Hey Everyone!
We've made it to San Bartolo, safe and sound. To make accessing our blog a bit easier, we've currently moved to http://elperucrew.blogspot.com.
We'll be moving all of these posts over shortly. In the meantime, check of Celia's latest entry on the past day's journey!
All the best and lots of love,
El Peru Crew
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Why helloo there all ( :
My Nombre es Nelly Maria . I am a rising sophomore at Notre Dame High School ! I am Dominican living in Lawrence . I am very excited for the summer and cant wait to share some wonderful time with Michael, Patrick, Celia, Manny, Alana & my Sister Cary ; ) I am looking forward to taking full advantage of this great opportunity.
As i said up top, i live in Lawrence . I love being here because i can go hang out with my friends at the park or basketball courts and many other places . One of the big problems here in lawrence though are the horrible roads and potholes in them . I wish one day all of that could be fixed and we can drive around in good roads ; Just like i would like to see lawrence improve I am excited to help out there in San Bartolo .
PS ; weLove Howard ! aha
okaaaay its Time To Rappp it Up ; Seeee you Soooon, iCant wait !!! ( :
My Nombre es Nelly Maria . I am a rising sophomore at Notre Dame High School ! I am Dominican living in Lawrence . I am very excited for the summer and cant wait to share some wonderful time with Michael, Patrick, Celia, Manny, Alana & my Sister Cary ; ) I am looking forward to taking full advantage of this great opportunity.
As i said up top, i live in Lawrence . I love being here because i can go hang out with my friends at the park or basketball courts and many other places . One of the big problems here in lawrence though are the horrible roads and potholes in them . I wish one day all of that could be fixed and we can drive around in good roads ; Just like i would like to see lawrence improve I am excited to help out there in San Bartolo .
PS ; weLove Howard ! aha
okaaaay its Time To Rappp it Up ; Seeee you Soooon, iCant wait !!! ( :
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Who's the tall guy from California?!
Hi all,
Dave here - how's it going? Since Alana is the only person who's met me, here's a little about myself...
* I'm a bit on the tall side (6'6" to be exact)
* I grew up in Brookline, MA and went to Brookline High (a public school) - now I live in San Francisco
* I studied Brazilian History in college and spent almost a year in Rio de Janeiro doing study abroad and research
* I'm a high school history teacher - last year, I taught in Hawai'i (at Obama's alma mater!), and now I teach at Marin Academy, an independent school just north of San Francisco
* A few things I love: the Red Sox, music (all kinds), The Office, Ultimate Frisbee, good conversation and bad puns
Marin Academy isn't a boarding school, but it's still a very tight-knit community. In fact, I'd say this is the best thing about it; even though I just finished my first year, I already feel really at home. One thing that's definitely an issue at MA is that it's a *very* liberal community - so much so that people with alternative viewpoints often feel too intimidated to speak up. As a history teacher, this is definitely something I struggle with, both in and out of the classroom.
That's all I've got. So excited to meet all of you and kick off this amazing trip!
-Dave
Dave here - how's it going? Since Alana is the only person who's met me, here's a little about myself...
* I'm a bit on the tall side (6'6" to be exact)
* I grew up in Brookline, MA and went to Brookline High (a public school) - now I live in San Francisco
* I studied Brazilian History in college and spent almost a year in Rio de Janeiro doing study abroad and research
* I'm a high school history teacher - last year, I taught in Hawai'i (at Obama's alma mater!), and now I teach at Marin Academy, an independent school just north of San Francisco
* A few things I love: the Red Sox, music (all kinds), The Office, Ultimate Frisbee, good conversation and bad puns
Marin Academy isn't a boarding school, but it's still a very tight-knit community. In fact, I'd say this is the best thing about it; even though I just finished my first year, I already feel really at home. One thing that's definitely an issue at MA is that it's a *very* liberal community - so much so that people with alternative viewpoints often feel too intimidated to speak up. As a history teacher, this is definitely something I struggle with, both in and out of the classroom.
That's all I've got. So excited to meet all of you and kick off this amazing trip!
-Dave
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Just an observation
A person just looked at Patrick and remarked at how finely toned his muscles are. (The woman said something like this, "Woah, Patrick...it is blatant that your muscled are finely toned!") That's another thing about Patrick, in comparison to other people's muscles, his muscles are just really big.
-anonymous not-Patrick observer
-anonymous not-Patrick observer
Oh Guys, It's just me
Hello, my name is Patrick Wolber and I have been sober for... (redo.)
I'm P. Wizzle and I'm from Nashua, NH, which we all remember is Money Magazine's "Best Place Live"*. Naysayers--the kind of people who hate Nashua's finer establishments like FUNWORLD and PIZZACO and hate Nashua celebrities like Mandy Moore, Triple-H, and Mike O'Malley--have nicknamed my glorious city "Nausea" and "Trashua." But, I love it here. Demographically the city/suburb is rounding out; in the old days Nahua was a big mill town--like Lawrence--but heavily french canadian (Canuck, as my father calls it). Although still heavily white like many northern cities, the Hispanic, African American, and Asian populations have surged in recent years and conitue to rise; the city seems to be embracing it. There has always been an array of socio-economic classes represented but most of the more wealthy people move to Amherst and Bedford and Nashua is majorly lower-middle class. There is spirit in the town, but increasingly I feel like the town is selling out. I can't pinpoint it yet, but the population is on a steep incline and I feel like this place where I have lived all my life is changing and becoming more and more like thousands of little American subrurb cities. New Hampshirites are infamous (at least in New Hampshire) for being inhospitable and blunt--a Bode Miller type of people--but now the my Nashua seems to be yearning for attetion and loosing it's character.
*1987
I'm P. Wizzle and I'm from Nashua, NH, which we all remember is Money Magazine's "Best Place Live"*. Naysayers--the kind of people who hate Nashua's finer establishments like FUNWORLD and PIZZACO and hate Nashua celebrities like Mandy Moore, Triple-H, and Mike O'Malley--have nicknamed my glorious city "Nausea" and "Trashua." But, I love it here. Demographically the city/suburb is rounding out; in the old days Nahua was a big mill town--like Lawrence--but heavily french canadian (Canuck, as my father calls it). Although still heavily white like many northern cities, the Hispanic, African American, and Asian populations have surged in recent years and conitue to rise; the city seems to be embracing it. There has always been an array of socio-economic classes represented but most of the more wealthy people move to Amherst and Bedford and Nashua is majorly lower-middle class. There is spirit in the town, but increasingly I feel like the town is selling out. I can't pinpoint it yet, but the population is on a steep incline and I feel like this place where I have lived all my life is changing and becoming more and more like thousands of little American subrurb cities. New Hampshirites are infamous (at least in New Hampshire) for being inhospitable and blunt--a Bode Miller type of people--but now the my Nashua seems to be yearning for attetion and loosing it's character.
*1987
P.S.
Manny I got your back from the sharks as long as you got the spiders covered.
And Patrick, I've been running every day in preparation for your challenge, I'm coming prepared!
And Patrick, I've been running every day in preparation for your challenge, I'm coming prepared!
Michael's First Blog
Hey everyone,
My name is Michael Scognamiglio and I live in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I went on the Niswarth trip in Mumbai, India, along with two other members of this group Alana and Celia. On that program, I was introduced to and seduced by Social Entreneurship and the impact students can have.
I love Gloucester, but the community is very homogeneous. Any breech from conformity is looked down upon. Thee town has a tough history, and because of that, the citizens have become unshakable.
The team has met already and has dinner plans tomorrow. The group chemistry is awesome and I'm psyched to travel with the crew! Manny, Nelli and Cary are hilarious, and this trip is going to be so much more than we can plan for.
My name is Michael Scognamiglio and I live in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I went on the Niswarth trip in Mumbai, India, along with two other members of this group Alana and Celia. On that program, I was introduced to and seduced by Social Entreneurship and the impact students can have.
I love Gloucester, but the community is very homogeneous. Any breech from conformity is looked down upon. Thee town has a tough history, and because of that, the citizens have become unshakable.
The team has met already and has dinner plans tomorrow. The group chemistry is awesome and I'm psyched to travel with the crew! Manny, Nelli and Cary are hilarious, and this trip is going to be so much more than we can plan for.
Hi, my names Emmanuel (Manny). I live in Lawrence, MA and in a few months I"ll be a sophomore at Central Catholic High School. I've been with YDO for 3 years now. For me, the best things about Lawrence is that there's always something to do, I can always go play basketball at the courts, play baseball with random people that want to play too, or just walk around and wait for something exciting to happen. The worst thing about my community is the bad reputation it has, i know it has its reputation for a reason, but sometimes i think its exaggerated. I say that because when I get hungry after school I go buy something to eat at the store real quick before practice, and i ask some of my friends (that live in the surrounding towns and cities) if they want to come with me, and they could be starving but almost always they say, "Nahhh, it's too far, and i don' really trust that guy walking down the street" or, after practice" Nahh, it's too late to be walking around this city" when its 5 in the afternoon. If I had one wish for this city it would be for people from other places to see the good things about Lawrence, not just the bad. Note to the reader: Over the next few weeks, as you read our blogs and stuff, just know that I switch topics fast when I write. Like now. I started to think what I was going to do this summer, I wanted to get a job, I wanted to have fun, I wanted to do something! Now i know what I'm going to do this summer (SHOUT-OUT TO HOWARD: Yea Howard I'm going to race llamas the whole time I'm in Peru). The first time all of us met (THE PERU CREW) as i like to call us was interesting, we talked about a lot of things, like what we were going to do over there, where we would live for those weeks, and who was in charge of what, maybe the most important thing was that there was going to be animals that we would have to fight off, i cant remember what i got, hopefully nothing like a snake ,or wolf, or alpaca, Do they have wolves where we'll be? anyways at least i know i'll be safe from sharks thanks to my new friend Michael.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Less Than Two Weeks Till Departure!
In less than two weeks, we'll all be in Peru! I really can't believe how quickly everything is happening- it seems like just yesterday I was talking to Alana about plans and potential opportunities for the upcoming summer and now it's almost here.
My name is Celia and, like Cary, I'm a rising Senior. I attend Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, which is also my hometown and the community I've formally resided in for my entire life.
At school I'm one of two Managing Editors for our school's student newspaper, The Phillipian, a coordinator for a community service project, and an active proponent for student leadership on campus. In my spare time I love reading, writing, baking and enjoying relaxing summer mornings. I absolutely love traveling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures. Last summer I traveled with Alana and Michael to Mumbai, India on the Niswarth service-learning program, which was the first time I had ever been to a developing country. The Niswarth program exposed me to a whole different way of conceptualizing service and to the notion of what it means to be a "changemaker" in a community, two concepts that have really resonated with me in my daily life since returing from Mumbai.
As a longtime Andover resident, I've seen both positive and negative aspects of my community. With strong public schools (which I attended prior to PA), a quaint downtown and proximity to Boston, the ocean, and mountains, Andover fits the mold for an idyllic New England suburb. Growing up I loved playing in the town soccer league, participating in some of the amazing Andover Youth Service sponsored summer trips, and riding my bicycle (or even walking) to the downton center. Andover is a safe, affluent community with nice housing and above-average community offerings. Parents are active in the community groups and the town government has remained safe from corruption (at least from what I've heard and read).
I suppose one thing that I've disliked most about Andover is its homogenity. Andover lacks any diversity- 90 to 95 percent of its popluation is comprised white upper-middle class families. Most kids dress alike and participate in the same general activities; conformity is the norm and embraced among parents and kids alike.
Definitely increasing diversity would be one aspect of my community I would like to see change. In the near future, however, I don't quite foresee this happening- the cost of living in the town reamains quite high and in a community that is relatively unaccepting of anything other than the "norm," I don't understand why someone who could contribute an array diverse experiences or perspectives to this community would be interested in living here. Nevertheless, times change and people change, and who knows what white, affluent New England suburbs will look like in the next few decades. But my guess? Twenty to fifty years or so, and Andover will be more or less the same.
My name is Celia and, like Cary, I'm a rising Senior. I attend Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, which is also my hometown and the community I've formally resided in for my entire life.
At school I'm one of two Managing Editors for our school's student newspaper, The Phillipian, a coordinator for a community service project, and an active proponent for student leadership on campus. In my spare time I love reading, writing, baking and enjoying relaxing summer mornings. I absolutely love traveling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures. Last summer I traveled with Alana and Michael to Mumbai, India on the Niswarth service-learning program, which was the first time I had ever been to a developing country. The Niswarth program exposed me to a whole different way of conceptualizing service and to the notion of what it means to be a "changemaker" in a community, two concepts that have really resonated with me in my daily life since returing from Mumbai.
As a longtime Andover resident, I've seen both positive and negative aspects of my community. With strong public schools (which I attended prior to PA), a quaint downtown and proximity to Boston, the ocean, and mountains, Andover fits the mold for an idyllic New England suburb. Growing up I loved playing in the town soccer league, participating in some of the amazing Andover Youth Service sponsored summer trips, and riding my bicycle (or even walking) to the downton center. Andover is a safe, affluent community with nice housing and above-average community offerings. Parents are active in the community groups and the town government has remained safe from corruption (at least from what I've heard and read).
I suppose one thing that I've disliked most about Andover is its homogenity. Andover lacks any diversity- 90 to 95 percent of its popluation is comprised white upper-middle class families. Most kids dress alike and participate in the same general activities; conformity is the norm and embraced among parents and kids alike.
Definitely increasing diversity would be one aspect of my community I would like to see change. In the near future, however, I don't quite foresee this happening- the cost of living in the town reamains quite high and in a community that is relatively unaccepting of anything other than the "norm," I don't understand why someone who could contribute an array diverse experiences or perspectives to this community would be interested in living here. Nevertheless, times change and people change, and who knows what white, affluent New England suburbs will look like in the next few decades. But my guess? Twenty to fifty years or so, and Andover will be more or less the same.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
One fateful Morning... or Afternoon (i guess)
I have to admit that at the first meeting I was a little nervous to meet Celia, Patrick, and Michael. I've met a lot of people in my life and more often than not they're a bit awkward... and yes, I mean really awkward, like the sort of awkward where you have to pretend like you have something else to do at the moment just to have an excuse to leave. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover that they all had a good sense of humor. Between jokes that the Peru trip was actually going to be a fitness boot camp and between discussions of the interesting cuisine (apparently Guinea Pig is popular in Peru) I realized that this summer is going to be amazing and absolutely unforgettable.
Oh! I almost forgot (please forgive my manners):
My name is Cary and I am a rising Senior. I am part of the Youth Development Organization and have yet to travel outside of the US' border (I just recently got my passport and let me tell you it feels absolutely liberating). My younger sister Nelly is coming along on this trip and Manny (who I can definitely beat at basketball, again) is also joining us.
Oh! I almost forgot (please forgive my manners):
My name is Cary and I am a rising Senior. I am part of the Youth Development Organization and have yet to travel outside of the US' border (I just recently got my passport and let me tell you it feels absolutely liberating). My younger sister Nelly is coming along on this trip and Manny (who I can definitely beat at basketball, again) is also joining us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
