It’s just after noon here in Guanajuato, Mexico and the midday sun is doing its best to peek through the clouds.  Right now the students are scouring this beautiful colonial city competing in an exciting photographic scavenger hunt.  To the winners go splendid spoils: they get shave Gabriel’s beard however they want and he will wear it that way until the group’s departure (he’s been growing it for three weeks).  We arrived in Guanajuato yesterday afternoon and checked into our wonderful hotel.  It’s an old Spanish colonial mansion and each room is themed with a different poet’s work and photos.  We didn’t waste any time hitting the cobblestone streets.  We headed to a local taco restaurant and devoured our delicious lunch.  Some of the students dared to eat tripe and head meat and were rewarded with pleasant surprises.   Later, we walked up to a beautiful lookout point and after taking in the view we sat down and began to reflect on out time at IPODERAC.

In total, we spent six nights at this dynamic home for abandoned street boys.  IPODERAC houses over 80 boys ranging from 8-18 years old and these students are divided between six houses based on their age and grade level.  Our students lived in these houses with the “chavos” and participated in daily life.  This means we ate with our houses, helped with daily chores, played and relaxed with the boys.  We shared stories, games and jokes in Spanish as our friendships grew.  Each day was different, but what didn’t change was that we were always spending our time with boys and the little interactions meant the most.  Our service project was painting a waterproof sealant on the buildings of IPODERAC, which we finished our last morning, but we also spent a day at a local water park, went to town with the guys and taught English.  It wasn’t always easy and each person had his highs and lows, but the reflection yesterday helped tie it all together.

Students commented on the sense of community and brotherhood at IPODERAC, an amazing feat for a group of kids who aren’t growing up with parents.  Our students were also impacted by the generosity of the IPODERAC boys, who had little, but we eager to share.  When asked what changes our boys wanted to make upon their return home there was agreement that the Bellarmine boys didn’t want to take their lifestyles and luxuries for granted.  They commented how they should appreciate their parents and siblings more and give thanks for the sheer fact they don’t worry about where their meals come from.  As leaders, it gave us great pleasure to hear these comments and realize our time at IPODERAC was a complete success.

It’s an hour later here in Guanajuato and the sky has cleared.  Tyler, who lived here at age 17, is eager to take us to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch.  We are not sure if we will be able to post again (we will email you once the group has departed), but it has been a complete pleasure to travel with this group.   Luckily, we have had the pleasure of traveling with Justin Weiler, a good friend and professional photographer and videographer.  We will have wonderful media available to remember this experience shortly.  We hope you are all enjoying the end of the summer and look forward to keeping in touch.

The path is made by walking,

Gabriel, Vanessa, Tyler and Justin

There are several ways of measuring happiness in countries, all inexact, but this pearl of Central America does stunningly well by whatever system is used. For example, the World Database of Happiness, compiled by a Dutch sociologist on the basis of answers to surveys by Gallup and others, lists Costa Rica in the top spot out of 148 nations.

That’s because Costa Ricans, asked to rate their own happiness on a 10-point scale, average 8.5. Denmark is next at 8.3, the United States ranks 20th at 7.4 and Togo and Tanzania bring up the caboose at 2.6.

Scholars also calculate happiness by determining “happy life years.” This figure results from merging average self-reported happiness, as above, with life expectancy. Using this system, Costa Rica again easily tops the list. The United States is 19th, and Zimbabwe comes in last.

A third approach is the “happy planet index,” devised by the New Economics Foundation, a liberal think tank. This combines happiness and longevity but adjusts for environmental impact — such as the carbon that countries spew.

Here again, Costa Rica wins the day, for achieving contentment and longevity in an environmentally sustainable way. The Dominican Republic ranks second, the United States 114th (because of its huge ecological footprint) and Zimbabwe is last.

Maybe Costa Rican contentment has something to do with the chance to explore dazzling beaches on both sides of the country, when one isn’t admiring the sloths in the jungle (sloths truly are slothful, I discovered; they are the tortoises of the trees). Costa Rica has done an unusually good job preserving nature, and it’s surely easier to be happy while basking in sunshine and greenery than while shivering up north and suffering “nature deficit disorder.”

After dragging my 12-year-old daughter through Honduran slums and Nicaraguan villages on this trip, she was delighted to see a Costa Rican beach and stroll through a national park. Among her favorite animals now: iguanas and sloths.

(Note to boss: Maybe we should have a columnist based in Costa Rica?)

What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.

I’m not antimilitary. But the evidence is strong that education is often a far better investment than artillery.

In Costa Rica, rising education levels also fostered impressive gender equality so that it ranks higher than the United States in the World Economic Forum gender gap index. This allows Costa Rica to use its female population more productively than is true in most of the region. Likewise, education nurtured improvements in health care, with life expectancy now about the same as in the United States — a bit longer in some data sets, a bit shorter in others.

Rising education levels also led the country to preserve its lush environment as an economic asset. Costa Rica is an ecological pioneer, introducing a carbon tax in 1997. The Environmental Performance Index, a collaboration of Yale and Columbia Universities, ranks Costa Rica at No. 5 in the world, the best outside Europe.

This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we’ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.

Latin countries generally do well in happiness surveys. Mexico and Colombia rank higher than the United States in self-reported contentment. Perhaps one reason is a cultural emphasis on family and friends, on social capital over financial capital — but then again, Mexicans sometimes slip into the United States, presumably in pursuit of both happiness and assets.

Cross-country comparisons of happiness are controversial and uncertain. But what does seem quite clear is that Costa Rica’s national decision to invest in education rather than arms has paid rich dividends. Maybe the lesson for the United States is that we should devote fewer resources to shoring up foreign armies and more to bolstering schools both at home and abroad.

In the meantime, I encourage you to conduct your own research in Costa Rica, exploring those magnificent beaches or admiring those slothful sloths. It’ll surely make you happy.

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: January 6, 2010

Raise your hand if you were brave enough to eat roasted scorpion on a stick at age 16.  How about dog?  What about eating silkworm cocoons, sea mushrooms, stinky tofu or a sheep’s penis?  None of these menu items caused any hesitancy in the minds of 14 CA Upper School students and two faculty chaperones who recently made an afternoon stop at Snack Street in Beijing, China.  We all knew this travel experience was going to be an exciting one.  What we did not expect was to be submerged into a culture so completely different from life in the United States that nearly every experience would change us in some fashion or another.

Our trip started in Beijing, which allowed us to visit the typical tourist sites: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace.  On the excitement level, however, the Great Wall left us with one of the most intense experiences.  Bussing to a mountain road almost three hours out of Beijing, our hike began in our guide’s back yard.  Hiking up a mountain through trees and shrubbery, we made our way to a remote location on the Wall devoid of tourists, busses, and souvenir shops.  The rain that would foretell the coming of an electrical storm started on the last half hour of the hike.  Reaching the Wall, we climbed to the top of a fortress that once housed military generals and their troops.  Everyone’s adrenaline rushed as we took in views none of us had ever before seen of a structure that spans that more than 5000 miles.  What we did not yet know was that the beautiful electrical storm we were watching from afar was quickly headed directly for us.

Neither our adrenaline nor our walking speed were enough to outrun the storm, and before we knew it many of us could feel the electricity on our bodies before the lightening strikes.  Increasing our speed from a rapid walk to a run did not help, either.  As the Wall was built to define boundaries and provide fortification, there was no way off.  Thus, we were on a kind of alley with the storm bearing down on us.  We simply had to outrun the storm, and we were failing at doing so.  The faster we ran away from the storm, the closer it moved toward us, shortening the time between lightening strikes and thunder claps.  It was when the time between the lightening and the thunder was hardly two seconds that we finally found respite at a run-down section of the Wall that allowed us to return to the woods below.  A nearby fortress provided us with protection until the storm passed.

With the sun finally shining, we hiked another six miles on the Wall, where most of the group descended to the bottom of the mountain on an alpine slide.  None of us imagined that a day that started with such a dangerous and intense experience would end with so much fun.  Letting off stress and fatigue, we hollered and squealed all the way down!

The middle of the trip took us to Zhongdian, Dali, and Shangri-la in the south-western province of Yunnan, where we continued to feast like royalty on unusual and remarkable local cuisine.  In Shangri-la, three of our students and two of our adults were blessed by a monk and given bracelets of prayer beads at a 600 year-old Buddhist temple.  The influence of Tibet can be seen throughout Shangri-la, where the local dress and culture make a dramatic change from Beijing.  Our students purchased more than enough souvenirs and locally made jewelry to take home.  The days in Shangri-la ended with our group dancing with local shop owners, residents and other tourists in the old town square.

The first 10 days of the trip provided us with exciting and dynamic experiences; the last four days allowed us to breathe and get some perspective on our journey and on our lives.  Wu Wei Si, a Buddhist temple, monastery and orphanage hidden in the hills above the city of Dali, forced us to slow down and appreciate our experience.  This is easy to do with neither electricity nor running water and three consecutive days of rain.  At Wu Wei Si we participated in the monastic traditions of chanting services, solitude, mindfulness, meditation, vegetarian meals, and six hours of daily kung fu lessons.

Reverence for all forms of life were encouraged and practiced every minute of our stay.  We could kill nothing, not even the mosquitoes that landed on our bodies or the spiders, rats and mice that made their homes in our rustic rooms.  Monastery rules required us to eat every grain of rice in our bowls and to leave each meal not quite full.

Mealtime took the same reverence and discipline as every other aspect of the monastery.  In many ways we were not guests, but residents living out a monastic life.  Our meals were sandwiched between the recitation of “Ah Mi Tou Fo,” a prayer meaning “Buddha of Infinite Life and Boundless Light.”  Waiting for the signal from the Master, we would bow over our tables and in unison chant “Ah Mi Tou Fo.”  Having just finished a demanding kung fu lesson before each meal, we dove into our food, but stayed mindful of the reverence for our sustenance.  “Ah Mi Tou Fo” with a bow was recited again at the end of the meal.

While our kung fu training started at 6:30 every morning, our day really started at 5:30 when the Cantor rang a very large and very loud bell in front of the temple to call the monks, nuns, and orphans to morning chant.  For the next hour we were treated to the sounds of the monks and children chanting Buddhist prayers.  While some students traded the melodic chants for their iPods and more sleep, most of us slowly awoke to the glorious chant that started each day.

In addition to morning chant we were treated to three more hours of chant every afternoon as one of the monks or nuns would walk the temple floor, chanting without interruption.   Having the afternoon free, we stayed in the temple square and listened to the chant while playing cards, reading, meditating and writing.  As if that beauty was not enough, the last chant of the day took place at dusk, where one of the monks or one of the children would again ring the large bell while chanting outside the temple entrance until it grew completely dark.  On our last night, sophomore Reid Aronstein was fortunate enough to ring the bell while our kung fu instructor chanted.  For a clip of evening chant during our stay at Wu Wei Si, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUB94pVihsc.

Taking advantage of three free hours each day after lunch, we gathered to talk about mindfulness and solitude.  On our first full day at the monastery, we spent two hours in silence.  We could not communicate with anyone in any form, nor could we listen to music or sleep.  Reading, walking, sitting and journaling were the only options on this afternoon.  This gave us all a chance to slow our pace and spend time in mindfulness.  Many found it challenging to spend two hours in solitude and silence but also came to realize the importance of at least attempting to understand the self through personal exploration.

The second full day we discussed the difficulties of solitude and silence and came up with some ideas for how to be more mindful and present.  We shortened our time in solitude, but all we could do was sit or walk.  Reading or journaling were not options.  Many of us meditated in a smaller temple that afternoon, creating an informal Sangha to deepen our experience by meditating with others.  Once the hour of solitude, silence and meditation was over, students journaled about their time alone.

The final component of our stay at Wu Wei Si, kung fu training, started within a few hours of arriving and did not end until our departure four days later.  Up and ready to train at 6:30 in the morning, we practiced kung fu for 6.5 hours each day.  Our martial arts program consisted of running, rock carrying, stretching, and learning moves that culminated in a complete kung fu routine.  Training complemented our mindfulness training.  Intentional or not, we were all reminded of the importance of being focused on our one goal.  We also discovered muscles we never knew we had!  Each training session added a new dimension to the routine, and by the time we finished, we were a highly polished group of mindful kung fu masters.

With so many incredible experiences behind us, it was difficult to get on the plane to come home.  A 28-hour adventure back to Denver finally allowed us to sleep in our own beds, to satiate pangs for specific American foods, and to tell the abundance of stories that came from this adventure.

The community of Buena Visa put on a wonderful Fiesta do Despedida with speeches, party games, and even live music.  They challenged us to a national anthem contest and let’s just say we ll need to work on those high notes! After a triste  goodbye filled with lagrimas (tears) and abrazos  (hugs), we got on our way to Manuel Antonio for some much needed sunshine and relaxation.

Yesterday we spent the day at the beach. Upon entering the National Park we were greeted by sloths, monkeys and iguanas.  Some of us even got to see a baby sloth up close!  Although the day was steamy, we did not quite get rid of our lovely work tanlines (check out the picture).  After a picnic lunch we headed to our surf lessons.  Despite having a group of novices, almost everyone caught a wave!!

Last night was our final night as an entire group so we celebrated with delicious pizza delivered to the hotel and a final ceremonial game of Mafia (the group favorite).

Now’s it back to San Jose for our last cena (dinner) and then off to the airport for a 6 am flight!!!  See you all soon!

We are all enjoying seeing the final results of our hard work.  Who knew how many steps went into building a wall!  We can´t believe two weeks have already flown by!  Next time we write we´ll all be relaxing at the beach. 

 Hasta pronto!!

The combination has earned the Central American country first place in
a new Happy Planet Index (HPI) published on Monday.

While leaders of the developed world attending G8 talks in Italy worry
away at economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
deflation and their implications for economic recovery, the second
edition of the HPI lauds alternative standards that provide a new
twist on the old adage that wealth does not buy happiness.

Costa Rica stands out for the highest levels of reported life
satisfaction, a long life expectancy of 78.5 years and because 99
percent of its energy comes from renewable sources.

Latin American nations generally fare well, bagging nine of the 10 top
spots, and Sub-Saharan Africa performs very badly, with Zimbabwe
taking bottom place. It scores 16.6 out of 100, compared with Costa
Rica’s HPI total of 76.1, according to an advance copy of the report.

Somewhere in between are the world’s wealthiest economies.

The United States placed 114th out of the 143 nations surveyed, with
an HPI result of 30.7 and was found to be “greener and happier” 10
years ago than today — as were China and India, ranked respectively
20th and 35th, with scores of 57.1 and 53.

ECONOMIC GROWTH A SIREN SONG

“Following the siren’s song of economic growth has delivered only
marginal benefits to the world’s poorest while undermining the basis
of their livelihoods,” said Nic Marks of the New Economic Foundation,
a London-based “think and do tank” that pursues “real economic
well-being” and is the brains behind the HPI.

“What’s more, it hasn’t notably improved the well-being of those who
were already rich, or even provided economic stability.”

The aim, Marks said, was “to break the spell” and work towards “a high
well-being, low-carbon economy before our high-consuming lifestyles
plunge us into the chaos of irreversible climate change.”

To measure the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s
finite resources into their citizens’ well-being, the HPI takes three
separate indicators — ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and
life-expectancy — and then carries out complex calculations.

First published in 2006 as “a radical departure from our current
obsession with GDP,” the HPI’s sums have been criticised for not
taking sufficient account of issues such as political freedom, but the
index has also found followers.

Within two days of the launch of the first HPI, it was downloaded and
read in 185 countries worldwide.

Among those who have taken up the idea are David Cameron, leader of
Britain’s opposition Conservative political party, and the European
Commission has launched a programme “Beyond GDP” in pursuit of ways to
measure progress better adapted to our age.

Anyone can calculate their own HPI though the Happy Planet Index
website, www.happyplanetindex.org

By Barbara Lewis

Hello from Ciudad Quesada (Cheesed City…yes, like a city that has been covered with cheese)!  The name comes from one of the main industries in this area of the country, which is dairy farming.  It is the nearest city to our new home of Buena Vista, which is in the mountains overlooking the city. The majority of the families that live here own or work on ¨lecherias¨or participate in other kinds of agricultural work 
 
It´s been awhile since we updated the blog.  The Explorers have been all over Costa Rica and in places with limited access to internet, which has helped us to immerse ourselves in nature and Costa Rican culture.  The time at the ecofarm, Pura Suerte, was amazing!  Our jungalows (jungle + bungalows) were equipped with electricity and running water, but allowed us to feel like we were living in the jungle.  At times this was a bit much for the girls with giant stick bugs and gecko lizards running amok!  We spent last Friday hiking down to the Niyaca waterfall where we swam and ate lunch.  The hike back out was not as much fun, but we were rewarded with ice cream. 
 
Saturday evening we arrived to Buena Vista, where the villagers were waiting with pictures they had painted for us and dances they had prepared.  The Explorers coming to the village is a very exciting event, especially for the younger children.  Saturday night was our first night apart, as we each went to our separate homestays to get settled in.

Sunday, a  day of rest for the village, was spent playing indoor soccer and hiking around the village with the kids who happen to be on vacation from school.  Today we began our work on building a cinderblock and cement fence around a playground (built by a past Walking Tree group) to keep cows out and kids in!  There has been a lot of digging and we are all getting buff.  Tonight we will celebrate Imani´s birthday and do a cumbia dance lesson with one of the host sisters.

Hasta pronto!

We figured that since we wrote the last blog from aboard a plane, this one should be composed on a boat.  We are currently returning from an amazing day of exploring Lake Titicaca, but let us back up a bit.

After landing in Arequipa, our group immediately started exploring Peru’s second largest city.  We had a picnic in the central plaza, one of Latin America’s finest, and then took a city tour, which included a visit to an incredible convent in the heart of la ciudad blanca.  The next morning, we departed for a tour of the canyon country of Peru.  We passed packs of wild alpaca as our bus chugged to an altitude of 14,400 ft. to arrive in Chivay, the “largest” city near the Colca Canyon.  We had an entertaining dinner that included Alpaca filet and a live band that played folkloric music.  Professional dancers put on quite a show and a few of our students were pulled “on stage” and danced up a storm.  The next day, we woke up early and began our journey through the frosty morning air to the Colca Canyon, the world’s second deepest.  The highlight was gazing down into the impossible depths of the canyon as Andean condors gracefully soared passed us displaying their impressive 8ft. wingspans.

Alpaca crossing near Colca Canyon

We made the journey back to Arequipa, and before bed, we had a meeting to reflect upon the program so far.   The students had some very insightful thoughts, isolating the visit to CIMA (home for abandoned Peruvian boys) and the sight of the condors as highlights.  A few students managed to find fluorescent fanny-packs, which they also deemed noteworthy.

Yesterday, many students started the day with a 1.5 hour-long yoga class in our hotel’s beautiful courtyard.  We had a Fourth of July picnic complete with a custom-scribed cake and red, white and blue plates before making the beautiful 5-hour drive to Puno.

After dinner in Puno, we decided to continue with our 4th of July celebration and went to a local disco.  We were early enough to have the dance floor to ourselves, and our group made the most of the space by dancing and having a ball.  They had to be dragged away kicking and screaming to get a good night’s sleep.

We left our hotel this morning and were greeted by a fleet of bicycle rickshaws, which whisked us away to Puno’s port.  Our private boat made its first stop at the floating island of the Uros people.  The Uros live on islands made of reeds that literally float in the middle of the lake.  We were able to tour their houses, learn about their unique culture and marvel at their brightly colored clothing.  After another two hours on the boat spent playing cards, taking funny photos and relaxing, we arrived at Taquile.  Taquile is a tranquil island with stunning views and traditions the inhabitants have maintained for centuries.

Top of Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca

We are now heading back to Puno for the night and are taking a bus to Cusco, the capital of the Incan Empire, tomorrow morning.

Things here in Peru are wonderful and we are very impressed with our group of intrepid travelers.  Everyone is excited to reach our homestay village and extends their salutations to all who read this!

From the world’s highest navigable lake,

Vanessa, Gabriel and the Peru Immersion Travelers

Our first day of work was hard, but very satisfying, and we impressed many of the Costa Rican workers with our assembly line system of moving cinder blocks.  We are building a retaining wall for an embankment in the village, as well as many other odd jobs such as painting buildings, sanding school desks, teaching English, and extending a sidewalk.  We are optimistic and inspired to give back to the community that has opened up their homes  to us. 

So far the biggest challenge has been keeping up with the enormous portions that our host families have been serving us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Every host family has taken so much pride in offering us the warmest hospitality they possibly can.  It`s a wonderful treat to meet people who pride themselves so much on their selflessness and generosity.

My three brothers have been extremely helpful in helping me learn Spanish.  We`ve established a system where they look up words in my Spanish-English dictionary and give them to me to use in conversation.  I`m also leaarning quite a lot of soccer vocab from playing with the children of the town.  I`m enjoying my stay thoroughly.  -Benno

I couldn`t have asked for a more welcoming family! I`ve enjoyed getting to know my younger siblings so much.  I can`t wait to learn more about the culture of this wonderful small town we are living in. – Jojo

I`m enjoying the first few days in La Legua and I`m very appreciative of being part of this community.  I feel very comfortable with my family and I`m excited to see what adventures the rest of the trip holds. -Emily

We landed early Monday morning and were efficiently whisked to our comfortable hotel to relax. That afternoon, we headed downtown to Lima’s plaza mayor to marvel at the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. We also took a private bus tour of famous sites like the house of San Matin de Porres, a saint so saintly, he was able to eat at his dinner table with his pet cat, dog and mouse (we learned it is impossible to keep all three animals together). The highpoint (literally) of the tour was a stop on top of the cerro San Cristobal, a large hill with panoramic views of Lima. We returned to our hotel for an important orientation meeting and retired early.

Plaza Mayor

Many members of our group started yesterday with a jog along the Pacific coast and a wonderful yoga class, led by our in-group yogini, Vanessa. After that, it was off to CIMA, a home for abandoned boys. CIMA (cimahope.org) is a complex of dormitories, workshops, farming fields, classrooms and gardens established by Canadian philanthropists to help boys ranging from 8-18 years old, who have been abandoned, were living on the streets or otherwise marginalized. We divided into groups for tours led by some of the boys and here is a verbatim conversation from my tour:

Victor (resident of CIMA): “Here we have our farm where we grow carrots, onions, alfalfas and corn.”
Tommy: “What is that?”
Victor: “Oh that? It’s just some Incan ruins.”

After the tour, we ate lunch with the boys, and then went to their music room. Here we were serenaded by very impressive Andean songs from a 6-piece band with some of the youngest residents.

Residents of CIMA

In the late afternoon, we left CIMA and were brought to Barranco, Lima’s hip, artsy district. We walked through the magical streets to the beach and had a dinner of fresh fish, ceviche and other Peruvian delicacies. We returned to the hotel for a discussion about the experience at CIMA and played a couple group games before bed.

We land in 20 minutes and will begin to explore Arequipa, also known as la ciudad blanca, for its white volcanic stone architecture. We will explore the city and get ready for our overnight tour of the Colca Canyon, the world’s second deepest. Everyone is healthy, in good spirits and eager to continue our adventure. We will post another blog in the next week, and we hope all of you are enjoying the summer.

Go Rockies!

Gabriel and Vanessa