The Peru Heritage Course reports:
We spent the last three nights in Arequipa (altitude = 7,000 ft) and are heading to higher elevations in about an hour. We will go over the high pass at 16,000 ft as we head to Lake Titicaca.

In Arequipa, we toured the main plaza, the Santa Catalina covent, and some students visited the Cathedral during Mass. We also visited the Incan mummy called Juanita. She was a sacrifice to the "Apus" (gods of the Incans) to bring good tidings. In Arequipa the students also were on there own for all dinners so that they could practice their Spanish.

Students had two Spanish classes at Maximo Nivel, a local language institute and will continue with the same local teachers when we arrive in Cuzco next week. Two environmental classes included a lesson on plate tectonics, which was tied to our ride over the Nazca fault line and to the August earthquake in Pisco, and a lesson on global warming and ozone depletion. These environmental problems are recognized around the world and we discussed how they affect Peru specifically. In Cuzco we will look at environmental issues more on the local level.

As we move toward Puno and Lake Titicaca, Internet availability is low. We will probably not send an update until Cuzco in about 4 days. Here are two recent pictures from our travels. The first is a group shot from the Aqueducts in Nazca. The second is with a student, Larissa Long, and the children of Lomas de Marchan.



The Barbados Course reports:
We recently visited Codrington College, a theological college of the Anglican Church affiliated with the University of the West Indies. The grounds include the original mansion house as well as the main buildings which houses living areas and classrooms. From there, we hiked through Welchman Hall Gully, the last remaining natural rain forest on the island. The preservation of the Gully has been threatened in recent years and local naturalists are working hard to maintain this important historic and ecological property.

Students have begun to participate in course 'challenges' which require the navigation of the public transportation (bus) system to access more remote areas of the island including the north point of Barbados. This is an all day adventure that allows students to gain insight into rural life in the northern parishes.

Here are pictures from Condrington College and our hike through Welchman Hall Gully:



The Brazil Course reports:
We arrived safely in Montes Claros, the site of the heart of our service work while here in Brazil. We spent one night in the historic city of Diamantina and this picture is of the class touring the birth home of Juscelino Kubitschek, a former president of Brazil. Tomorrow…our first Capoeira lesson…



The Costa Rica Course reports:
Since the last update we've been quite busy with classes, excursions into San Jose, and more travel in the countryside. The past two afternoons we have spent visiting the Museum of Gold, the National Theater, and the National Museum. A featured exposition there was about a nineteenth century American "William Walker" who declared himself President of much of Central America and tried to take over several of the countries. The exhibit celebrated his defeat and expulsion from Costa Rica. We also took time to explore the surrounding area of San Jose in the commercial/shopping district. The group certainly stimulated the economy of several vendors.

Today we traveled about 2 hours by bus for a day of whitewater rafting on the Rio Reventazon. The guides did a great job of preparing us and leading us down the river of many "class 2-3" rapids. "Class 2-3" appears for be Spanish for "Class 4-5" rapids. It was intense and there were several unplanned swims and fishing for paddles and shoes along the way. The river was absolutely beautiful and luckily most of us have rafted before. The uncommonly nice weather was an added bonus.

Everyone is getting more accustomed to our neighborhood and venturing out more and more. We all have different family situations (we live with Costa Rican families) and that is often the topic of discussion. Last night many of us made an impromptu trip to the local futbol stadium for a three game match-up which was a fundraiser for the Cancer Society. The local San Jose Club "Saprissa" played the nearby Heredia and the very nearby Alahuela teams. They played hard, but like our Phoenix basketball team on Wednesday evening, they were defeated by the nearby rivals. Nonetheless, it was a great experience for all of us to be the only Gringos amidst many thousand Ticos.

Friday it's back to the books prior to a weekend trip to the Monteverde cloud forest.

Here are some of our latest pictures:







The Hawaii Course reports:

We are currently in Hilo on the Big Island. We had the fortune to have a traditional hula lesson taught by Hollis Kiwala'o Taylor. She is an extraordinary instructor and holds the distinction of Kumu Hula (Hula Master). We all had a great and interesting time. We also spent a day at 'Imiloa, the Hawaiian Astronomy Center. Here we learned about the formation of the islands, the sea voyage that brought the original settlers here, and celestial navigation. We had a great session talking with Ka'iu Kimora. Ka'iu sailed aboard Hokule'a on her last voyage from Hawaii through Micronesia to Japan. This voyage was done using no modern instrumentation and only historical celestial navigation skills. These sea voyages are a great source of knowledge and pride relating to the recovery of the Hawaiian culture. We also spent a day at the Hilo Farmers Market, Akaka Falls, and the Tsunami Museum. Hilo has the distinction of being severely damaged by tsunami in both 1946 & 1960. Later that night, we were invited by Stan and Sue Toyama, Hilo residents and friends of Dr. Pugh and his wife, for a traditional Hawaiian meal. It was quite a treat. We spent our last Hilo day at Volcanoes National Park. We had a ranger lead hike, went into the Thurston Lava Tube, and walked up to the caldera.

Here are some of our recent pictures. We are enjoying Hawaii as you can see!