On May 3, the driver for British Language Academy, Khalil, picked us up at the campus in Berrechid where we'd been volunteering, and drove us back to El Jadida to teach for another three days. Actually, he didn't take us all the way there, but dropped us off at the bus station, where we caught … Continue reading El Jadida take II
So after a one-day detour to El Jadida, we were back to volunteering in Berechid. Sunday was, as usual, a busy day of classes at the school. But on Monday and Tuesday, the school was closed and we were free. So on Monday night, we decided to avail ourselves of one of the few noteworthy … Continue reading Bouncing Back to Berrechid
After teaching a few days at British Language Academy in Berrechid, Morocco, we were picked up, along with fellow volunteer Jason, and driven to Casablanca, where our van collected two more volunteers – these brand new, freshly arrived in town. From there we had a drive of about another 45 minutes to El Jadida, site … Continue reading Escape to El Jadida
At long last, Monday rolled around and we were ready to begin volunteering at the school in Oulad Teima after twiddling our thumbs for the previous five days. It was a light schedule, entailing no more than 2 to 3 hours a day, depending on the day of the week, but it was exhausting – … Continue reading WorkAway in Oulad Teima, Morocco
At about 8:00 p.m. on the night of April 2, we landed in Agadir, Morocco, having been through a relatively pleasant flight from Madrid. Then we stepped through customs pretty quickly, even though we hardly knew a word of Arabic, and exited the building. And, voila! we were standing on African soil for the first … Continue reading Standing on African Soil for the First Time Ever
On Monday at about noon, we touched down in Madrid after flying across the ocean from Bogota. It was our first time in Europe in 6 years, and the first time that either of us ever had been to Spain. The first order of business, of course, was to acquire a few euros for pocket … Continue reading Making Memories in Madrid
Leaving Chicaque Natural Park On Sunday morning, we loaded our gear onto one of those little electric carts that had brought us down three weeks earlier and a driver took us on the steep climb back, back up to the entrance. (It wasn’t until days later that we realized we’d left behind our water filter … Continue reading A Taste of Bogota
On our second weekend in Chicaque Natural Park in Colombia, we really aimed high. First 105 feet, then 328 feet (or, to the locals, 32 meters and 100 meters respectively). We partook of a pair of airborne adventures offered by the park, at a substantial discount for volunteers. And they were definitely among the highlights, … Continue reading Hanging from Trees
Volunteering at UBHA in Chicaque Natural Park - week 2 During our second week of volunteering at UBHA, we really found our groove, and bonded with the kids quite nicely despite the language barrier. As anticipated, fellow volunteer Joel took his leave earlier than planned, leaving just us to cover the full day's schedule. One … Continue reading Dramatic Play, Wild Mushrooms and Glass-winged Butterflies
To the list of useful facilities and services that Villanueva, Colombia does not have, add bus terminal (nor train terminal, for that matter). Instead, it has a stretch of 3 or 4 blocks on the busiest street in town where buses and shuttles park (double-parking often would be a more accurate description) to discharge or … Continue reading Villanueva to Chicaque
world travel with a theatrical flair 