TALKING TRAVEL, VOLUNTEERING AT PLEASANT HILL HIGH

It may not look like it in this photo, but these kids were totally pumped to hear us speak.
No really, they were!

Who could resist an invitation to speak in front of a class of high school students? 

Certainly not us, particularly since the students in Mrs. Paula Callender's class at Pleasant Hill High in Louisiana have been loyal followers and commenters on our blog for all these months. They even hand-wrote notes to us!  

When we got the invite to talk to the class of juniors and seniors during our brief stay in the US we were excited...and a little nervous.

What should we say? What could we do? What if they fell asleep? An entire class period in front of high school students wasn't a situation we were accustomed to. 

So we went overboard. A PowerPoint was created. Lots of photos were readied for display. We brought visual aids, including our backpacks and lots of crazy stuff collected during the trip.

Liz posing with "Miss Inspiration" herself, Mrs. Paula Callendar,
teacher extraordinaire.

But we should have known from the kids' previous letters and what we knew of Mrs. Callender, we had nothing to fear. What was billed as a "talk" ended up more like an in-depth discussion.

The kids were on their best behavior, and as soon as we walked into the classroom we were hit with a whiteboard full of intriguing questions. 

These guys had some serious issues they needed addressed. Some of our favorites: 

• Q: What is the drinking age in Africa? A: We weren't real sure on this one, particularly country by country, but we guessed "18," which turned out to be pretty close.
• Q: How did you handle the language barrier? A: Usually with a lot of pointing, smiling, and head nodding. We also try to at learn a few basics, like please, thank you, bathroom, and cerveza. 
• Q: How do you pack for a whole year? A: Terribly, and with way too much stuff. More details are here, though we've improved since then. Slightly.
• Q: Do you get scared when you visit weird places? A: Sometimes, but if we're going to somewhere that's a bit sketchy we do extra research in advance about where not to go and what not to do, at least until we can confirm with some locals.

Nearly three hours later, the kids were still going, and so were we. After the friendly interrogation, they checked out some "never-before-seen" photos from the trip. Next, the kids tried on some gear (scuba mask, hats, backpacks, a turban) and then passed around some of the stuff we brought along (foreign currency, coins, and wooden dragonflies, which were the most popular--with everyone, for some reason). 

Us with our backpacks in front of the whiteboard full of intriguing questions from the kids.

We've had an excellent time on the road. But getting to discuss our trip with some smart kids--and, more importantly, hearing their thoughts on life, travel, volunteering, and so much more--were an unexpected highlight. We owe a big thanks to Mrs. Callendar and her class at Pleasant Hill. We had considered calling the trip quits, but you guys inspired us to keep going. And so we did. Thanks guys! More updates from El Salvador to come.