something new

who is ready for the weekend?

2008-04-03T19:40:00.002-05:00

So, its been like a million years since I posted, I know, I know. But, every time I think about it, well I guess I find something better to do.
Let's see what is new with my life: just enjoying it, really. Working, but not too much. Partying, but not too much. Spending time with my wonderful friends, still seeing the family about every other weekend and so on and so forth.

Got some bad news a few weeks ago: A good friend of mine from high school, Sarah, who was living out in LA, committed suicide. Now, we were no longer close friends- just kept in touch through myspace, but it was a pretty bad shock. She was such a funny, lively person and many of my high school memories involve her. From cheerleading camp to driving to games in her Neon or my Corolla or Nationals in Florida, she was always there with a big smile and a laugh that still rings in my head. I attended the service 2 weeks ago and it was very strange. Strange to see all these people from high school, the same people I sat with at too many other funerals. At the age of 25 you shouldn't be attending the funeral of a friend, of course at the ages of 17 and 16 we were too young as well. But, her service was lovely, she had a pink casket (of course!) and I hope she can finally be at peace.

Tomorrow is the Rockies home opener which is exciting. I find it pretty funny that everyone is so gung-ho about the Rocks ever since the won the NL title last year. Usually their upcoming season is hardly a blip, but people are ALL about it this year. I hope to go to a bunch of games this summer, there is really nothing like sitting at a game out in the sun with a cold, overpriced beer in hand :)

Saturday night is my big birthday night. Kelly has planned a fun night out with dinner and drinks and all that, so I am really looking forward to it. Excited to get together with everyone and have a good time! Woot!!

hello march!

2008-03-06T20:19:00.004-05:00

So, it's been for-evah since I posted last... let's get you updated on the life of Sam. Let's see... so the job is going well. I started full time this week, so that's cool. I like it and it keeps me busy. Although, I'm not sure how cut out I am for this 8-5 hang out inside an office all day kind of lifestyle. It definitely makes me me miss the traveling, ever-changing, crazy UWP lifestyle. But, I guess the grass is always greener, ya know!? When I was traveling, I missed the "normal" life things like going to the gym, watching movies with my friends and dating. It is nice to be able to do these things again, its just taking some adjusting. Anyway, last weekend I moved into Kelly's place and I'm very happy here. Not that I didn't LOVE living with my parents and sister, but its nice to be a bit more independent- I'm even paying my 0wn rent and groceries! Watch out, mature girl here!!!
Let's see what else is new around here... Kelly and I booked our trip to Mexico this week, we leave May 7th- can't wait, it is going to be mucho mucho fun! Saw the Ingrid Michaelson and Joshua Radin concert last week with Ali and Emily. Great show, worth the trip to the CO Springs for sure! And my favorite foul-mouthed British singer/songwriter Kate Nash is playing in Boulder in May- you best believe we are going to be there, singing along in our best British accents. AND we are very excited about Jack Johnson at Red Rocks in August! So far away, I know, but concerts at Red Rocks are just the epitome of summer and the fact that we are already getting tickets reminds me that summer is just around the corner! Can't wait- laying by the pool, hanging in Wash Park, roof top bars. Bring it on!
Alright, gotta get ready for an uppie-dinner. My old boss, Kerri-Ann, is celebrating her birthday tonight with a bunch of peeps- so I'm excited to have a few drinks and see some old friends. Woot!

things are looking up

2008-02-16T00:18:00.002-05:00

so, sorry for the incredibly short and cranky post last time. I really do have more to say than that. So, first of all, it appears the frustration paid off. So I had 2 interviews Tuesday- they both went well... and lo and behold I have a job now. The first interview I had checked my reference and called me back that afternoon! I started yesterday! It's nothing too great and exciting, but its a start. Its a part time job as an office/marketing assistant. It's downtown, which is fun, and the people are really nice. So far the work has been basic, but it keeps me busy and the days have gone by fast. For now I'm just working Monday, Weds and Fridays, but hopefully the hours will pickup by summer. I'm gonna see how it goes and then see if I can get another part time job or internship or something. So far so good.
Other than that, life has been pretty mellow. I was a little bit of a sad puppy this week since my dear Uppies left on Monday. Yep, the road staff headed out for their next adventure and all the staging staff headed back to their respective homes. I am sure going to miss a lot of people. I got used to having all these extra friends around and I loved it. But, I said my goodbyes (mostly, I didn't get to say goodbye to Christine or Aoife and that made me really sad!) and it will be okay. Luckily I have great friends who actually live in Colorado too!
So, I saw the new Up with People show on Saturday and it was really good. Some really fun changes and a very talented cast. It was a great Denver Premiere Show- they had at at the Buell and tons of people came- including the Mayor and the Governor. Fancy! I am really proud of UWP and hope everything goes great for them this semester and beyond. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back someday.
Okay... well that's the update for now. Plans this weekend: kickboxing, lunch with Kelly and Katie G., maybe a walk around the park with Ms. LuLu and then going out in Wash Park tomorrow night. Yup, life is good.

Oh yeah- we finally saw the Colbie Callait concert on Tuesday- it was her makeup concert from December. She put on a great show. She is so beautiful in person and sang great. Her band is really good too- especially the drummer, who I am a little bit in love with. Her opening acts were good too, although a little long. Jessica Sonner, who is a Colorado girl and very Colbie-like and then Trevor Hall who was really funky, kinda indie, reggae, folksy music. Fun times.

And yes, yesterday was Valentine's Day, but who cares- I really don't celebrate it even when I do have a boyfriend... I think a couple years ago Chris and I got Chick fil a and watched TV- muy romantic! So last night I watched movies and ate cookies with Ali and Kelly- also muy romantic! I did get a great present from my Dad and Stepmom- El Toro of Love!!! xoxo

frustration

2008-02-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

cover letters written: 40+
interviews: 2
me: super frustrated with this whole job search thing

As much as I love staying in my pajamas all day (hence its 3:45 and I'm still wearing sweats and a t-shirt) and watching saved by the bell (you betcha I'm going to watch it in 15 minutes) I am getting restless and bored and need to find something... anything... soon!

But, I'm torn between being super picky and only applying for the jobs I really want and applying for jobs that would just be okay for now. I stepped out on that limb today and got 2 interviews set up within an hour of sending my resumes. So, maybe that's the right direction for me right now... I'll keep you posted on the results.

2008-02-04T14:44:00.000-05:00

So yeah, here it is Monday again. The weekends go by way too fast. Even though I don't have a job so everyday is kinda like a weekend to me, the weekends are definitely more fun, since my friends can come out and play. This weekend was especially fun. Friday night we just chilled- drank wine and ate pizza and watched the Dane Cook movie "Good Luck Chuck". It wasn't great, but not that bad either. I stayed at Kelly's and on Saturday we did free yoga at a studio by her house. Although crowded, it is a really fun class. And I also ran into some people I haven't seen in forever, 2 girls from high school and a girl from college. So that was fun. After yoga (although we were sweaty and gross) we went to lunch at Wash Park Grill, where my buddy Scott works. It was delicious, I'll have to go back soon. Sat. night was The Fray concert. Good times- a big group of us went- some people from Kel's work, some UWP people and Ali. Their new stuff is great and it was so great to see them at such an intimate venue. We also were standing next to Ed McCaffery, the former Wide Receiver for the Broncos. Hmm, small world. On Sunday I just chilled all day and then went to a Super Bowl party. I was pretty shocked the Giants one, but I really didn't care too much, even though Tom Brady is my boyfriend. The commercials were pretty good and had a good time hanging with some new people. Now, its back to the daily grind of looking for jobs and such. Just not feelin' it today though- the weekend exhausted me. I think I'm just going to read. Reading 2 books right now- 3 Cups of Tea, the true story about a climber from California who built schools in Pakistan which is really good so far (its already made me cry) and I'm also reading a book called "Better Single than Sorry". Now, I'm not a big self-help book fan, especially ones about how to attract/get/keep/lose/marry men, but this one intrigued me. I read "He's just not that into you" and "It's called a break-up because its broken" and really enjoyed those- especially the latter, it helped me a lot! I like these books because its not about how to get guys to like you but how you are better off without a lot of them. This one, Better Single than Sorry, was written by the girl who was on the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" TV shows and turned down 3 engagements! She talks about how its better to be alone than with someone who isn't right for you. So true. I think so many of my friends (and yes, sometimes me) spend way too much time obsessing about why our relationships failed or why we are still single when all of our other friends are getting married. We need to just focus on being our best selves and having fun and the other stuff will follow. Okay, that's my 2 cents for today. Have a great week everybody!

titles bore me

2008-01-28T18:44:00.000-05:00

Another Monday, another random post from moi. Still job-searching, its getting increasingly frustrating. I feel like I've applied for so many jobs and I haven't heard anything back. And these aren't just any jobs. These are jobs that I would actually like to do and that I think I am qualified for. So, today, I applied for another 7 or 8 jobs. I just want to get a freakin' interview or two. Okay, that is a lie. I actually want to get a job and make some much-needed money, but at least a call or email for an interview would give me some positive reinforcement and the motivation to keep going. My friend Kelly has been awesome. She not only provides me with ideas of where to look for jobs and specific openings, but she is a source of endless encouragement for me. She pretty much rocks. All my friends do, really. I had a great weekend with them. Friday night we just chilled, drank some skanky wine and watched an even skankier movie. Mr. Woodcock... I don't recommend it at all. Seriously, Susan Sarandon and Billy Bob Thorton are respectable actors... what were they thinking? Anyway... it was a fun night nonetheless. On Saturday Kelly and I got up at the crack of dawn (literally- it was still dark out) to go get in line for Fray tickets. The amazing Denver-based band (with Up with People connections!) are coming home this weekend to play 3 shows at the Bluebird Theater. For 10 bucks a ticket. Heck yes! We didn't want to miss out on this, so we were in line at 7am. They started selling tickets at 10 and by noon we had 8 tickets between the 2 of us. Now... who to take? People who better appreciate us getting up freakin' early and sitting on a cold sidewalk for 5 hours, that's for sure! So after a much-needed run and an even more needed nap on Saturday night we went out- trio style (that's me, Kelly and Ali). Yep, trouble. We had a really fun time mixed with a little bit of rage, but its all good. I love my friends, I love meeting new people and I really love Denver. I am in a really good place right now. Even with no job and no money. I have great friends, a great family (who is letting me shack up in my old bedroom rent-free) and plenty of free time to do yoga, lunch with friends (my calendar is booked this week!), watch episodes of The Office, read good books, catch up on current events (and yes, that includes what crazy Britney is up to today...) and all sorts of other stuff. I really can't believe how busy I am. I know this will all get old in a few weeks, but *fingers crossed* I will have a fantastic new job soon and will be on my way... on my way where? Not sure. But I'm looking forward to it.

music and lyrics (also a great movie)

2008-01-18T18:28:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without music? I think I spend about 80% of my waking hours listening to music. When I get ready, when I'm in the car, working out, a movie soundtrack, at the bar with friends, I like to fall asleep and wake up to music. It is such a part of who I am and how I feel. And what makes me fall in love with an artist or a song? Lyrics. Don't get me wrong- I love the music- guitars, drums, piano, maracas, tambourines, whatever; but lyrics are what gets me. I can fall in love with a song because of just one line. For example the John Mayer song 'Why Georgia' is just an okay song, but it holds one of my favorite lyrics ever- "Everything happens for a reason, but that's no reason not to ask yourself if you are living it right". When I was on the airplane to Thailand, I heard this song by Katie Muela over and over and remembered it for the one line: "Sometimes I believe in fate, but the chances we create, somehow seem to ring more true". And a great Carrie Underwood line that suits my friends and I perfectly: "I close my eyse and I kiss that frog. Each time finding, the more boys I meet, the more I love my dog". If I could write lyrics, I would write just like One Republic. I bought their CD last week because I liked their single that they did with Timbaland and they are a Colorado band with a very Fray-like style. But, damn, their lyrics are just awesome and I relate to them so much. And my new obession: Kate Nash, this adorable Lily Allen-esque Brit, who has a filthy mouth and brilliant lyrics. Here are some of my favorites:

"I need you like a heart needs a beat" One Republic, Apologize

"And I believe that I could tear you apart but it won't break anything that you are, you are
We'll say our goodbyes you know it's better that way
We won't break, we won't die It's just a moment of change
All we are, all we are, is everything that's right
All we need, all we need, our love is at a bind"- One Republic, All We Are

"Hello world
Hope you're listening
Forgive me if I'm young
For speaking out of turn
There's someone I've been missing
I think that they could be
The better half of me
They're in their own place trying to make it right
But I'm tired of justifying So i say you'll..
Come home"- One Republic, Come Home

"Right, birds can fly so high
And they can shit on your head
And they can almost fly into your eye
And make you feel so scared.
But when you look at them
And you see that they're beautiful
That's how I feel about you" - Kate Nash, Birds

And this song, The Nicest Thing, I'll just post the whole song because I love every word of it and its like Kate read my mind as she wrote this song...

All I know is that you're so nice
You're the nicest thing I've seen
I wish that we could give it a go
See if we could be something
I wish I was your favourite girl
I wish you thought I was the reason you are in the world
I wish my smile was your favourite kind of smile
I wish the way that I dressed was your favourite kind of style
I wish you couldn't figure me out
But you always wanna know what I was about
I wish you'd hold my hand when I was upset
I wish you'd never forget the look on my face when we first met
I wish you had a favourite beauty spot that you loved secretly
'Cause it was on a hidden bit that nobody else could see
Basically, I wish that you loved me I wish that you needed me
I wish that you knew when I said two sugars, actually I meant three
I wish that without me your heart would break
I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
I wish that without me you couldn't eat
I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep
Look, all I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen
And I wish that we could see if we could be something
Yeah I wish that we could see if we could be something

So, yep, that's my random post for today. Have a great weekend!

Never Forgotten

2008-01-17T11:48:00.000-05:00

I got back from Texas on Sunday and it is wonderful to be back in the CO. Its freezing, but sunny, so I'm happy.
Monday I went for my first run in such a long time. I did my favorite loop, up through my 'hood and around Clement Park Lake. Although, I didn't make it all the way around because I decided to go visit the Columbine Memorial. For those of you who don't know, I was a sophomore at Columbine High School in April of 1999 when 2 of our classmates killed 12 students, a teacher and then themselves. It was a horrible tragedy and a day that is always somewhere in the back of my mind. I believe I am stronger because of it and it made me appreciate my family, friends, God and life a lot more. Anyway... the memorial was completed last spring I believe, but with all the traveling I have been unable to get up and see it. Monday was the perfect day for it. Clear blue skies, no one else there, completely silent except for the geese overhead. I took of my ipod and walked around reading the quotes and memories from students, teachers, Bill Clinton, etc. that are on the outside ring wall. Some of them were sad, talked about a loss of innocence. Some were inspiring and talked about the gaining of strength. In the inner circle there were the names of the 13 slain with a paragraph either written about them by their family, or something taken from their journal or a poem. It was sad, beautiful, and emotional. When I got to Matt's, I cried so hard for my brilliant friend. I read all the writings and then went back to Matt's and laid my hands on the warm surface and just talked to him. Thanked him for being my Earth Science partner freshman year because you know I wouldn't have passed without him. Talked to him about our crazy 6th grade teachers and wondering what they are doing now. Told him I missed him but I know he's in a better place. I hope they have a good football team in Heaven. The memorial for me was another reminder to fulfill the promise I made to myself almost 9 years ago. To live my life to the fullest and to the best of my abilities because these 13 innocent people cannot. Their lives were cut short before they could go out and make a difference in the world. We can't change that. But each of us who were at the school that day, or consider ourselves a member of the Columbine community, or anybody who wants to can make the conscious effort to be a better person and make a difference because these kids and this amazing teacher were not able to continue doing so.

another day, another post

2008-01-11T00:23:00.000-05:00

So, after numerous requests by friends and strangers, I've decided to keep blogging. Now, I'm no longer traveling around the world so I can't promise my posts will be as exciting or provide endless entertainment as they did before (ha!). But, I love to write and some people seem to enjoy reading what I've got to say, so I guess I'll keep it up for now. So, I'm not going to bore you with the minute details of my day. Not that I don't think that you'd love to hear what time I woke up, what I had for breakfast, what I wore, ect. I will probably just fill these pages with my random thoughts about current events and life and funny quotes from my friends. My friends really are hilarious. God bless technology. Not a day goes by where I don't get a text, email, facebook or myspace comment, MSN message, etc. from one of my friends that makes me laugh out loud.

Just yesterday, my friend Ali who just started a new job sent me this text: "So there is a guy at work I haven't met yet that just came back from vacation. He's like a crazy Italian all hugging everyone. It's like an Olive Garden commercial" Ha!
I also got this email from my friend Kelly: The title "Want to Go?" Just click on the link for a sure laugh http://greenville.craigslist.org/stp/530731516.html

Oh job hunting. It's about to become my life. So the interview I had last week didn't work out. I got the standard "We've decided to go another direction" call today. Why don't they just say "you're not good enough"- at least be honest. They did tell me that they had fun meeting me and that I was a "fabulous burst of energy". Whatever that means. I head home to Denver on Sunday and then its no more vacation time. I'm going to work my ass off to get a job, start running again and stop drinking. Ha, well you know that last one isn't true. Not like I've been drinking here, its a very tame life in Texas. I'm currently in bed in my snowflake pj's, Sex and the City on the TV and my book and crocheting next to me. Yes, I am an 80 year old woman.

Okay, a serious topic. So my sister is 8 and in the 2nd grade at a private Christian school. Yesterday she was talking about a girl at school who was bullying her. I tried to give her some good advice (the standard, "she's just trying to get a reaction out of you so just ignore her or walk away" thing) and tell her not to worry about it too much. This is not the issue, everyone gets bullied at one time or another, I know I did and I turned out okay. But, what struck me is that my sister was talking about how this girl is "popular". Popular!! In the 2nd grade!? I thought this was a Jr. High issue. Shouldn't 8 year olds be worried about spelling homework and dolls? Not popularity contests. And the funny thing is my sister has the same thoughts about popularity as I do. She wonders why this girl is popular if she is so mean? Why do people like here? I always wondered that about the "popular" girls at my school. No one really liked them because they were stuck-up bitches, yet they were considered "popular". However, that is beside the point. How do you tell an 8 year old not to worry about popularity? That it really doesn't matter. Of course it doesn't matter to me, a 24 year-old "grown-up", but it does to her and probably will for another 10 years. It's really sad to me. What can be done about this? Any suggestions?

Okay, well thats all I've got for now. Maybe I'll have more interesting stories when I go visit my uppie friends on Monday. I am so excited to see my Irish girl Aofie!

Rose Parade Pics and Video

2008-01-07T00:22:00.000-05:00

http://

Rose Trippin

2008-01-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

Wow, the past month has just gone by in a blur, it seems hard to believe that just a month ago I was still in The Philippines, preparing to come home. Since then I've spent some time in Denver, Los Angeles and I am now in Texas, visiting my Dad. 2007 overall has been a crazy year. West Coast, South, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, The Philippines. 23 plane flights. Meeting 100s of amazing new people. Ending and beginning relationships and still holding on to the ones that mean the most. I can only begin to hope that 2008 will hold as many amazing things as 2007 did. I suppose that's up to me, though...
The week I spent in LA was great. I, of course, went out there since UWP was chosen to perform the opening number in the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade. Such an honor! And it wasn't just us- the MSU drumline and 100 boy and girl scouts were a part of the routine, as well as the Grand Marshall of the Parade, Emeril LaGassae (you know- BAM!) and the president of the parade. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. So, I had a great Christmas Eve and Day with the Colorado fam- it was the first time in 2 years I was in Denver for Christmas so it was great to celebrate with all of our traditions. And we got tons of snow to make it a beautiful white Christmas so that was great, although made for interesting driving on Christmas Day.
Luckily the roads cleared, because the 26th we headed out to California. I drove with Dave from Cast C and we met up with Tiffnie and Gaby in Grand Junction and drove to Vegas to stay the night. We couldn't find any reasonably priced rooms on the strip so we went about 25 miles South to the "Gold Strike" Casino in Jean where we got a room for $35 and drinks for $2. Can't beat that. The next day we made it to Pasadena to meet up with all our Uppie friends and get ready to learn a song and dance and prepare for the parade that would happen in just a few days. I wasn't so sure about the song and dance we would be doing but after seeing how it would all be put together I realized we were part of something huge and very special. Lynn Morris who is an Up with People legend was there to help put it all together and I must say the woman knows what she is doing. In fact, there was so much amazing talent there it was pretty incredible to see it all in action. So we practiced hard during the day, had fun going out in LA at night (nothing too crazy since we had 8:30 am rehearsals and with all the spinning around we do it would have been too dangerous to be hungover). So on New Year's Eve we had a morning rehearsal in the "Float Barn" where many of the floats are made and stored until parade time. SO COOL! I am a total Rose Parade dork, but I think everyone was pretty impressed. After the rehearsal we got the chance to go to the beach in Santa Monica. It was very pretty and relaxing. We took a quick nap and got ready to go to meet up with the cast at 9pm. We spent New Year's Eve 2008 in a high school cafeteria. Woot! It wasn't that bad, at least I had good company. I was a little bummed that I wasn't in Denver making trouble with my friends, but a had a good time nonetheless.
So, we stayed up all night to get ready for a rehearsal on the street at 3am. We ran through the routine in our costumes- oh the costumes, how could I forget. So we are all in international costumes, some of them pretty funny. I wore a purple German Bavarian type costume complete with knee socks and bloomers and a little flower head wreath. Good stuff. Stefan my German brother was in little shorts and lederhosen. Great! Dave was Egyptian, but looked more like Jesus and we had gypsies and cowboys and Mexicans, Italians, Turkish girls, Scottish kilts, it was great. As we were walking out for rehearsal I heard some relative of someone say "I feel like I'm in a Disney movie." Ha! So we rehearsed then had breakfast, got ready and at 8am we performed our routine in 3 minutes, struck down the set in 45 seconds, and just like that it was all over. It was so much fun and went by incredibly fast. We then watched the parade and then finally got to pass out at noon, after being awake almost 30 hours. Before the sleep we had to say our final goodbyes. It was hard to say goodbye to a lot of people who I don't know when I'll see next. Especially Stefan, I will miss that kid so much. He has been like a ray of sunshine in my life for the past 6 months. I still will see a lot of people in staging since I'm in Denver so we can stretch out the goodbyes a little longer...
So, exhausted as we were, since we didn't have a "real" New Year's Eve we drove to Vegas on the night of the 1st to get in our fun. We stayed in a ridiculously cheesy and huge suite in the Tropicana because the upgraded us and went out at Mandalay Bay. It was a fun night and somehow we managed to stay up late and then drive all the way back to Denver the next day. Seriously, Dave needs to win some kind of driving award- I drove about 2 hours the whole trip while he did the rest. I'm a good passenger though- I didn't sleep at all, just played DJ and provided head scratches and shoulder rubs.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip and I am so happy I decided to go. It was a pretty random decision I made, but it turned out to be a great one and I am proud to say I was a part of the Rose Parade 2008 cast. I hope it turns out well for UWP and gets them some recognition and sponsors. It is weird to say "them" and not "us". I have been working on that. It is weird that the road staff is in Denver right now doing their training and I'm here in Texas. I want to know what is going on and be a part of it, but I know I can't and I won't be. I am fine with it, its just a little strange right now. I am continuing looking for jobs and had one interview already. We'll see what happens, but I know I'll be happy in Denver whatever I do. And then I'll get the travel bug again and be off somewhere else. But, for now, it will be good to be grounded and have this so-called "normal" life. I guess this is it for the UWP blog.

So... now what?

2007-12-23T18:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, well I feel kinda silly writing in my 'Up with People' blog, when I'm no longer a part of it, but I feel kinda weird not posting anymore. So maybe no one is going to read this because they aren't checking my blog anymore, but what the hell? I need to write and I can type a lot faster than I can write in my journal. Plus, I think the way I'm feeling is probably shared by most the people I traveled with. So here goes...
I've been back almost 2 weeks. Here is what I have done so far... sleep A LOT, hang out with my best friends Kelly and Ali, spend too much time on facebook and myspace keeping in touch with Up with People people, go out to the bars a few times, saw a movie, watched a lot of DVDs, caught up with some old friends like Meagan that I used to work with at Children's World and Chris, of course, who confuses me more than ever, not him, but just our situation. I enjoy driving my jeep, except when it is snowing which it has done 3 or 4 times since I've been back. I've been trying to eat, I still don't have my appetite back after being sick, but hey I've lost the weight I gained in Europe (damn chocolate, cheese and bread). I am just rambling right now, but hey what the hell? Its my blog and and I'm probably the only one reading it. So anyway, being home has been good and not too weird. It is weird that I won't be going out on the road again in a month. I think when UWP starts again and then my friends on staff leave Denver I will be kind of depressed that I'm not with them. I need a job. I do have an interview after New Year's which I am pumped about. Not getting my hopes up , since its the first one, but its a start! Once I move out of my parents place and have a job I think I will get into the swing of this "normal" life thing, but right now I just feel like I'm in-between semesters again. Trying to organize my life, see as many people as I can and take it all in. But, there is so much I want to still do. Go skiing, hike in Boulder on a nice day, run around the Clement Park lake (and not die of a heart attack!), spend more time with my family- I feel bad, I'm always gone. I sleep here (sometimes), but this week I went like 3 days without seeing my mom. I came home yesterday and she goes, "Who are you?". I'll probably spend more quality time with them once I move out.
I got my "letter to myself" in the mail today. Weird. I wrote the first one in Denver during staging and then we read them in Italy and wrote new ones. It was really funny to read. I was pretty proud of myself though, I accomplished many of my goals for the semester and I am especially proud that I improved on myself a lot the second half. I put my mind to do certain things and I did them and it was cool to look back and see that. And it was funny, the last line of the letter was like "Well self, you've had fun traveling, but now get a real job!" Ha, I'm funny. I will certainly try.
Christmas. Oh Christmas. I don't really feel in the spirit this year. Maybe because they have been celebrating Christmas in the Philippines since we got there in November. I usually always listen to Christmas music, but I can't stand it this year. I totally wasn't into gift getting, which I usually love buying people presents (maybe its because I have no money...) Today I finally got a little excited about Christmas Eve, good thing because its tomorrow. I just love my family traditions of the things we eat, and doing presents after dinner. It should be good times. Then, the day after Christmas I am leaving for the Rose Bowl (I say bowl, but I really mean parade, we aren't even going to the game). I am driving out there with my friend Dave, which should be fun... we have a lot to catch up on, a lot to still learn about each other and over 15 hours to do it! 30 if you count the way back. People can't believe I am driving out there, but honestly, I kinda prefer driving over flying. Maybe because its what we do in UWP, but I feel like it means more when you drive there. You aren't skipping right to the place you are going, but enjoying the journey as well. Cheesy I know, I can't help it. I am looking forward to spending some time in L.A. and of course seeing all my UWP-peeps. Even though its only been a few weeks, I really miss a lot of people. My staff especially, they were my family, my rock, my friends for 5 months. Christine, Gabe, Laura, Joern, Pepper, J-Rad, Henry, Joke, Patrico, Jeff, the Schmenebos, Hector... I really miss each and every one of them. Today I had to listen to the song, "In the beginning"... so cheesy, but it reminds me so much of the last semester. I was really bummed I couldn't find the real version on I-Tunes, its good for a good cry :) Okay, I guess I am going to stop rambling now. The Broncos are on soon!

Pictures, finally!

2007-12-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

So they aren't mine, but they are better! My awesome roommate in Manila, Rafael from Brazil, is an amazing photographer and he gave me a bunch of his pictures from our time in Manila. Thanks Rafa! You can view them all at http://picasaweb.google.com/SamanthaRoman7/ThePhilippines

Woot!

HOME

2007-12-14T08:39:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 14, 2007

Well, it was a pretty uneventful travel day (just super-long) and I got home at 6pm Monday night. I got my suitcase (it survived all 4 flights!) and went to meet my mom at passenger pickup. I decided to be brave and wait outside, even though all I had was a thin long-sleeve shirt and my windbreaker. Bad idea. I took 2 steps outside and felt the cold all the way down in my lungs and turned around and walked back inside. I’ll wait here. Brrrrr! From 90 degrees to 10 in just a few hours. Yikes. But, it snowed and was beautiful and I was so happy to be back home in Colorado. It was great to see my mom, sister and stepdad when I got home. I then slept a lot. And then didn’t sleep at night. I thought I was back on track, but today I woke up at 4 am, even though I went to bed at 11. Oh well. It’s been great being home. Besides sleeping I’ve seen my good friends Ali and Kelly. We had Mexican food at one of my favorite places- Lime- last night and we have big plans for the weekend. Today I am going to go to the gym with my dear Auntie Barb and then go to Boulder to get my haircut and do some shopping. It’s supposed to snow more today too! I love it! It’s strange being away from UWP people, but thank goodness for email, facebook and skype. I’ve had communication with at least one person everyday. I will go to the Rose Parade for New Year’s and then- that’s it for me and UWP. It’s so hard to believe that its over. I guess its never really over. I will always hold UWP in my heart and who knows? Maybe work for them again someday. I just believe in this organization so much because I’ve seen that it changes lives. Not only of the students and staff, but host families, people who see the show and the people we do community service with. Even if we are not building a house, we are still making positive changes in the lives of people. And that is what it is really all about. I hope I can find another job that I can be this passionate about. That is probably the most valuable lesson that UWP has taught me- that you must love what you do. It’s not about the money if you are not happy. I promise myself I will never work in a job that I hate. Because, if you aren’t happy, then what is the point? Okay, getting a little deep here for 6 am…

This will probably be one of my final posts. I’ll write about the Rose Bowl and then that will it for me and my Up with People blog. Thanks to everyone for reading over the past months and years. My family, friends, family of other Uppies, alumni and even complete strangers. Writing is the way I express myself and it means a lot to me that people read this.

Love,

Sam

Goodbye Manila, Goodbye Friends

2007-12-14T08:38:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 10, 2007 5:22am

So, I’m sitting in the Manila airport, reflecting on the past weeks and months in Up with People. All of the North Americans are sitting here at our gate waiting for our flight to Hong Kong, our connection to LA. From there I will take 2 more flights and then I will be home in Denver… “technically” only 13 hours from now, but really like 27 or something.

So, let’s go back to where I left off. I made it to my last day of CI last Wednesday, which I’m happy about. I wasn’t feeling great, but I am so happy I was there to say goodbye to the people in my community and the employees at the Kaibigan Foundation. In the morning we had a final evaluation with some of the community leaders and it was a big cry-fest. They told us how much they appreciated us and visa-versa. It was nice to hear that we had made an impact with these women. I know they impacted me and I learned a lot from them, but I didn’t know how much we meant to them. They told us that we inspired them and they felt so grateful to have friends from another country. It was very sweet. Later on in the afternoon they threw us a party. The community leaders from the 3 communities we were in where there along with the Kaibigan people. We played games and ate great food and they even gave us gifts! I got a Manila t-shirt and some flip-flops that they had decorated. They are super-cute. So, after CI I was completely exhausted, but I quickly packed and got ready for the staff banquet. We had a nice dinner on the top floor of a building in Makati with a great view. Joern gave us gifts and we watched a staff slideshow which was a lot of fun. It made me realize that yeah, we worked our asses off but we had a lot of fun along the way. It was a good night.

The next day we loaded up the buses and headed up to the mountains to beautiful Baguio. It was such a great change of scenery. Beautiful mountains, lots of green and no pollution! It made me happy. We spent a lot of time at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and met the cadets and learned a lot. It was very interesting. We also had a lot of internal time to reflect on the semester and prepare for going home. My cough got worse, so I went to the PMA hospital and saw a doctor. He gave me some prescriptions which seem to be working. I hope I can make these 4 flights without coughing so much I annoy the other passengers.

Last night (Sunday) we had our final banquet which was really nice. We had a color theme of black white and silver and everyone looked great! We had our final “awards” such as “best smile” and “biggest flirt” and “most changed” and a lovely dinner and, of course, our final dance party as Cast B 2007. At 9pm we boarded the buses to head back to Manila. I slept pretty much the whole way down and awoke at 4am at the Manila Airport. Oh, let the crying begin. It was sad to say goodbye to a lot of people, not knowing when I would see them again. However, on the up side, many people I will see again soon, either at the Rose Parade in just a few weeks or in Denver for staging in January. I held it together quite nicely as I repacked my stuff and said goodbye to people. Then, just as I was about to go in the airport to check in, I said goodbye to our cast manager, Joern. I have known Joern the longest out of anybody in the cast, as I met him my very first day of UWP, back in July 2006. It suddenly hit me that I wouldn’t be seeing him in 3 weeks… who knows when I would see him again. I love Joern, he is such a wonderful friend, leader, human being. I lost it right there. I bawled my way all the way through security (twice) and checking into my flight. Once I got to the gate I pulled it together, but man, saying goodbye just sucks.

The Filipino Flu

2007-12-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Well, the sore throat turned into the flu, yuck. For the past 6 days I have been stuck at home with a fever, headache, cough and all that other fun stuff. Apparently there is this “super-bug” going around here these days and it gives you what I am now referring to as the Filipino Flu. It has been no fun. I have missed the last days with my community and the last two Up with People Shows! The last shows of my Up with People career! I tried to make it for one show day, but ended up going home halfway through the day because I felt so bad. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, but by the time I got to my CI, I had to turn around and come home because I felt like passing out. Tonight, I feel great, except for a wicked cough, so I am confident that I will be able to complete my final day of community service and attend my staff banquet tomorrow. My roommates told me the shows went very well and they felt that the really impacted the audiences here.

I really can’t believe that it is already December and there is only 5 days of UWP left! I hope to take some time to reflect over the next few days about this semester and my entire Up with People experience. It has been a crazy year and half. I have traveled the world, met incredible people, seen amazing things and learned so many invaluable lessons.

An Egg with Attitude

2007-11-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 29, 2007

So yeah… I ate balut. Do you want to know what that is? Do you really want to know?? Well, since I can’t describe it without gagging, I’ll let “Wikipedia” do it. “Balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available.”

The wonderful advance team got enough of these little treats for the whole cast last night. Not everyone did it (I can hardly blame them), but since I turned down the chicken feet last week, I figured what the heck? First you crack the egg and drink the “juice”. Luckily, mine wasn’t too juicy. And then I took two big bites, chewed it as fast as I could and swallowed. I chased it with a lot of Root Beer. It was kind of like being on “Fear Factor”, except I didn’t win any money. Honestly, it wasn’t THAT bad, but its not something I would do ever again. When I first opened it up I saw the little eye and the feathers and okay, I’ll stop now.

So, other than the balut, last night was an amazing night with the cast. We really came together as a group and I felt so much love in the room. We reflected on our time together and had to chance to tell people that we admire them, or that we are thankful for them. I realized last night there are so many people who I don’t really know yet. There really just isn’t enough time. One of the fun things we did last night was make predictions for each other’s futures. It was like where will this person be in 5 years? Some of mine were really funny! Most people said I would be married with a kid (ahhh!) and be some type of high-powered PR or marketing woman. I like that. I don’t know about the married thing though. It will be fun to save what people wrote and look at it in 5 years.

Sometimes it hurts too much to look

2007-11-27T04:39:00.000-05:00

Tuesday November 27, 2007

It’s been a few days since I’ve written, but it has been pretty uneventful, until today. Wow, today was very emotional. It was the first time I ever cried during community service. There have been times I've wanted to, but I hold it together and think, why should I be crying? My tears are going to do nothing to help them. But, today, after seeing what I saw, I really couldn’t keep it in. We met at the Kaibigan Foundation per usual, but today we headed to a different community. We took 2 jeepnys and a tricycle to get to Baseco. This is a slum community of 500,000 people and one of the poorest areas in Manila. We went to the GK projects there a few weeks ago, but today we went to poorest part. We got there and walked along the water- it is right on Manila Bay, one of the dirtiest bodies of water in the world. But, people were swimming in it and the fish we ate for lunch was probably swimming in it earlier that day too. And then we saw the houses. No, you can’t even call them houses, shacks is more like it. Made of scraps of metal, wood, with old advertisement banners for windows and roofs. Most of them falling apart and today most of them flooded. Our plan was to go visit the Kaibigan beneficiaries that live there, but we couldn’t get to many of the houses because the floods. We walked on the beach awhile and there was so much trash. I will have to post pictures for you to understand how dirty it was. This is when the tears started to flow. I just can't believe that human beings live in these conditions. And not for a few weeks or months. Most of these people have lived here their entire lives. They had dug out a trench to get the water out from the communities and it was just flooding back into the ocean. We had to make a makeshift bridge out of a piece of wood to get across. Today was a bad day to wear flip flops. We walked around the community a while and saw people (mostly children) lined up to get food from a Korean non-profit that is helping there. We met mothers with newborns, “Is this your first child?”, we ask. “No” the answer; “It is my 7^th (or 8^th or 9^th)”. I kept my head down a lot today. Mostly to watch out where I was going to not fall in water, mud, trash or feces. But sometimes, it was just too painful to look up. Walking along the beach just filled with garbage and looking at the homes of people who really see no hope. They would like to have nice(er) Habitat or GK homes like their neighbors, but event these require a small mortgage ($15/month). These people have nothing. They try to find jobs, but with half a million people in their area and no money for transportation there isn’t much they can do. All they can really hope and pray for is that their children can get an education and make something better of their lives. However, only about 25% of the kids in Baseco are in school. Kaibigan can only help with 1 child and although school is free, you still have to pay for uniforms, transportation, supplies, etc. I really don't know what else to add. I have some ideas on what we can do to help these people, but I need to work on them a little more.

Other than today, we have had a pretty relaxed last few days. We had such a fun time at the “Art for a Cause” event and it was very successful! They sold many paintings and raised a lot of money. Plus, the Nativity Play was so cute! Those kids are so talented. They sing a song called “If I Had the Chance”. Wow, talk about a tear-jerker. I will post the lyrics later because they are singing the song in our shows as well. Sunday was a day off and we slept in and bummed around and then went to see one of Up with People’s mini-shows at the Christmas Bazaar. They did a great job and it was so nice to see some of the cast again. I missed everyone’s hugs! Yesterday (Monday) I got tons of work done, including applying for jobs, so keep your fingers crossed! Last night I went with the roomies to see the movie “Enchanted”. It was pretty cute and I love that the lead character, Amy Adams, is from Castle Rock, CO. Way to represent!! AND… Up with People got a mention in the movie as well!! In one scene, Patrick Dempsy’s character is asking the Princess (Amy Adams) why she is so happy and optimistic. He asks her “What is with this Kumbayah, Up with People routine?” Ha! I love it. Even if it is slightly sarcastic, I still love the pop culture references to us!

Other than that, we are at our halfway point in The Philippines and there is less than 2 weeks left of the semester! Let the countdown begin…

One Picture for ya

2007-11-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

This picture is from the day we visited the children in Baseco. Taken by my dear friend and wonderful photographer, Christine.

Saturday, November 24, 2007
Days 9 and 10

Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving. I woke up a little sad because I wasn’t home with my family. I wish, just for that day, I could teleport back to Colorado or Texas, have Thanksgiving, and then come back to Manila. I am really having a wonderful time here, but its always nice to be home on holidays. Anyway, Thursday was pretty much a normal day- no watching the parade, no big meal at 2 o’clock. Just more painting at the Learning Center and enjoying the company of my fellow CI people. After CI we had another night with the cast, so we met at Assumption College again. Our first activity was to make “hand turkeys”! Yes, I love being a kid again! So the Americans showed the rest how to trace your hand, draw feet, a face and, of course, the gobbler, and then we wrote on everyone’s paper why we were thankful for them. For example, I am thankful to Christine that she always laughs at my jokes. Or to Tiffanie and Cassidy because they live in Colorado and that means we can still hang out in January. After this activity the advance team announced to us that we would be having a real Thanksgiving dinner! The American Women’s Business Club donated a huge meal for all of us- turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pie, green bean casserole, even ambrosia! It was wonderful and made me feel a little less homesick. Before and after dinner we watched a movie called the “Power of One”. It was really good, but I think I need to see it again to feel its true impact. So yep, that was Thursday.

Friday was another community impact day, this time we finished painting the learning center. It looks really great- I hope the community enjoys it. We also had a weekly wrap up and feedback with the directors of Kaibigan. After CI, we went to the mall, but I didn’t find anything I needed. We came home and had a very nice dinner with our host family and two of their friends. Plus, 3 more UWP people came over and joined us so we had a lot of fun. After dinner the students decided they were going to go out to a movie or grab a drink, but I felt like being a bum and just stayed in. I talked with my host family and their friends until they left and then I just hung out. I read and finally got to talk to my BFF Kelly online for awhile. It was good to catch up with her. It’s hard to believe in just over 2 weeks we will be able to catch up in the same room!

Today (Saturday), I am free until 2, and then we are going to a special event with Kaibigan. They are having an art show/ rehearsal for the nativity play. We are going to help display the art that the kids have created and then Cassidy and I volunteered to do the kids’ makeup for the play! I am really excited.

P.S. The other UWP cast on the road right now, Cast C, performed live on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! They did a wonderful job and we are all so proud of them. A few people were also on the Today Show yesterday (you know when they go outside to do the weather and talk to the people in the crowd.) What great publicity for UWP- good job Cast C!

So much to be thankful for

2007-11-21T18:33:00.001-05:00

November 21, 2007

Days 7 and 8

Another couple exhausting, but wonderful days have gone by. Sometimes I have to remind myself I have only been here a week… it seems like much longer. I have experienced so much here and feel like I’m getting into a routine, so it feels like much longer. Okay, here’s the scoop…

Yesterday, Kellys and I were given the task of entertaining about 40 kids, ages 6-16 in the Barangay (neighborhood) that we have been working in. We had planned a few activities, but mostly just played it by ear. We stuck with simple games and songs, like the hokey-pokey, rock paper scissors, etc. I also pulled out a few things I somehow remembered from cheerleading camp! Good stuff. At the end of 2 hours, Kellys and I were exhausted from the running and jumping around in a tiny church with all those kids. I had a great time though. After that we visited some more houses and had lunch. Aside from the morning, it was a pretty laid back day. The evening was one of our nights with the cast, so we all met up at Assumption High School (sound familiar, Bartas?). It was great seeing everyone again, even though it had only been a few days. We talked about our experiences in Manila and how we are nearing the end of the semester. It got pretty emotional- I was doing totally fine with the concept of this ending… until this meeting. We talk a lot about the “stages of loss”- denial, anger, acceptance, etc. I was perfectly happy being in denial, but it really hit me last night how this is over. UWP has been my life 24/7 for 18 months. These people are my best friends and family on the road and come December 10^th I don’t know when I will see most of them again. I also got pretty emotional when we talked about our experiences in The Philippines. Every one has been impacted in one way or another and we all wrote our thoughts down on big sheets of paper. I started to write “How can the rich here justify the way they live their lives?” but I thought about it and had to add “How can I justify the way I live my life”. The things I spend my money and time on… surely it can be put to better use? I’m not Mother Theresa and I never will be, but I know that there is more that I can do. But what? And then thinking about the concept of guilt. Should I feel guilty for the way I live? For some reason I was born into a hardworking, fairly affluent family in the USA, and they were born into an equally hardworking, but very poor family here. Neither of us could help that- so I can’t feel guilty. But, I still do.

Today was another day spent in the community. Kellys was sick today so it was just me. Wow, that was a challenge. I have never done community service completely alone before. Usually it’s a large group, sometime small… but just me? It felt like a lot of pressure. It total today I visited 21 homes! When I looked at my notes I could hardly believe it. I met so many people, each wonderful and unique in their own situations. Some sadder than others, some which gave me a lot of hope. A constant throughout the visits is when I ask the parents, “What is your dream for your children?” They always answer, “That they will be able to finish their education.” Wow! Can you imagine? I’m sure my parents wished that for me too, but it was practically a given… put me on the school bus at the age of 5, help me with my homework, pay for my college, books, clothing, supplies, etc. and its done. I doubt it was ever a nagging fear for my parents that I wouldn’t get an education, a good job and have a good life. So, besides the home visits I talked a lot with the women community leaders who lead me around. There are usually about 5 or 6 with them with me and they are so sweet. My favorite is Tess, she is so tiny- probably about 4 foot 10 and so strong and sweet and confident. They always say that they hope I come back and visit some day and to bring my friends and family… anybody up for a trip to The Philippines in a couple of years?? For lunch today we went to a small store owned by a family in the community. It was the usual- rice, Pork Adobo, some veggies. They offered me a Filipino delicacy called Adidas. It is chicken feet! I thought about trying it but honestly, I was too chicken (pun totally intended)! Ew. Luckily they weren’t offended, they just laughed and some admitted they don’t like it either. So, I had to say goodbye to my friends in Tejeron ‘til Saturday. Tomorrow and Friday we return to the Learning Center to finish our painting. Tonight I’m going to relax with my host family, I enjoy their company more and more each day- they are truly fascinating people!

Manila... ila...ila..ila.. eh eh

2007-11-19T10:19:00.001-05:00

Day 6

Our 3^rd CI day in The Philippines. Exhausting, more emotionally than physically. Today we went into the communities that Kaibigan helps. Kellys and I went to the community of Tejron, a small neighborhood in what is considered the “urban poor” area. We met with the residents who have children who are beneficiaries of Kaibigan. In total, there are 41 children in Tejron who are helped by Kaibigan; we probably met about 15 of them today. Each family (usually just the mother, sometimes the father too) invited us into their homes and answered our questions. They were so welcoming and friendly, each apologizing for their tiny houses. Some of them I felt like I could barely fit into, they were so small. Usually pretty clean, just crowded with furniture. A family of 7 or 8 usually lives in a place about the size of my living room at home. Some of them so short I had to bend over to fit into. I have never felt so tall in my life! It is absolutely humbling, shocking, heart-breaking and comforting all at the same time. “Yes, it is small”, they say, “but it means my family is close to me. And family is the most important thing”. Many of the homes are decorated for Christmas already. I ask them what is Christmas like here- envisioning empty stockings and children sad that Santa is not able to bring them much. But oh no. “It is the happiest time”, they say. “The children love it- they get to go from house to house and visit all of their friends and family”. I almost couldn’t hold it together at these statements. Wow, the things we worry about, getting the right presents, it is enough, I want this and that- and these people are just grateful to visit their families on Christmas. Yes, they know they are poor they say. They use the term “depressed”… but, for the most part, they are happy. Happy that it has not rained heavily this week and it hasn’t flooded their house and caused the entire 6-member family to have to sleep on the one twin bed. Happy that they have enough to eat today and probably tomorrow. The children play as any other children do, but they do not need expensive toys to keep them entertained. It makes me think a lot about how we live our lives in America. What do we complain about? What causes us to have a bad day? It can always be worse. A lot worse. I really can’t get over how friendly and welcoming the residents were. Always offering us a seat, something to eat, asking us questions, telling us how beautiful we are. We had lunch with the women in the community- it was good; some rice, Lumpia (kind of like a spring roll), some stew and water. I drank about a half of cup of water before I realized it had come straight from the tap. They’ve warned us not to drink it- it will probably make us sick for several days- and to stick to bottled water or water that has been boiled. So, I stopped after the half of cup and I feel fine so far. I felt so bad eating their food- they can barely afford enough for their families and here I am, someone who took 2000 pesos (about $45) out of the ATM the other day without a second thought… here I found out that is considered a very expensive month’s rent. But, they insisted we eat with them and it was wonderful to talk with the women and find out about their lives. The women are definitely the stronghold in the Filipino community- granted many of the men are out working as tricycle drivers or painters, but the women run their community, as well as taking care of their many, many children and doing side jobs like cooking food to sell or washing clothes. Especially the women in the Kaibigan communities. They serve as these community leaders and do so much for their families and neighbors. The more I learn about this organization, the more I like it. It really gives the power to the communities and reminds me of the phrase “Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for his whole life”. Kaibigan is teaching these people to fish.

So, today was definitely an emotional day. I feel so many things inside and have so many thoughts and more questions. When I got home today, I just had to lay down, put on some music and think and try to process what I saw today. Tomorrow, we are going to work with the kids in the community, which I am excited about.

I just don't know

2007-11-18T09:27:00.000-05:00

Days 4 and 5

November 18, 2007

It’s amazing how much stuff happens and how many things we do in just a few days. I have so much on my mind right now, I have to write it down before I forget about it. So, Saturday was our regional learning day in The Philippines. We had a very busy day… this was our schedule…

08:30AM Staff Circle
08:45AM HDO
09AM - 10:45AM Ayala Museum Visit
10:45 Start Leaving the Museum
11AM Load Buses / Boxed Lunch on the Buses
12PM - 3PM City Tour of Manila - Intramuros / Forte de Santiago / Rizal Museum / San Augustin Church / Casa Manila
3:30PM - 5:PM GK Project Baseco - Visit and Interaction with a needy community

15:30 - 16:00 Orientation (Tito Jun is going to explain about the site to the Cast)
16:00 - 16:15 SIBOL kids' performance
16:15 - 16:30 Tour around the site.
16:30 - 16:45 Home owners will share their experiences to the Cast
16:45 - 16:55 UWP mini-performance (Tito Jun will provide the sound equipment)
16:55 - 17:00 Interaction time with people from the community and goodbyes.

5PM Load Buses
5:30PM Arrival at Patio Victoria Restaurant
5:30PM - 6PM Performance - The Singing Bamboos of the Philippines
6PM - Welcome Ceremony / National Anthem / Welcome Remarks (Mr. Joseph Consul / Zesto) / Acknowledgement (Mr. Luis Petzhold / UWP) / Message (Ms. Teresina H. Mauricio/PCVC/DOT)
6:30PM - Dinner Starts
TBD - Bayanihan - The National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines / Emcee: Ms. Daphne Lopez Mitra
9PM HPU

Yeah… just a few things to do here in Manila. The Ayala Museum was very cool. We watched a very informative and interesting video on the recent history of The Philippines. It talked a lot about the politics, especially involving the corrupt presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. We then visited the rest of the museum- some really cool dioramas of the whole history of the country and some awesome art work by college students. I wish I could tell you about each of the pieces, but it’s too much…

After the museum we got the city tour which was interesting, but it was SO hot and humid. We were all very sweaty! The next part was the best part of our day… we went to Baseco which is a former slum community which had a big fire a couple of years ago. All of the resident’s homes (shacks) burned down and they were left with nothing. The organization Gawad Kalinga (GK) has totally turned around this community by building houses. They are very simple and small (cost 1000 US$ to build) but they are all these people need. GK is an organization kind of like Habitat for Humanity or The Fuller Center for Housing (what we did in the Chattahoochee Valley last March). The residents put in volunteer hours to build their own houses along with many other volunteers- mostly Filipino, but some foreigners too. We had so much fun in the village. When we arrived the children danced for us. They were so cute! We toured around the area and we talked with the parents and played with the kids. We watched several short films about the project, including one about a man who lost is wife in 9/11 and decided that in her memory, he would build these communities in the Philippines. Wow. Talk about hope coming from tragedy. Before we had to leave we had a lot of time to hang out with the kids. Two small girls, Clarissa and Jennifer, latched onto me and showed me all kinds of fun games. It was awesome. Jennifer had a 1 year old brother who was adorable and that she was fiercely protective of and annoyed by all at the same time. This girl was about 7 and had attitude- I love her! When we got on the buses to leave, the whole community came out to say goodbye. It was so much fun! And it is so amazing to see these people who have almost nothing, but they are so thankful what they do have and so content with their lives. But, at the same time, it is really sad that more is not being done. There are enough people in Manila who would be willing to work to build their houses and there is definitely enough money in this country to make it happen. But why doesn’t it? Lack of space? The distribution of resources? I’m not sure. All I know is that it makes me want to do more.

After the time at Baseco we had a wonderful dinner at Patio Victoria. They had a whole roasted pig for us. I was going to try it, but then I saw them cut off the tail and the legs and that was way too much for me. Josh, a guy in our cast from Texas, ate the tail… and the tongue! We also had some really great performances from a folk dance troupe and the ‘Singing Bamboos’. All of this was donated by the Department of Tourism, so that was pretty amazing. By the time we got home and talked with our host family it was midnight and we crashed… I woke up 12 hours later…

So, today was our free day, which meant time to sleep in, relax and spend with our host family. So, after my long snooze, we had some breakfast and headed out with our host mom and sister to see the city. She drove us around the area to show us the wealthy areas, the “middle-class” and the poor shanty towns. Its crazy to see what is considered middle class here. Think of the poorest of the poor neighborhoods in the US or Europe. That is the middle class here. The taxi-drivers, security guards, office workers, ect. The living conditions aren’t terrible, but certainly not comparable to our middle class homes in the US. After we saw the middle neighborhoods, our host mom took us to a slum area. We parked our car by a bridge, walked by a few little stalls selling fruits, vegetables and meat and walked town some concrete steps to below the bridge. This is where about 25 families live. A few months ago there was a fire here and my host mom along with some other people brought them some stuff because they had lost everything. So, they remembered “Mam Renee” and invited us to come take a look. Wow. There are really no words to describe what I saw. Tiny shacks, kids everywhere, many people missing teeth, dirt, spiders, mosquitoes, no running water, and big smiles and hellos for us. The little kids grabbed our hands and pressed them to their foreheads (a sign of respect in The Philippines). A baby, just barely a year old, grabbed my hand with his tiny little fist and pressed it too his tiny little head. My heart about melted right there. So cute. They asked us our names and told us there. They showed us where they slept 5 kids on the floor lined up together, the baby in the hammock… the woman washing clothes in a bucket…the old grandmother with no teeth, holding the baby with a full diaper and open sores on his leg. The residents didn’t seem to mind at all that we were there. They didn’t seem to expect us to give them anything either. Perhaps they just want us to see where they are and hope that we will tell others about it. I wish I could do more for these kids living here. I wanted to give them money, but I didn’t have enough for all of them- there were at least 20 children there. And would it help? 5 pesos, 50, 100, 1000? I just don’t know.

Rain, Paint, McDo and Tricycles

2007-11-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

November 16- Days 2 and 3

Wow, there is so much to write about from the past two days. I feel very over-stimulated right now- the sights, sounds, smells; it’s all a little much to take right now. Yesterday was our first day of Community Service and although it was interesting, we were all so tired that it was hard to focus and have a lot of energy. We arrived at our CI (Community Impact) site about 45 minutes late due to a torrential rain storm which left many of the streets flooded. Our host mom drove us and it was crazy… we should have brought a boat- the water was so deep in places I swear you could of swam in it. So we got to the place late, but that’s okay- people are used to it with the crazy traffic around here. Our CI site is called Kabigian Ermita Outreach Foundation and its basically a non-profit that helps street children and the urban poor families. They help with education, skills, the arts, family counseling and other things. Right now they are serving over 300 children. While that may be a small number (Manila has an estimated 700,000 street children) it is great to see that it is really working. 2 of the women who we are working with at the foundation were former clients and now they are 2 of 10 employees who are running this great organization. We will be doing a lot of outreach work with Kaibigan, one of the other students, Kellys from Venezulea, and I will be going to one specific area to do all of our work- Sayuri from Japan and Benjamine from Belgium will be going to another area, while Rafa from Brazil and Cassidy from Colorado will be going to another. We will all meet together at the beginning and end of each day, but be in the communities during the day. I am really excited to get out there and help and experience what will most likely be slum-like conditions. We were going to go the first day, but couldn’t because the rains had caused too much flooding. We did have an interesting walk that day, over to the Learning Center, where they hold some classes and choir practice. We were dodging taxis, jeepneys, people, dogs, giant roosters and puddles all at the same time. It was nuts. After that adventure we went back to the main facility by tricycle. No, not the little three wheelers you ride as a kid (side note: I had an awesome turtle trike…), but they are comparable to the Thai tuk-tuks… it’s a motorcycle with a little covered sidecar for passengers. We actually fit four people on ours- 2 in the car and 2 on the bike. I rode side-saddle (don’t worry mom and dad… it was PERFECTLY safe…) Good times. So then lunch… (oh yeah, this was all before lunch). We had lunch at a little restaurant by the office. I played it safe and had chicken and veggie soup… some were braver and had some pig’s blood soup. Yeah.. blood soup. I wanted to do it, just to say that I had, but there was no way. I really couldn’t. So yeah, after that we helped some more in the office and headed home. The good thing about these full day CI projects is we get off at 3, which gives us time to go shopping, see the sites, relax, whatever. Today we were so exhausted that by the time we caught a cab (see more about that adventure below) we were too tired to do anything but go home and hang out. We had another nice dinner with our host family and went to bed early.

Okay, Friday already. I got a great night’s sleep and woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy (okay energy after 2 cups of coffee). We got to CI on time (even though our cabbie got lost) and got to work right away painting the Learning Center. There were plenty of adventures involved in that process, but its probably not that exciting for you to hear about painting so I’ll fast forward to lunch. They brought us McDonalds. But it wasn’t burgers and fries… it was McSpaghetti (with really sweet sauce) and McDo.. yeah McDo, which is apparently fried chicken. It sure tasted like McDo. Wow, okay…. So we got back to work, lots of painting today… looks great, but we have more work to do next week. We finally finished our wall, cleaned up and hit the streets to catch a cab. Words can not do this experience justice. The streets are so ALIVE, people everywhere- kids, old women, everyone, jeepnys, cars, bikes, motorcycles and our mission: taxis, most of which are full of people, we need an empty one. So we do the taxi wave (palm down, fingers moving- kind of like the US “shooing” motion) and hope one will come our way. When one finally stops, we yell our destination through the window… sometimes the reply is “too much traffic”… which means, I don’t want to go out of my way. Filipinos will never tell you no. They will say maybe, or even yes, when they mean no. So, with the help of some locals on the street we finally catch a cab which will take us home… a half an hour to hour drive, depending on traffic of course, and it cost from 100 to 160 Filipino pesos (2-3 dollars). After CI today, even though we were covered in blue paint, we decided to go to the mall. We (of course) ran into Up with People people and then went to the bookstore. I got a book, a new journal and The Economist. Rafael got some photography books. Then, we happened to run into our host mom who was there while our roommate Christine was getting a haircut. After a few more errands we picked Josh and his friend up from Skateboarding and we headed home. We had a nice dinner for the Shabbat (our host fam is Jewish) and now we’re just hanging out. Tomorrow will be a super busy day and then Sunday is our free day.

Okay, I have a few more things to add, I wrote down a bunch of stuff in the cab today that I didn’t want to forget. They may not make much sense now, but I will try to add more to it later.

Traffic-horns!

Accident- bloody guy

Thailand= 2^nd world, Philippines= 3^rd world (I hate using the phrases “1^st world and 34d world, because there is only 1 world, but I don’t know how else to describe it)

Poverty and Wealth, living side by side (its amazing to see these amazing condos with swimming pools, huge malls filled with designer goods right next to these tiny shanty towns full of thousands of people. Its heartbreaking, shocking, and so very real.)

Guess Kids model… billboard looking down on poverty (in Manila there are huge billboards everywhere, many of them advertising designer clothing). One in particular struck me today. It was an advertisement for Guess, the ad was just a pretty young girl, about 10 years old, wearing her cute little outfit. The billboard looked out over a slum, cardboard houses with sheets for windows, the homes of the poorest of the poor. What is the message that this ad sends? Superiority? Money=happiness. The outfit that the little girl was wearing probably cost 3 times as much as one of those families entire yearly earnings. The gap between rich and poor here is so incredible. About 1/3 of Manila is considered to be in extreme poverty.

Lexus dealerships in the poor areas. Who is their market??? Why here??
Mangoes
Where are the foreigners?

we're here!

2007-11-14T08:57:00.000-05:00

Manila, The Philippines November 14

It’s really hard to believe that it is the middle of November when it is 90 degrees outside. But, its hard to believe its 90 degrees outside when you are in a nice air conditioned apartment. It’s hard to believe you are in Manila, one of the poorest cities in the world, when you are inside a nice air conditioned apartment on the 8^th floor of a ritzy building with a nice swimming pool, hot showers and guards at the front gate that check under your car for bombs when you drive through.

Yep, so here I am in Manila. I, along with my two roommates Rafael from Brazil and Christine from Austria, am staying with an American family who have lived in The Philippines for 2 years. The dad, Chris, works for the American Embassy here in Manila. The mom, Renee, does a lot of volunteer work, and rides a Harley (the only woman in Manila who does so!) and they have 2 kids who live at home- Josh, a cute ‘lil guy with dreads (12 years old) and Miriam, an 10 year old is just a doll. They are originally from Austin, Texas and are a very eclectic and sweet family. They also have a live-in maid named Stenny. Imagine our surprise as we were getting our tour around the house on Tuesday night and right next to the laundry room we saw the maid in her little room with her bed on the floor. Its very strange, but totally the norm here. Stenny is very sweet and I can’t wait to get to know her better. She is putting her 3 kids through college with her job with this family so that is pretty cool.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself here…. Before we met the family we arrived in Manila Tuesday night around 8pm. We left Brussels about 6pm on Monday… a 15 hour flight plus a layover in Frankfurt plus a 7 hour time change equals good times by all. So we got into Manila, got through immigration and got our luggage (it all made it!). We were greeted by the awesome advance team, got a brief briefing (I’m jet lagged, alright?!) and were greeted by tons of media. Okay, you haven’t slept in like a hundred hours but it’s okay- time to work! It was great and I was impressed with all of our energy and enthusiasm despite the tiredness and plane yuckiness. So, then we met our host families and went home… okay back on track.

After a few hours of sleep we were at it again. We had the adventure of taking our first taxi ride in Metro Manila. Not quite as scary as I had been prepared for actually, but traffic was pretty light today. We met up with the cast had some meetings, lunch with our sponsor which is Zest-O, a juice and soft drink company. We also had a press conference which was cool. People seemed to be very interested in Up with People here which is cool.

The only bummer of our arrival is that there was a bombing in Manila last night at the Parliament . It seems that it was targeted at a Muslim Congressman. The bomb killed four people, including the congressman and his aide. You can read more about it at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7092600.stm. Please don’t worry about me here, I feel perfectly safe. This was a very targeted attack and there had been threats before. Americans or any other foreign tourists are not being targeted. I am avoiding any kind of danger here by living in a very secure building and I will always travel with my roommates or host family everywhere I go.

Okay, well thanks for reading… I’m going to sleep now, hopefully better than I did last night. Please keep up the comments and emails, I love hearing from everyone when I am so far away from home. I hope to post more often since my family here has wireless internet, so check back often. Although, I have no camera (it broke) so pictures will be limited. Peace out :)
)

Last Post of Europe

2007-11-11T17:18:00.001-05:00

Saturday 11/10- Well, here it is, my last post from Europe. I really cannot believe how fast this leg of the trip has gone by. I am really going to miss Europe, not sure when the next time I will be back will be. We had a really great week in Leuven. The ‘Day of Hope’ went very well- we performed a mini show, the golem was revealed and we did a lot of promo for our big show. The only problem with the day was the meat soup. I don’t want to explain, but everyone else in the cast who had the soup can relate. The main show on Thursday night went amazingly. There were over 2000 people there including 400 VIPs. I had a pretty stressful day- trying to get the programs prepared, taking care of the VIP Reception and alumni reception and coordinating the house opening and intermission, but it went off without a hitch. Everyone was really happy with the show and how things went. Good job Cast B! The only downer of the night was that one of our students, Laurel, fell off the stage because it was quite dark backstage and she missed the steps and ended up breaking her ankle in two places. She has to have surgery right away so she is leaving the cast and will not go to the Philippines with us. We are all very sad and will miss Laurel a lot!

Yesterday was a very full day and although we were exhausted after a late show night, we pulled together J and had a great day. In the morning we learned about the EU Parliament. We were supposed to have a walking tour of Leuven but it was raining pretty hard so most of us just hung out for a few hours. I took a walk, listened to music and wrote. It was nice to have some much-needed reflection time. In the afternoon we had a great guest speaker- Geert Jacobs, an UWP alum who is living with HIV. It was very informative and inspiring. After this we went to the EU Parliament building in Brussels and had a guest speaker who tols us all about it. After that (yep, the day isn’t over yet) we went ice skating with the whole cast and it was awesome! I haven’t been in awhile, but I’ve still got some “moves”. I only fell down when a little kid going about 50 miles an hour plowed into me. Damn Belgian kids… When we got home, our darling little host family prepared foot baths for us and fed us hot chocolate and pancakes. They are so sweet!

Today we are having cast university- where people who have talents and knowledge they want to share, teach little classes to the cast. I am going to take Crocheting from Jared, and Dance from Maria! We are also wrapping up the European Tour, which, again, is hard to believe. Free day tomorrow and then it’s off to The Philippines on Monday! Need to get rid of about 15 pounds from my suitcase… we can only back 20 kilos to take overseas…

Sunday, 11/11- I cannot believe that in one month I will be at home. Crazy. Anyway, I just want to express how amazing this week in Leuven was. Everything came together so nicely, people worked so hard and things just happened.

The rest of Saturday was great- I had a lot of fun at cast university, although I got really frustrated crocheting, because as most of you know, if I’m not good at something right away, I get really frustrated! But, I tried to be patient and learn from Jared. Maria taught us a cute dance from the musical ‘Copacabana”. Good stuff. After that we had a little surprise. Of course I can’t write about it (one of those Up with People secrets) but let’s just say it was exactly what I needed and I love my cast so much. I don’t know what I’ll do without them. Saturday night we had a great night with our host family- we had champagne, mussels and pomme frites. Our host family is so fantastic! We had a great free day today with them in Brussels. They showed us the sights including the Atomium, the main square and the Belgian parliament. We got chocolate (my favorite- Leonida’s!) and ate waffles (of course). They treated us like princesses all week- every meal was like a fancy restaurant and they were just such a sweet couple. I will really miss them, but I’m sure I will see them again someday- they already promised to come to both Maria and my wedding’s some day.

So, that’s it for Europe. Tomorrow we meet as a cast to go over some last minute things, I will go to the post office to send all my winter clothes home (goodbye cute boots and scarves!) and then we head to the airport to fly to Manila. Wow. I have no words to express my anticipation, excitement and anxiety about the next 4 weeks!!!!

the land of chocolate, fries, Stella Artois and waffles!

2007-11-07T08:38:00.001-05:00

Wow, its only Tuesday in Leuven and I already have so much to write about. My host family has internet, but not wireless and it is almost impossible to type on a Belgian keyboard. The letters are all mixed up on the edges- it takes about 5 minutes for me to type a readable sentence, so for now, I will just type my blogs on here and post them later- hopefully before I leave for the Philippines. So, anyway, we arrived in Leuven, a University town outside of Brussels, about 1pm on Monday. Usually we arrive in a city, have a short meeting and go home right away with our host families. However, Leuven is not just any city. We came in, had a quick meeting and then went to do community service. In Leuven we are a part of a huge project. It has a lot of parts and partners, but I’ll do my best to explain. We are working on making and introducing the “CosmoGolem” a 4 meter high wooden statue- kind of a friendly monster guy. The purpose of the Golem is for children to put their hopes and wishes in the Golem and for him to serve as a protector. The idea came from the artist of the Golem, and Sister Jeanne Devos who has a foundation who works in India to help child workers. These are children who have had much suffering and the first Golem, constructed in India, served as a guardian to these children and holds their hopes and wishes for a better future. It was a very successful project so we are doing one here. It will be introduced on Wednesday- a day proclaimed “The Day of Hope”. We will unveil the Golem, people will speak about the project and we will perform a small show. So… anyway, on Monday we went to start working on the Golem. Not everyone was needed to hammer and saw, so some of us worked on paintings which will come together to form a covering for the CosmoGolem. I worked with a small group on a painting that came from the idea that “Hope is timeless”. We painted a clock with the time ‘5 to 12’ which means hurry up and do something! We also painted puzzle pieces behind it to symbolize different people working together for hope. I have never felt so creative in my life! You know I am not an artist, but hey- I can make “art”!! Biking AND painting in one week…. Wow, this may be too much for me. The other paintings were so fantastic as well. Some other people made small sculptures to place inside the Golem- kind of like his heart or soul. I was so impressed with everyone’s creativity and spirit. Great work everyone!

After a few hours working, we went to a reception at the city hall. We had a few speakers introducing the week and thanking us for coming and we performed 2 songs. And drank some good Belgian beer. The brewery Stella Artois is in Belgium. We passed the huge factory when we arrived.

We then met our host families and went home. My host family is very sweet. A couple in their late 50’s who are so sweet and kind and have a great house with a cute little guest room for my roommate Maria and I. When we met, they asked where I was from… “USA” I said, “Oh…. That’s okay”, said my host dad, Jan. “What part?”. “Colorado”, I say proudly… (confused look from Jan) “It’s in the middle…mountains….”. “Is that in Bush country”, asks Jan. “No!”, I reply emphatically, because I know that is the right answer. Ah, Europe.

Today (Tuesday) we got to hear more about the project from the artist, Koen Vanmechelen, and Sister Jeanne Devos. Sister Devos is wonderful and I am so happy we are helping in her project. It was also interesting to hear from the artist and about his vision for the Golem. It all started with the Cosmopolitan Chicken. I have neither the time or energy to explain the Cosmopolitan Chicken, but if you are so inclined Google or Wikipedia (those are verbs, right?) it. Yes, Cosmopolitan Chicken. After the talks, we went back to the site and worked more on the Golem and his other parts. This time I made a sculpture. It was… interesting. Not exactly our vision to start with, but it was okay. We then had some internal time to learn about religion. We split into groups to hear about what we were interested in learning about. I heard Christine’s presentation on Mormonism. It was very interesting and she did a great job explaining this completely foreign concept to our group. After the presentations, I spent some time thinking about my religion and what it means to me. Am I religious? Spiritual? Somewhere in-between? Am I a Protestant? Non-denominational Christian? Buddhism would be cool…. I really hate labels. I am just me. I have my beliefs and hold them close to my heart. I also respect everyone else’s beliefs and believe that everyone is entitled to believe what they choose. Wow, that is a lot of belief. Getting late, must get rest for the big “Day of Hope” tomorrow. This week is going to be exhausting, both personally and professionally. So much going on, preparing for The Philippines, for next semester… for the rest of my life!

I can't believe I am saying this, but I am actually sick of bread and cheese...

2007-11-01T04:48:00.000-05:00

So here I am in The Netherlands, the land of windmills, bicycles and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast. We arrived in Dronten, a small city in the middle of The Netherlands after yet another long travel day. I was meant to be in the staff hotel this week, but because of an ‘Onion and Garlic Festival’ (oh yeah) in town, the rooms were booked until the middle of the week, so I got to stay with a host family for the first few nights. They are a very sweet family who have a farm on the outskirts of town. And actually, the mom is the farmer- her family has had the farm for ages and the dad works for Hewlett Packard. The mom, Colbe, is amazing. In addition to running a bean, potato and onion farm she does a lot of volunteer work- she goes to Africa every couple of years to work with the women there- teaching them farming techniques so they can make money to send their daughters to school. How cool is that?

Anyway, this week in Up with People we are learning a lot about immigration. We are doing a simulation and a job. It’s a pretty interesting game. We elected a mayor (of course, only the citizens can vote), we have border patrol officers that can check id at anytime and send immigrants to the back of the line, we have justices of the peace who can marry people (of course if you are an immigrant that wants to marry a citizen and then get your passport called “Up with People Land” where everyone was issued an identity. We have citizens, refugees, migrant workers, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, etc. I am a refugee who is living in the refugee center but I have no job. The goal of the week is to find a place to live you have to go through an interview) etc. It’s pretty cool to see how the game plays out and how seriously people take it. We’ve had votes about gay marriage, passport theft, we have a daily newspaper, a matchmaking agency (called Love, Actually- I love it!) and we even have our own national anthem. I am still looking for a job, but since I only have a high school education (according to my documents) it is pretty slim pickings. I’ll let you know how it turns out. In addition, some of us got to visit a real refugee center here in Dronten to learn about the immigration process and all of these things the refugees have to go through. I really respect these people- both the refugees and the people who work and volunteer and the center- for what they do. Many of the refugees are here because they are escaping political persecution. Many from Iraq, Iran and African countries. If they were to go back to their countries they would be tortured or killed. Its quite fascinating to see how it all works.

Last night was Halloween so everyone got dressed up and we had a party. It was a lot of fun to just cut loose and have fun with the cast. We had some great costumes- a lot of fun 80s stuff, Jared as a figure skater, Jorn as a “serial/cereal killer” and Christine as the cutest bear you’ve ever seen. Jorn and Jared helped me with my costume- I think I was a lumberjack… flannel shirt and trucker hat courtesy of the boys and some stubble courtesy of my mascara. Good times. It was also Laura’s birthday so we had fun surprising her by decorating our hotel room and having cake and ice cream after the Halloween Party.

Yesterday and today the students are working on coming up with their own immigration laws and will present them to the group. We have several local college students working with us. I get to be on the jury to pick the best policies. It’s really cool to see our community service, regional learning, games, education and student interaction all tie in together this week- it is a really fun and interesting way to learn about a very serious and important issue in our world today. I freakin’ love Up with People.

In the MOST exciting and impressive news I rode a bike this week! And didn't die! Most of you will recall my lack of biking skills.... the last time I rode a bike was freshman year at CU for my geology lab and I nearly killed myself many times... in addition to making a huge fool of myself and ruining my favorite pants... but- here I am in The Netherlands and totally stepping out of my comfort zone. We had a promotions crew on Tuesday and the only way to get downtown was to ride bikes. So I did it and did great. I have pictures to prove it. Yea me! :) :) Mom, aren't you proud??

Germany, Round 2

2007-10-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Here I am, in the small city of Prenzlau, near the border of Poland and Germany, about an hour and a half east of Berlin. It’s Sunday morning… well afternoon since I slept in and I finally have a moment to reflect on the past week. It has been completely exhausting, but a lot of fun. The whole staff, including our truck driver Michael, was hosted in a really sweet hostel called The Uckervelle. It’s much more like a hotel- except we have bunk beds! It was a lot of fun, but we spent most of our time together working, rather than just hanging out, but that’s okay. I guess that’s why I’m here- to work. It was still fun, but we didn’t get much sleep. We did some fun stuff this week with the cast, but I can’t write about it because I don’t want to ruin anything for our sister cast- Cast C- which is in the US now. They will probably do similar things soon and you never know who reads the blog, so I will try to remember to write about it later, once they’ve had their fun. Other than that, I did some community service where I got to make a mosaic- that was cool, because I really don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but this project allowed me to make the art without really having to be that creative. On Friday, the cast took a trip to Berlin where we had a bus tour to show us the major sites. We went to where the old Berlin wall was- there is still a small strip left to remind everyone what once was. It was pretty impactful to see this amazing piece of history. I also went to a Holocaust Memorial which was very interesting. There are no words or even signs telling visitors what it is. But, once inside the memorial you just get it. You know what it represents- it is very chilling. We also learned a lot this week about the immigration conflicts, especially surrounding Germany and Poland. Although with all the problems Germany has with immigration, you never hear any talk of building a wall or a fence around their borders. Hmm… I guess they learned their lesson with the first wall. It’s still amazing to me that people think that a wall between the US and Mexico would help solve the immigration problems. Anyway, I’m digressing here. Berlin was very cool- in fact, we are going back today on our free day. Our cast manager, Jörn, is German and lived in Berlin for several years so he is going to take us to where he used to live and show us some stuff. Last night was our show- it was packed- we ended up having to add another 400 chairs to fit everyone in. The cast had amazing energy- it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The crowd loved it- during many songs they were rocking along with the cast or waving their cell phones in the air. We ended the night with a champagne (well questionable German sparkling wine) toast to celebrate the end of Germany, the end of this intern round and all-over great week. Tomorrow, we head to Dronten, The Netherlands. I can’t believe we’ve already been in Europe one month. The time has absolutely flown by. And in just two weeks we will be off to The Philippines!!! I am so excited.

Sorry no pictures, kept forgetting the camera this week.

welcome to Germany!

2007-10-23T15:38:00.001-05:00

We arrived in our first city in Germany (third city in Europe, 14^th city total) after a travel stop in Freiburg, Germany. We got to Zell am Harmersbach (you can just call it Zell), a cute little town of 8,000 people in southwest Germany and had a small reception with champagne and food with the mayor of the town. It was very nice. I went home with my lovely host family- father Gehard, son Marco (11), daughter Christin (10) and my roommate for the week, Yuri from Japan. The mom, Babel, met us at home later after her ballet class. We had the local drink of half orange juice/half sparkling water and went for a walk. The weather was unusually warm for this time of year so we decided to enjoy it. When Babel got home we had a nice dinner of bread, cheese, meats and of course, beer J. They are a very lovely family- the kids are very smart and well behaved. Gehard and Babel both speak a little English, and the kids not much, but it is okay- we learn to communicate anyhow- lots of smiles and gestures. No internet this week, so just typing this up and hope to get to post it in Prenzlau. It’s okay not having internet- I get more sleep! I usually get online only after my host family goes to bed, so now when they go to bed, I read a little and then go to bed too. I shared a bed with Yuri this week- but it was a very comfortable, warm bed and she is a wonderful roommate. I am very glad I got the chance to stay with her.

We had a very busy week in Zell. Community impact on Tuesday- I went to an elementary school and did cultural interaction. Again, the kids didn’t know much English (the children here learn French, because France is so close) but we had a lot of fun trying to communicate. We played a lot of games, drew pictures and had recess with the children. We had an odd show day this week- Wednesday. The show was very well received- a great audience- it was a lot of fun to perform this week. We did a German song, “Was wir Alleine”, which was a popular song at the World Cup, held in Germany last year. Thursday and Friday were our educational/regional learning days. We did so much! We did a lot of hiking, saw a castle, an old farmhouse museum, went to a ceramics factory (where we each got a mug painted with the famous Zell chicken and our names!) and learned about poverty and hunger. I really love the education time with the cast- we learn so much and in such a unique and fun way. The education staff does such an amazing job. Saturday we had a community fair with different booths like music, face painting, international foods, trivia, etc. It was super cold outside, but the cast did a great job. My favorite memory of the week is probably from Friday when we had a long hike up to an old farmhouse and we ate traditional foods and danced and sang to accordion music. It was just one of those random fun times where you sit back and say “I’m in Germany, dancing to accordion music with people from 19 different countries- wow”. Good stuff. Our evenings were spent with our host family, eating a lot of great food, looking at pictures and talking. I am really going to miss this family. On our free day, Sunday, they took us to France! The city of Strasburg is only 60 km from Zell, so in less than an hour we were in another country. One of the benefits of the European Union- crossing the country borders is like crossing the state borders in the US- just a small sign to welcome you. Strasburg was great- we wandered around ‘Petite France”, took pictures and had a lovely French meal (the menu was in French, German and English!). It was funny seeing all the signs in French and hearing the language, as we have been in German-speaking countries for two weeks. I am surprised at how much of my high school French I remember- I wish I knew more. When I get home I really want to study French and German- French because I already know a little, and German so I can move to Switzerland some day. I am sad to leave Zell, but I am really looking forward to next week. I can’t say why, but I just am!

On a totally separate note, I am totally stoked the Rockies are going to the World Series. It starts in a few days- I would love to see a game, maybe when I’m in the hotel in The Netherlands I will be able to find an American Sports Bar to at least see some highlights. GO ROCKS!

the most beautiful place in the world...

2007-10-14T15:07:00.000-05:00

at least that I've seen so far. I love love love Switzerland. I was in Lucerne 2 years ago for just a few hours and loved it then and I'm so happy I was able to come back for a whole week. There isn't really much I can say about Lucerne, I think the pictures can do the talking. I really want to live here someday. This week I was hosted with an American family and it was cool to see how well they've adjusted here in just 9 months. They have a wonderful house on the lake, a huge dog and good jobs here. I don't know what I could do here, but I think it would just be a dream to live here. Briefly what we did this week....
Tuesday- Regional Learning Day- went to Mt. Pilatus, rode world's steepest cogwheel train, a boat, a gondola, a toboggan, a cable car and a bus! Amazing views, good times.
Wednesday- Community Impact- went to a farm to sand windows, comb cows, pick apples and cut branches. Hard work and a lot of fun. Great dinner at a vegetarian restaurant with the host family
Thursday- another CI day- cooked lunch for the cast and did promotion in the afternoon. In the evening we had "expression session"- kind of a crazy talent show. I did a fun skit with the staff and also showed off my old cheerleading skills with Sarah, Lesley, Andrea, Tiffanie and Laura. Such a fun night! Also went to a Swiss bar with about 20 people from the cast. Drinks were expensive- 13 frank (10 dollars) for a vodka tonic!
Friday- Internal Education Day- Lots of good stuff- speaker about public speaking, education time about teamwork (we had to do the 'figure out a way to drop an egg from 20 ft without it breaking thing- ours didn't!!). Ate the traditional dish "Raclette" with the host family. Yea for cheese, wine and chocolate!
Saturday- busy, long show day. Performed in the show- great crowd, had a wonderful time singing our country song "Buraburli" (totally spelling that wrong).
Sunday- my best day in a long, long time. Great host family day with Gretchen and David and roomies Vanessa and Amanda. Slept in, good coffee, then off to the mountains. Hiked 7 kilometers (about 4 miles) and saw the most gorgeous scenery- fall leaves, glaciers, waterfalls, cows, sheep, pigs, etc. Ate a fabulous lunch and slept on the way home in the car. Packed my stuff tonight and then as I was sitting on the couch, surrounded by great company, a glass of red wine in one hand, a piece of dark chocolate in the other and a book on my lap, I thought- could life get any better? Not at this moment, that is for sure. Okay, well we have a travel day tomorrow to Zell, Germany so its off to bed. Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures!

more from Milano

2007-10-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I already wrote a post on Milan, but there is so much more to say. We had a great free show on Saturday night. I watched the show with two of our biggest supporters in Milan- Simone and Marco. They both work at a local University for an international organization. In addition, Simone’s family has a pizzaera and they donated all of our delicious meals for the week. They were totally instrumental in making our visit to Milan a success. We had a lot of fun singing along and dancing in the aisles. I think they are our new UWP groupies. I had a great talk with Marco after the show and he gave me his perspective on Italy and their culture. He has lived in Milan his whole life and is very educated and intelligent (not to mention beautiful!) I wish I could have taken notes on what Marco was saying- he gave me a lot of Italian history and explained that Italy is struggling because there aren’t a lot of young people or opportunities available. It was very interesting. After we were done with strike (about midnight) we went back to the hostel with Marco and Simone, drank some red wine and continued our conversations. I wish we could bring these guys on the road with us- they are amazing! However, I think they are coming to visit us this weekend in Lucerne which is cool.

Sunday was probably my best day in Milan. It started by sleeping almost 12 hours- much needed to finally get over the jetlag and busy week. We (Jörn, Gabe and myself) finally drug ourselves out of bed, hopped on the train and went downtown. We wandered, shopped a bit, drank cappuccino and ate gelato, went to the Duomo again and found an amazing restaurant for dinner. It was a Mozzarella Bar. Yes. Cheese. Good. Other stuff too, my entrée was a bed of arugula with smoked salmon and avocado. Aunt Barb, is your mouth watering yet? After dinner we realized the last train to our station left at 8:53 so we literally ran (well the boys walked fast, I had to run with my short little legs) to our train. We got there just as the doors closed and they wouldn’t open for us. What a bummer. We eventually figured out we could take 2 other trains to get home so it worked out okay. But, we almost missed the first one- Jörn had to hold the doors open for Gabe and I with all his German might. Good times. I am on the in Switzerland now. We made a travel stop in Lugano which is an Italian town in Switzerland [UPDATE: I've just been informed by an Italian, that it is not an Italian town, but "it's a Swiss city in Switzerland, but there are some cantons where people speak Italian] and are now on our way to Lucerne. I’ve been here once before, when I did my Contiki trip, but it was only for a day, so I am excited to stay here longer and with a host family. Ciao for now!

So, I have too many great pictures to post so you have to check them out at my web album- updated to Italy and a bit o Swiss. http://picasaweb.google.com/samantharoman7

Milano, Italia

2007-10-06T04:18:00.000-05:00

Bojourno! I am currently sitting in our show facility for Milan, Italy as the cast prepares for their first European show. I haven’t had access to internet this week and I’m not sure when I’ll get this posted so I wanted to make sure I got my thoughts down while they are fresh. So, after a long travel day from Seattle to London to Milan, we arrived in Milan a little before midnight on Tuesday. Jorn, Christine, Gabe and I were staying in the staff hotel this week, which was actually a hostel. It consisted of 2 bunk beds in about the space of my freshman year dormroom at CU. Cozy. Shared bathrooms, tiny towels, interesting people. It’s an adventure. On Wednesday we slept in a little (9am) and headed to meet the rest of the cast for brunch. It was a great first Italian meal of the trip- I’ll post a picture, it was delicious. After we got ourselves organized we headed to downtown Milano to the Duomo for a scavenger hunt. We didn’t find everything on our list, but we had a lot of fun and saw some amazing sights. And, of course, I had amazing espresso and gelato!! In the evening, after getting lost several times, we finally made it to dinner at a wonderful restaurant. We had anitpasta and red wine and I ordered a Pizza Rustica! Bellisimo! Thursday was our Community Service Day (although an interesting side note, you don’t call it Community Service here because that is what criminals do, we call it volunteer work). So the cast did a lot of cultural interaction with children and seniors, while Patrick, Matt, Tiffinie, Clara and myself went to a university to do promotion/admissions. It was a good time, even though I wasn’t feeling very well. We (of course) got Gelato on the way home and took 3 different types of public transportation- a tram, a subway and a train and we walked a lot! Hopefully that will help burn off all these gelatos! In the evening, we had dinner with a family that was unable to host, but really wanted to have some Viva la Gente (Up with People in Italian) people over for dinner. It was so much fun and the food was amazing. They were a really sweet family from southern Italy who now live in Milan- a mom and her two sons. Only the older son spoke some English, but he was able to translate for us and it was very nice. I love the Italian culture it is so open and warm. So, we have our big show tonight in the area of Curnusco and then we have a smaller show in Cusano, which is the community where many students are living and where we have been working with a local church. It is a really cute area and the people are so wonderful. I’m not sure what I want to do on my free day, but it probably involves a little bit of sleep, shopping and of course eating as much Italian food as I can get! Ciao Bella!

P.S. The men here are gorgeous!!

Update: We had our show last night and it was amazing. Even though our cast was very tired from a challenging week, they put a lot of energy and heart into this show. It was completely sold out- standing room only and the crowd loved us. We performed 3 songs in Italian and Armando, the fabulous CRC, did the MC’s in Italian. He added a lot of flair to our show- it was great!! When the show was over the crowed started clapping and didn’t want to leave. It was great to see the faces of the cast as they realized the crowd wanted more. They all ran backstage and performed a short encore that they have been working on for a few weeks. Tonight we have a smaller show here in Cusano. It is a free show for the wonderful people of this community so I’m sure there will be a great turnout. Ciao!

Colorado= Heaven on Earth

2007-09-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

My visit home has just reaffirmed my love for this wonderful place even more. I had such a great time being home and am already looking forward to the next time I will be here... which will be December and there better be snow on the ground! Anyway, when I got in Thursday, Kelly picked me up and we went straight downtown to the Sports Column (our most favorite bar) where, of course, it was 1 dollar drink night- holla! It was great to catch up with everyone from school and meet a few new people as well. Friday I drove up to Boulder to get my hair done (very dark now!), do some shopping and see an old friend. Went to the Rio rooftop- brilliant, why wasn't this there when we were in college? Oh, because we already spent too much time there, I see. Saturday was the big wedding day. I finally got a camera so I have pictures now!! I really enjoyed the drive up to Estes Park- just me and my jeep, some good music and beautiful views of the changing Aspen trees. Glorious. Met up with the girls before the wedding- I'll post some pics so you can see just how gorgeous everyone was, especially the bride. The ceremony was lovely, the lodge was beautiful and we had a great time at the reception. I could go on and on about the wedding, but overall it was just an amazing time with amazing people who I love dearly. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Jason Goldsberry!! (and not that I am saying I told you so, but I did tell Katie after she met Jason that I had a good feeling about this one and always knew deep down he was the one!) Yea- so happy for these kids! Another good thing happening on Saturday- CU beat #3 OU for Homecoming! Yeah, still have a big heart for those Buffs!
Today, Sunday, was a chill day- had breakfast at the lodge with the wedding people and then enjoyed another nice drive. Watch the Rockies and Broncos game with the family and then watched a movie with Kelly and Anne. Sad to say goodbye to everyone again, but I know I will see all of them again soon. I do miss the cast too and I am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow, (well some I won't see until Weds. in Milan-crazy!). So, yep, tomorrow I fly from Denver to Seattle, Seattle to London and then London to Milan. We arrive late Tues. night in Italy, so we will be spending the night in a gym, and will have brunch with the cast on Wednesday. I am so ready for Europe- Ciao Bella!!

a quick stop in Veags

2007-09-30T23:27:00.000-05:00

So, my week in Vegas was a short one, not only because of our 2 day travel day from Portland, but because I took 4 days off to go back to Colorado for a dear friend's wedding. The time I did spent there was great. My host family was an alumna, Paulette, and her husband, Steve. My roommate was Whitney from Panama. While in Vegas, I got to participate in our Stand for Peace community service project. I hadn't done it since Tucson, so I was a little nervous, but I think it went well. My team was Rasmus from Denmark and Keeley, an MGM/Mirage employee who is a "Diversity Champion". She helped us do our project in a classroom of 7th graders. It was a bit of a challenge, but I think the kids got the gist of our message and seemed to enjoy the show. We also did a lot of promotion in Vegas, to try to get as many people possible to our show, which was in a huge venue, The Henderson Pavilion. I should mention UWP focused our visit on the Vegas suburb of Henderson, rather than the city of Las Vegas- a little bit too much competition there :)
And, of course what would Vegas be without a night out? For our staff F&G (fun and games) we got to go see the Cirque de Soliel show, Mysterie. It was very cool, lots of interesting acts, but I think I liked the Cortero show that we saw in Dallas in March a little better. Good times with the staff though. Thursday we had some great guest speakers from our beneficiary, The Candlelighters. I love this organization- they help the families of children with cancer- something that just tears my heart out. I was pretty much a wreck 5 minutes into their presentation and by the end, nearly everyone was teary-eyed. It is such a horrible fact of life, but it is great to see there are people out there who are doing everything they can to help, whether its raising money for research or putting on a really fun camp where these children can just be "normal" kids for a week. Thursday we also got to hear from the president/CEO of The Luxor, which was very inspiring. The minute his speech was over I jumped into my host moms car and it was off to the airport to go home!!!

the longest post ever....

2007-09-25T00:15:00.000-05:00

I heart Portland. What a great city. If it had more sunny days, I could totally live there. It’s pretty hard to compete with Colorado’s 300 sunny days a year. I am currently in the van, on the way to an overnight in Twin Falls, Idaho (our halfway point between Portland and Vegas). Since I’ve got time to kill, this will be a long post. Enjoy, reflect, and leave me a comment if you are so inclined. Anyway, here’s what happened this week.

Monday- We were late to morning meeting due to an awesome traffic jam on the bridge. We got there in time to participate in our education workshop, which was on the environment. We watched ‘An Inconvenient Truth”, which I’m happy we did, because, honestly I would have never watched it on my own. It had a lot of good information. They used great examples, visuals and got across a lot of important facts. The part I didn’t like was that it really glamorized Al Gore. Even if I was an Al Gore fan I think it would have annoyed me. It made it seem like Al is this huge celebrity and that is why we should be listening to him. Also, every credible expert he introduced he had to say “My friend John… blah blah blah”. Maybe I don’t care if he is your friend, just tell me how the ice caps are going to melt. Anyway, the environment team gave a great presentation and told us that we had to carry all our trash around with us for the next four days. We got big bags (biodegradable of course) and wrote our names on them. Sweet. But, instead of us using this activity to see how much trash we actually accumulate, it became a competition to see who could produce the least trash. No one wanted to take an apple at lunch because of the core and it was funny to see everyone coming out of the bathroom wiping their wet (hopefully, clean) hands on their pants because they didn’t want to use a paper towel. I tried not to cheat too much, but I definitely thought twice before taking napkins, plastic bags, the sleeve on my morning coffee.

Later in the day we sent the cast out on promotions. The advance team came up with a great idea to do “Bigger and Better”. I gave each home team a paperclip and told them to go make trades to try to get the best item. The idea came from a Canadian guy who did this a few years ago, started with a red paper clip and a year later got a house. Sweet. Check it out at www.oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com. So, the cast went out armed with fliers, posters and their paperclips and came back with all sorts of crazy stuff. Gift Certificates, makeup, hangers from Abercrombie… the most unusual had to be a big plastic pool. I think they did a great job and had some fun too. After work I got to work out for the first time in a long time. It was nice to get on the ol’ Elliptical Machine and do some weights.

Tuesday- I was signed out from community service today to train the advance teams for Germany. This week is also our first week with our new interns-my new marketing intern is Stefan. Besides being a really awesome guy, he is –lucky me- German and has done advance work! He helped me train the teams and it was really awesome to have him there and not only give his expertise, but also help talk about Germany, and Europe in general since I haven’t been to Europe with Up with People so I really don’t know how it works. In the afternoon the cast came back from their CI with Homeless Connect and we had a guest speaker. She is an alumna of UWP and started an organization called TransActive. They help children and teenagers who are transsexual, as well as their families. Basically a transsexual believes they were born in the wrong body. They know they are a girl, but they have male parts. It was very interesting to learn about her personal story and her organization. I love the open environment of Up with People and how people are respectful of all people and topics, even though they may be uncomfortable or controversial. After work Christine and I took some people home and went to dinner at Outback.

Wednesday- The exact halfway point of our semester. How is it going by this fast?? Today I was signed out to do admissions. I went with a few other staff members and the admissions intern, Tiffanie from Colorado to Clackamass (what a great name!) High School. We did 2 presentations to over 100 students and had a booth at lunch. I had a really good time doing the presentations and talking to the kids. Hopefully some of them will travel in the future- we need the Northwest US represented! When everyone got together and the end of the day we learned the songs we will be singing in Italy and Switzerland. Who knew I could sing in Italy and Swiss German (okay, I really can’t, but I try my best). I don’t remember what happened at night. I think it involved sleep.

Thursday- A work day. I worked on stuff planning for Las Vegas and other random stuff trying to get back in the groove of being on road staff. Thursday afternoon we did our environment wrap up and looked at all our trash and talked about what is going on in different countries. We heard some interesting stuff- for example, Sophie from China told us how at her university they have a “water card” that they use to take a shower. It takes money off for every 10 seconds you are using the water. So Sophie says she only puts the card in when she really needs the water (to get her hair wet, rinse off) to save money and help conserve. When we were done, we made sure to recycle all that we could! We also did a quiz to see how many worlds it would take to support our way of living. It asked questions like how much do you drive, what kind of stuff do you eat, how many times a day do you shower, etc. It is based off how many acres of I am embarrassed to say that my result was 6!! Although some people had 10, so I didn’t feel too bad. Thursday night I tried to go shopping, but I didn’t find anything I liked.

Friday- The whole cast went to Mt. Saint Helens, but I stayed back to do some promotion. I sat in the studio audience of a local news program “AM Northwest” and then explored the Pearl District of downtown Portland. I went to the World’s Largest Bookstore- it is a whole city block and it is amazing! I could have stayed there all day, but I gave myself a 2 hour and 5 item limit. I got lost twice on the way to get tea in the coffee shop! I bought a book for work (Full Frontal PR) a book for pleasure ( a used novel), a new journal (chocolate brown suede), a fun address book (so I can send postcards from Europe and the Philippines) and some cute stationary (that I will use to send my friends in Cast C some notes). I again tried to do some clothes shopping, but everything I liked was too expensive. Boo. I met up with the cast later at the show facility (Portland Community College) and got some work done with Stefan while the cast set up and did workshops and such. I feel like the cast is really getting into the groove of what to do for show days. It works so well, it’s pretty amazing to see how far we’ve all come in the past few months. Friday night was a fun night. My awesome host mom/friend from Tucson was in town so we went to Kells Irish Pub with a few of her high school friends and her family. Good times.

Saturday- another double show day. I jumped in rehearsal in the morning because I realized in Coos Bay how much I missed performing with the cast. So, I did both shows and it went really well. The crowds were good, but small. It’s so hard to promote a show in a big city. The alumni receptions were well attended though, so that was fun to meet and connect with alumni from the Portland area. A funny story from the show- during the last song ‘Up with People’ we always run off stage and into the audience. I was one of the first people off, so I ran down the stairway in the back to get into the audience with about 20 people behind me. However, it was sooo dark in the stairwell I couldn’t find the door handle. Everyone was yelling and laughing behind me. We finally made it out for the last 3 words of the song… Luckily the people coming from the other side filled in our side of the audience, but it was pretty funny- they looked so confused that we were all missing and then burst out at the last minute, all laughing. Overall, it was a good day- fun to finally spend some time with the cast. I love everyone so much- what a great group we have. Anyway, this is like the longest post ever- hope I haven’t bored you all to tears, but I have to do something to entertain me on the way to Twin Falls.

P.S. I think the hotel staff stole my stuffed elephant, Ayiko! I looked everywhere for him this morning, tore the room apart! Who would do such a thing? I’m pretty bummed about it.

just me and a pony

2007-09-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

one of the ponies that lived by my house in Coos Bay :) I think its love

peace out Coos Bay

2007-09-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the cast came to Coos Bay Thursday and we left today (Sunday). Nice quick visit that went pretty well. The cast had a good time with the beach cleanup on Friday and did a lot of work at the Egyptian Theater- both setting up and cleaning the theater, getting ready for the performances. We worked hard Saturday to get ready for the 2 shows, busy busy. Not very many people came to the 2pm show, which was a bummer. A bit more came for the 7- it was about half full. I won't lie, I was pretty disappointed in the turnout. Not sure why it was so low, probably due to the fact that there was a parade at 2 and then a car show from 7-9 that is very popular. I just think these free events were too much competition for our $15 show. Ah well, what can you do, but learn from it and move on. It is nice to be back with the cast now. We had a quick travel day up to Portland. I rode in the van with Christine, Gabe, Jared, Hector, Kristina and Scott. Good times. We got here to a park where the cast met their host families and we went to the hotel. A nice surprise that I am in the hotel this week, I was actually looking forward to a new host family, but the hotel here is so nice that I can't complain. It is actually in Vancouver, Washington (where my BFF Kelly grew up!) and its this gorgeous lodge- very swish. We went to Target and got some "Burgerville" (by the recommendation of Ali and Kelly) for dinner. Now I am going to go drink wine by the fireplace...

3 days until I'm reunited with my cast...

2007-09-09T23:33:00.000-05:00

and I am so ready for it. I really miss the group. I won't lie, it was nice to get away for awhile, I've enjoyed immense personal time here, but as much as I like being alone sometimes, I'd rather have people around to share life with. I am with with Raine and Ryan here a lot during the day, but at night its pretty much just me and the host mom and we watch movies together, have dinner and do our own thing. Its nice, but I do miss the hustle and bustle of cast life. As much as I complain there is no time to read, to write in my journal, to just think... I actually prefer it that way, hmmm. Anyway, in a few days they'll be here and it will be back to it.
Not that I'm bored here, I have plenty of work to do to keep me busy. We are struggling a bit with finding host families here, not sure why, but we still need about 25 more beds... by Thursday. Okay... we'll figure it out, it always works out.
Last week was pretty routine, lots of service club meetings, promotion, posters, fliers, emails, the usual. We've gotten some nice media coverage here, so thats good. Speaking of, I had dinner with a college friend who is now a reporter here for KCBY. She's interviewing us tomorrow for the "People at Noon" segment. Shall be fun.
Today I hung out with Raine, watched the Broncos (barely) win, got some work done and then went to see 3:10 to Yuma. Not a bad flick. Chilling tonight, the calm before the storm.
Been thinking a lot lately about the future. And by future I mean January. Nothing too deep. So many questions, options, decisions to make. It reminds me of a good quote: "If you come to a fork in the road- take it!"- Yogi Berra. No matter which fork I take, it will be the right one for me. As I always say, I don't believe in regret. Okay, I'm going to write in my journal (you know, all the deep dark secrets I can't post online) read my book and rest up for a busy week ahead. This time next week I'll be in Portland, in 2 weeks in Colorado and in 3 weeks in Italy!! I love my life.

some pictures to hold you over

2007-09-03T18:47:00.001-05:00

I still don't have a camera... but luckily I have friends that do!

More from The Coos

2007-09-03T18:41:00.001-05:00

Happy Labor Day y'all. Hope you're all enjoying a nice, relaxing day off. I certainly am. Not too much exciting to report from here. Just been working all week trying to get the city ready for the cast. Logistics will be pretty easy here- only 2 days in the city- a set up/ community service day and the show day. Our main focus is getting host families and then selling tickets to the two shows. We set up a booth at the mall on Saturday and sold a few tickets while spreading the word about UWP. People seem really excited, so I think we'll have a good turnout.

After working on Saturday we decided to take the rest of the weekend off. The boys and I went to the coast yesterday- walked some beautiful beaches and saw a bunch of sea lions. I even saw a few whales- I think the first time I've see wild whales before. Pretty cool. Last night we had dinner at the home of an alumna- Meghan and her husband, Bob. They have a super-cute baby and we had a nice meal outside. Bob invited us to take a ride in his plane (he is a member of the Coast Guard) today, but the weather wasn't so great so we had to take a rain check. I wasn't too disappointed due to my fear of heights and small places. Today was a pretty lazy day- watched a couple of movies and plan on taking it easy the rest of the day and night.

Sorry my life isn't more exciting. It will pick up here in a few weeks when we go to Portland, Las Vegas and then on to Europe! I can't wait!

Coos Bay, Oregon

2007-08-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

So, as I said before, I left the cast for a few weeks to come help a CRC (Community Relations Coordinator- which is the job I did last year) with preparing a city. I was really sad to leave the students and staff, it brought back bad memories of when I had to do that every few weeks last year. I almost cried, but kept it together (as far as everyone knew- thank goodness for big sunglasses). It’s just 2 ½ weeks, hopefully they won’t miss me too much ;) Raine, a student from Canada, and I flew first to Portland than to Eugene, where Ryan the CRC and my host mom, an alumna named MJ, picked us up from the airport. We drove to the town of Florence for an Oregon seafood dinner and then made it into Coos Bay around 10pm. I was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep in super comfortable bed.

Woke up to the braying of a donkey, yep a donkey- which lives next door. Awesome. Coos Bay/North Bend is a cute little town, where Steve Prefonataine (Pre), the runner grew up. Pretty much their claim to fame. The weather is cool here and it smells amazing- like wood and trees and apples and the sea. I love it. Its nice to unpack my suitcase for once since I get to stay a whole 3 weeks.

Super tired now, but I should be able to write more since my schedule won’t be quite so hectic. Love to everyone out there and thanks for reading. As soon as I get a new camera I’ll have pictures for you all. Love, Sam

San Diego

2007-08-29T12:34:00.000-05:00

We had a busy week, so I’ll break it down by day to make sure I don’t forget anything

Monday- We had a long travel day from Sierra Vista. I drove the van with Peppe, Christine, Jared, Jeff and Patrick. We had a good time and arrived in San Diego at our Host pick up spot which was Balboa Park. I stayed in the hotel this week, so I went out to dinner with the hotel crowd, plus Kerri Ann and Louise, for Louise’s birthday. Good Mexican food in Old Town San Diego.

Tuesday- Tuesday was our regional learning/promotions day. We met downtown and had some great guest speakers and then headed to Sea Port Village to promote for our show. A mostly tourist crowd, but a cute little “town” on the water. We performed a mini show and handed out flyers. After lunch we headed to the US/Mexico border just south of San Diego. I wasn’t that excited about it, but oh man, was it an experience! It was just crazy to be standing on the edge of a country and look at a fence that separates another country. In Europe, you hardly know when you cross a border, but here there is a huge divide and a huge, visible difference. We listened to a border patrol guy speak (by the way, I HATE the way he called illegal immigrants “aliens”- it sounds so inhuman) and then walked around a bit. We went down on the beach where the fence was falling a part and there were huge gaps. I slid between the gaps and “visited” Mexico for the first time. Make that my 14^th country I’ve been to! It was a crazy experience.

Wednesday- I was signed out to work this day, so nothing too exciting happened. In the evening, we had a bonfire party on the beach with the cast and the host families. It was very nice. The water was super-warm, but I didn’t get in (although a couple guys threatened to throw me in!) because it was windy and a little chilly outside. After the party we switched into a much nicer hotel (I fondly call the hotel we spend our first two nights in the “smoketel”) and took a quick, chilly dip in the pool.

Thursday- I got to go on CI (Community Impact) for the first time since Denver. I went with about 10 other students to the Habitat Restore, which is a place to buy building supplies and furniture, much of which is gently used and donated, and all the money goes to the area Habitat for Humanity. I moved and stacked tile and laminate flooring, rearranged the furniture on the showroom and hauled some other stuff around. Good, hard, sweaty work, which I love. I then had to take my sweaty self and pick up my intern, Sophie from China, and go to the Albertson’s in Escondido where our show would take place later in the week (in Escondido, not Albertson’s….) We did a bit of promotion, we had a table outside the store where we handed out flyers, balloons and candy and (tried to) talk to people about our show. Thursday night I got my hair done at the Paul Mitchell School and it cost me less than half of what it normally does. Hooray for student stylists!

Friday- Friday was another regional learning day for the casts, but the promotion team had another schedule. We woke up early to go to Fox in San Diego and performed on the morning show. I was interviewed for about 2 minutes and then about 10 students danced part of Keep the Beat. I felt good about everything and I think it went very well. Click on the link in the previous post to check it out. After that, we went to La Jolla to do a bit more promotion and then had lunch at the La Jolla Brewhouse. I then took a promotions crew back up to Escondido to give Grand Ave a little Up with People flavor. I don’t think anyone in that town could not know about UWP. Later that evening we worked an event called ‘Crusin’ Grand’ where they put all these old cars on the street and people walk around. We decided to ‘cruise’ the UWP van up and down the street while blaring UWP music. If I suffer from premature hearing loss you’ll know why. Long day of work, but fun times.

Saturday- Typical show day. Promo and set up in the morning. Got a lot of work done. Cast did an amazing show, although I only saw bits of it since I was setting up the alumni reception. Big turnout for the reception, which was great. Beyonce’s uncle, Willy Knowles, even came- as he is an UWP alumni. Too bad we couldn’t of have a guest performance of ‘Bootylicious’… I’m sure we could have squeezed it in between “Sound of Peace” and “Power With”.

Sunday- a “true” free day as I was in the hotel. I slept in until 11 which was amazing and got brunch with the boys (Gabe and Hector). We picked up Christine and hit the beach. Went to Pacific Beach and had a great time enjoying the amazing weather, warm sand, cool water and great views (not just talking about the ocean here J ). Went out for some super-yummy sushi and packed up to hit the road for another week in the life…

click on this. Cast B on TV in San Diego!

2007-08-25T00:52:00.000-05:00

http://www.fox6.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=350164@video.fox6.com&navCatId=164/

Sierra Vista

2007-08-20T00:27:00.000-05:00

So, another week on the road complete. We spent the past 4 days in Sierra Vista, Arizona- just 40 miles from the Mexican border. I stayed with a wonderful host family- mom, Michelle and 2 daughters- Sierra and Samantha. I got to stay in Sam's room- complete with pink walls and a giant 'Samantha' sign- it was awesome! My roommates were Luis from Panama and Johan from Sweden. Gotta love roomies who can sing and play guitar! I worked a lot in this city- training the advance teams, doing promotion for show and preparing for a busy week ahead promoting in San Diego. I didn't perform in the show last night, but it was fun to watch- the cast is getting better and better and it is fun to see people in new roles. We had a great host family day today. We went to Kartchner Caverns, which is basically a huge underground cave which was discovered in the 70's. It was absolutely amazing to see all the underground formations that have been there for 200,000 years. We had a nice lunch and continued our geology theme with a trip to Bisbee to see the Queen's Mine. We donned yellow coats, hard hats and lights and hopped on a mini train that took us deep into the mine. I wish my camera wasn't broken- we all looked pretty cool. The mine was interesting, I was a bit claustrophobic, but not too bad. And of course, we ran into tons of 'Up with People' people. We got some ice cream after the tour and walked around the cute little hippie town of Bisbee a bit before heading home where we all promptly fell asleep in the van. Tonight has been nice, just laundry, hanging out and packing a bit after a nice dinner. Currently we are giving Luis a real American experience by watching 'Risky Business'.

Off to San Diego tomorrow. I can't wait!!

On the road again...

2007-08-16T01:01:00.000-05:00

Here we go, we are officially on the road. We spent last week in Tucson, Arizona and had an amazing time. Both Casts B and C traveled to Tucson to do community service and perform in conjunction with the alumni reunion that is held every year. This year, 1200 alumni came to Tucson to have their 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 year reunions and also came to our show. The casts did a phenomenal job coming together for the show and really blew everyone away. Our stay in Tucson was sponsored by Jim Click Automotive Team. I had a lot of fun in Tucson, spending as much time with my awesome host "mom", Ali, as I could and also trying to soak in some last moments with the Cast C people as well. It was really hard to say goodbye to them, as they left for Thailand, while we are staying in the US for 7 more weeks. Some of them I will see in Denver in just 4 months, but others I'm not sure when I will see again.

The past few days we spent in Globe, Arizona which is next to the Apache San Carlos Indian Reservation. We were sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank here in Globe. We performed our show at the Apache Gold Casino and did community service with a bunch of great organizations in the Globe area. Tomorrow we head to Sierra Vista Arizona for a 3 day stay. I'll try to write more later, but my computer is running out of battery now...

round 3

2007-07-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well, so it begins. My third semester with Up with People. Will be a little different this time around, now on road staff so I'm up for even more crazy times. I am very excited to be traveling with Cast B 2007. We have a great staff and a great bunch of students. Cast C is fabulous as well and I can't wait to see how our two casts develop over the next 6 months. We are smack in the middle of "staging" right now, which is the first 4 weeks in Denver where we put the show together and get everyone prepared to hit the road. We've already had great guest speakers, our first Community Impact Day, 2 amazing culture jams (like a talent show) and a lot of fun times. Cast B hits the road on August 5th to stay overnight in Gallup, New Mexico and then we're on to Tucson to reunite with Cast C and a bunch of alumni for a busy, but I'm sure amazing week.

However, there is more to life than UWP, although it doesn't always seem it at times. I have been having a great time with my friends and family since I've been home. Kelly has moved into a great place in Denver so we've had a lot of fun catching up and spending time being crazy single ladies together. I'm gonna miss here when its time to hit the road again. However, we will have a great reunion with all our college peeps at Katie's wedding in September- can't wait!. Okay, well that's all for now. Promise to update more often now that I'm back into the swing of things...

The Beach Diaries

2007-06-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

The Beach

Tuesday, June 12

We flew to Phuket today. Beautiful views from the airplane- gorgeous water, trees, islands, etc. We checked into our hotel, the Kata Villa right on Karon beach and then immediately hit the beach. We enjoyed the water and sand and waited for our 8^th person- Joern, to join us. When he arrived we got ready and hit the town. We took a taxi into Patong, which is the main tourist beach. We had a delicious seafood dinner, fruity drinks (mine came in a coconut). We then went to a Muy Thai boxing match. Not my idea of a fun time, but hey- it was one of those things you had to see in Thailand. It was sooo hot in the place, we had to sit up on the second level to see anything. It wasn’t too exciting, I honestly expected it to be a lot more violent. It was a lot of hugging and knee kicks to the ribs, rather than the kicking you expect. Oh well, it was an experience. After the boxing we wanted to hit the local bar. We found one place that inside had about 30 little bars. Each of them had a girl (or ladyboy) dancing on top, usually with a pole, wearing next to nothing. Oh-kay. So we found a place where we could all sit together and get some drinks. We had a lovely dancer named Meow (seriously) and she invited all of us to take a turn dancing with her. So funny. We didn’t get too crazy on our first night, but it was a lot of fun.

Wednesday, June 13

Today we spent a long day on the beach, soaking up the sun and doing a lot of swimming. The waves are perfect- nice and big, but not too rough. At about 2pm we had had enough of the sand, so we swam a bit in the pool. I went to have a suit made for my aunt and visited the internet café. Wednesday night we decided to not go out, but to get some beers from the minimart and play cards. We played a few games, but ‘Spoons’ turned out to be our favorite. It reminded me of when all the cousins would play at the farm in Iowa. Good stuff. We played until about 2 am when Joern came up with the great idea of having “Elephant Races” on the beach. What is an elephant race you ask? Well, it’s a relay race where you wrap your arms around to make a “trunk” and spin around 10 times before you run to a line and back. After lots of falling down and laughs, we stopped after 2 races (my team won both) for fear of someone getting injured. We took a quick dip in the ocean and finally went to bed, since we were getting up early the next day to go snorkeling.

Thursday, June 14

Today we booked a tour to go out on our own private boat and do some snorkeling. We visited 2 islands which were just gorgeous. We added to our already sunburned backs- it seriously doesn’t matter how much sunscreen you wear here- getting burned is inevitable. It was a great day. Thursday night was our last night with all 8 of us- Joern, Luis and Sachiko were heading back to Bangkok on Friday, so of course we had to go out big. We had a beautiful dinner by the ocean while watching the sunset and found a little bar where we thought it would be a good idea to order by the bottle. We had lots of drinks, great conversation and did some dancing. We stumbled home about 4am and decided to stay up until Joern had to catch a cab at 5:30am to head to the airport. We played some spoons in Greg and Yamil’s room. However, when Joern got up to go get his stuff from he and Luis’ room next door, they realized everything was gone. Both their suitcases, computers, phones, wallets, passports, everything. We have no idea who could have done it, especially from right under our noses. We feel so bad for them. They were both able to get back to Bangkok and then got the rest of their travel documents there, however they had so much stuff stolen, it is so awful. It definitely put a damper on an otherwise perfect vacation.

Friday, June 15

After getting some rest after all the drama, we woke up and tried to go to the beach, but it was so hot and sunny and I was so sunburned that it just hurt too much. So, we took it easy, did some shopping, watched a movie ($2 DVDs) and booked our boat to Phi Phi for the next day. Friday night we went to have sushi and then we played mini golf. It started pouring rain during the middle of the game, but we still had a good time. We ran home to our hotel in what only could be described as a torrential rainstorm. As we would find out the next day, this was a bit of foreshadowing for the weather for the rest of our trip.

Saturday, June 16

We left Phuket bright and early to catch a boat to the Phi Phi islands. It was pouring rain nearly the whole trip and the boat was quite rocky. They were even passing out sea-sickness bags, luckily none of needed to use it. It cleared up a bit by the time we arrived on Phi Phi Don, which is the one inhabited island of Phi Phi. Phi Phi was one of the places that was hit hardest by the tsunami in 2004. Although much of the island is rebuilt, you can still see some of the mess leftover from the destruction. A few empty storefronts, boarded up windows and lots of empty lots full of trash. We headed to our hotel at the end of the island and found our rooms to be quite a hike up a hill. Luckily there was a little motorcycle cart to take our luggage up to our rooms. They were very simple bungalows, no A/C or hot water, but hey, I’m used to it! The weather wasn’t great, but we spent sometime at the pool, which was definitely the nicest part of the hotel. We made friends with the bartenders- from Australia, Singapore and Sweden and they suggested some places for us to go that night. We had dinner at a decent Italian place and hit the bars. We went to an Irish Pub where they had 2 for 1 buckets, which are basically a big bucket of alcohol. Yum. We went a few more places and had a great night.

6/17

Today we slept in a bit, and although the weather wasn’t great, it wasn’t raining so we took a “boat taxi”, which works pretty much the same as a regular taxi. You tell the driver which islands you want to go and for how long and he gives you a price. They are these big long wooden boats that are propelled by a small motor. We first headed to Phi Phi Lay, Maya Bay which is where the movie ‘The Beach’ was filmed. The water was pretty rough and I won’t lie, I was pretty scared. We made it there and had some fun swimming around. We had to pay 200 bhat (6 bucks) to get on the island because it is a “national park”. It was very beautiful, but really looked nothing like ‘The Beach’. I imagined it to be much bigger. When we left, we noticed a lot of trash on one side, which was really sad. We then headed towards another side of Phi Phi where we did some great snorkeling. There were beautiful corals and some funky fish, including one really ugly one that looked like a rock. Our last stop was ‘Monkey Beach’, which surprise! is full of monkeys. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any food to give them, but we got there at the same time as another group which was feeding them watermelon and bananas. They were about 15-20 of them and even a baby, which was pretty cute, but we found out they were quite aggressive when Greg got a little too close taking a picture. They hissed and started chasing him and one even scratched him on the leg. Once all the food was gone they started hissing more- they were pissed we didn’t have food! Then, when they realized there was no more food to be had, they all scampered back off into the trees. We headed back to the main island, got some food and relaxed a bit. We took it pretty easy in the evening, having dinner early and having some drinks by the pool.

6/18

We woke up to pouring rain, which pretty much didn’t stop all day. We took a boat to Krabi, where it was still raining. We checked into our hotel, which was on a pretty remote beach, and with nothing to do because of the rain, we watched a movie and I took a nap. We headed into town in the evening to have dinner and do a little shopping, but nothing too exciting. We came back to the hotel to play cards, but the power went off about midnight, so once Greg’s laptop died, we had no way to see so we all went to bed. The power came on an hour later- thank goodness because it was so hot without the air. How exciting.

6/19

Yep, still raining. Really ready to go home now. We took probably the scariest ride I’ve been on back to Phuket. A tiny van, crammed with 11 people, plus the driver and all of our luggage on top. The driver talking on his cell phone and speeding through the pouring rain. Awesome, probably the longest 3 hours of my life. So glad when we got to Phuket and checked into our hotel on Patong. We walked around a bit, the rain had stopped, but it was still pretty yucky weather. We had some margaritas by the beach and went to a dance club called ‘Banana’ that was pretty fun.

6/20

Left Phuket to go back to Bangkok. Spend a nice last evening with my Scottish host family and did all my packing. Everything fits (although I had to throw a lot away)!

6/21

Left for the Bangkok airport just before 6am, took a flight to Taipei where we had a 3 hour layover and then were on our way to Los Angeles. 12 hours later we arrived in what I can say with confidence is the worst airport in the U.S., at least in my experience. My 5 hour layover actually only gave me a half an hour to sit down with Christy and buy her dinner for her birthday before we parted ways, she had to wait another 10 hours to catch a flight to Pittsburg, poor thing. The flight to Denver passed quickly and I touched down in the best city in the world with a huge grin on my face. It was great to see my mom and sister at the airport and it will be great catching up with the rest of my family and friends this next week. I have a week off before getting back to work. I am enjoying the break, but I am very excited for next semester and all the great things to come.

at the beach, baby

2007-06-15T04:27:00.000-05:00

just a quick post to let you know I am alive and well. Very well!! We are in Phuket and it is amazing, I don't think my words could do it justice. I will post pics next week, maybe that will give you some idea of how beautiful it is here. Its pretty cool to step back and realize I am on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with my friends from 7 different countrires... US, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Belgium. We lost 3 today, Joern, Luis and Sachi had to head out, but Christy, Greg, Beata, Yamil and I still have 5 days left. Tomorow we are leaving Phuket to go to Phi Phi (prounouced Pee Pee and where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed). After that we will go to Krabi.

We have spent a couple days on the beach and yesterday we went to a couple islands to do some snorkeling which was awesome. We are all pretty toasted by the sun , so today we are taking it easy, doing some shopping, emailing and eating. We have stayed in a nice hotel, just steps from the beach and paid only 500 bhat a night. That brings my share to about 8 dollars a night. I can't get over how cheap that is.

Okay, must run, promise more words and some pictures when I get home next week.

P.S. VERY excited to get home and see all my wonderful Colorado people.

Goodbye Chiang Mai!

2007-06-05T01:02:00.001-05:00

back to Bangkok

2007-06-05T00:50:00.000-05:00

Well, Chiang Mai is over and we all survived. Everything went very well with the rest of the cast's stay. The show was great- we had about 1600 people there and raised 60,000 bhat for the 5 charities that we worked with during the week. Yesterday we packed up and traveled 11 hours on a bus to Bangkok. It was sad to say goodbye to our host family there as well as our awesome volunteers. I really hope to see them all again someday.

So, Bangkok is quite the change from Chiang Mai. My host family is Scottish and live in a beautiful apartment. I have my own bathroom, HOT shower, A/C, a pool, gym.... its pretty incredible!! I think I'm having reverse culture shock. Its so different, but very good.

This week I am just going to be working in the office, getting the city report done. I hope to have some time to explore Bangkok a bit, take some pictures and relax a little bit- lay by the pool and get a massage. Thursday night we have the staff banquet, Saturday is the show and then Sunday night will be the final cast banquet. We are having an "all white" party so that should be fun.

Okay, time to get some work done. I'll try to post a final update before I hit the beach! 7 more days!

quick update

2007-05-29T04:44:00.000-05:00

5/29/07

A super quick update since I am super busy. The cast made it to Chiang Mai last Friday and things are going well. Let’s see… before they got here, we worked a ton, but had some fun too. Last Sunday our host brother became a monk (but only for 2 weeks, as most Thai men do). It was very cool to experience the ceremony and meet all of our host family’s extended family. Last week we also went to Doi Intanon, the highest point in Thailand. We climbed a lot of steps, saw some very cool temples and monuments and saw the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. We swam a bit and just took it all in. it was a great day to relax before the craziness that is Cast A! So, back to them, they arrived safely and we greeted them with a baby elephant at host pick up. Yeah, we’re good. Sat was an internal education day and we treated the cast to a guest speaker (Dr. Prakong) and some crazy fitness aerobics from a guy named Golf. Sunday we took the cast on the Jungle Trek that we went on our first weekend here. They loved it! I got lots of hugs and thank yous that day! Carolyn Lee, an UWP legend, told me it was the best day she had ever had in UWP! What a compliment!! The past two days have been spent running around (well sitting in taxis and tuk tuks) making sure things are going swimmingly with CI. So far so good, minus the typical first-day hiccups. Right now I’m spending a bit of time in the office before heading out to meet the cast for dinner at the Riverside Restaurant. It should be a fun night. The show will be Sunday and then I can relax! Not sure what I will do in Bangkok next week, probably just catch up on work, sleep and relax a bit I hope. And than it’s the beach WOO HOO! Much love to my mom- here is wishing her a speedy recovery.

New Pictures

2007-05-22T04:51:00.000-05:00

The Buddha in the cave temple
can you guess which ones are mine?
Oh tree teachings, you are so wise

typical breakfast, not sure what the green stuff is...

a few random thoughts

2007-05-16T03:10:00.000-05:00

its finally sunny today!! Yippee! Too bad I'm stuck inside working. I did get outside this morning, during my 2 mile round trip to the laundromat. Nothing like carrying everything you own, soaking wet, down a dirt road while dodging traffic and scary dogs...

The following is a conversation between me and a waiter the other night
Me: Can we have the bill please?
Waiter: A beer, what kind?

Me: No, no, the check?
Waiter: Oh Chang Beer!
Me: (look helplessly to the Thai speaker we have at the table)

The cast made it to Thailand! The arrived in Bangkok yesterday after spending the past 6 weeks in Europe. Talk about a change of scenery! I am very excited for the group to experience this wonderful country. I think they will make a big impact on the communities here and I think they will learn a lot as well. I know I have.

One night last week we were taking a Tuk Tuk home from a work meeting. We drove by a strip of bars and saw tons of cute boys (foreigners, of course) in several of the bars. Our heads all turned, we all said “HOLAAAAA” (the Mexican way to alert your friends there is a hottie near by) and said we have to go there! Now we weren’t as desperate as to jump out of the tuk tuk right there, but we made it a point to go back there this weekend. So, we were all excited to see some cute boys (there aren’t many here) and we came up to the line of bars… only to discover that one of them was named “Friendship” and had a lovely little rainbow sign. And the next one had a rainbow flag. OH CRAP- they are all gay bars!! No wonder there were so many cute boys! Now as much as I love gay guys and as much fun as it just to look at cute boys, it is much more fun if they look back!! We had a good laugh over that one. Chiang Mai is actually known for being gay-friendly, so we weren’t too surprised, just a little bummed out. We did eventually find a bar that had some good-looking boys who enjoy good-looking girls

I’ve been going through some changes here in Thailand….

My usual makeup routine of foundation, powder, mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, bronzer, etc. has now been replaced by SPF 40 tinted moisturizer and waterproof mascara.
My DKNY Be Delicious perfume has been replaced by OFF Mosquito Repellent (however, I still have a total count of 27 mosquito bites at the moment)
I’m (almost) used to taking a freezing-cold shower everyday, but the day I finally take a hot shower will be a wonderful moment
I’ve become accustomed to sharing a room… not with other people but with lizards, spiders, moths and the occasional cockroach… wait I take that back, I will NEVER get used to or be okay with sharing my room with icky bugs. You can take the girl out of the suburbs but you can’t take the suburb out of the girl
I consider a meal over 100 Bhat ($3US) expensive, but I am totally willing to shell out almost $6US for The Economist and $10US for a novel in English…. I will not, however, pay $15US for InStyle, no matter how much I want to see what the trends for fall are! Are they nuts?
I conquered my fear of riding motorcycles! Well it was a scooter… but still that is a big accomplishment for me! Don’t worry family- I wore a helmet and we went slowly! It really is the ideal way to get around in Thailand with all of the traffic. It is a bit tricky during rainy season, its a good thing I don't melt!

UPDATE: we just had an earthquake. it was very slight- I actually just thought it was nausea until I saw the other girls looking nauseous too. it was interesting, not as exciting or scary as I though my first earthquake would be...

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother’s Day to my two Mom’s- Jay and Ruth Ann and my third mom- my Auntie Barb. I am so blessed to have these wonderful women in my life and I wish I was with them today to give them great big hugs and tell them how much I love them!

So, what’s new in the life of Sam? Pretty much, just a lot of work. The cast will be here in less than two weeks so we have been very busy putting all the last details together, confirming host families and promoting the show. And we recruited some new volunteers (Thai-English speakers) to help us, so its been fun meeting and getting to know new people. This past week was pretty uneventful… Friday night we went out to “The Monkey Club” one of the hotspots in Chiang Mai for young people. It was so crowded- worse then Denver bars last summer when the ‘Real World’ was in town. And with my claustrophobia I really wasn’t digging getting pushed around and feeling like I was going to pass out, so we just took a seat in the restaurant part of the club and chatted with our new found friends- our Thai volunteers Em and Emmy and a guy we met last week, George from Switzerland who is here on business. Yesterday we worked a lot in the morning and had lots of things we wanted to do in the afternoon, but it is STILL raining. Not all day everyday, but the majority of the day is cloudy and dreary. We had lunch out and got caught it a terrible thunderstorm on the way back, so we just hid in the house and read and took naps. Not exactly what I should be doing on my 2^nd to last “free” weekend in Chiang Mai, but Mother Nature had other plans for me I guess. Last night we went to a fundraiser put on by Zonta International to raise money for kids with AIDS. It was pretty fun- we met lots of interesting people and got to dance. PLUS- I won a gift certificate to get a facial or makeup or something. I have to go check out what it exactly is (it is in Thai, of course) but it is worth 2550 Bhat (about $75US) so that is pretty sweet. After the charity thing we went to Central to meet a friend for a drink, but noticed something going on in a plaza- it was a beauty pageant! So we watched the beautiful girls in their gorgeous dresses for several minutes before taking a good look around at the crowed. Nope, these were not women we were watching, but men! Well not really men… but, as they call them in Thailand, ladyboys. You would not believe how pretty they were. Most of them were hotter than me- better hair, legs, even walked better in heels! Its kind of depressing actually. Very interesting! Today we worked some in the morning- I visited the Blind School where we will be doing CI and answered my always overflowing Inbox of emails. Carla and I decided to take the afternoon off to go to a spa. Another interesting experience. We got a 5 step body scrub, an oil massage and a facial for about 25 bucks! This 3 hour treatment in the US would cost a fortune! Good stuff. It was a little weird though… they put Carla and I together in this tiny sauna together… naked…. Same thing in the milk bath… oh well, it’s a good thing we are good friends now! It’s all about new experiences…. Even the ones that make you slightly uncomfortable! Well, I’m going to go read a little bit now before getting ready to go to the Lions Club tonight… Hope all is well with everyone that is reading this and much love to all the moms out there :)

5/7 Time Travel

2007-05-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

My watch has a date function on the dial. It’s very helpful as time flies so fast these days that I often look down to check what date it is. However, about once a week or so I look down to check the date and get thrown off because it has fallen a day behind. I’m not quite sure why it does this, as most of the time it functions perfectly. I think my watch and I have this in common. Every once in awhile, we fall a day behind- back in Colorado time. Colorado is 13 hours behind Thailand- over half a day. Sometimes I look around at my surroundings and feel that I really don’t belong- that this is a dream or figment of my imagination. I am not really in Thailand- just back at home, living a normal life. Honestly, sometimes I wish I was. I do really miss home, this is the longest I have ever been away from Colorado- the longest I have ever gone without seeing my “real” family. I think that people get hooked on Up with People because UWP becomes their family. That is true in a way- I have made some great friends in this program and sometimes they feel like a family- you have to make it that way or else it would be way too scary out there without a family. But, I know my road family will never replace the family I have at home. Okay enough of that babbling, let me tell you about my weekend.

Well the rain has stopped for now, but it rained pretty hard all weekend. Put a damper on our pool plans- but we found other ways to occupy our time. Did some shopping (of course) on Saturday after spending the morning in the office. We had a radio interview Saturday night and afterwards had some amazing Italian food. I had penne pasta with tomato and pesto sauce and yummy red wine. I was in heaven. We then decided to check out the Chiang Mai nightlife- can you believe we haven’t really been “out” since we’ve been here? We checked out a few places until we found one we really liked- where people were dancing and it was lots of fun. One bar we went to, although rather quiet had one of the most amazing cover bands I have ever seen. There were about 7 or 8 Thais in the band and they did everything from the Pussycat Dolls to Incubus to Diana Ross. I was really impressed with their rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love”. Seriously- they rocked! So we had a fun night blowing off some steam and headed home. Sunday we slept in bit and ventured downtown in the downpour. We had some Irish Food at a place called the “Laughing Leprechaun” (can you tell we’re sick of Thai food?) and went to an internet café since the internet at our office is currently out of commission. We then went to the giant Airport Plaza (a huge mall) to see a movie. We saw Spiderman 3- in English, with Thai subtitles. It was great. The movie was pretty good, but it was just great to be swept into another world (where they spoke nothing but English!) for 3 hours. And, of course, what would a Sunday night be without a trip to the walking market? We only stayed an hour and I just bought one thing- a dress for 6 bucks. Today, Monday morning, I’m at the office, but it’s hard to get much done without internet. Hopefully someone will come fix it soon… Of course by the time you’re reading this, its been fixed, to make the post possible. Okay, enough random rambling… off to track down the computer guy. How do you say “internet” in Thai, I wonder…

rain, rain go away

2007-05-04T23:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, we’re on our third straight day of rain here in Chiang Mai. As much as I love the change from sweltering heat, I’m kind of over it. I really wanted to go lay by a pool and get some sun today, but no such luck. So, catching up on my blog and emails will have to suffice for this Saturday… I think tomorrow it is supposed to clear up. The cooler temps are nice (last night I slept without the fan AND a blanket), but it makes it very hard to take a cold shower. Honestly, I haven’t washed my hair in two days. Today I washed my feet, face and armpits and called it a shower. It is just too cold to stand under freezing cold water, I’m sorry, but I really don’t know how they do it here. Tonight I will try to get hot running up and down the stairs or something and then jump in for a few minutes to at least wash my hair. Ha ha… I guess I’m a hippie after all.

Last night was cool, we went to a house warming party of a German couple who have just moved to Chiang Mai. We were sitting around with a bunch of people from all over- France, Mexico, El Salvador, Canada, California (that is a country, right?) and Yugoslavia. And then the one Thai woman there told us the story of how she survived the tsunami. She was living in Phi Phi (the island where the movie the Beach was filmed) and she saw the 2 giant waves that were higher than the tallest palm trees. She ended up running up the mountain and staying in a tree for almost a whole day. She said hundreds of people were up in the trees like monkeys and they had no idea what was going on. Was it a war? The end of the world? They had never had a tsunami before and had no idea what was happening. It was a horrible experience, but she said the best time in her life was afterwards when everyone came to help. Especially the Farangs- she was so impressed how no one was there getting paid, they were just there out of the goodness of their hearts to clean up. Now, just over 2 years later, Phi Phi is completely restored and you can’t tell that anything happened there. I am hoping to get a chance to see it when we go down to the beach after UWP is over. So, we have 3 more weeks until the cast comes and then time will be flying. 10 days with them here, another week in Bangkok and then 10 days on the beach and then its back home. I love Thailand, but come June 21, I will definitely be ready to be back on American soil, for at least a little while. I am very excited about being on road staff next semester as a marketing coordinator. I will travel to the West Coast of the US, Europe and the Philippines. How exciting!

"ladies", monkeys and orchids

2007-05-03T02:54:00.000-05:00

the "ladies" of the all-male Simon cabaret
yep, that's me and a monkey! his name is Danny

At the Orchid Farm

That is a strong monkey!

Another elephant sighting

4/29 Priceless

2007-04-29T23:33:00.000-05:00

Two T-Shirts: 280 Bhat

Jewelry (2 prs. earrings, 3 string necklaces, 1 beaded necklace, 3 hand-painted wooden bracelets, 5 anklets and 2 rings): 360 Bhat

Coconut Ice Cream: 10 Bhat

Assorted Gifts for Family and Friends: 500 Bhat

Leather Flip Flops: 49 Bhat

A night at the Sunday Walking Street Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand… Priceless

As you can see, we ended a great weekend with another trip to the Sunday Walking Street, which is just about the cheapest shopping you can find. The most I spent on one item was on a cute Chiang Mai T-Shirt which was about 6 dollars. Its so ridiculous how cheap stuff is, I am still not over it. We shopped non-stop for 2 hours, I got tons of stuff and spent maybe 30 dollars. Awesome. Besides shopping, this was a great weekend. Christy, the ERC in Bangkok, came up for a visit. We met her Saturday after our meeting with the Ex-Pats Club, which is going to really help with host families! We had a great lunch and went off to explore. We ended up taking a red truck taxi to the orchid farm and a monkey center. It was great. A little monkey named Danny came at sat on our laps and played with us. He dug through Paloma’s purse until he found her water bottle and then he opened it up and started drinking. They also had a small show where the monkeys shot hoops, rode bikes and did all sorts of crazy stuff. I will upload pictures soon. Saturday night we met some new friends for dinner (had yummy French crepes) and went to a cute wine bar for a drink. Christy and I then stayed up to 3 in the morning talking. It was great to have not only another American around, but someone who is going through the same things as me with work. Christy is awesome and I am so glad she could make the trip up, as short as it was. Today we went with our friend Boong to a small village about a half an hour outside Chiang Mai. This is a village which does homestays for travelers like exchange students and just people who want to experience living in a Thai village. Boong is helping them learn English, so we came along to help. We played games, talked, laughed, had lunch and rode bikes. I think they will host some Up with People students, which would be such an awesome experience. The people were so sweet and friendly and just love Farang (foreigners). I have so much more I want to say, but I’m very sleepy and we have a busy day ahead of us.

Happy Birthday Bob!

2007-04-26T01:39:00.000-05:00

Yep, I ate a worm! Salty!

I can’t remember a time where I have woken up to the sound of rain and been so excited about it. Usually waking up to rain means ruining plans you had made for the day, or at the very least, a dreary sort of day. One of the things I love most about Colorado is our 300 sunny days a year- we rarely have a day where you wake up to rain and it never clears. However, it has been SO HOT here lately, that waking up to rain was just about the best thing ever. Last night we were treated to an awesome thunderstorm. It was pounding down rain and Carla and I went outside in the driveway to dance in the pouring rain. It was so nice and cool and smelled so great, we couldn’t help but go splash around in it. Our host family looked out the window and thought we were absolutely nuts! They shooed us inside because they were worried we would get hit by lighting. They were so cute, you should have seen the expressions on their faces. When our host sisters got home a few hours later, the first thing Ma Mitra did was tell them about our crazy rain dancing. They were shocked too- why would anyone purposely go out in the rain and get drenched!! I guess I won’t try to convince them to go wash their hair in the rain like my cousins and I used to do in Iowa….

We had another elephant run in the other night. Paloma and I were driving back from the store with our host sisters when we looked out the window and said “There is an elephant! We then looked behind the elephant and said “There is Carla”. She had been walking to 7-11 and came across the elephant as well. We stopped the car to give the elephant a hug and try to talk to the handlers about bringing the elephant to host pick up- how cool would that be?? The cast arrives in Chiang Mai and we are there to greet them with an elephant. We’ll see if they come. Besides elephants in the street a few other interesting things about Thailand…

Everyone here wants white skin. While the store shelves in the U.S. are filled with lotions and creams to make your skin tanner, or brown, everything here is whitening! It is hard to find body wash or lotion that does not say whitening. Our host sisters look at us like we are crazy when we ask them to come to the pool with us and they carry an umbrella everywhere they go to shield them from the sun.
Not only is the driving crazy, the parking too. In parking garages when all the spaces are filled, the cars park behind the filled spaces, parallel. If the cars in the spaces need to get out, they simply push the cars that are parked parallel out of the way!
No one uses knives at the tables, nor do they have big napkins to put on your lap, just small ones to wipe your fingers and face.
There are stray dogs everywhere!! Some of them are kind of scary… it makes me nervous walking sometimes with this huge dogs barking at you, just waiting to infect you with rabies.

There is a lot more, but that is all I can think of right now. More later…

Everyone join me in wishing my Step dad, Bob, a very happy birthday!!!

One of those "I'm in Thailand!" moments

2007-04-24T03:56:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I have been in Thailand for almost 4 weeks. It has gone by incredibly fast, and I'm sure the next 8 weeks will go by just as fast, if not faster. Work is really starting to pick up by now, which is good. We are not in the office much- constantly running out to go to appointments, meet new people, all sorts of stuff. While its not the most exciting work, it sure beats anything else I could be doing!! The real fun happens at night, when we are home with our host family, seeing things and meeting more people. Last night I went with my host sister Mind to aerobic dance, which I'm trying to do everyday to counteract all of the ice cream I eat here. It is so cool to be in a huge gym with all of these women exercising and I am the only American, the only Farang (foreigner), the only person who looks completely out of place. I feel totally comfortable there- its just fun to be so different, I don't think I've ever felt that way before (except maybe when I was the only girl on my 4th grade basketball team... but that wasn't so much fun...)
After class (and a much needed shower) we went to dinner where we met up with a cute British guy that Carla and Paloma had met on their tour the day before. He was with a Thai guy who he had met randomly and had taken him sightseeing all day on his motorcycle. Just because, he didn't get paid, he didn't know the guy, he was just being nice. That is sooo cool. Anyway, right when we were finishing dinner, we looked off the deck we were eating and there was an elephant!! a small one, not quite a baby, but a "teenager", I guess. It was so cute and friendly and his handler was selling sugar cane. So we bought some to feed him and he proceeded to stick my finger up his trunk and got elephant snot all over. It was awesome. After we oohed and ahhed over the little guy for awhile he went on his way, but as he left we noticed he had a blinking red light attached to his tail so cars could see him in the road. How smart! That was just one of those "Oh My God, I'm in Thailand!!!" moments. You feel it deep down in your heart and it is just so amazing. I still love everything about this country, even though I miss little things about the states. Some of the food, Colorado blue skies, hot baths, driving, and my friends and family of course. I miss being able to pick up my cell phone at anytime to reach Kelly or my family in a matter of seconds. However, as much as people talk about "Culture Shock" I really haven't felt it yet. They said it hits after about 3 weeks... but I'm in week four and still doing okay. I guess I should be prepared, but hopefully it will be fine. I think my host family really makes the difference, they are just so kind and fun. Okay, off to another round of aerobic dance!

a Thailand Turtle for Mom

2007-04-22T04:30:00.000-05:00

4/22 I like Sundays

2007-04-22T04:27:00.000-05:00

There is something about Sundays I just love. It is a day I rarely work (unless a cast is coming the next day!) and it always seems very peaceful and relaxing. Today was a much needed day of rest after a pretty hard week. Between the VT Shootings, the Columbine Anniversary and getting sick (just a cold, don’t worry) I haven’t been quite myself this week. But, yesterday was good, we found out we got some pretty good press coverage about host families in both the English Newspaper and Thai News, so that’s good. Today, my roommates went off on an all day tour, while I chose to spend some time with me. I slept in, did my laundry (which is also great exercise- walking from the Laundromat with 20 pounds of soaking wet clothes!), and then went to the pool. I went all the way downtown and back by myself (don’t worry moms and dads, it is perfectly safe to go about by yourself here during the day). It was a small accomplishment, but a big one for me, since I’m not always the most independent person. I got a nice tan (and a bit of a burn, since I sweat off sunscreen the moment I put it on) and cooled off in the pool- its very hot here today, 102 degrees. I’m at the office, since it’s the only place with internet and A/C, but heading home soon to do some cleaning and prepare for the busy week ahead. Lots of love from Chiang Mai!

Never Forgotten

2007-04-20T02:06:00.000-05:00

Matt
Danny
Kelly
John
Kyle
Rachel
Lauren
Dan
Cassie
Steven
Isaiah
Corey
Mr. Sanders

May you all rest in peace.

Songkran (Water Festival) Pictures

2007-04-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

4/19 Back to work

2007-04-19T03:55:00.000-05:00

After the incredibly long holiday, we are finally back to work. I enjoyed the time off, but I am so used to going 24/7 that it was a little slow for me at times. On our last few days off we enjoyed some more shopping and visited the most famous temple in Chiang Mai, which is at the top of a mountain. It was a long, windy drive up and made me a little nauseous- Carla even more so. But the view was worth it. Many, many people were there to visit and pay their respects to Buddha. I think this religion is so interesting, I really want to learn more about it. I see all this interesting stuff and wonder why- like they have this blue statute that looks like a Buddha, but has an elephant head and four arms. What does it mean? My host sisters try to answer all my questions, but unfortunately their English and my Thai skills aren’t good enough to give me a good understanding. I’ll have to read up on it.

The past two days we have taken an aerobics dance class that the supermarket gives for free- everyday at 6:30pm. It is brilliant! Hundreds of women (and a few men) gather in the parking lot of this giant supermarket to take this one hour class. They blare techno music and get everyone to exercise. Why don’t they do this in the states? Seriously, it is awesome. Even after all my days of taking Step at 24 Fitness, I am still having trouble following along, but it is so fun. Last night two guys were teaching us some moves which included flapping your arms like a chicken and shaking your butt. It was soo funny! Tonight we are going to try a different class at the Chiang Mai Sports Club.

Work hasn’t been too exciting- meeting with CI facilities and schools, trying to get details finalized and find host families. Today we were on the radio- get this, its called T.I.T.S. It stands for Thailand Information Tourism something, but I think they know perfectly well what their clever little acronym means. It is the only all English radio station in Chiang Mai and I don’t know what kind of following they have, but I guess a little publicity is better than none. This morning we were on the jazz show which has an American DJ and this afternoon we are going back in a few hours to be on the air with one of the Thai DJ’s who speak English. Oh what fun!

As soon as I get the pictures from Songkran (taken by Carla’s waterproof camera) I will post them! Hope everyone is well. Miss you all! xoxo

I do have more pictures on my picasa site: www.picasaweb.google.com/samantharoman7

It puts things in perspective

2007-04-18T02:54:00.000-05:00

I am so incredibly saddened by what has happened at Virginia Tech University. Unfortunately, I know first hand what they are going through and it is a pain and sadness that I wouldn't wish against my worst enemy. I always hated how the word 'Columbine' was synonymous with school shootings, but in a way I was glad because I was always thankful that Columbine was the worst school shooting. I hate that this is no longer true. What is wrong with our country that these things happen? What could have been done to prevent this? I just don't understand what could make a person so angry.
I found out today that my friend Christy, who is the other ERC in Bangkok, has a brother who goes to Virginia Tech. Thank God he is safe, but there were several hours where Christy didn't know if he was and I feel for her so much. To be so far away from home and not be able to know if her brother was safe or not. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
It is inevitable that this school and community will be forever changed. I just hope it is for the better. I truly believe that Columbine and Littleton is a better place because of what happened to us. It was a horrible thing that we all went through, but we did it together and we learned a lot from it. I believe the Virgina Tech community will do the same as they begin to search for answers and heal.
It is my hope that programs like Up with People are out there making a difference in people's lives to prevent these types of things from happening. Now that might sound ridiculous, but our 'Stand for Peace' program was developed after Columbine to help kids realize they can solve their problems peacefully and to help them understand their differences. Now, there are always going to be those few crazy people out there who will do these things. Is there anything we can do about that? Probably not. But, we can be the best people we can be and try to be understanding of others and do what we can do make this world a better place.
Please join me in praying for the victims and families of this senseless tragedy.

Songkran, Day 745....

2007-04-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, not really, but it feels that way. Today we had a mission… go downtown to do some shopping without getting wet… ha! Our taxi driver wouldn’t take us to our destination because of the horrible traffic, so after cutting though fields, backstreets, dodging motorcycles and buckets of water, we eventually made it to the street we wanted, only to find ourselves in the middle of a parade. It was like we were spies running from the government or something- ducking behind cars, running like crazy… pretty funny. We managed to stay (somewhat) dry. All our hard work flashed before my eyes when a guy came at me with a huge bucket of water—I pleaded with him “Mai Ow Ka” (no… please) but it was too late… he started to tip it, so I did the only thing I could, hit the bucket with my hand to dump the whole thing on him! Ha!! I win! So, after we watched the parade from a safe location (Wawee Coffee- the Starbucks of Thailand) we got to do some shopping. I got some t-shirts for my brother and sister, a wedding present for my friends who are getting married at the end of the summer and a few shirts for myself ( a grand total of about $15). We then went to the supermarket to get stuff to make a Mexican dinner for our host family. It didn’t turn out too bad, even though they don’t have the right kind of beans or cheese, no cilantro and a few other key ingredients. Paloma had the brilliant idea of buying tortillas off of the Mexican restaurant that we have been to a few times, so all in all it worked out well and our host family seemed to enjoy it. Right now, I am about to crash… back to work tomorrow!

P.S. I ate a worm today. It was salty and not as disgusting as you would think.

Songkran, Days 2 and 3

2007-04-15T00:48:00.000-05:00

So the first 100 times someone dumps a bucket of freezing cold water over your head its pretty fun… but the 101^st, not so much. Yes, Songkran continues here in Chiang Mai. Yesterday we got out of the city and went to Pongtada’s village- Lamphun. We had a nice lunch with his family and then drove down the streets in his truck water fighting. Man, people are vicious with that water!! After we were sufficiently drenches we went to dry off and then attended a small gathering of Pongtada’s family. 5 monks came to bless the grave of the grandparents, which is on their property. It was very interesting. Then all the older family members get presents, like juice, oil and toilet paper. Mmmmkkk…

Today, we just hung out in the morning (I went to the office to do my taxes and for a run) and then headed back downtown for some more water action. This time we took our host sister, Mew, with us. On the way home we took a Tuk Tuk, and we learned that this was only Mew’s second time riding in a Tuk Tuk- I guess it really is a tourist thing! After getting dry we went for a nice dinner with the sisters and then they took us to Karaoke. Now, this isn’t like Karaoke in the U.S- standing up in front of a bar, embarrassing yourself in front of lots of people. Nope, they take you to a private room with a TV, couch and microphones (why you need mics in a 5X10 room is beyond me) and you choose your songs and sing with your friends. It was fun to see what English songs we (an American, two Thais and two Mexicans) all know. We rocked out hard core to Cher, Madonna and Hoobastank. Oh yes. Now I’m in bed, 11 pm, way past my bedtime. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, its Sunday and still the holiday. Hopefully sleeping in and sneaking off for another run.

Songkran, Day 1

2007-04-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Songkran Festival celebrates the Thai New Year. It is officially April 13-15, but celebrations started early today. The way people celebrate the New Year here is not with champagne, fireworks and a ball dropping… oh no, its by dumping lots of water on each other! Today we did some work in the morning, but then went downtown in the afternoon to partake in the celebrations. We came across a giant dance party in front of a hotel where they had giant fire hoses spraying everyone as we danced. It was so fun! I don’t think I could have been wetter! It’s a good thing it is so hot here! After shakin’ it for awhile, we decided to walk by the moat, which encircles (not sure if that is the right word because it’s a perfect square) the old town. It was crazy, everyone spraying and dumping water. Trucks would drive by that had a giant bucket of ice water and people would pour it down your back. Carla and Paloma bought $6 water guns, while I settled for a 50 cent bucket that had a string attached, so you could throw it in the river and get water. We spent about an hour walking and decided we couldn’t get any wetter so we should head back. We took a Tuk Tuk home, but proceeded to get more water dumped on us on the way home. Lots of ice water and even some water that smelled like fish!! Luckily we were almost home. Right now I am laying downstairs on a “couch” (made of wood, so not so comfy) listening to and smelling the rain. This is the first time it has rained since I’ve been in Thailand. It’s like God is celebrating Songkran along with us!! Tomorrow we have big Songkran plans as well, which of course I will be sure to write about. Happy New Year!

4/8 Elephants, Monkeys and Mosquitoes- oh my!

2007-04-09T20:39:00.002-05:00

Today was an amazing day. I know I use that word a lot, but I don’t know how else to describe it. We went on our trek today. We started off by taking a one hour drive in a van with 6 other tourists to an elephant park. I rode on an elephant with Paloma for about an hour. They went up and down hills, through the water, all around. It was fun, but it made me sad at the same time that these beautiful creatures have to do this day in and day out. Plus, the “drivers” often hit them on the head with this big stick they carry, it even has a sharp hook on it, which thankfully I didn’t see them use. Maybe there isn’t a better way to get control of them, but I just felt so sorry for the poor guys. After we got off, we went over to where there was a baby elephant. It was close to its Mama, but she was tied to a tree. He was soooo cute! He was playing with us, trying to knock us over. So much fun- that was definitely better than riding the poor guys. After the elephants we went bamboo rafting. The 3 of us got on a raft with a guide who took us down the river on a simple raft, made of 10 long pieces of bamboo, tied together with leather. We got so wet- not so much from the ride, but from all the locals in the river who thought it was fun (and it was!) to splash us. Also, the guide of the boat behind us kept splashing us with his paddle. When I got annoyed, he just said “I like you. I like you”. It was pretty funny. After rafting we had a nice lunch with our group and then continued on our journey. We hiked a good hour through a village (where we saw a baby monkey in a hut) and eventually arrived at a beautiful waterfall. We jumped in and swam in the freezing water. It was such a beautiful experience I don’t even know how to describe it. When we were hiking back, I started talking to one of the guys in our group and found out he was from Littleton! How crazy is that? He went to Littleton High School, and his parents actually live right behind mine! Small, small world. We then made one more stop at a Karen Village. This is the most populous “hill tribe” in Thailand. There were chickens, roosters and pigs running around all over. There were the cutest little baby pigs. It is so interesting to see how simply they live- they sleep in small wood shacks, sleep on the floor, make everything by hand, yet they have cable TV! So interesting to see how Western culture influences Thai culture. Although our tour was rather, well, touristy it was still a great time and I would recommend it to anyone who comes to Chiang Mai. Later in our trip we may go on a longer trek, maybe 2 or 3 days- where you get to camp out in the villages and see lots of different stuff. I better bring extra bug spray- the mosquitoes love me here! J

4/7 Happy Birthday to me!

2007-04-09T20:39:00.001-05:00

I had an amazing birthday here in Thailand. My roommates (Carla and Paloma) and my host family came to my bedroom door around 9am banging on plates and cups and singing happy birthday. They had a cake and everything (which they then smashed my face into, Mexican style)! They sent me around the house on a scavenger hunt to pop balloons for my next clues and I found gifts along the way. It was so sweet. I almost cried, it was so nice having a family here away from home. We then spent the day at the pool- no one else was there, even though it was a hot, sunny day. I guess the Thai’s do not like to get sun. I found it very relaxing to get in the water and do some reading. Later that evening we went to a party for the Royal Prince School alumni (our host sister Mew and Pongtada are alumni) that had lots of free food and some good Thai wine. We then went to dinner at the Riverside Restaurant where Pongtada’s band played. It was beautiful scenery and good food (although we were pretty full from all the food at the party). We went to drive home, but on the way passed the International Culture Festival where a very famous Thai singer was performing- Jennifer Kim, a favorite of our host sister Mind- so we stopped to watch. She has a very beautiful voice. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Also- thank you to all my friends and family who sent me warm wishes from far far away! I miss and love you all bunches!

Only in Up with People...

2007-04-09T20:37:00.000-05:00

Would you go to a SALSA dancing class, taught by a GERMAN instructor, in THAILAND with your MEXICAN roommates and dance with a guy from NICARAGUA. Crazy!

4/6/07 A good ending to a good week

2007-04-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

I have been sleeping so much here. You would think there would be so many things to see and do that the last thing I would want to do is sleep, or at least that it would be too hot to sleep, but that is not the case. Last night I went to take a “nap” at 7 and ended up staying in bed until 8 the next morning. I think I am over my jet lag, it is just my body adjusting to the heat. It really takes it out of me. So, anyway, we went into work today, but we can’t do much because it is a holiday and most offices, schools, etc are closed. So we decided to explore downtown. We visited many shops, temples and walked a lot. We had Mexican food for lunch, which is pretty funny in Thailand. It actually wasn’t too bad… very American (cheesy and greasy). We booked a full day Trek for Sunday which will include an elephant ride, bamboo rafting, lunch in a village, swimming in the waterfall and a lot of hiking! I can’t wait. It will cost 900 baht (which is about $27 US). Not too bad. Actually, Carla and Paloma paid for mine for my birthday- isn’t that sweet? I was actually pretty down this morning because I am sad I am not with my family and friends for my birthday and Easter and they happen to fall on the same weekend. I have never spent a birthday as long as I can remember without my friends and tons of phone calls from my family and friends I do not see often. It will be strange this year to not hear my mom’s voice sing me happy birthday or go out for drinks with my girls! Same with Easter- it won’t be the same without all of my family together eating Aunt Barb’s mashed potatoes! My mouth waters just thinking about them (the potatoes, not my family)!! But, I can’t be too sad… I am in Thailand and it really is the opportunity of a lifetime. I can’t believe one year ago I was living in Boulder stressing out about not having a job and a place to live. Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would be working in Thailand!!! Life is good.

want to see more pictures?

2007-04-05T04:16:00.000-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/SamanthaRoman7

First Week In Thailand

2007-04-05T04:05:00.000-05:00

Thai Ronald McDonald

monks-in-training

He is not real- but he sure looks it!

very spicy!

First Week in Thailand

2007-04-05T03:53:00.000-05:00

Carla, Mind, Olga and Me in our host families kitchen

We travel by Tuk Tuk for the first time

Our Host Family at the Green Terrace Restaurant

Good morning!

Time to get to work

2007-04-03T02:20:00.001-05:00

While it is fun playing tourist here in Thailand, there is actually work to be done. Yes, sadly, UWP isn’t paying me to go to Thailand just to sightsee and shop. Today (Monday) we went to our office which is just across the road and met with Paul and Pongtada. We had several appointments, with one of our CI sites and beneficiaries, with an international school, and saw the show facility. It is huge. It holds over 4,000 people. We worked pretty steadily all day, stopping for lunch at the Green Terrace which is the restaurant which adjoins our office. I had yummy noodles with chicken and it actually wasn’t spicy enough for me so I had to add chili flakes. I am SO Thai. We had a lovely dinner with our host family tonight. They are so sweet, and while there is definitely a language barrier, we have tons of fun and seem to understand each other for the most part. Some of the food here is so good and some if it is so weird. Paloma wanted to order desert tonight and she ended up getting something which was pretty much iced tea with kidney beans in it! It was very strange. Well, I can barely keep my eyes open so goodnight.

Thailand pictures

2007-04-02T05:22:00.000-05:00

Let the adventure begin

2007-04-02T03:18:00.000-05:00

So, the shower was quite the adventure. It is certainly not a traditional shower- shower head is about chest level, no shower curtain and no hot water. Just one knob, and what comes out is what comes out. Having a freezing cold shower is no big deal, its so hot here that it doesn’t really matter. So, after my adventure in the shower, we had breakfast which our host sister prepared. We had toast and some kind of big floury puff that had meat in the middle. I’m not really sure what I was eating, but it was okay. Great tangerine juice and cantaloupe, though! After breakfast we went with our host sisters for a little tour around Chiang Mai. They took us to some temples which were beautiful. I am really interested to learn more about Buddhism and why they do the things they do. I do know the temples are very sacred- you must take off your shoes and you kneel (with your feet pointing away from the Buddha or monk) and you must bow with your forehead to the floor three times. I did not do this- I don’t believe in doing things just to fit in- I am not a Buddhist, so therefore I do not pray to Buddha. However, I think it is all very interesting and beautiful. Once I get an internet connection ( I am currently typing all these blog entries into Word to later transfer to my website) I will find a way to post all of my pictures. Anyway, after the little tour with Mew and Mai we went to our office to meet with Mr. Pongtada and General Chevrolet and Paul to talk about UWP biz. We had a very interesting conversation and then went to lunch. This is where I feel like I had my first real Thai food. We had pork ribs on skewers with cucumbers and then a very spicy beef noodle dish. They added more sauce to theirs to make it hotter, but mine was just fine as is. They kept looking at me and asking if I wanted something different. But, it was delicious even though it made my nose run and sweat drip down my back. We had an interesting green drink that was pretty much unlike anything I had before. It was some kind of fruit and they called it “Waa Waa”. It is amazing how inexpensive food is here. The noodle beef dish was about 80 cents (US dollars). After lunch we met with Paul to go over our job responsibilities and then did some shopping for office supplies, at where else- Office Depot. We then had the incredible adventure of taking a “Tuk Tuk” home. It is a little taxi that is pulled by a scooter… it fits 3 people (somewhat) comfortably and is very hot, but very cheap. We live about 15 minutes outside downtown Chiang Mai and it was 150 bhat, which is a little over 3 bucks. Now, it is time to rest a bit before we go to dinner and do the famous “Night Bazaar” in downtown CM to do some shopping.

Welcome to Chiang Mai

2007-04-02T03:17:00.000-05:00

The first thing I saw out of the airplane windows were mountains! It made my heart so happy to see them, as I have really missed seeing mountains. Although, they are no Flatirons, I still feel more at home when I can see mountains. We were met at the airport by our Chiang Mai Contact, Mr. Pongtada. Pongtada runs a foundation here in CM and will be very helpful to us in the coming months. We were also greeted by our host sisters- Mia and Mew who gave us lovely flower wreaths which smell heavenly. We took two cars to our host families house, which is right across the street from where our office will be, at Pongtada’s foundation. I am totally serious here when I say we SAW AN ELEPHANT on the road when we were driving home. It was a baby, about 5-6feet tall. I was so excited I couldn’t speak, I just hit Paloma to get her attention. Paul and Pongtada didn’t seem that impressed, but said this wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Anyway, after a short drive past the ELEPHANT we arrived at our new home where we met the mother and father who don’t speak any English. There is also a brother, but he was still at work. Pongtada and the sisters helped translate as we introduced ourselves. They showed us where we will be staying- a separate guest house next to the main house. An Alabama guest house this is not, but I love it just as much. It is two floors, a living area and bathroom downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. Paloma and Carla will share one room and I have a rather large room to myself with a double (very hard) bed, desk and armoire. There is no Air Conditioning in this house, so needless to say it is a bit sticky. It was about 90 degrees yesterday and the humidity is 100% so these are definitely the most uncomfortable temps I have ever experienced. But, I love it. I love how different it is than home and how I am totally out of my comfort zone.

We didn’t really understand if we were going to have dinner with the family and they seemed to want us to stay in our house so we talked a little and then decided to take a “nap”. It was about 7pm… the next thing I know, I wake up around midnight and I have all my clothes on, the lights are all on and I find Carla and Paloma in the same position. Oops. I guess jet lag hit us. I have no idea if they came looking for us, or what, I really hope we did not offend them, but I sure they understand that we have been traveling for a long time and needed to rest. I went back to sleep until about 4am when P and C were up to. We unpacked, talked and are now waiting until the right time to go and see if the family is awake.

I am so happy to be in Chiang Mai- Bangkok was exciting, but so busy and a very big city. Chang Mai reminds me of Boulder- still a million people, but beautiful. Not as much stuff was in English- a few shops and restaurants from what I can see, but none of the road signs like in Bangkok. Bangkok, although very different, still had Starbucks and McDonalds and Boots (the British drugstore). Chiang Mai might too, I have yet to see it in the daylight, but I think it is much more cultural than Bangkok.

The next few months are going to change me forever. I am going to experience and learn so much. Not only from being in Thailand, but from working with P and C who are so different from me- much more free spirited and relaxed. I think working with them will sometimes be a challenge because I’m sure our working styles are much different, but it will be a beautiful end result, I think. I cannot forget that I am here for one reason- to make this an amazing experience for Cast A 2007. I have no doubt that it will be, but it is up to us to make sure that everything goes well and that we develop relationships with people to continue UWP’s presence in this amazing country.

Ok time to shower, this should be an adventure...

Day One-Bangkok

2007-04-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

So, we spent our first few daylight hours in Thailand walking around Bangkok. It was so hot, even at 8am. We found a little restaurant to have breakfast in- it was about half Thai food and half American. I had Garlic Chicken and Rice, something I think was fish and the best fruit and yogurt I have ever had. Plus lots of coffee (which is super strong) and orange juice which was fresh, but kind of tasted like Tang. We then continued walking around (this is Yamil, Paloma, Carla and I). We really didn’t have a plan, but just walked and enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells and people- who are SO friendly and are absolutely tickled when you try and speak Thai to them. So far I can say hello, thank you, no thank you. We returned to our hotel to have lunch (which was a Scandinavian Smorgasbord- very un-Thai) and meet with Paul who is our main contact and “boss” in Thailand. We also met up with Beata who traveled last semester and will be on the Bangkok team and “A” who is an UWP alumni and Thai native who has been very helpful in bringing UWP to Thailand. We met for about 3 hours, learning what we would be doing and learning about Thai Culture (ie: how to greet people, what not to do- NEVER touch someone’s head or use your foot to point at something). We then jetted off to the airport only 13 hours after we had been there that morning and set off for Chiang Mai- Paloma, Carla, Paul and I. Paul will stay with us until Tuesday night to help us get started. For those who know me, they know I don’t sleep on planes very well. However, for the one hour flight to CM I fell asleep before takeoff! I woke up near the end of the flight and couldn’t believe I was that tired.

The Journey

2007-04-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

Our incredibly long travel day to Thailand started out with Meredith picking us up in Alabama at 7:30am on Thursday to take Yamil and I to the airport. We took a flight to LA and after switching planes were on our way to Taipei. I love China Air- American airline companies should take a lesson from them. I love the slippers they give you to wear on the plane, great service. It was a very long flight- about 13 and a half hours, I mostly watched movies and slept maybe 4 hours. We arrived in Taipei around 9pm, then took another 4 hour flight into Bangkok. When we arrived we went through immigration and customs (with our bags which all made it- hooray!) and met Khan who took us in a taxi to our hotel. Khan was my intern last semester in North Platte and it was so good to see her again! It was about 2:30 am on Saturday Bangkok time by the time we got to the hotel (which is 4:30pm Friday East Coast Time, so we had been traveling about 32 hours!). Bangkok is crazy- there was so much traffic, so many people- tons of cabs (hot pink and blue) and crazy motorcycles that weave in and out of the traffic. We got to our hotel where we met Carla and Paloma (Olga) who will be part of my Chang Mai team. They are sisters- Carla traveled with UWP in the 90’s and she is 31 and Paloma traveled last semester and is 25. They are from Mexico, but have lived all over, including Paris, LA, and now Carla lives with her American husband in Idaho. They had arrived just a few hours before. We talked a little before falling asleep. I woke up feeling like I had slept for days, but I had only slept about 3 hours. We were too excited to be in bed so we got up and were out of the hotel by 8am. The first thought I had when I woke up was “I AM IN THAILAND”!

The last of the Chattahoochee Pics

2007-03-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

time for a cast dance party!

c'mon boys- you can do it!
Mary, Whitney and Jeremy with a future home owner!
Wouter, Kaleigh, Peter and Mitch- ready to caulk!

Me and my rockstar intern, Aoife, at the Chattahoochee River

Chattahoochee Wrap Up

2007-03-28T16:23:00.000-05:00

A few highlights of Cast A 2007's week in the Chattahoochee Valley

We had an AMAZING welcome with 3 police escorts and 2 planes flying overhead! Plus, Millard Fuller was there to welcome the cast and introduce them to the Fuller Center Project
We helped build 4 houses for very deserving families here in the Valley
We did "Stand for Peace" at 6 local elementary schools- when we performed our mini-show for the Chambers County kids, I have never heard kids scream so loud. They went crazy when the cast danced 'Power With'
We had intense educational workshop- the Hunger Banquet. The cast was randomly divided up into 3 groups- low-income, middle and high and sat and were served food accordingly. Many people got very upset, it was very sad. What is sad to me is that we all know that these conditions exist in the world, but what are we doing about it? Our education manager, Chris, had a very good point at the end- that we cannot force anybody to do anything, we can only be the best we can be at what we are doing. So true!
We got the chance in Chattahoochee to do 'Cast Appreciation' which is where we set up the stage as a surprise for the cast and put on a little show for them. I had fun doing my very first set-up and the show was hilarious- the girls doing the Haka and the guys wearing dresses doing "Swing". Great stuff.
The show went well, we raised $14,000 for the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project and everyone had a great time!
A great free day- brunch at Heart of the South, laying by the pool, getting my butt kicked in tennis and a great last meal with the host family, Aoife, Scott, Tina, Korey, Joern, Kristin and Madoka.
Very sad, of course, to say goodbye to everyone on Sunday, but I will see them all again soon- in Thailand!!

More pictures from Chattahoochee

2007-03-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

so I didn't realize until today that my house backs up to this little cemetery... good to know!

All the pictures below were taken at Ft. Tyler- which is where one of the last battles of the Civil War was fought- 7 days after Lee surrendered! It is about a block away from where I am staying.

Never Have I Ever

2007-03-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

During our overnight in Van Horn, Texas a bunch of us girls decided to go all 8th grade and sit in a circle gossiping about boys, eating junk food and playing silly games like 'Truth or Dare' and 'Never Have I Ever'. It was pretty immature but so much fun. Anyway, that last game got me thinking that in this job I have a lot of those 'Never Have I Ever' moments. Each day is filled with new people, new experiences and things that I never thought I would ever see or do. For example, this weekend I am attending church and then having brunch with Millard Fuller- the founder of Habitat for Humanity. This is a man who pretty much revolutionized philanthropy and the non-profit industry. Wow. In this first week in Chattahoochee I have had many of these 'Never Have I Ever's:

Never have I ever (until now):

had a tornado siren go off while I was at work and had to pile into the stairwell with a bunch of Senior Citizens :) This was a great audience (captive- literally) for my UWP spiel. Instead of calling it an Elevator Speech, we should change the name to Tornado Shelter Speech.
had to have my Buick towed from Wal-Mart
been called m'am so much in my life!
Eaten Fried Green Tomatoes- yum!
felt so welcome in a community- the people of Chattahoochee Valley are truly excited to have Up with People come to their town

had my host mom make me my very own pound cake (mmmm)... I better watch out or the next post is going to be 'never have I ever gained so much weight in a one-month period'
almost been ran over by a herd of deer walking home
come home to this- fresh washed and folded clothes courtesy of the family maid!

I'm sure they'll be many more of these moments in the weeks and months to come. Especially when I go to Thailand! I love this job...

I heart Chattahoochee

2007-02-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

So, I am totally going to love this town, I can already tell...

I arrived in Atlanta yesterday afternoon and after a fairly short shuttle ride down Highway 85 I arrived in the Chattahoochee Valley, which is made up the tiny towns of Lanett, Alabama; West Point, Georgia; and Valley, Alabama. Yes, two different states, one area. It's pretty crazy- half the time I don't know which state I am in. The house I am staying in is in Lanett, but if you look out the bathroom window you see Georgia! I am staying in the guest house of the president of The Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project- more on them later. The house is so cute and sits on gorgeous property- I'm sure you can tell by the pics. Last night I had dinner with a bunch of people who are involved in the UWP visit to the CV. Everyone is so friendly and nice and has just the sweetest southern accents. I can tell this is a very warm community that will be very open to have UWP here. Everyone keeps asking me what they can do to help and I've only been here a day!

So, the reason UWP is coming here is to kick off a "blitz build" for the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project. The Fuller Center was started by Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity. It is a similar organization to Habitat, building housing for low-income families. The Fuller Center is unique because it finds families that need help, but are not looking for a hand out. They will help build the home and pay a small and very reasonable mortgage payment ($350 for a new home!). UWP will help build 4 houses while we are in town in addition to working in the local elementary schools. I can't wait!

So, an example of how cute and unique this place is. My host dad just called my house and told me dinner is at 7 and he will send his daughter down in the golf cart to pick me up. That's okay, I said, I'll walk up to the house (it's about a block away). How cute is that? Anyway, I'll try to keep everyone updated on Chattahoochee Valley! Only one month until I leave for Thailand!

Howdy Y'all!

2007-02-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

Howdy Y'all! (I had to say it, even though no one in Dallas actually talks like this). Last week we were in Dallas, TX for the 3rd stop of our tour. It was my week to have a little downtime, get some wrap-up work from Tucson done and most importantly, spend some time with my family, since my dad, stepmom, brother and sister conveniently live right where the cast was staying. It was great to get to spend some time with them, even though I kept pretty busy with UWP stuff all week. The staff got the chance to go see the Cirque de Soliel production Cortero because an UWP alum is the tour manager. It was amazing! We did some great CI in Dallas and the cast put on a great show at Flower Mound High School.
Enjoy the pictures of my adorable brother Nicholas and sister Joelle! It was hard to say goodbye to the family, especially because I don't know when the next time I will see them will be. Now its off to another city...

We did it!

2007-02-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

I think it is safe to say we can now relax. Tucson is (almost) over and it was quite a success, if I do say so myself. The week went relatively smooth, the cast learned a lot, made an impact on this community and most importantly, we raised $21,000 for the El Rio Foundation at our show last night. I am 100% exhausted, but it is so worth it. This is what I love about this job- I work like crazy for 3 weeks (in this case, almost 3 months) and then you see it all come together in one week and it is absolutely amazing. I have learned so much in this city, both professionally and personally. I had a great team here by my side. My intern, Tina, is one of the coolest, most hard-working and fun people I know and I was so blessed to have her on my team. Also, the fantastic alumni here in Tucson inspire me with their passion and dedication to this program.

Here is a quick rundown of what happened this week:

Monday- Cast Arrived, met their host families... so it begins!
Tuesday- spent the day at the University of Arizona. Heard from Provost Davis and former Congressman Jim Kolbe. The cast learned how to effectively read to children and had fitness time in the U of A dance department
Wednesday- Celebrated 'Love of Reading Week' with a "Read-In" and elementary schools and the El Rio Clinic. Heard from inspiring El Rio doctors, met the mayor and also heard from Up with People founder, Blanton Belk. We had a fantastic turnout for our Valentine's Day potluck at the Northwest Center. Whew.
Thursday- spent the day down at the Pascua Yaqui Village. Worked in their schools, met their vice-chairman as well as people at the Casino. Interacted with the after school program kids and rehearsed our back tracking show for the next night.
Friday- The cast visited the U.S./Mexico border after hearing about the humanitarian work of a group in Tucson called "Humane Borders". Returned to the University of Arizona for a Border Issues Panel and performed our BTS Show for the ACLC (Arizona Collegiate Leadership Conference).
Saturday- The Show! Great performance! VERY impressed with this cast and their talents and passion. We had great guest performers- the Al Haneen Dancers (middle eastern dance) and Vocal Ease- an AMAZING all-girl acapella group from the U of A.

Which brings me to today- our FREE DAY! I was so confused when I woke up this morning and it was light out. A very weird feeling. Granted it is only 8am and I am up, but it felt great to sleep in a bit. Today I plan on going hiking with some of the other staff and then having a wrap- up dinner with the Tucson team. Tomorrow we head to Van Horn Texas for an overnight (the whole cast in a High School Gym- sweet!) and then the next day we get to Dallas, where I get to see my Texas family- yea!

I am already dreading leaving this cast next week. Last semester I got very close to the staff, but this semester I feel a deeper connection to the whole cast- staff and students. Cast A 2007 is AMAZING. They inspire me every day and I just feel good when I am around them. Oh well- it's part of the job.

Ok- time to enjoy my free day!!

Up with People in the Tucson News

2007-02-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

Television interview on KGUN-9, Monday, February 12, 2007

A Guest Opinion in the Arizona Daily Star, written by Up with People alum and current host dad, Bob Riel,

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/169354.php

Front page article in the Tucson Citizen

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/41851.php

More from the Citizen

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/41806.php

Front page article in the Daily Wildcat (University of Arizona's newspaper)
http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2007/02/14/News/Students.To.Participate.In.Global.Culture.Exchange-2719111.shtml

more pictures from Tucson

2007-02-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

The calm before the storm...

2007-02-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well hello,
It is 7 pm on the night before the cast arrives and I am at home! Amazing. Thanks to my Tucson team- Tina, Mia and Joel for all pitching in and preparing Tucson for the cast! We couldn't really do a late night tonight since we have a TV interview at 5:30 am tomorrow! So, here I am drinking tea and watching the Grammy's. It's so funny- I can't just watch TV anymore. I have to be working, reading, talking on the phone or on my computer at the same time. Sometimes all of the above! So, while this past week has been pretty stressful it hasn't been too bad. We had our last LOC meeting yesterday, did a lot of printing and then had some fun! Brenda, the Executive Director of the El Rio Foundation (the beneficiary of our show), had a Mardi Gras party and I went with Tina, Mia and Korey. We had a good time dancing in up- why is it always the Up with People people who are the first (and sometimes) only ones on the dance floor? It's okay- I love it! Gotta love shakin' it to old school Micheal Jackson and Prince! So, we still have a lot to do tomorrow and it is going to be a crazy week, but I feel generally good about the cast visit to Tucson. Hopefully tickets will fly this week and we'll get 4,000 cheeks in the seats! Well, time to rest.... check out this great article that was in today's Denver Post about UWP. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_5188770?source=email

Cactus Love

2007-02-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Awww... isn't that cute? No time to write much... the cast comes in 2 days! I just wanted to share this picture my intern, Tina from Sweden, took on our desert hike last weekend. Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

busy

2007-02-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

so... I try to keep up with this thing, but its hard because I feel like I have nothing interesting to say. We're just busy busy busy getting ready for the cast to come... they will be here in 9 days! I can't believe it. My intern, Tina from Sweden, arrived on Monday and she is AWESOME! She is smart and funny and such a hard worker. A huge help!
We are going to try and have some fun this weekend since next weekend we will be working non-stop. We have plans tomorrow to go hiking and then go check out the Gem Show which is a huge deal here in Tucson. And of course, Sunday is the Superbowl. So that's it for now... I will try to post some pictures here in the next few days...

I'm back...

2007-01-25T16:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's been awhile since I posted... but I'm back in full swing in Up with People so time to start updating. This will be brief since there is so much to do here in Tucson before the cast arrives on February 12th. I'll give you the highlights.

I had a wonderful time in Colorado and Texas during the holidays. The time went to fast, but it was nice to be home for awhile, see everyone and have a little downtime.
I met Cast A 2007 in Denver on January 6th. They are a fantastic group of students- 53 students, 15 staff from 19 countries! I am so excited for this semester- it is going to rock!
Especially because I will be going to Thailand in April! Up with People is traveling to Thailand for the first time ever and I am one of the ERCs who have been selected to go in advance and prepare for the cast visit. I don't know many details yet, except that I will be in Chang Mai (northern Thailand) and that it is going to be awesome!
I returned to Tucson last Thursday, ready to escape frigid Colorado and get some sun. It snowed here Sunday. It was really funny- schools were closed, bridges were shut down... all for barely an inch of snow. Ha!
Things are rolling here in Tucson as we prepare for the cast visit. Tickets should (hopefully) be on sale soon, we have our first host family meeting on Saturday as well and my intern, Tina from Sweden, arrives Monday. I can't wait for her to get here and help! There is so much to do!!

Pictures from Tucson

2006-12-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

It's not the rockies, but it will do for now!
Yep, that is a big cactus
Joel and I at the ASU/Uof A football game
The UofA campus... I love the palm trees!
@UofA
Ali Vinci- my Tucson BFF!

Tucson, AZ

2006-11-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Tucson, AZ, where 85 degrees and sunny in the middle of November is not unusual...
I am here preparing for the Cast's visit in February... yes, 2007. I am here WAY ahead of time, but it is great. I can get a lot done now before it is crunch time and I get to see a lot of the stuff that is usually done before I get to a city. For example, I've been involved in choosing our show venue, picking our CI projects and sponsor stuff. The downside is I don't really have a car, office, phone or any of the stuff that I usually don't have to worry about. But, its a great learning experience. AND there are tons of great alumni down here who can't wait to help.
I have been down here for 2 weeks so far and was joined by an Admissions person from the office- Joel. It was nice having a buddy down here while I was getting my feet wet in Tucson. We did tons of admissions stuff on the U of A campus, which is really nice. Not quite Boulder, but not too shabby. I have another 4 weeks to go here and I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing, but I will do it.
Last week we had breakfast at the Arizona Inn with Mr. Blanton Belk (the founder of Up with People), his wife and Mr. Ralph Colwell (of the Colwell brothers- who wrote tons of UwP music). Talk about history! Wow! Tucson itself has a lot of UwP history, as UwP was based here for many many years before moving to Denver.
Setting up Tucson will be quite the challenge, but I am ready for it! I am excited to get back to Denver however and see the few Cast A 2006 people who will be returning from Europe. I am also really excited to meet the future Cast A 2007 students when they arrive in Denver on January 6. Crazy that one semester has almost passed!
Like the space cadet I sometimes am, I left my camera cord in Denver, so I cannot upload any of my Tucson pictures, but just imagine palm trees, small mountains and lots of cacti!!

The end of the sweep

2006-10-15T15:39:00.000-05:00

We finally made it back to Colorado and boy is it good to be home! It was quite a long road trip (4 weeks!) so it is nice to be in one place for more than two nights! Although it was good to get back to North Platte, that was way too long to be in Nebraska. I am so sick of corn and cows! So, its been great to see the mountains again, not to mention my family and friends!

We actually have this next week off! No work, no going to the office, nothing! I honestly don't know what I am going to do with myself. Although it will be nice to have a break, I would have no problem getting back to work tomorrow. I'm ready for a new adventure!

So, I will be working in the office for a few weeks and then I'm off to Tucson, Arizona for a month. Tucson will be one of our first cities for the January tour so I'm going early to get things ready. I certainly have no complaints about spending November and January in the nice, warm weather!

So, since I'm not really having any adventures in the office in Denver and the cast is in Japan, I probably won't be posting for awhile.... But I'll be sure you let you know when something new comes up!

Return to North Platte

2006-10-15T15:27:00.000-05:00

We finally found the 2 headed cow! Stuffed of course, it only lived for 2 days... poor little buddy!
Kelly, Annette, Jim and myself with a message for my "host brothers" who are in Japan! We missed them as we were drinking our wine, eating Annette's fabulous cooking and as Kelly and Jim were getting musical!

Just for you Mom!

2006-10-07T13:23:00.000-05:00