by Alison Baglien, Greenheart Travel Gap Year Participant
My time here in Peru is flying by; I can’t believe I only have a week left before moving on to Ecuador. The last couple of weeks have been pretty great.
photo by Alison Baglien
First and foremost, all the students who were stuck at Machu Pichhu are back safe and sound.They ended up being stuck for five days as that’s how long it took to evacuate everyone. Most of the area has dried out a bit, and the rebuilding of homes, businesses etc. has begun. The outlying homes on the hills were hit the worst. The school I’m attending is located in the heart of the city and fared much better, however, we still had homes ruined on our street. Whereas Cuzco is functioning somewhat normally again, electricity and water is readily available, in Aguas Calientes and Macchu Picchu it is not.I’m so glad I’d already visited Machu Picchu because it’s supposedly going to be closed off for up to two months for rebuilding and repairs.
Spanish class is going pretty well.The best way I can explain my progression in class is such: first week- elementary school Spanish, second week- high school Spanish, third week- college Spanish and this week is going to be full on intense Spanish….the program here at is rather fast paced. I feel as though I take two steps forward and one step back for the most part but by the end of last week I noticed a huge difference from when I first arrived. It’s a double-edged sword being at the school because the common language for all is English because of the varying Spanish levels so the Spanish can quickly go to the wayside at times, but it’s comforting being in a place where you can take a break from the Spanish from time to time. Thus I think my Spanish will improve even quicker when I’m in Ecuador working and living with people who only speak Spanish.
I continue to enjoy all of the new and different extracurricular activities the school offers. I had my second round of Peruvian pan flute lessons which went quite well. I wouldn’t say I’m ready to go pro just yet but I can almost play TWO songs! Regardless, all of us students had a great time playing and laughing with one another. I also tried a new class this week: salsa dancing! Oh, my goodness, salsa-ing, is a.) a fabulous workout and b.) rather difficult. The instructor taught us the five basic steps of salsa, being someone who thinks I’m a pretty fly dancer (got all my moves from my fab aunts) I was having a hard time keeping up at first. And I’m not sure I fully worked out the whole dance as the instructor offered to have me come into his school for more lessons…not sure if I was being hit on or if I was just that bad. Again, it was a fantastic hour and a half of great fun! They love to get their dance on in Cusco; I think I’ve danced more in the last three weeks than I have in the last year. One of our teachers organized a dinner for our group last week as well. We went to a lovely restaurant, with a great band, and had a really nice evening. Everyone in the group tried the Peruvian delicacy; cuy AKA guinea pig! As disgusting as I thought it, I did try a bite, not awful but way too salty and I’d never eat it again!
As I’d mentioned in my last blog, we were encouraged not to travel last week due to all the floods so I spent majority of my time outside of class/studying touring and exploring more of Cuzco. Museums, walks, hikes, dinners, dancing etc. There are roughly twenty of us that have been in school together the last few weeks so there’s always someone willing to go on an adventure. Yesterday, for example, myself and another decided we wanted to hike one of the mountains in Cuzco. We weren’t exactly where to go so we had a taxi drop us off “by the mountain”..kind of. Read more of Alison’s adventures…
by Jill Robinson
Greenheart Travel arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday, just in time for the start of Idealist’s Global Volunteer Fair at the University of Pennsylvania. The morning started off a little rough as my colleague and I sat on LaGuardia’s runway for two hours waiting for the low-lying clouds to part before touching down in the City of Brotherly Love, but we were welcomed by sunny skies and a glittering skyline once we landed.
Despite the crunch in our schedule, we still had time to have a wonderful history lesson from our shuttle driver who pointed out the amazing murals that color the Philadelphia’s urban landscape while firing off facts about important buildings enroute to our hotel. I’m a bit sad that we were never able to make it to Abner’s for the Philly cheese steak sandwich he recommended, but there is always next time…
The volunteer fair in Philadelphia was another inspiring evening. Fifteen organizations were represented and Greenheart Travel’s program coordinator, Amy, lead a workshop on “International Volunteerism 101″ to close the night’s event.
Our third and final stop brings us to Washington D.C. for tonight’s fair that begins at 6 p.m. Twenty-three organizations will be represented and informational workshops will take place throughout the evening.
by Hannah Nevitt, Greenheart Travel Volunteer Abroad Participant
I am riding the bull. My hands clench the ropes as I attempt not to be thrown off in all directions, I can feel my heart pounding…and I can barely see a thing. I hear screams and yelling all around me. It all happens so fast… as if I am going in and out of consciousness…
I blink for a brief second and Splash! I am instantly drenched with piercing white water and fall backwards into the raft. I was sitting at the very front of the raft, my legs dangling over the edge as I came face to face with thick sheets of water…I don’t know if it lasted for a full five seconds, but experiencing a rapid on the class 4 Rio Toro…a river known as “The Bull,” is still an incredible rush! 
My fellow adventure-seekers and I finished rafting the class 3, Rio Balsa last week and now are ready for more. We chose an adventure company called “Desafio,” which means “to Dare” or “to Challenge” in Spanish. They have an awesome team of guides and offer many different activities in La Fortuna, near the Volcano Arenal. Can you imagine going white water rafting or kayaking every day and getting paid for it! These guys must love their job! And I figured with this lively bunch of guys…we were going to have a great time!
Rio Toro is quick-moving and packed with rapids! It is almost a continuous series of curves, bends, and falls…I hardly have time to look around or catch my breath! If I stop to look at a perched iguana, a sun-bathing crocodile, or a stunning waterfall I am afraid I will fall backwards into the river or be whacked with hanging vines!
We are in the heart of the tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, in one of the most thrilling rivers…our raft being whipped around by undercurrents and peaking boulders. Although the sun is beaming down, it is also starting to rain! After all, this is the rainforest! The heavy drops begin to pour from the sky, pelting us from above. We are soaked to the bone, and bracing ourselves for the next set of rapids…hoping once again to make it through without any “swimmers!”
We are nearing another bend, from a distance I can hear heavy water falling; it looks as if the water is falling over an edge! As we get closer I grip my paddle a bit harder and re-position my feet within the raft. I lift my head and see that there is an immediate drop between two large rocks. I hope we can manage to fit in between them!
As we fly over the edge, the high of gravity takes over…next thing I know we are spinning into the riverbank wall…grabbing at any line to keep in the raft. There is a waterfall pumping showers of cold water from the ledge above…just enough to drench us once more before our guide navigates us out of the bend. The water clears from my eyes and I see that everyone is still in the raft! How, I am still not sure…but there are smiles all around…
What a thrilling experience! Here we are in the middle of the tropical rainforest, surrounded by vivid shades of green, hanging vines, and bamboo. The water is fast, although cool and refreshing compared to the humid, hot, sun above. I can see a faint white mist rising from the river and on the rocks along the shore. Birds, howling monkeys, and continuous shouts of “Pura Vida” are echoing throughout the trees… Yep, this is the life!
On my checklist for life: White water raft in Costa Rica……….Check.
Up next…… Learning how to white water kayak!
by Hannah Nevitt, Greenheart Travel Volunteer Abroad Participant
I have enjoyed and learned much from the connections with my host family, the locals, and the shared moments with other wandering souls just like me. Whether it’s learning how to make cheese and tortillas with my host mother, teaching my host siblings how to make S’mores, or sharing coffee with a holocaust survivor, these moments have all become inspirations.
As I continue on with my life here in Costa Rica, working with students, meeting new people, or creating works of art with my Tican friends, I have also begun to take note of how different my life has become. I am learning to embrace the life “Tranquila,” (tranquil) as the word “stress” does not exist. I have become accustomed to a world void of material possessions and replaced it with the importance of humanism; taking the time to enjoy the connectivity between people and becoming a part of the community.
Here, my name is “Jana.”
I am the Tican version of myself; a student, a teacher, and a recognized face within the small community where I now live. I am no longer an “extranjera,” foreigner, or “gringo” (a word used to describe North Americans). I am the “older sister” that my host siblings look up to, a friend to chat with over coffee, and a willing hand to shake.
I am a teacher of English, a student of culture, and the girl that lives down the road. I listen to Cumbia instead of the top 40 hits, and I shamefully have come to enjoy the overly dramatic “Novellas” (Latin soap operas) just as much as everyone else here in Costa Rica!
I have finally become a part of this community.
