THE ADVENTURES OF MICHELLE AND MICHELLE!

NEEDLY boredom

meeshmaz — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:36:00 GMT

Hi. short update. This one is mostly for meself since I updated yesterday or the day before.

Okay, so we ate some sugar cane in Banos. Apparently, that was a bad idea because Michelle and I both ended up with terrible stomach aches. I actually saw a blinding light at one point as I tossed and turned on the bed we share. But! Our host mom, the dentista, came through for us...after a long night of vomiting and the continuous emissions of other bodily fluids, she injected into my buttocks THE BIGGEST NEEDLE that I have ever been in contact with. It hurt something fierce and i still have a slight bruise. Michelle recieved her special shot this afternoon. On account of our sickness, we have been delayed to the point where we will be canceling our trip to the coast. We will stay in Otavalo and do day trips including, but not limited to, climbing Ibarra and Fuya Fuya mountains...horseback ride to the waterfalls...check out some crater lakes...dancing at the folk PENA....Quito city tour and the MITAD del MUNDO...center of the world. We are already feeling much better so everything is looking good.

tomorrow we are throwing a little party for our little kiddies. CAKE! And a PINATA! one week...america...i hope obama is winning...

meeshmazzeo

Wedding, Work, Weekends

meeshmaz — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:15:00 GMT

Hello all! Its been so long since we have updated the BLOG! Lots to fill in! Michelle G and I are sitting here together trying to reflect on everything so we don´t leave ANYTHING out!!!!!! Here goes...

WEDDING. Marcelo, the brother of our host dad, Marcos. He married for the second time in a traditional white church wedding. To be honost, it was slightly boring since everything was in rapid Spanish and little could be understood. Also, we didn´t know the bride or groom. We threw rice at the bride and proceeded to the fiesta where we danced the night away and drank some whisky scotch. Michelle G is already a pro dancer and I picked up a few moves myself. Since the wedding Ive been looking for some more opportunities to test out my new moves, and finally, the time came a week later.

BUT FIRST! Work. Has been great. I found out my favorite kid, Johel, is actually named JON. Things at the center have been really fun. We love the kids so much and hug them and kiss them all the time. We go on little excursions to the laguna San Pablo, which is accross the street and to äribba¨,which just means UP and refers to the field behind the center. Even though its a short walk, it usually takes us 45 minutes to get all the kids accross the street and to the final destination. Especially since lots of kids stop and bathroom it up on the side path. You know, the usual. Last week, we went arriba and one of the other teachers got a bad stomach spirit from one of the rocks in the area. The indigenous people believe there are fleeting spirits that inhabit different natural objects throughout the day. If you touch one while it is inhabited by a spirit, you catch the bad spirit...thus, the stomach ache.

Naiffe, one of the little girls, had a BAD fever and was really sick last week. We were all scared because she is so tiny and fragile and you never know what kind of care the kids get at home...Most of the kids live with their grandparents because the parents are in Colombia´s less saturated craft market since Otavalo has a really competative craft market.

LAST WEEKEND! BANOS! We went to Banos, a city in the central Sierra, that is famous for hot thermal springs and adventure tourism. We got a taste for everything even though it rained on our ONLY full day there! We biked on a crazy mountain road through pouring rain. THe path led to some 5 waterfalls, but we only made it to one! Short as it was, we felt the burn and were thouroughly satisfied to yield to Mother Nature.

We checked out a few delicious and cheap veggie restaurants in town and dipped in some extremely crowded hot thermal springs. They smelled like Eucalyptus! At night, we made our way in a ¨party¨bus to the top of the Banos volcano. It was very foggy so we were unable to see any spouting fire. This specific volcano, if Im not mistaken, is a part of the RING OF FIRE so we were especially bumbed to yield to ma nature this time round. Nevertheless, we had a good time with some Americans, Puerto Ricans and a man from Ecuador that we shared the party bus with. We drank some canelzo...which is an alchohol made from sugar cane that grows right in Banos. After the volcano, we headed to the VOlCAN discoteca where I was finally able to try out some sweet moves in my hiking attire. It was a satisfying eve and we all had fun.

The next morning we hiked up a mountain to a canopy tour where we zoomed across a massive ravine from mountain top to mountain top, and over a crashing THRASHING crazy river. EXTREME!!!!!!!!!! I am, and I shall continue to be. Scardy cat Mazzeo is a shadow of the past, I am now EXTREMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Speaking of EXTREEEEEEEEEME, Gorzek and I expect to climb Ibarra Mountain this Friday before heading off for a final HURRAH on the Coast of Ecuador. LOVE to you all. Only a short 9 days till we are HOME in the good ol´ US of A.

Imashuti Kangi?

meeshmaz — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:56:00 GMT

Newest word in Quichua. Whats your name?

YO YO YOOOOO! Newest events will be posted now but in a rapid rush hurry because my nails are really long and its quite bothersome to be typing.

story one. little boy with mental problem named jovannie broke into the child center yesterday afternoon with some buddies and stole stuff. same day. dad beat him with a stick and some stinging plant called ortiga. other teachers say this is normal. ouch.

other teacher Segundo out today witha brain ache. He is really great with the kids and speaks quichua so it was sad and difficult without him today. but, we managed to get all the kids to poop in thier pants outside the small little shack of a classroom. great.

ah, the kids are so adorable. one little boy, johel, is always pooping and peeing and hiding behind bushes. its kind of crazy, but he is my favorite. he always sags his tiny pants and his buttcrack shows. Gorzek thinks he looks like a mini homeless ecuadorian man.

other stories. we did some mountain hiking saw some sweet stuff. tonight to a andean music concert at LA JAMPA. tomorrow to the wedding! I bought a shirt today,,, what a rip off. BUT, everything here is made for little people so i couldnt afford to be picky.

ah, so many more good stories that i can not think of! will write more after I cut my nails. LOVE LOVE LOVOOVOVOVOVOE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID MAZZEO IN 2 DAYS YOU ARE THE COOLEST AWESOMEEST BROTHER! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SMARTNESS ON ACTs u little smarty. LOVE YOU BIRTHDAY!

HAKU!

meeshmaz — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:32:00 GMT

Haku means ¨lets go¨in Quichua, and is the extent of my Quichua knowledge to date. The last couple days have been slightly uneventful, but I bet I can still make them sound interesting! Here goes.

Michelle and I have decided to work at the same childcare center without consulting anyone. The program is so unorganized (worse than Dominican Republic if possible) that no one seems to even notice. I was originally supposed to be with the indigenous community to do a human rights internship, but I havent heard from the director in days. Michelle was originally placed in a different center, but the communication has been so poor that we were given entirely different placements upon arriving the first day to Otavalo. In conclusion, we are both at the same place with some little indigenous kiddies and three other teachers. We figure already that we are learning more than helping, and thats just fine for now.

We both used the bathroom for the first time today....a little hole in the ground that is ¨flushed¨by pouring water from a bucket into the hole. SMELLY and may I add unnecessary since all of the kids just pop squats wherever and whenever. Some even elect to stand rather than squat...and keep all of there clothes on! Its really fun when we get to hold them later and have pee pee and poo poo soaking through our clothes to our skin. We get home everyday super hungry and barely even clean off. Its kind of gross, yes, but we are having lots of fun with it.

We went to a indigenous folk concert the other night with our host dad MArco. It was slightly awkward, but the music was great! I had mint flavoured beer. MMMM.

We also trekked to a the PEGUCE waterfall in the Condor Park. It was beautiful and the mountains are really a crazy sight to behold! Michelle and I are starting to get comfortable in Ecuador, but we miss you all a lot!

UPDATES

meeshmaz — Fri, 4 Jul 2008 07:28:00 GMT

HELLO from Ecuador. A quick recap on the last days in Costa Rica until today is in order. We spent our second to last day in Costa Rica in the surfing town of Santa Teresa. We freaked ourselves out of surfing and then had all of fears confirmed as an instructor and many others told us that this was NOT the place to take your first surfing lesson...at 10 to 12 foot waves. AH, silly us. We met some Venezuelans and Ticos in a Pizza place around 230, bonded over some cerveza and then hitched a ride back to Montezuma with them. We ended up staying in a gross hostel without a bathroom. That night, we meant to reunite with our new friends but instead played a game of street soccer with some Tico kids and a Tico guy about 20 something who, upon leaving the match, pointed to Michelle Gorzek and said, USTED ES GUAPA. Ah, those TICOS are definitely very straightforward. Next day was spent at a beautiful pool. We took the bus back to San Jose and talked to some Israeli travelers who had been around South America the last 6 months. As we got out of the bus, a scorpion miraculously appeared underneath my shirt. I was soooooooo shocked after the second bite that i furiously tore off my shirt as everyone in the bus and all of those people getting off the bus watched and laughed. AHHHHH. Anyway, the scorpion bit me twice and I went to the pharmacy the next day. the dude told me i need to see a doctor but the wait was two hours. Needless to say, a doctor was never seen and I feel fine.

At the airport, our flight was overbooked and in exchange for TACA airlines mistake they gave us a 150 dollar plane voucher. Unfortunatly, that is not very helpful because TACAs flights are country to country and very expensive. RATS.Well see what happens...We might meet Marissa in PERU in a few weeks if things work out well.

AS FOR ECUADOR. We came to the directors house at 1230 am. She lives in a giant apartment in Quito with pictures of herself everywhere. I guess she used to own some discotecas and was a big shot back in the day. She was very nice.

We came to Otavalo by bus on the second day. Our host dad, Marcos, picked us up at the TERMINAL. The immediate family includes YOLIE, who is a dentist and works two jobs in addition to doing EVERYTHING around the house, Carlos Enrique, a 14 year old boy who is super super cool and listens to all the latest music, like AKON. hehe. The baby, 11 year old Marcos Andres is hilarious and kisses everyone everytime he walks into a room. he has really squishy cheeks. The grandma, Hilda, is so nice and tells us stories all the time. She started to cry while telling us about her husband who is in a mental institution due to depression.

Our family invited us to thier relatives wedding next weekend, so we are very excitedª its going to be a big affair in the mountains about 10 minutes from us in Cotapachi.

We started our first day of work yesterday. We are separted at two different indigenous child centers. My work is still not clear at all, while Michelle will be working with children all the time. The two other teachers are surprisingly, two young indigenous men. One is in highschool and the other just started stuyding music at the local university. He is working so that he can continue his studies in a few years. The center, La compania, is on Ibarra mountian, by San Pablo Laguna. Its GORGEOUS and smells amazing all the time, like burning corn and incense. MMMMMM. We take the bus everyday for about 30 minutes to get to the childcare center which consists of one single room, a tiny kitchen and an extremely run down playground. the little KIDDDIES ARE ADORABLE. Most of them are just learning Spanish, since Quichua is thier first language. The director tried to teach me how to say Whats your name in Quichua and I COULD NOT DO IT. I repeated it so many times, but it is so foriegn to my ear that i couldnt grasp it.

We are in Cayambe for the weekend for an indigenous festival. We left the bull fight after 10 minutes because it was not our thing AT ALL. People were running after the bulls and trying to provoke them, throwing things and spitting. Didnt like it at all. We met some other volunteers who seem nice so we will hang with them tonight. We also met some Peace Corps volunteers in a yummy vegetarian restaurant.

Thats all for now. To call the cell phone, send me an email and I will send you the number. LOVe you all.

a few more words on costarica

meeshmaz — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:30:00 GMT

HI all!! We got to Montezuma a few days ago. The ride over was a long bus ride and a short ferry accross the peninsula. we made some european friends that taught us some words in Swiss and Dutch, which we cannot remember anymore. One friend, Silvan, is teaching surfing lessons at a surf studio that we might check out tomorrow. We arrived at SANO BANANO which was clean and friendly. We passed out early from a long day of travel. The next day was eventful! we took the advice of our waitress and walked a half hour to discover a beautiful remote beach surrounded by rocks and trees. (PICTURES TO BE UPLOADED). WE hung out with the only other woman there, Alejandra. She owns a shop in town, where we both tried on a million outfits in vain. The beach, LAS MANCHAS, was accomanied by a cute italian restaurant and a little italian man, Mario. We had fresh catch of the day fish and shrimp and drank some cerveza under the sun. Life is good!

Later that day we attempted to catch a yoga class. HAHA. We got there and found that the teacher was out of town, but low and behold...a TRANS DANCING SESSIOn was in place. We were of course invited to join in. While Michelle Mazzeo felt slightly awkward and in the mood for some relaxation, Michelle Gorzek jumped in like a true traveller that goes with the flow. While GORZEK TRANS DANCED the night away with some crazy yogis, MAZZEO took all her clothes off and did some laps in her underwear and sports bra. It was an exhilirating eve for the both Michelles.

But, it doesnt end there! Michelles ventured to the only bar in town, CHICOS. Again, while Mazzeo was awkawrd, Gorzek was cool and made lots of friends that Mazzeo mooched off. All in all, it was a good experience and we probably wont be going back.

TODAY it was all about the TURTLE ISLAND. We took a boat out (with some others) to the island with the chef/conductor, Jose, who slightly resembeled my wonderful boyfriend Vivek. As a result, I was a little homesick all day. We ate fresh veggies and fruit and swam the day away with some TOTALLY RAD CALIFORNIA people. TOTALLY. It POURED on the way back to mainland and we all were bumping up and down as the driver decided to take out his rage on the water. We landed safely and Mazzeo did some laps in the forbidden pool accross the street. We made some aquaintances who we are likely to rendevouz with later this eve for a beer.

Tomorrow, SURF CLASSES! Then, airport and Ecuador. Pictures to be uploaded ASAP. I love every person that reads this blog.

LOVE from Costa Rica!

meeshmaz — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:20:00 GMT

YO! Michelle and I, Michelle M, arrived in Costa Rica safely after our first flight out of Nicaland was canceled. TACA airlines put us up in a SWEET Best Western that had a pool, air conditioning and full size beds! WHOOPIE! We also got FREE food and a FREE bus ride to our hotel here in Manuel Antonio. On the way up the curvy roads of Costa Rica, I got motion sickness and started to hyper ventilate. We had to stop so I could sit outside for a bit. The crazy driver was obviously not used to driving in the country. A HUMONGO rainstorm also passed whilst in the bus and Michelle and I felt so bad that MR. Driver had to make his way back 3 hours to a house full of kids that we gave him a 20 dollar tip!

Our hostel bed and breakfast, CAsa Buena Vista, is basically a tree house in the rainforest. Our walls are not walls, they are screens in the rainforest, in the mountains. AMAZING! We saw and heard some EXTREMELY LOUD howler monkeys outside our window both days at 5 am! AH! Also, there must be a birds nest right above our room, because those little buddies are super loud in the morning time...Our landlady is an expat from CALIFORNIA that has billions of cats running around and smelling stuff up. The chef, Nuria, said that one of them peed on her face when she was sleeping on the floor because there were so many guests in her house...

Yesterday we made it to the Manuel Antonio Beach where we body surfed and thought about taking a surf lesson, but then decided to wait until Montezuma! We headed back around 3 due to a huge rainstorm that lasted all night long. Our musty room was like a perfect little island amidst the crazy storm. We sat on the bed and planned out the rest of the trip and ate Michelle Gs walnuts since we couldnt make it out of the house to get real food. We made some phonecalls from the common room and arranged a stay in a sweet bungalow in Montezuma for a decent price. The first place, EL SANO BANANO, has all vegetarian food options and is in the downtown area of the hippie town. The second place is 5 minutes away, LOS MANGOS, and has yoga classes morning and night! We are definitely looking forward to surf lessons and the relaxingness of the pura vida here in COSTA RICA!

To save money we bought a bunch of groceries and non perishables to eat for the next couple days...with the budget eating, hiking, swimming, tanning, surfing and yoga, we expect to be really attractively gorgeously nice looking by the time we get to Ecuador! Then, maybe, our host family wont hate us for forgetting a Wisconsin THANK YOU gift...

Gallery: Nicaragua

meeshmaz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:42:00 GMT

Some highlights!

LAST day in Nicaragua

meeshmaz — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:01:00 GMT

On our last day in Nicaragua, we went to some markets and bought a few souvenirs. The most momentous part of the day however, was saying goodbye. Our Driver, Juan Pablo, had us pick a note out of a bag. All said QUE DIOS TE BENDIGA, but one said REGALO or present. Michelle G got this one and recieved a cross with pictures of Jesus. IT was a nice gesture since Juan Pablo is so religious.

I sat with him today again, and he told me more about his family. He had gone to school until 5th grade and his wife until 3rd. Now at age 35, they live together in a civil union with four kids. The eldest daughter has epilepsy and it has been difficult as she has stopped attending school because of financial reasons and health reasons. I told Juan Pablo about how I want to come back and volunteer in a schoool or with the womens movement yesterday. Today he told me he had asked his wife yesterday about having me stay with them when I come back. He apologized for inviting me into such a humble abode as his without even a bathroom. However, I was so touched that he offered to make room for me despite thier poverty that I thought to give him a pair of Aunt Melissas earings that I wear almost every day of my life. I told him to give them to his wife and thank her for the kind gesture. Of course, I cried a little. Anyway, we are having a final dinner and then packing for COSTA RICA! Michelle G is the BOMB and has already learned so much Spanish! Therefore, we leave Nicaragua with so much more knowledge and so much motivation to do more, see more, learn more and help more. LOVE you dudes!

aventuras de las michelles en nicaragua...continued

meeshmaz — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:24:00 GMT

HOLA! While the others take a nap during a GIGANTIC storm, I have ventured over to the computer for more details.

We have been meeting with so many organizations that I will have to summarize and highlight. All of the different groups have been really happy to host us in all kinds of weather. We went to a school for rural girls, where they specialized in classes about empowerment and sexual health. One of the girls, probably about 17 or 18, was pregnant but sat through the whole presentation, which involved a couple Nicaraguan dances and songs. Las Lomas, the school, was almost 2 hours from the nearest town and all along the rocky road we drove were school children walking to or from school. Many of the kids in the country wake up extra early so they can walk almost an hour to get to school. Others bike. The Las Lomas girls specifically asked our group to finance thier further education and for access to computers etc. Since most of us have no idea how the WCCN organization (that is guiding our trip) works its womens empowerment and sustainable development initiative funds, Carlos, the executive director responded. He said that the money they give is steered through an umbrella organization that allocates the funds amongst all community members. Cody, a fellow WCCN participant, is thinking of ways to set up some kind of fundraiser for the girls.

Today was my FAVORITE meeting. We met with FEMUPROCAM, an organization that was recently highlighted by a well known Washington D.C. organization called Women Thrive. The President, a charismatic elderly woman, told us of her, and her companeras, struggles to make a life in the rural countryside of Nicaragua. She had the heart of an activist ever since one day when she and her grandma got on a bus to go to the fields for work, bag full of produce on back. A man next to her plugged his nose as he smelled her the sweat she carried from the previous day. She cried that day, but vowed to protect the rights of campesinos everywhere, that struggled to survive. The other women ESPECIALLY highlighted thier plights what with the growing food crisis and the backwards moving Nicaraguan Government. The FEMUPROCAM cooperative houses 100 some women farmers who sell thier produce on the side of a PANAMERICAN highway! They are putting together an ecological farm and run entirely on solar and wind powered energy. All crops are organic. I bought organic wine to share with the group this evening, but it BROKE while we tried to move our luggage into our rooms!

As I write a woman yells ´Tamales´ on the street! I want one, but I would probably get sick....O well! Ive been sticking to the vegetarian diet here and its been relatively easy since most places only offer rice and beans anyway...the meats are not entirely safe for los gringos. Anyway, I am very pleased with the contacts Ive made thus far and I hope to be in contact with the people through the summer and before making arrangements to come back here...hopefully!

Tonight we are going to the concert of CArlos Mejia Godoy, a famous singer from the SAndinista REvolution. He used to sing at functions to support current president DAniel Ortega, but since his administration has gone wacky Godoy has outed Ortega and, in turn, Ortega refuses to have Godoy sing at any government functions. The music is ´campesino´music according to our driver, Juan Pablo. Guitar, accordian and vocals. Godoy is one the most famous singers in Nicaragua, so it should be a good night!

Love and happiness to you all!

Michelle

THE ADVENTURES OF MICHELLE AND MICHELLE IN NICARAGUA!

meeshmaz — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:13:00 GMT

HELLO my lovely friends and family! i miss you like crazy! We have been doing some crazy things here in Nicaragua, all in the blistering heat. even the nicas (nicaraguans) say that these days have been the hottest. I shower every day (surprise!) and I STILLLL fell so dirty. We have been meeting with different womens organizations including the Committee for rural women, Xochilt Acatl(the name of a famous indigenous women), and la FEM. The directors have all had different stories and i will highlight two...Maria Espinoza started her work in the SAndinista REvolution and now teaches empowerment courses to poor rural women. We met a few of them and they shared thier stories of endured abuse and how they overcame the stories. The whole time, a random man took a shower in a nearby shower behind some cement...his eyes just peeked out at us from above. actually, it was just a bowl of water he continued to fill and pour on himself.

The other women, Blanca, was abused as a child in a rural home, got a degree in agricultural engineering and gender and now heads the womens movement.

All week a woman named Dona Maria has been on a hunger strike, which lasted 16 days. She is protesting the sudden lack of democracy the Nicas are now enduring under DAniel Ortegas presidency.

Today, we met with women from a coffee cooperative! we sat in the back of pick up trucks and visited thier farms and played with thier kids! i drank an unpurified corn beverage called CHinchi and i might get sick, but it was WORTH it because it tasted like heaven after a long hot day in the rural campo(countryside).

I will add pictures very soon! i love you all and will keep you posted on our adventures!!!!

LOVE MICHELLE

FIRST DAY in NICARAGUA!

meeshmaz — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:22:00 GMT

Michelle and Michelle arrived in Managua to a friendly group of fellow study buddies. There are two 82 year old women who have traveled the world far and wide, a local Madisonian, a Northern Wisconsin teacher from an American Indian Reservation and 3 Honduran environmentalists. AndCarlos, our leader, and Ann the interpreter. Everyone is very interesting and this trip is bound to be extremely informative. We are staying in a cute hotel in Managua...today we did a tour of the city and saw a combination of interesting buildings and extreme poverty and filth. The people are very friendly and I met a personal hero today, Sonya Agurto, leader of the women's movement and director of a Global Economy organization in Managua. We had snacks at her house, a beautiful open cabin-like home with many fruit trees surrounding the yard. We finished the day at a delicious restaurant,where i ate beans and cheese. We miss you all a lot and send our love to wherever you are!

FORTUNate final day in USA!

meeshmaz — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:19:00 GMT

LAST NIGHT in lovely Wisconsin! We are starting the adventure with a good omen: My latest fortune cookie reads "Travelling to the South will bring you unexpected happiness."

Ill miss you all so much!

Gallery: pre-adventure adventure

meeshmaz — Tue, 3 Jun 2008 13:59:00 GMT

milwAUkee

REI, target....rip off?

meeshmaz — Mon, 2 Jun 2008 22:05:00 GMT

Today Gorze and Maz went shopping for some cool gadgets to help sustain them on their crazy adventure. The explorers walked out a little bit poorer and a lot more confused....who ever knew there were electrolyte shots disguised as gummies, meant to give you a quick boost in the middle of a trek through the rainforest...? We're in last stages of preparations: copies of passports, reciepts, pictures and yellow fever shots...