Zipping Our Time Away!

Tuesday May 22, 2012

What a GREAT day!  It’s not just the fact that we got to go zip lining in the rain forest tree canopy at La Marquesa Forest Park in Guaynabo Puerto Rico – it’s everything that surrounds us.

Let’s start with the zip lining.   

Again, there was an even split for those of us who have been zip lining before and those that haven’t.  If you aren’t familiar with what a zip line is this is where there are platforms high in the tree canopy and the trees are connected by stretches of cable.  Once you are fully geared up in a harness, helmet, caribeaners, pulleys and gloves, you are set to go… well, of course only after listening to the safety instructions!  

  

Once in gear, we hiked up the the first platform which was a steep ascent, especially in the heat and weighed down by the gear, but we didn’t let that get us down.  After waiting for our turn, one-by-one we went down the first line. For me, it was absolutely exhilarating! 

There were so many mixed emotions swirling around us.  Excitement.  Fear.  Euphoria. Nervousness. Composure.  Stress.  Relief.  Pride.  Gratification.  Happiness.  It was wonderful to see the level of confidence (and fun factor) increase as the new-to-this-folks became more comfortable with each run down a line.  Also it was very impressive witnessing those who pushed through the fear and discomfort to prove to themselves that they COULD face down their fear.  Especially heartwarming was watching the students support each other with kind and encouraging words – the level of compassion they showed each other had a profound effect.  This class and all its lessons and experiences have brought the students so much closer and they share a bond that is unique to the seven of them. This bond was seen throughout the evening as we went out to the ocean, ate dinner together and then all went for a night swim in the pool.  Amidst all the horsing around and playing, you could see the kids watching out for each other.  

It was a great day and it is a wonderful journey we are taking together.  It’s hard to believe how quickly the week is passing.  In the next couple of days we have lined up cave tubing, visiting Old San Juan (this is to explore all the old forts and go to the Butterfly People Cafe) and kayaking in Bioluminescence Bay.  I suspect that time is going to continue to fly by... =o) 

Our First days in Puerto Rico

Why hello there.  This is Carmela.  For those who follow our blog but don’t know me personally, I am neither one of the students, nor am I one of the staff at the Robert J. Lister Academy; nonetheless I love this school and the work they are doing!  As suspected, I am not only connected and bonded to the school because Bryan, the teacher of this Sustainable Ed class also happens to be my husband, but am drawn to the school because of the students.  Over the course of the year I have watched these students work hard, struggle, fall down (both literally and figuratively), pick themselves up (again both literally and figuratively), support each other when rising seemed too difficult on their own and finally achieve their goal… and here we are, in beautiful Puerto Rico!  We did it!

I suppose if we were to measure the impact of this experience by the number of laughs, the number of bruises and the level of us getting dirty … then I would say, this experience has been beyond HUGE (and it’s only been 3 days)!

Just to give a sampling of what we’ve been doing to keep us busy in our short time here, we:

• -          Explored in and around the amazing Cueva Clara (a beautiful cave in Del Rio Camuy)
• -          Stepped back in time hundreds of years at the Parque Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana (a sacred meeting place of the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico)
• -          Learned about and saw the world’s largest single dish radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory
• -          Went horseback riding at Hacienda Carabali Ranch – a sprawling 600 acres of diverse terrain at the base of El Yunque National Rain Forrest.  Where we walked, trotted, cantered and some of us even galloped the horses – which was all the more impressive as at least half of the group had never been on a horse before.  A personal favorite was getting a chance to ride ahead and turn around to watch the rest of the group trot/canter up the path with each rider wearing the same ‘Holy smokes I’m running a horse!’-perma-grin-expression on their faces.  It was spectacular!  As an added bonus we rode to a river site and dismounted for half an hour to play in the water and have our faces painted with the mineral clay from the river banks.
• -          Finally, we explored the El Yunque rain forest where highlights included seeing the Cascada La Coca waterfall, climbing the stairs of the Yokahu Tower to see breath-taking views from the top and lastly going extreme-hand-over–foot hiking into the woods with our amazing guide, Mario, to a remote waterfall .  Admittedly, I had not intended to see the falls up close and personal, but after a spectacularly graceless slip into the water, I joined the others and am really grateful I got drawn into the fun.

For years Bryan has talked about the power of travelling with students and I thought I understood what he meant when he shared his experiences and stories.  It wasn’t until now that I realized I had no idea or true appreciation for the profound impact this kind of experiential learning can have.  As if I wasn’t already impressed with the students (and staff – Bryan and Ellen rock!) with everything they did to get here, seeing the students experience everything that is new, inspiring, sometimes scary and awe-inducing AND being part of it with them, is life changing.  I am looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead and can’t wait to see even more growth in the days to follow.  Here’s to embracing the mantra: ‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’

Overcoming My Anxiety

Twenty four hours from now, we'll be in Puerto Rico!  Woohoo!  It feels so rewarding after all the hard work we have done.  It sounds strange, but over this last week--as the date of the trip got closer and closer--it felt as though it was even further away than it was months ago.  These last few days leading up to it have been the hardest for me.  It takes me back to when I was really little and how, on Christmas Eve or the night before my birthday, I would get so racked with excitement and anticipation that going to sleep felt like the hardest thing in the world.  Now that I'm older, those feelings, for the most part, have not changed.  The only thing that is different is that now, in addition to excitement and anticipation, I am also experiencing slight trepidation.  I am a worrier.  But I am glad that I feel comfortable enough with the group of people I'll be with that I am able to face my fears and not let my anxiety hold me back, or keep me from experiencing all that Puerto Rico has to offer.  And so, I have used that mentality to create my very own mantra for the trip:

"Nothing--no illness, injury, worry, homesickness, or fear--is going to keep me from enjoying myself and having a good--no, a GREAT--time on this trip." Phew! There...now I've said it, it's official!  I will do my very best to remember what I just said, even if I get a little overwhelmed.  Because, honestly, a trip like this happens once in a lifetime, and if I don't let my guard down and enjoy myself, I will regret it forever.  Whatever fears or anxieties I might encounter are only temporary and will be forgotten quickly, whereas the possible memories I am gaining from this trip will last a lifetime.  If I had to choose between being scared for a while or reminiscing forever, I choose the latter.  No contest.

Hello people of this universe and others it is such a beautiful day out today. i cant wait 14 hours until we are on our way to logan airport. Im pumped and so is everyone else. in 24 hours we will be in San Juan Puerto Rico. soo exited this is going to be the best week of my life i hope everyone has a good weekend and week ill post when i get back... :]

Tonight!

I can't believe that we are going to Puerto Rico tonight. It feels like the last time I looked at our count down calendar we were 50 days away. I'm so excited and the rest of the class feels the same, though I am not too excited about the time (We leave for Boston at 2am.) It will be such a wonderful experience to be able to travel with the entire class, and get to go through all we will do with my classmates. I graduate on June 1st, so this is pretty much my last hoorah for my highschool career. I couldn't think of a better way to end my year.

My Puerto Rico Project: Part 2

I am finally starting to reach a final decision regarding my Puerto Rican project. While I had originally set out to do something for each of the three time periods (Pre-Colonization, Spanish Rule, and U.S. Rule) I have decided to drop the U.S. time period, partly because it is more politically-based than history-based, and partly due to time restraints. My original plan to involve three time periods was only because I was worried I would not have enough material to do a project on just one of them. Throughout my research process, however, I have obtained more than enough information that I feel confident and content with just the first two time periods.

Now, I have gathered the information, I have to find a unique and creative angle for my final project. For the Spanish Rule period, I have decided to do a collection diary entry for the major explorer of the time—Christopher Columbus. I am going to create some (mock) diary/journal entries for him that chronicle his adventures and discoveries. I hope that I will be able to shed a “new light” on a very over-popularized historical character. For instance, Columbus did not just sail up to Puerto Rico and say “Hello, Indians. I’m here to claim this land for Spain, so if you and your tribal folk would be so kind as to vacate the area immediately, I’d be much obliged. Oh, and before you leave, don’t mind if we steal your food, sleep with your wives, and spread terrible European diseases like smallpox and Syphilis to you all.” Obviously, that is a poor dramatization, but it demonstrates my point well. My point being, when Columbus arrived at Puerto Rico, he did not just sweet talk his way into controlling the land. There was fighting and bloodshed, and discord for both sides. I heard a quote recently that stated: “History has a tendency to paint murderers as heroes.” It really made me stop and think, and I’ve concluded with the impression that sometimes, this is true. Now, I’m not calling Columbus a murderer—at least not at the moment—but there is evidence to suggest that he was not nearly as saint-like as people regard him as being. I hope that when I am writing my final project, I am able to include my thoughts and opinions without it sounding too much like an editorial. I, myself, am not a fan of projects that are simply facts and data, with no creative thinking. There is no point in doing something—whether it is a poster, a research paper, or a slideshow—if it does not include some semblance of the author/creator’s personal thoughts or opinions on the subject.

I have also decided to create a children’s book based on the adventure and journey of Juan Ponce de Leon and his notorious quest for the Fountain of Youth. I am particularly excited about this part, because it incorporates my lifelong passion for mythology. I still haven’t decided if I am going to center the book around Ponce de Leon, himself, and include elements of the Fountain of Youth—or if I will make the story about the legend of the Fountain of Youth, and have Ponce de Leon as a character.

For the Pre-Colonization portion of my project, I have a few ideas for final projects, but I haven’t reached a conclusion as of yet. I have decided to base this period on the two main Native-American tribes of Puerto Rico (the Arawak tribe and the Carib tribe). What I really want to put across in my project is a familiarization, of sorts, that these were people—and not savages—and they existed, functioned and succeeded as a society long before we (the Europeans) interfered, and tried to “improve” (via converting) their lifestyle so that they were “civilized” like us. They had a quality of life that suited them just fine; just because they were not as technologically advanced as us, that does not diminish their respectability, as people.

Titus update

So after Titus molted he was pretty calm for about two weeks. I would go take out his water bowl and he wouldn't attack the tongs or anything. He just seemed like an overall calm spider. Just as I was beginning to think he was mellowing out(to be honest I was starting to miss his personality) he went back to attacking the tweezers and went into a threat display (they raise their front legs into the air to make themselves look bigger.)towards his water bowl.
-Andi

My research has brought me to many differnet forts scattered across the island. I started with a list of about thirty and have recently made my last cut off. I'm now down to ten different forts each with at the least of two hundred years of history and war.