Fun and Games

Well,
Last week was pretty packed with fun and games!
On Thursday I went to Shimmy on the Hudson. There was an Arab meetup and a belly dancing meet up. The cruise went around NYC and under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was really good fun - considering we had managed to get free tickets. It was a little bit rocky and I definitely didn't have my sea legs on!

On Friday there was a tornado warning for New Rochelle! This was something exciting on a Friday afternoon which was completely dragging anyway!



It was really raining and really windy with these huge flashes of lightening.



Libby acting out what would happen if the tornado came inside!
Unfortunately me and some friends had to make the normally 3 and half hour drive to Maryland which ended up taking 6 hours because of all the flooding and road closures!!

So we finally got to a beautiful cottage in the middle of no where. Unfortunately a tree had fallen across the drive way, fortunately we had 3 pretty strong men with us - or so we thought. These guys were brought up in the Bronx and don't really have much experience in the country, so after moving the tree, ran back to the car like scared rabbits.
When we were outside a deer ran pass the car and they all nearly refused to even step out of the car. It was the funniest thing ever!!!


Finally at the cottage!

The cottage was right on the Chesepeake Bay it was sooo beautiful and so nice to be out of the City.

Friday was full of games and we didn't end up going to sleep until 6am so we managed to see the sun coming up.



The rest of the weekend was spent:

Eating


Relaxing in the hammock after swimming in the river


Sitting on the dock



watching the sun set


and camp fires


It was just soooo relaxing, that we realy didn't want to leave.


Libby, Laura, the 20 pound water melon, Natalie and Me

DanceBrazil

Last night I went to summer stage I saw this fantastic dance group called DanceBrazil



They amazing, part from the fact they were extremely fit Brazilian men, the dance moves were amazing!!



Yay Brazil! (And Brazilian Men!)

Fire Island!

So yesterday was beautiful!
I went to Fire Island with one of the girls I met in Costa Rica.
It was about an hour and a half car ride and then about 40 minutes on a ferry.


The journey over

It was sooo nice to sit on a beach, nap, drink beer, paddle, nap, drink beer, nap.


There are no cars on Fire Island and it is this tiny beachy island with cute little bars. I felt like I was on holiday!


The sunset on the ferry back.

Florida Pics!

Martinis with the ladies


Dancing!

Universal Studios!


Me and Jay at Universal Studios

Florida!

Well....
Florida was great!!
I was here for a Kiwanis Convention to promote CCS and that part was ok.

But what was great was the fact I got to met up with all my Guatmala Buddies!!!

I got in on the Wednesday and Mariana and Cathy picked me up from the airport, took me to the OCCC and helped me set up.

They then took me out to dinner to Gaylord Palms the food was fantastic as was the sangria and company!!

I was back at the convention on the Thursday from 8 - 3 and then summer flew in that evening.

We had some very nice martinis at the cheesecake factory and caught up some more.

I was back at the convention on the Friday from 8-3 and then had a meeting in the evening.

Sommer, Cathy, Mariana and I then went to downtown Orlando for Dinner, we went to the Monkey bar for a few more martinis and then wandered over to another bar where we literally danced our socks off!

We had sooooo much fun, I was literally laughing so hard all night my jaw hurt!!!

Saturday I was at the convention centre from 8-1.20, packed up, got picked up and whisked off to Universal studios. Went on a couple of rides there and that also was lots of laughs!

Today we went to a Gospel Brunch. This was amazing. The were gospel singers and a women who was signing everything. It was fantastic and all you can eat southern food.

Now I am at the airport and my flight has been delayed by an hour - booo!
But I have had a amazing time and it has been so great to catch all my the people I met in Guatemala!

Photos!

The Group



Nuestra Señora de los Angeles Basilica


Work in Progress!


Irazu Volcano with the Girls


The last day, the kids did a dance and song show for us!


The AMAZING Staff


The final result


Bye Friends :(

The End is nigh......

So my week in Costa Rica is coming to an end....

As I expected the week has been amazing. The School I have been working is such a fantastic place. The kids that come to the school come from abusive and/or extremely poor backgrounds. The school is their safe place where they come to be educated in the hope that they can build a better life for themselves.

We painted a mural, did recreational activities with kids and just hung out with them.
The teachers at this school care for the children so much and really want to help make a better future for them. It is amazing.

My group were equally as good and as usual on a Cross-Cultural Solutions program I know I have made some life long friends.

I have been to an organic coffee farm, a volcano, had salsa lesson, Spanish lessons, cooking lessons. There has been so much packed into this week.

This week has been exactly what I needed!! Seeing the impact the volunteers have on the partner programs we work with is amazing. Hearing about the changes in the volunteers and how it impacts their lives is equally amazing and makes me extremely proud to work for CCS. It is so hard to forget what we do working in a office and participating in a program refreshes why I chose to move half way across the world to work for them!

I cannot rave about the staff enough. They are FANTASTIC. They are so dedicated and care so much about the volunteers and the partner programs, that it leaves me in awe of them.

We had a meeting this afternoon, where the got all the staff together, we had coffee and ice cream and they made me feel so special!! When it is them that do all the hard work!!

So now I am sitting in Jose's apartment (listening to Dancing Queen by Abba!!!) getting ready to go out in San Jose, hoping that tomorrow doesn't really come. I am hoping that when Santi (the Program Coordinator) said the office called and said I was to work form Costa Rica and move in with him that is was true.

It has been a wonderful week and of course I am sad that it has to end but I must get back to reality!

Pura Vida!!!

Photos later.. many photos later....

COSTA RICA

So I am in Costa Rica!!
I made it into San Jose on Saturday, I got picked up and taken to my super hostel!
I then went for a wander around town and got caught in the rain!!
They are having the cow parade here at the moment so there were all kinds of cows. Pole dancing cows, taxi cows, ALL KINDS!!
I then got completely lost and it took me to hours to find my way back to the hostel!
I had forgotten how empowering it was to travel and this was the first time for ages that I had travelled by myself. I love the fact I can just wander round and take in the sights. It was great to have some me time and do what I wanted to do. With no work, and no one else interfering.
Ok So I don’t know the language and don't really know where I am going but it’s all fine and the survival instinct kicks in and everything’s ok!


San Jose


The Kids at my placement

We have done all kinds of exciting things, but I have better things to do than spend time on the Internet. So will update either later or when I get home.

Off to Salsa lessons!!

Weather predictions for Cartago....

RAIN RAIN RAIN!

Booooooooo!
But I am packed 3 days beforehand!!

Costa Rica Next Week

So...
last night I was at a dance party, techno music, not really what a I am into but it was held in the Planetarium at the Natural History Musuem!!!
It was so much fun. It was a really odd mix of people, you had the trendy arty students from Brooklyn, preppy boys and then middle aged women just doing crazy dancing!!!

I am off to Costa Rica in Central America on Saturday to take part in the Insight Abroad program with work.



I will be staying Cartago, check out one of the videos here

I am so excited!! I get in to San Jose on the Saturday and the program does not start until the Sunday. So I am staying at a hostel on the Saturday and Jose the Country Director is taking me out on Saturday night!

My placement is at a school.

The school surroundings:
Most of the children attending this school come from unprivileged homes, mainly from “Los Diques” area. The origins of this community go back to 1962, after the Reventado River`s great flood, caused by Irazú Volcano’s eruption. During the disaster, a group of US Marines came to Cartago to build a large dike to protect the city of new avalanches. Few years later, this area was occupied by different groups of homeless families who decided to live around the dike permanently, generating a high socially at risk community.
This community is the most affected area in Cartago by poverty and violence; many of the children have to deal on a daily basis with physical and emotional aggression as well as sexual abuse cases. Besides these problems, drugs abuse, drug dealing, and urban delinquency are becoming part of everyday life for children, teenagers, and adults.
The school was founded in 1982. There are 26 staff members including teachers and administrative staff working at the school. There is an interdisciplinary team with a social worker, a psychologist and a sociologist as part of the school staff.


Project Description:

The insight participants will paint murals that have been previously outlined. The mural outline is located in the outside walls of the interdisciplinary team, right in front of the kindergarten classrooms.


Insight participants will paint the mural according to the colors that will be selected.
Volunteers will also have the chance to interact with the kids and get to know more about the community and the Educational system in Costa Rica.


General Objectives of the project

1. To promote cultural exchange and interaction among the participants of the project: volunteers, students, school personnel, CCS staff
2. To paint murals
3. To visit the community and its surroundings

I am really looking forward to doing another program and visiting a new program obviously but I looking forward to having my own experience and doing it alone again, like Brazil. Although I recently visited the Guatemala program for staff travel, another staff member was there. I loved the group I was with in Guatemala as it was a small group and we all got on so well.

This is going to be a totally different experience as I will be a volunteer again and the house is full - 38 people!!!

Well the weather at the moment in NYC is RAIN RAIN RAIN, so off to see Sex and the City movie and try to stay dry!

Long over due upate....

So... work has been SUPER crazy. Where do I start....

Last week I had a meeting at NYU. Then I went up to Boston to train the EF staff. I did a 2 hours training with about 20 plus people and then a second hour training with 4 other people.

I then stayed the night in a hostel
which was fine but I didn't get much sleep.

Then I was representing CCS at a Global Volunteering Fair, I also presented a 90 minute work shop on international family volunteering and a 30 minute presentation about CCS.
The fair went really well, and I had some AMAZING alumni who helped me out and were fantastic.
Then got the Amtrak and got back into the city about 12pm.


Then on the Wednesday I did an information Session at Columbia.

Thursday I help paint a set at Astoria Performing Arts Center. That was fun and great to do something creative again.

Friday night, I met up with a volunteer I had met in Guatemala and then also went down to the Village and played darts all night.

Saturday, we initiated the latest PEM and took her out to happy hour.

I then had to get up at 7am on a Sunday morning to catch a flight to Colorado to train the EF Colorado staff. I was waiting at the subway station and had a look at my itinerary to see how long the flight was and realized that I was on my way to JFK when actually I was flying from LaGuardia!! Fortunately me being super early all the time paid off!!!

Other highly exciting news, I just bought flights to go and visit our Cartago, Costa Rica Insight program on June 8th!!! I am so excited.

So the past couple of weeks have been busy, so I arrived in Colorado this afternoon, went and had a pub lunch and tried out some of the local beers, come back to my hotel room, had a really long bath and am now watching TV in my kingsize bed!!
I have a 2 hour training session tomorrow and then fly back into NYC and will get home about 12pm.


It's allllll go!!!

Atlantic City!!!

So Karen came to visit - Yay Karen and all the English chocolate she brought!



Random pillow fight in Union Square



We random decide at at at 11.30 on Thursday that we would go to Atlantic City

We found the cheesiest hotel - The Hotel Tropicana - which all so had a casino and waht seeemd like everything we would ever need and booked a bus from Port Authority.


Me Trying to figure out how to win some money!!




Our Hotel Room




The Casino

Snow

Schmoozing....

Recently I have been doing quite lot of schmoozing at posh clubs or events.

I attend a conference through work the other week. After the conference there was a cocktail reception with really nice free food and booze. We then went to a concert at Carnegie Hall. It was a Free Tibet fund raiser where we had seats in the boxes so had a great view. We then went to the after party where there was more free booze and food and partied with the stars of the show and Uma Thurmans Dad!

Then last weekend was a work colleagues birthday. He had rented a room at Jay-z's 40/40 Club. He had rented The ESPN Hall of Fame Lounge. It was really good fun, a lot of dancing and feeling like I was in a rapper music video.





I also went to Extreme Embroidery exhibition was was really good as well.

Last night I was at the Gnarly Vine being very sophisticated drinking wine and eating cheese!

I think that this weekend it going to be pretty quiet with the 4 inches of snow we have got keeping me inside..... but who knows!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Just a quick up date!
We moved offices on Thursday night, as we are building a new level on the office at work because we are expanding so much. So Friday morning, I went into work early to try and sort out my new office space. Not know where I was going was a slight problem but I found it. The next problem was not being able to get in!
After getting in we had the task of trying to make the bomb site look presentable as a big company (www.eftours.com) we just signed a contract with had decided this would be the day they would come over from Boston to talk about this new Partnership!!!

Their mission is to ensure that every student some sort of international experience and yours truly is going to be dealing with them on ensuring that the ones that want to do some sort of service project will achieving this mission is going to be dealing with all the inquires on a day to day basis. I think it is going to be a huge partnership - which is exciting but it's going to take lot of work!

Today I am off to volunteer at a flower show in China Town. It is the Lunar Chinese New Year and there is a flower market going on with traditional arts and crafts happening.

Sunday I have the joy of trying to file my taxes, which I am not looking forward to but hopefully will get some money back so could be worth it!

The view out of my hotel


The Cathedral


Me in front of a random fountin


The river that seemed to be pretty dried up!

New Years Eve

After the success of the Green party, we decided to throw Tarts and Vicars party.
Not as many people dressed up for this one....



Midnight!

Overview of My time in Guatemala!!

So my travels in Guatemala started off with just under a week in Guatemala City.
Here I volunteered for a few days and visited some of the partner programs that we work with in Guatemala City, such as elderly homes, a soup kitchen and clinics.



This was the chapel we re-painted before


and the courtyard


Coming soon - the after pictures!

I then spent Friday night in Antigua.


At a very posh hotel


It was then on to Panjachal and to visit Lake Atitlan - the most beautiful lake in the world.






Then on Sunday Morning we went to Chichicastenengo, to visit one of the largest markets in Central America





It was then a 4 hour bus ride to Quezaltenango.


I stayed there for 2 nights at our program there, visited a few placements and some areas of interest that the volunteers visit and it was a 6 hour bus ride back to Guatemala City to fly home on the Wednesday!

Guatemala!

So I arrived in Guatemala City on Saturday, the whole experience was so different from my Brazil program. Obviously the main difference was this was staff travel, I knew the organization and knew pretty much what to expect. With Brazil I was so nervous when I had my expectations talk and nearly cried and decided not to go.

With this I trip I had hardly any time to prepare because I had been so busy with work and really had not thought about it much.

When I had picked up my bag and gone through immigration, I walked through the doors and there were hundreds of people with their faces pressed up against the glass looking for people. Again I was not nervous or worried, I saw the CCS sign and it took about another 15 minutes for me to make my way through the crows to it!!

There are 9 of us in the house and they are all lovely and we are getting on really well.



The placement I am at it a home where there are a couple of mother and daughters, a mother and a son, a writer and a painter that lives there, as they have no where else to stay. We are painting the chapel and the courtyard and also doing crafts with them.



So just a quick update really to let you know I am safe and well!