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Posts Tagged ‘lavidaidealist.org’

November 11th, 2010 - 1:27 pm § in Careers, Uruguay

Now Comes the Hard Part

Sometimes, it’s the hardest question to answer. Before a choir concert the other night, my conductor’s 7-year-old daughter came over to greet me with the customary peck on the cheek and added: “They told me you’re leaving? You’re leaving and you’re not coming b[...]

November 1st, 2010 - 9:00 am § in Chile, Day in the Life

On Climate and Expectations

Contrary to every stereotype about Latin America, Patagonia is cold. Freezing cold.  This winter, the temperatures in Puerto Aisén and Coyhaique got down below zero, Fahrenheit. And remember, the overwhelming majority of buildings – including my school and all three of the houses I’ve lived in[...]

October 22nd, 2010 - 3:00 pm § in Around Town, Guatemala

It’s Not You, It’s Me: The Mistake of Losing Focus

We set off on global excursions determined to not only discover foreign lands but also uncharted personal territory. Books are packed that inspire thought, a journal is bought to capture valuable reflections, and a pledges are made to focus attention inward. What kind of person is at my core? How wi[...]

October 22nd, 2010 - 9:00 am § in Around Town, Mexico, Tips & Resources

Combat Mosquitoes with Karate Moves

Sweet blood. That’s always been the reason people tell me I frequently get bit by mosquitoes. I’d like to know how to turn it sour. Mosquitoes have been rampant here in northern Mexico for the past five months, and although the amount of them are decreasing as the colder weather approach[...]

September 30th, 2010 - 2:57 pm § in Culture, Day in the Life, Uruguay

Exploring the Past(s) of the Present

To start to know a country, see how its past bleeds into public space. Last weekend, Uruguay celebrated Días del Patrimonio, two days in which museums and cultural centers in Montevideo and the rest of the country threw open their doors and Ministries housed in historical buildings gave guided tour[...]

September 27th, 2010 - 10:12 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica, Culture, In the Field

Warning to Women: Thicken Your Skin, Machismo Awaits in Costa Rica

With a female president and numerous high ranking female politicians, one would tend to think that the Costa Rican people are progressive in terms of gender issues. It is for this reason that I am surprised by the level of machismo, or paternalistic ways of thinking and acting that exist in the coun[...]

September 17th, 2010 - 10:51 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica, Culture, Day in the Life, Volunteer

Office-Errr, House Hours

I live in the country.  So I don’t wake up to things that people in the city typically wake up to – horns, motors, people yelling, etc.  The three things I normally wake up to, which infallibly I can count on as my alarm clock, are the following: 1.  The rooster.  The nearby neighbor[...]

September 10th, 2010 - 11:58 am § in Around Town, Culture, Mexico

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 [...][...]

September 7th, 2010 - 8:43 am § in In the Field, Paraguay, Social Entrepreneurship, Volunteer

Home Sweet Tree Fort

The future is a funny thing. I joined the Peace Corps in 2008 and was assigned to work in Paraguay.  I knew the country was located in South America and that it would be my home until 2010.  I did not know that I would drink ground herbs in my water everyday, or that I would [...][...]

September 2nd, 2010 - 10:43 am § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, News, Uruguay

Strike Season

The blossoms are starting to bud; spring is on the horizon. Uruguayan president José Mujica has entered his 6th month, and legislators are wrangling over the five-year budget. This is strike season. ¡Paro! There are occasional strikes here anyway, mostly of the transit kind, and mostly in response[...]





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