Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Day Thirty Six

 I just got this email update from the seventh grade Amazon field trip:

'After our two preparation meetings yesterday, we left the hotel for the forest around 15:30.  As we walked towards our camp our guides (called the Jaguars) taught us how to trap animals and to direct ourselves using the sun or small rivers in the forest.  Then after 2 hours of walking through the heat and humidity, we arrived at our camp.   
At the camp, each student went to see his or her hammock and then our guides taught us what fruits from the Amazon forest are eatable.  We ate many fruits and among them were maracuja, castanha do Pará,and many other that I can't write or even pronounce because they are words from the Tupi Guarani language.  We ate fruits rich in vitamin C and other vitamins and also rich in fiber.  
We came back to our meeting place at the camp and our guides taught us how to make fire with gun powder and Bom Brill and batteries.  After that we ate chicken, beef with farinha and fruits.  Our plates were leaves of Palmeiras and we ate with our hands.  We then reflected on our journey so far in the Amazon and then went to sleep in our hammock in the middle of the forest.
We woke this morning with the sunrise at 5:30am and came straight to the hotel where students took showers and are enjoying a little bit of free time.  We will go fishing for Piranha soon and this afternoon we will visit a native family from the Amazon. Tonight we will go with canoes to see the alligators in the river.'

Fishing for piranha and going in canoes to see the alligators in the river.   Learning to make fire with gun powder and batteries.  Sounds effing awesome!




I still have zero desire to do any of that stuff, except for the eating part, but, you know, with utensils and plates and a glass of wine and not in the jungle.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kate, Just read the past couple posts to Reed, Henry's classmate on Whidbey. How does she sign up? She is SO JEALOUS!! I on the otherhand, am perfectly content to experience it through Henry and his Jaguar. Reed's field trip excitement is, in her words; "Either Camp Moran (Orcas), or probably nothing." She is dreading going to Sultan for a volleyball game tomorrow. The dinner stop is McDonalds and she's already informed the coach that, "I don't eat that crap". We're packing food for the journey to see the Turks of Sultan right now. That's about as exotic as we get here. Love all your posts, thanks for sharing the daze while your Mitch is in the sandbox. Thinking of you all.