Mr Parker

Mr. Parker's Wiki Page!

Hello Students, Teachers, Family and Friends! You can use this website to post comments and/or questions while I'm in Costa Rica! I plan on dong the same, so check back as often as you can!

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Tuesday, June 15th

While packing, I'm reviewing some of my writings about the environment and what it means to me, and two parts jumped out at me.

1) "We are one planet, with one future, and many responsibilities." There is so much to do and my students this year have inspired me and shown me that there are lots of people who want to help. We have to find a way to spread this thinking, and I'll need YOUR help! Yes, you! :)

2) Aldo Leopold's famous quote, "When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” We don't own the land, we are simply part of it. Therefore, we shouldn't treat it as if it is ours and at our disposal. I imagine I'll realize this more than ever in Costa Rica the next two weeks... Can't wait until Friday!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Went to orientation the past 2 days and met 25 other teachers from 22 different states. The teachers I’ve met so far are incredible. I can tell just from having short conversations with them that they’re awesome in the classroom. We have art teachers from the Bronx and English teachers from the Arctic in Alaska. A very diverse group to say the least. I really think I’ll learn a lot from them.

After a few days of meetings and planning our trip, we got to get out today for our first real adventure, to the Everglades, a National Park on the southern tip of Florida. It’s about 1.5 million acres (an acre is about 75% of a football field) of protected wetlands and beautiful prairies. By far the coolest thing about this place is not only the fact that people have fought to protect it for over 75 years, but also the amazing wildlife that call this place home. There are over 14 different endangered species that live here, including the American crocodile and the Florida Panther. In addition to those endangered species, the Everglades have tons of exotic birds and thousands of wild alligators that are everywhere! There’s something way cooler about seeing alligators in the wild than at a zoo. All of a sudden, I felt as if I were in Jurassic Park! There were gators all over the place, sunbathing, soaking up the sun and just relaxing. I got some great shots that you can see here! http://www.flickr.com/photos/51080799@N06/

One more quick/funny story: we saw a huge turtle, probably about the size of a desk at school, swimming in the river towards a pretty big adult gator. We weren’t exactly sure what the turtle was thinking (I don’t think it knew either!), but it swam up to the gator, and started attacking the gator’s tail! Maybe the turtle was blind, or really hungry and insane…?! Anyway, the gator just shrugged him off, probably laughing to himself, and the turtle went back to swimming some laps in the murky green river, probably looking for a little lunch. Nature is so fun to just watch and listen. Oh, one more cool thing. Our guide has us sit in complete silence for one full minute to soak in the sounds of nature. It was really cool. Birds and bugs singing in harmony, the wind ripping in and out, the river dancing down the prairie grass, all beautiful in their own way. If you did that on the streets of Chicago, and truly listened, what do you think it’d be like?

Well, this concludes my first “real” day blog. Tomorrow should be exciting, flight at 7:00 a.m. to San Jose, Costa Rica! I’m super excited about that. And my final thought I want to leave you with for today is based off a quote that a Park Ranger said to us at a talk today. He said: “We need to find a way to give the people what they need, but also we need to find a way to give the natural world what it needs. But never forget, people need the natural world.” He was totally right. Think about ways in which we “need” the natural world. There are tons! Drop me a comment about some ways you can think of and what you think so far. Hope all is well in Chicago! Check back soon, I’ll be in Costa Rica manana! Adios! BP

Monday, June 21, 2010

Arrived in Costa Rica today! Flying in was like flying into Ireland, an island full of beautiful shades of green and misty rain. We arrived in the capital, San Jose, which is very city-like and similar to other big cities in Mexico, like Merida or Campeche. We had our first Costa Rican meal for lunch, which was INCREDIBLE! I think I’m going to enjoy the food a lot over the next 2 weeks ☺

The highlights of the day came in a lecture from a man named Dr. Pedro Leon, who is a leading environmentalist here in Costa Rica. He basically has worked with the President of Costa Rica and advised him (and now her! C.R. just elected their first female President!) about how to make Costa Rica more “green” and more environmentally friendly. Basically he said that us humans have destroyed the planet in an “undeclared” war with nature, especially since the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of machines. As our human population has risen, the natural habitats of animals are being destroyed more and more species of animals are becoming endangered and extinct. Costa Rica has a plan, mainly to combat global warming, which is the BIG problem that we’re facing right now.

Before I get into it, can you guess the top 5 countries that contribute the most towards global warming? If you guessed us (the good ole U.S.A.!) at # 1 you’re absolutely right! After us comes China, then Russia, India and Japan. Anyway, we have to look at problems as an opportunity to change for the better, and that’s the way C.R. sees global warming. Also, remember the causes for global warming (mostly using too much energy), and car emissions is by far #1, so we need to get less people driving and off the roads. C.R.’s plan is this… plant more forests (because trees absorb CO2 and turn it to oxygen in photosynethesis *were you listening in Mrs. Hrobowski’s class??), and invest lots of money in renewable energy, which means hydroelectric power (water dams and water wheels), wind power (mills), geothermal power (basically like volcanoes and using the natural temperatures of the Earth to our advantage), and solar power (panels just like on your calculators!).

If we use more renewable energy (meaning energy that does NOT cost money to re-buy, it “renews” naturally), then we wouldn’t have to spend BILLIONS of dollars on oil!! Oil not only is expensive, but it also pollutes the Earth big time. The last thing C.R. wants to do is spend a lot of money on a new public transportation system, like a train or a shuttle, that doesn’t use gas. That way people would be out of their cars, and we’d have a lot less problems. So next time, ride your bike! Walk! Carpool! It makes a BIG difference.

Finally, we took a walking tour of San Jose and I learned something really interesting about C.R., they have NO ARMY AT ALL! Isn’t that crazy? Can you imagine how scared people would be in America if we got rid of our Army? Basically Costa Rica lives under the philosophy that if you’re not armed, no one will attack you. Which is kind of true, even in Chicago, people who carry guns are much more likely to be shot than those who don’t. Anyway, guess what they spend all that money on that they saved from not having an Army? EDUCATION! Even though Costa Rica is poorer than the U.S.A., they have a better literacy rate than us (96% of Costa Ricans can read and write!) The government pays for uniforms, breakfast, lunch, books, notebooks, pencils, everything! All kids have to do is show up, and they do. It’s amazing how seriously the Costa Ricans take their educations, and now that they’re pushing for the world to be more Green, they should be causing some major waves in the world soon. If Costa Rica gets their “Anti-Global Warming” program working, they will be the first country in the ENTIRE world to do so! It’s incredible. Talk about making history. Right now they are the 3rd “Greenest” country in the whole world. Try to find # 1 and 2 and let me know.

Alright, that’s all for now. Time go enjoy a traditional Costa Rican dinner (very excited for ☺ ) and get some sleep. We’re starting to hit the rainforests and some really beautiful places soon. Be on the lookout for some cool pictures. You can either click “Mr. Parker’s gallery” or follow the link here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51080799@N06/

Check out the graffiti wall from today, it was really cool. I think I should try to do it on my wall at school :) Until next time, nos vemos! BP

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Today we arrived in the Osa Peninsula, an absolutely beautiful and secluded area of Costa Rica that National Geographic called “One of the most biologically intense places on earth.” Basically this means that this little, sheltered, and untouched haven of nature is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, many of which are endangered.

We flew over on a plane that was the only “carbon-neutral” airline in the entire world, called “Nature Air.” Translated into 7th grade language, that means this airline is the only airline in the world that does NOT contribute towards pollution/emissions and global warming. It was a small plane, only about 18 passengers, and a lot of fun to fly on, watching the gorgeous mountains and rainclouds drift by us through the muggy, moist air.

When we arrived I was really excited, the Osa peninsula is known worldwide for being one of the last, truly natural and untouched (by humans and machines) areas left on earth. We got out for a bit today and explored the peninsula, getting rained on here and there, but never discouraged. Remember how much fun we had at the Green Party in the rain? Exact same feeling today. I reminded myself that after all, you can’t have a beautiful rainforest without the rain. Osa is also home to one of the tallest rainforests in the entire world too, and as you all should know after being in my class for a whole year, tall things are awesome ☺ Anyway, today we spotted an animal that I have never seen before in the wild, an animal with three toes, and a mean appetite for sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Any guesses?

A SLOTH! This little guy (definitely check out the pictures form today) was a 3-toed sloth, who sleeps about 18 hours a day, who only comes to the ground to use the bano (which is why he probably wasn’t happy when we started taking his picture!), who hangs upside down just about all day to hide from predators (mainly eagles who like to spot them out from above), and who is called the “Wolverine of the animal world” (from X-Men) because sloths have amazing healing powers that few other animals possess. It was so incredibly cool to see him relaxing, smiling at us, and just enjoying his beautiful green home. Wow.

Tomorrow we are heading to Corcovado National Park to go hiking! Obviously I’m excited ☺ Our plans are to hike to a beautiful waterfall and maybe get a quick swim in too. Corcovado is home to an insane amount of wild animals and plants so I should have some cool stories/photos tomorrow. Check in tomorrow night and keep sending me comments, I love them! Take care guys, may the forest be with you! BP

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Today was the day that I had been waiting for… not only our first real hike, but also our first official visit to what makes Costa Rica = Costa Rica: the rainforest! Our day started off with an hour ride in a huge jeep, steep, rough roads cutting their way through the endless sea of green trees and wildlife sightings. I found out that Costa Rica protects more land than any other country in the world, basically meaning that people can not build houses on certain parts of it, no one can cut down trees, open up McDonald’s, stuff like that. Overall, Costa Rica protects about 27% of their total land, and I thought that was awesome. Let Mother Nature be. Or as the Costa Ricans say themselves, “no artificial ingredients.”

Our main visit today was to one of the gorgeous national parks, called Corcovado. Corcovado is one of Central America’s most unique ecosystems, and is home to over (get ready for these statistics!), 6,000 different species of insects, 500 species of trees, 367 species of birds, 140 species of mammal including the elusive puma and jaguar, 117 amphibian and reptiles, and over 40 species of fish. Today we saw poisonous dart frogs (awesome pic on flickr!), turtles, another sloth, a scorpion, land crabs, a rare group of scarlett mackaws (similar to parrots), and some wild insects, including a huge spider and beetle. But the major fun of the day came in the hike…

“The rainforest is called the rainforest for a reason.” Normally when I’m hiking I see the rain as a nuisance, and I get annoyed when it rains. I know my backpack will be soaked, my shoes and socks will be drenched and heavy with water, my camera might break… I always seem to see the negative side of it. But today, I went in with a different mindset. This incredibly beautiful country is home to billions of beautiful plants, trees, leaves, and really any living green thing you can think of. What do nearly all of those green friends of ours eat? Or drink? WATER! So… for this Greenest of the Green places to survive and thrive, it needs TONS and TONS of rain! And it gets it… it poured today! Almost non-stop. The trail was sloshy and wet, muddy and slippery, and our shoes had inches of mud on their soles. But it was AWESOME!!!

I have never enjoyed hiking in the rain more, or even for that matter, I’ve never enjoyed being in the rain more than I did today. I felt as if I were a part of this beautiful planet’s cycle, rain empowering these incredibly diverse and stunning life-forms with every drop. We were all soaked, not only with rain but sweat, bug spray, you name it. But every single one of us had an absolute blast. Ah behold, the true power of Nature! I know I’ve talked with you guys about getting out and truly experiencing a “beautiful” and “natural” place and today made me even more sure of nature’s powers. One of my favorite quotes about the outdoors is a perfect way to end this blog:

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John Muir (he is awesome! Look him up for more inspiration)

Go out and experience nature, tomorrow! I want to hear about it. Even if it is watching a bird fly by, listening to the wind, hugging a tree, or just simply staring at the sky, do it. You won’t be sorry. Until next time my young green friends…

Friday, June 25, 2010

Quick entry tonight, not much time but two pretty interesting events from today/tonight. One, we went to the largest mangrove preserve in the world (a mangrove is a type of tree that grows underwater and sprouts out above the surface of the water). We took a great boat ride along the Terraba Sierpe River and soaked in the glory of the rain, beautiful mangroves and some wildlife (a monkey chowing down some lunch and a few exotic birds, no crocodiles). But the story of the day just happened about 10 minutes ago…

It happened about 15 minutes ago, about 10:30 p.m. I was walking back to our cabin to grab some clean clothes, unfortunately by myself, which was a big mistake out here.

So I was walking pretty fast, a little nervous walking in the rain in pitch black through the forest, but we had all done it several times before. I had my flashlight spotted on the ground, directly 3 feet in front of me at all times while I walked pretty quickly along the trail (also not very smart). Luckily I was paying enough attention to the ground because I froze, dead in my steps, to see a young Fer De Lance snake, peering at me, directly in front of me, about 3 feet away. Now I’ve been hiking before, and I’ve turned the corner of a trail before and seen grizzly bears, black bears, and many other types of animals that could take me on without breaking a sweat… but there’s something especially scary about seeing a snake. It reminds me of being scared of a great white shark, just that terrifying feeling that something is below you, something that you can’t see, and something that can strike when you aren’t ready at all. Well this snake was just about that. Here’s some info I got on the Fer de Lance:

It is one of the largest and deadliest of the poisonous snakes found in Central America and in South America and West Indies. It has velvet type of scales and rich brown and gray colour. Its body is marked with irregular, dark crossbands. It has characteristic sharply triangular head. It has a yellow throat. It lives in both wet and dry places. This snake may grow to 8 feet in length. It is the most dangerous and feared snake in Costa Rica. A fer-de-lance snake strikes swiftly and is an aggressive snake. During the day the snake lies coiled, blending with its surroundings, but it is especially dangerous after sunset, when it wanders in search of prey. The baby snakes have fully formed fangs and can give a poisonous bite. The fer-de-lance is also the most dangerous snake of Central and South America, and causes more human deaths than any other American reptile.

Luckily I had the sense to stay still, slowly take a step back, and identify the snake by it’s colors and pattern (pic posted). The snake was attracted to the light and warmth of the flashlight, so I was actually able to lead it away, off the trail, and into the brush. So, I survived this one okay, and will be A LOT smarter form now on! Live and learn! Wow. Be safe everyone! BP

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hola mis amigos! Today was a water-filled fun day along the Verde Azul Golfo Dulce, a beautiful gulf filled with dolphins, whales, sharks, tuna fish, turtles, and many more. Golfo Dulce is basically a large bay full of converging rivers and a tall evergreen forest, one of the highest forests in Central America. It’s also one of the wettest places in the world, receiving an average annual rainfall of 150-200 inches per year (Chicago gets only about 35 inches!) We had an exciting boat ride along the coast (of course in the rain, at least the first half), admiring the wildlife (a big sea turtle was my favorite), and checking out the mangrove trees, which was our task today.

Mangroves are trees that actually grow from underwater (usually) and protect the beaches and forests from storm winds, waves, and floods. Mangroves also can help prevent erosion of soil into the water by using their special root systems (which are really cool, they look like spider legs coming out from underneath the water surface) to stop soil from entering the water. Without mangroves, a lot of marine life would not exist. For example, mangroves provide protected nursery areas for fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish. I read that seventy-five percent of the commercial species of fish (meaning fish that are caught and sold to the people) that are caught by Costa Rican fishers need mangrove ecosystems to survive. We saw a TON of wild black tuna today, they were a beautiful silvery color and had a cool reflection to their skin almost like a pearl. Also, the more trees you have, the less carbon dioxide (CO2) you have in the air, which means the less global warming.

Today our task was to work in teams to plant more mangrove tree seeds (which looked like long chili peppers) along the coast. By the end of the day, our team of 26 teachers had planted 862 mangroves!!! How cool is that?! I think we need to get a Locke School planting day, or extra Earth Day where we can plant some trees. Wouldn’t that be awesome to come back on a few years and see your tree? I think so…

After our very successful day of planting we went for a swim at Isla Mogos, a gorgeous island in the middle of a massive bluish/green sea of salt water. It was funny, all the teachers were like little kids! We were getting yelled at for swimming out too far, for taking too long to come in, for leaving our snacks on the beach. Man oh man, if you guys could only see us ☺ Anyway, awesome day, a lot accomplished, and no encounters with sharks or poisonous snakes! I’ll take that as a good thing! Tomorrow I’m off to a place called Guacimo to work at an amazing school called Earth University. Should be a blast. Until next time, hasta la proxima… BP

P.S. If any of you have any questions, please feel free to send them to me in the comment section. I'd be more than happy to answer them!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Last night we arrived in La Fortuna and are currently at Earth University. Earth is an internationally known college that has students from over 24 countries, including South Africa, the U.S., Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, and many more. It’s pretty cool how the school is set-up, they basically target low-income students from rural (farm) areas from across the world to learn and study about sustainable businesses, like small farm operations and environmentally-friendly foods and services. They offer full paid scholarships to 50% if all their students, and partial scholarships to 30%. I think that’s really cool considering that now these students, many of which are from poorer farming areas, can bring back this new, innovative knowledge on how to continue farming with much more knowledge on the environment. You know places like Whole Foods that have lots of “organic” foods? That basically means that they were grown naturally, with no herbicides or chemicals, and that the farms were up to the highest environmental standards. Whole Foods actually sells bananas grown at Earth U in an effort to support education and agriculture in the developing world. Try them! Organic foods always tastes better ☺

This morning we got up at 4:30 a.m. to go “birding,” which pretty much means looking for wildlife, with binoculars. You’re not necessarily limited to birds, but they’re usually the easiest to spot (and hear, they have beautiful sounds) in the early morning hours. But we were pleasantly surprised with our sightings this morning: lots of exotic birds (too many to name), a “blue jean” poison dart frog (he was red on top but blue on the bottom), two huge green iguanas that looked like little dinosaurs sleeping in the treetops, and (best for last) 6 howler monkeys, including a Mom and her “bambino,” I mean “bebe” ☺ Howler monkeys are super loud and have a “howl” that sounds like a jaguar. They also like to throw things at you, including what comes out after they use the bathroom (you know what I mean…)! Believe it or not, someone on the team almost got really REALLY bad luck with where they were standing, but it missed by a few feet ☺ We also saw a massive volcano smoking in the distance of the blue mountains, very cool.

Later in the morning we went to visit Colegio de Pocora, a local high school in a pretty beat-up neighborhood. Drug trafficking and alcohol cause lots of problems for the community, in addition to prostitution and poverty. But the school serves as a sanctuary for the kids who need a way to rise above their circumstances and those that wish to make something of themselves. And I found out today that there are lots of them.

The most interesting thing I found out about the Costa Rican schools today was the scholarships that high school students are awarded. About 60% of students receive scholarships equivalent to about $110 U.S. dollars per month. This money is supposed to be used for books and paper (which actually are not provided by the schools, but everything else is. Keep in mind, the Costa Rican government pays for the schools, not people’s taxes). So basically students are awarded these scholarships to fund their book fees and so forth. But the problem arises when many of these students and their families, keep in mind from poor families, use this scholarship money on something other than education. Food, bills, maybe even iPods and cell phones (we saw many), either way, the money is not all going towards education. When I thought about this, I first thought it was a stupid idea. But then I thought more, and I realized its worth. The Costa Rican government is basically trying to motivate students and families to value education, even if it requires paying them. The plan backfires a little bit if the families completely misuse the money, but if the students stop coming to school and fail, the scholarships are cut. It almost seems as if it’s a way to trick the students to care about education. But it seems to be working, because Costa Rica does have the best education system in all of Central America, maybe even South America. It may not be for the right reasons, but it is helping transform a somewhat poor nation to an educated leader in Central America.

Interesting facts about C.R. schools: they start learning English in first grade! They start school at 7:00 a.m. and finish at 4:20 p.m. No more complaining for us!! When they go to college, the most popular careers they want to study are business (mainly with computers), and education (a lot want to be teachers and teach English). Also, they have night school, so students can work during the day (a lot of C.R. jobs are in agriculture and farming), and then go to school at night. Overall, I was very impressed with the school, especially since it was the light of hope for many with seemingly dark futures.

Also, the kids were AWESOME! I finally got a chance to get in a classroom today and mingle with the students, practice my Spanish, tell stories, laugh and smile with them, and just get to know them. It was a blast. Among my favorite/funny moments: Showing the kids pictures of Room 213, our letter from Obama, our Green Team pictures, my dog Lua (they loved her!), my fam and friends, the mountains, and the city of Chicago. All of them want to come visit and eat pizza! Other cool moments, I met the Costa Rican version of Mr. Vann, an awesome and super-motivated Music teacher. He brought in a few students who performed some beautiful guitar songs for us. One more funny moment, I was standing in a classroom when a saw a group of girls giggling and looking at me… one brave (but very nervous one) came up to me, and gave me a flower and said very quietly “para ti”! All of her friends laughed, and the entire class echoed with a big, corny “awwwwww!” It was pretty funny. Other than that, a lot of fun conversations with the students about school, friends, family, hobbies, all the good stuff. Today was the first time on this entire trip when I truly thought about school and realized how much I miss it. It was so much fun hanging with the kids, cool day.

I’ll end today with an awesome quote that one of the teachers I met today said… “Costa Rica’s army doesn’t exist. But our real army is our students and teachers.” He is completely right. Education is the key to strength and unity, not guns, not money, not power. To see them living out that idea and taking pride in that idea, all the way down here in C.R., was pretty awesome. Tomorrow I’m heading to an organic/sustainable farm to work as a farmer for 2 days! I’ll be back on the blog probably on Wednesday and should have some incredible stories and pictures of the Arenal Volcano, where we are headed after I farm. Until then… BP

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Just got back from my two-day homestay at the Finca Raices, a gorgeous farm in central Costa Rica. The homestays are when we get paired up in groups of 5 (I was with teachers from Idaho, West Virginia, Florida, and Colorado) and we go to a local Costa Rican farm to stay with a real family and learn about life in C.R. We got paired with the Douglas family, an old-fashioned family run by Don Douglas, an awesome, hard-working father of 63 years, his wife Maria, and their 20 year old son Byron. The Raices farm is mainly a tilapia farm (a type of fish, delicious if you haven’t tried it) and it also has a lot of common farm animals like chickens and pigs. Surprisingly, Don didn’t have us do much work. Instead he wanted to talk and get to know us. He would teach me a lot in those 2 short days. (Oh, and I learned how to use a jungle machete!)

The farm was stunning. You had to hike about 10 minutes downhill just to get to the house, a beautiful, rustic wooden house built in a stunning enclave of tropical plants, streams, flowers, accompanied by a natural chorus of bugs and birds. I was stunned at how picturesque this home was. I felt like we were staying at a private spa or resort! We met Don and his family, who were incredibly generous and kind, offering us all kinds of drinks, foods, and quick to smile and share stories. My Spanish is about 50 times better than it ever has been! I’ve been forced to use it and it’s amazing how fast it comes to you if you just practice. So I had a lot of fun telling them stories about Chicago and my life at home. But I think the most memorable part about this experience was what I learned from Don after a few deep conversations.

From the minute we got there, Don seemed to be a very eloquent man, a deep thinker and a philosopher who could very poetically transform his thoughts into beautiful words. As we sat around the campfire at night, playing guitar and singing a few American songs (another teacher named Cat and I were headlining!), I got into a pretty serious talk with Don. I asked him what he wanted me to tell my friends, family, and students back at home about life in Costa Rica. Don told me that too many people in today’s world worry. They worry about what they don’t have, and they take for granted what they do have. He mentioned that in Costa Rica, life is all about the relationships you build, not only with family, but also with nature. He went on to tell me that he has too often seen those who don’t respect and love their families and nature, and that he has seen them crumble. “Nature gives you everything you need,” he told me, with a slight smile to his weathered face. And I thought about it, and everything he said seemed to make perfect sense.

When I went to Ireland over Spring Break I heard an interesting saying, “Here’s to living as long as you want and not wanting as long as you live.” I realized that we (especially Americans) seem to want want want want want! Me included. I’m always buying something, or getting upset that I can’t buy something. Don was quick to explain that in C.R. all a man needs is a family and mother nature. He also explained how he felt people are so distracted by outside things, like television and other electronics. All of these “distractions,” he felt, were pushing people further and further away from what truly mattered. He was a man of 63 years, with not lots of money to show for it, but an incredible family and home in the heart of one of the most beautiful forests I’ve ever seen in my life. I knew he would be a special person from the second I walked in, he had a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King on his wall ☺

I asked my friend Laron what he thought about Don and I loved his response. He said: “I learned personally that we need to take a day in our lives to refocus. Don was like my mentor during this time and he showed me the priorities of life, and they are very few. To live and respect, and that’s pretty simple, and what a grand concept that is.” Live and respect. Tell those close to you how much they mean to you, tomorrow. And smile when you’re outside enjoying Mother Nature’s endless gifts. Or hug a tree if you want to ☺

To close up for tonight, we arrived in the town of La Fortuna, home of Arenal, one of the top ten most active volcanoes in the entire world! And quick cool story: During dinner we heard what sounded like a really loud thunderstorm and an earthquake smashed together. Before we knew it, LAVA was spurting out from the volcano’s summit! I can honestly say it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I was speechless. Later in the pool, it happened again! Tomorrow were going to check it out a bit closer and a bit more so I should have some cool pics to share. Until then, be good, and remember to not get “distracted” like I learned from Don Douglas. Thank someone or something important to you tomorrow. Nos vemos! BP

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Today was volcano day ☺ As I mentioned last night, we’re currently in La Fortuna C.R. the home of Arenal, the ninth most active volcano in the entire world!! How cool. It is 5,437 feet high and is shaped like a perfect, cone-shaped volcano. It almost looks fake! I found out that its earliest eruption(s) took place about 7,000 years ago. Since then, it actually erupts just about every single day, sometimes bigger and stronger eruptions than others. In the year 2000, there was a massive eruption that required the entire town of La Fortuna to evacuate! Let’s hope that doesn’t happen in the next few days… But there’s usually visible lava snaking its way down the mountain (sometimes at up to 80 miles per hour!) and exploding bright red/orange lava from the summit. It’s mother nature at her best, true power and wonder. I feel lucky to be here to experience it.

We started off the day of exploration at the Arenal Hanging Bridges, a beautiful loop trail and hike that crossed over about 10 hanging bridges, each a couple hundred feet in the air. The highlight of the hike (besides the incredible rainforest and views of Arenal) were the insane amount of snakes! We saw 5 different colored eyelash pit vipers, which are intriguing but deadly tropical snakes. They were pretty calm (snakes are nocturnal and relax during the day), and our guide Oscar (who I called “The Snake Whisperer”) was an EXPERT with the vipers. He knew everything to know and was a survivor of several bites himself. He basically took my camera and got right next to these snakes, and I mean RIGHT NEXT TO! He was literally less than an inch from the face of these vipers, but he wasn’t intimidated at all. Apparently the fact that it was daytime, and the fact that the snakes were not shooting their tongues in and out (meaning they weren’t in attack mode), he had no fear. He was right, the vipers were relaxing, and the pictures he got were INCREDIBLE! Check them out.

After the hanging bridges we went Zip-lining! For anyone who doesn’t know what that is, it’s basically as close as you can get to flying. You get attached (by harness) to a long rope (the longest was a half mile long) that travels downhill, above the rainforest and mountains, at speeds up to 55 miles per hour! You just have a helmet and a little set of metal handlebars to hold on to as you fly through the treetops! We went on about 8 runs and it was an absolute blast. Great way to cap off our stay in La Fortuna, such a cool and beautiful place.

Tonight we’re headed out for one of our last dinners and then a visit to some natural hot springs (like Mother Nature’s version of a hot tub, but water that is naturally heated from the strength of the volcano, very cool). I’m hoping to see some more lava like last night, even though I know that we were super lucky to even see that at all. Hope all is well in the city and I’ll be home on Saturday! Hay un buen noche! BP

P.S. Tomorrow will be my last blog so if you have any final questions/comments/thoughts, please get them in before Friday! Gracias!

Pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51080799@N06/

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Happy Late 4th of July everyone! I hope you all remember why we celebrate :) Sorry; the history teacher in me had to add that! Anyway, I made it home safe, and was glad to be welcomed back to our beautiful city by my great friends and family. However I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Costa Rica just a bit- the "tranquilo" lifestyle, the beautiful relationship the people have with nature, the millions of shades of green, the overwhelming support for environmental-mindedness, and the friendships of 24 incredible teachers are definitely something I will miss. However, I will not forget what I learned there.

I wanted my last blog to be a nice wrap up for the trip and a good summary of what I intend on sharing with everyone about my experience but it isn't that easy, at least not for me. I'm one of those writers that needs time to digest my experience(s) before I'm ready to sum them up for sharing, similar to my experience after returning home from Haiti. So I have the perfect plan, here it is.

As some of you know I'm leaving for Alaska on Thursday. It will be one of those times that I'll get to be truly "wild," out of cell phone reception, miles and miles away from civilization, and as close to "oneness" with the wilderness as I can get. Now the one thing that I felt my trip to Costa Rica sort of missed was that experience with nature at her "wildest." We stayed in BEAUTIFUL hotels, some of the best I've ever stayed in my entire life, and I loved it! But it's nice sometimes to experience nature like an animal, out when it rains, when it's hot or cold, just out. You get that feeling of being "wild," and as much as I love Chicago, I don't get that feeling here at home.

So as I experience the wilderness in Alaska, another incredibly stunning and untouched haven of nature, I plan on spending some quality time with my journal and pen to really understand what the environment means to me and how I plan on getting more soldiers in my army (a.k.a. the Locke Green Team! :) to help protect and preserve it. As for now, it's time for me to log off, pack up, and ship off to the "Last Frontier," or as some call it the "Land of the Midnight Sun." Alaska should be a great, very different, but also very similar experience with Mother Nature that I'll do my best to explain in my next and final blog after I return (sometime around July 18th). Check back in a few weeks, I'll add some Alaskan pictures to flickr as well. Be green, be happy, and as for me, "the mountains are calling and I must go." Until next time... BP

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

WOW! I finally realize now why Alaska is called the 尞ast Frontier,� it is completely, and utterly WILD! There are really tiny towns and very few people! Alaska𠏋 total population is about 1/3 of Chicago𠏋 population alone! In addition, considering how massive the state is, it𠏋 a lot to comprehend. What really struck me about this place is how serene and naturally beautiful it was. Mountains as far as the eye can see, air fresher and colder than any I have ever experienced, the call of wildlife and thrills of seeing moose, bears, orcas, seals, puffins, you name it. (see pics!) Shakespeare once said, 孏he earth has music for those who will listen,� and I think I know what he means now. However, I could go on all day about how amazing Alaska is but that𠏋 not the point of this final blog. The point is this:

While in Alaska I realized how amazingly resilient, tough and complex the natural world is. I experienced one of the wildest places on the planet, and more importantly one of the last few places in the world (or at least in America) that has not been overtaken by humans. There weren㦙 many forests cut down for towns and Best Buys and malls. This land was wild, and 𧗽n wildness is the preservation of the world� (thanks Thoreau). I was able to fully experience Mother Nature in her element, doing her thing, raining for the plants and animals, providing sun for their warmth and survival, and providing shelter as well. It made me reflect back on what Don Douglass said, that the earth gives us everything we need. He was right. We humans are animals too. We breathe, sleep, eat, drink, you name it. We share a lot more similarities with some of the wildlife I was taking pictures of than you may think. Sure we don㦙 have antlers and claws, but we have families, routines, favorite meals, think about it, we𠆫e more alike than we are different. Chief Seattle once said, 𨯗ll things are connected. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself.� I want you to think about that quote. Then think about this� 岞an did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand.�

As I hiked around Alaska and saw all of these amazing natural life cycles (plants, animals, etc.), I realized that humans are just a tiny population of 懀hings� that call this earth home. We may seem to think the earth is ours because we built it, right?! Well, not really. All of our beautiful cities and roads and schools, all built by humans, right? Yes, but that also does not mean that we OWN this world! As Seattle said, we are merely a strand of the web of life on this planet. So how is it fair that we pollute, and contaminate, and misuse, and disrespect this incredibly beautiful and generous planet that provides for us and so many others? What is our excuse for not being more environmentally friendly? It𠏋 too hard? It𠏋 too expensive? It takes to much effort?

I𠍿 starting to realize that these 婫xcuses� that we𠐔e been giving are worthless. We are hurting ourselves, we are hurting the plants and animals and other millions of 𦽳trands� of life, we are hurting our planet, and we are hurting the lives of future BILLIONS of people and animals that will come into this world. And why? Because we𠆫e too proud to change? Or because we𠆫e too lazy to change? It𠏋 time to put up or shut up! Going green shouldn㦙 be a trend. It shouldn㦙 be something the tree huggers do. It should be a lifestyle. And I𠍿 starting to truly adapt it from now on. I𠍿 going to consciously think about what I do and make an effort to be better. At home, at school, everywhere, every time. In the end, we will only conserve what we love, and there𠏋 a lot I love about our planet. Will you join me?

See updated pictures of Alaska here: Pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51080799@N06/ And please send comments or emails with your reactions/reflections on the blog and whole experience. I鏆 love to hear them. Use the comment section or email me bjparker3@cps.edu