Mexico Update!

Mr. Karp, the on-campus Winterim coordinator, received a message today from Jerry Wooding. The Rafting in Mexico trip is having a blast! They've been swimming, rafting, and relaxing in hot springs. For more info about their planned activities, check out Tyus's blog post.

The Groton Flood, Or Why Nobody Can Get To Work Today

After three days of heavy rain (over 9 inches total), parts of Groton and the surrounding towns have become islands. We drove on out to Groton and Pepperell to see if we could catch some of the flooded areas on camera. The water level was incredibly high, making driving a little difficult. Luckily, being a boarder, the commute isn't terrible!

Week 1 in the Costa Rican Rainforest

(Map found at: http://www.arenalcostaricacr.com/)

Report from Costa Rica by Kathryn Babin and Scott Johnson:

We've just arrived in La Fotuna, the town at the base of the Aernal Volcano in central Costa Rica. The trip has been fantastic so far and a great deal has to do with the people involved. First of all, all of the students have been getting along quite well and dealing with wet socks and long bus rides with a great sense of humor. Our Tico guide, Walter or 'Guapo' is truly fantastic. He has been with us from our arrival in San Jose and will be with us until our departure. His knowledge of everything about Costa Rica is vast: biodiversity, plants that can kill you and plants that can save your life, the people of the area, the history of the country, not to mention an uncanny ability to grab poisonous tree frogs from the jungle floor.

We began the trip in bustling San Jose in a hostel overlooking the city. A blanket of lights spread out before us as we settled into our new country. The next day we drove through winding mountain passes bordered by small cattle farms and tiny villages. We passed by a university dedicated to creating 'greenways' connection the national parks of the country. As we dropped out of the mountain mist and entered into the coastal plain, banana plantations run by names like Dole, Del Monte and Chiquita dominated the landscape, complete with “Warning: take no photos of the workers” signs.

Our faithful bus and driver, Juan Carlos, dropped us at the put in for the first leg of our water adventures. We kayaked for 5 hours through rich tropical rainforests on canals that serve as the only roads of the Tortuguero National Park. For locals, owning a boat is more important than owning a car. Our campsite and home base for the next 3 nights was a well-manicured lawn nestled in the rainforest. From here we adventured to the nearby town for a walk along the Atlantic shore to look at empty turtle nests and for an ice-cream treat. We also went 'gunkholing' through narrow waterways leading into the interior of the park. Howler monkeys warned us to stay away from the tree tops as we passed by sun-bathing turtles and caimen.

(Photos found at CBBC.)

On the fourth morning, we left the park via motorboat and cruised to our bus, which drove us to our next destination: a put-in on the Pacuare River. Walter was joined by two more guides who led us in paddling through the Class III rapids. Our lodge for the next three nights was carved into the hillside above a wide turn in the river between two tall canyon walls. From the hammocks and rocking chairs we observed the daily life of the jungle. Some highlights included a hike to the top of the ridge, a river crossing via small basket pulled hand-over-hand on a cable, scrambling up a small stream to a natural water slide and of course, zip-lining through the jungle canopy.

Pura Vida!


(Photo found at: http://www.costaricatours.com/pacuare/pacu01.html)

Showtime!

Here is a short video of pictures of the Something For Nothing Player's performance of the Wizard of Oz at Lawrence Academy in the black box theater on Friday. They departed for their tour on Sunday morning, where they will travel to Connecticut, New York, and New Hampshire, to perform their show at various elementary schools.



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Singing With Your Hands

Today I went to see how the Talking With Your Hands winterim was going. They will be performing a song in front of the school on Friday. They are going to perform Hot N Cold by Katy Perry.

Here is a preview of Friday's performance:

Where in the World?

One of the tasks that RUaDN has been working on for the last week has been a map showing where in the world each of the Winterim groups are (see the top of the blog). You can zoom in (like on Google Maps) and drag the map around to see different places. Click on a pin to see which group is there, what they're doing, and, in most cases, a group photo. We created this map using Your Gmap, which is a tool that allows you to create locations on a map, add text and embed photos, then publish your map either as a link or an embedded object.

Chess Recieves a Lecture of Strategy and Logic

Today when I checked in at chess, they were amidst an intense chess seminar. The chess group took a break from playing to learn about the strategy and logic of chess from a chess master who came to visit Lawrence Academy. On Wednesday, they plan to go to Boston to play chess in Harvard Square. We expect the intensity to really heat up Thursday when they begin their tournament; we will report back about the chess tournament- stay tuned!

Dominican Days of Service and Sun

Although we have not heard from the Dominican group, we have a good idea of what they have been up to. From last Tuesday to last Friday, they have been working on their service project to help the children of La Cienaga. Building a playground, painting the school and reading with the children are just a few of the activities the LA students have been doing.

Saturday they went fishing in La Boca de Yasica with some locals. This past Sunday they made chocolate. Yesterday they went back to the school to keep working; they will be working there until Wednesday. On Thursday, they plan to jump from waterfalls in Damajaguas. Friday, they will end their trip with shopping.

(Waterfall photo from a tour guide website. Fishing photo from a tour guide website.)

Kayaking in the Bahamas

From Bahamas

Because "The Bahamas: A Kayaking and Snorkeling Experience" is, well, kayaking and snorkeling, we haven't heard from them. However, we have done some research about their destinations and are a little jealous of their journeys (though not of their inability to shower for most of the trip, and their seawater coatedness). If you want to check out their planned route and activities, see the map below. You should be able to click on each pin and see both the name of the location and what the group planned to do that day. They're travelling in rainbow order (starting and ending at the red pin). For more info, check out Wilderness Inquiry.


View Bahamas Kayaking in a larger map

Rafting In Mexico - An update on Their Activites

from www.veracruzspanish.com


from www.flickr.com

Yesterday the group traveled to Jalcomulco, which is a whitewater boater's dream to go down. It finishes at a hot spring resort that lets you relax in a perfect 90 degrees of naturally heated water.

Today they plan to raft the Rio Pescados River that is known for its constant rapids. When there are small breaks in the rapids, it overlooks the beautiful mango forest. Then later today they will take a mountain hike to Poza Azul.

Tomorrow's plans are something unique because of the river that they are rafting. The Rio Actopan river gets all of its flow from a pristine mega spring gushing of natural ferned wall. The headwaters are continuous and after the first couple of rapids, the difficulty eases for a unforgettable and enjoyable experience.

Dangerous On-Campus Winterims (Volume 2): Artists Encounter Scary Shards in Stained Glass

On my way back from quilting, I decided to step into the stained glass winterim to try to continue our running string of articles about the possible injuries at on campus winterims. The stained glass artists are pretty far along with their projects, so the pieces of glass are looking quite beautiful and harmlessly arranged nicely in their designated patterns [see below].However, from speaking with group members, I quickly learned not to let the graceful product of stained glass fool me- the art of stained glass can give quilting a run for its money as the most dangerous on campus winterim! When I spoke with the artists themselves, I felt my pulse begin to race and my eyes begin to search for safety glasses, a bullet proof vest, and thick gloves that would cover from my hands to my elbows.



Chase told me the injuries range from cuts to burns, and they could occur no matter how carefully you cut the glass. Jackie and Vail went further into detail and even described several incidents that had occurred during during the first week. Jackie was the victim of a burn to her stomach [see picture below] and Vail's fingers were littered with burns and cuts [see picture below].

Although many injuries are possible in stained glass, Mrs. B (the stained glass leader) informed me that injuries can be avoided by correct protection and attention. The artists' descriptions of their accidents made the quilting winterim across the hall look like a walk in the park (and we're not talking Central Park here folks), but the final products are definitely worth the pain!

Quilting Quickly Completes Their Quilts

This morning I took a walk to the Old School Building to check up on the Quilting Winterim. They have made quite a bit of progress over the last few days! Most of the quilts are almost finished; most quilters have sewn their patches together to create their quilt design. The quilters are starting to put their padded backings on their quilts. To attach their backings they must pin the quilt to the backing and then sew. Between now and the end of Winterim, the quilters will be completing their personal quilt and helping to complete the group quilt!

This Baby Be Turnin'

Turn, Baby, Turn is entering week two with a boom, having made beautiful wooden bowls that are glazed over and ready for use. Students are now working on making what they have thought of and envisioned to be created. Some of the creations have been set out in the theatre to be viewed by any passers by while they dry. I had a chance to drop by and snap a few photos of these bowls and assorted creations pictured below. They look great and we wish the wood turners luck in their final week of Winterim!