Some
people say that there are divine appointments orchestrated by fate or
God himself for a person to experience. While I'm not sure that
everything “happens for a reason,” I do believe in these divine
appointments, or moments when two people were meant to cross paths.
One such divine appointment happened to me in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean in June of 2005. It was this summer that would eventually lead me to my future career path.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Monday, April 4, 2011
Culture Challenge: Ecuador
Ecuador has been on my Bucket List (although I prefer calling it my Life To Do List) for at least a decade. Not only is it smack dab on the equator, but it has the Galapagos islands and their famous giant tortoises.
The following culture challenge will send you around the World Wide Web to visit Ecuador for a day. (I should add a disclaimer here that the cultures featured in the Culture Challenge are so rich and diverse that I cannot sum up a culture in one little blog. I've hit a few highlights out of many neat things about the place, and I hope I do not over-generalize or stereotype in any way.)
Begin your Journey through Ecuador by finding your rain jacket and let's begin:
1. You've taken a long weekend and caught the red-eye flight. Go ahead and get it over with. A trip is not complete without an afternoon of shopping. You're in luck because one of the largest craft markets in the country is the Otavalo market. The market is in full swing on Saturdays. You buy a cup of guava juice and stroll around, toting your purchases: bracelets made out of tagua nuts, a polished calf skin-covered journal, and one of the embroidered lace-lined blouses all the Otavaleña women wear. You end your day in the market by buying a big juicy papaya from a woman who travels up from the coast and also sells lobsters from her truck.
2. The next day you take a bus to visit the famed Tungurahua Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes on the continent. On the bus, you are able to make friends with a few ESL teachers from Canada and one Peace Corps worker. They help you communicate with the young girl sitting next to you. She tells you about the "Carnaval" that you just missed, as it happens right before the Lenten season, in which people take to the streets in celebration and thrown foam and water at each other. Your new friend offers to show you the volcano be Since the last major eruption was just last year, you decide to climb it, but you take a few pictures and head on to get a good international dinner.
4. You finish out your 2nd day in the town of Baños where a lovely restaurant called Casa Hood thrives. Casa Hood serves dishes from all over the world, but people visit for more than just the food. They have shelves of books available for trade, yes trade! Bring in a book you have, find a book you want, and swap them for free. They also have weekly movie nights.
5. After dinner you take a stroll through the town and find a bunch of kids and teens playing futbol (soccer) in grassy area. You jump in and play the international sport until sundown. It is the perfect end to a perfect weekend in Ecuador.
Check out this blog for some interesting first-hand experiences of living and traveling in Ecuador. http://theecuadorgringo.com/
Culture Challenge Book Choices:
YA Choice: Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Children's : Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa* by Frances Kalnay
*I am still searching for a children's book set in Ecuador. For now, check out this wonderful award-winning children's story set in Argentina. Please share if you know of the book I may be looking for!
What are some neat places you've traveled either by book or plane ticket?
The following culture challenge will send you around the World Wide Web to visit Ecuador for a day. (I should add a disclaimer here that the cultures featured in the Culture Challenge are so rich and diverse that I cannot sum up a culture in one little blog. I've hit a few highlights out of many neat things about the place, and I hope I do not over-generalize or stereotype in any way.)
Begin your Journey through Ecuador by finding your rain jacket and let's begin:
1. You've taken a long weekend and caught the red-eye flight. Go ahead and get it over with. A trip is not complete without an afternoon of shopping. You're in luck because one of the largest craft markets in the country is the Otavalo market. The market is in full swing on Saturdays. You buy a cup of guava juice and stroll around, toting your purchases: bracelets made out of tagua nuts, a polished calf skin-covered journal, and one of the embroidered lace-lined blouses all the Otavaleña women wear. You end your day in the market by buying a big juicy papaya from a woman who travels up from the coast and also sells lobsters from her truck.
2. The next day you take a bus to visit the famed Tungurahua Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes on the continent. On the bus, you are able to make friends with a few ESL teachers from Canada and one Peace Corps worker. They help you communicate with the young girl sitting next to you. She tells you about the "Carnaval" that you just missed, as it happens right before the Lenten season, in which people take to the streets in celebration and thrown foam and water at each other. Your new friend offers to show you the volcano be Since the last major eruption was just last year, you decide to climb it, but you take a few pictures and head on to get a good international dinner.
4. You finish out your 2nd day in the town of Baños where a lovely restaurant called Casa Hood thrives. Casa Hood serves dishes from all over the world, but people visit for more than just the food. They have shelves of books available for trade, yes trade! Bring in a book you have, find a book you want, and swap them for free. They also have weekly movie nights.
5. After dinner you take a stroll through the town and find a bunch of kids and teens playing futbol (soccer) in grassy area. You jump in and play the international sport until sundown. It is the perfect end to a perfect weekend in Ecuador.
Check out this blog for some interesting first-hand experiences of living and traveling in Ecuador. http://theecuadorgringo.com/
Culture Challenge Book Choices:
YA Choice: Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Children's : Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa* by Frances Kalnay
*I am still searching for a children's book set in Ecuador. For now, check out this wonderful award-winning children's story set in Argentina. Please share if you know of the book I may be looking for!
What are some neat places you've traveled either by book or plane ticket?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Author Spotlight: Laura Resau
Whether you're looking for a good middle-grade book for your classroom or a YA novel for your teenager, Laura Resau dishes up great stories in both age groups. What's even better, is that Resau fills her novels with culture, magic, and travel, the perfect combination for The Curious Kind and anyone wanting to open a good book and take a mental vacation away from home.
I've heard a lot of buzz about Resau's latest book Queen of the Water, a true story about a young girl taken from her family to be a servant in a Mestizo household, but I haven't yet gotten my hands on a copy. Instead, I loaded up on every other Resau novel I could find in my local library. Here are two must-read Resau books.
Star in the Forest is a middle-grade book that deals with the subject of immigration into the U.S. This award-winging book is told from the perspective of 11-year old Zitlally whose immigrated family is struggling to make a life in their new world. While this book takes place in the U.S., I still felt like it is a travel tale. Zitlally makes the point that back in their hometown her father seemed like the smartest man in the world; he was strong and confident and knew everything, or everything he needed to know. When they moved to the U.S., she realizes her father isn't that invincible man anymore. Any of us who has traveled to a country where we can't speak the language, knows that helpless feeling to some degree, and anyone who hasn't had that opportunity quite yet, gets a very real insight from Resau's story.
I especially loved the way Resau included words from both the Nahuatl and Spanish languages in her story that makes it feel like genuine cross-cultural writing. She includes a short glossary in the back of the book. By the end of the book I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This is such a heart-warming story that I'm going to have to go out and buy myself a copy to add to my own library.
Another of Resau's novels is called The Indigo Notebook. Here is the synopsis from the Laura Resau's author website:
Check out Laura Resau's website for info on all of her books and pictures of her travels.
I've heard a lot of buzz about Resau's latest book Queen of the Water, a true story about a young girl taken from her family to be a servant in a Mestizo household, but I haven't yet gotten my hands on a copy. Instead, I loaded up on every other Resau novel I could find in my local library. Here are two must-read Resau books.
Star in the Forest is a middle-grade book that deals with the subject of immigration into the U.S. This award-winging book is told from the perspective of 11-year old Zitlally whose immigrated family is struggling to make a life in their new world. While this book takes place in the U.S., I still felt like it is a travel tale. Zitlally makes the point that back in their hometown her father seemed like the smartest man in the world; he was strong and confident and knew everything, or everything he needed to know. When they moved to the U.S., she realizes her father isn't that invincible man anymore. Any of us who has traveled to a country where we can't speak the language, knows that helpless feeling to some degree, and anyone who hasn't had that opportunity quite yet, gets a very real insight from Resau's story.
I especially loved the way Resau included words from both the Nahuatl and Spanish languages in her story that makes it feel like genuine cross-cultural writing. She includes a short glossary in the back of the book. By the end of the book I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This is such a heart-warming story that I'm going to have to go out and buy myself a copy to add to my own library.
Another of Resau's novels is called The Indigo Notebook. Here is the synopsis from the Laura Resau's author website:
"15-year-old Zeeta and her flighty mother live in a different country every year. This year, in the Ecuadoran Andes, Zeeta helps an American boy search for his birth parents. With him, she encounters adventure, mystery, love, and ultimately, the truth about what she really wants. (Ages 10 & up)"
Where do I begin with this book? First, she states that the book is for ages 10 & up. It is a clean book, but there are many quotes from the philosophical poet Rumi that add a deep and thoughtful and sometimes comical layer to the story. It's a story that I would recommend to my teenage students and even my adult friends. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to sell everything you own and travel the world with only a suitcase to call home, this book is the perfect snapshot of that life. Again, Resau weaves other languages into her writing in such a way that the reader comes away with more than just a story, but an experience. This is one of those books that you can lose yourself in.Check out Laura Resau's website for info on all of her books and pictures of her travels.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
3 Sunday Morning Must-Read Blogs
I picked up a stack of books to read from the public library yesterday to share on my blog. I had been putting it off, knowing that I racked up a week's-worth fine last month simply because I'm forgetful, and the books sat in my car. The librarian was understandably abrupt with me, reminding me three times that my due date is April 9th...or something. Keep an eye out for the next Author Spotlight and Culture Challenge this week as both are headed to Central America; in the mean time, check out these 3 Sunday morning Must-Read Blogs by three very different writers.
1. Andy Jarosz is a freelance writer who travels and writes what he sees. His blog 501 Places is a collection of his experiences. Check out his most recent post to get a look at an afternoon in London by foot. Although there's no significance in reading this particular blog on a Sunday, I just felt like drinking a cup of tea and perusing London was a good Sunday morning activity.
2. Christine Gilbert is a corporate manager turned travel blogger and is the author of Almost Fearless, a blog that documents life around the world. She is hosting a series on her blog entitled the Sunday Travel Selection. Today's post is by a guest-blogger who gives a realistic view of the true adventure and chaos that is Indian traffic.
3. Kristi at The Story Siren blog hosts a weekly event called In My Mailbox in which she shares YA books that have come across her desk. Over 200 bloggers participate regularly to share their books as well. What I like about Kristi's IMM is that she puts together Vlogs to share the books. Who doesn't love a quick video to kick-start some blog reading?
1. Andy Jarosz is a freelance writer who travels and writes what he sees. His blog 501 Places is a collection of his experiences. Check out his most recent post to get a look at an afternoon in London by foot. Although there's no significance in reading this particular blog on a Sunday, I just felt like drinking a cup of tea and perusing London was a good Sunday morning activity.
2. Christine Gilbert is a corporate manager turned travel blogger and is the author of Almost Fearless, a blog that documents life around the world. She is hosting a series on her blog entitled the Sunday Travel Selection. Today's post is by a guest-blogger who gives a realistic view of the true adventure and chaos that is Indian traffic.
3. Kristi at The Story Siren blog hosts a weekly event called In My Mailbox in which she shares YA books that have come across her desk. Over 200 bloggers participate regularly to share their books as well. What I like about Kristi's IMM is that she puts together Vlogs to share the books. Who doesn't love a quick video to kick-start some blog reading?
Friday, March 18, 2011
Technology Topics: Google Earth and Field Trips
This week I've been on a Staycation Spring Break. It has been wonderful and restful, but I've found myself wondering if any of my students have managed to venture out of town by car, plane, or book this week. I came across a great blog entry today at Bronx Classroom Tales written by a high school teacher whose school has been able to send students abroad for short learning trips to expand their worldview. What can I say? That school has it going on!
In case this week has been your spring break, and you haven't been able to travel, I'd like to introduce you to a tool that I use in my classroom to show my students the real locations of our reading assignments. This tool that can solve your travel woes is called Google Earth.
Google Earth has been around for several years; however, the appeal has not worn off. In fact, every time I log on, I find a new feature they've added that I tinker with for hours. As the developers say, [it's a way to] get the world's geographic information at your fingertips." In other words, you can see the world without having to leave your living room.
At first the satellite images only gave you the overhead view of a location, but Google has worked to make street views available on all seven continents by driving around the world with cars equipped with cameras. Now they've taken to the narrower trails by trike and snowmobile to capture even more for web-travelers to see.
What I've found exciting is that Google Earth has been working with local women in Kenya to map their African villages. Since there are many dirt-road villages in Kenya that are tucked far away from the big city life, it would be easy to never see what daily life is really like, but they are working with locals to solve this.
Check out Google Earth's blog Google Lat Long Blog for new features and weekly posts on interesting places to travel to with the program.
While Spring Break is winding down, I'm going to make myself a cup of comforting tea and take a little jaunt around Europe. Log on and tell me where you're traveling to with Google Earth. Here is a screen shot of my first stop in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
In case this week has been your spring break, and you haven't been able to travel, I'd like to introduce you to a tool that I use in my classroom to show my students the real locations of our reading assignments. This tool that can solve your travel woes is called Google Earth.
Google Earth has been around for several years; however, the appeal has not worn off. In fact, every time I log on, I find a new feature they've added that I tinker with for hours. As the developers say, [it's a way to] get the world's geographic information at your fingertips." In other words, you can see the world without having to leave your living room.
At first the satellite images only gave you the overhead view of a location, but Google has worked to make street views available on all seven continents by driving around the world with cars equipped with cameras. Now they've taken to the narrower trails by trike and snowmobile to capture even more for web-travelers to see.
What I've found exciting is that Google Earth has been working with local women in Kenya to map their African villages. Since there are many dirt-road villages in Kenya that are tucked far away from the big city life, it would be easy to never see what daily life is really like, but they are working with locals to solve this.
Check out Google Earth's blog Google Lat Long Blog for new features and weekly posts on interesting places to travel to with the program.
While Spring Break is winding down, I'm going to make myself a cup of comforting tea and take a little jaunt around Europe. Log on and tell me where you're traveling to with Google Earth. Here is a screen shot of my first stop in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Culture Challenge: Japan
In light of the devastation that has hit Japan and its people recently, this week's Culture Challenge is Japan. Please take a few minutes to get a look into some highlights of daily life in Japan before this big earthquake hit.
I visited Japan in 2005 on a study abroad stint with University of Virginia's Semester at Sea Program. It was the last stop on a sixty-five day voyage that covered nine Southeast Asian countries.
Japan was my favorite stop. One of my closest college friends had grown up in Japan with his American missionary parents. He considered himself a product of the Japanese culture first, American second, so I had a big respect for the culture coming into the trip.
While there I had the chance to live with a wonderful young Japanese family for a weekend to get some first-hand insight into their daily life. The following culture challenge will send you around the World Wide Web visit Japan for a day. (I should add a disclaimer here that the cultures featured in the Culture Challenge are so rich and diverse that one cannot sum up a culture in one little blog. I've hit a few highlights out of many neat things about the place, and I hope I do not over-generalize or stereotype in any way.)
Begin your Japanese Journey by reading your steps and clicking on any of the linked words for more information:
1. You step off the plane in Japan and grab a taxi-cab. The heat is blistering, so the cab driver stops buys you a cold, refreshing bottle of...cow piss? Did he really say that? It's Calpis, but the pronunciation has surprised many travelers. This tangy non-carbonated soft-drink is surprisingly addictive. Find out what strange ingredient makes Calpis so great.
2. After finishing off your bottle of Calpis, you make your way to the train station. You found a cheap plane ticket into the booming city of Tokyo, but the place you really want to see is Kyoto. You hop on the world's fastest form of transportation aside from flight. It's the cleanest, sleekest train you've ever been on, and it feels like something from the future. Here you were thinking Japanese people would all be wearing Kimono robes and wearing funny shoes. You realize the streets of the city are filled with fashion forward men and women.
3. When you arrive in Kyoto, an old friend of someone in your family picks you up. After all, the six degrees of separation means everyone has connections of some sort in Japan. You notice the GPS in his car is about 10 years ahead of the brand new GPS you have in your car at home.
4. Once you get to his family's house, they cook you a dish called Okonimiyaki. It is sometimes called Japanese pizza, sometimes a pancake, but it is honestly more like an omelette. Okonomi means "as you like it." So it literally is a flat pancake/pizza shaped meal with anything you want thrown into the recipe. Throw caution to the wind and dig into this dish that looks nothing like the ramen noodles or sushi you expected. This is a real Japanese home-cooking. Enjoy!
5. You sleep that night on your tatami mat laid out for guests. Tomorrow you have a full-day of sightseeing planned. Here are few pictures you snap on your 24 hour trip to Japan.
Culture Challenge Book Choices:
YA Choice: Shizuko's Daughter
Children's Choice: Grandpa's Town
(For another really neat look at what Japanese scientists are coming out with next, check out this site. This umbrella especially caught my eye.)
I visited Japan in 2005 on a study abroad stint with University of Virginia's Semester at Sea Program. It was the last stop on a sixty-five day voyage that covered nine Southeast Asian countries.
Japan was my favorite stop. One of my closest college friends had grown up in Japan with his American missionary parents. He considered himself a product of the Japanese culture first, American second, so I had a big respect for the culture coming into the trip.
While there I had the chance to live with a wonderful young Japanese family for a weekend to get some first-hand insight into their daily life. The following culture challenge will send you around the World Wide Web visit Japan for a day. (I should add a disclaimer here that the cultures featured in the Culture Challenge are so rich and diverse that one cannot sum up a culture in one little blog. I've hit a few highlights out of many neat things about the place, and I hope I do not over-generalize or stereotype in any way.)
Begin your Japanese Journey by reading your steps and clicking on any of the linked words for more information:
1. You step off the plane in Japan and grab a taxi-cab. The heat is blistering, so the cab driver stops buys you a cold, refreshing bottle of...cow piss? Did he really say that? It's Calpis, but the pronunciation has surprised many travelers. This tangy non-carbonated soft-drink is surprisingly addictive. Find out what strange ingredient makes Calpis so great.
2. After finishing off your bottle of Calpis, you make your way to the train station. You found a cheap plane ticket into the booming city of Tokyo, but the place you really want to see is Kyoto. You hop on the world's fastest form of transportation aside from flight. It's the cleanest, sleekest train you've ever been on, and it feels like something from the future. Here you were thinking Japanese people would all be wearing Kimono robes and wearing funny shoes. You realize the streets of the city are filled with fashion forward men and women.
3. When you arrive in Kyoto, an old friend of someone in your family picks you up. After all, the six degrees of separation means everyone has connections of some sort in Japan. You notice the GPS in his car is about 10 years ahead of the brand new GPS you have in your car at home.
4. Once you get to his family's house, they cook you a dish called Okonimiyaki. It is sometimes called Japanese pizza, sometimes a pancake, but it is honestly more like an omelette. Okonomi means "as you like it." So it literally is a flat pancake/pizza shaped meal with anything you want thrown into the recipe. Throw caution to the wind and dig into this dish that looks nothing like the ramen noodles or sushi you expected. This is a real Japanese home-cooking. Enjoy!
5. You sleep that night on your tatami mat laid out for guests. Tomorrow you have a full-day of sightseeing planned. Here are few pictures you snap on your 24 hour trip to Japan.
We will revisit Japan soon at the Curious Kind to feature Japan's wealth of art forms from their famous block prints to the beautiful Geisha. Hopefully with just a glimpse of the beautiful Japanese culture, you've been able to bring Japan a little closer to home. There are MANY fundraisers and relief efforts going on right now to help out the victims of the recent earthquake in Japan. Please take a minute to find a way to support those victims this week.
Culture Challenge Book Choices:
YA Choice: Shizuko's Daughter
Children's Choice: Grandpa's Town
(For another really neat look at what Japanese scientists are coming out with next, check out this site. This umbrella especially caught my eye.)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Author Spotlight: Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson is the author of more than a handful of upbeat YA novels. I have to say, after reading Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I knew right away she was the perfect author for the first Curious Kind Author Spotlight.
Johnson sends her teenage character, Ginny, across the world on a sort of coming of age quest to spice up Ginny's safe and unassuming life. Each chapter gives the reader the chance to drop everything and travel across Europe bohemian style. This quick read is equal parts mystery, adventure, love, and comedy, and is the perfect book for anyone needing a change of pace. But it gets better! Johnson is set to release a sequel entitled The Last Little Blue Envelope this Spring! Anyone who has traveled to Europe will appreciate the unavoidable faux pas of a first time traveler and will chuckle along with the problems Ginny stumbles into. Those who haven't yet traveled, can consider themselves prepared with some great tips for when they do get the chance and a checklist of must-see sites.
Maureen Johnson has also published several other books for teen page-travelers that are on my list of must-reads including Girl at Sea.
Check out Maureen Johnson's website for info on all of her books and the community she has created among her fans.
Johnson sends her teenage character, Ginny, across the world on a sort of coming of age quest to spice up Ginny's safe and unassuming life. Each chapter gives the reader the chance to drop everything and travel across Europe bohemian style. This quick read is equal parts mystery, adventure, love, and comedy, and is the perfect book for anyone needing a change of pace. But it gets better! Johnson is set to release a sequel entitled The Last Little Blue Envelope this Spring! Anyone who has traveled to Europe will appreciate the unavoidable faux pas of a first time traveler and will chuckle along with the problems Ginny stumbles into. Those who haven't yet traveled, can consider themselves prepared with some great tips for when they do get the chance and a checklist of must-see sites.
Maureen Johnson has also published several other books for teen page-travelers that are on my list of must-reads including Girl at Sea.
Check out Maureen Johnson's website for info on all of her books and the community she has created among her fans.
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