One of my favorite qualities of Guatemalans is their unabashed appreciation for fireworks — fireworks at Easter, fireworks for the opening of the new road in town, fireworks used specially to shoot at more fireworks from the other side of the road. Coming from New Jersey, where fireworks are r[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Central America’
Rural Poverty in Costa Rica: A Local Farmer’s Perspective
As the world spins into the year 2011, groups are battling for control. Countries, companies, NGOs and their various public relations departments are focusing their energies on how to look good in an increasingly ugly global economy. Everywhere you look, every product you pick up, whether it be an a[...]
November 17th, 2010 - 6:30 pm § in Costa Rica, Tips & Resources
Inevitable Roommate Drama
Living in a foreign country can be tricky. Most travelers I’ve met have grown accustomed to living in various situations. By lowering general standards of cleanliness and order, one becomes flexible and adaptable to a range of personality types and overall living conditions. But everyone has a[...]
Eco-Friendliness is Next to Godliness
What strikes me most about Central America are the dumps. Yes, the dumps, those places with the trash. Where I grew up in the United States, trash was out-of-sight, out-of-mind once the garbage truck came by. But here, dumps are rarely hidden and hardly contained, and for miles around you can see re[...]
Seventy Liters of Hope and Idealism
The ambition of your journey, I’ve decided, should be judged by the weight of your backpack. If you’re carrying a few pairs of jeans and T-shirts, maybe you’re traveling for a week or so, but not long enough to wear everything twice. But if you’re stuffing a tent, four soccer balls, school s[...]
October 28th, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in Honduras, In the Field, Looking for Opportunity, Nicaragua, Tips & Resources, Volunteer
Do as the Central Americans Do
When in Central America, do as the Central Americans do: slow down, make it count, and when in doubt, wing it. Things such as internet connections, water pressure, food service, bus travel, etc. run much more slowly here than in the U.S. In the communities I’ve visited, I’ve witnessed h[...]
