Mr Vincent Case
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Hi everyone. Upon arrival in Miami on Saturday, April 18th I was fairly exhausted after my 3:30 am alarm woke up. Christine and the kids drove me into the airport - saying goodbye to my sobbing son Gabe and my daughter Marissa's "don't, please don't go" was one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. I think Christine was thinking "it's about time he left" (Just kidding dear!). All I could do was say "I love you, I'll be back in two weeks I promise, be good for your mommy and now hold onto her." Touching moments for sure!
Flights went smoothly, a slight delay in Dallas on the tarmack but that gave me some time to talk with one of the other participants, Bill Adkins from Dallas. Our treatment has been phenomenal...even the limo driver from the airport grabbed my bags, all the while I'm thinking "I can carry my own bags", but I let him do it anyway!
We arrived at the Intercontinental Miami, greeted by the IIE staff at this upscale hotel on the water with speed boats and yachts just a distance away. Once I got settled, I took a quick walk around the water and saw some neat public art murals and some great buildings! During this walk I found myself thinking what a great opportunity this is for me…and considering how grateful I am to have family, friends, colleagues and students who support me in going on this trip…not to mention feeling a bit sad, overwhelmed and anxious all rolled up into one!
As the program introductions began, my anxiety rose because we all had to introduce ourselves…not my favorite thing to do…how funny that I have my students do this very same thing (now I know how you all feel!). Dinner was more than could be expected and I probably ate too much so I went for a walk and ran into Gina, another participant taking photographs of the coconut palms (you should see her camera equipment; I’ve never seen so many lenses and fancy gear!). As we walked, we talked about our spouses, children, schools, etc. We saw the open air market where people congregated, ate, drank, and listened to a band play “Hotel California” and “Johnny Be Good” – the band was actually quite good.
As this first day comes to a close, my emotions and fears settling and subsiding, I eagerly await new day, new conversations, new experiences and even more awe-inspiring sites and sounds to behold!
Sunday, April 19th, 2009…
What an incredible day! Filled with Alligator sightings, Anhinga birds, a great blue Heron, a few turtles (almost like at the Rio Grande Nature Center), and even a snake, we spent the day at the Everglades, south of Miami. I learned a lot about this habitat – a cypress dome is not really a dome at all – it’s a depression in the landscape where cypress trees have created their own habitat of rich soil by using up the limestone soil substrate underneath. The trees congregate and grow quickly in these areas because of the new soil created. On the cypress grow “air plants”, bromeliads and orchids. As we hiked through this dome, several of us were munched by mosquitoes, including me, and we crossed over alligator tail and foot tracks in the mud. During the rainy season, this area is under 2-3 feet of water…since it’s the end of the dry season, we were hiking on dry land and some thick mud!
I’m honored and humbled to have this opportunity – and in some ways overwhelmed with the generosity, kindness, and respect afforded to each of us from everyone we’ve met and learned from.
I’m writing this on the bus as we return from the Everglades and I’m passing through fields and fields of tomato, squash, and soybean plants. Palm trees stand tall in the distance – this is a completely different climate and habitat. Humid, warm, the end of their dry season…in the coming months the Everglades will receive 55 inches of rain (or more!)…serious dryness followed by intense precipitation. And we call our 5 inches of rain in the summer a monsoon!
Monday, April 20th, 2009
We’re here…in Costa Rica…our plane just landed at the San Jose airport which really isn’t in San Jose at all…it’s in Alajuela, a bit west of San Jose. Nearly 60% of Costa Rica’s population lives in this area surrounding the capital, referred to as the “Valle Central” or the Central Valley. It’s surrounded by mountains and active volcanoes and the valley really isn’t a valley – our guide called it a tectonic depression.
We’re on the bus to downtown San Jose and I’m watching out the windows…the mountains have their peaks in the clouds, elevation near 3600 feet, tin roof homes in the distance, purple ad pink flowering trees, steep hillsides covered in grasses, beautiful and bright orange-red flowers covering tree tips, palm or banana trees in between car dealerships, shops, walkways, buses. We passed a hospital too. Going against traffic, people just crossing the street through cars zipping by. A man selling window shades right on the street. La Savanne park, filled with exotic and introduced Eucalyptus trees – this park used to be the old San Jose airport – now being restored with native trees. I see more men selling goods as they walk down the street. Downtown San Jose is bustling with cars, buses (more buses than I’ve ever seen in my life!), people walking this way and that. Where are the street signs? Oh, our guide just told us, no one uses them or knows the street names here (except Avenida Central and Calle Segunda). Lots of people out on the streets, walking all over the place – no street numbers either! I guess if I take a walk I’ll need to pay attention to the landmarks – not a bad thing, it just might make me more aware of my surroundings! And it seems there’s a church around every corner.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009...
I got up early this morning because I couldn't sleep anymore, anxious to get on a computer and share some of my journey with all of you. I typed in the above journal entries and now I'll try uploading pictures...hope everyone has a fantastic day!
AFter a full day in San Jose, I can say this...the traffic's intense...moving from point A to point B in this city seems to take forever. No wonder so many people walk. Honking horns, sitting for minutes at a time, only to move a few feet; on lighter streets, cars, trucks, taxis, motorbikes and scooters zip by hardly pausing for pedestrians. Shop after shop after shop, selling everything imaiginable, from shoes, to jeans, t-shirts, souvenirs, food, bread, pastries, cigars. Cafes, restaurants and shops are tiny...just enough room for 3-4 people to walk side by side. Similar to what we have in ABQ mercados, yet entirely different.
The people here are friendly, smile alot, and are quite diverse...so many colors, vibrant and alive it seems.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
This morning we spent a few hours at a small airport in San Jose where we learned about NatureAir, the world´s first carbon neutral airline. Quite amazingly they are able to offset all of their emitted fuel burned with conservation of primary rain forests in the Osa Peninsula. The whole company recycles, the fuel they use for their maintenance fleet comes from reprocessed biofuels (used vegetable oil) and, interestingly enough, they run several ESL schools in remote locations (because they have found that students who speak only Spanish earn 40% less than bilingual students speaking both English and Spanish). The presenter was quite the charismatic showman but seriously inspired us and challenged our notions of for-profit businesses. People really can do the right thing and earn a living doing it!
Then we visited Universidad para la Paz....a university established by the United Nations in the 80´s purposely for the study of peace and conflict resolution. Situated in the mountains of southwest San Jose near Santa Ana, we had our first taste of a forest - no rain yet though! It was nice to be out of the city, breathing fresh (although humid) air, hiking around tiny lakes with a slight breeze that make the higher temperature certainly bearable. I´m settling in to this travel schedule and routine a bit more, getting to know the other teacher participants. We joke around and laugh alot - the humor is refreshing...and sometimes it´s one of those laughs that almost hurts!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The clouds have been hovering over the mountains since we stopped for breakfast at El Bocadito. The mist feels sweet in the humid air as I wandered down a slope from the restaurant. Food, more local in flavor included gallo pinto (beans and rice, because Gabe it looks like Mr. Chicky-Chick!), huevos, y tortilla de queso (tortillas made out of cheese...yum!). We have climbed into la sierra, with rolling mountain-sides cleared for fields and more fields - slope after slope of chayote (water squash), sugar cane and coffee plants.
An interesting thing on coffee...some of it is "shade grown", meaning it is grown under the canpoy of trees which helps create a biological wildlife corridor for birds, insects and other animals. The only problem though is that some of the trees are Australian Eucalyptus which doesn´t help a whole lot for biodiversity and the corridor (in other words, most animals that need connections between forests to survive only eat a few types of plants and since the Eucalyptus is NOT native, those species can´t move from one place to another very easily). Also, coffee is always mountain grown and hand-picked when the fruit turns red...a very labor intensive process!
Winding down the mountain now, the forest gets thicker, deeper and more dense. The city is a distant memory and the intense green is a sight to behold! I´m continually awe-struck by this beautiful and incredible opportunity!
The rural people in the forest and small towns stare at our bus as we pass, but they smile big happy smiles as I wave...in return they give the thumbs-up or peace sign...
Today, this evening, we are surely in the rain forest now. On our hike in Guayabo, a national park of pre-Columbian indigenous peoples, it rained, the sun came out, and it became "caliente y humide". A secondary rain forest with smaller trees and plants, we saw a 3-toed sloth high in the canopy, a large Blue Morph butterfly (about twice the size of anything I´ve ever seen), leaf-cutter ants and an odd looking centipede. The diversity of flora and fauna is unbelievable. Oh my...words seem utterly useless in describing this feeling inside.
As we descend into EARTH University, I notice small, quaint houses, multi-colored, doors wide open, chickens and roosters roaming the yards (yeah, Gabe, Marissa and Christine, this reminds me of home!); the mist and pockets of clouds dancing in and out of peaks and valleys; it is green, so very deeply green...you´d expect a comment like that from a New Mexican - yet this green has a deeper intensity than the Maryland green of my childhood summers...
Good night...I will post pictures tomorrow sometime!
Friday, April 24th, 2009
We visited a school today…I must admit I was a bit nervous at the beginning but as we interacted more with students and teachers my comfort level rose. It was fun seeing students again, laughing and teasing me on my Spanish but also interested in learning and talking.
The youngest students, 7th and 8th graders, smiled as we entered their campus, waving and shaking hands with us. The older students took a while longer to warm up. The classrooms were made out of thin walls on sides and metal poles about 3 inches apart acted as an open air window and fourth wall. Students did not have books and when I asked, the Costa Rican teachers told me first that the books they could use were no good and poorly written, and second that parents couldn’t afford to pay for books as it is. Teachers have to pay for many of their own materials (similar to the states, but the supplies they have to purchase are much more basic and essential in nature - e.g., regular art supplies, paper, pencils, etc.). Any time a school does come across money, it often goes towards repairing buildings, like leaky roofs or damaged walls.
An interesting aside…the sun begins setting around 5:30 pm and it’s dark by 6:30 pm. In the morning, the sky begins to lighten around 4:30 am and it’s completely sunny by 6:30 am. All because of Costa Rica’s equatorial location!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m staring out of the bus window at fields and fields of pineapple plants…as we pass by each village and cross each bridge, it seems locals are out, buying fruit at street vendors, greeting vecinos and swimming, wading, and splashing in each town’s river. I recall our evening last night, filled with a gorgeous BBQ at a paradise of a restaurant, entertained by the energetic, dissonance of Cimarrona music and the fantasy-filled dancing of Mascaradas).
Our homestay yesterday began with boarding a 6 or 7 seater Land Rover with 9 people in tow and overnight bags included! One passenger informs the group of his possibility of developing motion sickness and the rest of us express some anxiousness surrounding meeting and living with an unknown family for a day. The ride takes us off the main road onto a gravel road, where kilometer by kilometer the gravel gets larger, the bumps get bigger, the curves grow tighter, and the bridges become slimmer and slimmer. Bouncing around and turning on the curvy road drains some color from our colleague’s face, and just as suddenly we have arrived at the first finca (or farm). We drop off one group at Finca Bellavista and continue on to Finca La Palma.
As I exit the Rover, the first people I see our small children and a bit of my soul jumps, thinking of Gabriel and Marissa back home. I introduce myself and the oldest boy, about 10, says “Me llama Pablo y esta es Jose y Maria”, his cousins. We enter the tiny, but neat and clean casa de Rosa, our hostess, and meet her along with her daughter, Berla, and her son, Adin, who hass just awoken from a nap. The awkward silence ends when Rosa tells of her deceased husband, Rafael, and suggests we take a walk. As we talk and walk, our comfort levels rise, and everyone seems to be breathing easier! We see frogs and toads the darker it gets. We collect flowers atop a palm or yuca along with some fruit for dinner. We return to Rosa’s, have a snack and café and sit for a fine meal. Before the evening is through, we have shared photos of home, seen Guanacaste bull fights, and laughter many times.
Early in the morning, we awaken for an early breakfast of gallo pinto, huevos, pan, fresco de mango, y café. After doing dishes, Rosa takes us on a 3-hour walking tour and hike of her land where we collect plantains, get bitten by fire ants (not a very pleasant experience, but once we shake the ants off, the pain subsides almost as quickly as we were bitten), and taste innumerable fruits. Rosa points out all the herbs and notes the medicinal uses for every single one - this one in a tea with milk for an upset stomach, that one for a headache or menstrual cramps, another for anxiety, and still another used for massaging muscle and neck pain. We cross a tiny creek and enter the forest, a much needed relief from the hot morning sun and the sweltering humidity. Rosa continues to point out 100 foot hardwood timber trees (that took only 15 years to get that big!), to smaller rubber trees (yes, the ones harvested for rubber), vines older than 50 years old, and every small tree or plant vying for sunlight in the dense, compacted jungle. Pablo points out a poison arrow dart frog and Rosa notes the small waterfall ahead of us.
Our hike brings us to the house of Rosa’s brother, Alexis, where 10 small coffee farmers pool their resources to share coffee production equipment - a red pulp remover, the drying greenhouse, a husk remover, the bean roaster, a final storage shed, and the roasted bean grinder. We have the chance to select, weigh and package our own coffee and we head back to Rosa’s. Beirla fixes another fantastic meal and before we know it, our homestay is complete.
All the while I am amazed at the diversity of plant life, the amount of food a few acres produces for this family and how kind and generous this woman Rosa is. Fantasies of returning with my family dance in my head and I hope one day, our daughter, our son, and my wife can experience something so beautifully simple and life giving.
Monday, April 27th, 2009
At 2 am this morning I awoke needing to use the restroom...as I walked in the bathroom I caught a glance of my face in the mirror and too my surprise, my face was red and swollen, especially around my eyes. Earlier in the evening my ears had been itching, but I hadn't really thought much of it. I realized then, in the middle of the night, that my body was reacting to something. I wondered, was it the sunscreeni ? Was it something I brushed up against in the rain forest? Was it one of the foods I munched on at Rosa's? Was it those darn fire ants? Since it was so late I decided to take a benadryl pill to stop the itching and swelling and went back to bed hoping, and yeah praying a little bit too, that it would clear up in the morning.
Well, no such luck! I woke at 6 am and noticed my face was still swollen, and my forearms were filled with tiny pin-prick looking red dots. Not wanting to miss breakfast or worry my wife and kids, I quickly got off the phone. There at breakfast someone asked me how I was, and sensing that "this could be bad", I told of my night and the quie ugly rash. News quickly spread that "Vince has a rash" and our guides, Julio y Isa, asked if they could see it. They said "oh, that's just a heat rash...take an allergy medication and you'll be ok." Julio, the cleverly sarcastic of our pairs, added "in 10 days, you'll have 4 million convulsions and a terrible fever, but other than that you'll be ok. Plus your students will love to see you convluse!" Needless to say, the humor relieved my concerns!!!
So, today, we hiked near the Vulcan Arenal...imagine walking through the forest to hear loud noises banging in the distance only to find out that those "cracks and bangs" were rocks being spewed out of the volcano and bounncing down its western slope. We never got close enough to be in any danger Marissa (so Daddy is just fine!), but we could see the huge boulders hop, skip, and jump down the slope, slowing shrinking in size with each landing thud. The view of the volcano in the foreground was impressive, only to turn around and see this huge Lago Arenal.
Later in the afternoon, we all had the chance to tour the rain forest canopy...and surprisingly I chose the zip-line way. Knowing I'm not crazy for heights, my anxiety grew, especially waiting in the equipment set-up room. Once again, some fabulous participants humored us with delightful and disgusting stories that had us all laughing. Stepping onto the first zip-line was easy...I could see the ground the landing station just 50 feet away. The second one was a bit higher and longer, but still quite manageable. It wasn't until the third zip-line that my nerves returned, especially once I learned that I'd be over 600 feet above the ground. As I zipped speedily over the canopy, the wind picked up and my pants fiercely fluttered as my body began to twist. Soon enough though I was on the next platform. The next zip was the most spectacular, for the sun was setting a brilliant rose behind clouds, reminding me of our New Mexico sunsets. One zip lasted 55 seconds and was nearly half a mile long...that one slightly freaked me out, but I made it.
Tonight a group of ordered pizza and sat in the hot springs until it closed...a nice ending to a day filled with fear, anxiety, beauty, and lots of laughter!
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Although I am continually enjoying this trip, I awoke this morning longing for home, missing my family, friends, colleagues and students. Especially, I long for the daily embraces of my children and wife. There´s something so powerful and spirit feeding from these hugs. I miss their touch, their humor, their smell, their love. This is good for me, I tell myself. This will make me a stronger, more gracious and appreciative human being I say as I attempt to convince myself and believe in this risk. In the long run, I know being here, being away from all I know, understand, and love is the right thing to do. At the moment though, it feels terribly difficult and challenging.
I wrote the above passage on the bus to another school visit...which by the way, was quite incredible. I was able to learn that so many other students and teachers are monitoring their environment, engaging students in real-life learning and science. I was perplexed a little though in that this school, a private one, focuses students on research, data collection and ecological monitoring alongside teaching students how to use resources for profit, while the public school we visited seemed to be more focused on job skill development and manual labor from students. I was struck by this similarity to American education. Those who have can afford to give the best to the children. Those who don´t have, can only accept was is given them. Something about this seems completely wrong and injust.
On a completely different topic...we spent the afternoon in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and was it spectacular. From seeing tarantulas (yes, Gabe...a really big one too!), to seeing lots of cool birds and bugs, we witnessed two howler monkeys, and even a Quetzal (well, we saw the male´s tail feathers sticking out of its nest and we saw it fly away - this bird is near extinction so what a sight it was - even our guide was excited!). Plus, hummingbirds zipping around...
My rash doesn´t bother me much anymore...it´s a pain and still there but I´m only here for a few more days and I can live with it!
Friday, May 1st, 2009
I want to write about the past few days in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and for some reason the words are getting jumbled and stuck in my head. Perhaps, this is because I have had so many experiences in these two weeks that trying to elicit clear and specific descriptions is becoming more challenging. Perhaps this is because I am exhausted from the 12 hour days in a hot and humid climate that I am not fully adjusted to. Or, perhaps, I have trouble with words because my heart, head and spirit are somewhere else, daydreaming of home, my children, my wife, my life in New Mexico. Whatever the reason, I will still try...so here it goes.
The road from Vulcan Arenal, around Laguna Arenal to Monteverde was long, winding, and bumpy. Several of us grew sick, stomachs and heads churning as we climbed out of the "tropical rain forest" and slowly approached that forest in the clouds. Spots of mist blew in our faces and we could tell the temperature was cooler and more manageable. We've been blessed with good weather this trip - very mild temperature and low precipitation. We've been blessed with amazing experiences and the gift of each other to laugh, to work hard, to talk, to support, and to question each other.
Entering the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, the sun blocked by clouds and the mist that precipitates out of the Caribbean trade winds as it reaches the mountaintops, I gather my things for a short hike. As others put on their rain gear, I anxiously await this hike for this preserve is renowned for its tremendous diversity of life - from bromeliads, orchis, vines and parasitic plants that literally grow on trees, to several species of monkeys, coati mundis, and a plethora of birds. I wonder what I will see, if I'll be lucky enough to experience at least a few of these things.
When we start the tour, our guide Javier begins to talk and within fifteen minutes, we've "seen" nothing and barely moved fifteen yards. I think to myself, "perhaps my expectations have been too great!" Then, Javier sets up his telescoping lens and inside we see a hummingbird nest with an adult and an almost imperceptible baby bird, even at this magnification. When looking for the nest with our naked eyes, no one is able to pick it out - the nest is that well camouflaged!
With this, my hopes rise again. We continue walking and within a little hole in the trailside, Javier shows us a large orange-kneed tarantula. Further on, Javier picks up a poisonous millipede (only dangerous if you eat it!) and demonstrates that the smell of its cyanide poison is just like the flavor of almonds. Later we see pretty gorgeous and miniscule yellow orchids and in the distance, Javier picks up the "dirty scent" of monkeys and their faint sounds as well. Suddenly someone calls out, "there they are - 2 monkeys!" Through my binoculars, I'm able to see one of them climb higher and higher in the canopy some 80 feet above me. Later, a clicking sounds flutters through the forest and this huge, black bird lands in the trees behind us. The largest bird in Monteverde - a black guan.
Upon coming full circle near the end of the trail, Javier grows increasingly excited and asks us if we need a break or if we'd like to maybe see one more thing. We all agree to press on and his energy grows - he and his colleagues have spotted a nesting pair of Quetzals, a near extinct bird that relies on large swaths of avocado forests that flower and fruit at differing times through the seasons at varying elevations. And, there it is, a 12-18 inch bluish-green tail feather sticking out in the wind from a hole in a tree. It's the male father, guarding his children, as his mate seeks food. In a short while, the female will return to feed her young, while the male fends for himself one last time before night fall. Although we miss this exchange, each of us has that look, and a siimple yet deeply felt smile that some how we have just witnessed the beauty of something wonderful, a magnificent part of creation that many on earth never get to witness.
Today is May 1st and we have meandered out of the cloud forest, down a dusty, dry, rock-covered dirt road. The forest alongside this road has been cut down to support cattle and dairy production. The grasslands created are brown and dry with the lush, green and moist cloud forest becoming a distant memory. Today is also Labor Day, a holiday in Costa Rica and most of the rest of the world (a new fact for me since ours is in September). Traffic abounds in the valley roads, bumper to bumper for miles it seems, as Ticos y Ticas alike head out of town for a 3-day weekend at the beach! We inch our way to San Jose and the end of this fascinating experience...
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
I'm about halfway to the states from San Jose and I wish I could sleep on this plane! I'm thinking that sleeping would make the time go that much faster. I'm excited about getting home, seeing the kids and Christine, having some quiet moments for myself and the routines of my daily life. This Costa Rican experience has been more than I ever could have imagined, more than I expected. I have seen life from a very different perspective; I have experienced things I never would have otherwise; I have met some truly amazing people on this journey; and I have witnessed so much beauty in such a short time.
As I make my way home, I am ever greateful for the educational and professional learning during these two weeks. More importantly, I am so very appreciative of these life experiences. Some of this trip was emotionally challenging - being in a country with a culture I only had a vague sense for; being around people for 14 days I only briefly had the pleasure of getting to know; being away from all my supports and those who know me so very well. I learned I could rely on myself more deeply and I have realized that I can be completely who I am wihtout fears of judgement, rejection, or alienation.
I must also share that I am not the least bit concerned or worried about the state of American education. My colleagues on this trip are truthfully excpetional teachers - they are kind to their students; they are more than generous with their time; they connect their students and schools to their communities while engaging and challenging them academically; and, these teachers care about the social development of each one of their students. I leave their presence knowing full well that America's students are in competent and loving hands. I honestly believe now more than ever that if those policy-makers who make sweeping generalizations about teachers and student learning would spend more time listening to respected teachers, participating in classroom activities and observing student growth and development than maybe we wouldn't be in the mess we find ourselves in now. The reality is that our teachers are excellent and as a whole have expertise and solutions that go so much deeper than the next round of test scores. I just wonder when we'll begin to speak up and be heard...these teachers, my colleagues and friends, have proven to me where the change always happens.
In Dallas, the seven of us arrived oinly to have to wait for over an hour for our bags to proceed through customs. Some sadness crecpt over me as each of us slowly parted ways to catch our individual home-town flights. I'd say the sadness was partyly related to the fact that our Costa Rican experience was coming to a close. Most of it though was about the connections and relationships we created with 25 strangers. For two weeks, these people became the ones we talked to most...for we slept together, we rode buses and airplanes for hours on end, we experienced beauty and breath-taking sights, and we shared all of our daily meals with one another. We even sharedthe agony of rashes and the painful discomforts of ailments. Mostly though, we laughed and we not only became friends, we became a sort of family, a community of educators, human beings with a similar purpose, regardless of our diverse viewpoints and perspectives. Perhaps more than anything else on this opportunity of a lifetime, that is what I am most thankful of...time with others, to grow and experience, learn and question.
And now, I prepare to embrace my family and I simply cannot wait!
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
At last, I am home...thank you for joining me on this incredible journey!