TravelStream™ news feed for member ebmargit on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ebmargit en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:32:59 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155319500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155319500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155319500/tpod.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:32:59 -0400 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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Dearborn, Michigan, United States

Well, here I am, home again. I ended up being stuck in Houston for a night because of all the delays, but I got to stay in a ridiculously nice hotel. And, now I'm back, frantically packing for Chicago! I'll be there on the 17th.Hope you're all doing wonderfully.Colorin, colorado. Esta historia se ha acabado.Peace,ElizabethP.S. I just uploaded some Easter photos from Amy's camera... they're late but still cute! Enjoy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1181256060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1181256060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1181256060/tpod.html Sat, 23 Jun 2007 21:56:55 -0400 How the Escuelita de Esperanza is continued in 2007.

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Hello, everyone! Well, I'm back in the land of Chicago for a couple of days.&nbsp; I returned yesterday, and so much has happened! The night before I left, as Morgan and I were walking back into the community after running some errands in San José, the father of three of the program's students told us that his cousin was selling his property for about $2,900 and asked whether we would want to take a look at it. We did, and it's a full-sized lot, which is rather large - large enough to incorporate both the Escuelita and the director's living space; the building on it, which takes up almost all of the property, is a <i>ranchito (a temporary building made of sheet metal and plywood). It is, in fact, exactly what we want: since it's a temporary structure, it won't take much to tear it down when we actually have enough money to build a real building, and it doesn't make much sense to pay extra money for a structure that we won't ultimately want to use. As property in that area is now starting to go for about $5,000, and sometimes $10,000 if it has cinder-block structures on it, this is an opportunity we are excited to have. It also makes financial sense, since we would have spent $2,400 on rent this year - and next year, we won't have to rent anymore. Even better, we won't be subject to the whims of property-owners!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1180565100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1180565100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1180565100/tpod.html Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:29:02 -0400 How the Escuelita de Esperanza is continued in 2007.

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San Jose, Costa Rica

Hello, everyone!!I know it's been awhile, but there wasn't all that much to write.&nbsp; Morgan has been in the States fundraising, and I've basically been biting my fingernails about all of this.&nbsp; Now I'm in San Jose again to help with getting things going again.After having to leave the church, it was hard to try to figure out what, exactly, to do next.&nbsp; First, we wanted to just buy&nbsp;a property.&nbsp; I mean, it's&nbsp;just not that expensive... but of course, if you're a poor student who decided to start her own NGO, $10 or $20,000 is a lot to come by.&nbsp; We thought a bit too big, wanting to buy a gorgeous property that would have given us&nbsp;enough space&nbsp;to have a soccer field for the kids, but now we're just hoping for enough to buy a small&nbsp;lot eventually and build on it.Because it's going to take awhile, we've decided to rent a little house for the program to be run in, and a separate&nbsp;apartment for the director so that we can use the most space possible for the program, and also have a separate storage area.&nbsp; The two things together will run us about $200 a month, including utilities,&nbsp;which isn't bad. But, you know, it's money.&nbsp; =P&nbsp; The kids are absolutely ecstatic about having their program back, though, and so that's enough inspiration to just keep at it!!I've also met with the ELCA division for global mission here, to see if we can become affiliated with them.&nbsp; If nothing else, it would be great to have a support network for the director, which is definitely something that I was lacking during my time here.&nbsp; We'll see what happens with all that.Otherwise, I've gotten to hang out with Marci a bit (who has, of course, been totally awesome)... Stephannie is absolutely humongous, which I guess is to be expected when she's now almost 2 1/2!!&nbsp; Victor is doing well, as is Maria Fernanda... basically, they're all just bigger.We'll be making the big move on Friday, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the house's partition walls taken out before then, since that would make it much easier... but you know, it's Tico time.&nbsp; I hope it won't take too long...Hope you all are doing well!Sincerely,ElizabethP.S.&nbsp; Donations are still being accepted atSt. Paul Lutheran Church (marked for "Costa Rica Project")21915 Beech St.Dearborn, MI 48124
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1168921140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1168921140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_2/1168921140/tpod.html Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:54:22 -0400 How the Escuelita de Esperanza is continued in 2007.

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Hello everyone!Let me start out by saying that I'm not going anywhere.&nbsp; =)&nbsp; I am in Chicago in seminary, and it is going very well.&nbsp; I am planning on visiting Costa Rica again in the next few months, probably at the end of the semester, before I start my summer internship, and I am also very involved in the program -- or at least as involved as I can be from the US.The program is thriving in Costa Rica, and is being run by a wonderful director named Morgan Leap.&nbsp; You can check out her travelogue and current goings-on in Pavas at www.travelpod.com/members/morganfay.She is serving about 150 children now, and it is becoming more and more evident that the program needs a new space. With so many children and no place to house activities for different age groups, it is becoming very difficult to manage having such a diversity of ages in such a small classroom.Another pressing reason for a move is that the pastors of Iglesia Jesus Nuestro Refugio (the church in which the program is housed) have decided that they will be allowing only Lutherans to work there, starting at the end of Morgan's time, in August; of course, this is something that the program cannot abide by, since I need to be most concerned with the qualifications of the person working in the program and not with their denomination.&nbsp; I am very saddened by this turn of events, but if this is the direction that their church is moving in, I can't stand in the way of that.Morgan was able to find a plot of land that is available, with three existing brick houses, fruit trees and a garden -- about 6,000 square feet and at the top of the hill (so that flooding would be almost a non-issue!).&nbsp; We are excited about it, but do not have the money at this point in time to buy it.&nbsp; The owner is willing to sell it for about $42,000, which is the right price for that land.Even if we are unable to raise the funds in time to buy that particular plot of land, there is other land in that community that would be available if the funds were there to buy it.&nbsp; I am making an appeal for donations for the survival of this program.&nbsp; So much hard work has gone into it, and it has become such a staple of this community.&nbsp; The children are enjoying reading, and Morgan has now set up a separate art class for older children.&nbsp; I am hoping to put a music education graduate in for next year so that some serious music classes can start.&nbsp; If your youth groups are looking for a cause to fundraise for, or if you were wondering where you could donate money, please think about this program.&nbsp; I never really thought it would take off like this, but it has, and we need your help!Thank you so much for all your support.Peace,ElizabethDonations (marked in the memo line for La Aula Amarilla) can be sent to:St. Paul Lutheran Church21915 Beech St.Dearborn, MI 48124
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1147176780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1147176780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1147176780/tpod.html Sun, 18 Feb 2007 12:43:33 -0500 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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Cahuita, Costa Rica

Hello, everyone!Natalia and her friend Dan arrived in Costa Rica last week, and we went to the Caribbean side to have some adventures for the weekend.We went to Cahuita (again, for lucky me!). On the bus, we met up with a Swiss guy named Daniel who's in Central America for the next few weeks, and he stayed with us while we were there. On our first full day there, we rented bikes and went to Punta Uva, which I've always wanted to see. On the way, we saw a sloth by the side of the road who seemed confused -- at first it seemed he was trying to cross the road, but as sloths are pretty much only apt at climbing and not at making it across the ground, he didn't seem like he was going to have much of a chance against the cars going by. Our first intention was to stop the cars so that he could get where he wanted to go. But, he got interested in my bike instead! It's the first time I've been quite that up-close-and-personal with a sloth =) So, he tried to climb my bike, then wanted to go to Natalia's.. and then we ended up deciding that we should just get him back into the woods. Daniel took care of that.The next day, Natalia and Daniel and I went on the national park hike and saw both howler and white-faced monkeys. On the way back, we saw a family of white-faced monkeys, and a mother with a baby on her back. We also went swimming around some of the reefs and saw a sting ray and some other very cool fish.Now, Natalia and Dan are on their way to Tortuguero to see more animals.Enjoy the pictures and movies!Peace,Elizabeth
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1148837760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1148837760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1148837760/tpod.html Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:36:06 -0500 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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San Jose, Costa Rica

Hello, everyone!Just after getting back from Washington, DC, my aunt, uncle and cousins came to visit along with my cousin Josh's fiancee, Juli. We went straight to Manuel Antonio, since they arrived on a Friday, and stayed the weekend there before coming back to San Jose to play with the kids. Then, since there was an impromptu medical clinic on Thursday and Friday, we couldn't hold classes in the church, so we went to La Fortuna to see the volcano Arenal.In Manuel Antonio, we hiked in the park, swam in the ocean and went whitewater rafting. Aunt Kathleen was a little nervous about the rafting, but ended up having a blast! We got to see so much, and we were so cool that none of us fell out. =)In San Jose, we had classes with the kids and had a wonderful time. The children were so excited to get to have so many adults to play with. Aunt Kathleen had a tea party, Juli played dress-up with the girls, Josh got to be a jungle gym, Uncle Rob got to read to some kids, and Sarah especially had fun chasing Carlitos around. We also got to have dinner with Natalia and Dan on their last night here at one of the miradores in San Jose, where we could see the lights of the city while we ate. Even though the taxi ride was... exciting? Exhilarating? Oh, yeah, terrifying -- we had a good time.We took the bus to Arenal and got to go horseback riding to the waterfall there. We also went on a hike through the jungle to a lookout point where we got to see some lava. I've been there three times now, and it's the first time the clouds had lifted enough at night to actually see lava, so it was very cool.Tomorrow, it's back to normal with the kids. It's been so nice to have all these people visit me, and it'll be interesting to see how I do all by myself!Hope you're doing well!Peace,Elizabeth
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151871960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151871960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151871960/tpod.html Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:05:05 -0500 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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San Jose, Costa Rica

Hello, everyone!There are only 6 weeks left of my time here, and things are chugging along pretty normally. We're having between 15 and 20 kids in each session, which is just the right number. There's been a swell of desire to learn how to tie shoes, so I've been teaching that quite a bit. And, kids are still very excited to take books home with them (and bring them back, too!).I took my goddaughter Ruth to the park on Saturday and we had a wonderful time. We bought a kite from a guy there who makes them and flew that for awhile, she got to play on the jungle gym and run around, and then we went to Pizza Hut (where she chose and ate a Supreme pizza, onions and all!), and then had ice cream. We had a total blast! Jennifer came along, too, and so it was nice to have a special day with just girls!Morgan arrives in a week and a half, and then she'll be here directing the program for the next year. We'll have a month together for her to get oriented. I'm looking foward to her arrival!Hope you are all doing well. Enjoy the pictures!Peace,Elizabeth
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151359860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151359860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1151359860/tpod.html Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:01:06 -0500 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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San Jose, Costa Rica

Hello!I had a bit of a shock yesterday -- a couple of friends, Eryn and Chris, who were camp counselors with me at Michi-Lu-Ca a couple of summers ago knocked on the door of my apartment just before church yesterday morning! They had been travelling around Costa Rica for about 10 days and stopped by before heading out this morning. Eryn lived in the barrio for about 3 months last year. So, I got to have lunch with them and hang out, which was really wonderful. We had a hectic day with the kids today -- it was really busy! There's been a bit of a lull because of major exams -- so a lot of the kids are home studying -- and so that had created a bit of a false sense of security. =) We had about 20 in the morning and 25 in the afternoon -- it's so wonderful to have Sol Anyel helping out!!!!With low attendance last week, we got to play with clay again (which definitely can't happen, at least yet, with large groups here). And, Maria Fernanda showed off her dancing abilities to Copland's Salon de Mexico. I've been reading to her and speaking to her only in English, and she's starting to copy me, which very cool. It's working with a few of the other (youngest) children, too.Morgan gets here on July 12, so I'm very excited about that. She's fundraising in Washington State; I'm hoping she'll be able to raise enough for at least a few months so that I can really work on it when I get back. (Again, if anyone feels like donating, please do! Checks payable to St. Paul Lutheran Church, with "Elizabeth's Project in the memo line, 21915 Beech St., Dearborn, MI 48128.) =)Veronica is now on her feet with five days of work per week. She's making about $50 per week (her rent is $60/month), so it's certainly not going to be easy, but it will be possible. Thanks to those of you who helped support her while her son was undergoing his surgeries -- she's doing well and independent!That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!Peace,Elizabeth
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1153350000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1153350000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1153350000/tpod.html Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:36:37 -0500 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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Montezuma, Costa Rica

Hello, everyone!Morgan arrived safely on the evening of July 12th. We had a welcome meeting the next night, so that Morgan could meet some of the moms and the kids, and Marci ran it. It was really nice!So, now she's been here for a week. She had one day of classes before we headed out, since there was an ISL clinic on Monday and Tuesday, and we wouldn't have been able to work with the kids then.So, we decided to go to Montezuma, since I'd never been there before and it's far away -- and we had 4 days to travel. I'd heard from various people that it's wonderful.It was pretty awesome. I expected something a little different -- most of the people who live there are expatriates, which is not what I was expecting from a little secluded village on the peninsula. We had to take 2 buses and a ferry to get there (almost missed the ferry going there because of misinformation, but just caught it!). We stayed in a hostel called Hotel Lys, which was small, cheap, clean, and right on the beach.The first day, we decided to hike around. We ended up hitching a ride with a guy named Mauricio who took us to the national park nearby, Cabo Blanco, where Morgan had her first jungle excursion. We saw some howler monkeys and lots of cool plants. (Which has now become the usual for me!! Ha!) Then, we found out there was a bus, so we took that back to a beautiful beach we'd seen on the way, swam there for awhile, and then walked to a nearby waterfall and swam in that.The next day, we went snorkeling. It was cloudy, so the visibility wasn't as good as it should have been, but at least we didn't get totally burned. St. Pirate's Day was celebrated one day early, on Tortuga island, and we ate fresh (very fresh) fish on the beach. I guess pirates may not have snorkeled, but methinks they ate fish on the beach, yarr!(Sorry for those of you who don't get that reference.)The next day, we headed back. And, now Morgan's had another day with the kids. They absolutely love her, and her Spanish is better than mine was when I got here last year, so I'm very confident about heading out in three weeks!I hope you're all doing well!Peace,Elizabeth
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155227760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155227760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ebmargit/costa_rica_1/1155227760/tpod.html Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:57:52 -0400 I'm in Costa Rica to set up and run an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

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La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Hello!It's been an interesting and packed week this past week. I finally feel like everything is coming together, which is as it should be! Morgan, of course, is doing wonderfully with the kids, as is Sol Anyel, and so I feel like I can return to the States in good conscience.The church decided to throw me a going-away party last Sunday and asked Morgan if she would help with the piñata, and she suggested we make it -- which turned out to be quite a project! Papier-maché for 30 kids is crazy. But, we ended up making it work, Morgan, more adventurous than I, also tried concrete-sledding down the alameda with the kids. She perhaps discovered a new talent?Jennifer, Morgan and I pitched in to buy Stephannie a high chair after she fell from the box she'd been sitting on... check out that photo! She mostly loves it.My dad came down for my last week here, to help me get all my stuff home. It was just wonderful to have him around, and of course the kids were ecstatic!He arrived on Thursday night, and so he had Friday with the kids. Saturday, we took Sol Anyel, María Fernanda, Marci, Victor and Stephannie to Pizza Hut. They have a play area, and it was a nice way to both say thank-you to Sol Anyel and Marci for all the work they've done for this program and for the kids to get to have a chance to play on a safe jungle-gym. And, of course: Who doesn't like pizza? Then, on Sunday, the church had my going-away party. We had a seemingly endless stream of piñatas because we'd decided to have many small ones, trying to string them together (which didn't end up working so well in the end, but lots of kids got to try to hit it). I got whacked in the right wrist by a 13-year-old, dizzy girl wielding a stick, but nothing seems to be broken. =) I even got a chance to break one! Apparently I sent it flying around the room. I cried a lot, and so did the kids, which I guess means I did ok this year. It was such a wonderful time!!!Monday, Dad and I took off for Arenal. I figured that it would be good for Dad to get to see something as long as he was coming down here! So, Monday we hiked through the forest to (try to) see the lava, but the clouds were too low, so we didn't get to see anything. But, we did get to see an old lava flow and tons of animals, so that was pretty cool. Then, we went to the hot springs. Tuesday, we went rafting. Dad fell out, but somehow managed not to lose his glasses! Wednesday, we went horseback riding to the waterfall, which was different this time -- not on the road -- so we saw lots of toucans and other animals. It was beautiful!! Then, we came back on the bus.When I got back to the church last night, I found that Morgan had planned a surprise mini going-away party for me! She'd baked a cake, and Marci, Stephannie, Victor, Sol Anyel, María Fernanda, Veronica, Ruth and Esteban were over. Daysi came by later with Melissa, so we had a great group to eat that cake! It was so, so nice to get to spend that time with them. I'm at the airport right now in San Jose, taking advantage of the free wireless internet. It's so strange to be leaving. I ended up having to leave way earlier than planned because of the events in Britain earlier today; I wanted to make sure I got here in enough time to wait in line, but it turned out that everything went the smoothest it's ever gone! I'm hoping Houston isn't too bad, but it might be just awful; we'll see. Hey, if I have to stay over, that's what I'll have to do.I hope you're all well.Peace,Elizabeth
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