WOW! Today was full of information & adventure. It started bright & early with the alarm going off at 6:30A.M. We had to be dressed & on the bus for 7:30. We had a great breakfast & orientation where we got the opportunity to socialize with other teachers. In my dorm there are 4 of us... Stacy from L.A., Melissa from Alabama & Kathy from Virginia. (Kathy is the only one not in my mission group.) In orientation I was assigned to mission group "Columbus" with 14 others & we did some icebreaker activities to get to know each others. We have some folks that are a laugh riot & I'm sure they're really fun in the classroom. After all that team building we went to the auditorium for a 1 hour Shuttle Orientation lecture. I ... read more

Our 2nd stop today was Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT. Roseland Cottage was built in 1846, as we learned on the tour provided by Gloria, a Historic New England tour guide, by Henry Chandler Bowen. Bowen was born in Woodstock and then headed to New York to make his gajillions and hob-nob with politicians. He was quite involved with the Abolitionist movement and apparently used his clout and $$ to help Lincoln in his presidential bid. As a thank you, Lincoln assigned him the post of Tax Collector in New York. Anyway, he built this "cottage" in Woodstock so he could have lavish 4th of July parties each year. All other times during the year they lived in NY. The architecture is considered "Gothic Revival" - basically, Gothic with then-contemporary New England American flair. I only ... read more

So, the KooKoo Review...it just happened. I thought we were going to the supermarket, but mom had other plans. She claims to have told me, but I'm skeptical. Anyway, on our way to a "car cruise" (which is not where you go to pick up hot guys in even hotter cars) I received a message from my cousin, Beth (who lives in the same town as my mom) asking if we wanted to meet up in a park downtown for a children's concert. Now, let me rewind a moment, mom had presented me this option earlier in the day and anyone who know me knows that my prompt reply was, "hecks (edited) nah!" However, I also didn't want to miss the opportunity to see Beth and her girls...so, that's the story behind the KooKoo Review. And ... read more

The excitement never ends...my plane from Peru left on 6/26 at 11:00 P.M. and landed on time in Ft. Lauderdale on 6/27 at 6:15 A.M., but we had to sit for about 15 minutes waiting for a gate. This gave me (and about 50 other passengers) about 30 minutes to clear immigration and customs before our connecting flights left at 7:00 A.M. I sped through immigration with 25 minutes to spare...SWEET! Then, had to claim the baggage...as the conveyor belt spun, black bag, black bag, black bag, black bag with red bow, black bag, black bag, black bag with pink polka dot ribbon, black bag, big backpack (not mine), medium backpack (not mine), black bag...continue for 10 minutes minutes...carousel stops...many panicked faces...carousel starts again after playing strange fun house music...black bag, black bag...finally my lovely ORANGE ... read more

After returning from the Nazca lines the three of us decided to go sandsurfing in the nearby dunes. The sand dunes in this area are considered the largest in the world. This was the most fun EVER! Sandboarding standing up proved a bit too tough for me so I opted for the laying down kind. I ate SO MUCH DIRT! And there was sand in every where possible, but WHAT A DAY! I can not even imagine where else we could have done this. We also drove through some ancient burial areas -- they are everywhere out here. There were remains from the Nazca period (500-700A.D.) including bones, cloth and even HAIR! All preserved by the conditions of the desert. I will be sleeping on an overnight bus tonight as I head back to Lima. My ... read more