Off to Mulukuku this morning, where one of our SNDs has been living for 30 years. Looking forward to seeing what a "bucket shower" is like!
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Nicaragua: Wednesday in Matagalpa
Busy student trip - packed with social time as most organized trips are so I definitely won't be blogging much.
Yesterday we spent the morning at the main school where kids with all kinds of disabilities begin their program here. Each kid has individual goals. For some, the goal is to learn the basic things they need to transition to a regular school. Because all the kids have behavior problems, simple things like sitting at a table with other kids are a huge emphasis. For others, they hope to move on to the more advanced vocational and therapy programs associated with the school.
The boy I was paired up with, Maguelito, has multiple disabilities including severe autism. We weren't very successful at sitting at the table for more than a few minutes, but I found that he really enjoyed flying around the playground like an airplane together, that he could get himself going on the swings without help, and that although he spent a lot of time pushing people away from him, he also liked hugs and even gave me a few kisses before the morning was done.
In the afternoon we visited the program for older girls and women with mental disabilities, where 17 young women get physical and psychiatric therapy, socialization, meds, job training and much affection so they can become independent enough to support themselves.
At the end of the day, it was great to hear all the reflections of our college students who, to a person, sincerely felt they (we) had learned more from the people we've met here so far than they from us. That's the attitude sister Rebecca began here with too - not thinking she was coming to Nicaragua to help people, but to have them show her how she could facilitate them helping themselves, and she has learned a lot from them along the way.
Today we will meet with the mother-leaders from each of the barrios of Matagalpa and have a little celebration, then tomorrow we are off to Molocucu, a 6-hour ride into the countryside, where another SND is working with the rural kids.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Yesterday we spent the morning at the main school where kids with all kinds of disabilities begin their program here. Each kid has individual goals. For some, the goal is to learn the basic things they need to transition to a regular school. Because all the kids have behavior problems, simple things like sitting at a table with other kids are a huge emphasis. For others, they hope to move on to the more advanced vocational and therapy programs associated with the school.
The boy I was paired up with, Maguelito, has multiple disabilities including severe autism. We weren't very successful at sitting at the table for more than a few minutes, but I found that he really enjoyed flying around the playground like an airplane together, that he could get himself going on the swings without help, and that although he spent a lot of time pushing people away from him, he also liked hugs and even gave me a few kisses before the morning was done.
In the afternoon we visited the program for older girls and women with mental disabilities, where 17 young women get physical and psychiatric therapy, socialization, meds, job training and much affection so they can become independent enough to support themselves.
At the end of the day, it was great to hear all the reflections of our college students who, to a person, sincerely felt they (we) had learned more from the people we've met here so far than they from us. That's the attitude sister Rebecca began here with too - not thinking she was coming to Nicaragua to help people, but to have them show her how she could facilitate them helping themselves, and she has learned a lot from them along the way.
Today we will meet with the mother-leaders from each of the barrios of Matagalpa and have a little celebration, then tomorrow we are off to Molocucu, a 6-hour ride into the countryside, where another SND is working with the rural kids.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 4, 2013
Nicaragua: Familias Especiales
The weeks leading up to midterm break were especially busy so I didn't make my customary post to say I was going to... (fill in the blank), but... Hooray for Nicaragua!
Traveling with a great group of students from my school this week for an alternative spring break program learning about the programs our Sisters run in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. All of them are programs for special needs kids and their families, most of whom would otherwise be trapped in their homes for lack of basic things like wheelchairs.
I say "sisters" but really it's just one woman overseeing all 16 of the initiatives that have been developed here in the past 15 years. Today we visited a shop that specializes in yogurt, cheese and granola. All fresh and organic and operated by disabled adults and their family members. Then we got an enthusiastic welcome from a large class of kids with a variety of disabilities who spend time here each day while their caretakers have a few hours to work, shop or socialize. After lunch, we took a ride out to a farm where 6-8 kids each day participate in what is probably Nicaragua's only horse therapy program. The kids are loving and friendly in their way, and I was lucky to get to do one of the therapy sessions, riding along with a 9 year old girl who can't yet sit on the horse by herself.
This week's blog posts will no doubt be short as Internet is limited and our schedule packed full each day and because i didn't pack the keyboard! But I'll post pictures if I take some and will try to convey some of the adventure that is this place if I can.
Buenos Noches All!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Traveling with a great group of students from my school this week for an alternative spring break program learning about the programs our Sisters run in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. All of them are programs for special needs kids and their families, most of whom would otherwise be trapped in their homes for lack of basic things like wheelchairs.
I say "sisters" but really it's just one woman overseeing all 16 of the initiatives that have been developed here in the past 15 years. Today we visited a shop that specializes in yogurt, cheese and granola. All fresh and organic and operated by disabled adults and their family members. Then we got an enthusiastic welcome from a large class of kids with a variety of disabilities who spend time here each day while their caretakers have a few hours to work, shop or socialize. After lunch, we took a ride out to a farm where 6-8 kids each day participate in what is probably Nicaragua's only horse therapy program. The kids are loving and friendly in their way, and I was lucky to get to do one of the therapy sessions, riding along with a 9 year old girl who can't yet sit on the horse by herself.
This week's blog posts will no doubt be short as Internet is limited and our schedule packed full each day and because i didn't pack the keyboard! But I'll post pictures if I take some and will try to convey some of the adventure that is this place if I can.
Buenos Noches All!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
PCT: Back
We are back on the grid (for the moment), safe and healing. Details to follow in the forthcoming short narrative titled 6 Days on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
PCT: fire update
We are aware of the fire near ollalie lake. Pct website had an update with diversion yesterday pm and we are following that. That route turns off the pct near russel lake and reconnects at red something. We have it saved here on the iPad. Conserving juice so keeping this short. If you want to help us out, please feel free to look at pcta.org website for any trail closure info later that yesterday afternoon and send it to me on my cell via text message. No idea if we will get it but could be helpful if we do. Will update again when able!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Russia Trip: Moscow
I haven't really blogged about Russia, which was a highlight of this whole trip. It was interesting from the very start as we realized that, despite the significant hurdles the Russian government puts American travelers through to get a visa, once you've got your visa it's actually quite easy to get around. We were prepared, for example, for the airport checkin logistics to be kind of a nightmare with inspectors from every possible border related department scrutinizing our travel preparation. Not so. All we got was hello, here's your boarding pass, have a nice flight. I didn't even have time to ask for a window seat.
Once we were on the plane, we were happily surprised to find that our TransAero Kiev-Moscow commuter flight, all of 80 minutes takeoff to touch down, included meal service, complete with hot towels to freshen up with. So civilized! We were hungry so we ate gratefully while mapping out our strategy for getting from the airport to our hotel. Turns out there is a very efficient train service, AeroExpress I think it was called, that took us very comfortably from the airport to the city center, and from there it was a quick introduction to the workings of the Moscow metro lines and - boom! there we were, two Amerikanskies bursting out of the subway right into Red Square.
In our few moments of logistical confusion over how to buy tickets, an angel always seemed to pop up just when we needed one. "Do you need help?" our Moscow airport angel asked as we stared blankly at the first question on the automated ticket machine.
"Yes, please!" I said, and she walked us through a translation screen by screen until out popped our tickets. Two minutes later we were sprinting down the platform and jumping into the next train just moments before the doors closed. This turned out to be the very best way to beat the traffic into town, aside from the fact that it was also the most economical way to go.
Our angels were in full force as we approached the front door of the Hotel National on Red Square. Location was everything for us when we booked this room since we knew we would only have two nights in Moscow. By paying in advance, Trish got a good deal on a room at this gem of a five-star hotel right on the ploshad that leads to both Red Square and the Kremlin. A "good deal" was still $275 a night, but we decided early on that we were willing to pay for proximity. As we walked up the steps, the door magically opened for us at just the right time. This turned out to be the doing of the white-gloved hand of an ancient doorman. His warm welcome to Moscow was only outdone by the front desk manager, who must have seen something in us... whether it was empathy for her fellow females looking a bit tired and wrinkled, or a suspicion that inside our shabby looking bags were several bright, shiny high tech devices with which we would certainly use to post reviews of her hotel - whatever it was, we were pleasantly surprised when she informed her stoic faced underling that we were to receive a room upgrade. "You will have a jacuzzi in your room just for your own use," she informed us. Exactly what we wanted to hear!
Moscow wasn't all perfect. While Red Square and the Kremlin buildings were each awesome in their own way, with a great energy in the square, especially at night ("night" being sometime after 11:00 pm by the way, at this time of year), we mis-planned the timing for seeing Lenin's well-preserved body, which we both wanted to see. Turns out that Lenin takes a day off on Mondays. We also never did make a river tour (also a timing issue). We did, however, spend some time in GUM department store, which is an experience in itself. This was a very different GUM from the one I visited in Minsk... I think the Minsk GUM is probably a more authentic holdover from the Soviet days, while the Red Square GUM is more like shopping on Union Square in San Francisco.
Our final Moscow angel was the concierge at our hotel, who gave us very careful and compassionate instructions for finding our way to the train station that would take us to St. Petersburg. I think her name was Marina. Her face stern and serious, she spoke slowly and emphasized certain details that we will probably never forget. "When you get on the metro, you must get on the last car," she said. "The very last car... it is the one that will take you to the train station."
"The last car," we repeated.
"Give yourself..." she lifted her head and looked at us. How smart are these two, she must have been thinking. "Your train leaves at 1:30... so you should arrive at the station at 1:00. The train will be there at 1:00." She took off her thick reading glasses and made direct eye contact with us one at a time to make sure we were paying attention. "Now if it were me, I would take 15 minutes to get there. I would leave here at a quarter to one. But you..." starting us hard in the eyes now, "you must give yourselves time to think... time to look around. You should leave here at twelve. Twelve o'clock so you have time to look around, time to wonder..."
"OK" we said, "time to wonder."
"Maybe," I added, "to go in the wrong direction and then turn around and go the right direction?"
"Yes," she said, and seemed comforted by the fact that we did not argue with her assessment of our ability to negotiate the metro system.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Once we were on the plane, we were happily surprised to find that our TransAero Kiev-Moscow commuter flight, all of 80 minutes takeoff to touch down, included meal service, complete with hot towels to freshen up with. So civilized! We were hungry so we ate gratefully while mapping out our strategy for getting from the airport to our hotel. Turns out there is a very efficient train service, AeroExpress I think it was called, that took us very comfortably from the airport to the city center, and from there it was a quick introduction to the workings of the Moscow metro lines and - boom! there we were, two Amerikanskies bursting out of the subway right into Red Square.
In our few moments of logistical confusion over how to buy tickets, an angel always seemed to pop up just when we needed one. "Do you need help?" our Moscow airport angel asked as we stared blankly at the first question on the automated ticket machine.
"Yes, please!" I said, and she walked us through a translation screen by screen until out popped our tickets. Two minutes later we were sprinting down the platform and jumping into the next train just moments before the doors closed. This turned out to be the very best way to beat the traffic into town, aside from the fact that it was also the most economical way to go.
Our angels were in full force as we approached the front door of the Hotel National on Red Square. Location was everything for us when we booked this room since we knew we would only have two nights in Moscow. By paying in advance, Trish got a good deal on a room at this gem of a five-star hotel right on the ploshad that leads to both Red Square and the Kremlin. A "good deal" was still $275 a night, but we decided early on that we were willing to pay for proximity. As we walked up the steps, the door magically opened for us at just the right time. This turned out to be the doing of the white-gloved hand of an ancient doorman. His warm welcome to Moscow was only outdone by the front desk manager, who must have seen something in us... whether it was empathy for her fellow females looking a bit tired and wrinkled, or a suspicion that inside our shabby looking bags were several bright, shiny high tech devices with which we would certainly use to post reviews of her hotel - whatever it was, we were pleasantly surprised when she informed her stoic faced underling that we were to receive a room upgrade. "You will have a jacuzzi in your room just for your own use," she informed us. Exactly what we wanted to hear!
Moscow wasn't all perfect. While Red Square and the Kremlin buildings were each awesome in their own way, with a great energy in the square, especially at night ("night" being sometime after 11:00 pm by the way, at this time of year), we mis-planned the timing for seeing Lenin's well-preserved body, which we both wanted to see. Turns out that Lenin takes a day off on Mondays. We also never did make a river tour (also a timing issue). We did, however, spend some time in GUM department store, which is an experience in itself. This was a very different GUM from the one I visited in Minsk... I think the Minsk GUM is probably a more authentic holdover from the Soviet days, while the Red Square GUM is more like shopping on Union Square in San Francisco.
Our final Moscow angel was the concierge at our hotel, who gave us very careful and compassionate instructions for finding our way to the train station that would take us to St. Petersburg. I think her name was Marina. Her face stern and serious, she spoke slowly and emphasized certain details that we will probably never forget. "When you get on the metro, you must get on the last car," she said. "The very last car... it is the one that will take you to the train station."
"The last car," we repeated.
"Give yourself..." she lifted her head and looked at us. How smart are these two, she must have been thinking. "Your train leaves at 1:30... so you should arrive at the station at 1:00. The train will be there at 1:00." She took off her thick reading glasses and made direct eye contact with us one at a time to make sure we were paying attention. "Now if it were me, I would take 15 minutes to get there. I would leave here at a quarter to one. But you..." starting us hard in the eyes now, "you must give yourselves time to think... time to look around. You should leave here at twelve. Twelve o'clock so you have time to look around, time to wonder..."
"OK" we said, "time to wonder."
"Maybe," I added, "to go in the wrong direction and then turn around and go the right direction?"
"Yes," she said, and seemed comforted by the fact that we did not argue with her assessment of our ability to negotiate the metro system.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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