Friday, September 17, 2010

Onto Ecuador

Hi friends, family, blog followers, and strangers (yes, you, Dad)!
I apologize for the infrequent blog posts. We have been running nonstop busy here in rainy Costa Rica, the past few days. I'll try to get you caught up now.
Costa Rican Activities:
  1. We (the TBB students) set a world record for the number of passengers in the back of a 3 seater truck while driving through sheets of rain. 
  2. We ziplined through the rainforest. We saw creatures not typical of southern Minnesota! Sloths, snakes, and several other things that made my skin crawl. I must add, though, that going head first down trees tends to distract you from such sights. All in all, LOTS of fun!
  3. Faith and I should NEVER kayak together again, especially through mangroves. Crabs, spiders, and lots and lots of trees, were almost more than we could navigate.
  4. And finally, NEVER EVER fall asleep listening to music. I've found that it can result in a headphone getting implanted in your ear. No worries our future TBB surgeon, Hannah, quickly extricated the device from my ear. 
In addition to all of our adventurous activies we have also been immersed in educational sessions. We discussed our summer reading - Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn; The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs; A White Man's Burden, by Easterly; and Development as Freedom, by Jeffrey Sachs. Ishmael was my favorite. Not exactly a quick read, but the serious message about the real nature of human society was gripping. Aside from our book chats, we have been working on self-interviews, goal setting, and safety/ preparation for our upcoming trip. Who says I didn't continue on with school this year?!   ;-)

On Sunday we depart for Ecuador. Our work soon begins! I'm nervous, but eager to begin. In Ecuador we will be staying in the rural community of Bua. This is a town which faces deforestation due to agricultural practices. The community's only water source (a river) is constantly polluted and decreasing in size quickly. In Bua I will live with a local family for five weeks. During that time, I will help plant trees with local farmers, encouraging them to implement environmentally friendly farm practices and to become aware of forces that affect decisions and their consequences on resource management.

During my stay in Bua I will not have access to Internet, let alone running water. My blogs will therefore become very infrequent. I hope to keep in touch at least once a week, when we spend time in Quito, but my time to help others and learn from my experiences is here. I may be be ignorant to what is ahead, but I am a ready to help.

I miss you all. Please check back for an update in about a week or so.

love,
maddie p



P.S Don’t forget I have a mailing address in Ecuador J

1 comment:

  1. Maddie!! Good luck in Ecuador! Its so weird hearing how different things are there but I hope you're having fun!

    Love,
    Gags

    ReplyDelete