Foreign Travel Blog
Welcome to the 2008 Foreign Travel Blog!
LWS Faculty, Staff, and Students in Kamchatka, Russian
2007 Foreign Trip
Five foreign trips will depart after Spring Break for Argentina, India, Mongolia, Senegal and South Africa. While they travel they may have access to the Internet. We are encouraging students, faculty, and staff to communicate via our Blog so we can hear about the trips. Parents, friends or family, can also post on this site. Simply scroll to the bottom of this page and submit your comment. A moderator from LWS will view the post and make any necessary changes (we will delete any personal information or inappropriate comments). Have fun!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:31 am
The Mongolia group got to Ulaanbaatar this morning after 20 hours of travel. We’re staying in UB for a couple of days and then heading out to the nomads. Everyone is having a fun time exploring the city and we’re ready for a good night’s sleep.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Anxious to hear that the Senegal trip arrived safely in Dakar. Hope all is well. Thinking of the group.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
We tracked the Senegal flight through all of its legs via the internet and were happy to see its confirmed landing in Dakar this evening !!
http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByFlight.do?airline=%28IB%29+Iberia&flightNumber=6970&departureDate=2008-04-15&x=4&y=9
This is a great website to track all international and domestic flights.
http://www.flightstats.com/go/Home/home.do
April 16th, 2008 at 5:40 am
We arrived in South Africa at about 2:30 local time to find that our luggage was a day behind us, then drove an hour and a half from Johannesburg to the savannah. The landscape is absolutely astonishing. I’ve never been so impressed by so little. On the game drive we saw all sorts of antelope-like animals, zebras, wildabeast, giraffe, and cheetah. We’re going to “play” with the cheetahs this afternoon. All is well besides the lost luggage and we are having a fabulous time.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:47 am
From Argentina-Explored Iguazu Falls yesterday which was amazing!!!!! We have been in humid weather so far and we are getting on our bus tonight to go to Salta. !Adios¡ P.S. We hope all is well with the other groups.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Hello LWS,
Well, we are in Kolkata, India waiting for our last flight. We currently have 5 kids with no luggage, since we checked in in Denver it is a long way. Oh well, otherwise all is fine and we should be in Yuksam by tonight. We get to sleep in a bed instead of an airplane!
Brick
April 16th, 2008 at 11:03 am
In Iguazu right now….very impressive falls. Argentinians very accomodating…and all is well. Off to Salta tomorrow night.
Saludos,
Mitch G
April 16th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Thanks Jodie for the update on the Senegal trip.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hello Steamboat,
The LWS group will travel to the nomads and gers tomorrow. The LWS students visited the Budhist Temple museum, throat singing, horsehead violin, contortionists and many cultural events today. U.B. is an amazing city with many wonderful people and dust storms off the Gobi. We hope that all the other LWS trips are going well and have an enriching and rewarding learning experience.
Bi her a ty
-Jack and Margi
April 17th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Hello All,
Erin and John called in at 4:30 a.m. our time this morning and left a message that they were in Ziguinchor (we just took the message off the phone) and all was well. Erin said that they had a very long journey and that they would not be able to call or email for at least 5 days.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:28 am
All is well in South Africa. Our bags arrived last night. Today we saw rhinos on a game drive and tomorrow we plan to visit an AIDS orphanage where we will donate the shoes collected at LWS. Great group, outstanding hosts, beautiful weather, having a wonderful time so far.
Chuck
April 17th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Thank you to Kenzie and Mitch for reporting about Argentina. Sounds amazing.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Sounds like an incredible experience already in Mongolia…good luck and safe travels to the Nomads…take lots of pictures and keep bloggin………..love to all, Mom Bomb
April 17th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Hi daniel,
I hope you are having fun in senegal. I watched american idol last night and the theme was mariah carey week. Kristy Lee Cook got eliminated though. oh and i had a soccer scrimmage in craig and we won 10 to 1. Layla’s new trick dad and i are teaching her how to ’smile’. When she does that snarly thing when we come home, well when she does that we say smile and good girl. well i will talk to you next week. -Babe(liv)
April 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Thanks for the Mongolia update. Hope the homestays in the gers went well. Can’t wait to hear a throat singing concert when you all return.
Love Susan Pat and Nora
April 19th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Hi Jack and Margi in Mongolia. Glad to hear you and students are enjoying the trip. Thinking of you and wishing I could travel too.
Jack’s mom
What are “gers” that you are going to see? You mentioned that along with nomads.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Just wanted extended family who are following this blog to know that posts referring “Erin and John” and “Ziguinchor” are referencing the Senegal group.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Hi Landen in Mongolia,
Glad to hear you arrived safely. Your stay in UB sounded fascinating. Have an intereting time with the nomads.
Granny
April 21st, 2008 at 8:06 am
Hey Julia,
We are still in Yuksom waiting for our bags to arrive. They got to Kolkutta yesterday and then for some reason, there were no flights yesterday to the local airport. The bags are supposed to arrive this afternoon and then be brought up to our camp tonight. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We should be able to alter our trip so that we get the full ten day trek–that is definitely what Brick and I would like to do. So, if you don’t get another email from us tomorrow or for the next ten days, assume that we have the bags tonight and are now trekking in the Himalaya as planned.
Thanks,
-Adam
April 21st, 2008 at 8:10 am
Julia, this is to follow Adam’s update. We have confirmation that the luggage is on the way, so we should be able to start the trek tomorrow. Yuksam has been good to us.
Take care, Brick
April 21st, 2008 at 11:45 am
South Africa is amazing! This morning there was a lecture about the black-footed cat. It is the smallest cat in South Africa. It is about 1/2 the size of a domestic cat! After we had lunch we went to a high school in Tumahole where each of us in a few groups went into a class. In my group it was Janis, Ellie, Steve, and me. We were in an accounting class. It was very cool. After they did a little work, we stood in front of the class, introduced ourselves and answered a lot of questions. The students were very welcoming and wanted to know so much about us. I am having a wonderful time. I am very excited to see what activities we have next!
April 21st, 2008 at 11:45 am
Greetings from South Africa
All is well on the trip. We have received luggage and will be on our way to Swaziland on Friday
Best, Chuck
April 21st, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Hi to Landen:
What an incredible adventure. You will never look at the world the same as after this amazing trip. Take care and keep us posted. Love, Grandpa
April 21st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I’m so glad the South Africa trip is going well. I hope to hear form Allie soon. And the Mongolia trip sounds great too! I would love to know if Natay is doing better. I’m so happy for you both!!!
We love you girls,
Mom & Dad
April 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Hope all are doing well. Please stay in touch so we can all join along in your journey!! And Mr. Colin please stay in touch.
Love the Picketts
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 am
Hello Seann and the Mongolian trip group. We are missing you and wishing you well. The pictures are amazing - it looks COLD! Hope you are all well and having a great time. We can’t wait to hear all the tales.
Love you!
Mom and Dad
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 am
Warm wishes to all in Senegal, particularly Daniel.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Hello Senegal parents,
I heard from Christine this morning by phone (I’m assuming they are having trouble getting to a computer). She said all was well and Senegal was wonderful. Not too much detail, but great to hear from them. Anne W
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Senegal trip has emerged after some intense travel and a week in the bush. It is an intense cultural immersion and the group is doing really well. I think we are all just now beginning to get into the swing of how things work here. It is intense. Nuff said. Tomorrow is an all day dance and drum workshop with some hard core folks, after that; back to the bush to do some baracuda hunting. peace out for now§
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Hi Senegal Parents - Heard from Mr. Colin via email and all is good from his standpoint. Colin said the mud houses are crazy and the people are all very nice. Said they also spent time working in the fields with the locals. No comments on the food.
All the best, Troy
From Moderator: Word from Daniel W is that the food is delicious!
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Hi! Wishing the best to the Senegal trip. TJA- BLM all set for NS, no P&J. Who else? AL? Snow’s melting fast. THA training for Moab. Mocha misses you. < Mom
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 pm
No comments on the food is a good thing from Colin - so my words not his…….
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Daniel’s Comments about Senegal:
This is the first time we have had internet and it’s pretty crazy because everyone wants to get on. I can’t begin to explain everyting we have done. Everything has been non-stop. I have met incredible people and have played soccer every day. I got my butt whipped in Senegalese wrestling and still feel the pain. I’m sleeping well and the food is delicious. And no, I haven’t had time to read. I would rather spend it hanging with the Africans and kicking the ball around. It’s awesome here. Best foreign trip so far. I’ll have some good stories when I return.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:03 am
Hi Senegal parents - Heard from Emily last night via phone from Ziguinchor. She sounded great. She said everybody was good, healthy and happy. Said the people could not be nicer and that she was having a great time.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Here is a little humor from our South Africa travelers:
We’ve decided it is unsafe for us to use our given names, thus we have formed a leadership group known as ‘La Fonda.’
Chuck and his sidekick have been overthrown.
They are currently tied to the cheetah cages, awaiting their gruesome fate. La Fonda was forced to bring in a specialist to teach the kids to survive off bugs in the African ghettos, with nutrients derived soley from termites and magobe worms.
Due to the recent Democratic primary results in Pennsylvania, we have deemed it safer to remain in South Africa.
We have hatched a plan to crash a tribal wedding in Swaziland to sufficiently supply and equip La Fonda to protect ourselves from the Malarias in the months to come.
We have come to terms with the fact that this message will be heavily censored by Lynne; therefore, we have already taken the liberty to forward this email to all members of the Whiteman Community, parents and teachers included.
Kenneth sends his love to the bunkhouse.
(The one formerly known as Steve)
Hugs and Kisses,
La Fonda
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
thanks for all the updates from Senegal. Taylor has only emailed that he “is alive” and having fun..so typical, mr. verbose. Please keep Daniel’s news (and other students)coming as that is all we have to go on! marion
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Hello La Fonda, I’m chuckling and relieved that the bugs in South Africa have not dampened your spirits/and sense of humor. Will enjoy the stories when you return. Love to all, Jodee aka TJA MOM.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:24 am
It sounds like you are all having sooo much fun! Wish we were you! Have Chuck and his sidekick freed themselves yet? Ian, We miss and love you very much. No one here for me to watch over!!! (Boo Hoo) Email us if you get a chance. If not we will see you on the 9th. Love You. Mom and Dad, Katie and Alisa.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
More Humor from South Africa!
Hello all!! Our group is having a great time in South Africa. The La Fonda group has come up with more dastardly plans for the up coming events and honestly I am scared at what is going to happen at the wedding. So I am sure that you have heard that the South Africa trip is really going to a traditional Swaziland wedding. We have been informed that we are going to wear traditional clothing and the girls get to wear hand-made jewlery as well. We leave the Savannah tomorrow and arrive in Swaziland. So you might ask why I have named myself Dierdra. Acually I didn’t even name myself that, the La Fonda members renamed everyone in the group (i.e. steve = Kenneth or chuck = david). Unfortunatly I am too lazy to name them all so ya…..hope you all are having fun in Steamboat and everywhere else. Can’t wait to come back.
LOVE,
South Africa people
p.s. hi mom and dad I’m sorry but I can’t get on to my e-mail account here and I’m not going to waste this blogging place to type to you…..BUT I love you and hope you are having fun and hope you will have fun on your vacation!!
April 24th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
We are having a good time in India. The trek is going great, the porters are extremely nice. The trek has been very grueling but the scenery is breath taking.
-Matthias
April 24th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
ROOMIE!!!!!!!! i miss you!!!!! thanks for the movie and chapstick and mag!!! Shave and a hair cut…….. miss you too!!!!! too bad i can’t hide the pigs….
April 24th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
It is so nice to hear some word from india. We hope everyone is doing well and whatever Sam had when he left he kept to himself. Hows the oxygen supply holding up? Whats for dinner?
April 25th, 2008 at 2:50 am
GREETINGS FROM MONGOLIA!! hi people! we just got back from staying with the nomads and teaching at the boarding school in bayan enjuul. we were there for…. eight days…. so says margi. the first couple days after we left UB were spent with the nomads. matti and seann were by themselves as well as…. lilly and devin. there was a seven person gir and then a three person one which i shared with margi and will f. twas fun. they taught me canasta… which i am now a little sick of. i got to see lots of baby goats!!! and collect dung… oh yeah… that was…. interesting. you havn’t truly lived until you have had four different animal’s dung down your shirt and on your head. (margi is eager to write her own experience here so i’ll be quick.) when we left the girs we headed to the school where tons of little kids pulled us everywhere! i didn’t mind. it was pretty cute. but we taught them songs like head shoulders knees and toes and we played games like hackey sack and red rover. i got to teach them a game i knew from camp and then that same day we got to wrestle. we learned the “mongolian style” and we showed them the “american” way. there was one girl who WAS SSSSSOOOOOO STRONG! we were one for one for a bit but then i challenged her one more time but in freestyle…
i won… barely. then there was the school dance where we basically ran around and made complete fools of ourselves. but the cool part was that they followed us and did what we did… so by that point we weren’t that crazy looking. there was a lot more to it but i’m kind of tired of typing and i’m sure margi will have a lot more to say. so…. yeah! adios… or rather, bairtai!
April 25th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Hey!!! We just got back to U.B. from staying with the Nomads and teaching at Bayan-Enjul. Devin and Lilly milked goats at their homestays.We also herded sheep and goats and got to play with the baby sheep and goats. They were very cute. We also collected dung…We had a lot of fun at the school. We made lots of friends with the students there and we learned how to wrestle! Last night we had a disco party with them and everyone enjoyed it!!! K BYE!
April 25th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Hello LWS,
The Mongolia travelers are back in UB, homestays in the ger camps(yurts) were an EXPERIENCE that we will not forget. Everyone is doing well and enjoying the LWS travel experience. We encountered sandstorms, goats, wild horses, and wrestling with our new Mongol friends in the north Gobi desert.
Our service work begins tomorrow with the Buddhist monks of the Gandan Monastery.
San bye yuu,
Jack and Margi
April 25th, 2008 at 7:41 am
OK rat-fink daughters of ours (Natay and Allie)…we are glad you are having a great cultural and travel experience. We are stuck in the snow. Again.
Love,
Mom and Dad
April 25th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Well hello from mom of current LaFonda member (last know alias Bri)! Reading all your words makes my heart smile and feel soooo wonderful! Glad you are doing good, and due to the results of the Penn primary we are also considering new continents to habitat! We are holding all of the travelers close to our hearts and minds until you all return safely! Have fun, be great friends, keep blogging, and love to Bri! Oh yeah and Marg and Brick too!
April 25th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
From Lilly
“…we had fun with the nomads and at the school devin and i were in a ger together alone!!!!!!! what an experience! …i have endless stories and pictures to show you. last night at the school we had a disco and watched wrestling!!! and yes i got out there and wrestled dev (Devin W). it was fun- it was cool to just hang out with the kids and our group is so cool together its great!!!!!. i really have not been in the middle of nowhere like i was for the past 8 days!! i cant tell you how amazing it is.it was so cool to see the sunsets and full moon in the middle of no where! the weather here has been hot in the begining and then with the nomads it was very chilly and REALLY REALLY windy with huge dust storms- no rain or snow yet. this is such a crazy place it is really fun!!! i dont think they have any other veggie than carrot, cabbage, and potato
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOX” Lilly
April 26th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Hello America! keyboard is wierd. having fun. lots of schedule changes. lots of marriage proposals. jennings is already married. He is happy. miss everyone we are good and happy too. but not as happy as jennings. T.I.A. (this is africa).
April 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
OH YES!!! we are being followed by cameraman. we are gonna be famous in France BABY!!! HAPPY TIME!!!
April 27th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Mongolia is fun, great experience, and we are getting our butts kicked by the locals in all spports.
April 27th, 2008 at 3:35 am
mongolia trip is doing well. we are working with the monks now. today was their service party day which is kinda like earth day. the food is growing old to many on the trip! but we are all having a great time.
April 27th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Hello Jennings, Thanks for saving us tons of money on your wedding!!!!!!! Hope we get to meet your wife soon!!!!!! Glad you all are having fun..Love to everyone.Towny and Jodee
April 27th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Hi Vig, hope you and your group enjoyed participaitng in the traditional wedding in Swaziland. We miss you….travel safe and enjoy!!! Love Mom
April 27th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
ELIZABETH GIRLS! I MISS YOU GIRLIES! We KNOW you all are having a great great time where ever you guys are! We’re so jealous of you right now and we really miss you all greatly! Life is so quiet here at LWS! Come back soon and with many good stories to tell us!
Much Love,
Lucy, Sophie, Val, Molly, Izzy, Kathy, AND CHAR CHAR
April 28th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Hello Walt,
So guess what? Tomorrow we will celebrate Earth Day in Mongolia and we will be planting trees. Does life get any better than that?
And here is a precious tale.
We were doing our service work at Gandan Monastery today. Some Mongolian university students observed that we were working at their temple, so 6 of them asked if they could help us. A few moments later, two other people asked if they too could help. After that about 20 other Mongolians helped us clean and dust the family gods and clean windows. Afterwards, one of the young universtiy students came up to me and said that we changed her mind about Americans. She thought that all Americans wanted war and cared only about money, but here we were working in their temple, when they had never thought about working at or for their temple. She told us she was proud of us and happy that we showed her that Americans were good people and that we were showing the Mongolians how to be better people too. Is that the essence of Foreign Trip or what? This was one of those special moments that will forever be engrained in my heart.
Margi
April 28th, 2008 at 9:14 am
News from Senegal
John M checked in yesterday and said that all was well in Senegal. Spirits are high and everyone is having a great time. They were to spend the day at the beach yesterday and go to a small village for kayak races. They will be refurbishing a school in Marsassoum for 4 days beginning Tuesday.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Dear Mongolian travelers—what an amazing trip…can not believe how clear our phone conversations have been from that far away. anxious to see pictures, hear music and stories of this incredible trip. Saddened to hear of the long lasting drought but, hopefully the new trees will survive and thrive.Be safe and kind…….love, Mom Bomb (Conner’s favorite mom)
April 28th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
From Argentina:
We cleared approx half a football field in size of shoulder high weeds and turned the area into three sustainable gardens, including new seedlings and seeds for the Wiche village school, and then had many people join us in picking up all the trash surrounding the school and big community areas. No question about how these people now feel about Americans. Also travelled six hours (on a road that was devastated by previous flood)to the closest town and were interviewed on the radio and TV, talking about why we were here and why we chose to help the indigenous people who apparently the Argentinians do not care much about
All is well and we are off to Bariloche tomorrow.
Best, Mitch
April 28th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
My telephone rang at 7:30 AM today and I hear, “Hi Mom, it’s Charlie.” I was ecstatic. Two weeks with no word from Argentina is a bit unnerving, but surely distance makes the heart grow fonder. In our 25 minute conversation, Charlie said the trip was going extremely well and that he definitely wants to go on foreign trip again. The Iguazu Falls were incredible (so close to the Brazil border but no way to get there), the food was incredible too, the bus rides long but fun on these double deck buses they were riding with sleeper seats and modern conveniences. It took 3 different buses to go from Iguazu to Salta. The youth hostile in Iguazu was “so cool” he said. He took a video of it. The one in Salta was really nice too. The Wichi people were so nice and loved us he said. We built 3 really big gardens using all kinds of tools. The Wiche loved Peter H because he reminded them of Superman (Peter Parker/Peter H?)—(not sure how they know about superman—I didn’t ask). Charlie described some of the Wichi food as gruel with noodles but tasted pretty good. The goods made by the Wichi were from the native wood, and other natural materials—sounded like they bought a lot from them. He was taught how to carve their wood (he made a duck). The homestays were not in individual homes with the Wichi. Instead they were directed to all sleep in one man’s yard with the tents all staked out in one area. They will be staying in Salta tonight and onward to Buenos Aires tomorrow to catch a flight to Barioleche (sp?). He will try to call again from there. He had to go to say goodbye to the Wichi and to hop on the bus. So great to hear from you Charlie. God Bless to all in the group!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Hey, I hope you guys in Senegal are doing well and having lots of fun. I wish I could be there with you, but you’ll be pleased to know that I can finally walk without a limp now.
-Courtney
P.S. You had better take lots of pictures and get me something cool
April 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Hi Emily:
Glad you are having such a fun trip. I saw a quote from someone in your Senegal group that someone got married, hope that’s not you. Ha Ha. Keep having a FAB time. Luv Aunty Sue and Uncle Bob XOXO
May 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am
News from Senegal:
John M called in last night. They are all doing really well. He said they finished their service project in Marsassoum. They varnished, sanded and assembled all the desks at the local school and will be moving on to Ziguinchor.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:53 am
Hello,
All is well in India. We finished up our service work today at the monastery. The septic tank is in, the walls are up for the toilet building, we did some final work today. We will see pictures of the finished project, hopefully with a plaque thanking LWS, sometime in the somewhat near future, maybe before graduation.
Tomorrow we begin to travel a bit and then it is off to Gantok.
Brick
May 1st, 2008 at 7:01 pm
i head to senegal tomorrow morning Friday-May 2- early meeting up with the group on Monday evening. I am bringing them all chewy chocolate chip and oreo cookies as they may be tired of 3 weeks of rice. I will be kidnapping Taylor back to my peace corps village while LWS head up to Dakar and then home. Feel free to call me on my cell tonight if you have any personal messages you want to send on! It sounds like they have had a good time! Kasumey!
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Marion: I don’t have your cell # but would love for you to tell Daniel all is well at home and that we miss him. Wish I would have known about your trip; I too would have packed a few goodies for the group. Have a safe trip. Thanks!
May 4th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Hey Colin!We are dying to get some vibes or a comment from you!! Sounds like things are going good! We sure wish we were there! How ’bout those bugs. We miss you!! America isn’t the same without you!!! Susie, Will & Giffie say Hi!! LOve You more than ever! Yo Motha & sisters
May 5th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Senegal Update — I just heard from Emily this morning @ 7:45 Colorado time. She reported that everyone is doing fine and the LWS group is being treated like celebrities in Zinguinchor. They will be staying there until tomorrow morning when they take an 8 hour bus ride to Dakar. It was a short phone call, but she was very positive about the group’s health and happiness and says they have many, many stories to tell.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hi, not much time, we are in Gantok for 2 nights. All is well. The kids are winding down a bit and looking forward to the next few days and the end of the week when we start home. We all had dinner at the monastery in Damthang and then were sent off the next morning with a special blessing and a good luck shawl for each of us from the Lama.
Check in again soon, Brick
May 5th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
We have continued to have an amazing experience in Senegal. Just returned from Kaguit, where we enjoyed canoe races, hours of dancing, and a ritual goat sacrifice in our honor. Rest assured that all are safe, and we are on our way back to Dakar tomorrow. Hard to believe we only have two nights remaining! Best from all of us!
May 5th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Senegal friends and family- Heard from Christine by phone and she sounded great. She loves Senegal and said their foreign service in Marassoum was wonderful, if not overwhelming. The people there were very thrilled to be hosting the LWS kids and made quite a production. They also had a great day at the beach, where there were cows walking around. I could here various kid’s voices in the background when she called and everyone sounded happy and healthy. Anne
May 5th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Thanks to Senegal adventurers for the travelogue. Hi to Christine and Bobby and Sarah.
May 5th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Hello!
We are off to the Swaziland cultural center today. All the students had wonderful home stay experiences. We are all happy and healthy!
See you soon,
Chuck
May 5th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I received a voice mail today from Taylor and Marion who met up in Senegal with the LWS group. Marion says that all are well and happy. They apparently had an amazing trip and are looking forward to warm showers.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:18 am
We are spectacular. Got back to UB late, now internet cafe closing. We leave UB tomorrow 12:45. Hope all is well. We are so good. Great kids!!
Margi
May 7th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Just finished two night trek in some amazing terrain. Off to Buenos tomorrow for one night and then home. All is well.
Mitch
May 7th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Today we are in Darjeeling. The day began with spectacular views of the high mountains into which we had trekked. Looking at the 3rd highest mtn in the world never ceases to amaze me. We did get to visit the Himalayan Mountain Institute which includes a zoo. We were not able to get the full group to the Tibetan refugee center. A few of us went yesterday for a brief visit. I’ll try to e-mail from Kolkata.
Brick
May 7th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Hello Senegal Parents,
The group arrived in Dakar late yesterday. They are currently visiting Goree Island. The travel representatives are taking care of them until their departure scheduled tonight at 10:55 p.m.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Charlie has been emailing back and forth from Bariloche Argentina. He said the town is like a Swiss Ski Resort with many Chocolate shops. He said not to worry…will bring chocolate home. Thank you Charlie! The group apparently did an 8 mile bike ride around the very panoramic lake nearby, jump into the lake from a high perch (you can ask Charlie how high). Many natives own St. Bernard dogs….Charlie said their heads are as big as his torso! They went rafting one day through class 2-class 4 rapids. Very fun! They hiked 10 km (?) another day and saw the most panoramic views ever. They love their hostel. They left yesterday to return to Buenos Aires for their departure on Friday. Great to hear all the news Charlie. Thanks.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Im writing from Bariloche, Argentina and would like to tell the staff of the school and the parents that we hosted this nice kids for a couple of days and that it was a pleasure to have them and Peter and Mitch around.
I dont know how to post a picture here, you can go to http://www.hostelinbariloche.blogspot.com and see them in our hostel and write some comments if you wish.
Cheers Tato
May 9th, 2008 at 2:55 am
Parents.
The Mongolia group is back safe and sound. I want to thank not only the parents of the Mongolia travelers, but all parents of foreign travelers. Your support of the Foreign Travel Program allows us to not only enrich the lives of your children, but the lives of the people who we meet around the world. I can’t tell you how many people commented on how fortunate our students are and how they as adults, wished they could encounter people around the world from the perspective of a young LWS student.
After reading the blog, being with 12 incredible students for 27 days, I too am grateful for the opportunities I have to be a compassionate educator.
We are making a difference in this complex world. As we work together—parent and educator, we will surely help to make the world a better place. Thank you.
We will continue to strive to provide your children with experiences that will prepare them to be citizens of the world.