I’ll never forget watching my first group of photo students in Solentiname walk away from me to shoot some of their first pictures. I was standing inside of the poorly lit classroom with a massive smile on my face – I could hardly contain my happiness – and reminded them one las[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Latin America’
March 10th, 2010 - 7:46 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica
When Body Language Goes Too Far
Sometimes I worry that I’ve gotten too good at reading body language. When I’m tired and need a break from thinking in Spanish, my mind often wanders from the conversation at hand, especially if it’s a group conversation about something completely irrelevant to me (like the details of my bossâ[...]
March 2nd, 2010 - 1:13 pm § in Mexico, Tips & Resources
Don’t Forget to Breathe! Why Yoga is Useful for Travelers
The sun comes up right as we do our sun salutations, like magic. There’s nothing like doing yoga outside in the morning, under trees filled with flitting hummingbirds, to start one’s day. One of the reasons I decided to volunteer at Tashirat, an orphanage located in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico (a[...]
Taking the Plunge
Recently, I was talking with a friend who would very much like to move abroad to either work or volunteer her time. Of course, my immediate response was “Do it!” but the conversation quickly turned from where to start looking for opportunities into a list of reasons why she couldn&#[...]
“Can you help me with my homework?”
Three nights ago, while I was relaxing on the porch outside of my room, I received a surprise visit from a young man who I had met on several occasions but never actually spoken with. Without telling me why, he asked me if I could follow him. Naturally, I agreed. He led me to another young [...][...]
Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo
Teaching English to children in Ecuador has been a fantastic experience. Most of the children are very eager to learn and I’m happy to be a part of their education. However, within my very first weeks here I noticed a very disturbing trend: a lot of the kids cheat. At first I thought i[...]
When Microenergy and Microfinance Meet
Part of my role at blueEnergy is to manage our two loans through our local microfinance institution. Who would have thought a portfolio of a little over $1,200 would be so challenging? Earlier in 2009, blueEnergy received funds to subsidize individual solar systems for two communities: Set Net Point[...]
Intern Spotlight: Opening Doors in Chile
As soon as Meridith Price had her first taste of travel, she knew she’d been struck with a bad case of wanderlust. While searching for a cure for her condition in Latin America, she found herself petting alpacas in Cusco, mountain biking in the San Pedro de Atacama desert, dining al fresco in San [...]
