Blame it on the raiiiiiinnnn

This communique comes to all of you from lovely, touristy, gringo-tastic, rain-soaked Antigua, Guatemala.

A lot has happened in the past few days. I´m sure that I mentioned the two Gringos we met at the hostel in San Pedro Sula, one of them being from, of all places, Livingston, NJ. Que comico. The next morning, we hopped an 8am bus to go to the Copan Ruins, in Honduras.

The bus ride was kind of uneventful, until we made one stop and two clowns, in full makeup, got on the bus. One of them was a rather loquacious fellow, and he spoke with the sensitivity and restraint of an auctioneer. I have no idea what he said, outside of ¨Hey man, how you doing," which he directed at me, the Gringo. Then he made a pair of red lacy underpants disappear. Bizarre.

We got to Copan early in the day and checked into our hostel, which was chock full of travelers. We rested a little bit, then set out to explore the town. It was beautiful. The streets were cobbled and steep, and the architecture was fantastic. The town square was quite a site to see. Later on that night we met up with some of the other travelers, all of whom were wonderful people. Three Irish guys who had a lot to say about a lot of things kept us gabbing most of the night.

The next day, Michelle and I went to the Ruins with our new Dutch friend Marous, who used to work at a hostel in Lanquin, Guatemala. We had a wonderful day, and I felt like a kid again running around in the ruins like Indiana Jones. So far, the ruins alone have been worth the trip.

This morning we took a shuttle from our hostel to Antigua, not really expecting to spend much time here. It´s raining. A lot. And there´s lots of white people, which is really surreal. We stopped at a wine bar for a little bit, that was gringo owned and the clientele solely comprised of gringos. It reminded me a little bit of The Sun Also Rises. Our current plan is to get out of here, because it´s a little pricey (although our hostel is pretty awesome), and there´s really not much to do thanks to the weather. We shall see where the cobblestones lead us next. More on that next time.

Adios!

San Pedro

So last night we made it safely to Honduras and our hostel. We walked around the neighborhood where the hostel is, and we took a walk down into the center of the city- El Parque Central, as they say.

We saw lots of people who were willing to change money for us (probably at some ridiculous rate). We ate dinner at this nice diner place, and met some other gringos at the hostel when we got back. There's a good chance that we'll be traveling with them to La Ceiba, on the coast, tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will be better- the storm is supposed to be dead by now. We'll see!

Talk to you all soon!

Desert Island Vol. 1

As I mentioned in my first post of the travel blog (not two minutes ago), I've been trying to collect some new music to keep my massive-ass iPod fresh. However, I still have my old, tiny-ass iPod mini from my freshman year. That being said, there is always the possibility that something is going to go wrong with at least one iPod. namely, losing all of the music on my big one (or Michelle losing all of her music on her iPod, in the event that one or both get stolen). The point of this is that, the mini will be split between us, for our Desert Island records. This is the first installment of the Desert Island discussion.

I would probably have to say, and this is a no brainer, that everyone should have a copy of "London Calling" by the Clash with them on a desert island, or on a bus from Guatemala City to San Salvador.

This should need no explanation, but I will anyway because this is a subject I know shit about. It is just one of the best records of all time. It fits every mood a person can be in, and even when they were doing pop songs on that record, it still bled punk rock. Not to mention the songs are pure kick-ass rock and roll music in the purest sense of the word. You can't go wrong with the title track, though other personal favorites include "I'm Not Down," "Guns of Brixton," "Death or Glory," "The Right Profile," and even the hit single "Train in Vain (Stand By Me)." This album is fantastic and it has made me the person I am today, for better or for worse (I got it when I was 14). So, tune in as I make more decisions!

The main event...

So I had to set up a blog for a class I had in my last semester ever of college. It didn't go so well, I'm not a journalist, so I'm never going to be a blogger for a living, so consider this part that you're about to read the introduction to the real me.

Moving on, tomorrow I'm going home to New Jersey for a few days to tie up some loose ends. Next Thursday, me and Michelle leave for San Pedro Sula, Honduras. My backpack is pretty much packed up with most of the shit I need.

I've been thinking of getting some CDs to load onto my iPod so I can' get bored of what I already have- the more the merrier, right?

Listening to "Tim" by the Replacements right now, which I just picked up today. This tonality is what I've been looking for the past few weeks. I'm glad I've graduated college and glad I have this trip ahead of me, but there's so much stuff that's changing that's got me really stressed out. It's hard to pick out for sure, mostly a combination of everything. Changes with friends, family, stuff like that.

Moving on, the main goal of this blog is to show you all how this trip is going to mess with my head. You can see me go from semi-coherent to a raging lunatic by the middle of the second month in Ecuador...probably sooner than that, actually.

So, this blog will be updated as often as possible, which could be frequently, infrequently, or just enough. We'll see, hahahahaha.

Good lord that was a pain in the ass...

Just a disclaimer- my internet was giving me problems throughout the entire program, so I had to type things up in a Word document and copy and paste them into this blog. So much for the idea of people being able to read what was going on as it was going on...

12:17pm- John Doolittle is opening up after lunch. I’m typing this up on word because American University’s wireless is being lame. Doolittle is the director of CTE, and started to introduce the speakers.

Paul Wapner- SIS Professor- New Mexico course- environmental policy

Chris Palmer- SOC- Director of Center of Env. Filmmaking- “final word” in environmental filmmaker

Claire Roby- CAS Senior; student perspective; history in Eco-Sense

H. Paul Davis- Environmental architecture

Kiho Kim- Potomac Project- Started by some Eco Sense students who waned Kerwin to sign on to the Climate Commitment. AU would raise the issue of sustainability to a higher level.

12:20pm- Potomac Project has been used by other schools. Perhaps it would inspire other schools.

What does sustainability mean to them? Where’s it going within the U? What does it mean to be sustainable?

Roby said that S, F, and S have been working together to work with Kerwin to sign onto the Climate Commitment to aim for Carbon Neutrality within the next two years. She just announced that he has committed to signing it. Applause, of course.

“If our habits are affecting other people, it’s our responsibility to address that”- Roby

5 major campaigns in 3 years; vote to wind energy;

Palmer- Sustainability- We don’t want to take resources away from future AU students; each of us have to decide what side we’re on- do we pollute or do we heal?

12:27- I’m still trying to get the internet working so I can access my actual blog and start posting there, instead of this Word document BS.

Palmer says that SOC has picked up the green bug, we have a green roof now. Dean Kirkman has initiated partnerships with various green companies- Sony- has declared Green intentions, striving to be stustainable.

Center for Environmental Filmmaking- formed out of necessity to produce films to produce change in that arena. “We Are Fouling our own Nest”. He just mentioned how effective a film like “An Inconvenient Truth” can be. He’s also touting he fact that SOC brings in “outstanding” filmmakers, who’ve made films that are effective in bringing about change.

12:31- Palmer has mentioned how there is a focus on the idea of “best practices” for Green filmmaking, and how there is a desire to establish green standards for filmmaking. The aim is to have a code backed up with scientific evidence. We would be the first university to do so, and we hope to set the standard for Universities.

the only existing trees were 4 tulip poplars, and the amphitheatre was just a ditch; began to plant 4 trees at a time under criticism that it was a waste of money; he’s talking about the process of bringing the flora into the amphitheatre; The details about the trees planted by AU are not terribly important;

12:37- Internet difficulties are persistent. Any landscape architecture has been criticized, but they did not have the foresight to understand that this was a gift to future generations; He just mentioned that in the last few years we’ve planted 2000 trees (?), “just a drop in the bucket, we could easily plant 4000 more. The canopy needs to be restored”. We’re creating a forest within a city. He just said that Lawn is the most wasteful use of plant material. It takes the most water. Once perennials and stuff are planted, they take much less energy, time, maintenance, pesticides; we’re working on reducing the amount of lawn;

Wapner- how do we orient ourselves to these huge challenges? Assigned an essay- plant a tree ride a bike save the world- criticism- it’s not enough- what would it really mean to be sustainable? It has to do with extending moral concern with those who are sharing the planet with me; those who live off the displacement in life; it means taking responsibility for where you draw resources from, and where you dump them.

Those coming after us are counting on us; extending moral concern across species; we have a moral responsibility to think about their existence; there’s something fundamentally wrong with cutting down a 500 year old redwood to build a picnic table;

Global Environmental Politics- intellectual piece into issues of sustainability;

12:44- Doolittle is inviting the audience to pt in their two cents.

Elderly man- most of us are deceiving ourselves when we think that what little things we do is not enough; people in his town want to make it as green as possible; but try to get them to stop heating the pool to 80 degrees in the smmer! “Let’s try 78!”

12:44- Doolittle is inviting the audience to pt in their two cents.

Elderly man- most of us are deceiving ourselves when we think that what little things we do is not enough; people in his town want to make it as green as possible; but try to get them to stop heating the pool to 80 degrees in the smmer! “Let’s try 78!”

Mentions a disconnect between what we do and what our impact is.

Bill Maher- said if he went ot the american people- I can reduce energy use by 50%- stop using the remote- it would fail! Lower thermostat in winter, raise it in the summer

most of us talk the talk but very few walk the walk

Experimental Psychologist- AU- We need to get a list of things that people are doing that are wasting energy! "we are so spoiled, using so much energy!"

he's been trying to get something done about lights that are always on in Asbury; What kind of emergency can there be at noon that you need flourescent lights on?

How does he reduce his impact? 63 degrees in winter, turn it off at night; rides to campus every day he can.

12:50- Roby- Americans aren’t willing to make small changes; those who do make changes need to push to mobilize others to make more systemic solutions from the top; need to make sure that energy sources are clean when used; need large national investment in green jobs; need national plan for cutting carbon by 80% by 2050; pairing the focus on the personal level to a more collective mobilization level;

Davis- thermostats need to be collectively lowered; it’s easy to be come cyinical and discouraged; “If I see a tree cut down I plant 8 more”- we have to keep moving forward and raise our voices; we have to rise above other people’s ignorance

12:53- we live in a capitalist system, patriarchal, anthropocentric; these systems need fundamental changes; the problem is capitalism! We need something more! We can’t beat each other up for our actions; we need to marry personal change with systemic focus.

12:54- we don’t need a politics of limits about constricting growth or reducing quality of life; 500,000 new jobs ill increase quality of life for 500,000 people;

Internet update- this shit is still not working, and I’m becoming increasingly frustrated. Whoever is reading this blog is just going to have to deal with it.

12:55- John Richardson- a professor- a bike rider- moved into Anderson hall to cut down commuting cost and time; much laughter; The Limits to Growth- the concept of sustainable; first computer models of the relationship etween population, resources and environment; started in the 1970s; it’s amazing the progress we’ve made, but that’s not an excuse for nto doing more; reiterated the importance of pressing for systemic sustainability without making enemies; arrogance led him to assuming that his series of initiatives for Carter’s 2^nd administration would happen; the people that were ridiculed and demonized became those in power;

12:59- We knew we were in trouble when the heads of agencies funding us started sending in their resumes!

1:00- Remember to listen to those with different points of few. If you don’t agree, figure out some way to embrace them, accept them, love them. In the long run, there will be payoffs.

Kim- either you’re really green or you’re not; it’s important to do something as opposed to nothing it all; we should try to include as many people and ideas as possible; I hope more of us are optimistic and more willing to participate in this movement; don’t’ worry about being “not green enough;”

1:02- manager of computer lab- we use several boxes of 5000 pages each week; where are all of these big footprints we leave behind us?

Lark Williams- Grad Student- GEP- AUSG- sacrifices for case- is sacrifice the right framework for our generation? We need to challenge ourselves, we want to have our cake and eat it too; we can do it; we need to challenge ourselves to listen to other people;

Politics of sacrifice vs. politics of more; “the problem with sacrifice is that we’re being less bad. We’re doing the same things- can we go from being less bad to good?” we’re just getting to the end of the world a little slower; can we design a way to meet needs in a sustainable way.

Paul- work could not have been possible without other people; it’s all collaborative and can’t be done by yourself;

Kiho Kim- 1:07- The administration is still making a strategic plan- they will listen to us

Claire- watch Kerwin sign the commitment, and watch out for opportunities to voice opinions.

maybe?

12:44- Doolittle is inviting the audience to pt in their two cents.

Elderly man- most of us are deceiving ourselves when we think that what little things we do is not enough; people in his town want to make it as green as possible; but try to get them to stop heating the pool to 80 degrees in the smmer! “Let’s try 78!”

Mentions a disconnect between what we do and what our impact is.

Bill Maher- said if he went ot the american people- I can reduce energy use by 50%- stop using the remote- it would fail! Lower thermostat in winter, raise it in the summer

most of us talk the talk but very few walk the walk

Experimental Psychologist- AU- We need to get a list of things that people are doing that are wasting energy! "we are so spoiled, using so much energy!"

he's been trying to get something done about lights that are always on in Asbury; What kind of emergency can there be at noon that you need flourescent lights on?

This might have to be a Word Doc first....

12:17pm- John Doolittle is opening up after lunch. I’m typing this up on word because American University’s wireless is being lame. Doolittle is the director of CTE, and started to introduce the speakers.

Paul Wapner- SIS Professor- New Mexico course- environmental policy

Chris Palmer- SOC- Director of Center of Env. Filmmaking- “final word” in environmental filmmaker

Claire Roby- CAS Senior; student perspective; history in Eco-Sense

H. Paul Davis- Environmental architecture

Keo Kim- Potomac Project- Started by some Eco Sense students who waned Kerwin to sign on to the Climate Commitment. AU would raise the issue of sustainability to a higher level.

12:20pm- Potomac Project has been used by other schools. Perhaps it would inspire other schools.

What does sustainability mean to them? Where’s it going within the U? What does it mean to be sustainable?

Roby said that S, F, and S have been working together to work with Kerwin to sign onto the Climate Commitment to aim for Carbon Neutrality within the next two years. She just announced that he has committed to signing it. Applause, of course.

“If our habits are affecting other people, it’s our responsibility to address that”- Robie

5 major campaigns in 3 years; vote to wind energy;

Palmer- Sustainability- We don’t want to take resources away from future AU students; each of us have to decide what side we’re on- do we pollute or do we heal?

12:27- I’m still trying to get the internet working so I can access my actual blog and start posting there, instead of this Word document BS.

Palmer says that SOC has picked up the green bug, we have a green roof now. Dean Kirkman has initiated partnerships with various green companies- Sony- has declared Green intentions, striving to be stustainable.

Center for Environmental Filmmaking- formed out of necessity to produce films to produce change in that arena. “We Are Fouling our own Nest”. He just mentioned how effective a film like “An Inconvenient Truth” can be. He’s also touting he fact that SOC brings in “outstanding” filmmakers, who’ve made films that are effective in bringing about change.

12:31- Palmer has mentioned how there is a focus on the idea of “best practices” for Green filmmaking, and how there is a desire to establish green standards for filmmaking. The aim is to have a code backed up with scientific evidence. We would be the first university to do so, and we hope to set the standard for Universities.

the only existing trees were 4 tulip poplars, and the ampitheatre was just a ditch; began to plant 4 trees at a time under criticism that it was a waste of money; he’s talking about the process of bringing the flora into the ampetheatre; The details about the trees planted by AU are not terribly important;

12:37- Internet difficulties are persistent. Any landscape architecture has been criticized, but they did not have the foresight to understand that this was a gift to future generations; He just mentioned that in the last few years we’ve planted 2000 trees (?), “just a drop in the bucket, we could easily plant 4000 more. The canopy needs to be restored”. We’re creating a forest within a city. He just said that Lawn is the most wasteful use of plant material. It takes the most water. Once perennials and stuff are planted, they take much less energy, time, maintenance, pesticids; we’re working on reducing the amount of lawn;

Tall skinny Paul- how do we orient ourselves to these huge challenges? Assigned an essay- plant a tree ride a bike save the world- criticism- it’s not enough- what would it really mean to be sustainable? It has to do with extending omral concern with those who are sharing the planet with me; those who live off the displacement in life; it means taking responsibility for where you draw resources from, and where you dump them.

Those coming after us are counting on us; extending moral concern across species; we have a moral responsibility to thinka bout their existence; there’s something fundamentally wrong with ctting down a 500 year old redwood to build a picnic table;

Global Environmental Politics- intellectual piece into issues of sustainability;