The Chilamate Ecolodge is such a strange juxtaposition of realities: modern and ancient, western and Latin, wild and cultivated, unfinished yet refined in unexpected ways. For example, I'm composing this post on a Chromebook (go St John's 1-to-1 Program) connected to the wireless internet in the middle of the jungle. I'm perched on a leather chair, listening to smooth jazz piped through the eating area, which has no doors, windows, or screens separating me from any of the myriad species of insects in the surrounding rainforest. I'll have to watch for snakes on the unlit pitch-black path as I navigate back to my room, which has indoor plumbing with a tiled shower stall. True, the shower will be cold, but that'll be a welcome relief to the oppressive heat. We as a species are so curiously determined to live how we wish--we'll carve our own idea of paradise out of a small swath of rainforest--and yet so careless in other ways, such as carefully choosing how we utilize precious dwindling resources. It's such a gift to see our students grappling with these issues in tangible ways that will, for a short time for some and for a lifetime for others, fundamentally change the way they see the world.
Mrs. Berman-Dry
Love this blog entry ... very thought provoking! "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." ~ M. Beard
ReplyDeleteThis adventure is a life-changing experience for our kids - each measured in his or her own way. Thank you Alecia and Marilyn for making this happen!!! XO
Grateful to you chaperons for your willingness to lead this trip -- it is an experience they will never forget. Thank you for posting on this blog -- please keep it up, as often as you can -- we eagerly await them.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are so lucky to have this experience. Thank you Ms. Berman-Dry and Sra. Buse for making it possible. And thank you for making them speak Spanish!!!
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