Tag Archives: Rachel

Act II: The Christening of Quatty

Act II: The Christening of Quatty

DSC_0027What happens when you have long hair, and you sleep in a dorm full of girls? You braid it, of course! — or, rather, the girls do. Then your friend opens her treasure trove of hair ribbons, and she gives the girls a gift they will wear every day for the rest of week, whether it matches their outfits or not. In fact, some of the girls only bring one set of clothes. You notice that, and wonder why.

At least, that’s what Rachel and I did at Camp UNPES.  During the first and only meeting between staff and volunteers, the head man, Roberto, encouraged us to love the children without restraint.  “This isn’t America — you can hug them and pick them up!”  He could have warned us how much love we would receive in return. Read the rest of this entry

Changing Perspective

Changing Perspective

DSC_0193Note: Right now, I am battling food poisoning, otherwise known as “the Jungle Diet” (guaranteed to drop pounds!).  Beka has cared for me in every way possible, and I hope to recover soon.

Ezra and Joe acted as both tour guides and Spanish dictionaries for us on our way to the river.  “How do you say…” and “I wouldn’t stand in the jungle grass if I were you.” Read the rest of this entry

Daedalus

Daedalus

cloudy skyIts body barely houses a single pilot, but its wings stretch across an airport terminal. The man-powered craft, “Daedalus,” on display above the escalators, weds fragility, with its transparent plastic skin, to the strength implicit in its wingspan. It’s a feat of engineering – and its name suits it. The famous Icharus could fly, but his father, Daedalus, built him his wings. Plus, Daedalus understood the properties of the building materials better, and so refrained from pushing them past the point of failure. No wonder the modern-day engineers chose his name for their work. Read the rest of this entry