I first met Cleber Santana, a 30-year-old Rocinha resident and boxing coach, on a chilly September eve. I was struggling to keep up with one of my English students, Jose, who was weaseling his way through an intricate maze of tiny streets in an unfamiliar part of Rocinha. Huffing and puffing after a[...]
Archive for September, 2010
Cavorting Across the Cultural Divide
It’s been quite a momentous year for Chile, what with the earthquake, the inauguration of Sebastian Piñera (first right-wing leader since the dictatorship), their first World Cup in twelve years, and now, this September 18th, the two-hundredth anniversary of their independence. September 18th is [...]
Community Project Guidelines
At WorldTeach we encouraged volunteers to undertake community projects. These could range from raising funds for a bookshelf to installing a floor in a classroom, to establishing a scholarship fund that would continue long after the volunteer’s departure. Whether you are undertaking a voluntee[...]
An Open Invitation to Paraguay
When I mention Paraguay to fellow travelers, I usually get this response: “Oh, Paraguay, I wanted to go there when I was in Iguaçu Falls/Argentina/Bolivia/Brazil/South America, but I just didn’t have the time or the visa.” To which I reply, “You didn’t have the time for the planet’s fri[...]
Those Odds Are Stacked: A Bit About Puerto Aisén, Chile
“You’re from the United States? Why did you come to Puerto Aisén?” has been a common theme in my conversations for the last six months. Folks are, understandably, fairly incredulous that I’ve rejected the Land of Plenty in favor of this rather dirty and depressed town known to locals as Mue[...]
September 14th, 2010 - 8:41 am § in Around Town, Chile, In the Field, Looking for Opportunity, Tips & Resources, Volunteer
“Follow Your Bliss”
It’s an odd sensation going through the same orientation I went through three months ago as a new volunteer, only this time as an “antigua” rather than a “newbie,” as VE Global likes to refer to their respective volunteers. Being on the side of preparation and serving r[...]
A Leap Into the Forest…
So here begins the travel log of two Dubai girls who have fled the luxuries of the Middle East for rainforest-clad Brazil. Rewind two months back: “That’s the problem with creative agency folk,” my father complained, “one minute you’re happily working the next you have quit and booked a fl[...]
Worlds Apart
I am poor by common U.S. standards. When friends and family give to me instead of me having to go to a second-hand shop, I find myself overjoyed. When they buy lunch or coffee for me and my husband, I am humbled. But that humility can turn sour. Sometimes, I feel like a moocher, a [...][...]
