acotenango<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpspXWM_Q0Jp0hXFtX2ZoxmaRWPquUvCtoEsp21E55_FHWj8bT7_ek-8UBbwoDIyPlZN8Eq8F3fIRhJWsNwHGK3sb1UEmJmAR-FTGpw5aLIkIBmz4mU7fz0QzchncGvgYbLLrK2cdnik/s1600/acotenango+035.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404832287039932674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpspXWM_Q0Jp0hXFtX2ZoxmaRWPquUvCtoEsp21E55_FHWj8bT7_ek-8UBbwoDIyPlZN8Eq8F3fIRhJWsNwHGK3sb1UEmJmAR-FTGpw5aLIkIBmz4mU7fz0QzchncGvgYbLLrK2cdnik/s320/acotenango+035.jpg" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMBh9s_9JxkYpw64zNDsMx0syYFY8iUr2eYfuLZnRhrB9PgMG-L6TcfyDX_JqSM45OQe_GIcitljCzX13_xctNnaQuwV_exGIzIOj8BhoAYKxWsZdhCiw25XgKw-lIcRF5ygkFs5UyqU/s1600/acotenango+014.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404830772112139698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMBh9s_9JxkYpw64zNDsMx0syYFY8iUr2eYfuLZnRhrB9PgMG-L6TcfyDX_JqSM45OQe_GIcitljCzX13_xctNnaQuwV_exGIzIOj8BhoAYKxWsZdhCiw25XgKw-lIcRF5ygkFs5UyqU/s320/acotenango+014.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0kdHIx0SGG1OZi3Wkfo5t0Ur8CatlUT0bX86WdA7RpvBsvOs7ck1X_-ZI2sYR75H-9BHr7FcwOdKhizH28KSZN8YLweywEnl8ugylsR77BDeZaMNl4YEPMk5DH6ZNJ9I9g4CZKg_dJ4/s1600/acotenango+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404830768649942034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0kdHIx0SGG1OZi3Wkfo5t0Ur8CatlUT0bX86WdA7RpvBsvOs7ck1X_-ZI2sYR75H-9BHr7FcwOdKhizH28KSZN8YLweywEnl8ugylsR77BDeZaMNl4YEPMk5DH6ZNJ9I9g4CZKg_dJ4/s320/acotenango+001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>On Thursday my plan was simple, I was going to spend the weekend with a nice relaxing trip to the beach town of Monterico, get some sun and watch some turtles race. By Friday my plans had changed dramitically as I sat in the offices of OX and listened to the preexcursion speech on the dangers of the trek we were about to encounter. Instead of cervezas and hammocks I would be ascending 13000 ft in the air and camping out inside a volcanic crater. Things would certainly be different but then again ive never really liked the beach much.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>On saturday morning we got up around 5 and took off for OX[outdoor excursions]. We were to meet up with 9 other brave souls and trek up one of the largest volcanoes in central america. Our day began with the early morning trot through antigua, running late as usual and needing to hustle to not seem like the dead weight slackers of the group. When we arrived we finished filling our packs adding more weight from shared gear, my job to carry up the huge container of curry for that nights dinner. A quick stop at a cafe where we scarfed down some chicken sandwiches in hopes of getting those last tiny bits of protein to propel us up the volcano and we were off.</div><br /><div></div><div>We were told the first 45 minutes would be a flat out bitch and it couldnt have been more true. We trudged through loose dirt and passed local farmlands on our way into the first trails of the volcano. It wasnt long before i was breathing heavy and i was nervous that i was the only one struggling from the onset. The pack already felt like an albatross around my neck and we were bolting up the mountain at breakneck speed. </div><br /><br /><div>When Stefan our guide turned to me and asked me if i did much trekking I wasnt sure wether to lie or not so i blurted out the truth. Nope it was my first time, i havent really done anything like this before. I once tried to climb a small mountain in Massachusetts but ended up driving around a tiny town lost and barely made it to the opening of the mountain before i had to turn back. He was not amused and the look of worry on his face was priceless.</div><br /><div>We climbed and intemittently took breaks to ensure that we were doing alright and properly hydrated. As we climbed higher i hit my stride, keeping up with the pace of the group, listening to stories of how they had climbed the alps, the sierras and the matterhorn and trying to keep it a secret that the closest i had come was reading about stuff like that and once watching the movie with chris odonnell where his sister gets stuck on a mountain and he has to go save her and they are carrying that supersensitive explosive gel, you know the one im talking about. </div><br /><div>When we reached lunch i realized that this was going to be ridiculously hard but it was also incredibly doable. I had been nervous the night before and for much of the early hike but reaching midway and feeling good instilled me with confidence for the rest of the hike. We ate and took an hour to rest and acclimate ourself with the increasing altitude. Vanity got the best of me and as we were told it would be dress to take off our shirts to dry them i obviously decided to try and get some sun and in typical tim fashion i burnt up my entire chest and back turning once again into a fresh steamed lobster.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnB0UX7hTtFJ2br_BCYlwUcgN636WqKzkbY0Vpv3gissYl5Ndlql-l7wow8GqO7keB4Zd1vv7KN9pR9UAHVE3F4Qe_RJhGu0aYmRCx_GCh3jt67mpRk7Vs4djI98zEhlpDPWC5X7ECK8/s1600/acotenango+022.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404830784043506642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnB0UX7hTtFJ2br_BCYlwUcgN636WqKzkbY0Vpv3gissYl5Ndlql-l7wow8GqO7keB4Zd1vv7KN9pR9UAHVE3F4Qe_RJhGu0aYmRCx_GCh3jt67mpRk7Vs4djI98zEhlpDPWC5X7ECK8/s320/acotenango+022.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Along with us on our trip was Chela, a dog who lives at the tour house. That dog carries its own pack and busts up the mountain playing and bounding up some of the more treacherous passes as if they were nothing. She was the best despite her incessant desire to eat our food and her lack of preocupation with knocking you right off the trail with her pack.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4hfcPfR2SspeTcoKRBn3nutNjt7Xk5vscZAgxs7N_OeIw5qtHAurXWK127OKO9qInJPyf2yIhT48IBAoWjXpydnNQ5tJRv7SIcp9sfNj4RdQaUyw_qSAiuxRPUEtZVH-ZJoSMHWbcWM/s1600/acotenango+015.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404830781960138034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4hfcPfR2SspeTcoKRBn3nutNjt7Xk5vscZAgxs7N_OeIw5qtHAurXWK127OKO9qInJPyf2yIhT48IBAoWjXpydnNQ5tJRv7SIcp9sfNj4RdQaUyw_qSAiuxRPUEtZVH-ZJoSMHWbcWM/s320/acotenango+015.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>We climbed for several more hours eventually passing the fake summits and reaching our first summit. It was amazing and we took off our packs to stare at the clouds below us and admire the other volcanoes that made up the panoramic landscape infront of us. We climbed to a small peak and practiced our handstands and jumpkicks above 10000 ft, you never know when you are going to need them. </div><br /><br /><div>By this point our legs were spent, drained of all energy and we were dying to just leave our packs on the ground and be done for the day. Unfortunately we had 45 more minutes of hiking to the final peak and the crater which would be our bedroom for the evening. The last 45 minutes was brutal as we sloshed through gravel and volcanic ash struggling to reach the top. Once we got to the top of the crater it was relief and it looked like the moon.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs06KxlNnu_ps64JaZIFMiaieXq3ymEDfhxFKnhyvBTj-MZ9okw24GUQQP3hNNZO2iLZO3TfSXOLQKDrBSwiKic-oRpqwo7UxPClQjfdrUBtzoIWyCkLXRO96ppTlANC7AhQhqxTz_S_s/s1600/acotenango+023.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404830788232286802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs06KxlNnu_ps64JaZIFMiaieXq3ymEDfhxFKnhyvBTj-MZ9okw24GUQQP3hNNZO2iLZO3TfSXOLQKDrBSwiKic-oRpqwo7UxPClQjfdrUBtzoIWyCkLXRO96ppTlANC7AhQhqxTz_S_s/s320/acotenango+023.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>We walked down into the crater and dropped our packs sensing the end of the first major part of our adventure. The wind blew huge gusts in our faces as we set up the tents and changed into our down jackets for the night. The temperature had dropped signifigantly and we were now close to freezing. Our guide let us know that we had arrived about 2 hours earlier than expected and now our only course of action was to go drink a ton of wine and watch volcano fuego erupt over and over. So we headed off to the side of the volcano, cups in hand and picked our spots to drink and watch the magnificent vistas. </div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlbngudVwZUu26Sx6o1qcZrdvg1POZRL5fMeXj2XYWEEb1mwXwlJLWr8jLh6v4wrS8jNtKe7R-F3uYqjjSPObq5y_GxwNrRseRyFeoYe-SiVB6zbYBVQ7Z2XdxSTKIgMYuLpaj1TVJc8/s1600/acotenango+034.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404832282287625522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlbngudVwZUu26Sx6o1qcZrdvg1POZRL5fMeXj2XYWEEb1mwXwlJLWr8jLh6v4wrS8jNtKe7R-F3uYqjjSPObq5y_GxwNrRseRyFeoYe-SiVB6zbYBVQ7Z2XdxSTKIgMYuLpaj1TVJc8/s320/acotenango+034.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>The combination of altitude and booze, which went from red wine to rum to bacardi fairly quickly, led some members of the group to get a little tipsy and as we started to hurl boulders down the mountain and sing all sorts of partially remembered pop songs the sunset on us and the temperature dropped to ass kicking point. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kQ84ZYzK_zQG95JU_zAOy4qfdUQSPlaBK9Jd_cXQ7xU4Tx-XyAg5qm-SPz6Z0htCIGszEeavlMglYL4ASOPSyaDSxlRG-LzfbSJluChWiF-uL1S2WEZ4cfjoj-HwxGGCPxD_fJ_Z0Xg/s1600/acotenango+029.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404832277669592354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kQ84ZYzK_zQG95JU_zAOy4qfdUQSPlaBK9Jd_cXQ7xU4Tx-XyAg5qm-SPz6Z0htCIGszEeavlMglYL4ASOPSyaDSxlRG-LzfbSJluChWiF-uL1S2WEZ4cfjoj-HwxGGCPxD_fJ_Z0Xg/s320/acotenango+029.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>We ate our curry dinner and then headed quickly off to bed, the security and warmth of our sleeping bags a welcome treat. Our tent was shared with Chela and she was not the most accomadating tentmate. By midnight my face was pressed into the side of the tent as andy and lindsey had shoved me from my spot into my tight squeeze. We came to find out that as we were packed like sardines the dog had taken over the tent and had occupied 2 and half spots for herself and was not going to be moved easily. We struggled with this all night eventually realizing that tiny bits of uncomfortable sleep were the best we could ask for.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>When i woke up from my last 5 min rest i was completely nauseous suffering from altitude sickness and thought i was going to throw up or fall face first from dizziness. I did my best to walk up to the edge of the crater to watch the sunset with everyone but could only sit and pray not to vomit in front of everyone. Chela came over and joined me, she must have sensed i needed a little support at that time or she just wanted to steal my warmth as her down jacket wasnt providing enough. We watched the sunrise together and i began to start feeling like myself again. Apparently i just wasnt getting enough oxygen as i slept and recuperated quickly, thank god.[this is also why i have no pics of the sunrise]</div><br /><br /><div>The descent was another adventure altogether. Our first inclination that it would be something different was when our guide told us we needed to be safe and do exactly as he did and then he sprinted down the first major part of the descent sending volcanic ash flying as bolted down. We all gave each other that look of holy crap i guess we have to do that too and we followed in hot pursuit. The descent was a series of sprints down mixed in with ridiculous jungle leaves in your face as you weaved down the mountain and silently prayed to not fall on your ass. We took little to know breaks asking each other what the big rush was.By the time we reached the homestretch my knee was throbbing, Lindseys toes were brutalized, andy was exhausted and the rest of our group was suffering from blisters and varying other ailments. Our guides had left us in their dust and our only course of action was to fend for ourselves. Somehow we made it to the bottom jelly legged and covered in sweat. When we reached the van our guides gave us high fives and told us we made it in record time, i was too tired and cared very little for records though i will say i smoked that cocky swiss kid who stole my walking stick[he know he stole it too and deserves eating my dust]</div><br /><br /><div>We took our van ride back cramping up on the ride and then hobbled back finishing our day with lunch at Rainbow cafe, sharing our moments of self doubt, our favorite moments[sunset for me] and our shared knowledge that we would not be attempting this again anytime soon. In closing I know many of you have done some crazy stuff and maybe its much more impressive than 13000 ft but lay off this was big for me and im pretty proud of myself because i did pretty damn well.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Sidenote we are all walking with decisive limps and Brenda, one of the daughters at our homestay, thinks its hilarious to sneak up behind us and then grab or poke our quads and watch as we freak out.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-89799492694163097702009-11-11T14:18:00.000-08:002009-11-11T14:30:25.695-08:00Mesero Correra<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKY_4935tSthuHxRlHd41Br2CJsbAHzJ7CkzkAEDPwUbpt5_a25Kg9ndB6LpLE5PqnLSJW1VS4Zcpsa0sP2LmCDCLX0j-ri5kBM2Si-z3rUKdM9Eaf2hGxfzU3yMmMU78L_avEzniQ8s/s1600-h/IMG_0274%5B1%5D"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402976875380964034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKY_4935tSthuHxRlHd41Br2CJsbAHzJ7CkzkAEDPwUbpt5_a25Kg9ndB6LpLE5PqnLSJW1VS4Zcpsa0sP2LmCDCLX0j-ri5kBM2Si-z3rUKdM9Eaf2hGxfzU3yMmMU78L_avEzniQ8s/s320/IMG_0274%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESWUusEv-p1a6dU0UUcDQfLMNO3lgUYQn_4Ea3JNCy6O4LfcprDzePmTrkG4j3SeUHcW2yTYf3dvOSC7GBjW_rv6ysc7SP5pN4JS613jUfyWBWKpp3OjzrQOi1gFHXJXl0DT_gbwGrug/s1600-h/IMG_0281%5B1%5D"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402976871220992082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESWUusEv-p1a6dU0UUcDQfLMNO3lgUYQn_4Ea3JNCy6O4LfcprDzePmTrkG4j3SeUHcW2yTYf3dvOSC7GBjW_rv6ysc7SP5pN4JS613jUfyWBWKpp3OjzrQOi1gFHXJXl0DT_gbwGrug/s320/IMG_0281%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1eVsws1xQQGB0y7kZE-pmFPFDCmp7vAnhAZXbCG46zJuM1SY62SaiZ776ddb2YYFJ3V8JQfwv7e2nvxnm0gNPxEqALR9hv05KFeNMYD5gcIWb-NEBEhEq8ksgtYkjrWxAADTjXkqBIs/s1600-h/IMG_0272%5B1%5D"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402976866150956770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1eVsws1xQQGB0y7kZE-pmFPFDCmp7vAnhAZXbCG46zJuM1SY62SaiZ776ddb2YYFJ3V8JQfwv7e2nvxnm0gNPxEqALR9hv05KFeNMYD5gcIWb-NEBEhEq8ksgtYkjrWxAADTjXkqBIs/s320/IMG_0272%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeKmDw8ByD4OOLLqsTd_li2IzUKQYlnC6rqWhJEQLi_DDJtSndmirBHs510K7rVWpWiI8Ruu-wvEcDSNiokSD8i69cF6jPENHSEYJIkcrQZdRWfHzPRod2qXC5nDVwfNyNTWR-WwFTmI/s1600-h/IMG_0276%5B1%5D"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402976859249468850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeKmDw8ByD4OOLLqsTd_li2IzUKQYlnC6rqWhJEQLi_DDJtSndmirBHs510K7rVWpWiI8Ruu-wvEcDSNiokSD8i69cF6jPENHSEYJIkcrQZdRWfHzPRod2qXC5nDVwfNyNTWR-WwFTmI/s320/IMG_0276%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_wvbsPm7DULvPS0BppQLam5QHCYPyGIbPXHx3J6cJa1_9CXq9lFxsJaUw0c2WeqipNl4L3fjHFAOyxQnzQ8qJGKRFxOoOThCW3Wte4z3K6tUc97hc3QDjJvlmBiVaqhki2MtsAc2KXY/s1600-h/IMG_0270%5B1%5D"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402976852443374226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_wvbsPm7DULvPS0BppQLam5QHCYPyGIbPXHx3J6cJa1_9CXq9lFxsJaUw0c2WeqipNl4L3fjHFAOyxQnzQ8qJGKRFxOoOThCW3Wte4z3K6tUc97hc3QDjJvlmBiVaqhki2MtsAc2KXY/s320/IMG_0270%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Today we convinced our teacher instead of having class in the morning we would be better off going to watch a race where waiters carry trays through the streets. It was pretty interesting though it all devolved into our teacher ogling some Gallo beer promotional girls. All in all it was an interesting morning. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpHxfXiAheP1CvxC9_9DI0YE-B4mQO5MCh-dqTK3PAkRvt_1v80Bc3M0DSMNYRgeDKrJwSWnpIAw3iHq3MuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></div></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-68850990104358386712009-11-10T14:25:00.000-08:002009-11-10T15:01:35.938-08:00Tikal and Yaxha<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKmgoIjSKV_H52gSE68MZQYbIxXwmlHOMCB8dc7a74uTv-u7KyzP_B3Ck1t7scTcrucmBVD6gI2DhlyHYik5GWQ1KpYEJ5dO4XpOeC-6y0fKczNk8a8sCddpAciPOhkz-pKZkxqZvGUo/s1600-h/IMG_0245%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKmgoIjSKV_H52gSE68MZQYbIxXwmlHOMCB8dc7a74uTv-u7KyzP_B3Ck1t7scTcrucmBVD6gI2DhlyHYik5GWQ1KpYEJ5dO4XpOeC-6y0fKczNk8a8sCddpAciPOhkz-pKZkxqZvGUo/s320/IMG_0245%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402613533992514242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLbTAtn75iMaPIgV2AMHBIKfpIbrcHpJaPUfxMC_2Bfb7jF3ME43QA3ifV1m8QZcQJ9EjnunVJnanbc7HBc14EMgwPqXyAZijVdRVvcRG0FVR7U0HoNaEWZHkWL7r5vNmtDkXjk1P7Mc/s1600-h/IMG_0228%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLbTAtn75iMaPIgV2AMHBIKfpIbrcHpJaPUfxMC_2Bfb7jF3ME43QA3ifV1m8QZcQJ9EjnunVJnanbc7HBc14EMgwPqXyAZijVdRVvcRG0FVR7U0HoNaEWZHkWL7r5vNmtDkXjk1P7Mc/s320/IMG_0228%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402613523156100258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJji7TRqS8zWQ2zA29iMnfSTO9HY5VYfR_DzRZuG1u85gXn7YziTK0oHpZ-a_Nv-MyXpXz0zmCKSGr8SpGKEjdidjk11zTGysiDi6IekOBvmniu31W-eIr7EUy-x4yEUPjUHn3y2GmpmA/s1600-h/IMG_0216%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJji7TRqS8zWQ2zA29iMnfSTO9HY5VYfR_DzRZuG1u85gXn7YziTK0oHpZ-a_Nv-MyXpXz0zmCKSGr8SpGKEjdidjk11zTGysiDi6IekOBvmniu31W-eIr7EUy-x4yEUPjUHn3y2GmpmA/s320/IMG_0216%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402613519942772674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwddDGkqep-a-xpLe1j6d-CBbLEQoFXScDfu90hI7pu5M3z9cToUUpOFzJn1kAlsC1Dlhx8HAESzG7NKRym2Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0uuuzyNkxlMBgmOJzkszzjSTxkaQJEoUeA3R9ybDQUgy689G36uKaxE1BRCLxmBTXP3VRd8CMP5mn4pb16N4a5rAyhw9t68XmWwmkLBOYFcjOAGzefcGoidqIR0csda5-6_Qbvxd_5o/s1600-h/IMG_0207%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0uuuzyNkxlMBgmOJzkszzjSTxkaQJEoUeA3R9ybDQUgy689G36uKaxE1BRCLxmBTXP3VRd8CMP5mn4pb16N4a5rAyhw9t68XmWwmkLBOYFcjOAGzefcGoidqIR0csda5-6_Qbvxd_5o/s320/IMG_0207%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402609341351467682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5tzdmGqU2XAF0B5TBPpoIpYpGz6OjWfn79XKPhpUKy2UAG4FrBgdi3KjwWAqevRzEGBUrK3Y8bC7Pv-jqIuy-jCSNvvUJOYcXC6ndPf6Mo4r0onV4RbK1Kt5zVd9_dBva3_rxD2G2QE/s1600-h/IMG_0206%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5tzdmGqU2XAF0B5TBPpoIpYpGz6OjWfn79XKPhpUKy2UAG4FrBgdi3KjwWAqevRzEGBUrK3Y8bC7Pv-jqIuy-jCSNvvUJOYcXC6ndPf6Mo4r0onV4RbK1Kt5zVd9_dBva3_rxD2G2QE/s320/IMG_0206%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402609331700466450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HXmLev6v2cShQZx4Pi29qhfphlE1zTBCaBhpJ-rXJO4oJb-W7FM00zUMrVhY-O9Wcn4ua0rEshAg5LI4okNepo843eQosyg3-zJDPYYL7Nxlz5o1d2hqRGZL7UcoeO5LBuilHkzKD3A/s1600-h/IMG_0199%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HXmLev6v2cShQZx4Pi29qhfphlE1zTBCaBhpJ-rXJO4oJb-W7FM00zUMrVhY-O9Wcn4ua0rEshAg5LI4okNepo843eQosyg3-zJDPYYL7Nxlz5o1d2hqRGZL7UcoeO5LBuilHkzKD3A/s320/IMG_0199%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402609323719590722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I knew of Tikal far before I had ever heard the name and far before I ever took off for Guatemala. Only in my mind Tikal is Yavin IV the secret base of the rebel alliance where Luke came to fruition and listened as Admiral Akbar dispensed important intel on the destruction of the Death Star.<br /><br />I got my chance to see Tikal for real this weekend and it is an amazing place. It was one of the major city states in the Mayan empire with skyscraping pyramids and temples. One of those places on earth that everyone really should try and see because it puts you in awe with mans ability to create.<br /><br />I took off for Tikal in the early morning waking around 4 and heading for the airport with Cathy. Since Andy and Lindsey had already seen Tikal and were on an adventure of their own it was just the two of us for this trip. When we arrived at the airport in Flores we were greeted by Carlos who would be our guide for the next two days.<br /><br />Our first tour would involve seeing some of the major temples and sites in Tikal. To get there Carlos insisted we take a pickup truck and we were carted through the walking paths like lazy people at airports, we felt a little like aholes but it was pretty fun at times to watch people give us snooty looks. It was even more fun to see the other group from our school who had taken the bus 11 hours to get to Tikal and wave at them as if we were local celebrities in the big homecoming parade.<br /><br />We got to the first temple which was the massive temple iv and it was a blast to ascend and then take in the views. You get such a ridiculous view of the jungle and the other pyramids from temple iv it really is amazing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_xH8G1ZrW0HsjivKIEM6JPV8rN7iEejxclz6ea4Eqjd-5jhKOpHIo545R_xu7GQcuWWv7BIeSphu2IfPJGlVptGukQBIKECTk4h5JCQ0KrEdFP5oOcqzlrNS9Q8kFDynlC5B7nICIzY/s1600-h/IMG_0200%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_xH8G1ZrW0HsjivKIEM6JPV8rN7iEejxclz6ea4Eqjd-5jhKOpHIo545R_xu7GQcuWWv7BIeSphu2IfPJGlVptGukQBIKECTk4h5JCQ0KrEdFP5oOcqzlrNS9Q8kFDynlC5B7nICIzY/s320/IMG_0200%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402609322069274642" border="0" /></a><br />After that we were greeted with the rain. It had rained all week in torrential proportions in Antigua and today would be no different. We went from pyramid to pyramid and got soaked. When i attempted a handstand for a picture i almost ate it when i slipped on the grass. None the less we were able to tour around the city and see all of the pyramids, temples, and residences.<br /><br />One of highlights was standing listening to some history of the mayan people and i didnt realize that i was standing on a huge ant hill. The ants attacked me like ferocious beasts and bit the crap out of my legs. It was a continous pleasant surprise throughout the day to feel a sharp pain in my back or behind my knees and have a nice ant bite waiting for me.<br /><br />We finished up the tour in a thunderstorm but were able to see some really nice sites. I was a big fan of the central plaza which had some smaller temples as well as houses and places for human sacrifice(i think thats what someone said at least). It was interesting to see everything in such a close proximity.<br /><br />The next morning we woke up early again to try and catch the sunrise and this was one of highlights. For about 20 minutes on the top of temple iv we watched the sun ascend, though blocked by clouds though it was still beautiful, and watched the fog dance over the jungle top. The silence and the early morning were really something to behold. Its a must if you ever travel to tikal.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSVT37zGJAu25xRK41vEAz8u0I1muU-0jo6LZaz6hzox74bR5625e90ABwyPRbOvjovodHp1OE69QwI-jtsbyw1a9lw8ES2W9NsJVfoEtcYK00aVjgjG4MDZuf9oeXgYgZ-PNcGCZZ48/s1600-h/IMG_0241%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSVT37zGJAu25xRK41vEAz8u0I1muU-0jo6LZaz6hzox74bR5625e90ABwyPRbOvjovodHp1OE69QwI-jtsbyw1a9lw8ES2W9NsJVfoEtcYK00aVjgjG4MDZuf9oeXgYgZ-PNcGCZZ48/s320/IMG_0241%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402609327094857074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Other highlights from Tikal: -climbing one of the steepest ladders i have ever seen and having a group of australian tourists on the way down tell me that they thought i was an aussie and that my accent sounds more australian than american<br />-carlos explaining to me where the word ok came from before he lectured me on the need to have at least two girlfriends, one is simply not enough according to carlos<br />-the smell of my clothes, a potpourri of sweat mud and rain.<br />-a sweet dessertt of rice and milk, surprisingly tasty<br /><br />Yaxha is a second site of ruins that was recently discovered. It is a little more of a small town compared to a major city that tikal is. It was pretty impressive and had some great stuff to climb and see as well. They also had some ball courts where the mayans played their sport. It was much smaller but there was more stuff in a close proximity to each other and it was all newly excavated so it was pretty exciting to get the opportunity to see it.<br /><br />We then got to head into Flores which is a cool little beach like town. We took a short boat ride and at one point the carlos asked me to walk to the front of the boat and take a photo of everyone. I wanted to Carlos that i am petrified of boats and water and the idea of walking to the front was making me nauseous but im pretty sure he wouldnt have understood that and i was forced to the front to be the photographer in the group. Later on some of the folks in the group were snacking on some mango ice cream when the people of flores lit off some fireworks. One of the german ladies we were with was shocked and confused by the fireworks and when she approached me to ask why they were doing she missed a step and went tumbling down a flight of stairs, i was left with her hat in my hand as i attempted to grab her hand to no avail. She went down hard putting a pretty big scare into our group. She was unharmed for the most part despite having two artificial knees. She did sustain a massive gash under her chin but Cathy used her nursing skills to take care of it. Needless to say Carlos felt like ending the day there and we all headed for the airport and our return trip to Antigua.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-337564334546649562009-11-02T12:22:00.000-08:002009-11-02T13:25:20.854-08:00Sumpango kite festival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvkok_7p8GgvNv2Y7E1QHVx1esZ5X8xtQuTRti6k_XfXffm8GA9Alc8-h0mJ4WlrnzrjGKyNoMF9q_j8EVVJVDiZZiGADR-6HJIEB7VlFyOZ_T6Fm0SHREkVznYzaFtwFjaYD9Aqd3pE/s1600-h/IMG_0123%5B1%5D"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399607536040029122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvkok_7p8GgvNv2Y7E1QHVx1esZ5X8xtQuTRti6k_XfXffm8GA9Alc8-h0mJ4WlrnzrjGKyNoMF9q_j8EVVJVDiZZiGADR-6HJIEB7VlFyOZ_T6Fm0SHREkVznYzaFtwFjaYD9Aqd3pE/s320/IMG_0123%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CuDqG_ABDbA9u7YqLPEy8602MywaRRo0x7ha8G0NsDsEYykv3nvqcpzkx65e1_fjf5i7f1k3Q4UJFeJxNsfz7N06a_j7p288vTWWmoAXJRvFZZ1PwfZ_j1NVZKlCj1MOhp8cnZNOXlQ/s1600-h/IMG_0108%5B1%5D"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399607527422577986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CuDqG_ABDbA9u7YqLPEy8602MywaRRo0x7ha8G0NsDsEYykv3nvqcpzkx65e1_fjf5i7f1k3Q4UJFeJxNsfz7N06a_j7p288vTWWmoAXJRvFZZ1PwfZ_j1NVZKlCj1MOhp8cnZNOXlQ/s320/IMG_0108%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijabkJ42AdCfJ8KqEVARphAYaN21PecipWBgcWc1RHN7a4ee2HcRCbl9LKgnI19AP0sTEXlHuPKx8crlhp1u2fXWtewDu5ooQm6UoYVATrsECouv6qfWifGAKZ4eG74DcEOFaMGtcRKo8/s1600-h/IMG_0156%5B1%5D"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399607523461960050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijabkJ42AdCfJ8KqEVARphAYaN21PecipWBgcWc1RHN7a4ee2HcRCbl9LKgnI19AP0sTEXlHuPKx8crlhp1u2fXWtewDu5ooQm6UoYVATrsECouv6qfWifGAKZ4eG74DcEOFaMGtcRKo8/s320/IMG_0156%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX80kDa_AcSPq93l5fRUaGtCVRiD8Cg0hZg55jW3g3b_Vbvm7zN_pWBjvyh1VvULmYclIQi7alVxYDCWcJst1DwIUOVyAPADfpoFxWYvH5lVdasyDYL_ljYjvRy1d9IjDoUnHcUjtmlsI/s1600-h/IMG_0107%5B1%5D"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399607519508721394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX80kDa_AcSPq93l5fRUaGtCVRiD8Cg0hZg55jW3g3b_Vbvm7zN_pWBjvyh1VvULmYclIQi7alVxYDCWcJst1DwIUOVyAPADfpoFxWYvH5lVdasyDYL_ljYjvRy1d9IjDoUnHcUjtmlsI/s320/IMG_0107%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB60duYsA2iA5pXapWDN1GKisx2m14svJCvAn-0ffhFSAeTXUlUqYcir6cls-_fJQgP2w8pU87c6PJ9pXnavvmC4ftRUMdbJwjQ-C5anwRECsmFXHeztEWWfNST9bXJGHlyUa6gcoIw4/s1600-h/IMG_0100%5B1%5D"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399607512549787346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB60duYsA2iA5pXapWDN1GKisx2m14svJCvAn-0ffhFSAeTXUlUqYcir6cls-_fJQgP2w8pU87c6PJ9pXnavvmC4ftRUMdbJwjQ-C5anwRECsmFXHeztEWWfNST9bXJGHlyUa6gcoIw4/s320/IMG_0100%5B1%5D" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Just a quick written post today.</div><br /><br /><div>Went to the annual Sumpango monster kite festival yesterday. They make ridiculously amazing kites that are huge and intricate. Its embarrassing because they made their kites with the same tissue paper i made mine.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Putting up some videos for your enjoyment!</div><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwSh6ULFd9YDQbaqrlzcvLpSPtwi_1RMj1KO35jdfZLf3a6rQd5EWUN7zfI-7mnIFsZZ3LZKQUPi1rlNarXBA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></div></div><br /><p> </p><p> </p><p>more pics to come...</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-49682645829683714572009-10-30T13:27:00.001-07:002009-10-30T14:33:08.455-07:00Go Fly a Kite!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetTMQQkDUaAHGKg3_70S0eLPXbc4Fl3XUQgSfd2Pdz4uUHbhvIwF5zMwu6JsLxo6qEYTys4ng19ilhcqatDDzWnqLxdh7aQCqZ5Bp9b0k7Qxkz4cnKDveufQKlW_PEtfKV3mssZqOdAs/s1600-h/IMG_0094[1]"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398499219384162386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetTMQQkDUaAHGKg3_70S0eLPXbc4Fl3XUQgSfd2Pdz4uUHbhvIwF5zMwu6JsLxo6qEYTys4ng19ilhcqatDDzWnqLxdh7aQCqZ5Bp9b0k7Qxkz4cnKDveufQKlW_PEtfKV3mssZqOdAs/s320/IMG_0094%5B1%5D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_Kh33-6WH8PNeuM6dMlaicctGHC4NakCwFRyUBPEBcp4hGA9PJ97TFvrhfQwTarkqqFMXCbJq5TlveHotSDLMJjj4Tk9PbLrjf-fQ555PkmBQG1-8hEUbw4ff9POl5tpAxDktS1DR9E/s1600-h/IMG_0084[1]"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398497078047039682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_Kh33-6WH8PNeuM6dMlaicctGHC4NakCwFRyUBPEBcp4hGA9PJ97TFvrhfQwTarkqqFMXCbJq5TlveHotSDLMJjj4Tk9PbLrjf-fQ555PkmBQG1-8hEUbw4ff9POl5tpAxDktS1DR9E/s320/IMG_0084%5B1%5D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkVR-oAoYk_eD0bOp4MDNjKyEvL9HxzACaeQXhG1Ob_MHJWwqMEhh3om0Bc1WfP-E99Ik223MfmENni3MMlsRsIbNxUR6Agm5chtQCeS3smQfdC6plOR96kngb5iopDW7ZN76Zk-JOOE/s1600-h/IMG_0090[1]"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398496207111011538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkVR-oAoYk_eD0bOp4MDNjKyEvL9HxzACaeQXhG1Ob_MHJWwqMEhh3om0Bc1WfP-E99Ik223MfmENni3MMlsRsIbNxUR6Agm5chtQCeS3smQfdC6plOR96kngb5iopDW7ZN76Zk-JOOE/s320/IMG_0090%5B1%5D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>One of the more interesting aspects of being down here the past week or so is that people love kites. They flat out love them. It has a more spiritual connection and November 1 is the big day for kites. They make huge barilletas(more octagonal kites) and then fly them in order to make a deeper connection with dead relatives. There is a connection between the wind and spirits and the higher you get the closer you are with those spirits.</div><br /><div>In our school we got the opportunity to try our hands at kite making. Ill be honest, despite wanting desperately to be good at art I have the artistic talent of a first grader. Making the kite was a complete pain in the ass for me, there was not one step along the way that I did correctly and the teacher kept giving me that look, the one where inside his head he is wondering if I am really just a functional retard and based on my kite he was pretty convinced that I was a full blown retard. Its tough to keep thinking you are cool when someone has to tie knots for you and they realize you dont know how to measure or cut. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398499218905808818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6PXagN0SDdvME6Mja8nvt0bf-QWUlGHzcE1ep0A_HyAGWUNgg7mulz2UxpcRy5uXWjoMxclyJVkYDwPakLGm49uAEwSy1mqIHl2lwe_sEs315cxFze9jMQrmaG_o9329zP_R-iPjku4/s320/IMG_0085%5B1%5D" border="0" /><br /><div>My kite was basically the worst one in the group and I was not ok with that. I wanted so badly to make a great kite, to make a beautiful one that other people in class would ooo and ahhh about and subtely comment about how much of a renaissance man I was but it was a terrible terrible kite that should have been shot and put out of its misery.</div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398499206819862610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j7xwj61OJPTHxJZv0yLkE1r8GbsYhpascMUQlPYYXqUVu-g0xyExxeiQRar2HNOkjmRTnEuaygKubLwGKz5UC9tXwBwOQpfoT_mxUHoovzxqhj09hFVjNNWpSd5J2eLb3cd8MbOZFk4/s320/IMG_0091%5B1%5D" border="0" /><br /><div>I had no choice the next day but to take the kite with the rest of the class up to the cross, a giant crucifix on a hill that overlooks the entire town. I was glad that they put my kite in a plastic bag so the locals could not see it. It was made all the worse because all of the teachers at the school made their own barrilletas and they were ridiculous. It took me two hours to make my piece of crap and they whipped up these intricate colorful kites in minutes. They were decked out with fringe and intricate lettering. I felt pathetic.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398499200682236322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyu4iFeVH9Zsjw_NYCuDVFFr5KLV8m02GQ7OCBw_SXSNJIaeuhFtY9CR3LaUVmlpYNPSDERKMcICT4HTXwITAkMRm5VEczAI3-1yV7_LJtq32kmqmKO1YSj5YnjMRW1RGPmcehZvIA3Q/s320/IMG_0089%5B1%5D" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>When we got to the cross my spirits were not raised either. I watched person after person toss their kite in the air and as their kites ascended to the heaven I tried to keep my kite from decapitating any onlookers. I tried again and again to no avail as my kite sputtered back down crashing into the ground as I was engulfed in string.</div><br /><div>I got lucky and the right gust of wind pulled my kite mercifully out of my hands and into the stratosphere. I almost got it tangled in the cross and i was consistently crossing streams with other kite flyers but eventually my kite sailed the way a kite is supposed to sail. I got some nice condescending cheers from the other members of the class as my masterpiece flew miles into the sky. </div><br /><div>After a while of watching it glide and fiddling with the string in an attempt to look like I knew what I was doing it became relaxing to just sit and watch the kite dance in the wind. It flew farther and farther away until I had no choice but to just let it go.</div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398499214978299250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRZA3zlD-7dBIY8EAzGk04Z9Mm4t6gZaWopXlNjsHu8iklpWAumWXEe7vzytMINgUMohxcMU5lndjOkmvZckfdW8IgD4UzykV4sKdGz_n-ehQeR0YI_c0ko5eDLfQcDKreb40BpXpSfw/s320/IMG_0083%5B1%5D" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>On sunday we are going to a major kite festival about an hour away to watch some serious kite flyers do their things. It should be interesting. So on sunday if you want to do a little transcontinental solidarity go build a kite or buy one and fly it, itll be a nice little moment for us.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-9177151804753285602009-10-24T16:01:00.001-07:002009-10-24T16:47:21.528-07:00Sitting in a cafe, watching the espn gamecast of alabama vs tennesee. 4 Seconds left bama timeout, vols kicking a field goal. Not good, not good at all. Thought i would do a quick blog for those of you who are interested.<br /><br />This week was pretty status quo in most ways. Class continues to be difficult but i am learning a lot. I think im getting better at espanol and im doing my best to get out there and chat with real people so i can gauge my spanish skills by the quizzical looks on their faces.<br /><br />Andy and I went to an afterschool progam in Jocotanango(sp?). It was a big day for us not just because we were checking out the program but because we had to take the bus without any help. It was pretty funny how many questions we asked, are you sure all buses go there? Where does it drop us off? how much do we have to pay? who do we pay? What do you mean almost all buses go there?<br />Turned out it was a 3 minute ride, literally the easiest bus ride in history, im a stress traveler though at all times.<br /><br />The school we went to was pretty cool. The guy who started, really still just a kid, converted his own house into a place for kids to come for education and health. He wants the kids of his town to have a place that is positive and shows them other options in life. They do tons of art and music projects and every kid there is so positive and upbeat. The second i walked through the door a kid ran up to me and asked me to lift him to the ceiling and than ran away laughing and screaming.<br /><br />The director of the school is one of the most inspirational guys ive ever talked too. He is cool as hell and super passionate about his project. He told us we can do whatever project we want and design it for an authentic experience. Im thinking of doing something with bball and writing, maybe playing games, keeping stats and writing articles. Let me know what you think.<br /><br />He also may have convinced me to become an english teacher. He was talking about how some people in Guattuemal think they are wicked cool because they can speak english when "any idiot can speak english, and alot of times it is the real idiots who do'" coincidentally i met that guy earlier in the day. He told me he could kick my ass in basketball at least a dozen times and when someone asked him if he was a teacher(he was hanging out at a language school) he said he only knows how to teach people to roll joints and smoke them. So long story short im contemplating teaching english, or at least teaching people how to be cool, i have a ridiculous amount of knowledge on how to be cool. Tengo Frio!<br /><br />So im going to spend the weeekend contemplating some volunteer opportunities, ill keep you guys updated.<br /><br />In other volunteer news, Lindsey set us up with a chance to to habitat for humanity this morning. We met up with this great old lady, Matilda. She was a tiny little peanut, very Hans Moleman, only a Guatemalan female version. She walked us to the bus and man she doesnt take any guff of anybody. When we got to the bus she asked the bus driver which bus to our destination and when he said a completely different one she gave him a no i didnt say that idiot kind of retort. She was pretty bad ass for a tiny lady with a keyser soze limp.<br /><br />We ended up taking the bus about 4 kilometres out of Antigua and then walked a bit to this new development of houses. It wasnt what you might expect from a Habitat for Humanity house. The development was gated and just so damn close to the volcano. They had some pretty swanky houses by Guatemalan standards and the development had a pool, a pretty nice pool. We wandered all around this place eventually coming upon a tiny little cinderblock house being built by Marcos. Matilda surprised the hell out of Marcos by telling him he had four fresh volunteers to help build the house.<br /><br />Long story short, we carried cinder blocks, cleaned up broken cinder blocks and watched Marcos work for most of the time. I dont think ill be putting this down on my resume as building a house or working for habitat. I could put it down as chatting and watching and occasionally handing someone a cinderblock but definitely not much more than that. After 3 hours we hit the road fulfilling our requirement and leaving Marcos with more confusion than actual help but in theory we were going to help an ready to do what it takes. I think its the spirit that counts, or so ive heard.<br /><br />That bama ending sounds amazing, and surreal.<br /><br />Well the computer im using is crappy so its a little difficult to type and its a bit frustrating. Ill write more later.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163520811188701476.post-37234981636494278682009-10-21T17:00:00.001-07:002009-10-21T17:01:59.881-07:00Random pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc-MOSu6PD_TciCHPdTfbH6DWUhZu59oU3UGh32i_cPWaU21gZwHKybAhD0czzF4cHp-wLb5P5CdNnaK5qA21svD2wn-QWRLiG1pCQZYR0GhmD_RovgXilfKlWOqR4T7xQi1wIk-9l_0/s1600-h/1.1255732345.miss-antigua.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc-MOSu6PD_TciCHPdTfbH6DWUhZu59oU3UGh32i_cPWaU21gZwHKybAhD0czzF4cHp-wLb5P5CdNnaK5qA21svD2wn-QWRLiG1pCQZYR0GhmD_RovgXilfKlWOqR4T7xQi1wIk-9l_0/s320/1.1255732345.miss-antigua.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395207780320585570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRQqd_mbbXcuKuriV7S0H3_c_dgZcDKXW2L2JIYtW6zQLW04MZ-hJ81GA6VVtTkQSgT8QTBevKtc78wbOnFT8cQazqbtK_0PFhk3rJTVk7jKIcuoUPGfgQU5GBzZFODWfjcoFY9pV16A/s1600-h/1.1255732345.studying-spanish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRQqd_mbbXcuKuriV7S0H3_c_dgZcDKXW2L2JIYtW6zQLW04MZ-hJ81GA6VVtTkQSgT8QTBevKtc78wbOnFT8cQazqbtK_0PFhk3rJTVk7jKIcuoUPGfgQU5GBzZFODWfjcoFY9pV16A/s320/1.1255732345.studying-spanish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395207775776430130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjKw8H_puP7khHmCB-DByk-O73Sg_TqaizczoWBt4zh7_jNzCEQeVSA_ujkt5tzGLHyfyR1_Z4MByqCDp9iRLa8ufpxUwxs7rnilSsq8gkwxzoptMqz_hEB7OxL88Uwb51n4OVXBbxyc/s1600-h/1.1255732345.andrea-s-last-night-at-the-homestay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjKw8H_puP7khHmCB-DByk-O73Sg_TqaizczoWBt4zh7_jNzCEQeVSA_ujkt5tzGLHyfyR1_Z4MByqCDp9iRLa8ufpxUwxs7rnilSsq8gkwxzoptMqz_hEB7OxL88Uwb51n4OVXBbxyc/s320/1.1255732345.andrea-s-last-night-at-the-homestay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395207774462838818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIr8BkEnlm68H_ywAavf69ZGEDyOGqei-eHyE5bfeBxkbBdJO6zr8m40kdV_P-YxJfQoVlCjKB19Hb0cO2dPZKAO90EHZroPo8ZEl39Y93HCalPtmoijtDljCtrXzBbm6FJZYEP2LrDg/s1600-h/1.1254652121.main-street-on-a-very-clear-day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIr8BkEnlm68H_ywAavf69ZGEDyOGqei-eHyE5bfeBxkbBdJO6zr8m40kdV_P-YxJfQoVlCjKB19Hb0cO2dPZKAO90EHZroPo8ZEl39Y93HCalPtmoijtDljCtrXzBbm6FJZYEP2LrDg/s320/1.1254652121.main-street-on-a-very-clear-day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395207775115262818" border="0" /></a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08355301959046642489noreply@blogger.com0