Backpacking and More!

Hello from the TTS21 Campus Visit!  The group is happily settled in our beautiful hotel, enjoying the smiles, hugs and laughs of wonderful company, along with the cool refreshing pool overlooking Lake Atitlan.  The break is well deserved after completing our 30 mile backpacking trip over the weekend.  The girls were amazing!  Hiking 12 miles each day up and down the steep hills (I will call them small mountains) of Guatemala with packs on is no easy task, yet the girls hiked with an even mix of dirt and smiles on their faces.  Each day incorporated several steep uphill climbs, then dramatic downward slopes that challenged the whole group both mentally and physically.  Still, after climbing uphill for several hours, everyone greeted one another with loud cheers, high fives, and plenty of trail mix. 

The trek took the group through several mountain villages, where young children greeted us and the girls watched in awe as farmers worked their land on steep hillsides.  Our packs felt a bit lighter as we watched the local farmers carry huge heavy loads of wood on their backs, all supported by a single strap around their head.  We picked up our pace as we tried to keep up with their speed up the hillsides, despite all of our intense loads.  Our first night ended in the town of Santa Catarina, which is still under construction recovering from the last earthquake that struck the area a few months ago.  The girls enjoyed taking turns relaxing their tired muscles and bathing with clean water in a local sauna, called a timescal (see picture below).  Following the sauna, the girls crawled into their sleeping bags and fell asleep in a giant circle, slumber party style.

          

The next morning arrived quickly at 6 am, but warm tortillas and scrambled eggs helped prepare the group for another 12 mile challenge.  This day´s hike was even more intense than the first, as a brief hour into the hike a steep hillside called Record Hill awaited the group.  The record is a run up the hill at 9 minutes, but with packs on, Kathryn set the TTS21 record with 17 minutes!  Way to go, Kat!   After the whole group completed the ascent, the girls took a deep breath as they learned another 2 hour climb awaited them.  Another container of trail mix later, the girls set off on the trail again.  The trek again passed through a few villages, and finally ended with the dreadful climb up the Cornfield of Death!  The girls traversed back and forth up tight ravines to reach the top, and finished the trek with another quick mile to Don Pedro´s house around 5 that night.  Fruit smoothies, a warm fire, freshly cooked chicken, and the sweetest grandchildren of Don Pedro kept the group in high spirits throughout the evening. 

Eliza and Annalise each played the guitar while the rest of the girls cooked marshmallows.  The music and fun continued as Don Pedro´s grandchildren sang the group several songs accompanied by both an accordion and classical guitar.  It quickly grew quiet as the whole group was fast asleep before 8:30 that night! 

No rest for the weary, as the group had packs on once again by 4 AM the next morning!  The girls hiked by headlamp up more hills to the awe-inspiring mirador overlooking Lake Atitlan where everyone enjoyed warm beverages and an oatmeal breakfast while watching the sunrise over the volcanoes and lake.  It was an unbelievable moment!

The backpacking trip was a definite highlight for the group so far this semester.  Homework and classes were left behind, and all that accompanied the girls with their gear was a determined heart, strong legs, and a love for the beautiful country of Guatemala.  The TTS21 family is strong as ever and cannot wait for the next challenge to come their way!  Until then, they´re going to enjoy a few more trips down the waterslide.

Que le vaya bien,

Jen

Greetings from Guatemala

Dear Parents,

It's been a whirlwind of activity since I joined the group in Xela last week. I arrived at our hostel about 30 minutes prior to your girls, after a 24-hour journey. The group arrived after a 10-hour trip from Chiapas, so we were all road weary. Still, the girls welcomed me warmly, and I passed along your hugs, letters and best wishes. There was a day of classes, preparation for backpacking and by Friday, we were up at dawn, will overfull backpacks, hiking to the starting point of a significant hike from Xela to Lake Atitlan.

I was lucky enough to join the girls for one of the three major days of hiking -- 12 miles of variable trails, roads and pathways winding through the Alaskan grasslands, the cloud forests and remote villages. The first day, we topped out at over 3,000 meters (over 10,000 feet) and gained and lost quite a bit of altitude altogether. The girls were amazing troopers, hiking steadily with out complaint. We finally made our way to Day 1's destination -- a municipal building where the girls laid out their sleeping pads in a circle, collapsed on them, and waited patiently for a much deserved pasta dinner. While we waited, three at a time, the girls hiked up to a nearby sauna-- where they could soak in the warmth and clean the dirt and grime of the day away. The next morning, I departed the group to join the parents arriving in Antigua. The girls, however, continued on their trek. I'm eager to hear how the last two days transpired and to catch up on all I missed. I know you at home feel the same way.

We'll be sure to contact you when we're all together at Lake Atitlan. Tonight the parent group and student group will join forces. We'll have a group dinner and begin our time together. We wish you could all be with us, and we promise to bring back more stories and photos to share.

Hugs to you all. You are missed!



Jennifer

Class Updates from Heather and Liz

Precalculus

Ruth and Emelia have finished the independent study portions of their Precalculus course and are enthusiastic to begin work together on trigonometric identities and equations. Both girls have worked diligently to understand and apply mathematics and have demonstrated maturity and independence in managing their workloads.

Ruth has completed her work with matrices and an introduction to trigonometry. She used matrices to solve systems of equations applied to various real-world situations such as traffic flow and nutrition. Ruth’s study of trigonometry has so far included making connections between the right triangle and unit circle definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent, and investigating properties of the graphs of trigonometric functions. She has applied sine and cosine functions to model various phenomena such as hours of daylight, motion of springs, and ocean waves.

Emelia completed her work with polynomials and rational functions as well as a study of exponential and logarithmic functions. Her studies included using exponential and logarithmic functions to model population growth, radioactive decay, sound intensity, and the Richter scale. Emelia has worked hard to achieve a solid intuition about the inverse relationship between exponential and logarithmic graphs.

Beginning Spanish
The girls in beginning Spanish have made enormous gains in their conversational Spanish skills during the first five weeks of the semester. They are doing a great job challenging themselves to apply their speaking skills to interact with native Spanish speakers on a daily basis, and come to class with an endless stream of eager questions. In Antigua, they worked with the girls of the advanced Spanish class to explore the city on a scavenger hunt. Several of the girls used their Spanish to chat with our guides while sitting around the campfire on our overnight rafting trip in Chiapas. In San Cristobal, the girls used their food and market vocabulary to grocery shop for the group. As they engage in more complex conversations, the girls practice vocabulary and phrases from class and are constantly adding to their conversational and grammatical skills.
Heather

Advanced Spanish
In Advanced Spanish the girls are really honing in on their strengths and challenging themselves to get out and practice!  They've been buying group food in the local markets, helping translate guest speakers, reading El Principito (The Little Prince), and getting to know the people around us.  Their midterm is coming up, which will consist of a translation component, an oral component, as well as a component where they need to converse with people in San Cristobal regarding the Zapatista Movement and write an essay.  Emilia's open heart and curiosity keep her asking questions and building strong rapport with the local children and young adults of the communities we visit.  She has even challenged herself to only speak Spanish with me, which has been great practice!  Annalise has the best accent and pronunciation in the class.  She excels at market days, bartering and buying food/supplies, and I feel confident sending her out and bringing back what we need at a good price.  Anna really enjoys speaking Spanish and has been pushing herself everyday to use her Spanish in everyday situations.  She leads the pack in reading comprehension and continues to volunteer her Spanish skills in our everyday activities with a big smile on her face.  Kathryn's strong speaking and translating skills have made her a leader for the girls and a strong back-up translator for myself and Heather. They are all willing to share their love of the Spanish language with the other students and teachers and are a joy to teach.


Physical Education
Whether we're in the rain forest of Lancondon or in the urban cities of San Cristobal, the girls have been getting their heart rates up and sweating!  Although they have different levels of fitness, each girl continues to push herself day in and day out.   We've been hiking through jungles, paddling down rivers, climbing the stairs of Mayan ruins, running through the streets of San Cristobal, doing strengthening circuits in plazas, and running sunrise yoga sessions...whew!  We've even caught the attention of the local howler monkeys who have been known to cheer us on from time to time.  Besides our daily workouts, the girls are getting excited about the backpacking trip from Xela to Lake Atitlan, where they'll be meeting up with some parents and spending time adventuring in the "place where rainbow gets its color" (Maya meaning of 'Atitlan').  

Liz

Class Updates from Caroline

Literature: The past few weeks have been busy in Literature and Composition class. The girls finished the final drafts of their mentor essays, took an exam on Tree Girl, and wrote poems about where they are from. We are currently exploring short fiction by authors from Mexico and Guatemala. "Chac Mool", an epistolary story written by Carlos Fuentes and chronicling a Maya statue of the rain god Choc who comes alive, gave us all goose bumps despite reading it at 1 pm in the sunny courtyard of our hostel. Later this week we will start preparing to write "This I Believe" Essays - essays that ask the writer to define his or her personal beliefs and philosophy. We continue to journal daily, and I am continually impressed with the girls’ honesty, creativity and depth of thought. We look ahead in the coming weeks to starting our second novel, a testimonial novel called One Day of Life, and preparing to read, explicate, and recite local poems to the parents during the campus visit.

History: We have wrapped up our unit on pre-Columbian America and the Maya, and have turned our focus to the history of the Zapatista Movement in Chiapas. Using articles and local speakers and presenters, we have begun to weave a story of an indigenous struggle for land and rights that has lasted centuries. The girls have been engaged in class discussions, eager to dig up the roots of the poverty they observe in the countryside and to understand the complexities of the relationship between the different cultures and people of Mexico. After midterms, we will turn our attention back to Guatemala and begin our unit on the civil war that ravaged the country for over three decades. Aided by Jennifer Harbury’s compilation of interviews, Bridge of Courage, we will explore testimony from the indigenous campesinos/nas whose lives were drastically and violently affected by the conflict. Your girls continue to impress me in their ability to make difficult connections, tackle complicated material, and ask profound questions.

Travel Journalism: These past few weeks, Travel Journalism has focused on telling stories through photography. Each student took five photos at Tikal, which attempted to relay an idea to the viewer. Then, they wrote photographer’s statements explaining their aim in each photo. The girls recently completed their first articles; both chose to write about poverty in Guatemala. Annalise told the story through the lens of the Guatemalan City garbage dump, and Kathryn focused on the difficulty rural Maya girls have in obtaining an education and breaking the cycle of poverty. Our midterm project is due next week. The students are creating a newspaper with various types of articles and photos. I will email the final product to Jennifer so she can put it on the blog. In the coming weeks, we will write longer articles in different journalistic styles, and continue to hone our interview and photography skills.

Unique Manifestations of the Human Spirit

"The world in which you are born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." Wade Davis

TTS21 is on a quest to discover the "unique manifestations of the human spirit" in Central America. During the past few weeks, we explored the ancient Maya cities of Tikal and Palenque and discovered a culture whose devotion to the cosmos, ingenuity in architecture and technology (bathrooms in the palace of Palenque? Huge rock quarries turned reservoirs on the outskirts of Tikal?), and intimate relationship to the jungle environment in which they lived astounded us. The ancient Maya existed in a world of fierce competition for resources; Maya city states were regularly at war with each other for power and access to land. The Maya priests and kings carefully and tediously maintained relationships with their gods and goddesses who controlled nature and allowed for good harvests and healthy citizens. A deal was struck between the common laborer and the god-like king and high priests: in exchange for communing with the gods and keeping close track of the movements of stars and planets in order to better predict the weather, the people would build palaces and pyramids and give a portion of their crops to the king. During the height of their power, the Maya lived and participated in the global economy of Meso-America. With no large domesticated animals, no sail, and no wheel, they traded jade, corn, chiles, and cloth piled high in canoes with civilizations in Mexico and South America. They shaped not only the cultural landscape of Meso-America, but the land itself. The "fall" of the Maya, long a subject of intrigue for archaeologists, anthropologists, philosophers, writers, and filmmakers, holds important lessons for modern civilizations. Massive deforestation, over-population, and misuse of soil changed the environment and caused drought and famine. The story of the Maya serves as kind of warning for the modern world to treat our environment with respect and intelligence.

We discovered another manifestation of the human spirit in the colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. San Cristobal served as the capital of the Chiapas throughout the colonial period;
colorful, colonial buildings with large, wooden doors line the streets and catholic churches sit high on the hills overlooking the town. It's colder here than in the Eastern lowlands where Palenque and Tikal lie half buried in the rain forest, and the girls are excited for a respite from the heat, humidity and mosquitoes! San Cristobal is the urban heart of the Zapatistas, a movement of indigenous and rural poor demanding a political voice and guarantees of land. The Zapatistas opposed policies like NAFTA, which allow for indigenous land to be bought and sold as a commodity and floods the market with cheap food from North America, leaving the campesinos/nas with little ability to support themselves. Signs that this movement is alive and well are all over San Cristobal. Our daily talks with local people active in the movement give us a better idea of the plight of the poor and the indigenous in Mexico.

TTS21 looks ahead to returning to Guatemala after mid-terms to continue our exploration of Central America. We are excited to spend time with the parents and the communities around Lake Atitlan. Our perspective on and understanding of the complex world in which we live grows each day as we travel and learn together.


Caroline
History, Travel Journalism, Literature & Global Studies Teacher, CO

More Posts from your Girls

Week 5 already?! Its hard to believe it was so long a go when our adventure began in Houston. We have traveled so far since then, and it finally feels like everything is sinking in. Waking up in the freezing cold darkness of the morning to stumble down the ladder of the loft at our hostel. Having goosebumps and seeing my breath for the first time I left Boston during the peak of winter. Running up the hill while the sun chases us. San Cristobal is indescribable. I could stay here for a month! I actually feel like a student traveling abroad. Drinking hot chocolate at a cafe while the sun sets and people are everywhere around us. Internet! Laundry! A kitchen! Every place we stay becomes another home. I feel like I want to pause at every moment, have time to stop and absorb, but there is so much more for us to see on this journey!

Love Always, Maggie

Sophomore, MA

.Dear friends and family,

Hi there!  I am currently in San Cristobal de las Casas, and it's absolutely gorgeous!  I'm just settling down from an insane white water rafting trip!  I sat in a boat with four other girls, and we were taught how to paddle forward and back, and how to 'get down', prepping us for the big waterfalls!  As we made our way down the river, we hit waterfall after waterfall  which was totally frightening!  Rafting has probably been my favorite experience so far!  

Life here involves getting up early every morning to get our heart rates racing and lots of sweating.  Three meals a day and then lights out at 10pm, with a lot of activities or classes in between.  You all have no idea how much I miss you, and how many times you cross my mind each day.  So what's in store for me next?  Backpacking trip through the Guatemala Highlands, parent trip (wish you were coming), El Salvador, Nicaragua, and scuba in the Corn Islands!

Time's flying by, so I'll be home before you know it...however, I really am starting to enjoy myself here.  One month down and two and a half to go!  

Ava:

Sophomore, OH

Hi everyone!  

We're in San Cristobal!  I can't believe it's already March!  San Cristobal is very European - lots of color and cobblestone.  We have a full kitchen at our hostel so we're eating good hot meals!  I wasn't expecting it to be so cold at night...I have to sleep in my hat in a sleeping bag!  I've been learning a lot about the Zapatista Movement.  We watched a movie about its early stages and had a meeting with Don Ernesto, a restaurant owner and indigenous cooperative coordinator who has been heavily involved in the movement over the past 19 years.  Although the movement is very complicated, it involves empowering indigenous communities to establish their own education, health, and judicial/government systems, in their native languages, so they don't have to rely on the Mexican Social & Judicial Systems for support.  

We have lots and lots of Internet over the next week, so I'll be in touch!  I love you Mom and Sarah!

From Kathryn:

Senior, VA

Last night, after a long day of classes and frantically finishing up our Lit essays, we went to a movie called A Place Called Chiapas.  I've been learning about the Zapatista Movement since we've been in Chiapas, and the documentary really helped me understand it.  We learned about the affects of the movement for the Zapatista supporters and the negotiations that have been going on for the past 19 years.  

It was really cool to see first-hand accounts of how the movement affected rich ranch owners who got their land taken, poor peasants who support the movement, Marcos - the leader, and the members of 'Peace & Justice,' which is a military group that seems to terrorize the indigenous in support of the Zapatista movement.  I didn't know that much about the Zapatistas prior to arriving here in Chiapas, and it has been really cool and sad to learn about it.  I also love being in San Cristobal!  It's a really beautiful, cool, dry city and I'm excited to learn more about the Zapatistas and explore this city.  

Love you Mom and Dad and whoever else is reading this!   

From Anna:

Senior, NY

Reflections on Maya Sites, Salsa Dancing and the Natural World

on San Cristobal . . . 

Hey Mom, Dad, Dan, and all of the other TTS parents,

This past week we left our campground at Palenque to travel to the beautiful town of San Cristobal de las Casas. As a side note - did you know that howler monkeys sounded like dinosaurs? At times, our camping area sounded just like Jurassic Park! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vxlnZ8BihI

Anyway, our first night in San Cristobal was wonderful. We had a delicious pizza dinner, listened to a man named Jose Manuel talk about the EZLN movement (http://hemisphericinstitute.org/hemi/en/su10-tourism/item/879-su10-brief-historical-background-zapatista-movement), and walked through the town, glowing yellow with street lights. At one point, Ava, Mikaela, Simone, Anna, and I even salsa danced to live music in the central park! The town is alive in its colorful buildings and shops, and I´m so excited to learn more about the history of the Zapatistas and San Cristobal. 

Love to everybody at home! I miss you guys! Heart.
-Eliza, Junior, TN

 on a moment in Semuc Champey . . .

   Last night as a short flirtatious Mayan spun me around in my trackless Tom´s, I found myself more grounded than ever before (despite my lack of fancy footwork). Guatemalan salsa fed my ears in hues of roja and anaranjado. (http://www.addicted2salsa.com/videos/lesson/more-advanced-salsa-dance-moves) I was sailing in sands and tides of 1, 2, 3. Sand was moving below my feet and each time the waves withdrew and I kept losing my footing. Musical currents and someone else's hands and feet were moving my own. Tomatoes, onions, jalapenos - all the ingredients of salsa filled my lungs as the waves grew taller and the spins faster. A rain forest breeze from the open deck briefly cooled me like a spoonful of guac before it was back to the spice of salsa. "Mas despacio, escucha," broke the overwhelming colors of sand. "Stop trying to lead," Toto scowled in broken English. So I took my desperate feet out of the sand and let the ocean teach me how to swim. 

   I felt more alive as I let myself drown. I didn't notice that I was sweating more than the rain forest downpours. I didn't care that Toto probably thought I was a silly white gringa with no hips. I didn't mind that there was a room full of people watching, or that I hadn't showered in six days, or that Jon Smith in so and so thought this and that about me. I  cared where my left foot went after my right and where my right foot fell after that. I was present. I was smiling. All I could feel was my smile. All I could taste was picante. All I thought about were my feet, but in caring about them I had to let go of them completely. I was in a wheelchair of music, yet I'd never felt so grounded. I knew there was nothing else I'd rather be doing at 9:46 on that Saturday in that jungle of an ocean of sounds. In losing my feet, I found my ground. 

  So often I'm forcing myself, my own feet, into the moment, but I'm not really there. I'm caring about every other thing than what should matter. Being gone from the world of planning and conscience, into the land of presence was revitalizing. I've heard it said that dogs live their whole lives in the present - no daydreaming, no fretting over the past. Just here, just under this sun. By turning off the awareness of all of those eyes around me, I want to connect with the dog senses I've neglected while living so many years ahead of each day. I want to salsa the way through the rest of my life. 

  It's easier said than done. Here I am already reflecting, revisiting, daydreaming of moments I'm not currently living. Because, while as simple as being a dog would be, I have to appreciate my awareness of all the tenses. I can't live every second in the present or I would never grow, like I am while writing this. It´s knowing and continuing to find these moments of present "meditation" that are key to caring for myself. These moments of utter presence are the most sincere forms of relaxation and happiness. Being aware and open to finding them is the most I can promise myself right now.

-Emelia, Junior, ME

on Tikal . . .

About a week and a half ago, we all got up at 5:30 am and drove to Tikal. It was worth the early morning. The morning didn't get too hot, and we were able to focus on our tour. I loved learning about the advancements that the Maya people made, especially with reading and mapping the sun and the stars. For science, my assignment while at Tikal was to learn about and observe the relationship between humans and this environment and write a poem about what I learned. This is what I wrote:

            Roads carve through dense forests
            Winding through trees and back in time.
            And what do these roads reveal?
            Great holes - once reservoirs,
            Vast lakes that sustained life.
            Great hills that cover hidden structures,        
            Mountains that told about time and space.
            The roads wind on …
            Those people who used these roads were smart.
            They chose their corn so it would grow.
            They cut and replaced the forest.
            Trees for medicine and for food
            For dye and for building houses.
            The roads wind forward in time.
            The people steal trees from the Earth,
            And the Earth erodes and evicts its masters.
            Today roads wind by secrets of the Maya
            Still hidden by the environment
            Exacting its revenge for its suffering long ago.

-Ruth, Sophomore, MO

More from the Girls

Palenque
The temples of Palenque stood tall with steep steps leading to the top.  As we explored the ruins we saw images of Chac, the Maya God of Rain, some of the original paint and graffiti from the early civilization of the Maya.

We saw a toilet that only the Maya nobles would have used and walked through tunnels that led to the underworld.  At the top of the Cross Temple, Maggie gave her presentation about the Maya.  She explained the three different Maya calendars and their cycles.  It was a full day of learning, climbing stairs, and even a bit of souvenir shopping.  -Simone, Senior, WA

Chac, god of Rain

San Cristobal Band shell 

The first night that we were in San Cristobal after dinner, we were set loose on the town.  Eliza, Anna, Ava, Simone and I walked the one block to the Cental Plaza.  In the middle of the park there was a raised cement platform with a band playing.  W eran up the stairs onto the platfor, paused for a minute watching the people dance.  Eliza and I joined in and started to use the salsa skills we learned at El Portal in Guatemala.  The others joined in and we danced until the song ended.  We laughed as we walked back to the restaurant for check in time. -Mikaela, Sophomore, CT

Visiting Tikal

Base of a giant Ceiba tree in Tikal

Recently the girls of TTS21 were guided around the ancient Maya ruins of Tikal by Maya expert Roxanna. The girls began their day at the entrance of the giant excavated ruins examining a towering Ceiba tree. The Ceiba tree is the national tree of Guatemala and is recognized by the Maya as the sacred tree of life. Many plants in and around the Tikal area were considered sacred and used in daily Maya life. Many of the plants have medicinal properties and can also be used as a source of food. After receiving a lesson on Maya plants, the girls trekked through the jungle towards the excavated temples of Tikal. While hiking around the area the girls passed many temples consumed by jungle and disguised as large hills. Only 9% of the Tikal ruins are excavated and the rest remains covered by jungle trees and forest. Archaeologists have not unveiled all of the temples in the area to protect them from erosion and the threat of destruction. As the girls admired the towering temples, Roxanna explained the temples at Tikal were built for the purpose of cosmology and viewing the stars, not as a display of power. Maya priests would walk up to the top of the temple each morning to observe and map the sunrise. It took the Maya nearly 14 years to pinpoint the exact location of each sunrise from the top of the temple. This knowledge allowed the Maya to plant their crops and harvest them at a specific time each year. 

212-foot high Temple IV 

Once the girls finished their hike through the jungle, they proceeded to climb to the top of the tallest temple in Tikal. This made for a good vantage point over the jungle and the temples below. The girls were able to look out and see three other large temples protruding from the jungle. One student, Annalise said, "It looks like a whole new world up here, I can see why the Maya were so eager to build temples allowing them to have a great view over the jungle." Another student, Ruth, was very enthusiastic and excited about the experience, as she had been looking forward to the Tikal visit since the beginning of the trip. The entire day was a fascinating experience for the girls, and they left with tons of new knowledge stewing in their brains. 

-Annalise, Senior, WY

Sensory Science Journals

This is a science journal I wrote about a time in  El Remate, Guatemala. I was sitting on a dock leading out to a lake just outside of our hostel. 

Enjoy, and love you all.
Abby, Junior, PA

Small fish swirl around my toes, my eyes are closed sunken deep into my subconscious, focused on the nerves which create a net of touch and sensation. Smooth, still, refreshing water surrounds my feet and rims around my ankles. An old rickety, aged dock supports my weight and I lean into it with my palms behind my back. My sun-kissed hair lies behind my shoulders, light and airy on my skin, wind picks up loose tendrils of my humidity curled hair, and they are pulled towards the northwest, towards the sunset. Heavy footsteps pound the dock behind me. The heat of the sun's direction has moved from over my head to over my heart, I feel as if I could look the sun in the eye, a balanced stare as he retreats below the horizon. Still I don't open my eyes but I can feel the glow and the radiation of the sun change as the sun drops lower into the sky, it dips deeper into the skyline and I open my eyes, just in time before the sun falls deep into the crystal blue lake before me. 

Academic Updates from Jen

Global Studies:

The curriculum of Global studies class has provided the girls with a wide variety of new experiences.  From a traditional Maya medicinal plant walk through the gorgeous valley of Semuc Champey, to a bird’s eye view of the ruins of Tikal, Traveling School students have definitely been absorbing their surroundings as much as possible.  Passionate classroom discussions on human rights were held amongst the base of rain forest canopy trees, only to be interrupted by a troop of wild howler monkeys who apparently also wanted to have their opinions heard.  Each week, the students have continued to each write a reflection essay based on a single moment from their week that particularly struck them.  Their Reflection, Reaction and Response essays (RR&R’s) on the historic civilizations of Tikal and Palenque reflected on the fragility of man, and the interconnectedness of the human race to the environment.  For the midterm, students will each create an artistic expression which visually represents their experience so far in Central America.

Algebra 2:

The Algebra 2 students have been working hard, meeting every day for the past few weeks to prepare for midterms.  The students are determined to continue with their studies, even as our travels have literally taken us to the jungle and back again.  As the rest of the TTS21 family was finishing their prep work for the whitewater rafting trip, the class met for a quick half hour before joining the rest of the group.  The students took turns on the whiteboard demonstrating their strategies to various complex problems.  They competently completed their review on matrices, polynomial equations and solving for multiple variables in an equation.  The girls have worked diligently and will soon be completed with logarithmic and exponential equations as well.

Science:

The science class has been busy completing their unit of study on rain forest ecology and population science of ecosystems.  The students toured the ruins of Tikal with notebooks in hand, attentively taking notes on the various adaptations and symbiotic relationships of the different plant and animal species that call the Tikal rain forest home.  Each student then composed a poem depicting what they had learned, including details on the regional human impact as well as the general rain forest biome.  The class continued their studies of ecosystems by discussing and comparing the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, phosphorus, water and nitrogen.  For the upcoming midterm exam, the class will create an illustration that demonstrates the interconnectedness of each nutrient cycle and how human involvement has driven each cycle to different extremes.  Following midterms, the curriculum will continue with discussion on the region's tectonic plates as well as various topics relating to astronomy.

Math Concepts:

The Math Concepts students have progressed through several units of study throughout the past couple of weeks.  Each student reflected on the significance and general benefits of maintaining a current transaction log and budget.  The class also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages relating to the application process and use of credit cards.  The students each shared their experiences working with debit and credit cards within their families, and the different reasons people may choose to apply for all of the different cards currently available to interested buyers.  The class then put their math skills to the test as they computed how much extra money they would spend on interest if they did not pay off a credit card balance efficiently.  As midterms approach next week, the students will each create their own personal financial planning guidebook which will include information on different bank account options, credit card options, and financial goals for the future.  Shortly after midterms, each student will begin the process of creating a resume and preparing for a mock interview which will mimic a potential job opportunity in the future.

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Call for Mail!

Dear TTS21 Parents, Family and Friends,

You may already know that I will join the group in Guatemala in a week. I’d like to extend an offer to all families to deliver up to 10 cards or letters to your daughters for you. If you would like to collect letters or cards from yourself, friends and/or family and mail them to the TTS PO Box (they must arrive no later than Friday, March 8th), I will get them to your daughters (teachers included!!). Please don't send packages at all; we ask that you send nothing bigger than regular office sized envelopes, as I will need to pack light enough to meet the weight restrictions for my luggage. I'll collect your letters, cards, photos, newspaper clippings and hand deliver them straight to your daughters. Unfortunately, we have had little success coordinating a mail drop at other points of the trip, so this will be the only mail drop available for the girls this semester.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Please send your mail to:

Your Daughter's Name

c/o The Traveling School

PO Box 7058

Bozeman, MT 59771

Make sure this arrives by Friday, March 8th.

Talk to you soon,

Jennifer 

Video is finally live!

Hi families-

It has taken multiple video programs and various software to finally upload this video. I apologize for the late Valentine's day love from overseas!

http://youtu.be/5eYd1wfdz80

And, here is a poem that I wrote and shared with your daughters the morning I left Antigua...

Oh, TTS21 - I'm going to miss you so...
You have so many adventures and surely you'll know
That even though I'm far up north in places you cannot see,
I'm following and loving each of you on this amazing journey.

Jen, your APD, so full of bravery,
And Emelia with her beautiful laugh - that girl is cray-zy :)
Eliza with her genlte heart - loving all the way,
and Anna with her courage has so much more to say.

Ladies - the magic that you share - it's truly par to none,
especially since this sparkle has only just begun.
And ladies, being here with you - so many ways to inspire,
classes filled with Latin Lit and mountain biking through barbed wire...

Ruth with her running and her super fast need for speed,
and Ana with her kind smile and lots of will to succeed.
Mikaela with her gentle laugh - we all love to hear her giggle,
and Caroline - when we say the word, "Steve" is sure to get a sniggle.

Your backwatchers and catchboxers and the jolly roger,
learning new skills and hauling big bags and having stuff with no frills.

Heather has you covered with her easy, fluid flow,
and Liz will tell you in Espanol all you need to know.
Kathryn has the gigiggles and is feeling, "so stressed out,"
and Maggie knows exactly what this adventure is all about.

And pretty Simone with a big open heart - enjoying all she sees,
and Abby giving great advice because she is doing this with her TTS expertise.
And lovely Annalise with her open heart and mind,
knowing her journey in Central America gives her all that she may find.

Beautiful ladies -
I'll miss you so - when you climb high and I seek snow.
But remember as your journey unfolds
All of the love we seek to uphold
In this world of chaos and of struggle
the light you can give with a smile and a snuggle.

Your community is strong and you have it in your hearts,
to change the world by fits and starts,
good luck, beautiful ladies,
and know that I am with you...

and I give you all a big hug and thank you.

Love,
Gennifre