Finally Photos!!!!!

I can finally share photos! I had to leave my hotel to upload these and since it was getting dark and I don´t care to be out alone in Quito when the sun has moved on, I uploaded what I could from the GVI CD that Flo and Natasha put together for the group. I will share more in time but here are a few! (Please note that I am very sleepy and am ging to bed. I have to be at the airport at 4:30 in the morning. If you are reading this, be sure to check back later for narratives about each photo. I haven´t proofread it either so please excuse any errors.)



Here is most of our group (the photographer accidentally cut some out of it) at a HUGE kapok tree. It is near the cuerandero´s (local shaman) house. From left to right: Abdon (the GVI Security Guard´s son), Tara, James, Mouse (in red), Flo (bent over), Elanor, Nikhil, Jenny (dressed like me), Me!, Brittany, Steph C., and Conor.

This was our dress-like-a-pirate day. Mouse and I were the only two to begin the day as pirates as the original plan called for. I normally did not go out in earrings and makeup!




Later in the evening, Brittany became a pirate, as did Conor. Here you see Conor and Mouse enjoying pizza and beer! (We were only allowed to drink on Saturday nights and there was a three beer limit per person.)

Back at the Kapok tree on Pirate Day! Featured in this photo are Natasha, Flo, Me, and Naomi.

Here we are at Hector´s Island receiving blow dart lessons. We started out by learning how to make the darts and then actually making them. During that time, he told us the different methods various tribes used for making the blow guns. After we made our darts, it was time to use them! He set up a target (an orange on a section of banana trunk) and we got to test our aim. Several of us (myself included) actually hit the post but no one (except Hector) hit the orange.

Here I am sitting alongside the Napo at Hector´s. I had been taking pictures of the monkey that was hanging out in the nearby trees.

Here are Flo and Nikhil (I think) picking the fruit of the cacao tree. Inside are the seeds used for making chocolate. I have photos documenting the process which I will post once I can upload from my camera. Essentially, you dry the seeds in the sun (you can suck on them first for a sweet experience if you´d like), toast them, shell them, grind them, and then you have the powder which is basically the same as the powder baking chocolate you can buy in the store!

Naomi is all for peace while I am content staring out the window of the ranchero. In the back row, you can see, or kinda see as it may be with a few, Steph T., Mouse, and Tara. In my row, Me, Elanor, and Jenny.

The ranchera was so uncomfortable. My left knee actually hurt for several days afterwards due to the cramped nature of the bus. It was about a four hour ride (if I remember correctly). Poor James is 6´2¨ and had it far worse than me!

The whole group at the cuerandero´s house. We sat around for a few minutes listening to the slightly distant chanting of his voice. Finally it was our turn so we took off our wellies and headed up into his lair. He came out wearing beads and a head ornament but his other clothes were modern - t-shirt and shorts (maybe pants). He also had a bundle of leaves in his hand. I think I wrote about to experience before but without much elaboration. Once we got there, he began a chant which lasted a few minutes and then we were called one at a time to sit in a chair. He then proceeded to blow smoke on us (from a cigar looking thing that had a sort of sweet smell) and then brushed away the evil spirits with the leaves. Once he removed them, he went over to the door and flicked the bundle of leaves, as if tossing out the evil. He then came back and did a little whistling thing for a bit and went over our body again with the leaves, as though he were giving us good to replace the evil he had removed. The majority of us left the place feeling totally relaxed. I suspect the sweet smelling smoke had something to do with it but it´s nice to believe that the lack of evil spirits in my body gave cause for the relaxation.

Me and the millipede! We had been out looking, well listening, for screaming pihas and stopped to take a snack break. We disturbed this little guy but decided to play with him anyway. It felt totally weird crawling around on my hand and arm. His legs/feet were really tough and there were a million of them just scurrying around! At first I was a little hesitant to touch him but finally decided it would be an interesting experience I might never have again. I ended up loving it!

Hanging out at the comedor. I can´t be certain but judging by the items scattered around, I´d say this was right after our weekly supply of vegetables, fruits, and other food items arrived. We´d have to walk down the stairs to port with our packs empty. We´d then fill them up and bring the provisions back to camp. I don´t know why but there are no wellies hanging up. Those little posts under the comedor are where we´d hang our wellies upside-down after using them. This allowed them to dry or simply air-out without scorpions and other bugs finding their was into them. Wellies are not allowed in the cabin or on the walks as they tend to be rather muddy which is why it is peculiar that there are none hanging even though there are several EMs clearly not wearing them. I guess this could have been taken as soon as we arrived at camp for the first time. I actually think that makes the most sense. Now that I look, the packs have covers on them as they did for transport. It must be the first moments in camp.

First Aid training. I´m holding Steph T.´s head in place as we move her on to the gurney. She had a spinal injury and we had to save her without causing any further damage! I am proud to say she had a full recovery with no residual effects and went on to record many more screaming pihas!

Here we are on a hike. I am in the khaki shirt second from the end of the line. I´m not sure exactly where we are though.

My favorite of all the activities!!! This is how we did our amphibian surveys. We´d wear our head torches and some would carry torches in their hands as well and we´d walk through the water in search of frogs or other cool things! You can see the water could get quite deep at times. We weren´t usually this grouped together. It must have been one of the earlier walks when we were still scared of splitting up a bit! I loved this so much that I think I went on most every one, even if I wasn´t on the schedule to! I´m going to miss them more than anything (aside from just the friends I made there).

This is just off the Ridge Trail overlooking the road. A couple of years ago someone decided to put a road through the reserve, completely fragmenting it. The road connects Coca and Tena and apparently it was much needed as before that there was no direct route between the two towns. So, if ever you see a road in these photos, you know what it is. In this picture, Flo, Brittany, Me, and Steph C. (I think) are heading out with Steph T. in search of screaming pihas. This was the day I we first went way off the trail and I got to use the compass to navigate our way back to the trail.

Brittany with a

Hypsiboas calcarata (or Hyla depending on your source) a.k.a. the convict tree frog due to the stripes on his sides and legs. Sadly, this convict was on death row as are many of the frogs we catch. I think I explained before how we need to get their DNA for research purposes so we collect them (no more than a total of 10 per species throughout entire project, not each expedition), euthanize them, then collect the tissues needed (thigh muscle and liver). Then they are tagged and carefully arranged on a flat surface where they will undergo rigormortis. Once they are ready, they are placed in formaldehyde.

Three monkeys, you know the rest!

Morpho Man!!! Conor quickly became the thing of legends with his butterfly catching capabilities. It is confirmed rumor that he caught FIVE morphos in ONE day! WOW!!! What an amazing guy! The picture is actually pretty cool too. He is at the cascada. When we were there on our last photo walk, there were either several blue morphos flying around or one or two that kept circling around. They are the most stunning butterflies ever! I found it hard to capture them on camera though, at least when they are fluttering around. If I actually got them in the image, they appear as a blue blob.

Ridge Trail again but this time the photo was taken from the road, looking up at us. It´s actually quite a long drop to the road.

One of our many canoe rides. I don´t know if I clarified that they are motorized canoes. Apparently there has been some misunderstanding on that part. I liked the canoe rides! They were very cool and relaxing (when I wasn´t worried we were going to capsize). Canoes are the main source of transportation (aside from feet, of course) along the Napo. Due to the large number of canoes and pollution of the water, there are no river dolphins or manatees in this section of the river.

Flo at Yachana Lodge overlooking the Napo. We´d go to the lodge weekly to take our recycling. While there, we´d take a little break and hang out there and maybe have a cold soda or something. Then, it was off to Mondaña for our weekly football match!

Naomi not looking very happy. I actually think she was having a very serious conversation with the bird, or possibly a stare down with him. There´s no telling with Naomi! This was one of the birds we netted, banded, and processed. They were released unharmed with a nice little ¨bracelet¨ each time!

James and the little girl at Hector´s Island ( I can´t remember her name). She was the daughter of the teacher that was there. Funny picture!!!

Waiting on dinner at H.I. Left to right: Naomi, Elanor, Me, Jenny, and Conor. Note that Conor has his journal (not to be confused with a diary). He was always writing in that thing! He´d tell us stories about how years, centuries from now, people were going to read it. He even has plans to validate it with his thumb print once he´s filled it up. There were rare occasions when he´d read us excerpts from it. It was quite amusing!

Me and a cute, I mean adorable (cute isn´t a good word according to Conor) manakin we netted, banded, and processed. By processed I mean we measured it, noted several different things such as feather wear, molting, brood patch, etc. All was recorded along with the band number, and then the bird was released.

ARRRGGGHHHH!!!! A group picture of Pirate Night. Many of the lesser pirates had already removed their pirate attire. Back row left to right: Nikhil, James, Jenny, and Tara. Others from close front left to right: Abdon, Steph T., Susan, Flo, Jenny, Steph C., Naomi, Me, Conor, Brittany, Elanor, and Natasha.

The Beginning of the End

Well, the end has begun. Our schedule has dramatically changed, leaving more time for getting things finished up and packing. This morning we did a photo walk. It was 5 1/2 hours of almost constant hiking up and down, all through the reserve. We got to see the laguna in daylight (we went there during sat. camp to do an amphibian survey at night), hiked some trails I had not yet been on, and we ended at the cascada and went for a swim! I finally got a picture of the most common dart frog here, the sanguine dart frog.

It was a really nice hike, but I always enjoy walking through the forest. We didn't see much wildlife aside from different bugs but the various plants are an amazing sight in themselves. I can't get over the diversity on one tree. I haven't counted the number of different species on one tree but I can imagine the number would be shocking.

It was a rough hike with all of the hills and we really didn't stop too much - just two real breaks. But when we finally got to the cascada and jumped into the cool water, it was all worth it. I have photos! However, after the swim, it was a long hike uphill, a steep hill. I had already finished off my water (close to two liters) and the hike up nearly finished me off. By the time I got back to camp, my head was pounding. I drank lots of Gatorade but the headache wouldn't go away. Now, over six hours later, it is still here, pounding away. I tried to take a nap but it didn't help. I am about to call it a night. Of course I have to go take my cold shower first. Then I get to go sleep in my bed with the six-inch roaches (literally) hanging out on the back side of the bed post right by my head. Fortunately they can't get into my bed. Thank goodness for mosquito nets! It doesn't keep the pestering, biting sand flies away but it will keep the big bugs away. I have tried to chase them away but they keep coming back. I only have three more nights to share with them so I guess I'll survive.

I hope my husband is reading this because I want him to know that I am sorry I haven't called. Yesterday I was super busy until after dark and today my headache kept me from making to steep trek up to the tower. I am actually using the camp's wi-fi signal for the Internet, saving me money and sparing me the hike up there. Even though we have the Internet here, we still don't have a phone signal. So, Russ, please know I love and miss you. Please give the boys my love and lots of hugs and kisses. I'll try to call tomorrow.

To Conor's parents: He was happy to hear from you guys and was smiling from ear to ear while reading it. We all got a kick out of the info. you shared! Thanks!

Well, I need to remove my eyes from this screen as I believe it is making the headache worse. I'll try to write tomorrow but for now it' Good Night!

Cleansing Souls, the Ecuadorian Football Experience, and the Elusive Sloth

I know I said I would try to write more often and I don't seem to have done that. Hopefully I can make up for it now. It's about 8:00 pm and I have no obligations until 6:00 am tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take that long to update things. I will have pictures up when I get to Quito on Friday or Saturday. I have so much to share. It will be easier just to post pictures and tell about the adventures associated with them. Plus, I'll have a real keyboardcin Quito which will make typing easier. Of course, looking over my last post, I don't know if that helps my typing. I found so many errors but didn't take the time to correct them. I figure anyone who reads it will get the point.

Today was fun! A small group of us went over to Mondana to play football with the local students, a traditional for Sundays here. I really don't think I'd ever really played too much football (unless you count my son's soccer practice last year). However, here I've done it several times and really enjoyed it. Of course you put a few "gringos" up against a few 15-18 year-old Ecuadorian boys (some much younger and a few older) and you get quite the comedy! It's actually a very fun-spirited match and we usually get at least one Ecuadorian on our team, usually Robert, the student that joined us for a while at the beginning of the expedition (I'll tell you more about Robert later - he's a remarkable person!). However, today we got his brother who was almost just as good. It was fun to watch them go against each other. They all are so good! Even the little seven-year-olds playing barefoot make us look bad. Brittany (an EM from Canada)) is really good. We actually have several good players, me not being one of them. I have had a few miraculous plays though. But we're all having fun which is the point. The field is right along the edge of the Napo, but about seven feet above it. The ball has a bad habit of getting kicked over the edge and going straight into the strong currents of the river. It's crucial to the game that the ball be retrieved as quickly as possible, meaning whoever is closest must jump down to the banks below and get the ball before it gets swept away. I was one of the lucky ones today. There is no time to doddle so I went in, shoes and all! But, I saved the ball! I was realitivelt lucky though, i only got my shoes and pant legs wet up to about the knee. The last time we played, Conor (another EM from Canada) jumped in, got drenched from head to toe, AND nearly got swept away himself, the current being so strong that it took a lot of effort to get out! We got a good laugh out of it. Another challenge we face on the field are the chicks. There are chickens running around everywhere and many have chicks. The little guys seem to want to play with us. Of course, that's not possible. I always fear we're going to trample them. So, we just shoo them away or pick them up and place them somewhere safe.

Yesterday we had an exceptional cultural experience! We took a trip to see the cuerandero (I might have mispelled that). He's the village medicine man. He cleansed our bodies of evil spirits. It was a very relaxing experience. It involved a lot of smoke being blown on us and leaves flapping around. The description really does not do it justice. It was actually very mind-opening. After we each had the ritual performaned on us individually, we went to a HUGE kapok tree. I can't wait to share that picture! The whole group is inside the rim of one of the buttresses! I hope I stated that correctly. Then we got to swing from some of the vines hanging from it! My camera decided to die at that moment but Flo (an EM from France) took a picture of me swinging! Very exciting stuff in my personal opinion! It's almost magical to get to experience all of the things I've been teaching my students about for years, things I've been dreaming about for the majority of my life! I can't thank Fund For Teachers enough for this experience. I still can't believe I'm here! Of course, I have less than a week here and I'm actually trying to figure out a way to get back here next summer, if not sooner. The only reason I want to get home is to be with my family, especially Royce and Joey. Of course I'm totally missing my husband, too. I'm seriously ready to pack everyone up and move here. I would give up most everything at home to come live here, doing things like I'm doing here now - living in the way that I am now (no electricity or hotwater, very few of the comforts of modern life, etc.). I knew I'd like it here but I had no idea I'd fall so deeply in love with it. I just want to see everything there is to see and five weeks just isn't enough time. I actually don't think there could ever be enough time to see it all. It's always changing and if you look just a little bit closer, there's something else hiding there. When we're out doing mist netting or some other thing, I've constantly got my binoculars out, looking into the tree tops, just looking. For what, I don't really know. Everything, I guess! I just don't want to miss anything!

We actually saw a sloth the other day! I asked about them our first week and was told it was nearly impossible to see them, only one expedition before us had seen one and that was because they had a guide visiting the reserve (GVI's camp here is the field station of the Yachana Reserve) and took a group out for a night walk. Apparently he spotted some flowers from the canopy on the ground, a sign of sloth activity, and called the sloth. After a bit, he emerged from the canopy. So, that was a very rare treat. Well, we had one of the students from the high school, Juanaro (probably mispelled), visiting and he spotted it in a tree. We got lots of pictures so I will share them soon!

We also got to see our first puma! It was actually pretty terrifying. Conor was standing there just looking for frogs and suddenly this huge cat pounced on him. They say they can minimize the scarring but his left eye might not regain full use. Just kidding! We haven't seen a puma and Conor is 100% intact. He just wanted me to write that for his parents. It seems as though they found my blog while searching the web for info on GVI. So to Conor's parents, I offer my apologies, from one parent to another, in giving you what I am sure was quite a fright for a second there. I am actually excited that you were able to find this and us it as an information source for your son's life. Conor is keeping us all amused with his extraordinary storytelling skills and life experiences. I'll be sure to include pictures of him when I finally get the means to do so. I also promise never to write false information about him again!

Well, I have literally been tapping away on this miniscule keyboard for an hour and a half now. I need to get to bed soon so I will end this entry. Ooohhhh, I just realized I might be able to add photos as early as Thursday when we arrive in Tena. Ick, that just reminds me of how fast time is flying by and my adventure is ending. So sad! Oh well, I have done and seen more in this past month than I have in years. This has been a super amazing time and I can't wait to elaborate more and share photos. But for now, I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

Fast Update from Coca

Wow! Time is flying! I can´t believe that I have less than two weeks left. It makes me kinda sad but I REALLY miss my family. If I didn´t have my family to go home to, I am afraid I would just have to stay here. I have really become quite fine with the lack of electricity and hot water. Now when I see a huge spider or bug, I just ignore it (if it´s one I´ve seen before), grab my camera, or ask someone more knowledgable about such things what it is. Things still catch me off guard and startle me from time to time and I did have a minor heart attack after nearly being attacked by a trantula before Tara trapped it and moved it away from our room. Oh and then I guess I did freak out over the coral snake (identity technically unconfirmed but matched descriptions) afer spending several minutes just inches from it trying to identify it (I learned that the little rhyme we were taught [red and yellow, blah blah blah] doesn´t necessarily hold true here).

We just left Hector´s Island after a weekend of fun (and work) and have a short time here in Coca (about 45 more minutes before I head out to lunch) before taking a very long drive by Ranchero (a very tiny bus built for little people) back to camp (or close to it). To get to Hector´s Island we took a two hour canoe trip down the Napo to Coca where Hector met us and we switched canoes and took another 45 minute ride to his island. Hector has this island that he has turned into a refuge of sorts for indigenous animals, primarillary monkeys. Instead of keeping them in a zoo or facility with cages, he brings then to his island where they can be free but safe due to the boundries of the island. I will go into more detail when I am not limited on time. We helped create a Capybara habitat there where we cleared out a small part of a lower area where they can have lots of water. It was thick forest and we went in with a bunch of machetes and cleared out the brush and a few of the smaller trees. I hated to chop so much but it wasn´t that huge of an area and the Capybaras need a place for living and breeding. I found out I can weild a pretty mean machete! I didn´t know I had it in me! Of course now my arms are sore. We also learned how to make one of those traps that when you step in it, it tightens around the ankle and catches the victim, we made blow darts and learned to shoot them, we practiced using a spear, learned to weave a basket, learned about (and tasted) the edible foods in the forest, and so much more.

Well, I have just realized I need to get some shopping done before lunch. I must go. I will try my best to write more often. It is just so hard to find time, we keep so busy! I do have so much to share. I still have to tell about carrying potato bags full of rocks the size of my head from the river up a hill.

I´ll be in touch!

In Search of Frogs

I hate that I lost the majority of my lost post. It gave a lot of info about my daily life. I don't have time to attempt to redo it at this time so, oh well!

In a few hours I will be heading off to one of the satellite (sat) camps for the night. I've got most of my stuff packed and ready to go. It's about a two hour hike to the remote location where we will set up camp. This allows us to do some research and surveys at more remote locations that are harder to get to. Tonight we will be looking for different frogs that aren't found in the areas closer to camp. We will also set up some mist nets and tomorrow we will work on birds. I think that pretty much we see what birds we can get in the nets, measure and photograph them, then band them and release. That's what we did with the bats, except for the banding part. The bats were sent on their way sans bands.

I'm excited about the trip! I've really enjoyed the frog things. We actually had a grad student here from UT researching a specific frog and its call. I actually got to go out with her one night and "help" I pretty much just helped video tape them and carry some stuff. However, while she and her friend were doing the audio taping, Germania (staff member) and I did our own little frog survey. It was really neat to walk down a stream at night and see the life of the rainforest. I saw a huge butterfly sleeping under a leaf, a little bird tucked in for the night, huge spiders looking for a meal, the beady eyes of the little shrimp, and so much more! It's truely amazing what I'm seeing. Just the other night the whole group of 15 was out for an intro night stream walk. On the way back I was just shining my light all around, looking for whatever when I spotted a snake just inches from my face. I was at the end of the line and the whole group had walked past without even knowing what was there!

I hate to always cut things so short but we keep busy and there is so much to do. I hope to have a chance to elaborate and add pictures during a trip to Coca Aug. 1-4.

Just a small disclaimer: please excuse any typos or errors in my posts. I am rushing through this and whereas I totally appreciate my iPhone, it's not the easiest to type on. I know how to spell monkeys and when to use commas, etc. So please don't think less of me if something slips by. I'm not proof-reading!

Thank you for you comments, it's good to hear from home. I'm having a rough time being away from my family so a friendly word goes a long way!

Finally Some Time to Share

I'm sorry I haven't been updating this as muchas I'd hoped. We keep pretty busy and it can be hard to find time to come up here and type. I should have enough time now if the weather holds out. It poured most of the night and day but just a few drops are falling now. We actually took about a two hour hike to the little town of Agua Santa today to buy a few veggies. It was a neat experience. There were roughly 20 shops selling variuos items. Please don't envision shops like we have at home. They were very open with palm leaves for the roofs. We were the only gringos in the town.

I guess I should tell you guys a little about my everyday life here. I am staying at the field station on the Yachana Reserve along the Napo River. It's actually really nice here despite the lack of electricity. We have cold running water pumped directly from the stream and power for equipment comes from the solar panels when possible but there is a gas powered generator for backup. We have a propane stove in the kitchen. Breakfast is at 6:30, lunch at 12:00, and dinner at 6:00 with a few exceptions to accomodate night/early morning studies and Sundays. We have a snack at 10:00ish. Breakfast is porridge (it's actually oatmeal but since Americans are the minority here I am learning to use words like "porridge" and "wellies"). Lunch is typically some type of veggie soup and dinner typically has some beans or rice. Meat really doesn't exist here. We have tuna and a bit of soy meat but they are used sparingly. Essentially we eat lots of carbs and starches.

There are 12 Expedition Members (EMs), 1 intern, 3 staff members, and 1 student from the Yachana Technical School. The breakdown of nationalities is 4 Americans, 3 Canadians, 2 Australians, 1 Irish, 2 Ecuadorians, and the rest are British.

***note: originally this post contained a considerable amount more but due to irratic communication signals, I lost it all***

Sweat, Bugs, & Mud

Life here is amazing! It's rough at times but absolutely magical! My closest friends are Sweat, Bugs, and Mud. Please note I said closest, not best! There are times I am literally soaked from head to toe in sweat. Bugs are everywhere and I think I've come to terms with it for the most part. I still can't bring myself to use the shower with the scorpion spider lurking about (I'll tell you about those more later). It rains almost everyday, hence the abundance of mud. Thank goodness for our wellies (rubber boots). They are an essential part of our attire. At home, all of these things really get to me but here, it's just a way of life.

It is almost time for dinner but I just want to share a few quick highlights. Today while we were out doing a bird walk we came across a group of about tamarin monkies! Typically they scurry away but today they just stared at us and seemed to be yelling at us. We watched them for about 15 minutes before we had to move on. This week is mostly training so we sit in classes much of the time. Today as we were learning about reptiles (I think) a huge, beautiful blue morpho butterfly fluttered by! It was one of the most gorgeous things I've seen! We also set up some bat nets today so after dinner we're going out to open them up and try to net some bats! Two nights ago we went for a three hour long night walk in the primary rainforest. We saw lots of reptiles and amphibians.

Dinner gong! Got to run. I'll post more tonight!

Finally Here w/ an Ode to iPhone

Well, I survived my first night in the Amazon! It wasn't that bad really. The worst of it was sleeping without Russ by my side. I am really missing my boys right now. But I won't dwell on that as it isn't very productive. Anyway, yesterday we took a bus ride through the rainforest that lasted about three hours. It was amazing to see so much of it ( considering I only saw things from the window of the bus) but it also made me a bit sad that in order for this experience to happen, the roads had to be built and sections of the forest destroyed. We passed by the homes of many that have lived here for generations, their homes not much more than some bamboo ( or something close to it) poles and roofs made of leaves. It was funny to see plants growing out of the rooftops! The main traffic (meaning things using the roads; not "traffic" as in lots of cars) was the busses. People just stand anywhere along the roadsides waiting for a bus to come along to get them from one place to another. Some parts of the road were bumpy and rocky and one- lanes. Most of the bridges were very narrow. There were a few places we had to stop for fallen trees. All-in-all it was an interesting ride. I know this is not a very formed document of the ride but it's not easy typing on this. I am quickly running out of time before I have to return to camp so I have to be quick. I have so much to say and share.

I would like to quickly state my appreciation for this little contraption I am holding, known as an iPhone! Never before have I appreciated it so much. I never appreciated the versatility of it until now. I can text, call, blog, take pictures, listen to tunes, plus more! I am so fortunate to have it - Thanks, Whitefence! (my husband won this at his co. Christmas party)

Well, I have to return to camp now. I am at one of the few places we are allowed to go to alone but we have to sign out and say when we will be back and if we fail to return on time, a search party is sent out and if you are found alive, you can lose that priviledge.

I will try to get back to tonight, if not definitely tomorrow.

Head in the Clouds

I am currently sitting on a bus in Tena (a small jungle town). In about two hours we will be loading into a canoe for the final leg of our journey. After about an hour canoe ride we'll be at camp. Well, at the river part of the camp. It is then a "short" hike uphill to camp. It doesn't sound too bad except that I have about 1000 pounds of baggage to lug up there. Fortunately I can
Make a couple of trips if necessary.

Yesterday was a beautiful five hour bus ride from Quito to Tena through the cloud forests. I've often been told to get my head out of the clouds... Never before has that meaning been more literal. Of course, I had no desire to do so as it was absolutely stunning. I took a few photos through spotted windows as we were driving through the clouds but my total battery power is mostly depleated.

Apparently this (my iphone) will work there so I will have Internet access via it. It is super expensive to use but I will update as much as possible. I'll check in again once I reach camp.

Too Tired to Type Much

I spent the duration of the day walking around Quito. I didn´t have a ton of money so there wasn´t much else to do. I did do a little of shopping for the boys at the market though. Then I had to mail it home so I had my first Ecuadorian post office experience. I took a few pictures of the city but as I am running low on battery power and don´t know when I will get my package from Russ, I decided that I could take pictures when I return in August. I did learn a few more things.

• The post office in Quito does not provide boxes like they do at home, no priority boxes, international boxes, nada! They did provide me with a plastic envelope after I decided to take out a few of the items. Oh, and he didn´t speak English! Once again, I got to practice my Spanish skills. I think if I were to stay here much longer I might really learn the language!
• People in Quito want to charge you to take their picture! I can understand the street vendor expecting a purchase but just to snap a picture of a random person??? There was a really neat looking lady wearing a baby and pushing a cart around. It would have made an amazing photograph but she wanted two dollars and I offered one (I only had a one, two fives, and a ten). She said no! So, I saved my battery.
• When crossing the street, the best thing to do is to make a run for it and pray!!! I learned this as I patiently waited for what seemed like forever and after watching several of the ¨locals¨ do it, I took my chances and survived!
• Lots of planning and thinking don´t make a trip unless you follow through on the plans. I am learning this the hard way. I had everything planned quite carefully. Somehow, everything fell apart moments before I was to leave. Hence, the lack of supplies and money. I must get my head on straight and not forget things and manage my time better!

So, there you have it. I will likely remember/learn many more things as time goes on but I am calling it quits for tonight. I will begin my journey into the Amazon tomorrow as we head to Tena for a night!

I´ll do my best to keep you posted!

The Things I Have Learned in Quito (in one day)

I am finally here! Well, I´m not in the rainforest yet but I am in Ecuador. The flight went well but pre-flight planning went a little haywire. Most everyone who knows me knows that I have the greatest ideas and the best intentions but I often fall short on time and my management thereof. This was no different.

Only three hours before my flight I was finishing up last minute shopping (with my two-year-old). I rushed home and fortunately most of my things were together, as I was literally throwing my things at my best friend in the whole wide world, Erin Disney. I never would have made it here if she wouldn´t have trekked from San Antonio (where she, too, is a teacher) to help me. Unfortunately, some things were not where they ¨should¨ have been and when I arrived in Quito, I realized that. I will list the known items (so far) that I left:

• My huge box of yummy looking Snickers brand energy bars - not a huge problem; I can live without them
• My phone charger - okay, I would really love to be able to call home throughout the duration of my trip but obviously that is not meant to be; I´ll survive
• My camera charger and USB cord - Okay, this is a doosey! The only ¨souvenirs¨and keepsakes of this trip are my photos. Not to mention I can´t upload photos from my camera to post on here without my USB cord!!!

So, I spent the whole day roaming the streets of Quito looking for a camera charger. I never found one but learned a lot of things. I will share those with you:

• Not very many people in Quito speak English. Please know I am not meaning to offend anyone by my comments here, in fact I am about to share with you how ¨dumb¨I was. I prefer the word ¨naive¨ which Webster defines as: ¨deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment¨ I thought that there would be many English speakers here, especially the merchants. At first I was a little frustrated but then I put things in perspective. Do most of OUR merchants speak Spanish??? Nope! So, what was I thinking?
• I know more Spanish than I realized. I took Spanish in High school. It was my first experience with a failing grade - EVER. I was typically an all ¨A¨ student with an occasional ¨B¨. I didn´t even fail with an ¨almost¨ passing grade. If I remember correctly, it was about a 55. Yikes! I quickly switched to French and had slightly better, passing grades. I was once again faced with the scary Spanish monster in college. It was required for graduation. I could take French, Spanish, or Japanese. The logical choice would have been French since I already took it with a bit of success but I´ve never been one to take the logical route. I have my own form of logic which actually most of you will agree also is logical - I wanted to take Spanish because I felt it could benefit me more in Texas. I knew I had a hard time acquiring languages but I wanted to succeed at it this time. I pepped myself up and tackled it. I received my first ¨F¨ on my college transcript (if you don´t count the ones I received when I ¨quit¨ UofH and ¨forgot¨to drop classes). I made up a million and one excuses as to why I didn´t ¨get it¨ and hit it head-on a second time (third if you count High School). Everyone knows that if you take it again and pass, the ¨F¨ gets replaced with the passing grade. No biggie, I´ll just make an ¨A¨ this time. Wrong, failed again. Disappointed but not swayed, I took it a third time - third time´s a charm? I wish! I was ready to give up but decided, instead, to put it on the back burner for a while. I was almost ready to graduate - I had all my courses almost complete and I filled for my degree plan or whatever it´s called when you are about to graduate. Well, come to find out, three attempts at Spanish does not count as three semesters of Spanish (I had to have four to graduate). So I was still looking at maybe two more years of college. My goodness, I was already 25. All of my friends were graduated and gone. So, I did the best thing I could do - I quit college and made myself a diploma. Just kidding. I took Spanish at the community college, closer to home, where I heard it was a bit easier. Somehow, I managed to pull of an ¨A¨ in both Spanish 1 and 2 without cheating! Then I was faced with Spanish 3 and 4 and with the help of some friends, I pulled off an ¨A¨ in both of those as well. I didn´t think I had retained much but I guess I did. I can now inform someone that I need a camera charger in Spanish (Necessito un caradore para mi batteria de camera - or something like that)! I know I didn´t type it perfectly but you get the point.
• Some people are helpful, some people just laugh at your ignorance. I guess this is true all over but today I felt it hard. I walked into the first shop and no one spoke any English. So, I pulled out my hand dandy pocket translator and said, ¨I need a battery¨ in Spanish. I can´t remember exactly what I said, if I had my translator here I could type it but it´s up in my room. The four women in the room looked at me with a horrified look on their faces. I panicked, knowing I said something wrong. I looked back at the translator and realized there were multiple meanings. Apparently the first one meant to totally knock the heck out of someone, as in assault and battery. I quickly recovered and said the right one but it was too late. I was the annoying American tourist. I was laughed out of the store, feeling completely mortified and lost in a foreign world. I was about to go back to my room and call it quits but I wanted to do it right. So, I figured out the correct way to ask and went to several more shops that were helpful. One even experimented with several chargers before we realized they didn´t have a match.
• Coke is cheap! Coke as in Coca-Cola, of course! Exhausted from a day of walking around at a tremendous altitude, I needed a coke. I 1.3 liter bottle costs only $.70. Of course I didn´t need that much but it was the only one they had cold so I took it. At home we pay what, $1.29 for a 20 oz.? Crazy!
• Taxi drivers and drivers in general drive crazy. I was warned ahead of time so I tried not to scream as my driver spun around corners, disregarded red lights, and nearly ran over several other cars as one of them ventured into the others lane, all the while belting out the lyrics to the music he was listening to.
• Drivers honk A LOT!!! No explanation needed! If you´re confused see bullet above.
• US TV shows are readily available. However, some are dubbed in Spanish so you get a funny mouth effect while others simply have subtitles. I actually watched an entire episode of ¨Everybody Loves Raymond¨ in Spanish. I had seen it countless times before so I knew what it was about. I labeled it a learning experience.
• There is no air conditioning other than Mother Nature. I´m sure some places have it but I have yet to find one. I guess there´s not really a need for it. It is cool here, even in July. I am wearing a sweater right now. In fact, it gets quite chilly at night. The only heat source I could find was the fireplace in the lobby. I´m sure if I asked, they have heaters available but I´m not that cold. My window isn´t sealed very well so all sounds and drafts come in.
• Farm animals reside in the city. I actually awoke to the sound (at 6 AM) of a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing! I haven´t experienced that since sleeping over at my friend´s house when I was 15. It was actually rather pleasant. Note: I enjoyed the nostalgia then went back to sleep.
• The keyboard here is different. I think I´ve got it figured out now but when I first sat down, I was a bit confused. It is basically the same with a few symbols in different places and some of the numbers have two symbols on them instead of one so you can´t just hit the ¨shift¨ button. There are other differences but I won´t list them all!
• The view is unbeatable! As I look out my window (and turn my head to the right), I can see the Andes mountains! They are breath-taking beautiful. I have never seen such a view from a city!

I could ramble on about the things I learned and discovered today but I need to get back to my room and study the different bird calls of the Amazon. I hope to get some camera stuff tomorrow so I can share photos.

Lengthy Blog

I just wanted to add this little note: I know I need to do some work on this blog which will enable the posts to be hidden. I am trying to figure things out still. I am not very good with these kinds of things! Hopefully I will get some time tonight to play around with it!

The Proposal

At the request of many, I am posting a copy of my proposal. When I submitted it on the FFT website, I made several changes that I didn't save on my computer so this sopy is not exactly as the one I submitted but I did correct a few gramatical errors, reword some akward sound sentences/phrases, and chop some things completely since I was well over the length limit. I didn't change anything (even the errors) on this so you could see it as close to the real things as possible. I really have no idea exactly what I chopped or changed so I just thought I'd share the raw version with you. Just keep in mind as you come across a few weird sounding things os minor gramatical errors, they were most likely corrected. I also did not included the itemized budget since I feel it is not really relevant to this blog and I looked and most bloggers did not share that portion. If you are really curious about the amount, you can research the Houston Chronicle archives - they published it in the article they did about me.

So, without any further ado, I present to you my proposal!

Proposal

Fellowship Rationale and Purpose:

Raised at the knees of an educator, I have always had a passion for teaching. My earliest classrooms were very diverse. The majority of my students were bunnies, puppies, and bears, but thanks to a local student exchange program (my best friend), I was fortunate enough to welcome a koala into my classroom a time or two. Although my “students” were different on the outside - different colors, different sizes, different shapes - if you looked beyond the fur and beaded eyes, you would see that they were all filled with the same stuffing.

Since that time, my love of teaching has intensified and although my classroom make-up has changed, the concept is still the same. I still have many sizes, shapes, and colors – or as I now call it, “cultures.” However, instead of bunnies, puppies, and bears, each morning I welcome Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and any others that might walk through my door. And just as before, they may look different on the outside, but they, too, are all filled with the same “stuffing.”

Whereas teaching has always ranked first on my list, I have always loved the outdoors and have been especially fascinated by the splendor of the rainforest. It has always been a dream of mine to one day have the opportunity to see this magical place first hand, to revel in its beauty, to feel the sheer vastness of it all.

As a child I never really thought much about the harm humans were doing to the rainforest or how fragile of an ecosystem it was. I just knew some of the most beautiful creatures lived there and I would quite often fantasize about the amazing tree house you could build in one of “those tall, tall trees.” As I grew older and became aware of the devastation that was taking place in rainforests around the world, I was appalled by the lack of conscience the developers and industrialists demonstrated. Of course, being a child, I didn’t know what I could do to help the situation. I couldn’t see how one person thousands of miles away could make a difference. Now, I do.

As a teacher, I have many opportunities to enrich the lives of my students. From time-to-time, I have been faced with many challenges. One of the most frustrating issues I have had to tackle is getting the reluctant learner interested in learning and keeping the exuberant learner excited about learning. As I reflect on my teaching experience, I would like to learn some new, refreshing approaches to teaching and learning, ones that would capture the interest of all learners.

In an effort to better communicate with and relate to my Spanish-speaking students and their parents, it would be extremely beneficial for me to learn more about the Hispanic culture and language. 63% of our student population is Hispanic with a large majority of those students being bilingual. Quite often the children are able to speak English but the parents cannot. This can be extremely frustrating to both the parent and teacher. I would like to learn some better ways to communicate with the Spanish-speaking parents. With such a large percentage of the student population having a Hispanic background, I would like to become more culturally knowledgeable, thus increasing my sensitivity towards their customs and traditions.

Finally, I would also like to learn more about scientific research. I have done science fair projects and smaller, more localized projects but I would love to be involved in a project that takes place in the field requiring data collection on a larger scale with a greater purpose, such as conserving the remaining rainforest. I would like to capture that knowledge and bring it home to share with my students and colleagues.

Key Questions to explore:
What creative approaches can be taken when a student is struggling to learn the basics of the English language? How can these approaches be adapted to fit any teaching/learning situation?
What are some ways that I can keep the exuberant learner interested?
How can I bridge the communication gap between the Spanish-speaking parents and myself?
What can I do to become more culturally sensitive to the Hispanic culture?
How can I increase the excitement and love of Science in the classroom?
What can we do here at home to help preserve the rainforest?

Project Description

This summer my dream is to pursue an adventure which will take me deep into the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest to teach the native children English and to conduct conservation research on the various aspects of the rainforest. During this time, I will be immersed in the Hispanic culture and their language.

In my quest for the perfect experience, I found Global Vision International (GVI). They offer a five-week research expedition that will take me deep into the rainforest, house me in a small, Spanish-speaking village, and give me the opportunity to share my knowledge and culture with the native people. In return, they will share theirs with me. Both sides benefit immensely. While engaging in the cultural exchange, I will be working on some on-going research projects that help to understand and protect the rainforest. With this experience, I could return to school in August, refreshed, with a new perspective on life and teaching, equipped with more enthusiasm and knowledge than ever before!

My journey will begin on July 9, 2008 as I board a plane and head to Quito, Ecuador. My flight will arrive late at night so I will head straight to the Hostel La Cosona de Mario where I will stay for two nights. On the 10th, I will wake up and spend the day getting to know some of the other expedition members and making last minute purchases.

The following morning all of the expedition members will be picked up at 10:00 A.M. at the aforementioned hostel. Before departure, we will be given a general orientation and then it is off to Tena. I will take a local bus to the small town of Tena where I will stay a night. The following day, I will head to the base camp where I will spend the first week going through an intensive training program on practical and theoretical science, forest navigation, and expedition living including health and safety and First Aid, all the while brushing up on the Spanish language.

Once I have demonstrated an understanding of research techniques and of forest life, including sound recognition and flora and fauna identification, I will begin doing research. The research will include identifying and cataloging various species of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Some of the research will be conducted at night, as is necessary to identify the nocturnal species. Since many of the species are small and hard to spot, much of the identification will be made through sounds. Additionally, we will be netting and tagging some of the animals, including birds and bats. There will also be overnight trips to remote satellite campsites deeper within the rainforest where further research will take place.

Throughout all of this time, we will be collating the data we have collected, including photos and various notes we have taken. We will have a daily debriefing session to review the day’s events.

When I am not engaged in research, I will be involved with the Yachana community. We will be involved in several community projects. The most involved task will be working with the native students and teaching them English. Throughout the duration of the program, I will take part in other projects based on the community’s needs. Past projects have included digging ditches, clearing small fields, and building houses or schools. In addition to the knowledge I will be sharing with them, I will be learning about their culture first hand and will be immersed in the Spanish language.

Sundays will be my day off in which we will spend time in the tiny community of Agua Santa. This is also the location of a market where the locals come for weekly provisions. Internet access is very limited in this area so this will likely be the only time to update my blog and catch up on any email and other correspondence.

Midway through my expedition, we will take a trip to Hector’s Island. This will allow time to relax and refresh before heading back into the remote rainforest. While there, Hector will teach us basic jungle survival skills and we will construct a shelter by weaving palm leaves. Upon departure, there will be a brief stopover in Coca to replenish provisions for the remainder of the expedition.

The expedition ends on August 15, 2008. At that time we will head back to Quito to await our departure. Due to the unpredictability of the rainforest, we have been instructed to book our flight about 48 hours after the end of the expedition to allow time for any unforeseen situations. If all goes as planned with none of the possible determents, we will arrive in Quito later that evening. I will once again stay at the Hostel La Casona de Mario. August 16th will be spent organizing my thoughts and updating my blog, shopping for small souvenirs, and preparing to go home! My flight will leave early on the 17th and I will arrive home by noon.

Throughout the entire five-week period, I will continually be working towards achieving my goals. I will persistently review them to ensure that I am working towards fulfilling each of them. It will be an ongoing process. As ideas strike me, I will record them in a small pocket journal I plan to keep with me at all times. Every evening, I will allot time for reviewing my notes from the day and organizing them in a more formal manner.

Teacher Growth and Learning

Through this experience, I will have learned new strategies in teaching my students. In teaching the native children that have minimal English skills, I will have to come up with new, creative ways to approach the task. This will be very useful when I return to the classroom and am confronted with a struggling learner. I can take those skills and tactics that I have learned and apply them to my daily teaching, modifying them as necessary to accommodate all types of students.

Although my students are predominately English speaking, many of their parents are not. This experience will expand my knowledge of the Spanish language and culture, which will help me connect with the parents. Then, when I am confronted with a parent who has minimal English skills, I can reflect on the ways I communicated the Yachana people and apply those tactics to the current situation. Although I will not be fluent, I will have picked up more of the Spanish language and learned key terms to help better my communication with a Spanish-speaking individual. In bridging this communication gap, I will gain the confidence of that parent who had once felt insecure in the parent/teacher relationship. They may then be more apt to come to me with issues and concerns. Additionally, I will have a better understanding of their culture. This will help me become more sensitive to the traditions, family units, and habits the students have.

During the expedition, I will be engaged in extensive scientific research. Through this, I will have a new understanding and love of science and the research method. I will bring that enthusiasm back to the classroom with me. Science will have an even more profound role in my classroom.

Student Growth and Learning

The students will benefit immensely from my experience. When they enter the classroom, they will have a teacher that has just had a life-long dream come true. The students will be confronted with new, creative approaches to learning. I will have new skills and a greater understanding of other cultures, which the students will see and experience. I will pour out my positive energy, offer it to them, and let us fuel each other as we approach a new task and learning.

The students will thrive in a science-rich classroom where they will have more opportunities to experiment and explore, which will help them as they progress through school and on to college. Through experimentation, they will be trained not be afraid to question the unknown and confident enough to investigate new concepts. They will be inspired to continuously seek answers to the things that confound them.

The students with Spanish-speaking parents will benefit from the improved communication skills I have obtained. By improving the relationship I have with their parents, I will be more informed and better able to meet their needs. As their parents model a positive outlook on things, the children’s attitudes will improve. Through this improved communication and cultural understanding, their learning experience will be more positive. The non-Hispanic students will also benefit as different cultural aspects are integrated into daily activities.

On a more personal level, the students will been given hope. The majority of our students come from economically disadvantaged households and many have challenging home lives. Unfortunately, many of them feel trapped in the small world they know, confined by lack of resources to get out and experience the world. I will present the students with optimism by giving a part of the world to them. They will have the opportunity to see pictures taken, not by a remote, unknown, professional National Geographic photographer, but by their very own teacher. They will see how close the world actually is to them and that if you persevere, you just might have a dream come true. In knowing that there is an attainable world out there, not hidden behind locked doors, they will know that their future can be limitless.

Benefits to the School Community

The benefits to the school community are numerous. It will impact not only the students, but the staff as well. Through sharing my experiences, my colleagues will be able to take my experiences and build on them, giving them a fresh perspective on teaching. In an effort to reach out to all of my colleagues, I would like to share the things I discovered about the culture, teaching, science, and about myself. Through this, I hope that other teachers take my experiences and knowledge, mesh it with their own, and develop it into a phenomenal, new approach to teaching.

To accomplish these goals, I will share the experience with my colleagues. Using PowerPoint, I plan to give a pictorial journey through my time spent in the rainforest, beginning with my landing in Quito and ending with my feet touching back on U.S. ground. I will share some of the approaches I took to teaching the students and the different strategies I used as I bridged the communication gap. I will include an activity in which we all break into smaller groups to brainstorm how to build on the successes and failures and turn them into better approaches to teaching. Then, everyone would share their ideas.

In addition to the teaching strategies I used, I will also share information about the research project I worked on. This will include a summary of what I did and what I accomplished. I will be sure to include the purpose of the research, the work done prior to my arrival, and the long-term goals of the program.

Another way I plan to contribute directly to the students is to form an environmentalist club. Many of the students do not have opportunities to be part of a group or club. After school they go home to empty houses. By organizing an after-school club, I will provide them not only with knowledge of the environment and ways we can help, but I will give them an option to going to an empty house.

The purpose of this club will be to inform the students and the community of environmental issues. We will organize service projects such as cleaning up a neighborhood park and implementing a campus-wide recycling program for all recyclable materials, not just paper.

To inform and excite the students about the club, I will share the story of my expedition and what I learned about our environment. I will give them facts about how rapidly the rainforest is being torn apart and let them know that there are things we can do to help. It is a win-win situation. The students will become more engaged in their community, learn a wealth of knowledge from a first-hand account, and be encouraged to become a part of something positive.

Documentation of Learning

While on my trip, my primary form of documentation will be with a simple journal. Electricity and internet access is very limited so I will have to rely on more conventional forms of record-keeping. I plan on keeping a daily journal to chronicle the events and record any data I find will be beneficial to my goals. When I have the opportunity to access the internet, I will update my blog with current photos, interesting facts, and news of my daily life and activities.

I will take numerous photos and extensive video footage of the teaching and the research, the side trips and excursions, and the flora and fauna. I will catalogue these in a digital image library on my laptop for easy access. These photos will be used for presentations and incorporated into my classroom whenever possible, such as making a new alphabet line by using real pictures from the rainforest for each letter.

I will continue to update my blog with the strategies I learned and have applied in the classroom. I will document the techniques and whether or not they worked, as well as list any modifications I may have made from the original ideas. With parental approval, I will post photos of my class engaged in activities or ideas I got from my adventure.

I will also organize a slide show using Power Point to serve as a tool for sharing my adventures and discoveries. This will be the presentation I will share with my fellow teachers and staff members.

Budget Narrative and Budget Sheet

When planning my trip, I looked for a program that would maximize my learning experience while minimizing my expenses. Based on the time I will be spending in the rainforest, the work I will be doing, and the knowledge and insight I will be gaining, I chose Global Vision International (GVI). GVI offers a five-week expedition with no extra costs for food, lodging, or transportation while part of the expedition. The majority of my expenses include the program costs and airfare. Additionally, I will need to purchase some supplies and gear, as well as the required travel insurance which will cover several areas, including emergency air-lift.
I already have a video recorder which I plan to take with me. I will need a quality digital camera. Since photos will be a vital part of my documentation, it will be of utmost importance that I have a camera with specific capabilities. I will be photographing a variety of species, some of which may be endangered. They might only appear for a few seconds and I want to ensure I capture that perfect moment, requiring a fast shutter speed. Additionally the camera will need a high magnification zoom lens to help catch the images that I am unable to get too close to. Batteries were also considered. I may not have the facilities to recharge batteries on a regular basis so I needed a camera that would take regular batteries. The final requirement was that it was a “point and click” camera. I do not have extensive photography experience so it was necessary that the camera I chose do the “work” itself. After researching the cameras currently available, I chose the one with the best performance and price that fit my needs.

Real Quick Notes

My, time is really flying!!! I just don't have enough hours in the day (or money in the bank) to get everything done. I still need quite a few things and I'm feeling guilty about not spending this time doing QUALITY things with my boys. They're so sick of being dragged along to doctor appointments and outdoors stores (REI, Gander Mountain, etc). I hope to finish up shopping tomorrow and finally have a few days devoted to them! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyway, I was thinking there might be some readers (I'm assuming I have some) that are interested in knowing more about what I am going to be doing. I have added something at the bottom of the blog with links to a film which offers a glimpse of life on the expedition and to GVI's Amazon site. Hopefully that will give you guys something to look at until I can post another long, rambling entry. I am also going to publish my proposal within the next day or two. I have had several requests for that!

Well, it is 2:45 AM and I still have some cleaning and ironing to do so I am going to do that so I can cuddle up with my husband for a couple of hours before he has to head to work! I'll do my best to get back to this tomorrow!

Keeping My Word

As promised, I have returned now that the munchkins are in bed and I have some "Tana" time.

I have to share a cute story that happened just this evening but I have to share some background information first...

My oldest son, Royce (4), has really taken an interest in this trip. Earlier this year he dubbed my classroom "the rainforest." I don't really know why, it's not like I had my rainforest themed classroom as I plan to have next year or even tons of rainforest items strewn around it. But for the last two months of school, when I'd pick him up from his school, he'd ask, "Mom, are we going to the rainforest?" or as we'd pass my school or even one of the main roads heading towards it, I'd hear, "Hey, that's the way to the rainforest!" He even had a bag that he stored in my teacher cabinet that contained his "rainforest stuff" such as erasers (energy bars), pencils (for recording notes on the wildlife), an empty paper towel roll - remember I AM a kindergarten teacher and this is a priceless commodity (flashlight), a mesh-like bag that oranges came in - great for textures (mosquito net), etc. He actually came up with all of these creative uses on his own. Of course, he'd been watching me make purchases and store my supplies in a similar bag at home in our closet. The point of all this goes back to the earlier statement that Royce is very interested in my rainforest trip.


This evening, after an exceptionally challenging day with his behavior, I was actually secluding myself in my room for a few minutes of peaceful bliss (once my hubby arrived home to take over the parenting for a bit). Royce came in and said something to me, I can't remember exactly what it was but something about he just needed to get something. He headed into my closet as I asked him to please go play with Daddy as I got back to the show I was watching, not paying that much attention to what he was doing, trying to stay hidden in my own world for a while. A few minutes later, he came in and did the same thing. This went on several more times before it actually clicked in my mind that he was pulling things out of the closet and taking them who-knows-where.

When he came back for about the sixth time, I actually focused fully on him and asked him what he was doing. As I did that, I noticed he was wearing my Tevas, purchased especially for this trip. He told me he was getting ready to go to the rainforest. Royce has an amazing imagination which has led to many interesting situations. I was sure this was going to be one of those times. I asked him to elaborate and he said, "I'm just checking my things and packing." Okay, he had piqued my curiosity so I told him to carry on. I wanted to see where he was going with this. He headed into my closet and came out with one of my shirts that he knows I plan on taking with me. I asked him what it was for and he just told me he needed a rainforest shirt. I said, "Oh, well that makes sense" and let it go at that. But this time, I followed him.

Backing up a bit...Earlier in the evening, before my husband arrived home, I'd pulled out the equipment/supplies I'd purchased for this trip. Sidetracked by a surprise visitor and a "quick" trip to the grocery store, the items were still laying in a corner of the living room (3 hours later) by the sofa and love seat. Not a smart move on my part but I hadn't planned on them being left unattended. I was supposed to take everything out, take a count of what I had/didn't have, and put everything back within the span of about 30 minutes. Those of you who know me well are familiar with type of behavior from me and most of you (sadly) expect it.

He gets to the backpacks with all the camping/first aid/basic living stuff scattered all around, including all the hiking shoes and stuff he had removed from the closet, puts the shirt on, and starts playing with different items. He looked up and saw me and jumped and had a fearful look on his face (all day we'd been having rounds about things he needs to leave alone). I smiled and told him it was okay, he could play a bit as long as I was there. (On a side note, my husband had actually been sitting on the sofa this entire time, watching the events unfold without saying a word.) I think Royce was shocked that I didn't reprimand him. He'd been told countless times not to bother my rainforest stuff. (He is very curious about things and what they do, how they work, etc. and whereas I believe it is important that a child is allowed to explore and experiment, Royce has a habit of being VERY destructive without intending to be so. For example, he'll try to open a package and end up breaking the item in his efforts or as he is trying to figure out how it works, he breaks it as he experiments. We have found that he has to be extra-closely supervised when there are new things around. Okay, back to story...) So, he very joyfully got back to pretending he was getting ready to head to the rainforest and was testing all of his equipment and checking things off his list (he actually got a notepad identical to mine and wrote a bunch of letters - remember he just turned 4 and isn't spelling YET! - and was checking them off). He even told me all about each item and what he was using it for.

It was SO cute! It was very similar to what I had been doing for the last few weeks. It was just another reminder that kids do what we do, not what we say! (I'd been telling him not to touch the things but of course I WAS!) I had to run get the camera (which I am trying to get as much practice with as possible) and take lots of pictures. Of course then Joey, my little camera hog, had to jump in and be included, which I didn't mind in the least!

!!!!!I have just spent the last hour looking for the pictures of Royce playing with my equipment. The folder is there but the pictures are gone. I just uploaded them and deleted them from the camera. I have literally been crying for a while. I am heartbroken! They were so cute! I commented to Russ that I thought one of them was perhaps my favorite of the two boys together. Joey had the cutest expression on his face while Royce looked adorable while playing with my flashlight. So Sad!!!!!

Well, I guess this concludes the post. I'm pretty upset right now about losing my pictures. I wanted to ramble on some about my kids and the effect the trip might have but it is now 4:30 AM and Russ wants me to come to bed. He told me he'd find my pictures tomorrow - he's kinda good with computers and stuff. I don;t think they're in existence anymore but we'll pray!!! I'll update more as soon as I can!

Finally an Update!!!

Wow!!! I guess I've really been a slacker on this blog! I've been so busy finishing off the school year, beginning summer, being a full-time mom, and getting ready for this trip that I haven't had tome to sit in front of the computer and type! In fact, this isn't going to be long ad I am racing against the attention span of a two-year-old and a four-year-old. They are playing with play doh and I have however long it takes them to lose interest in it. So, I am going to cut the rambling and get on with the update...

Life has been a whirlwind of activity since my last post and now it has come to crunch time! I have less than two weeks until I head to the Amazon! I can't believe the time is almost here! It has been fun shopping for all of the items I need but the price tag for this trip has turned out to be a much larger number than I had anticipated. Fortunately there are just a FEW more things I need and then I'll be as ready as I can be.

Earlier this week I had lunch with Joanne (a friend I made through FFT) and her daughter. She is going to Ecuador as part of her grant and we were exchanging traveling tips. She gave me lots of good advice about where to stay and what to do while I am in Quito. I am so grateful for all the help I've been receiving about my travel plans. Stephanie (FFT) has really given me bunches of good information as well. In fact, I need to get in touch with her before I go...

Last night my bunko group went out to dinner and in celebration of my trip, we went to the Rainforest Cafe. The ambiance was fun but a little pricey. It was just good to hang out with my friends once more before I leave!

Well, the monsters are on the prowl so I must end this for now. I just wanted to post a short update so it doesn't appear as though I have abandoned this blog. I will make a point to get back here tonight once the angels are asleep! There is so much I still want to share!