2024 Upper School Intersession Blog

WORD OF THE DAY: LEGACY

Do you know the way to San José? While lyricist Hal Holbrook may not have known the way, when he and songwriter Burt Bacharach had Dionne Warwick sing their Grammy Award-winning hit back in 1968, our driver, Francisco certainly did. 

After breakfast, we began the last trek of our trip back towards San José. First stop, Dominical, a small, laid-back beach town, 30 minutes north of Uvita, that attracts a mix of people, from local Ticos and expats, to digital nomads, surfers and hippies. Dominical has a truly unique vibe and we felt fortunate to experience it for ourselves. From Dominical, we continued northward, just past Carara National Park. Costa Rica lays a proud claim to being the most bio diverse country in the world, home to 5% of the world’s species. Along the way, we were as impressed as we were tickled to see green overhead Monkey Crossings strung strategically across segments of the Pacific Coastal Highway. That’s something you won’t find in Maryland! Undoubtedly, this intersession has afforded us special opportunities to see many wonderful creatures that make Costa Rica home, from a plethora of mammals, amphibians, and birds, to fish, insects, and reptiles. While it has been pretty neat to see reptiles in their natural habits, like the Spectacled Caiman, Green and Black Iguana, Common Basilisk, Yellow-Headed Gecko, freshwater turtles, and bunches of adorable little Anolis Lizards, it was exciting to make a stop, on our way back to San José, at Costa Rica’s famous Crocodile Bridge. The Tárcoles River, the most important in Costa Rica, because 50% of the population lives within its watershed, flows into the Gulf of Nicoya in the Pacific Ocean. The river is home to one the highest populations of American Crocodiles in the world, reaching lengths of up to 20 feet, and the Crocodile Bridge provides a safe birdseye view of these archosaurs (i.e., ruling reptiles).

Following a lunch stop with the added bonus of souvenir shopping, our day’s final destination would be our trip’s final of four different accommodations, Hotel Rosa de América. Back in the northern province of Alajuela, Hotel Rosa de América is located in the suburbs of the city of the same name, Alajuela, the fourth largest in Costa Rica, with a population of about 190,000. Our hotel is just west of the capital, San José, the largest in Costa Rica, with a population of 1,415,000. Only 7 kilometers from the airport, Hotel Rosa de América is a secluded sanctuary, surrounded by lush tropical gardens whose resident birds and insects serenade guests at no additional cost. Situated in the grounds’ center is a refreshing pool with entrancing underwater lights, encircled by an inviting sundeck with partial canopy. The rooms, well-appointed cabins with all the amenities, are truly charming. Our luxurious environs do not go unnoticed or unappreciated, especially on our final night together!

On the eve of our return home, we enjoyed a really fun night and scrumptious supper together at a local restaurant specializing in fabulous Tico fare. Upon return to our hotel, we gathered for our last group reflection. Serving as a turning of the page, we focused on the legacy we’ve established together during this shared experience, including how we hope to be remembered by those with whom we came into contact, and a recognition of the new friendships we’ve fostered among ourselves as a team. With those themes in mind, our sights cannot help but begin to shift towards our imminent and eagerly anticipated reunion tomorrow with our loved ones.

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

This morning, on our last day of Intersession, students used a modern video conference to delve into historical events! They learned how to transcribe scans of documents held by the Sandy Spring Museum so others may search for terms and be able to read in printed text. They had a blast roasting the handwriting and diaries of past Sandy Spring residents. If these diaries were a Yelp page, comments would include: “Too many uncles!” “Why didn’t she go to the funeral?” “Why is it always raining?!?” Despite the negative reviews, students steadfastly refused to switch documents and were committed to finishing the job!

In the afternoon, we stopped to enjoy lunch at the historic building currently hosting Sister Sandwiches and Such. It was formerly a tavern that became popular for its buttermilk. Then we headed to the Josiah P. Henson Museum, a relatively new museum in Rockville focused on the life of a man who inspired the bestselling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. That book helped inspire thousands of Americans to support abolition before the Civil War. We ended the day with a sharing reflection on the week. It has been an absolute delight to get to know the students better and to see history in the field. 

See more photos from the Historical Maryland Intersession in Vidigami.

By Finnegan B.
On our day in Charleston, we started off at Drayton Hall, where we learned about the seven generations of Draytons that lived on the land. We began hearing about the archeological finds and toured the house they lived in. We learned about the names and many specific jobs of the enslaved people on the land and in the house. After the plantation, we went to downtown Charleston City Market. After lunch, we learned step dance from Jordan in a one-hour class. Then we had some downtime to either roam around or relax. For dinner, people went to different places; some went into downtown Charleston, and some went to places close to our hotel. Then we went to a mystery theater where the audience participated in the acts, and dessert was provided there along with the show.

REFLECTIONS

Day 6 and surf’s up! Following breakfast, it was our opportunity to take surfing lessons and see who among us could catch a wave…or at least clumsily stand up on the board long enough and with the hope that someone captures photographic proof. Within walking distance of our accommodations, Colonia Beach forms part of Marino Ballena National Park, established in 1992 to serve as an oasis for sea species, including as a protected area for humpback whale migration (NOTE: ballena means whale in Spanish). This national park consists of its aquatic area (12,800 acres), visited by migrating humpback whales who come to breed in the warmer tropical waters off the Central American coast, as well as terrestrial area (420 acres) that spans the Pacific coastline to include Ballena Beach, Colonia Beach, Uvita Bay Beach and Piñuela Beach. Among the park’s treasures is the famous Tómbolo, an amazing natural phenomenon at Punta Uvita that at low tide showcases a large whale-tail formation in the sand.

On a picture perfect day, our access to the national park came by way of Colonia Beach, a stunningly pristine and exotic cove, nestled and protected within a widearching bay, dotted with picturesque rocky island outcrops on the horizon, far beyond the breakers. Like natural sentries, the beachfront is guarded by giant coconut palms, home to flocks of green and red macaws cackling as if amused by our neophyte surfing efforts. The beach, with its granular gray sands, is as wide and long as its waters are warm and inviting. It is a beach straight out of a Hollywood scout’s search for a movie location for Robinson Crusoe or Castaway.

It is also idyllic for beginner surfers like us, as the entry grade is remarkably gradual, with modest and perpetually rolling waves, and not a single rock along the seafloor. Ranging from Costa Rica, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Spain, our instructors were excellent and encouraging, beginning with a detailed on-land tutorial, followed by dividing us up into groups of four and heading out with us, no deeper than chest height, in designated sections assigned to each group, and championing us all the way. In no time, most were finding success and all were having a blast! Those who preferred not to surf waded out with the group to cheer us on.

By noon we were sunkissed and had worked up an appetite. As a welcome change of pace, we were treated to a delectable lunch in an excellent Mexican restaurant. Agreeing that we should avoid the intensity of the midday sun in this equatorial region, everyone welcomed the opportunity to decompress back at our accommodations where some jumped at the chance to practice a classic Hispanic siesta, others jumped into the refreshing pool, and still others enthusiastically raided the adjacent market of its local snack foods and ice cream. Interestingly, and understandably upon further reflection, we learned that the showers in most hotels in this sticky and humid climate don’t provide hot water. Prior to grasping the reasonable rationale, it struck us as a bit odd upon discovery, but when in Rome…Costa Rica.

Having soaked in plenty of fun in the sun today, our evening, gentler by design, consisted of a slightly earlier than normal dinner this week, affording us a slightly earlier opportunity afterwards for group reflection, and subsequently earlier bedtimes for the weary to turn in ahead of our penultimate day together and road trip back to San José.

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

March 13, 2024
By Caleb and Tim

Salut! Today we had to wake up bright and early, eating breakfast at the hotel before leaving on the bus for a day of fun! We embarked on our journey through the countryside of southern France, seeing many scenic pastures and hills. To pass the time of the 2-hour bus ride, we played many cards and word games, our favorites being contact and hearts. We then stopped at a museum to learn about the history of aqueducts before eating a brief lunch and hiking to see the massive aqueduct and river. A select few chose to jump into the frigid waters, before quickly hopping out and drying off.

Our second part of the journey started after getting back on the bus, for another 3 hours of games and sleep. Once we got to our destination we met up with our host families who are going to be hosting us at their homes Friday for a traditional French meal cooked by them. We shared a potluck style meal and chatted for an hour before driving to our hotel for the night. We are looking forward to the days to come; bonsoir!

March 14, 2024
By Franne and Taddy
Salut! After a delicious breakfast of cafe au lait and chocolatine we began our trek to Château Comtal in Carcassonne. We arrived at the castle early in the morning, admiring the vast walls and grand scale of the historical city. Although there is no confirmed history of the name we spoke to the meaning of Carcassonne, attributed to the stuffed pig carcass thrown off the wall to intimidate enemies and a queen, Carca, ringing her bell. Later we roamed the halls of the interior castle, gathering a deeper understanding of ancient French architecture dating back to year 121 BC. After appreciating the history we grabbed a quick jambon avec fromage for lunch and played a large game of man hunt around the perimeter of the castle.

For community service today, we went to the country side of Carcassonne in a town named Pouzols. Meeting a farmer named Bernard, he explained not only the importance and significance of the path, he also gave us words of wisdom to take to our own community. We not only cleared dead branches and some of the land, we dug 6 big holes that we will be planting trees in tomorrow. Looking forward to tomorrow.

 

By Vincent, Daniel, Dylan, Jay

We started off the morning with a nice breakfast, and a lot of coffee. After breakfast, we went to the common spaces to do a little reflection and speak about our experiences throughout the week before making our way to the bateyes for the last time. We worked extra hard today because it was our last day of service and we needed to finish the projects we started earlier in the week. We split up into two groups: one worked on Teresa’s house in the batey, while the other group continued work on a woman named Claudia’s house from earlier in the week. We then went back to ASCALA for a lunch of chicken, rice, and lentils. After having that delicious meal we went to finish our service from the morning. This time, we all worked as a larger group to first finish Claudia’s house, and then continued the floor in the other house. At the end of the work day, a light rain refreshed us as we played baseball and attempted conversation in Spanish with the community members we had become closer to over the week. We then went back to ASCALA and had our final meal here, which used up all of the leftover ingredients to make a chicken stew with bread and rice. We then had an early night's rest to prepare for our final day in the DR!

 

By Mikayla and William
We started our day off with an early breakfast, packing our bags to leave the Big Yellow House to do service with nature. We had a rough day in the heat pulling weeds, cutting branches etc., but we pushed through. We had amazing Gyros and finished the job!

We hopped into the vans and headed towards Walgreens for some treats and our new hotels. After settling in, we had a painting activity on the terrace with an amazing breeze. The painting was based on memories we admire the most. We had to rush to move the tables since rain started pouring down.

We had an appetizing dinner and with great conversation. We had our daily meeting sharing highlights and shoutouts. Now, we are heading to our comfortable beds preparing for a big day tomorrow!

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: PERCEPTION VS. REALITY ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

Having reached Day 5 of 8 of our Costa Rican adventure, and while we can certainly each appreciate Dorothy’s famous claim that “there’s no place like home,” it’s also hard to believe that we already find ourselves closer to the end of this special shared experience than the beginning. I think this sense of unexpected melancholy is a bittersweet testament to how fast time has flown, how close we’ve grown together, and how fortunate we continue to feel.

Day 5 would also mark a new chapter in our journey, as we said goodbye to one of Costa Rica’s northernmost provinces, Alajuela, in search of new adventures in its most southern, Puntarenas. To get there would be an adventure in and of itself. While only 159 miles, a combination of geography and infrastructure would make today’s trek to the Pacific Ocean beach town of Uvita nearly 6 hours to see for ourselves why Costa Rica means Rich Coast.

Getting to Uvita from La Fortuna requires crossing the country’s Central Mountains east to west. This entails countless switchbacks up and down the range, and includes passing through different biomes, from tropical rainforest to up into the cloud forest, and then back down the other side of the range to the deciduous forest until reaching the Pacific coastline.

But before embarking on our road trip, there was some pretty serious business to “taste” care of first at Two Little Monkeys Craft Chocolates, an organic cacao farm. Our tour began with an interesting lecture from the business owner, Ismael – who quite humorously introduced himself by way of Herman Melville’s opening lines to Moby Dick – on the intricate art of chocolate-making, including learning about the cultural and social impact of cacao in history, drawing a line from the Mayan use of it, as an exclusive and bitter drink reserved for the warrior class and above, to the Spanish Conquistadors’ introduction of sugar, milk, and hand mills and eventually to the German-Swiss confectioner Henri Nestlé’s additions of dehydrated powdered milk and electric mixing processes. We then used ancient Mayan tools and recipes to freshly grind cacao to make two traditional chocolate drinks, 1) the Mayan way (i.e., with hot water and cayenne pepper) and 2) the Spanish way (i.e., with sugar and milk). In addition, we also used a traditional “trapiche” to press and enjoy fresh sugarcane juice, rimmed with salt and accented with squeezes of lemon and mandarin orange juice. Finally, albeit Pi Day (3/14), our merry band of sweet tooth rebels forwent pie slices in lieu of some decadent artisanal chocolates made, molded and decorated by us.

Ranging from states of bliss to this author’s chocolate coma, we headed west, eventually reaching Uvita framed by a rainbow at sunset. Feeling weary, we quickly dropped off our things  in our rooms, headed out for dinner, and then returned to our motel where many took advantage of the opportunity to take a dip in the pool while others elected to decompress in their preferred manner, all in order to feel as refreshed as possible ahead of what Day 6 has in store for us.

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)
 

MONDAY, MARCH 11
We made it!  Our journey began in the wee hours of the morning, but we all arrived to BWI on time and ready to go!  We had a productive first day in Nashville. Once we checked into our hotel, we headed downtown via the pedestrian bridge (which is right next to our hotel!) for lunch.  With live music on stage, we enjoyed some delicious southern cuisine. Next we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame which is a fantastic way to immerse yourself into the rich musical history of the city. 

For dinner we of course indulged in some famous Nashville hot chicken from Hattie B’s: it’s a must! It's a local favorite that perfectly encapsulates the city's culinary scene. We ended our day with a visit to Publix grocery store for some snacks!

TUESDAY, MARCH 12
Exploring Nashville: Day 2
Welcome back to our Nashville adventure! Day 2 was filled with diverse experiences that truly showcased the cultural richness of this vibrant city.

Our day began with our first day of community service at ProjectCure, an organization dedicated to providing life-saving medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world. They were preparing a container for shipment to Gaza this week and they had us working on that. We sorted, packed, unpacked, loaded, and organized hundreds of boxes of supplies.  We received so many compliments from ProjectCure for our hard work and dedication. Witnessing firsthand the incredible work they do to improve healthcare access left a profound impact on all of us.   

Next, we delved into the rich history and contributions of African American musicians at the National Museum of African American Music. From soulful blues to energetic hip-hop, the museum beautifully captured the evolution and influence of African American music genres throughout history.  While we were not the only ones in the museum, it sure felt like it as many of us were dancing, rapping, and singing throughout the place!  There may or may not be recordings of some of these performances…Hands down a highlight of the trip! 

Our day continued with a visit to the prestigious Vanderbilt University, renowned for its academic excellence and stunning campus. Here we cheered on the Vanderbilt Baseball game “VandyBoys.”  It was a thrilling baseball game. The energy in the stadium was electric as we watched the talented players showcase their skills on the field. It was a perfect opportunity to soak in the excitement of collegiate sports and bond as a group.

To wrap up our eventful day, we gathered for a fun pizza party in the lobby of our hotel. Sharing stories and laughter over pizza provided the perfect end to an unforgettable day of exploration and discovery.

Before calling it a night, we had a worship share that allowed us to do some reflection. Stay tuned for more adventures as we continue to uncover the treasures of Nashville together!

See more photos in Vidigami.
 

Monday: Shepherd’s Table

Jason C.: I thought it was cool to actively serve and engage with people of the community. Some takeaways are the variety of people who rely on Shepherd’s Table for food. My job that day was to be at the front and help disabled/people who were unable to do the things on their own and also clean up after people. I liked observing people and noticed that a lot of people used a massive amount of sugar.

Dylan S.: Seeing all of the people who relied on Shepherd’s Table as a reliable source of food made me very grateful that I have never had to worry about where my next meal would come from or where I could eat in a safe place.

Simon M.: We had time to kill before we volunteered so we watched a show on sustainable agriculture. I realize it’s good and all compared to industrial farms but if we put up legislation for it, the price of food would skyrocket. I mean food already is expensive and that is why there are food kitchens to help food insecure people.

Allison O.: The first day was a very new challenge for me. Volunteering at Shepard’s Table was a very rigorous task, and I fulfilled many different jobs in and outside of the kitchen. Through serving food directly to people with food insecurity, from refilling countless pitchers with drinks, to making drinks and cleaning and wiping down, I had to put in a lot of hard work. Despite being a very tiring experience, it was enriching because of the amount of effort it required. It was definitely disheartening to observe the sheer extent of food insecurity in our community first hand.

Tuesday: Blueberry Gardens and Tanglewood Farm

Zoë L.: On the second day, we did a lot of outdoor work on nearby farms, including planting and cleaning up. So far, I’m excited to see what we do in the future. I’ve had a lot of fun talking to other people in my group and getting to know people as well. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed intersession.

Myles H.: On day two we went to two farms near the school and we helped out with different farm tasks. We did things like planting lettuce, preparing soil beds for new plants, and other things like that. I did not really enjoy it that much but it was not the worst. 

Zach B.: On the second day we worked at a couple of local gardens. At the first one, we planted crops and cleaned up sticks and branches lying around. At the second garden, we helped to remove weeds from the soil where the plants were growing. I didn’t have a whole lot of experience with growing plants before this, so I learned a lot about both weeding and planting.

Wednesday: SSFS Community Farm

Zach B.: On the third day we did some more weeding, this time in a more open field than the ones from yesterday. Later that day we uprooted thorny plants from the ground and put a fenced off a field that was soon to become a sheep pen. It was interesting to learn about the usefulness sheep have in weed removal by eating the weeds. This day, combined with the previous one, also helped me to learn how to identify weeds from other plants in the garden that are supposed to be there.

Jacob R.: I enjoyed the fact that we were able to give back to our own community by working on the SSFS farms. I also enjoyed the thought of getting sheep, which are very efficient and eco-friendly grazers. 

Myles H.: On day three we did some work on our farm at SSFS. The first thing we did was weed out the field on the farm. After that we got food and when we came back we cleared one of the fields and started to build a fence for the sheep to go in. It was a very hot day so that was not the best but overall it was not that bad.

Thursday: DC Central Kitchen

Zoë L.: Thursday was indoor work, where we helped prepare for lunch at the DC Central kitchen. I liked seeing the way the large kitchen worked, along with packing food for people in need. Some kitchen staff showed us the inventory of ingredients, along with the giant freezer. I’ve liked these past two days as well, even if they were much hotter.

Jason C.: I think it was cool to work in the kitchen and help prepare food. Some takeaways are the large amount of food needed and seeing how meals were being made and boxed. My job that day was to help prepare salad ingredients and package cut ingredients and noodles into large ziplock bags that would be frozen. I enjoyed packaging the ingredients as we worked as a team to organize a large amount of food into bags.

Jacob R.: We also helped D.C. Central Kitchen to prepare food. I prepared, packaged and labeled 235 grape boxes. 

See more photos in Vidigami.

By Abby, Anderson, Charis, Ehi, Allie
In the morning we toured a different part of the batey and learned about sugar cane production in the Dominican Republic. On the tour, we were shown how they cut sugar cane with a machete, and we even got to eat some. Our tour guide, Domingo, described his experience working on the sugar cane plantation. He told us about the low salaries ($4 per TON) that are shared between the workers. In many cases they are paid before the sugar cane is weighed, giving supervisors opportunities to deceive the workers. Later, our group went to JUMBO, a Target adjacent store here in the Dominican Republic. We bought snacks and other goodies for our day at the beach. We swam, played Marco Polo, and took some action shots while others played football and buried each other in the sand. We finished off the day with dinner and karaoke!

 

By Greta G-T, Max K, Izzy P, and Clara F

Today we returned for our second day of construction work with the Villa del Rio community. Even though we were all feeling sore from the hard work yesterday, we sped through the final touches on the wall we built, working smoothly together with some experience under our belt. We also had some quality time with the dogs running around the site, including a puppy we named José!

We had a speedy lunch cooked by Maria, another member of the community, and then went straight back to the site to put in rebar on the roof—tedious work made easier by many hands. Willy, Angel, and the rest of the team expressed their gratitude for our work, and we were equally grateful to get to know them! We then spent some well-deserved time at the beach, including getting the chance to swim in the tide pools. We had a fun afternoon of volleyball and football, and also spent some time sharing gratitude and highlights from the day. For dinner, the Villa del Rio community joined us. They gave us small gifts and we took an awesome picture with all of them. Tonight is our last night at the Big Yellow House, and we are sad to leave, but so happy to have gotten to know this wonderful community!

See more photos in Vidigami.

By Robin Engdahl

Today was our intersession group’s third day of boat-building! In the morning, we arrived at the boat-building building to unwrap our in-progress boats. It was like Christmas…if the wrappings were transparent and your present was more hard work today.
 

We started on adding storage compartments, sanding off the machine tags from some stencil pieces.
 

Next, we flipped the boat over and used a combination of the “wood eraser” tool and sandpaper to smooth out all of the harsh angles where the boat pieces connected. Then it was onto the jigsaw (not the puzzle) to cut out the hatches.
 

We vacuumed out the leftover sawdust from cutting and sanding before turning each boat on their side to access the interior line where the deck and hull converged.
 

We created more peanut-butter flavored consistency epoxy and spread it along that crease, then soaked and saturated some fiberglass tape with clear epoxy to cover it.
 

It was difficult to reach the furthest edges and corners of the boats, so those with the longest wingspan had to give it a try.

To flatten the fiberglass tape to the edge, we came up with a high-tech solution: a paintbrush on a stick.

Speaking of high-tech solutions involving putting things on sticks, we sent a message to anyone tuned into the live security feed.

Back to boats: we filled in any extra bumps and divots with, you guessed it: more epoxy. Now that the hulls were all nice and smooth, we draped a large fiberglass cloth over each one…and covered them in epoxy.
 

The fiberglass turned completely clear when soaked, combining the wood-grain look with extra structural support. With one extra strip of tape on the bow, (protecting the boat when it’s dragged across a beach) we were done.

Believe it or not, that was all we needed to finish today, so we got to leave an hour early! (3:00)

Here’s a final shot of our boats as we left; shiny and shimmering, glazed in gauze.

 

The Friends on the Gullah Geechee Heritage Tour have been so busy we've barely had time to blog. Our days have been split between learning about the history and heritage of the Gullah people, eating delicious southern and Gullah cuisine, and bonding with each other. Below are some highlights so far. 

On Day 1 we left bright and early from BWI and landed in Savannah, GA. We headed over to Isle of Hope Marina to have lunch with members of the Savannah Monthly Meeting. We shared a little about SSFS and learned about them. We also got to see one of the locations for the movies Glory and Forrest Gump. After lunch we went on a hike in Skidaway National Park. Noah Gross swears he saw an alligator, but no one else saw it. We ended day one with a pizza dinner and headed to sleep.

We started Day 2 with a Gullah Geechee Heritage Tour led by Mr. James Campbell, a Gullah man who was born on Hilton Head Island in 1949, and his nephew. He told us that there was a time when the only way to reach Hilton Head was by boat but once the bridge was built, the Island went from an entirely Black population descended from the former enslaved to the Hilton Head we know now, filled with golf courses and gated communities. There are still some Gullah communities on the Island but only a fraction of what it once was.

We also learned about the importance of the color blue in the Gullah community: it is a reflection of Mother Nature and wards off evil spirits called Haints. I also learned my new favorite Gullah expression, "E mouf don't know no Sundays," which means "He never gives his mouth a rest." After hearing about the Port Royal experiment, which President Lincoln initiated so that African Americans could prove themselves capable of self governing and being good citizens, Antonio Traini said "It's crazy to that anyone has to prove that they are people." And he's right. The Gullah Geechee Heritage tour was the first of many times we learned about the pivotal role reconstruction played in the history of the Sea Islands corridor. Both Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson did a lot to directly impact the lives of the formerly enslaved of the Gullah Islands. After lunch we toured Sabree's Art Gallery and spent some time on River Street exploring downtown Savannah. 

We woke up on Tuesday ready to head to Charleston to continue our tour. Our first stop was McLeod Plantation. This was a former cotton plantation and served as the site of the Freedman's Bureau from 1865 until 1872. We heard about William Dawson who was formerly enslaved on the McLeod Plantation but after serving in the Civil War was able to come back to the Plantation with his parents and receive a total of 120 acres of land as reward for his service. We also learned about the post Reconstruction measures put into place by President Andrew Johnson which resulted in many Gullah people having to return their land, be committed to indentured servitude, or become sharecroppers, all forms of enslavement by another name. The entire group was surprised to learn that the old slave cabins had been occupied until the 1990s. One of the cabins was charred on the inside after a KKK attempt to displace the family living there. On a brighter note, we learned about some of the plants and herbs the Gullah people used treat and prevent illness and got to make our own sachets with Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Peppermint. We had a delicious lunch at Charleston favorite Page's Okra Grill where they made special SSFS menus before heading to Isle of Palms to relax and have some fun together.

Wednesday was another full day. We spent the day on Saint Helena Island. Saint Helena is one of the few Gullah Islands that has yet to be taken over by developers and as such has maintained a tremendous amount of Gullah history and culture. We started at Penn Center, the first school for formerly enslaved African Americans. It was founded by a Pittsburgh missionary named Laura Towne, in 1862, before the Emancipation Proclamation. She was later joined by Ellen Murray, a Quaker, and Charlotte Forten, a wealthy Black teacher from Philadelphia. The Penn School was named after William Penn and was supported through most of its existence by Quakers. The school served the Gullah people until 1948 but even today they are continuing their mission of education by hosting a daycare center on the campus. Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. and the staff of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference frequented Penn Center in the 1960s, and a cottage was being built for him at Penn Center at the time of his death. We were able to visit that cottage, and that is where we held a Meeting for Worship. We reflected on how much we've learned in four days about the strength, perseverance, and resilience of a group of Americans that many of us had never even heard of before this trip.

This was also a great place to give back through service, so we spent the afternoon clearing the campus of Spanish moss. We got to meet with the Head Groundskeeper and learn a Gullah song and how to count to 10 in Krio, one of the official languages of Sierra Leone. Our last stop on Saint Helena was at Gullah Grub. This restaurant was featured on the Netflix show "High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America." We got a special menu of Shrimp Gumbo, Squash Casserole, Fried Whiting, Rice, and Collard Greens with cornbread and peach cobbler. The food was amazing, and we all struggled to stay awake on the ride back to the hotel.

More photos are available in the Gullah Geechee Heritage Trail Intersession album in Vidigami.

“COMING TOGETHER IS A BEGINNING, KEEPING TOGETHER IS PROGRESS, AND WORKING TOGETHER IS SUCCESS”

With sunbeams streaming through the lush canopy overhead, and a soothing breeze tickling the fronds like a pianist warming up for a performance, we awakened to a picturesque morning in the Costa Rican rainforest to start Day 4.

Following breakfast, it was time to finish what we started, returning to the nearby neighborhood of El Barrio Invu, to put the finishing touches on our paint job at the town’s community hall. Already proud of what we had accomplished the day prior and determined to get the job done today, we were presented with an added incentive to work harder still. If we could work together to finish our painting project by 11:30 am, the opportunity existed for us to go into the local elementary school and spend some time in community with students. Add a little music to establish a good feeling and steady rhythm, and low and behold, working in harmony paid off to the delight of our town’s patriarch, Don Ricardo. Mission accomplished!

Following a quick cleanup, we crossed the street and were warmly welcomed into the excitable first grade math class of Señor Roger. His adorable students, some 20 strong and dressed in their school uniforms, were equally shy yet excited to greet us. With a little encouragement, each child took the opportunity to exercise their foundational English skills to introduce themselves to us, followed by us to them in Spanish. From there, each group shared with the other what they aspire to be when they grow up. Similarities – like Scientist, Doctor, Engineer, etc – brought us closer together still. With the ice broken, the children grew increasingly curious and a kind of rapidfire Q&A ensued, ranging from questions of real wonder, like what is snow like, to flattering admissions like, I think your hair is really pretty.

After our classroom visit, we were treated to a dress rehearsal of an older grade of students taking pride in learning a traditional Costa Rican dance. It’s worth noting that this school runs in two shifts, with the first group of students attending from 7:30am until 12:00pm and the next wave of students attending from 12:00pm until 4:30pm. At the transition, and with our lunch awaiting us back at the community center, we said goodbye to our hosts in order to enjoy a delicious meal prepared with love and gratitude for us by the neighborhood’s matriarchs, Doña Luisa, Doña Ana, Doña Rocio and Doña Andrea.

After lunch, we headed over to tour and help out at Proyecto Asis, a wildlife sanctuary for all kinds of native animals that have been rescued, and are being rehabilitated and prepared to be released into their natural habitats. While it is illegal in Costa Rica to have any native species as pets, the sad and frustrating reality remains that some carelessly disregard the law and ultimately find themselves in over their heads at some point down the line. In other cases, wild animals are harmed by predators, like jaguars, pumas and ocelots, and/or in the name of human progress, be it from coming into contact with moving vehicles, live electrical wires, etc. The noble work of those at Proyecto Asis is truly selfless and admirable! We saw some stunning species of birds in their distinct phases of rehabilitation, from Green and Red Macaws and Yellow Throated Toucans to Boat-billed Herons, an Owl, Parrots and Parakeets. We were also introduced to some unique mammals, from a Pecari, Coati, and Margay, a truly gorgeous yet near-threatened arboreal feline, to White-faced Capuchins and Spider Monkeys. But the best part of our time at Proyecto Asis was the opportunity afforded our group to learn of each unique patients’ diet and then prepare the animals’ afternoon meals, including selecting, cutting, weighing and stuffing their dinner menu into stimulating enrichment accessories, and then going about the park with the ranger to watch our furry and feathered friends enjoy the fruits (and vegetables and eggs) of our labor.

Undoubtedly, our three-day stay at the luscious Heliconias Nature Lodge, situated in the foothills of the  northern province of Alajuela, has been enriching, productive and memorable. Tomorrow, our caravan carries us onward, in search of new adventures. We’ll be heading southwest, to the southernmost province, Puntarenas, bound for the breathtaking beaches along Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline that form the Marino Ballena National Park.

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

For the SSFS & Friends Intersession group, Wednesday's "Stewardship and Community" activities included a visit to the Baltimore American Indian Center where we learned from Dellie James, BAIC volunteer and clerk of the Baltimore Yearly Friends Indigenous Affairs Committee, and members of Baltimore's Lumbee tribe about the history and relationships of the Quaker and Native American communities of Maryland. We learned that Sandy Spring Friends School is not only built on land that was once a Quaker family farm but also the land of the Piscataway people -- two important reasons to continue our stewardship of this special place!

 

By Zoe, Betel, Zoe, Mia

March 12: Today we started off the day by going back to the batey and continuing laying the cement floors. We switched up the groups we were working with on the first day and learned each other’s methods of work. Adapting to a new style of work was challenging at first for many, but at the same time everyone was able to keep an open mind and adapt to new ways as well as learn to work alongside new peers. One group worked on a house deeper in the batey that was home to a family of over five children, while the other group continued working on Claudia’s house at the front of the batey. The same techniques were used regarding the sand, cement, water, and mixing. Assembly lines were crucial to both groups in order to transport the cement from the outside to the location of the cement floor easily.

We left the batey around noon and traveled back to ASCALA for a delicious lunch consisting of chicken, rice, plantains, coleslaw, and fried eggplant. We were able to have some down time, where many of us took a much needed cat-nap, before returning to the batey and finishing our projects for the day. Around our time of departure from the batey was also when the kids of the community were returning from school, many of whom we had made connections with the previous day. Some of us played soccer with them, some played volleyball, and some simply conversed utilizing the Spanish they have learned over the years as a part of the SSFS community. It was extremely rewarding to immerse ourselves in the community we were helping and seeing the people that our work would help. Community, one of our SPICES values, was extremely prevalent during this time. Everyone was deliberate in making connections to the best of their ability and being present in the community we had the great privilege of helping.

After a tough goodbye to our new friends, we headed back to ASCALA to clean up before an exciting dance lesson! We had the privilege of being taught by a wonderful woman, Angelica, who actually grew up in a batey. Although dancing is not many of our strong suits, we all moved to the music and learned some beautiful native dances including Bachata, Merengue, and Dembow. By the end of our lesson we were dancing without the instructor’s guidance, you could almost call us pros!

Dinner followed the dancing, where we had yucca, banana, fried cheese, and scrambled eggs; it was delicious. Before closing out the night with an educational documentary we sadly had to say goodbye to Heriberto, but at the same time we got to meet Luis, who talked to us about the Dominican Republic’s complicated history and culture. Luis’s talk prefaced the documentary called “The Price of Sugar” quite well, and we all learned about the corrupt forces impacting the exact community we were helping, the bateys.

Today was packed full of adventure, work, community, fun, and much laughter. Quaker values were utilized heavily throughout our day, and immersing ourselves in this new environment helps put into perspective our place in the world.

By Suutumee Negash & Lilly Kaufmannthe

Beginning the day, a couple of us attended a 7:30 AM yoga session, where we stretched to start our day. After eating breakfast, lathering up in sunscreen, filling up water bottles, and packing a change of clothes, we traveled to our first service session: a house with the goal of completing a wall. This included mixing cement with stones, sand, and water. With combined efforts among the students, the school chaperones, the global works leaders, and the members of the building team, we managed to finished filling the wall’s mold before lunch! This experience allowed us to get closer to the Puerto Rico community and really work hard for a good cause!

We went to Maria’s house for a delicious lunch, featuring; chicken, rice, salad, and flan (the dessert from last night, but we preferred to save it for lunch--good idea!).

We then drove back to the Big Yellow House and decided to go to the beach.
We swam and then decided to walk though a beautiful path leading to a breathtaking view of the cove. We then walked back and did a quick group activity at the house, followed by dinner which was chicken, potatoes, salad, and bread. We then had salsa dancing lessons! We all had so much fun dancing with everyone and learning the steps. It was a great day!

For more photos, visit the Puerto Rico Intersession album in Vidigami.

March 10, 2024
By Evan and Ella

We got to Dulles at 4 pm on Sunday, and people got gifts for their host families and got dinner. Then we boarded our flight and tried to sleep or watch movies for 7 hours. Eventually we landed in Heathrow Airport in London and did various activities from shopping to eating for 7 hours. Some people got British cuisines like British breakfast and others went to the lounge. After that we got on our next flight to Marseille and had a 2 hour flight to eventually land in Marseille. We travelled to our hotel, had dinner in the center of Aix-en-Provence, and had an early night.

March 11, 2024
By Sam and Ethan
Bonjour! Today was a great first day in southern France! We started the day with a breakfast in our hotel lobby, and between scrambled eggs, sausage, crêpes, and croissants, we were spoiled! As a group, we then went into a conversation about some ground rules for the trip, doing some ice breakers along the way. We outlined some community norms so we can maximize our fun on this trip! After that, we went for a walk into downtown Aix-en-Provence so that we could complete a group scavenger hunt. In groups of five, we learned about everything from signage to local produce, tasting veggies from markets and practicing our French at cafés! We went out to lunch at a Tunisian restaurant, which was super yummy. Then we went on a tour through Aix-en-Provence to learn more about Paul Cezanne, a famous impressionist painter from Aix. After that, we had some some free time, which we used to check out some more local shops, enjoy some gelato, and spend some time just enjoying what a great day we were having. We ended the day with some great Lebanese food for dinner, and are looking forward to more fun days under the sunny sky of southern France. Au revoir!

See more photos in the Southern France album in Vidigami.

WORD OF THE DAY: TEAMWORK

“Rainforest.” What an apropos name, as it rained all night, like a percussive concert played atop our bungalows’ metal corrugated rooftops. Its driving rhythm, constant and hypnotic, ebbing and flowing in intensity, as if performed by improvisational timpanists of extreme endurance. Is there any wonder why Nature’s beauty that surrounds us is so rich, vibrant, and teeming with life?

Global Works’ original plans for our Day 3 had us scheduled to work in an area school to make some physical improvements. However, this week is one of important testing in many Costa Rican schools, and so we pivoted to volunteer our services nearby. Instead, we drove to the town’s community center, directly across from the primary school (Kindergarten-6th Grade), where we were greeted by our hosts, Don Ricardo and Don Gerardo. For geographical context, and from largest to smallest, we are currently staying in the province of Alajuela, one of Costa Rica’s seven provinces. Within the province of Alajuela, we are in El Cantón de San Ramón (one of Costa Rica’s 81 territories). Within this cantón there are many districts, including ours – El Distrito de Peñas Blancas, whose largest city, La Fortuna, is 20 minutes away. But our service was performed in the neighborhood of El Barrio Invu. Don Ricardo and Don Gerardo are the patriarchs of this quaint neighborhood and, as such, the overseers of the town’s community hall. As is customary, these small towns are built around a soccer field, with the local school on one side and the church and recreation center on the other, all of which are surrounded by modest single family homes. “I approve of their priorities,” said the Argentine fútbol aficionado.

With our day’s theme appropriately focused on teamwork, today’s task was to paint the community center’s metal fence a much more inviting green. We were fortunate to have an overcast day that helped keep the temperatures and sun exposure at bay. Working in teams, with a partner on the opposite side of the fence, each armed with a brush and a container of water-based paint, our group painted diligently, stopping only for a well-earned and generous lunch prepared with love, care, and gratitude by some of our newest Tico friends, the neighborhood’s matriarchs, Doña Luisa, Doña Ana, Doña Rocio and Doña Andrea. Throughout the day, other locals came and went, perhaps drawn by our uplifting music, banter and laughter, many greeting and thanking us for our beautification efforts. Among our biggest fans were the neighborhood dogs, birds, lizards and geckos curious to see what we were up to in their barrio. Some of our other biggest fans are our two guides, Randall and Heidi, who have been struck by our group’s courtesy, promptness, engagement and adherence. While not surprising, it makes us very proud to know what a positive and indelible impression our Sandy Spring Friends School student-ambassadors are making on this intersession. In the end, we put in a full day’s work and the results were rather impressive, quite pretty, and gratifying, completing notably more than our hosts anticipated. It was also fun, as we passed the time chit-chatting among ourselves, getting to know one another increasingly better, and even singing along together to many of our favorite tunes. As a special treat, Randall and Heidi drove us to a market where everyone was given the opportunity to explore and select some local snacks at Global Works’ generous expense. From there, back to our hotel where most chose to soothe their weary bones in the thermal baths and/or pool ahead of dinner, followed by our third group reflection, and culminating in a joyously spirited series of Merengue, Bachata, and Salsa dance lessons lead by our exclusive, enthusiastic, and exceptional dance instructor/tour guide, Randall. Pura vida!

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

On Tuesday of Intersession week, the SSFS & Friends group participated in service activities along the stream and in the wooded areas behind our school campus. Members of the Montgomery County Parks Weed Warriors and Salt Watch teams led us in activities to test the health of our streams and to remove invasive plant species from our forests. It was hard work, but the Springers smiled and laughed a lot during this outdoor adventure, testing streams in the Anacostia watershed for pollutants, clearing trash, saving native trees, and supporting wildlife--and they earned a few service hours, as well!

The afternoon was spent taking digital photographs with DSLR cameras and editing them in Photoshop for a visual walking tour of Sandy Spring Friends School, and contacting members of the community in preparation for creating a podcast about Stewardship, one of the Quaker SPICES. Go 'Beests!

See more photos from the group in Vidigami.

By Allison Chang

Day 1: We got off to a blustery start and boy, was it cold! Students persevered on our hike from Woodlawn Manor, a former slave plantation, to Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting. Woodlawn was owned by Dr. Palmer, a Quaker who was written out of the Meeting due to his refusal to end slavery on his plantation. We learned about the history of enslavement and freedom seeking along the way. Upon arrival, we had a short (cold!) worship sharing and took a quick tour of the graveyard, where Allison taught students about gravestone typology through the centuries, and we found the Palmer family plot. We then spent the afternoon immersed in the Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery. There, volunteers Lydia Rappolt and Rey Smith regaled us with history. We learned that Montgomery County, especially Sandy Spring, had one of the largest freed Black populations even before the Revolution. Former APUSH teacher Rey Smith told us many stories about growing up in Jim Crow Texas and being involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Day 2: On Tuesday, we drove 4.5 hours round trip, but it was so worthwhile. Even the teachers learned a great deal from the guides at St. Mary's Historic City. We started with the Indigenous Village, where we learned about how Yaocomico people made food, clothing, tools, canoes, and more. Senior Jamie got to be a one-person fashion show! Next, we had an exciting tour of the Maryland Dove, a seven-sailed reproduction cargo ship. One of the best parts about this tour was the many opportunities students had to try things themselves, from preparing yucca leaves for making cordage to estimating speed using real marine navigation tech from the 1700s! Students got home with many facts to share. (Parents, please tell them to teach you something cool!) Tomorrow, it's off to Baltimore. 

More photos are available in Vidigami.

 

By Shellie Marker

On our second day in New Orleans, we worked with SSFS alum Jacob Pleasure '11 to make kits to hand out to unhoused New Orleans residents. Jacob works for a non-profit that finds housing and supplies essentials for people in need. Students shopped for the supplies, assembled the kits, and handed out the kits to people living in encampments. 

 

By Elana & Aniya

Today we woke up and ate breakfast. I thought that breakfast was amazing but I sadly did not eat enough of it 😋 We went to San Juan and walked around the edges of the island. We learned about the history of Ponce de León which was really interesting. After that we were given time to walk around in the fort and we took many glamorous photos that served. We ate lunch at the restaurant Raíces and then went into souvenir shops. Some of us even bought outfits for the Salsa dance lesson tomorrow night! We are so excited 💃🏻

We drove back mostly slumped on the van and eventually ventured to the beach. We all saw sea turtles! There were a few poking their heads out of the water, so that was amazing! The beach waves were also huge and we tried to body surf with no such success. We got back and joined the guy’s volleyball match. The girls played against the guys and we cooked them. We ate dinner and watched a documentary about Puerto Rico, after that we did an activity to reflect on it, our days here, and the community work we came to do; we also answered questions around how we can help the community during our trip. I’m looking forward to working as a group to help the communities with housing construction from the results of Hurricane María! See you tomorrow!

 

By Elijah and Chris

The most important thing we learned today was about the relationship between Haitian immigrants and the Dominican government. Haitian immigrants are treated very poorly here in the DR, and due to lack of opportunity many end up working in Bateyes (settlements), the local communities we worked in. Many Haitians either work in construction or in sugar cane fields because nobody will hire them. The only place where they can find help is through various organizations like ASCALA, which is where we are staying.

Today we spent the day creating cement floors in houses in a local community. The activities were very fun and educational as we got to practice our Spanish speaking and meet new friends. The process was hard at first, but we got right into it. First, we brought sand from the sand pile over to the front yard of the house, then we poured cement into the sand and mixed. Next, we poured water into the sand and mixed the cement/sand in with the water. We then filled buckets with the cement and brought it into the house to get laid down and turn into a new floor. The sun was beaming down on us, and we were sweating buckets, but we pushed through.

While in the DR we have been keeping in mind the Quaker SPICES. Simplicity and peace have been two big ones we have talked about, mainly relating them with how peaceful the communities are. The people in the communities were very nice and everyone came together to welcome us into their community. They were also very respectful of each other, and everyone supported everyone’s needs in the community which showed a very different way of life that we hadn’t really thought of. Keeping these themes in mind throughout the trip will help us so that when we go back, we can try and fill our lives with those themes and ideas. There were a lot of memorable moments from today. We laughed a lot, and someone even fell into the cement! But most importantly we started making some of the first memories that we’ll make on this trip.

For more photos, please visit the Dominican Republic Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

 

“LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE”

By Eduardo Polón

What a difference a good night’s sleep makes! As taxing as the day prior had been in getting to Costa Rica, exacerbated by losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Saving, let alone our travels, we all benefited this morning, as our internal clocks had us feeling well rested by 6:30am Costa Rica time which felt like 8:30am Maryland time. It didn’t hurt to be awakened to the chirping of wildlife outside our windows and a soothing morning breeze. Add a breakfast buffet accompanied by fresh fruit juices and award-winning Costa Rican coffee, and it’s hard to imagine a nicer way to start Day 2. 

As a group, we’ve committed ourselves to trying to leave things better than we found them, and we’re proud to know that we did just that upon room inspections ahead of our 9:00am departure. What lay ahead was a stunning drive up and over the Central Corridor, an impressive mountain range that essentially divides the country east from west, protruding on a topographical map like Costa Rica’s vertebrae. It’s a mystical-looking land of lush, dense, and fertile vegetation, with leaves named La Sombrilla del Pobre (i.e., The Poor Man’s Umbrella) the size of elephant ears and cascades plummeting from impressive heights, like the picturesque La Paz Waterfall that borders Braulio Carrillo National Park. Traversing these mountains is majestic, but we are also grateful for our driver Francisco whose expertise in navigating each switchback brings comfort and awe. Our faithful Rocinante this trip is a manual minibus that accommodates our party of 21, plus our Global Works guides Randall and Heidi, with our bags strapped atop the roof’s cargo carrier in caravan style. Loaded up, today’s first stop: Crisley Farm.

The Crisley Family is simply salt of the Earth people! They are also the beneficiaries of a government program dating back to the mid 1900s when a decision was made to purchase unproductive farmland from a disproportionately small handful of massively wealthy landowners to be partitioned and turned into many more productive micro farming communities. Incentivized during their first two years by government subsidies, this allowed modest farmers opportunities that otherwise would never have been available to them. Three generations of Crisley’s have turned their once modest plot into a model working farm, rich with natural resources that we had the good fortune of being able to enjoy right out of the earth or tree, from juicy sugar cane to creamy cacao and sweet and juicy starfruit. We also admired a plethora of flora and fauna, like pineapples, soursop, bananas, and plantains, along with aloe and other medicinal plants, plus multiple varieties of rice fields, chickens, chicks, dairy and beef cows, and piglets born the evening before suckling from their tired but proud mama. We even saw and learned about a poison dart frog, nicknamed Blue Jeans for their adorable legs that contrast their body’s red alert warning signal. Impressively, the Crisley’s produce over 80% of what they consume and are consummate caretakers of their earth and our Earth, but their farm’s piece de resistance is in their artisanal Mozzarella cheese production which we literally had a hand in making…and a grateful mouthful to taste. Their journey from neophyte hobbyists to fully fledged branded cheese producers is a lesson in stick-to-it-iveness. All in all, from a spontaneous and spirited pickup soccer game with the next generation of Crisley’s and a deliciously fresh lunch to a cheese-making lesson, educational lecture, Q&A and tour, our time at Crisley Farm left an indelible (and cheesy) impression on us all. After a heartfelt thank you and warm goodbye, we took a short drive to our new accommodations for the next three days at the paradisiacal Heliconias, with its Garden of Eden-like surroundings, glass-enclosed bungalows and thermal spas. Our second day in Costa Rica was punctuated with a pasta dinner, followed by our second reflection and group share, before the rains came and serenaded us all to sleep.

For photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

By Kris Morse

Students in the SSFS & Friends Intersession group are experiencing the fun and rewards of service while getting to know the Sandy Spring area and school campus in a new light. During this intergenerational experience, we are exploring the Quaker values of stewardship and ways to give back to our school. 

On our first day of Intersession, students enjoyed assisting teachers in the Lower and Middle schools, on our community farm, and in restoring the sculpture of our campus mascot, the Wildebeest. We also had a visit from special guest Tom Farquhar, a former SSFS teacher and a member of Sandy Spring Friends Meeting and Indigenous Affairs Committee, who shared the fascinating history of the land our school is built upon, from the native Piscataway tribes, to the founding of a Quaker community in 1728, to Esther Scott's donation of family farmland land to build a school, to our present campus. 

In the afternoon, we broke out into groups to begin special projects in Photography and Podcasting about our Intersession experience, and the importance of stewardship and community-building.

For more photos, please visit the SSFS & Friends Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

 

By Robin Engdahl

Boat-Building Intersession - Day 1

We first arrived at the Chesapeake Light Craft building at around 9:00 and were introduced to Andrew Schroeher, our guide for the day.

The boats we’ll be building throughout this week started as individual machine-cut plywood pieces. We split into 4 teams, each working on a boat.

We started the boat-building process by using sandpaper to scratch off the leftover bumps & machine lettering from all of the plywood pieces until the curves were smooth.

We connected the pieces with copper wires, tightly twisted.

Next to add were the internal support panels and upper part of the boat’s hull. We bound the pieces together and connected the front and back edge of the boat.

Each group flipped their boat’s base over and tightened all of the twist ties before setting it aside to begin work on the top half.

We assembled the pieces of each boat’s deck and wired them together...

After double-checking that the wires were tight, we started on adding the epoxy. The group learned how the mixture’s chemical reaction worked, how to correctly mix the resin and hardener until it was at a “peanut-butter consistency,” and how to apply & spread it in each vessel’s crevices.

We spread the adhesive over the gaps in both halves of each boat, before combining the halves and encircling each boat in plastic wrap. The wrap will hold them together while the epoxy dries overnight.

On the subject of wrap, that wraps up our progress for today. Over the next couple days we’ll take out the copper wires from each boat (now that the epoxy is holding them together), add & sand-down more layers of resin, and possibly paint the boats.

We’ll send a new update tomorrow; goodbye for today!

See more photos on the Boat-Building Intersession Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami).

 

By Shellie Marker

On the first day in New Orleans we drove directly from the airport to the Second Line parade. From newOrleans.com: "Second lining has been called 'the quintessential New Orleans art form – a jazz funeral without a body.' Historically, the African-American community began second lines as neighborhood celebrations. The neighborhood organizations offered social aid to freed slaves, such as loans and insurance, and used the second-lines as a form of advertising. Second lines were also used to honor members who died in their community, which launched the idea of second lines at funerals. Often, Mardi Gras Indians were and still are included in the procession.”

After the parade we went to Parkway Tavern and Bakery for their famous po-boys. 

For more photos, please visit the New Orleans Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

 

By: Alexios, Sasha, Timo & Kaydin

We all got up very early to begin our expedition. We boarded the plane, and during takeoff our pilot asked the passengers “if you’re traveling with children, why?" We landed and our Global Works leaders greeted us with pizza. During the drive from the airport to the Big Yellow House, our new home for the next 3 days, the van served as the vessel to our enlightenment of Puerto Rican culture.

We dispersed to our respective quarters, settling into our yellow abode with the spirit of longing for the adventure that awaits. After we laid our eyes upon the scaled, reptilian squirrels of Puerto Rico (iguanas), we traversed the streets and sand, bypassing a parade of jeep wranglers. Ensuring proper observation of either side of the path, we made our way to where the land meets the water. We returned to yellow abode and engaged in showers and a fierce volleyball competition. We came together and engorged a scrumptious feast. After dinner, we partook in an activity of self and communal discovery. We gathered once more under the shared purpose of establishing and codifying the the principles and standards of behavior we should abide by for the remainder of our travels.

(Can you tell we’re tired?!)

For more photos, please visit the Puerto Rico Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS & EXPECTATIONS
By Eduardo Polón, US Global Languages Dept. Head

Day 1 of our Costa Rica Intersession Adventure began pre-dawn, with a report time of 5:35am at Baltimore Washington International Airport and temperatures in the 40s. Following a brief delay and our 5-hour uneventful flight, by the time we reached San Jose, Costa Rica, the snow flurries back home were replaced with sunny skies and 82 degrees. Our desire to dive into the Ticos pura vida lifestyle was stunted by two hours in the airport clearing immigration and customs, as we were not the only clever ones to identify Costa Rica as an idyllic locale this time of year.

Despite the delayed gratification, we couldn’t have been greeted with wider arms and warmer smiles by our two experienced and earnest Global Works in-country guides, Randall and Heidi, who, sensitive to our long journey, took us straight away to refuel at a charming open-aired restaurant in neighboring Alajuela for a delectable lunch where we had pick of the menu of some of the most traditional Tico cuisine, from Gallo Pinto and fried plantains to tortillas, Casado and Picadillo. Once satiated, the fatigue began to catch up with us following such a taxing day of travel. So we were craving the opportunity to go to our accommodations – Villa Aracari – a secluded compound of four guest houses with a central pool overlooking the cities of Alajuela and San Jose, not unlike the views of Los Angeles from the Hollywood Hills. Doing so afforded us some precious downtime before dinner under a canopy of stars where everyone decompressed, recouped some energy, and, awed by the sunset and panoramic views, gathered about the pool and surrounding deck filled with laughter and gratitude. After a barbecue inspired dinner, we gathered for our first reflection and group share, an important educational facet of our shared experience. Having awakened so very early this morning, everyone is looking forward to a proper night’s sleep and excited for the special opportunities Day 2 has in store for us.

For more photos, please visit the Costa Rica Intersession SSFS Vidigami Page (users will need to login to their portal page for single sign-on access to Vidigami)