Houston Outdoor Learning Academy

"Back to the Future" in the Airport on the Road Home

2011-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Jungle Sunset in El Castillo

2011-06-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

HOLA and the crew at Casa-Nica

2011-06-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Azure in Control of the Grilling on the Wheel Rim BBQ

2011-06-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Fireworks celebration with complimentary smoke cloud and blast wave for Ryan!!!

2011-06-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

The notorious HOLA pirate crew at the El Castillo fort on the San Juan River

2011-06-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Dan and Azure with students at the Masinfa school in Masaya

2011-06-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Azure, Seth, and Josh Allsup of Casa-Nica at work in Nicaragua

2011-06-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Josh Post-Hole Digging at garden project in Masaya

2011-06-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Seth Enjoying Concrete Bed in San Carlos

2011-06-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

Everybody is Home

2011-06-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

HOLA returned to Houston on June 3 from the trip to Nicaragua. We left Josh, Elliot, Fran, Manon, Kayde, and Ryan in Masaya and had to say our goodbyes to Casa-Nica. Everyone at Casa-Nica could not have been nicer and it was a great experience for HOLA students and staff. Casa-Nica feels like a home away from home. Thanks again to Casa-Nica for their hospitality and program.

The night before we left for Houston we had a farewell feast at Casa-Nica. Azure grilled pollo and bistec (chicken and steak) and we had boiled corn and garlic bread and topped everything off with sandia (watermelon). The meat was cooked on a popular type of grill in Nicaragua which is constructed from the rim of a car or truck. It is a great illustration of how recycling is a natural by-product of life in a country where you have to make-do with less resources than we often do in the United States.

Upon returning home from a trip to another country, time is often warped by the experience of being immersed in another culture. It often simultaneously feels like the trip was only a mere second that ticked off the clock but it also feels like you have had a decade of new experiences and sensations.

Congratulations to each of the HOLA students on a great trip and an educational experience that even though it was a mere two weeks it will provide memories and learning to last a lifetime.

My experience in Nicaragua (Seth)

2011-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

My experience in Casa-Nica was fun sometimes, but most of the time it was hard work. The hardest of the jobs was the zoo that we volunteered at, but we got to see some pretty cool animals. That was the only physical hard work, other than digging holes for plants at the special school. We also worked at a school helping adults and kids learn English and that was pretty fun and I got to meet some pretty cool people .On the second part of the trip we stayed at a place called El Castillo which was a fort for the Spanish. They used it to defend their territory. The only bad thing that happened in El Castillo was that I got an infected throat and an infection in my eyes. My room also had a bat in it, but other than that I met a lot of cool people and I wouldn't take back this experience.

P.S. The work I did here at Casa-Nica was very hard, but it also helped me build endurance to that kind of work and not give up after an hour of work. So I appreciate the experience now when there's a lot of manual labor that needs to be done, I won't complain as much.

My Work Experience (Josh)

2011-06-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

The first few days of work were tough due to the fact that I was feeling a little sick. I had to push through the first few days, but I felt better as the days went on. The work was sweaty, hot and hard, but it did feel good after it was completed. We worked at the Nicaraguan National Zoo, a special needs school, and even a regular school. The experience doing work with the students at the schools and the animals at the zoo were both memorable and interesting. The zoo was both my favorite and least favorite thing to do. I do love animals and some of the work wasn't that bad. Most of the work was a pain though, but in the end it was worth it. The work did have an effect on me, it showed me how most of the world was, and what most people did to make a dollar. It made me think that I should do more myself instead of being lazy and doing nothing. It made an impact on me and it has changed my view on things. It makes me feel grateful for what I have back home....

Working with Casa-Nica (Azure)

2011-06-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

The first thing our school did was work at the zoo where we saw all the animals that were being reintroduced to the wild. We also observed a caged monkey snap for a minute and scream at us. Other than monkeys there were many birds at the zoo and asll the other kinds of typical zoo animals. There were alot of mango trees, which are very common in Nicaragua. We picked up all the good mangos that were on the ground and they were cut up and fed to the other zoo animals and the bad one were raked up and thrown in the burn pile. We visited the Zoo again on Friday and we sorted bags of animal food and chopped fruit. I even saw what a cow fetus looks like from seeing the contents of the walk-in freezer. I also fed the wild hogs mangos. One thing I saw in this zoo that wasn't in an American Zoo was that some of the birds are free to roam around. The work was really hard and I know that manual labor is pretty much the only work you can get in many developing countries.

"Welcome to the Jungle" and back to Masaya

2011-06-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

We have been on the road, river, lake and trail since last Friday night and blogging opportunities have been few and far between.
Last Friday we took the night bus from Managua to San Carlos and arrived in San Carlos at the wonderful hour of 2:00 am. Loucious had the prime seat on the bus with the overhead water drip, the window stuck closed, and missing cushioning from the bare metal seat, and a 2 hour wait for a bathroom. San Carlos is the jumping off point to catch a boat on the San Juan River to El Castillo which is a small river town in the tropical rainforest near the Indio-Maiz Reserve. We slept in San Carlos from 2:00 am to around 6:00 am on the sidewalk in front of the boat docks in San Carlos. I don't recommend sidewalk sleeping for a number of reasons but we managed and caught the river boat to Boca de Sabalos and on to El Castillo.
In El Castillo we stayed in Nena Lodge, a nice place with a balcony overlooking the river and a fan and mosquito net over each bed. It was a family place and except for the bats in Seth's room there were no complaints.
We spent Sunday and Monday on boat and walking tours of the surrounding jungle reserve, canoed and tried our luck at fishing, swam in the small jungle creeks, toured the fort that gives El Castillo its name, relaxed in hammocks, and had chocolate milk shakes in the local cafe. Life is rough in the jungle with all the milkshakes and hammocks. We even found good hamburgers.
On Tuesday morning, we caught the river boat back to San Carlos and took a ferry across Lago (lake) de Nicaragua for 14 hours back to Granada and then bused to Casa-Nica in Masaya where we started our trip.
The hot showers at Casa-Nica were just what the doctored ordered after a day and a half of boat travel.
Well, HOLA students got a welcome to the jungle and they really did have fun and games (reference for you Guns and Roses fans). Tomorrow we start back to Houston.
Later.

HOLA Day 5 in Nicaragua - Sweat Is the Word

2011-05-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Our group has been working hard with Casa-Nica in Masaya, Nicaragua. Some of us have been introduced to the shovel, pick axe, post-hole digger, and rake for the first time and others of us had to be to be reintroduced to these implements of work. We have worked at the National Nicaraguan Zoo building simple shelters for rescued birds, constructed a garden at a local school in Nicaragua, and other smaller projects that have required a type of work that most of our students are not familiar with - the kind of work that involves sweat. Using a pick axe is backbreaking work and HOLA students are now officially introduced to manual labor.

We have also continued to work on our Spanish skills with Fran, the Spanish teacher at Casa-Nica. We have tried a variety of Nicaraguan foods - including pupusas, fried yuca and plantain, pescado, and the fritanga foods of Nicaragua. Time for us to go eat, so I will try to catch up with the blogging later.

First Day at Casa-Nica

2011-05-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

Airport sleeping and microwaved airplane hamburgers and hard tile floors are now a distant memory - maybe it didn't happen and it was only a dream Often travel feels like a dream and time flows differently than with our normal routines. But I am pretty sure it was no dream.

We are now waking up on Sunday morning in Masaya, Nicaragua in the Casa-Nica house. It is around 6:00 am and the town is quiet because it is Sunday - no horns, no fireworks, no bus engines - only the pigeons cooing, roosters cockadoodledoing, a few dogs barking, and few other birds chirping.

Yesterday, Josh Allsup toured the group around Masaya and we walked to the main market and everyone got a taste of the maze-like outdoor markets that are found all over the world. There is no Wal-Mart or Krogers here in Masaya. We discussed our upcoming week of service projects which start on Monday. The HOLA students will be working at the local zoo, assisting in planting a garden at a local school for special needs students, and helping Nicaraguan students learn English at another school in Masaya.

Today we are going to visit the Volcan de Masaya and do a little tourism. Our day starts at 8:00 am this morning and breakfast will be cereal, eggs, and toast.

Since dreams came up earlier here's a poem about our flight into El Salvador and its dream-like quality:

Landing in El Salvador
the upsidedown sky with
sporadic lights clustered on the ground
look like constellations below me
fallen from the sky
sinewy lines of lights
emerging from the dark ground
or maybe diamonds were dropped on the ground
and God bedazzled the whole world

Time to eat breakfast so we will catch you up this evening on HOLA's adventure.

2011-05-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Airport Sleeping 101 in San Salvador

2011-05-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

After playing "Where's Azure" in the Intercontinental airport for two hours we finally got on the road, or should I say on the sky, with all five people in our HOLA travel group. We are glad Azure found us and made the flight. Thanks to HPD for helping us cut to the front of the TSA line so we could all make our flight. From Houston we flew to San Salvador for a 15 hour layover before arriving in Managua on Saturday. We slept in the airport Friday and the San Salvador airport was actually a nice place to try and sleep on a tile floor. Airport security was very helpful in finding us a location to pass the night away. Everybody had at least a little bit of fitfull sleep while shifting from side-to-side on the not so comfy tile bedding.

We made our flight to Managua on Saturday morning and we are all lookimg forward to an actual mattress when we fall asleep at Casa-Nica on Saturday night. We are all here at Casa-Nica and glad to be at our home for the next week. More later....

Nicaragua Chautaugua - Follow HOLA to Nicaragua

2011-05-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

HOLA students will be arriving in Nicaragua on Saturday, May 21. We will be staying at Casa-Nica in Masaya with former HOLA teacher, Josh Allsup. HOLA students will be involved in a week of community service, Spanish instruction, and learning about the history and culture on Nicaragua. Join the students, Seth Omar, Azure Rosas, Josh Snow, and the teachers, Loucious Windom and Dan Zimmerman on their Nicaragua Chautaugua.

Go to Casa-Nica.com to learn more about Masaya and Casa-Nica.

Please follow our adventure!!!

NO EBC

2010-04-06T02:48:00.000-07:00

Namaste from Dingboche!

Well, here is the gist: We didn't make it to Kala Pattar or to Everest Base Camp. We cancelled our Chitwan Jungle Safari to extend our trek from 12 days to 15 in order to accomplish this goal, but health issues have caused us to only reach 15,000 ft in elevation, but all our students should be proud of that feat. How many people get to say they have trekked in the Himalayas and seen Mt. Everest with their own two eyes?

Everyone is alive and well in Dingboche. Speaking to the health issues above, a couple of students had a bout of a rather nasty head cold, with a cough and sore throat. I am currently typing this blog entry with the rather nasty head cold.

Today was a very eventful day. We tried to summit a 5,500 meter mountain, our highest point yet, but we had to turn back when some students began to feel exhaustion and dehydration. The students once again learned the importance of taking care of themselves.

I understand these blog entries are short, but Internet is very expensive the higher you trek up. Tomorrow, we will leave Dingboche and begin our five day trek back to Lukla, catch a flight on April 12 back to Kathmandu and take a nice long shower.

I would post pictures, but as I mentioned before, Internet is very expensive up here.

Until next time!

Namaste!

On Trek...

2010-03-29T04:50:00.000-07:00

We are currently on day three of our trek and staying in the fabled Sherpa town, Namche Bazaar and we have spent the afternoon nursing our sore leg muscles. Internet here is very expensive, so this will be a very short blog entry.

Everyone is alive and well and only suffering from HAFE: High Altitude Flatulence. Tomorrow we will spend a full day in Namche Bazaar getting acclimated and view the local museum and press on.

Hope everyone is well in Houston!

Namaste!

If Your Pee is Yellow, You Are Not Drinking Enough Water...

2010-03-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

Today was our first full day in Kathmandu. We did have an early wake up call of 6:30 AM, but luckily everyone in the group had a good night's rest and were eating breakfast by 7:00 AM. The Tibet Guest House did serve a buffet style breakfast of eggs, toast, potato cakes, and your choice of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. However, we also found out the Tibet Guest House offers soft drinks in the morning, so a couple bottles of Coke and Mountain Dew made their way to our tables.

We left our hotel around 8:45 in the morning to begin our day of sightseeing. Our first stop was at the Swayambhunath Temple. The Swayambhunath Temple is located in the Kathmandu Valley, just west of city centre, and is one of the main religious complexes visited by tourists. However, you may hear from your student, this place will affectionately be called the "Monkey Temple" because there are monkeys living at the top of the temple. Pictures will be provided upon return. We were able to get fairly close to the monkeys without any problems, except for one monkey stealing Denis' water bottle, climbing a small monument, trying to drink from the bottle, and then throwing it back at us. I personally did not see this happen, but I am sure the students have pictures.

Swayambhunath means "Sublime Trees" in Tibetan, mainly for the numerous variety of trees found in the area. Our tour guide, Raj, also mentioned that the Swayambhunath is probably the most sacred sites for Buddhist pilgrimages. It was very sacred considering we had to climb 365 steps to the top (each stair representing each day of the year) and prayer wheels were found along the outer walls.

In the center of the temple is a large stupa, which is a variety of shrines and temples. Painted on the stupa is Buddha's eyes and eyebrows and between them is what appears to be a nose, but it is no nose at all. It is actually the Nepali symbol for unity. It was awesome and made for some great photographs, which will again be posted later.

Small shops were set up along the perimeter and hawkers tried to persuade us to purchase Buddha figurines, swords, and other miscellaneous knick knacks at what they claimed were rock bottom prices. However, our students are becoming quite the bargainers.

After we left the temple, we were given the privilege of seeing the Kumari, or Living Goddess.A Kumari is the tradition of worshipping young girls who are believed to be the manifestations of the divine female energy. In order to be a Kumari, a girl must be from the Shakya clan, have certain physical aspects, such as black straight hair, neck like a swan, brown eyes, and no deformities or blemishes. The young girl must even spend the night in a dark room by herself with the heads of dead carcases. Kumari means virgin and a girl can remain a Kumari until she reaches puberty and begins menstruation. The current Kumari is six years old and no foreigner can arrange a private viewing with her, which I am glad for, because her reaction to you may mean imminent death:

Crying or loud laughter: Serious illness or death
Weeping or rubbing eyes: Imminent death
Trembling: Imprisonment
Hand clapping: Reason to fear the King
Picking at food offerings: Financial losses

I can live without the Kumari laughing at me. It was a special treat to see the Kumari because in Social Studies, we watched a documentary called "Living Goddess" which was all about the Kumari in Nepal.

After viewing the Kumari, we walked around the Old City of Kathmandu, taking pictures of old buildings, posing with police guards, and the Hippie Like priests of Kathmandu. We had a Nepalese Style Lunch on the roof of the Festival Restaurant that offered good panoramic views of the surrounding city.

We only had a half day of sightseeing, leaving the afternoon open for packing and some shopping. We leave tomorrow for a trek at 6:30 in the morning to catch a 7:45 flight to Lukla. All checked bags must be under 15 kg or 33 lbs, which hopefully everyone will be at once we check their luggage. I am not sure when we will update the blog next, but we will have a fun, safe, travel, especially after John went over the basics to make sure we avoid altitude sickness.

One way to avoid altitude sickness is to drink water or in John's words: "If you don't pee enough, then you are not drinking enough water or if your pee is yellow, you are not drinking enough water." There will be definite water parties on the trail.

Until the next blog entry, Namaste!

Safe Arrival

2010-03-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents, Friends, and other loyal blog readers,

Both HOLA groups arrived safely in Kathmandu today with very little trouble except for having severe jet lag (I personally believe the Delhi group suffered a little bit more from jet lag than the Qatar group), but we are at the Tibet Guest House, which is a lovely hotel near the main shopping district for tourists.

We have been debriefed for our trek and our guide friend John took us on a short stroll around the market area, where students have already purchased their Gurkha swords, small violins, and a Jonas Brothers cd or two.

I would write more, but since I am part of the Delhi group, the hotel bed is calling my name. Students are eating their dinner in the hotel restaurant, taking their showers, and preparing for a day of sightseeing ahead of them. There should be a good blog entry in a day or two after everyone is well rested.

Namaste!

Nepal, here we come!!

2010-03-21T20:08:00.001-07:00

Another upcoming trip is about to commence! All our students have been working hard all year, studying the religion, food, and language of Nepal and fundraising for their trip by selling raffle tickets, holding a car wash and garage sale, and helping acquire items for our annual silent auction. All their hard work has paid off and we depart Tuesday, March 23

Summary of Flight Information:

March 23: Arrive at Terminal D at IAH at 4:30 PM, Depart on Qatar Airways Flight 78 at 8:45 PM.

March 24: Arrive in Doha at 7:40 PM

March 25: Depart Doha at 6:25 AM on Qatar Airways Flight 352 and arrive in Kathmandu at 1:30 PM

April 14: Depart Kathmandu on Qatar Airways Flight 355 at 11:30 PM

April 15: Arrive in Doha at 1:45 AM. Depart Doha at 9:50 AM on Qatar Airways Flight 77 and arrive in
Houston at 6:10 PM

TRIP INFO: Nepal Itinerary

25 March
Arrival. Airport meet-n-greet. Hotel check in and briefing.

26 March
In Kathmandu. Morning sightseeing in Kathmandu, afternoon for rest and recovery from travel fatigue; final preparations for trek.

27 March
Depart early to fly to Lukla. In Lukla you will take tea while your guides collect your porters, then head off. A short day, mostly downhill, to Phakding by the Dudh Kosi (Milk River).

28 March
Continue along the river in the morning, entering the Sagarmatha National Park area. Then in the afternoon a steep, spectacular climb to Namche Bazaar, the fabled Sherpa town set in a horseshoe valley.

29 March
Rest day in Namche. Explore this wonderful town and/or climb a bit in the hills above it for nice mountain views North towards Everest.

30 March
Contour high above the Dudh Kosi on an open, spectacular trail. Then descend sharply for lunch at Phunki where you will cross the river. Then a steep uphill walk to the fabled monastery at Thayngboche, set in a saddle and looking north to where Everest pokes its head out above Lhotse and Nuptse.

31 March
If the Rinpoche (reincarnate Lama) is receiving, you can pay him a brief visit and receive a blessing. Then press on to the north, past Pangboche where the "Yeti Scalp" which was the focus of the famous Edmund Hillary Yeti Expedition is located. Though the scalp was determined not to be a Yeti, it and the Pangboche monastery are still held in great reverence by the local people. Continue on an easy afternoon walk to Dingboche.

1 April
Another day for altitude acclimatization, as Dingboche is just over 14,000 feet. Cross the ridge behind the village to the hill called Dingboche Ri for the acclimatization; then climb down to Pheriche on the other side and at the same altitude as Dingboche.

2 April
Begin the ascent of the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. The views of Pumori and Nuptse from Lobuje, where you will overnight, are just a small taste of what's in store in the morning!

3 April
On the trail at the crack of dawn following the moraine past the dry lake bed at Gorak Shep. Climb steadily but slowly to Kala Pattar (18,100 feet) for unbelievably fabulous views of Everest and all of the surrounding Himals. Trek back to Lobuje.

4 April
Day of margin for contingencies. If everyone has acclimatized well and you still have this day in-hand, you can stay at the base of Gorak Shep overnight, go up to Base Camp and return to Lobuje. If you have needed the contingency day earlier you'll skip Base Camp. (There's little to see from there, but it's a great "destination" just because of what it is...)

5 April
Trek out to Pangboche. Try to arrange a viewing of the "yeti scalp."

6 April
Trek back to Namche and down to Monjo at the National Park entrance.

7 April
Trek back to Lukla

8 April
Fly to Kathmandu

9 April
In Kathmandu. R&R and a day of margin against domestic flight delays.

10 April
Drive early in the morning to Chitwan National Park in the south of the country, about 6 hours. Lunch on arrival, either in Bharatpur or at your accommodations. Afternoon activities.

11 April
Spend the day in the park: elephant-back safari and some combination of jeeping, walking and rafting.

12 April
Morning jungle activities, then drive back to Kathmandu with lunch en-route. Overnight Kathmandu.

13 April
Departure for some of the group, free day in Kathmandu for others.

14 April
Final departure

We will try to update this blog as much as possible while we are away. However, most of our updates will most likely come from Kathmandu before and after our trek.

Thank You

2010-03-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

To Tom, Kaleigh, Kathleen, Bridget, and Aaron

Thanks for making this trip a memorable one! I hope to travel with all of you again in the future!

From Tom Pass:

Now, near the end of the trip, I find myself thinking in English, with an accent that it is a mixture of Italian, Greek, Spanish, and Turkish. Like, for example, having watched "Love Boat" reruns for decades, and having wanted to "seet at zee Captain's Table, yah?" I did. Last night. Of course, it was long after dinner, and the Captain was not there, and they did tell me to go buy my own "Captain's Crackers," but I did sit at the table, until they told me not to sit there.

Largely because of her (I think) the Houston-Chicago-Virginia-West Virginian group was awarded the unofficial "Good Group" Award. I also give major praise and credit to Sara Heatherly, forever of Chicago and Oxford, and lately of Houston. One day she will own her own cruise line, and I will be her first charge passenger.

From Tom "Duck" Pass

2010-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the following blog entry from Latin Teacher Tom:

Somewhere on the Aegean Sea, 1 July 2009

Actually, I know exactly where we are: tied up to the dock at the famous Island of Rhodes. I remember the Colossus was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was a statue of a man holding a torch on top of his head, to guide the ships. I would tell you more, but I bought yet another guide-book in the wrong language, this time French. When I finish translating it, I will share what I learn.

The ship is flying the red and white flag of ... the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which is now located, I suspect, in an unmarked post office box somewhere in Rome. "Whatever floats your boat!" I really imagined a cruise on a ship with Greek or maybe Italian registry, but those flags cost more, I guess.

I have never been on a cruise ship before, and never imagined that when I finally did get on one, it would take me to TURKEY. Actually very close to the ancient site of Ephesus, one of the major cities of the world for a long time. The Apostle Paul was a resident for 3 years, and the hostile Ephesians eventually awarded Paul three months' free lodging, courtesy of the city, in the local jail. (After they found him hiding in a dry cistern, which is hidden to this day). The jail was pointed out. (Really?)

We saw the ancient theatre at Ephesus, still used for concerts by people like Michael Jackson, who died suddenly last week, and Joan Baez, and Yanni, and Elton John. I did not Hear Rascal Flats listed, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't here. And we walked the famous Harbor Road upon which Marc Antony and Cleopatra processed. I watched for snakes.It was in Ephesus that Aaron Moser corrected the guide who mentioned the cotton of Georgia, USA, saying that Texas produces more cotton than the state of Georgia now.

This ship would be a wonderful place for a ship-board romance, and there's a lot of that happening. But I asked my suitemate, Mike Sharporisky, from West Virginia, and he said he was not interested.

Actually, a certain fair lass on the ship already has my heart. My granddaughter, Kaleigh, 12, is on the trip, and we are having a wonderful time. Yesterday she went shopping ashore... and she haggled a record seven tee-shirts for 20 Euros. She learned the skill from the very aggressive souvenir hawkers in Turkey earlier in the day. Even I learned to say "NO!" and mean it to them!! When we had been the House of the Virgin Mary, and Ephesus, the bus dropped us off in the port city of Kurdasi, and 21 of us were ushered across the street into the fancy den of carpet sellers, including carpets that FLY and change colors as they land. Mike was offered the large carpet he wanted for only 9,800 Euros, or roughly 12,000 dollars, but that includes shipping. He did not pay that much, but it took a long time and two visits to arrive at a suitable carpet-pro-mise. (He bought another rug on a similar trip several years ago, but he must have gotten tired of it. The 2'x3' miniature rug I liked was 1600 Euros, but I realize I could have had it for less, if I only had a room that small.

As we sail the Aegean Sea, it is customary to inquire about the health and welfare of other passengers, saying something like, "Is it Aegean with you?" (agreeing)

I should probably "Reverse Engines," and say that we started the tour in Rome, after a short lay-over in Frankfurt, Germany. In Rome we saw the Colieum, the spaghetti, French Fries, the Vatican, and the Forum (Agora in Greek). In Athens we saw the Parthenon, the Acropolis, Mars Hill, and French Fries. Over 9,999,998 other folks besides aleigh and me will visit those HIGH-lights this year, and it is wonderful to see re-construction of earthquake or fire-damaged historic shrines being rebuilt. We did not see the Catacombs in Rome, but there are MANY cats in this part of the world, and they all seem to belong to everyone, and to no one.

It's kinda like, "OPA!!!" a Greek exclamation that means nothing and everything, and is especially appropriate when "Bravo" or "Neat" would be misunderstood. Actually, my Greek conversational skills have been so poor, that I did not know how to say "Boo!" Now I can say it easily: "boo!" (I did know that cows in Greece and Italy are called "boos" because of the distinctive sound they make, rather than English-speaking cows that say, "moo.") My dear friend Charles in Louisville is called "Opa" by his grandchildren, a Scandinavian word for "Grandfather." With his love for St John's Gospel, I felt like I was walking in a place Charles would have found fascinating. He would NOT have been amused by my search for a "St Charles" icon, and I guess we will have to settle for the St Charles Ave trolley in the Garden District of New Orleans.

Our original port in Greece is the lovely city of Patras, which is still guarded by a hill-to fortress on the far side of the harbor. Lots of foreigners are touring these areas about now. including hordes of American kids celebrating graduations, or who knows what else? It is interesting to hear their accents: kids from Texas, Chicago, Virginia, California, Louisiana, all of them with regional assaults and variations on the English language.

We did not go to Delphi, which was a real disappointment to me. There are so many lingering mysteries and suspicions about my life, that I wanted to join the throng of pilgrims to consult The Oracle at Delphi, but I never made it. I DID see a Fortune-teller in Athens who asked a fortune to tell me anything! Since I did not make it to Delphi, perhaps I shall never know -- anything! The un-experience did inspire some lyric poetry though, to wit:
I will always wonder why,
that no matter how I try,
We never made it by,
My quest tossed aside,
to get to The Oracle.
It Del-fies explanation.
I wonder "why," for example, why we were invariably served a pasta dish, AND French fries, as a representative meal in Italy! "Mama Mia, that's a spicy mystery!"

I watched Kaleigh run at the site of the original olympic stadium near Mount Olympus. It was really hot that day, but she won her "Heat" and then was disqualified for wearing clothes -- a distinctly un-Olympian faux pas. Imagine, if it had been the style to wear uniforms in those ancient days, the fortunes that would have been made selling uniform replicas of the best athletes! We heard about the mother of one of the athletes in the ancient days who sneaked into the stadium, dressed 'like a man,' so that she could watch her son compete. She knew, of course, that if she were detected on the premises, which was forbidden to women, she would be killed. Then he won! And without considering the consequences, she went to embrace him, clothes flying --- giving away her secret. *

Some of us spent Sunday night at a "Greek evening" in an old restaurant, being entertained for hours and hours. I was most impressed by a young lass from Lake Charles, LA, who danced on two continents in a single week, joining a host of "barbarians" (non-Greek-speaking people) on stage to dance.

While I was on Patmos, I saw a tea infuser hanging with a bunch of other souvenirs (all made in China). The lovely proprietress asked me the English term for a metal ball filled with loose tea leaves, and it stumped me for a while, and I worried that I might have to refuse her, and then remembered "infuser." She said the Greek term is much more complicated, and she told me what it was, and it sure was more complicated!

I found out that the names of the week in Greek are actually numbered. The second day is "deutra," the third "tritee," the fourth "tetartee," and the fifth "pemplee." All of that is inaccurate; I am torn between writing the Greek letters, or the phonetic representations," and so I have done neither, and both. To me, the most significant is the one reserved for the first day of the week, our Sunday, which is "Keeriahkee," which begins with the word for "Lord," as in "Lord's Day," and resembles the actor's name on "Days of our Lives," Victor Kuriakis," played by Jennifer Anniston's father, John. Let those who have interest, appreciate."

I took a class yesterday in conversational Greek. It lasted 45 minutes, about one minute for every year I have been reading ancient Greek, while all of those years knowing that I did not have a clue how to say, "Howdy, Y'all." if I ever met some ancient Greeks!" I'm ready now!

Now, a modern Greek language lesson for you!
Calamari = good seafood, kali being "good," and mari being "from the sea". Fresh calamari has been offered at every meal on the ship, including breakfast. But I don't eat squid. Except once in Louisville, KY, fried. I doubt, seriously, that it had slept the night before in the Ohio River!
Calimera = good morning, kali being "good," and "mera" being morning
So, Calamari-mera = "did you have good squid for breakfast?" Wait 'til I try that in Houston!

Cruising the Aegean Sea, Part 2

2010-03-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Note for anyone who might take EasyCruise in the future: They serve fairly decent food, but they do not always label the food that you might be eating. What was thought to be chicken in a lightly colored purple dressing of some sort, turned out not to be chicken at all. And it was not until the first bite was taken and swallowed that I realized the piece of food I had just ate tasted more muushy and fishy than chicken. I then looked down at my plate and noticed the tentacles. I knew I would never like squid.

Continuing along with our cruise, we stopped in the lovely island of Santorini, famous in such films as "Mama Mia" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."
The Greek way of bringing ancient traditions into the modern age can be perfectly envisioned at Santorini, where white-washed houses cling precariously to cliff sides, and donkey caravans wind down mountain roads to the sea. Santorini, a volcanic group of islands in the Aegean Sea, is a beautiful mixture of archeological sites, sleepy seaside, hill top villages, and forbidding mountains.

The shape of the islands creates an immense, protected lagoon, in which safe harbor is found for all types of craft. Santorini is a large volcanic caldera, easily seen in the arrangement of its land masses around the deep central lagoon. Once known as the most active component of the Aegean Volcanic Arc, the last eruption in Santorini occurred in 1950. Many are drawn to the sublime romance of Santorini’s landscape, to the picturesque cliff top towns, and to the old-world feeling of the culture. Many are also drawn to the blossoming nightlife, and to the modern accommodations that have emerged to service the rise in tourism. Once called Kalliste, meaning “most beautiful,” Santorini charms, delights, and surprises all of its visitors.

This is where all the hiking in Guatemala and Belize paid off. As an optional tour excursion, we chose to take a short boat ride around Santorini and explore an active volcano near the island. For some of the group, this was their third volcano they climbed within a span of three months. Needless to say, HOLA members felt great when we climbed the volcano with ease and helped other members of group make it to the top.

Enjoying the top:

We even made a brief stop in Kasudasi, Turkey, where we visited Ephesus

and had a strong debate as to how the Romans used the public toilet.

As you can see, it looks very plausible that one can sit regularly, do their business, borrow a public sea sponge and wipe themselves and call it a day. However, some group members thought the Romans went like this:

This lead to a very interesting debate that lasted close to 45 minutes. Eventually, everyone had to agree to disagree. What is your opinion?

Cruising the Agean Sea...

2010-03-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

A trip to Greece is not complete without a cruise around the Greek Isles. The last four days of our trip were spent sailing the Aegean Sea, stopping at Mykonos, Rhodes, Kasudasi, Santorini, and Crete. We cruised with EasyCruise, which is a discount cruise ship, one that I would consider the Yaris of Cruises: It gives you everything you need, but may not have everything you want. It provided us beds, rooms cleaned two times a day, turn down service, and all you can eat buffet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It even had its own wave pool, i.e. the pool water made waves everytime the ship would rock side to side. And of course, you could even have your own private hot tub on deck, at sunset.

Our first stop on the cruise was at the isle of Mykonos. Named after Mykons, a grandson of the god Apollo, Mykonos is well known as a premier tourist destination. Its ring of white sand beaches and well established hotels cater to old and young alike. Set in the Aegean Sea, Mykonos was the reported location of a battle between the Olympians, gods of the Greek pantheon, and the Gigantes, a race of giant offspring of Ge the earth mother. This famed battle is depicted on the metopes of one side of the Parthenon in Athens, and is termed the Gigantomachy.

Though Mykonos entertains an exciting, warlike legendary history, the island is better-known for its bars, clubs, beaches, and relaxed atmosphere. Its nightlife is one of Europe’s most prosperous, and its clear ocean waters, warm temperatures and stretches of resorts are now its claim to fame.

Isle number 2 was Rhodes. Though the island of Rhodes offers its visitors much in the way of classical archeological sites, its medieval city is the axis of its historical significance. The fortified upper and lower medieval towns show a wonderful mixture of Gothic and Ottoman architecture. In the upper town where the Christian Gothic style is prevalent, the mighty Palace of the Grand Master looms, one of the many structures built by the knights of the Order of St. John, or the Knights of Rhodes.

Rhodes has been the destination of choice for many illustrious visitors, including the Roman emperor Tiberius, who sought refuge on the island from the pressing concerns of governing and turned it into his fantasy hideaway. Prior to Roman rule, the island was home to successful and influential Greek settlements, best memorialized in the remains of the Acropolis of Rhodes and the Acropolis of Lindos. These magnificent sites are beautifully offset by the medieval quarters, with the traditional Gothic style of the palace, the hospital, and many churches. The period of rule of the Knights of Rhodes lasted from 1309 to 1523, after which followed periods of Ottoman and Italian occupation—hence the sight of churches and mosques arranged side by side in the lower town.

Our day in Rhodes also served as our day at the beach.

As well as a day for boating...

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of Cruising the Aegean Sea...

Athens: Part 2, Video Blog

2010-03-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Short Greek Language Lesson.

2010-03-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some useful vocabulary terms and phrases one needs to be acquainted with before venturing to Greece:

Yes - Ne

No - Ohi

Please - Parakalo

Ok - Endaxi

Thank you - Efharisto

Today - Simera

Tomorrow - Avrio

Yesterday - Hthes

Good Morning-Kalimera

Good - Kalo

Now - Tora

Later - Argotera

Open - Anihto

Closed - Klisto

Cheap - Ftino

Mother - Mitera

Father - Pateras

Friend - Filos

Bakery - Fournos

Money - Lefta / Hrimata

Toilet - Toualleta

How are you? - Ti Kanis?

I am Fine - Ime Kala / Kala

What is your name? - Pos se lene?

I am Lost - Hathika

Excuse me, do you speak English? - Parakalo mipos milate Aglika

I don't speak Greek - Den Milao Elinika

OPA!!!-Greek Term For Almost Anything or Nothing

Athens: 1,000 years worth of gentrification.

2010-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Kalimera!

Today, we write you from Athens, Greece!!! Man, this trip has been amazingertastic! (Definition: More than amazing, beyond great and fantastic). After spending the past school year learning Latin, it is great to be in the place where a lot of it originated from.

Athens, the capital of Greece, is famed for its preserved representations of the Golden Age of ancient Greece, stepping stones in the evolution of Western culture and philosophy. Intermingling with modern buildings, subways lines and highways, the skeletons of some of the great architectural works of the once powerful Grecian city state invite visitors from around the globe. The Acropolis and the Parthenon are common names that bring to mind the image of a pinnacle in civilization’s long development.

There are a few modern problems that the ancient city of Athens is tackling, including the effects of pollution on the fabulous ancient monuments. Rapid modernization during the 1980s and 1990s led to an excess of atmospheric pollution and the occurrence of hanging smog and acid rain. The government of Athens has worked hard to face this problem, and in doing so, safeguard their legacy. The world looks to Athens, now a major European power, and in doing so looks back in time to when democracy and philosophy was born, back to the Golden Age.

Obligatory group photo in front of the Acropolis, or more specifically, the Parthenon.

Enjoying Gyros...

And shopping in the Plaka District. All the girls on tour made a dash to all the stores to find a pair of harem pants and a Greek dress, similar to what our tour guide Fortuna was wearing. She is the one on the left.

Bye Bye for now!

In Transit...

2010-03-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Aaron, Kaleigh, Bridget, Kathleen, Tom, and I have been enjoying ourselves immensely! We do not have a lot of downtime, hence the lack of entries. That is one of the downfalls of being on a guided tour with a bus: while it is nice that you know what you are going to do each day, sometimes you feel rushed and you don't have time to discover those random hole in the wall museums or quaint little restaurants with rock star service. We left Rome on June 25 and headed south to the ruins of Pompeii. Pompeii is the left-over ruin and partially buried town in the City of Pompei (Note the difference in spelling). Pompeii was once a happening town, with store fronts and free flowing sewage in the streets. However, In 79 AD, Pompeii was destroyed and buried completely by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii became buried under 60 feet of ash and pumice and was nearly lost for 1,700 years, until it was accidentally rediscovered in 1748. Over two million people flock to Pompeii each year, as it is another popular tourist site. We were six of them. Bodies were forever encased by the ash. After Pompeii, we drove to the port town of Puglia to catch an over night ferry to Greece, where we experience having lunch with Jessica Simpson's portrait and discovered our liking for Greek yogurt with honey. Olympia was a wonderful stop along our way towards Athens. The original Olympic games were held here in classical times. Games were held every Olympiad, dating back as far as 776 BC. However, Emperor Theodosius I abolished the games in 394 AD because he viewed the games to be reminiscent of paganism. The Olympic Games as we know it today were not held until 1896 in Athens, Greece. We were in awe of having the experience of running on the original Olympic Track. View our race below:

Okay, not the best race video in the world, but we had fun none the less. We are much better posing for still pictures at the gate of the track.

That is all the time we have for tonight. Ciao!

Rome-Day 2- Part 2

2010-03-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

We had fun visiting the Colosseum, attempting to run up and down the entry stairway, only to slip on the stone marble. And when I say run, our tour guide told us to.

After snapping a few more photos in and around the Colosseum area and pondering why the following person, if he was to impersonate a Gladiator, was on a cell phone,

we walked along the original Roman road outside the Colosseum that Julius Caesar himself walked on. It is amazing to walk on the same road as Julius Caesar. Quick little fact about Julius Caesar: All his sisters' names were Julia.

This road lead straight through the Roman Forum, which isn't much in terms of aesthetic beauty as it is in ruins now, but the Forum was the central meeting place of the city. In the Forum stood the most important public buildings and was considered to be the center of the entire Roman Empire.

After walking through the ruins of the Roman Forum, we made our way to the smallest country in the world: The Vatican. Now the Vatican is a landlocked sovereign city-state within Rome with a population just over 800 people. The Vatican is also home to two things: The Catholic Pope and the Sistine Chapel.

For being so tiny, it does take a while to get through the Vatican, winding through narrow hallways and crowds of people trying to push their way through to the Sistine Chapel. Also, it was hot. Not as hot as Houston for a summer day, but still enough to make the air thick and sticky. There was not much AC action going on and the only air ventilation came from tiny fans placed far and few between. But hey, we're in Rome! As long as you stay hydrated, you can beat the heat.

At least to those from the HOLA group, we believe the most important thing we saw at the Vatican was the Sistine Chapel, which is located in Apostolic Palace and modeled after the Temple of Solomon. Now, this Sistine Chapel is not a large room, only 134 feet long and 44 feet wide, with a 67-foot ceiling. The dimensions of the room are not important, but knowing the artist of the artwork is. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, the Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. On the ceiling, Michelangelo depicted nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, the center piece being the most prominent and iconic: the hand of God giving life to Adam.

One of the main rules while one is in the Sistine Chapel is that you must not take any photographs, especially with flash as the constant flashes of light damages the artwork. Security guards will only ask you once to not take a picture. Although, you see many people become creative at how they will sneak a photo.

Enough history for today. We must get to bed for it is an early departure for Pompeii tomorrow morning.

Ciao!

Rome-Day 2-JUNE 24

2010-03-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Once you get passed the first initial day of jet lag and have a proper night's sleep, it suddenly dawns on you that you are in Rome, the capital city of Italy. The Forum, Colosseum, The Vatican, Gelato, and Espresso: all of it so Italian. There is just something about seeing all the sights that you have read about or seen in pictures while in school and then actually seeing them in real life.

Today was our first full day in Rome. We experienced some night life last night, taking a night bus tour of the city, just barely scraping the surface of what this wonderful city has to offer. Seeing the Colosseum while whirling by on a bus just doesn't serve it justice.
Still, it made for a cool picture.

Our first stop of the morning, however, was the Colosseum. After a lovely breakfast of muesli, croissants with Nutella, and coffee, we departed our hotel and headed towards the Colosseum. Now, Rome was once the largest city in the Western World and held onto that title for almost a thousand years, having a great political authority over its vast empire. However, it is true "All good things must come to end." The Roman empire might have fallen apart centuries ago, but its architecture and spirit still remain today, especially in the Colosseum.

Now, the Colosseum is an amphitheatre located in the center of Rome and was the largest amphitheatre ever built by the Romans. It remains one of the prime examples of Roman engineering. Between 70 and 72 AD, emperor Vespasian ordered for the construction of the Colosseum to begin and it was completed in 80 AD under emperor Titus. In its heyday, the Colosseum could hold up to 50,000 spectators who would come to enjoy gladiatorial contests and other public events, such as mock sea battles, animal hangings, dramas, and executions. However, during the medieval era, the Colosseum stopped being used for entertainment purposes.

Today, it is one of the most visited sites in Rome, attracting more thousands of paying tourists. We were just glad we all got the student discount.

From Rome to Athens Day 1-June 23

2010-02-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

Buongiorno!! (bwohn-JOH-noh)

We have arrived in Rome, Italy after an overnight flight from Houston and a short layover in Munich, Germany. We had some slight confusion upon our arrival at the Rome International Airport. Our flight attendant accidentally directed us straight to the airport exit instead of baggage claim. To make a long story short, after being sent to two different terminals and a departures lounge from the employees at the information desk, a young security guard found us and escorted us through a special "Employees Only" security checkpoint and helped us find our luggage, which thankfully was still going around the conveyor belt.

Once we had our baggage dilemma all situated, our tour director spotted us easily due to the backpacks and messenger bag EF Tours provides all their clientele. Fortuna Gallo is our lovely tour director for the duration of our trip. I was especially impressed when she contacted me a week before our departure date and laid out our trip itinerary and told me I could call her any time.

We officially exited the airport by 2:00 in the afternoon and made it to the bus where we met the rest of our tour group. We were met with a slight groan from the rest of the tour group because we were the last to arrive. Blame the airplane, not us. In total, our group size was 35: two school groups from West Virginia, a family from New York, and a mother/daughter/friend group from New Jersey (and of course, HOLA from Houston)

It was close to 2:30 in the afternoon before we arrived at our hotel and dropped off our luggage before heading into the center of Rome for a short afternoon near the Spanish Steps, transferring US currency to Euros (Not so bad exchange rate, 1 euro equals $1.49), and enjoying a lovely gelato on that particular hot afternoon. We could not wait for this trip to officially begin!

2010-02-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Please pardon our dust as the blog back tracks a bit. We had written new blog entries regarding our 2009 summer trip to Italy and Greece and our fall trip to North Carolina where we spent 5 days backpacking on the Appalachian Trail that somehow did not get published to the web. We are going to repost the blog entries and stay tuned for new updates regarding our trip to Nepal in March 2010!

From Rome to Athens...

2009-06-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Our official school year has come to an end, but there are a few of us teachers and students who head for Italy and Greece tomorrow afternoon on our first ever Optional Summer trip to Europe! We leave Houston from IAH and fly on Lufthansa Airlines to Frankfort, Germany where we will catch our connecting flight to Rome, Italy to begin a 9 day land trek through Italy and Greece and ending with a 3-day Greek Isle Cruise. Keep checking the blog for updates and Video Journals about our trip.

Bon Voyage!

Last Full Day in Glorious Belize

2009-04-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We are writing this as the sun is slowly setting over the town of Dangriga, Belize, a wonderful coastal town near the second largest coral reef in the world. We left Flores, Guatemala on Monday morning and crossed the border into Belize. Going through immigration/customs was relatively easy, each student following directions and properly filling out their paperwork.
Belize is a very laid back country. We jammed with Pen Cayetano, the founder of the Garifuna punta rock movement, bought handmade Garifuna drums from a world renowned drum maker and ate some of the best fried food known to man (Highly recommend fry jacks-fried dough bread served at breakfast).

Today, we spent the day out on the water snorkeling and fishing. Three of our students caught enough fish to feed our entire group of 19 people and our wonderful hosts and new Belizean friends.

As this is our last day, we are doing our last minute packing, trying to jam all the souvenirs into our carry-ons and trying to do some last minute laundry. We are ending our trip on a high note with a wonderful party celebration on the rooftop of our hostel.

Airport information for parents are as follows: We will depart from Belize City at 3:50 pm and arrive back in Houston (IAH)at 7:25 pm on Continental Airline flight CO 1652S. Please arrive at the airport no later than 7:30 PM.

See you all tomorrow!

HOLA

P.S. Just because our trip is coming to an end, that does not mean our blog is. Please continue reading our blog as we post more in depth detail about our trip and pictures.

Survival of the Fittest

2009-04-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hello once again to our loyal readers!

We arrived safely in Flores once again after our short little jaunt through the Peten Jungle region of Northern Guatemala. We are all extremely tired and smelly, but glad to be back in a place with toilets and showers. However, the jungle trek was an amazing opportunity to see spider monkeys swinging from tree limb to tree limb over our heads and the nesting point of the endangered Scarlet Macaw. We also hiked in to the Mayan ruin of El Peru and became some of the very few people in this world who will ever experience the Mayan ruin while it was in its beginning stages of excavation. Our tour guides took wonderful care of us, feeding us well at meal times and supplying our group of twenty with plenty of water and providing shelter. It was hardly any work for us except for hauling ourselves up some steep paths to El Peru.

This will be a short update, more to be added later. Tomorrow is yet another early day (up and ready to leave at 5:00 AM) to go visit Tikal and then on Sunday we will all go to Mass and then take a six hour bus ride to Hopkins, Belize.

Until next time!
HOLA

Arrival in Flores

2009-04-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

We officially left Quetzaltenango last night at 18:00 (Have to love 24 hr time) and spent the night traveling by our own private coach to Flores, Guatemala. It was a twelve hour jaunt, but we arrived safely in Flores early this morning around 6:45. We are currently staying in the Los Amigos Youth Hostel, surrounded by the local birds, a dog, and a cat or two who roam the hostel freely (the dog constantly begs for tummy rubs).

After spending all night on the bus and eating a delicious breakfast (highly recommend the Energy Avocado Shake with granola), we plan to spend the rest of the day just vegging out, possibly heading to the lake later this afternoon for a swim and visiting the local zoo (monkeys, jaguars, and birds oh my!). Tomorrow, we plan to head out on a three day jungle trek which includes visiting the Mayan ruin Tikal. Everybody will have their Big 4: Water Canteen, Rain Gear, Bug Spray, and Sun screen.

We will update once more after our jungle trek!

Have a happy Tuesday!

HOLA

G-U-A-T-E-M-A-L-A

2009-04-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It has been a long six days full of adventures. We have hiked not one, but two volcanoes. Our first volcano was the Volcan De Pacaya, an active volcano an hour south of Antigua. It was a 2 km hike to the top of the volcano and the hike up was very long, but not too difficult. As we continued up the path, there were Guatemalans offering "taxis" to the top, which were horse rides. Three of our students were lucky enough to "hail a taxi" and Natalie describes the ride as bumpy, but fun. We had a wonderful guide named Joaquin. He graciously led us through fog and loose terrain to a spot of the volcano where we could see a bit of lava flow right below us. Our pictures may not have turned out quite the way we wanted, but we have some awesome pictures of black silhouettes against a bright red background. These photos will be posted at a later date. The top of the volcano was warm enough that if you stayed still too long, you would burn and if you stuck a stick in the hot vent it would catch on fire. The descent from the top of the volcano was cool because Natalie says so.

On day three, we took a six hour bus ride from Antigua to Quetzeltenango. In Quetzeltenango, we are enjoying a wonderful family home stay with Karen and Marta, the niece and sister of Kiki from Sandy´s Market (Kiki gave the presentation of Guatemala at the Silent Auction). Karen has been gracious enough to be our wonderful tour guide for our time spent in Quetzeltenango (Also known as Xela). On our first full day in Xela (Day 4), we discovered the best thing in the world: sliding down a concrete slide on pieces of cardboard. We were at Cerro Baul, an outside park overlooking Quetzeltenango. Students and teachers spent two and a half hours sliding down the "peligroso" and trying very hard not to fall on their butt at the end. After visiting Cerro Baul, we visited three churches. The first one we went to was the first church built in the Central Americas, dating back to the 1500s. It was closed, but very pretty on the outside. The second church we visited was San Andreas. It was an ornate decorated church, painted yellow and known in Guatemala as being the most intricate church for its influence from both the Mayan and Catholic religions.

On our way to the third church, we came across an Easter procession. The small town where this church was located paved its streets with colored sawdust into a pathway for the procession. The people worked hard for two days creating this intricate sidewalk full of floral and other pattern arrangements. After talking with one woman who was working on the pathway, we went to Karen's aunt's house for hot chocolate and sweet bread. The hot chocolate was delicious and extremely thick. It was a great end to a great day.

On day five, we ventured to our second volcano, this one dormant with a large sacred Mayan lake in the middle of the crater. The Laguna Chicobal is roughly an hour and a half away from Quetzaltenango and hard to get to in our rented turismo vans. The first van got a flat tire and half the group was let out not too far from the trail head. However, the second group was not so lucky. Their van couldn't make it up the hill and therefore the passengers had to get out and walk up a steep dirt path. They were tired before they got to the trail head.

The path to Laguna Chicobal was a 1.81 km hike uphill through very dusty paths. While the guide said it would take 15 minutes to get there if you walk fast or 40 minutes if you walk slow, we determined they were wrong. It took about an hour and a half (for our group anyway) to hike to the laguna. Once we made it to the top, the view was amazing. The lake in the center of the crater is very sacred to Mayan culture. Forty days after Easter, the Mayan people will hike in and perform a ceremony to make it rain. We don't get to experience this ceremony, however, we did get to view a few flower alters around the perimeter of the lake.

Somehow, the way out of the crater involved climbing 580 steps. This felt like murder for some of us, but we were rewarded later in the evening with a trip to a hot spring, Fuentas Georginas. The hot spring was an extremely awesome, relaxing pool. The water was warm and very relaxing to our sore muscles. One word of caution, you must take a cold shower once you are finished swimming in the hot spring in order to avoid being sick. The cold shower helps your body readjust to the cold temperature much more quickly than letting yourself gradually cool down.

Today, Sunday, is Palm Sunday. Two students experienced a traditional Guatemalan Catholic mass. After mass, HOLA students and staff visited the open market. Quetzaltenango's open market happens on the first Sunday of each month and artisans come from all over to sell their goods: musical instruments, jewelry, and hand stitched bags. We had a wonderful afternoon relaxing and looking at all the street vendors.

After spending the afternoon shopping, Karen´s aunt invited us to her small town of Salcaja for lunch. She served us a wonderful meal of chicken served in a ranchero sauce with vegetables, blue corn chichitos, rice, and fresh squeezed mango juice. After the meal, we showed her our appreciation by presenting her with a historical picture of Quetzaltenango and a card signed by all of the students. This chance opportunity was a great way to conclude our time in Quetzaltenango.

Tomorrow, we plan to take care of a couple of logistics here in town before catching a bus to Flores in the early evening.

Until next time!

HOLA

Arrival in Guatemala

2009-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

The HOLA students and staff have arrived safe and sound at the Hotel Pasaje in Antigua, Guatemala, a city roughly 25 minutes away from the capital. Antigua used to be the capital of Guatemala until a major mudslide occurred and then the capital moved to Guatemala City.

The flight seemed longer than two hours for most of us, but we made use of our time getting caught up on our journals or sleep. Antigua is beautiful with cobblestone streets and colorful buildings surrounded by green tree mountains. We plan to stay in Antigua for two nights, spending the rest of today acclimating ourselves and then tomorrow we will tour the orphanage where we will drop off the trunks of hygiene products and blankets we brought with us, as well as touring an active volcano (No worries though, it will be a light hike to the volcano).

That is all for now. Until next time!

Drum Circle

2009-03-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Below are our students' Djembe (African Drumming) performance at our Silent Auction. Please note the video is not that high in quality, but our students still did an excellent job.

Song: Sunu

Song: Bomba

Song: Belize Funk

Initial Itinerary

2009-03-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

ITINERARY Outline

1) Houston to Guatemala City airport

2) Antigua -- visit Casa de Fe orphanage -- deliver donations

3) Quetzaltenango -- stay with family and friends of Sandy's Market -- city tour and volcano

4) Coban (central Guatemala) 2 day stay in Mayan Village -- see Proyecto Eco-Quetzal website

5) Flores -- visit to Tikal and El Peten jungle

6) Cross into Belize -- Hopkins, Belize -- drumming center

7) Belize City to Houston

Note: Click on Photo to enlarge.

PeaceJam Poetry

2009-03-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

The following poems were written by HOLA students about the themes encountered during our reading of I, Rigoberta Menchu. These poems were given to Ms. Menchu as a gift at her book signing.

WARRIORS OF THE NIGHT
By Tarik B., age 18

It was nearing dusk with a scarlet red sky.
Every so often the Quetzales sang with a very sad cry.
The layout of the terrain was surreal and serene.
Trees as tall as sky scrapers and vegetation as dark as hunters green.
The darkness falling more and more by the minute
Both soldiers and guerrillas, frightened, not knowing of the others limit.
One side with fire arms and orders yet ever so cumbersome
The other, agile and all knowing of the forest, only fighting with the minimum.
Both with their wits and weapons ready to fight.
Unknown which side will be left fighting after the night.

Sugar Cane
By Azure R., age 12,

Sugar from the sugar cane,
Brown and sweet.
Sugar from the sugar cane
Makes me jittery and jumpy
Sugar from the sugar cane,
A mile away from eating a beet
Sugar from the sugar cane
It’s smooth or lumpy

Cutting the sugar from the sugar cane
So very sour
Working and working
It’s hard not to be a quitter,
Sugar from the sugar cane
Working hours and hours
Sugar from the sugar cane
It’s not sweet but bitter

Finca (A Haiku)
By Natalie A., age 11

I really try
Work hard at finca
Makes me cry.

Finca Life
By Jessica W., age 11

Finca life is never easy
Picking cotton and coffee beans
The coffee beans are very greasy
Watching out for the spraying planes
Make the plants green

The Guerillas
By Josh S., age 14

The guerrillas trained themselves to be deadly
They trained to protect their people and their own
They got themselves prepared and ready
They fought for their family and for those who moan in pain

People were tortured to death and lost their lives
They were skinned, burned, and cut
When they were captured, they believed what the soldiers believed were lies
They were burnt by fire, skinned and cut by machetes
Which are known as big knives.

Poem
By Denis R., age 15

She went over a hill
To find a pill
And take a chill
At the hill

She was eating a pie
Hoping not to die
Her brother fell ill
Because he couldn't get a pill

Birth Ceremony
By Christian A., age 12

The day you’re born is very special
You could be like a bull
All the traits are the same and sometimes even the facial
Even when the sky is full

Haiku
By Christian A., age 12

Rigoberta how
Have you escape the
Torture of them?

Guatemala
By David S., age 17

Guatemala is a beautiful place
Too bad they stole it from us
We are forced to work in the finca
Just to get some money

We learn to read the bible
And we bless the poor
It’s very sad when a loved one dies
They’re lucky if they live past 5.

Untitled
By Ariel S., age 16

The people have been collected and raked
And the U.S. wishes it was faked
All was good till Arbonz bailed
I think we should have sailed

I’m really glad that people hadn’t failed
They raked you up to demonstrate their power
I’m glad you lived to tell this tail
And now the people tower

Poem Untitled
By Isaac A., age 16

When the poor become rich
And the rich become poor
Then society’s long desired stitch
Has them oppressed more and more

The Menchu Way
By Reece H., age 17

She came in the night
Put up a fight
Keeping her family tight
She finally saw the light

She worked hard
To make a living
Worked in the yard and
Kept on living

Untitled
By Anthony S, age 12

I eat corn
I work on the fields
I grieve for the fallen
I am only human

Poem #3
By Izzy A., age 14

I can eat corn
From a factory
Or a village
I can be indigenous
And I can be Christian

But
If I
Don’t
Have a
Choice
Its
Not
So
Great
To be
Me
Anymore

The Cry
By Aaron M, age 18

Oh the injustice
Absolute tyranny
I am tired of all that disgust us
I talk and no one is hearing me

My people starve to the bone
I cry
It is carved in stone
That people shall not die

Poem Untitled 1
By Emily, Age 13

Corn under my feet
It smells really bad
Corn I’d like to meet
Oh em gee its 4 new fad

Maize is the new craze
I always go into a daze
I hope I get the raise
Right now I am in such a phase

Peace Jam with Rigoberta Menchu

2009-03-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

This past semester, the students have read I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala translated by Elizabeth Burgos in preparation for their trip. I, Rigoberta Menchu is about the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu's early life in Guatemala during its civil war. Ms. Menchu grew up as a young indigenous peasant woman to the K'iche'Maya ethnic group, suffering through injustice and hardships that included the murders of her parents and brother by the Guatemalan military. Ms. Menchu has dedicated her life to getting the rights for the Guatemalan indigenous people, as well as publicizing their everyday plights during the civil war. After being exiled to Mexico in the early 1980s, Rigoberta Menchu met with Elizabeth, an anthropologist from Venezula and conducted a series of interviews that lasted twenty-seven hours. From those twenty-seven hours of tape, I, Rigoberta Menchu came about.

By a sheer stroke of luck, our principal discovered that Rigoberta Menchu herself was coming to Houston March 27-29 as the guest speaker for PeaceJam Houston. PeaceJam is a non-profit foundation looking to create a new generation of young leaders who will create positive changes within themselves, their communities and the world through the insight and motivation from Nobel Peace Laureates such as Rigoberta Menchu, The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.

On Friday, March 27, our students and staff went to Rothko Chapel, near the Menil Museum, to hear Rigoberta Menchu speak about ending racism and hate. It was an absolute wonderful experience having read Ms. Menchu's novel about her early life and then hearing her speak in real life and drawing inspiration from her continuous effort to fight for the rights of the indigenous people of Guatemala. Six of our students were also able to participate in the PeaceJam conference with Ms. Menchu.

2009-03-02T10:55:00.001-08:00

This is a blog used for information, student writings, and travel updates about/for the Houston Outdoor Learning Academy, located in the Heights area of Houston, Texas. The Houston Outdoor Learning Academy, HOLA, is a non-profit 501(C) (3), full-time non-traditional school for students in grades six through twelve (ages 11-18) who wish to combine their inquisitive nature and enthusiasm for the outdoors with personal academic growth in an educational setting that uses a hands-on approach to enhance self-esteem, multiple intelligences, academic knowledge, social skills, and personal development.

As part of the student's education at HOLA, there are two trips taken each year: a backpacking trip in the fall and an international trip each spring. This past fall (October 2008), the school traveled to Taos, New Mexico and spent three days backpacking in the Wheeler Wilderness area and climbed Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in New Mexico at 13,141 ft. This Spring (March 31-April 16, 2009), the school will be traveling to Guatemala and Belize in Central America.

Our trips are specifically designed as an educational experience and more than just a vacation. Our school has a great group of students who work very hard at fundraising and preparing for their trips by learning about the culture, history, and language of the country(ies) we travel to each year.

Stay tuned for further information/journal entries about our trips!