OHG / JAWS 6 Commenced

My second week with Ocean Healing Group has begun with a bang with their JAWS 6 program (Just Add Water Surfing). This week brings us two teenage boys from Southern California. Cody is 15 and he was born with a condition called Spina Bifida. For those of you that do no know, my niece, Alice was born with this same condition. The severity of each case varies drastically. Throughout Cody's entire life he has had several different surgeries on his spine and brain. As a result of the Spina Bifida, Cody has a condition in his brain that causes an inability for the spinal fluid that his brain produces to discrete correctly to the rest of his body. During one of the procedures to help correct this, around the age of five, Cody awoke with a loss of feeling in his legs. Other than his chair, Cody is a totally typical teenager. He battles his Dad for another cup of coffee, and he gets embarassed when his Mom kisses on him obsessively. The coolest thing about Cody though, is his immense support group. Cody has brought with him his Mother, Father, Step-father, Step-mother, and half brother (11). It's really inspiring and admirable. The fact that they can all come together for something like this that is clearly about Cody and his experience in a civilized and friendly manner= it is really cool to see. It is also remarkably obvious that they all care a GREAT deal about Cody. He is truly lucky to have so many people behind him.

The other boy here is Christian. November of 2008, Christian was in a dirt bike accident in Southern California and is now a parapalegic. Christian is 18 and about to start college in the fall. Like Cody, Christian has a really strong support system. His Mother, Father and two little brothers are both here in full support of Christian's surfing experience. His Dad, Tom, is really involved in the daily surf sessions for both kids. Tom greatly encourages Christian to be more independent and strong. MAN that kid has got some SERIOUS upper body strength. When he just paddles out to the waves on his own, he FLIES! Tonight he showed me some pics of his dirt bikes, and toy hauler back in CA. Tom told me that he has sold most of the bikes, and Christian doesn't think he would ever be interested in riding again. He is, however, incredibly active in other things, surfing included. He showed us pics of his brand new Scion car which he isn't proud of AT ALL, AND some of his sea kayaking trips. Truly adds another meaning to the other program most of these guys are involved with called "Life Rolls On".

Tonight the SIX parents all went out to eat together and we are here at the camp watching the three little kids and two teenagers. Mostly playing dominoes and watching movies... but it's great fun! I am sure it will be a really nice, and much needed vacational break for the padres in town. I hope they don't get too crazy! We have a 6AM surf lesson tomorrow!!! This is the life... My surfing hasn't progressed mucho personally, but that is NOT for lack of trying!!! I get out there at least once a day, and fall A LOT!!! But it's great fun!!!

Farewells, and be wells, one camps ends and another begins...

In this lifestyle, goodbyes get harder and harder to do! Today a few of us Shaka volunteers who are working with Ocean Healing Group for two weeks said goodbye to the first groups participants and most of its volunteers and tomorrow we welcome a new crew. All the volunteers have been living very closely in a house at Shaka for the past week, and it was beyond difficult to say goodbye. The things we have experienced together with these kids have really been beyond words. I feel so lucky to have been included in something of this nature. Last night Sean (one of the volunteers) put together a collage of images of the past week. Going through them as a group and laughing, and joshing together, felt a lot like being amongst a family unit. I cannot wait to see what the next group entails.
As a nice group treat, OHG took the group out to an INCREDIBLE restaurant here called Buenos Aires. SERIOUSLY, incredible doesn't actually effectively describe the time we had there. it's this really cool outdoor restaurant attached to a hotel at the top of the hills in Santa Teresa. That particular evening we were remarkably lucky to get a clear night and as a result we saw a really amazing sunset. The kids and their families were some of the happiest people I have been around in a long time. Just to be there and be able to see all the kids' smiling faces made the experience more than worth it. The totally mouth watering ahi tuna was just an added bonus.






Earlier that day, the kids went with some volunteers (myself excluded) to go ZIP-LINING! Seriously, with this group, there is nothing that any disability can hold them back from. Instead of asking what barricades there are in life now as a result of their disability, they ask what barricades there are not. The glass is half full around here and I want to soak up every bit of inspiration left over.
I cannot get over the attitudes of the kids. In particular, Chad, one of the kids, is ridiculously hilarious. A couple days ago he told me he was not into other men, but that in he actually has a thing for red heads. HA! Thanks for clearing that up Chad cause I was really worried!!!! Jake has this hilarious knack for answering any and all questions with "ya.... NO!" I seriously never know what his real answer is. He just has this really great free spirit that allows him to view everything as a blissful joke. I WANT to be more like them both! Brooke is much more sweet than the other two hooligans that were here. She and I talked a lot about her new outfits and how and where she got them. Just like the shopping buddy I always wanted :) HAHA - she has style too! Her surf gear is not something to be reckoned with!!! SUCH great kids! They will be seriously missed!!!

Oceans Healing Group at Shaka Surf Camp

Embarking on the first week of Shaka surf camp has been an inspiring experience to say the least. There are three surf participants at the camp this week that all three have what is commonly known as A.T., or otherwise called ataxia-telangiectasia. In brief, A.T. is a rare genetic disease that targets children specifically. It directly affects the balance and immune systems of its carriers. Because of the drastic effect the disease has on balance, people with A.T. cannot walk at all, and many cannot complete simple tasks such as eating or even speaking. You can read more about it here; http://www.communityatcp.org/. The three participants here now are Jake, Brooke, and Chad. Jake is from Huntington Beach who has been surfing MANY times and whose father plays a large role in Oceans Healing Group and its purpose. Brooke is here for the first time from Michigan. Her mother is her sole caregiver and keeps her closely guarded in a variety of ways. To have here here surfing right now seems like a MASSIVE achievement to say the least. Chad is here with his mother and brother. It's clear that his family envourages Chad to live a wildly active lifestyle despite his disability. He owns a quad back in his hometown, Sonora (The Bay Area of CA), of which he makes his own monthly payments.

There are roughly 15 volunteers and team members that are all here to make surfing for Jake, Brooke and Chad possible. Everyday for the next 7 days we take the kids out for one surf session that goes like this. A few people carry the participant out to the water clad in general surf gear, goggles, and a life jacket. Others carry the board and wait a few feet into the water to place the participant lying on top where there are two handles for him to grab on. Once steady on the board, the participant and three volunteers head out to the best location for wave catching. One volunteer stands in the front of the board and keeps the nose above the waves to avoid any submergion. A second volunteer holds around the waiste and keeps the participant secure on the board. The third person hold the back of the board straight and, if possible, or neccesary the participant's legs steady on the tail end of the board. Once in deep water, these three volunteers pass the participant off to the "deep water" volunteers who all have flippers on. These volunteers take the participant out to the perfect location for catching a wave and turn him around to get him ready. When they are ready to catch the next wave they signal to the remaining volunteers and let the participant know. Within seconds the participant is OFF launched into a wave much like boogie boarding. All the remaining volunteers run in a V-like shape toward the participant in order to be there in case he falls off. In general, the participant makes it all the way to shore and then a few volunteers turn him around and do the whole process over again. We are generally out there for 2-3 hours depending on how long each participant surfs.
I cannot even begin to explain how amazing this experience is for everyone involved. These kids are more excited and happy than you could possibly predict. Here they are in the circumstances they are in and they have made a decision to live life to its fullest despite everything. Oceans Healing Group's motto is "Carving the dis out of dis-ability", and it could not be more true here. These kids are PART of this group and PART of this experience more than anything else. They themselves and their spirit and strength are what makes this entire thing inspiring. It feels really good to be able to contribute in any way. In another sense it is a real awakening kind of feeling. Like, nothing can be so bad that it should hold you back from what feels great and what makes life worth living... like we should all be more grateful with what we have everyday.

Borders Made Easy

Along the gringo trail, it is well known that the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is an extremely complicated process. Anna from London told me that it took her over 2 hours AND she chartered a bus to get it done. I must admit that I was really, really nervous about the whole ordeal. And doing it alone! I left San Juan Del Sur at around 1 for a bus headed in the direction of Rivas, but it dropped me off half way through just in the middle of what looked like nowhere to catch another bus headed toward the border. Luckily I got off at this invisible stop with an EXTREMELY helpful family. The mother sat next to me on the bus and explained that her son is a tour guide and they travel between Nicaragua and Costa Rica almost daily for work and such. Her son, Norman, who was with her is 18 years old and it seems a lot like he supports the family. They were three of the most helpful and amazingly nice locals I have met my whole time in Central America. Norman was the only one among the three that spoke any English. He explained the complicated process to me in a way that I could understand which was more valuable than I think I could have imagined. The stamp I received from Nicaragua when leaving the Nicaraguan side of the border was really faint and hard to read. They were going to send me back to the VERY long line to get a new stamp, but Norman explained to them that he was with me in line and that the stamp was legit. The ONLY reason they took his word for it is that he crosses the border SO often that they all knew him by name. This says TONS especially because the border patrol are NOT nice looking people… On the Costa Rican side, Norman stayed behind while his family grabbed a ride home in order to ensure that I was able to get through the process despite the faint stamp. AND because I was with Norman, the patrol-man did not make me pay the taxes or return ticket purchase that are usually required of foreginers. Thanks Norman!
From the border I grabbed a bus to Puntarenas which is really confusing because all the buses are going to San Jose, so they made a special stop for me in Barranca. I spoke with a local man on the bus who told me to grab a taxi ASAP when getting off the bus because at night it’s a really dangerous place for a gringa like me. True to his word, this city is SCARY. I grabbed my bag and a VERY nice elderly woman helped me grab a taxi ASAP but not before she also stressed that I needed to be careful. WOAH! Jose, the taxi driver was REMARKABLY nice. He explained that unfortunately there is a lot of robbery in Puntarenas during the evenings and that he would make sure I arrived to my hotel safely. He sure did, too! Carried my bag and ensured that the reception came down to help me into the locked gates. OH MY! I will not miss being so worried and afraid but I need to take some serious time to appreciate the immense amount of help I have had today. It is astounding how hospitable all of these people are. In a country, a city, where crime is rampant, there are still people who will do anything to help a stranger.

Team Ometepe, we hold you in our hearts, and when we think about you, it makes me wanna...

WOW! What an amazing last few days!!

Leaving Laguna de Apoyo, a couple British girls, Lottie and Anna and I headed to a remote Nicaraguan island called Ometepe. Ometepe is an island that you can only imagine in your dreams. The town we stayed in there was called Playa Santo Domingo. Playa de Santo Domingo sits directly between two HUGE volanoes. In fact, the island itself is ALL made up of these two volcanoes, and no other terrain. In transit to Ometepe, we three girls scooped up a really great Canadian traveler who had just hopped on a bus with no specific desitination in mind (love traveling alone for that reason). Omid, Lottie, Anna and I stayed at a REMARKABALE hotel called Villa Paraiso for $12 each a nice. This place would have been a five star resort anywhere else in the world. Our room was a house consisting of two floors, with a TV (that we didn't use...), and our very own terrace, which we absolutely used! Located RIGHT on the beach, we had access to a small boat, beach chairs and more! To top it off the service at this particular hotel was really incredible. Everyone was extremely courteous, and responsive. It has been more difficult than you can imagine in Nicaragua thus far to find that kind of service, and at that price! WOW!
The first day there, we were four lazy, spoiled, and very relaxed travelers. Taking advantage of the beach, boat, and service. the second day, HOWEVER, we dug our teeth into what the island had to offer! We rented dirt bikes!!! OH they were so incredibly fun! We rode them ALL over the island, having the time of our lives. The roads in Ometepe, especially as far in as Playa Santo Domingo are just messy, rocky, and muddy tracks that make for the perfect dirt bike terrain. HERMANA, you would have LOVED it. Don't worry Papalardo, we were as safe as could be.
That evening the four of us moved the group to a finca at the bottom of the smaller of the two volcanoes. The finca was an old military base that had been turned into a coffee plantation. MAN, was the coffee amazing! I wish I had bought a bag... We woke up MEGA early the next day and hiked a MUDDY scramble up the volcanoe, Maderas. when I say muddy scramble, I cannot communicate quite effectively just how muddy it was. It was a 6 hour hike and afterwards the four of us were quite literally DRENCHED, caked, sopped, whatever word you want to use to grasp the fact that we were covered head to toe in mud, sweat and then, of course, in true Nicaragua style, rain. The last hour and a half it POURED on us with no remorse. Everything we were wearing, and carrying was held victim to the heavy droplets that only come around in the tropics. They have this really amazing abillity to SOAK everything in a light fifteen minute drizzle as if it were a two hour downpour. In fact, as we were leaving Ometepe yesterday, all the buses were shut down because of mud slides that caused roads to wash out and collapse. As a result, the watermelon collection truck that collects watermelon from the farms once a week was baracading half the road due to a engine dropping or something mechanically complicated of that sort during a mud slide (this is what my little Spanish can interpret). It was a scene to see too!!! Only little shuttles could get by...

Made it to a surf town called San Juan Del Sur yesterday afternoon. I LOVE this quant, european style town! The vibe is really relaxed, but not too relaxed like Montezuma was. Last night we had drinks at a hotel where the cast of survivor is currently staying called The pelican. At $200 a night this specific RESORT was and is ridiculously far out of our budget but that have an amazing happy hour that makes the gorgeous sunset to die for. It is located on a big hill that overlooks the whole city - WHEW! It was a good happy hour :)... and a good goodbye location. Today the team splits to head in all different directions. I REALLY hope we are all able to get together again someday. We have already begun discussing a reunion in London, Scottland, and Ireland a year from now. AMAZING! I have met more remarkable people while traveling than I could possibly have imagined. The time I have spent with them and then experiences we have shared have served to bring us really close in just a short period of time... it's a truly great feeling.

Headed to Shaka surf camp today!!! If you haven't had a chance to check this camp out, you MUST! www.shakacostarica.com. It is a surf camp organized by two Americans for surfers with spinal cord injuries. I am volunteering with them for ten days now and hopefully five weeks in September or October. I am really excited to get involved in something along these lines. It will be a really incredible experience and I hope that it leads to other organizations that I can get involved with down the line.

Until next time, BESOS!!! and... PICS!





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Granada come, Granada go, swimming in a Volcano hole

SOOO for those of you considering visiting Nicaragua EVER in your lifetimes... leave Granada out of your list of cities to visit. Lonely Planet blabs aout its "Colonial Charms" and yadda yadda yadda, but it's all crap mostly. It's a pretty city as far as far as the colors of the buildings go... I guess... mostly it's a big city with MANY stray dogs and several beggars. An elderly woman actually asked me for water! Water! She poored it into a plastic bag and then bit off the tiny corner so that she could give it to her three daughters. Incredibly sad really. I did not spend more than 18 hours there... but the up side is that I met oodles of awesome people at the hostel there who were feeling along the same lines. So, we all grouped up and went to Lago del Apoyo. Let me tell you... this place is AMAZING! SOOOO absolutely gorgeous. It's literally a lake that sits on top of a dormant volcano. I don't want to know what would happen if it ever erupted.
One of the gentleman from Holland had a birthday last night and we held quite the celebration... if you are not a rum drinker prepare to become one in Central America. It's quite the local liquor. At the lower level on the hostel there is a lake entrance where you can swim in really warm water! ALL night we swam! Pitch black night swims are really amazing. PIRATE rum party!!! This morning we woke up and walked down to the water and there were two empty bottles of rum laying on the swimming platform. AMAZING! that's when you know it was a good night... at least that's what they tell me.
My new friend Anna and I are going to take the sea kayaks out on the lake and see what we can find!

FAREWELL!!!

MonteZuma's revenge

HOLA again! SOOOO much has happened here since my last post. It's such a strange feeling to have the days pass so slowly while experiencing them and then to look back and be completely AMAZED at how much has happened and how much has changed.

From Manuel Antonio a large group of us headed to MonteZuma. It is small, but do not let the size fool you - this town is remarkable. The people are generally hippies which completes the city's charm. They are all so nice and hospitable. It's really cool to see a city that is clearly driven by tourism that has not been bittered over time. The nine of us ended up staying more nights here than any of us have stayed anywhere else. We all just loved it here so much!

The best hike we have all done in Costa Rica thus far was here to a massive waterfall that you can jump off of. When I say hike, I legitamately mean HIKE! It was crazy! Scaling sides of clifs and crawling up slipperly, muddy hillsides while hanging out to vines. I was telling my new buddies that this is what Papalardo meant when he said do not die in Costa Rica. Craziness! We all helped each other out though. It has been really awesome feeling close to all these new people who are doing essentially the same thing you are. Well, ok, most of them are just on a couple week vacation but you know what I mean.

Yesterday a group of us took a tour to a group of islands called Tortuga. It is within these groups of islands that portions of Pirates of the Carrebean were filmed. Interesting, huh? We were supposed to snorkel, but the water was quite a bit murky due to it being the rainy season and all. However, this did not affect the gorgeous colors and vibrancy of the water. It was this neon blueish/greenish color. AWESOME! The best part of the tour though was that I got to drive the boat back!!! Because I speak Spanish all the locals love me. LOL. It was really cool.

Not sure where I will be heading next. Considering Nicaragua actually. I am SO close, and from what I hear it is absolutely incredible AND a lot cheaper than Costa Rica.

Sad morning this morning though... half of our group has headed back home because their vacation is over :(. To top that off Jake and another guy leave day after tomorrow. It's REALLY quite sad to feel close to all these new friends so easily and then to have them leave. The feeling will pass, I am sure but not going to lie, I am feeling a bit sad today...

PS - A big shout out to Papalardo who finally followed the blog. AND named himself Papalardo on top of it - AWESOME. Love you!!!

Miss you all! PICS!