A VOLUNTEERING VACATION IN COLORADO

Before re-joining the real world back in Washington DC, we stopped off in Colorado for a few weeks. 

After 30,000+ miles, we needed a vacation (seriously!), plus we got to see Liz's parents and hike in the valley where we got engaged, American Basin. And of course, we volunteered. 

The hiking was simply spectacular, particularly the trail up to Mount Garfield in the Bookcliffs in Grand Junction (hi, Liz!).

We even got to experience some very curious local wildlife on the Liz's parent's back porch. Thanks, Mark and Sheila. 

And then there were all the volunteer activities. 

First up, we hit the local library. Did you know you could volunteer at many public libraries? Volunteers fill a critical need, as budget cuts are affecting libraries all over the country.

The friendly folks at the Mesa County Library System taught us the joys of sorting books, shipping books, and shelving books all in the same day. Two local newspapers even wrote a story about our time at the library.


Read the full stories online here & here




Even better, we found out later that Liz's mom and others became regular volunteers after our visit. As we've often experienced in our travels, volunteering is seriously contagious!

Next stop, we were invited to talk to two service learning classes at a Grand Junction high school about the places we've experienced and why we think volunteering is so important. We also talked about the importance of being engaged in your local community whether it's in Colorado or Cambodia. 

Then, after sharing a few of our favorite photos, we helped the students work through some of the incredible ideas they were developing to improve their school. These guys were so far ahead of us when we were their ages. In addition to going to school and working, this group was figuring out how to get approval and funding to paint educational murals on buildings and to add hand-decorated trash cans to increase proper litter disposal. A big thanks to the students and their fantastic teacher, Ms. McGuire -- keep up the great work...and keep inspiring! 

Next up, we headed back to the spot where it all started more than two years ago...cleaning up the Continental Divide. This time, we came prepared with granola, water, and of course, our ever-present trash bags, which we never hike without anymore. 

Like the last time, we did what anyone could do -- we cleaned things up a bit. It wasn't hard, and it didn't take long. And just like before, we felt really good when we were through, and the area looked a lot better, too. 

It was a special moment for us -- for the better part of two years, we have been traveling, volunteering at least one day each week no matter where we went.

We have seen and done so many things we before only dreamed about. But there is more to be done. More trash to be picked up. More books to shelve. More students, travelers and fellow humans to talk to about making giving back a part of their lives...at least one day each week. 

PANAMA SPECIAL OLYMPICS VOLUNTARIOS

We never really thought we'd spend a weekend bowling in Panama City, Panama. Never say never. 

We were resting up after our daily afternoon stroll between the fish market and Casco Viejo, when we heard two people talking animatedly about an upcoming sporting event. We soon figured out they were discussing a bowling tournament, of all things.

Interest piqued (Kip's a closet bowler, for real), we leaned in closer and soon learned that the Panama Special Olympics would soon be hosting its national bowling championships. 

Yes, we introduced ourselves immediately. Then, of course, we asked if they could use some free help at the tourney. 

Lucky for us, the two were helping organize the event, and soon enough, we were signed on as "voluntarios" for the big games. As volunteers, we would be doing everything from serving as guides for the participants to keeping order during the games, coordinating scores, and generally doing whatever anyone deemed necessary during the event. 

Working at a bowling tournament may not seem like the funnest way to spend a weekend in Panama. 

But think about it -- when would you ever get to sit front row at a national championship of anything, AND get to hang out, slap high fives and generally just have a good time? And do it in Central America with the amazing athletes from Special Olympics?  

Yeah, we had the best time ever. That's us below in the center, hanging with 'our' team just behind us and getting a hug from Pedro. 

Between frames we got to talk with the athletes. They told us about all the work they'd done to get where they were. They taught us how to say "strike" and "turkey" in Spanish. One girl told Liz she was going on a date with a guy from an opposing team, but that we couldn't tell anyone or her teammates would get really mad. 

We learned a lot that day -- both about bowling and about life as a Special Olympian.

As the bowlers rolled their final frames and the medal ceremonies ended, we realized we had been a part of something very special indeed. 

And we owed it all to volunteering and to the amazing athletes and people we met with Special Olympics Panama. 

NAKED TRASH CLEAN UP

No, we didn't get naked to clean up a beach in Panama's stunning San Blas Islands. But a little helper named Christopher, seen here, did.  

We shouldn't have been surprised--the kid rarely wore clothes both times we stayed on his island, a tiny teardrop of sand not much larger than a city block. Of course, considering he lives a Blue Lagoon-like lifestyle surrounded by swaying palms and clear blue waters, who could blame him. 

While the San Blas Islands look and feel close to paradise, the Kuna people who live there are facing critical problems with clean water, sanitation, and trash.
























Thanks to the steady stream of tourists and a growing local population, there isn't enough potable water to go around. In addition, all those people are producing lots of waste, which isn't being disposed of properly, leading to polluted oceans, contaminated drinking water, and trash in the water, wrapped around starfish, and dotting the beaches, which we did our best to eradicate with the help of little naked Christopher. 

We even convinced some fellow travelers to join us on the clean up. Together,we walked the beaches, crisscrossed the island, and snorkeled the surrounding waters picking up trash. 

If you do visit the San Blas, make sure to carry out everything you carry in (and more if you have room), and before you book, ask if the island you're on has properly-functioning toilet facilities. If it doesn't, stay elsewhere.

And of course, if you see garbage on the beach, recruit some fellow travelers, and take the time to clean it up. You'll be glad you did, and you might make some new friends in the process.

TOWN CLEAN UP IN PEDASI

Some of Liz's little helpers, who gave her a hand (and a smile) separating recyclables at the Pedasi town cleanup.

In case you missed our last post, we'll sum it up: we love this place.

A quaint town of 2,500 of some of the friendliest people you'll meet in Panama, Pedasi is a place where city folks go to slow down and old folks go to die, slowly and happily.

Quiet streets, gorgeous views, quality bakeries and restaurants, a short bike ride to wide, empty beaches--no wonder U.S. News recently named it one of the top places in the world to retire.

Who knows. Maybe we'll be back in a few years...

If you see trash, pick it up--that's what the mayor said.

Hanging with Pedasi's Mayor Ricardo Barrios

While many of the people who live there take pride in keeping their community clean, a few holdovers and passers-through haven't gotten the message, as noted by the cans, bottles, food wrappers and other kinds of trash littering the ditches and empty pastures along the roads. 

But, this being a great community with very active citizens, they were doing something about it. A local Spanish school, together with the mayor's office and the local Girl and Boy Scout troops, was holding a volunteer town clean up while we were there (we found out by googling "volunteer Pedasi," as outlined in our Tips for Volunteering).  And of course, we were only too happy to join in and happily demonstrate our expertise in the area of trash clean-up. Plus, we got to meet the mayor!

Perfect opportunity for a little 1 of 7. 

The entire Pedasi clean up crew.

VOLUNTEER CLEANUP FESTIVAL WITH CEPIA

Our fun CEPIA volunteer group at the start of the clean-up.

Kip, Brian and other volunteers pose in front of
what we were told is the oldest building in Huacas.

It's been a while since we've done a good trash clean up. At least a month or so. We were really beginning to miss it (no, really!)

And then we saw a flyer for the "Festival de Limpieza" seeking volunteers to help clean-up a sleepy town just outside of Tamarindo called Huacas. Yes!

A group of enterprising kids decided their town had a serious trash issue. Together with CEPIA, an impressive local nonprofit that helps area youth and their families, the kids designed flyers and organized the town-wide clean-up to help beautify the city before the its annual festival and bull-riding tournament. 

Liz, Brian and our little helper Joel.

We grabbed our friend Brian and headed out early on a Saturday morning. But, not before the fantastic folks at Villa Amarilla, who supported the Festival de Limpieza last year, outfitted us with some great t-shirts! Thanks, Cinde and TJ!

In true Costa Rican fashion, the clean-up started on "Tica time," about an hour and a half late. The delay gave us a chance to meet the kids who participate with CEPIA, as well as get to know a group of San Diego State University students who were volunteering with CEPIA for the summer. 

As we milled about tapping our watches and waiting to get started, one SDSU student explained that when the volunteers leave in a week, it will be up to the older youth in the CEPIA program to continue the projects they've all been working on, and they wanted to be sure the youth were ready to lead the events. 

As we would soon learn, the kids are more than ready.

Kip and Liz show the group our mad clean-up skills.

Just like a Tica clock, when they were ready, the older kids took charge, putting us into groups armed with separately-marked bags meant for aluminum, plastic, and trash. We each went our separate ways, led by a designated guide who knew the town and our planned route. 

We walked along the main road as hands waved from passing cars. We crossed streams and passed under bridges. We even dodged cowboys on horseback and the herd of young cows they were leading. 

Between the 30+ volunteers, we scoured the entire city cleaning streets and litter-pocked parks. It was great to see the difference the group had made. And it was even better to watch the young boys and girls take control and work together to make such a big difference in their little town. 

Thanks to Super Compro for donating the bags and rubber gloves for the clean-up!

Joel shows off the flyer for the upcoming festival.

 Joel helps Kip clean up a field.

A big thanks to the students of CEPIA for organizing the Festival de Limpieza clean up. We had a great time meeting all of you!

The happy clean-up crew showing off our garbage next to the park sign that says "Don't
throw trash here. We  take care of Huacas."

PREPARING LUNCH FOR AN OCELOT

Mmmmmm. Lunchtime. Liz and Cinde cut up beef hearts for the many animals of the Monkey Park.

When was the last time you made an all-meat lunch for an ocelot? How about slicing up a fruit snack for a group of cute marmosets (see photo below)?

If the answer is "never," get yourself immediately to the Monkey Park Foundation, a wildlife rescue center just outside of Costa Rica's popular coastal town of Tamarindo.

The Monkey Park is home to numerous animals, some formerly in captivity, and some rescued to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild. For more on what's happening with the exotic animal population in Costa Rica, read Kip's article for National Geographic.

This adorable marmoset is glad that he's not part of lunch for the Ocelot.

But, back to the ocelot lunch. 

Vanessa, the head of the park, directed us to the large pick-up truck that just arrived full of fresh fruit and meats. We loaded them into the tiny kitchen and got to work.

Liz and our new friend Cinde, who runs the Hotel Villa Amarilla, were put on beef duty, which involved carving up over 100 lbs. of beef hearts for the various birds of prey, the coyote, and of course, the ocelot. It was a bloody, messy job, but the two animal lovers were up to it. (Click here for a reminder about how much Liz loves animals.) 

Kip had the even less glamorous job of helping to cleaning out cages. But sometimes, volunteering can be a dirty job. 

Once the carnivores were cared for, we passed out fruits and veggies to the herbivores. This pig was so grateful, he gave Cinde a kiss.

Cinde gets an appreciative kiss from a happy collared peccary.

The Monkey park is not only a great place to volunteer, but it's a great place to visit as well. The park gets no government funding, and relies on donations, and the funds they earn from admission fees to feed and care for the animals.  

For directions to the park, click here. 

And, if you're interested in becoming a volunteer (after all, you will get to prepare lunch for an ocelot....we may have mentioned that twelve times already), check out their volunteer page. 

The happy volunteers and employees of the Monkey Park--Johnny, Cinde, Liz, Kip and Vanessa. 

A happy scarlet macaw eats fresh sunflower seeds out of his food puzzle Kip filled up for him.

VOLUNTEERING IN SAN JUAN DEL SUR

The entrance to the San Juan del Sur Library.

If you've got some time to spare between beach breaks and surf sessions, drop by the San Juan del Sur Library, aka Biblioteca Movil.

Just off the Parque Central about four blocks from the sand, the white-washed, one-story building trimmed out in ocean blue packs a big punch in a tiny package. 

In addition to hundreds of books in English and Spanish for kids and adults, they also offer computer literacy classes, study times, and best of all, a mobile library. 

For those unfamiliar with mobile libraries, first imagine a food truck, but instead of being a place to buy burritos, the library on wheels offers free books for loan in remote communities where libraries exist only in the dreams of the children who live there. 

It's food for the mind.

Travelers-turned volunteers are welcome to tag-along on the Mobile Library's scheduled three-times-per-week trips, which leave SJDS early and come back mid-afternoon. 

Sadly, the trips were on hold for a week-long holiday while we were there. If, like us, you're unable to make a trip with the Biblioteca Movil, the library also accepts new and used books, as well as supplies for their child learning and computer center.  

Drop by the Library for more info, to make a donation and of course, to sign up for a trip on La Biblioteca Movil.

Two librarians fill out library cards and educate visitors about volunteer opporutnities at La Biblioteca Movil. 

In front of the library, Kip waves hello after we dropped off some books and craft materials.

MOTORCYCLE SCHOOL BUS

Relieved to have arrived safely, Todd and his school-kid passengers wave for the camera. 

What started out as chance to explore the hills and beaches around San Juan del Sur by motorcycle turned into much more--that is, once we finally figured out how to start and shift and stop our motorcycles properly. 

Nicaragua's booming surf town has become somewhat of a tourist haven, at least since Kip took Spanish lessons here 15 years ago. Hotels and restaurants now line the long, crescent beach. Souvenir stands and surf shops abound. 

Yet just outside of town, the area remains remote, navigated by dirt roads through monkey-filled forests and onto deserted beaches more frequented by sea turtles than sun-loving travelers.

Kip gives a student a ride home.

It's also a place where kids have to walk long distances to get back-and-forth to school, as Kip and his brother Todd discovered while passing an elementary school a few miles outside of town. 

After driving slowly past groups of backpack-toting students walking the road with no houses in sight, we stopped to talk to two young boys. Nico and his cousin Tomas were heading home, and they immediately asked if we could give them and their friends a ride. So, while driving extremely slowly and carefully, we did. And then we did again.

Finally, after dropping off the final student in front of his house and waving to his smiling parents, we got back to our ride. 

Todd doing some serious downhilling.

The road's end--Kip on a deserted beach a few miles north of San Juan del Sur.

SHOE DELIVERY IN SAN SALVADOR

Inner-city school kids in San Salvador show off their new shoes.

It's a beautiful thing when the goal of helping others turns into a successful business that allows you to help even more. Such is the case with TOMS shoes.

Kip and Natasha unloading the many boxes
of shoes from the truck.

Started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, TOMS has evolved into a successful footwear (and now eye wear) company that has gained international acclaim for its "One for One" campaign. 

For each pair of shoes sold to consumers, TOMS distributes another pair to a child who can't afford them. 

So far, the company has distributed more than two million pairs of shoes to needy kids worldwide. They also raise awareness for their cause through the "One Day Without Shoes" campaign.

What does this have to do with us, you ask?  

Well, thanks again to our friend Phil (of Reto del Volcan fame), we were introduced to Natasha, Communications Director for an El Salvador based NGO, Glasswing International. And now, thanks to TOMS and Glasswing, we kind of smell like feet. 

Happy kids hold up their brand new pairs of TOMS shoes.

Kip has a group of kids in stitches with one of
his goofy Spanish jokes.

In addition to working on health and education initiatives, Glasswing partners with TOMS to bring shoes to underprivileged kids in El Salvador. We jumped at the opportunity to be part of the distribution team for one of San Salvador's biggest public schools. 

Our day began early, as we arrived at the school and unloaded boxes and boxes of different sized shoes from the truck. Once the boxes were arranged by size, we were ready to meet the kids and get started. 

Have you ever tried to put a cloth shoe onto the sweaty-socked foot of an eight-year-old? Trust us, it's a lot tougher than it looks! 

Together with the help of some very patient and dedicated 8th grade student volunteers, we sized and fit hundreds of kids from multiple classes of K-8 graders with a brand new pair of shoes.

All was great until a group of boys came in right after recess. They had been playing soccer, and yes, as they jokingly pointed out to us and to each other, their feet were not exactly downy fresh. We held our breath. They laughed hilariously. Many were so excited, they didn't put their other shoes back on, wearing the new pair for the rest of the day.  

Liz fits a sweet girl with her brand new pair of TOMS.

We had a great time laughing with the kids as they excitedly yelled the few words they knew in English and held up their new shoes. Though timid at first, they really started hamming it up for the camera, as shown in the photo below. 

This class gives us some goofy poses while they hold up their new shoes.

A big thanks to TOMS, our fellow volunteers, and Glasswing International for letting us be a part of their program. 

For those interested in volunteering in El Salvador, Glasswing has a variety of individual and corporate volunteer opportunities, in addition to helping out with TOMS. Check out their website for more information.

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.