Category Archives: experiential education

The Ex-extrovet Travelling Incognito

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I always keep on mental-hand one really laugh-worthy idea. This way, anytime I start feeling annoyed, hurried or hurt, I can whip it out and smile the stressor away.

And my new imaginary clown is the following;

My parents suspect that I am in the CIA.

NO JOKE.

My older sister recently leaked the information to me. I could talk more about this….but do I really need to? It’s the perfect one-liner. I’m thinkin’ that I’m gonna start whispering into my watch and bustin’ out the last of my Korean on the phone next time someone calls. Oh, yes. I could have fun with this…. ;)

Making other misconception headlines, I recently got another call from a friend asking if I was getting married. Now c’mon. Really. Me? Married!? Yet another one-liner. The “isle” is the one path in this world that I have no intention of treading. I’ve got other cliffs to jump.

Okay…so this picture from the photogallery was probably a bit misleading. It was the result of a running joke between myself and a friend who’s living vicariously through me and my travels as I do through her and her married life.

But really, the only rocks I want are the kind I can climb. :)

And finally, a new disclaimer for this site.

I recently took the Meyer’s Briggs personality test again. And although my results have been steady and solid (ENTJ) for over ten years, my final results show that I’ve been foolin’ myself all along. Turns out I’m an INFJ/INTJ (“Counselor/Mastermind“). The biggest news being that although I’m the first person on the dance floor at party, I’d be just as happy doing my jiggy in a cave. Yes. The introvert in me has emerged! And although she still salsas in bank lines and rolls in the dirt with street kids, she’s living in her own world for which she can be quiet reserved with sharing permissions. And in that little world of mine, according to my “type analysis,” I also quite actively integrate the imaginary into my reality…

Wait, wait. I can hear people laughing. Okay. Okay. So YOU already knew that! BUT I DIDN’T! That’s the very thing! I see, hear and feel things (and then I write about them), that I thought other people just couldn’t be bothered with. But as I’m starting to suspect, perhaps I AM a CIA agent. Perhaps I AM muddling fact with fiction and submitting biased reports of my worldly probes!

So there it is; my disclaimer. What you read on this site, which is by ALL and every account, in PERFECT alignment with the personal truth of the author, may very well be a smorgasbord of fact, fiction and fantasy. But as far as I’m concerned, I’d much rather my life story read like a fairy tale than a dictionary. So disclaimer disclaimed, we continue!

Leaving for India in 10 days and counting!

(One last misperception correction; a few have gotten the odd idea that I’m paying to go on these organized semesters abroad when actually I am the Trip Leader. I actually guide the groups of college students on 3-month experiential learning semesters (community service, environmental conservation work, local family home stays, foreign language study, spiritual self-exploration, long-distance trekking and other adventure activities) for a BRILLIANT company called, LEAPnow.)

Our India Itinerary is as follows…

LeapNow Spiritual Semester in India, Spring 2004

Date: &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Itinerary:

Feb. 26 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Depart San Francisco for Delhi

Feb. 27 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Day Lost in Flight

Feb. 28 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Arrive Early AM into Delhi

Feb. 38 – Mar. 1 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Semester Orientation in Delhi

Mar. 2 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel by train to Varanasi (15 hr Overnight)

Mar. 3 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Arrive in Varanasi

Mar. 3 – 19 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Varanasi Homestay, Yoga, Hindi Classes, Vounteering,

Mar. 20 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel by Train to Gaya (5 hrs)

Mar. 21 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Transport from Gaya to Bodhgaya

Mar. 21 – 28 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Study Tibetan Buddhism & Visit Temples

Mar. 28 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel by Train to Haridwar (26 hrs)

Mar. 30 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Arrive in Rishikesh

Mar. 30 – Apr. 14 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Work at Ramana’s Garden Orphanage, Reiki Initiation

Apr. 14 – 18 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Trekking in the Himalays

Apr. 18 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Night in Rishikesh

Apr. 19 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel by Jeep to Uttar Kashi

Apr. 19 – 30 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Yoga and Internships in Music/Art/Cooking/Dance

Apr. 30 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel by Jeep to Dehra Dun, Overnight Bus to Dharmsala

May 1-17 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Dharamsala Homestay,Volunteering, See the Dalai Lama

May 1-12 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Optional 10-day Vipassana Meditation Course

May 17 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Travel to Amritstar to see the Golden Temple

May 18 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Transport to Delhi

May 19 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Visit the Taj Mahal/ Semester Wrap-up

May 20 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Fly from Delhi back to San Francisco

(*And after India…I’ve got another rabbit to pull from my hat!)

(sol’s travel photogallery)&nbsp&nbsp(some sol stories)&nbsp&nbsp(sol’s work; LeapNow.org)

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Palabras Nuevas

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Ah. Nothing like some new words to add to my memorized mental dictionary! Want to hear some of the latest additions? How about; conjuntivitis, fainting, vomiting, dog bite, rabies, strep throat, fever, infection, injections and antibiotics? And I did not get these words leafing through the Lonely Planet “Medical Issues” section. I learned them straight from the doctor´s mouth! In the 3rd world, a semester full of students is a semester full of sickness! Yea ha! It´s all part of the fun of Course. After all, your term in Central America wouldn’t be complete without at least one tale of parasite or dog bite.

As for me, I´m a bottle of purified water compared to these guys. Guess I´ve already put in my time with the nasties seeing as I already have Amoebas, Ghiaradia, Staff infections and monkey bites on my dance card. Anyway… playing “mom” has left me with not a minute to think for myself, let alone write. But the experience is rich, and the soils of stories are being fertilized. While the sun takes to the seeds, the pics will have to suffice.

Meet my new homestay “mom” Martha…

> St. Andres, Peten Guatemala Pics

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Bring on the mango with chili and lime!

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Quote from the sol archives when I left Guatemala in January of 2002;

“And what exactly am I leaving? Best friends that I’ll probably, truthfully, never see again, intimacy with places and people that I have watched constantly change…and know will go on changing after I leave; tastes of foods that I can’t find in any restaurant or kitchen outside of Guatemala; sounds and smells that just don’t exist in the United States; the faces of the dozens of small children who continue their struggle in the city dump whilst I am warm, clean, fed and snug at home. I am leaving memories that really only exist in THIS Guatemalan reality. And this reality is SO very different from anything I have ever known. So how should I expect anyone to understand when they have not experienced it? How can I explain the smell of a tortillera? Or the taste of unripe mango with salt, lime & chili? Or describe the high in getting lost in the dips, turns and spins of salsa? Or describe the pain in my heart in response to the expression of my favorite child in the project when I told him that I was leaving…and didn’t know if I’d ever be back?”

Quote from today;

“Well unripe mango, tortilleras, salsa spins and pig piles under street kids…HERE I COME *back*!”

For we all know what a posted map means. :)

By the way, here’s a link to some of the old Central America Trip Tales if you missed them the first time.

> Central America Trip Tales

And of course the pictures that go with the stories:

>Guatemala Pics

>Costa Rica Pics

>Honduras Pics

>Belize Pics

>Nicaragua Pics

>Panama Pics

And now, I’m just jumpin’ out of my pants excited to make & take some more! And the plan looks a little like this…

LEAPnow Central America (CAM) Fall Semester 2003 Itinerary

Sept. 25: Depart for Guatemala and Antigua

Sept. 28: Fly to Flores

Sept. 29 – Oct. 3: Week #1 classes in Eco-Escuela

Oct. 4-5: Weekend Excursions to Tikal

Oct. 6-10: Week #2 classes in Eco-Escuela

Oct. 11-13: Finca Ixobel

Oct. 14-15: Travel to Xela (a.k.a. Quetzaltenango) and western Guatemala

Oct. 16-18: Quetzaltrekkers hike to lake Atitlan

Oct. 20-25: Build House with Habitat for Humanity in San Juan La Laguna

Oct. 26: Travel to San Marcos La Laguna

Oct. 27- Nov. 8: Classes at Las Piramides

Nov. 9: Visit Chichicastenango market and travel to Xela

Nov. 10-14: Week #1 classes/Volunteer work at Casa Xelaju

Nov. 15-16: Weekend excursion to Aguas Calientes

Nov. 17-21: Week #2 classes/Volunteer work at Casa Xelaju

Nov. 23: Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica

Nov. 25 – Dec. 3: ANAI work with sea turtles on Nicoya peninsula (Pacific coast)

Dec. 4-8: Monteverde National Forest

Dec. 10: Fly to Roatan, Honduras for Scubadiving

Dec. 16: Fly back to United States

(I’m one of the trip leaders, which is a 24/7/12 job, but as I did last fall for the S. Pacific Semester, I’m sure I’ll find time to blog updates!)

Okay. My plane to SF leaves in a few hours. I’ve got a bag to pack!

cheers!

sol

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Australia – New Zealand – Fiji Itinerary

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This is the itinerary (covering the next three months) that I just typed up for our LEAPnow semester students …

Sept 19: Depart U.S. for Nadi, Fiji

Sept 21: Arrive Fiji

Sept 21-23: Orientation

Sept 24-Oct 5: Work with Habitat for Humanity

Building low-cost houses for underprivileged families.

Oct 7: Fly to Sydney, Australia

Oct 8: Tour Sydney

Oct 9: A.M. Train to Brisbane

Oct 10-25: Arrive at ATCV Site

(“Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers”) We will participate in rugged outdoor conservation work for two weeks in the country surrounding Brisbane.

Oct 25-29: Chenrezig Buddhist Retreat Center

4 days at this peaceful retreat center receiving an introduction to yoga and meditation and having a chance for some reflection.

Oct 30: Fly to Alice Springs (Australia’s Red Center)

Oct 31-Nov 4: Aboriginal Cultural Tour and Trek

We will spend one week in the Red Center, the heart of the Aboriginal culture, visiting important Aboriginal landmarks like Uluru (“Ayers Rock”), hearing tales of the Dreamtime (traditional stories of the Ancestors) and learning about Aboriginal song, dance and body painting.

Nov 5: Fly to Brisbane

Nov 6-9: Kroombit Ranch

An authentic Australian Ranch where we will be participating in a variety of outdoor adventure activities including abseiling, ropes courses, four-wheel driving, bush dancing and goat mustering!

Nov 9: Train to Cairns

Nov 11-15: Dive & Sail the Great Barrier Reef (SCUBA course)

2 days pool & theory, 3 days & 2 nights “liveaboard” on a 140 ft tall ship learning to SCUBA dive on one of the most fascinating natural environments on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef.

Nov 16-17: Cairns

Nov 18: Fly to Christchurch, New Zealand

Nov 19-Dec 4: Cultural Travel and Adventure in NZ

Two weeks traveling around New Zealand’s South and North Islands visiting alps, caves, glacier valleys, lakes, volcanoes, waterfalls and adventuring in rafts, speed boats and trekking by foot and hoof.

Dec 5: Students Fly to U.S.

Dec 5-18: (I continue to travel solo-style in New Zealand.)

This makes up for the five years that I asked Santa for a snoopy-snow-cone machine and didn’t find it under the tree. ;)

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leaping

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Two weeks ago I spent five days putting together an extensive application: resume, letters of recommendation, contact references, 3-page cover letter, essay questions, a copy of my “Travel Disclaimer” and even a picture collage.

Last Thursday I flew, shuttle-ed and taxi-ed my way to the LEAPNow office near Santa Rosa, California for interviewing.

And today, I am rubbing my eyes in disbelief that I have ACTUALLY landed the job as a Trip Leader Assistant in a volunteer/work/learn/adventure excursion through Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

That’s right! Beginning September 8th, (ONE week after my return from Korea!) I will be assisting in leading a group of college and high school students — AND those who follow this site — through three months of adventures in Australasia!

What kind of adventures am I speaking of? Of study of wilderness ecology in New Zealand. Of work on conservation and environmental projects. Of staying with a small Maori village. Of outdoor adventure activities including overnight treks, river rafting, caving, and coastal boat trips.

Of travel up the Eastern coast of Australia; Melbourne, Sydney, the legendary Byron Bay and Brisbane. Of study of the Aboriginal culture. Of a week of diving the Great Barrier Reef. Of outdoor adventures on an Australian Ranch including abseiling, ropes courses, four-wheel driving, bush dancing, and goat mustering! (If anyone knows what the heck “goat mustering” is — please email me.)

And a few weeks of building low-cost homes (with Habitat For Humanity) for the poor on the Pacific Island of Fiji. And maybe *just maybe* a little downtime on the beaches.

I’m so excited I could cry.

But I don’t have TIME to do even that! As those of you who follow this site already know — I hate saying goodbyes. And I’ve suddenly (and surprisingly) found that my attachment to the people and places of Portland is significant. My “allergies act up” at the thought of the hugs I’ll have to distribute today. But I’ll buckle down, busy my mind by procrastinating on packing until 10 pm and brace myself for the “fly high” — that euphoric buzz one gets on the plane in anticipation of the adventures of a future unknown.

Um…yes. *slaps arm* Someone pass me the IV. Because six straight months of “fly high” and glob-trotting adventure start — tomorrow.

*****

For more details on the Australia/New Zealand/Fiji itinerary, or other similar learn/volunteer/work/adventure excursions, check out LeapNow.com. (Heck! I think there are still a few spots open in the Australaisa trip if you want to COME with me!)

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