Russ

Philippines - Manila

2008-12-07T09:03:00.016-05:00

There is no easy way to describe the incredible things of the Philippines. My life is impacted in some way each day. Everywhere I go there is something that either profoundly touches my heart or causes me to laugh out loud. Our Up With People visit to the Philippines is much different than any other city or country we have been to. The cast has been split up into small groups which have been formed to favor our community outreach projects. Students are placed in host family homes that are somewhat close to their CI (community impact) Projects. We have spent only a week in every city we have been to so far during our six-month tour, but we are spending 2 1/2 weeks in Manila. We are teamed up with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, an organization that is building homes in regions of the world where housing is unavailable.

My experiences in Manila so far have intensified my abilities of being a flexible leader. I am adapting to new elements of decision making and conflict management. The cultural differences of the environment that I am living in have caused me to develop leadership skills that can only be reached by a complete change in surroundings. Being a catalyst for others in a foreign country is the ultimate classroom for individual development.

I am living in a beautiful home in a neighborhood called the Valley of the Green or Valley Verde. My host parents’ house is in an area called Ortigas, which is located in Metro Manila. This area of Manila is filled with large buildings and is a metropolis of shopping and attractions. As a non-native Filipino, I am having a great deal of difficulty speaking Tagalog, but the majority of those who live in Manila speak English. Living in a tropical climate is of course very humid. The temperature during the day is usually in the upper 80s and it stays fairly warm throughout the night and there is often rainfall every day.

Manila is filled with cultural aspects that I have never witnessed before in my life. Pollution is a large problem here, yet the amount of recycling that takes place is profound. A piece of sheet metal that was originally manufactured to be used in building construction can be modified and used to manufacture a motorcycle sidecar or side panel on an old vehicle. One glass Coke bottle can be used dozens of times so it is important to drink your soda with a straw. Two days ago I saw that a man had used half of an old car tire as a fender on his motorcycle.

The people in the Philippines are without a doubt the friendliest group of people I have ever witnessed. Because of my white skin color and blonde hair, six out of every ten people call me Joe. As I walk down the streets of the city, people of all ages and genders yell out, "Hey Joe!" or "Yo Joe, where you from." I have never witnessed a cultural title before, but unlike many other racial titles, the Filipinos call a foreign man with white skin Joe with a smile and greet them with kindness. Filipino people are helpful and kind. Some of the poorest people I have ever seen in my life are the friendliest individuals I have ever met. They are probably so happy because the Filipino Christmas season starts in September and lasts until the end of January. Just imagine all of the rock-bottom deals that I am bombarded with daily!! It is the perfect country to visit during November and December. Nothing says Christmas like sitting in a rain forest climate listening to holiday music as you eat spaghetti at McDonald's. Yes there is a place in the world where you can eat McSpaghetti!!!

Everywhere we go, Filipinos say Hello sir!, Right this way, sir! I have what you need right here sir! Handkerchiefs for only 40 pesos right here sir! Do you need help finding anything sir? It is very polite to call someone “Po”. If you do not need a service or a product you might say, "Oh no thank you, not today Po." The kids in the Philippines are without a doubt God's children. I am convinced that they are the most gorgeous children in the world and they are EVERY WHERE!!! They are very creative and take on the roles of adulthood very fast. They can be seen delivering water on bicycles, inventing new ways to play, and sometimes running naked through the streets. Yesterday, one left a wad of gum in my hair after a short ride on my shoulders. They have no problem finishing your soda or taking one of your crackers and feeding it to a monkey.

As my cast group and I have passed through neighborhoods, we have seen men sitting outside their homes patting their roosters as they wait for weekend cockfights. Manila is never asleep. A large portion of the population work in call centers which operate during North American time schedules. As the daytime workers are eating dinner, modes of public transportation become filled with thousands of night workers. Traffic in the city is absolute chaos even at one o'clock in the morning. The cultural differences of Manilla have stimulated my initiatives and have heightened my perseverance towards the understanding of others.

Meals in the Philippines have been incredible so far. My host Dad and his son are from Puerto Rico so dinner at the home usually consists of some sort of Puerto Rican dish. This adds for an exciting amount of cultural meals since meals outside of the house are... made Filipino style! I love to eat in this country because I could eat rice every day. Filipino food is very sweet and saucy so it's good to have a substantial pillow of white rice under each meal. The Filipino people primarily use a spoon and fork while eating. They use a fork to chop up their food and then slide everything onto the spoon for clean transportation to the mouth. I have only seen the Filipinos eat with chopsticks at Japanese and Korean restaurants.

I never go to McDonald's in the states, but I love McDonald's in the Philippines. For the grand price of three dollars, you can enjoy a chicken strip sandwich, rice, McSpaghetti, and a regular sized soda. But, the coolest thing is that you can call McDonald's any time day or night and a guy shows up on a motorcycle and brings it to your door. McDonald's in the Philippines is fun, but when I am looking for a real cultural experience I head over to Jollybee which is the Filipino version of McDonald's. Absolutely everything looks just like McDonald's, but they try to mix all the American foods at one time. On just one menu you can order a cheeseburger, fried chicken, mashed potatoes or spaghetti. If you need to “Asian it up a bit”, you can still order a burger wrapper full of rice. I suggest everyone should go to Jollybee, see pictures for details.

The most traditional thing to eat in the Philippines is a duck egg called Balut. Everyone and is a fan of this delicacy. When a Filipino finds out that it is your first time in the Philippines he or she will strongly encourage you to enjoy Balut. I have mixed feelings about eating balut since the duck egg is served with a small embryo inside. Here in the Philippines it is customary to crack the egg open, drink the dark juices inside and then eat the small duck and its soft yellow yolk. Today, I found out that fish eye shots are enjoyed as well, but there is no way in the world I would ever eat that.

In the area of our CI project, many families open restaurants below their houses and sell meat and rice meals in small plastic bags. It is common to see a small child running down the street drinking a bag of juice through a straw. The Filipino people use every part of the food animal and waste very little since poverty is so prevalent in their country. It is common to see a man or woman standing outside grilling hard pieces of blood and sticks of intestines. I do not suggest eating these products, but it is incredible to see the Filipino ways of conserving their resources. With food selections like these, I have often found myself practicing my conflict management skills. The Filipino people are so nice and generous that they try to give you all that they have as they greet you in their country or build new opportunities for business. It is important to make wise decisions, but I have gained a lot from showing kindness even when I am saying no.

The best thing about eating in the Philippines is that every fruit is fresh from the jungle and is always delicious. The mangoes, bananas, and kiwis that I have had so far have been ridiculously good! I hope to be hosted with a Filipino family next week in order to become fully immersed in a Filipino meal. As for now I am enjoying my Puerto Rican style food at home and eating Filipino goodness with the cast. I hope the food in Subic Bay is as good as in Manila.

Our community impact project in Manila has been the greatest opportunity of our stay in the Philippines so far and has caused me to become very achievement driven. Myself and nine other cast members have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity Philippines. Habitat for Humanity originated in America, but has branches all around the world and is working in the Philippines to build unit housing for families that are now living in some of the worst slums in the world. Habitat's building project in Pasig City will provide homes to 120 families. The building process that we are able to help with is one that uses cement bricks reinforced by concrete and rebar. The construction design in this housing development was designed by Habitat and is a quick and reliable. Our cast works alongside 30 local people. The Filipinos are either skilled construction workers from Habitat or they are the home partners who will eventually live inside these houses. The home partners are unbelievably hard workers. They are men and women who are incredibly poor and work day after day to construct their new home.

Before we started to work with Habitat Philippines, I was chosen as the crew leader of our site. I an no longer required to be a crew leader on this tour because I served my six week position earlier in the tour, but because of my work in Mexico I was placed in charge of our 10 person group on this project. I have been given a great opportunity to develop close relationships with Ving and Noel who are two of the leaders of Habitat Philippines. We are broken up into two groups. One works with individuals who are pressing cement bricks and the other works with the gentleman who are involved in placing the bricks and pairing concrete for different areas of need.

The guys at our worksite are an absolute blast. Many of them do not speak English, but everyone at the site knows Christmas songs. Because of the Filipino's love for Christmas, singing the songs of the holidays keeps us moving and is allowing for relationships to begin to start between the Up With People cast and the Filipino workers without us even speaking the same language. In addition to our help building the home partner's homes we have been able to play with their children twice during our 2 1/2 week stay in Manila.

During the end of every November, Ateneo University in Manila hosts The Blue Christmas Celebration which is a large holiday party for over a thousand street children. University students tie-dye shirts, cook food, decorate bags, sing songs, play games and interact with children that would otherwise have no Christmas celebration. The University has a large entertainment show and moon bounces set up in their large quad. Half of the Up With People cast helped with this day long event which is the highlight of hundreds of children's Christmas season.

Transportation to and from my CI site everyday is an ultimate test of my independence and my ability to navigate a foreign city. In order to travel to Pasig City, I have often had to take two or three different modes of transportation. In the morning, I walk with my roommate, Umberto, to a main street where we wait for a taxi. The taxis are commonly occupied in the morning, but 20-30 may pass every five minutes or so as we wait. The taxi then takes us to the Pasig City Hall near the Pasig market. After a 25-30 minute cab ride through stop and go traffic, in what looks like a parking lot, we then pay a trike to take us through the market to get to our Habitat for Humanity worksite.

A "trike" consists of a motorcycle and side car and is almost always customized and hand fabricated. It is not uncommon to see 5-6 people riding a trike. Comfortably, two people can be seated in the sidecar, but I have seen a third wedged inside or riding on top. The motorcycle then holds the driver and 1-2 people behind him. I have commonly had to sit on a seat extension or luggage rack which sometimes provides for a somewhat uncomfortable trip. This mode of transportation would be extremely dangerous in the states or in other countries, but because of traffic and thousands of people in the street, the motorcycle driver rarely ever goes above 25-30 miles an hour. Trike drivers as well as cabdrivers commonly try to charge foreigners more than the normal cost of transportation, so the cheapest way to get around is without a doubt riding a jeepney.

Jeepneys are retired USA World War II convoy trucks that are privately owned and customized. The jeepney is an international symbol of Manila and provides transportation to hundreds of thousands each day. The convoy trucks are usually given large chrome decorations such as windshield guards and fans that make them appear to look like large Batmobiles as they intimidatingly roll down the streets with blaring exhausts, spewing out black smoke. I have found jeepney drivers to be some of the nicest people in the public transport system. They always return your change honestly and can be a big help when navigating the streets of Metro Manila.

The greatest thing about a jeepney is that the entire thing is a seat. Whether or not you are riding inside, hanging on the back, hanging on the side or riding on the hood you are still considered a passenger and will pay the fare. I will always remember the sight of a jeepney driver who can to drive stick shift and count back change as they maneuver the streets of the Manila markets and neighborhoods. It is crazy to watch one of these individuals because they are driving a very large vehicle through incredibly tight spaces with different denominations of bills wrapped around their fingers and almost always smoking a cigarette.

The jeepneys run in circuits so it is not unusual to see a driver talking to a passersby, but the most incredible thing is that the jeepney driver will reach a certain point in his route where he will honk his horn and receive a soda from someone on the street as he drives by. This might not seem that impressive, but the extreme chaos of the streets in the market make this an act of phenomena timing. You can only see it if you paying attention to every detail.

Just about everyone who travels wears something over their nose and mouth to protect them from the large amounts of exhaust that is in the air. My travel buddies Javi and Umberto both wear bandannas up over their noses in the same way that I do, so the three of us look like bandits as we ride the jeepneys and trikes. It is important to remember to hold your belongings tightly and enjoy! Salomit Po!!!

The US dollar is worth around 49 pesos. A family in the Philippines must make over 10,000 to15,000 pesos annually stay out of poverty. This is around $230 USD per year. The fare for a taxi is generally somewhere between 50 and 100 pesos, while a trike ride averages between 20 and 30 pesos depending on distance and number of passengers. A jeepney ride is always eight pesos no matter where you go. Soda in a bottle can be purchased for six pesos but it can sometimes be 20 inside the city. Meals at nice restaurants average between 200 - 400 pesos and a ticket to a movie is 150 pesos.

There are thousands of markets in this area of the Philippines, but the Green Street Market is one of the greatest aspects of Metro Manila. Shoes such as Adidas, Pumas or Nikes are commonly 900 pesos but can be haggled down to around 450 or 500P, which is about 10 US dollars. Most products like shoes are imitation quality. Other merchandise which is usually very expensive in other parts of the world are commonly very cheap here since they are manufactured and exported from the Philippines or other neighboring Asian countries. Products such as Coach Purses or designer sunglasses appear to be just like the real thing and are sold for around 1/10 of their usual price. The Philippines are known for their genuine pearls. Many pearl necklaces that are purchased in the Philippines for around 5,000 pesos or $100 USD can be appraised in the US for $900.

Shopping at the Green Street market is kind of like banana time in the monkey cage. Products all pretty much taste the same, but no one really wants to lose anything in order to get a lot. While you shop it is common for people to sneak up behind you and ask you if you would like to buy a DVD. They speak with the confidence of knowing that they might make a sale, but creep up like thieves and speak to you as if they are making some sort of drug deal. Of course they see no problem with totally creeping you out because to them, they are simply providing an easy avenue to pick up a bootleg copy of your favorite flick. After the fourth or fifth time of telling them no thank you Po, it is common for me to then tell them that I do not have a TV. Shortly after the salesperson becomes aware of my "tragedy". They either sadly walk away or make sure that I understand that it is the easiest thing in the world for them to get me a TV and that they will go pick it for me and then still give me a rock-bottom price on my DVD.

Independence is a large part of our stay in the Philippines. We are given transportation money, but are in charge of getting ourselves around. Having the cast broken up into small groups of 10 has really caused the students to call upon their skills of Individual strength. My roommate, Umberto, and I have become very good at navigating various parts of the city. We have developed a pretty good ability to determine if an individual is trying to help us out or just trying to get our money.

Being in the Philippines has given me a lot of flexibility. Whether it comes to transportation or to working with individuals at our Habitat construction site, I have been able to mold my thinking and orient my expectations in a way that benefits the goals of others.

As I go through each day I am met with my thoughts of exhaustion or resentment for the climate, but the people that I am with and the things that I am doing will only happen during this month of my life, so I am constantly overjoyed and soaking up each moment of my opportunity. Beginning with the Filipino boy that I sat next to on the airplane, my new Filipino friends have opened new windows for me to look through and they have expanded my ability to understand the art of life.

Aberdeen, South Dakota

2008-11-13T21:39:00.007-05:00

On our way to Aberdeen South Dakota, our cast spent the night at Outlaw Ranch in the Black Hills, located in the west-central area of the state. We spent a large portion of our evening learning about the week's Global Series topic. See my Wyoming blog to learn more about our cast's Global Series workshops. Our Aberdeen topic of the week was immigration simulation and became an excellent team builder activity for our cast.

On Sunday night the cast and I were introduced to the "Up With People Land" workshop. Each member of the cast was assigned as either an immigrant, an illegal alien, a migrant worker or a citizen. This weeklong activity was an exercise that allowed the cast to experience concepts of immigration and the hardships of the immigration process. The objective of the game was to become a citizen by the end of the week. Each cast member could become a citizen by either getting married or by taking a test of citizenship.

Personally, I was assigned as a citizen with a government job. I was given the role of "Keeper of the Peace" and was one of the only two people that could perform marriage ceremonies. If two members of the cast/citizens of "Up With People Land" wished to get married in order to gain their citizenship, they had to first come to me and my partner in order to find out if they were truly in love and not just working the system in order to gain citizenship. There were other cast members that held roles like Border Patrol and Governor, but each Up With People student was given a position in UWP Land that simulated some sort of real life position in the process of immigration. Citizens were given real-life benefits during this week of the game. Citizens could do things like, eat first during cast meals or get better seats on the bus. At the same time, illegal aliens and migrant workers had to become citizens and move up in the game.

Throughout the week our Up With People cast became a brawl of a society. Some citizens did their best to keep illegal aliens from gaining rights while others concentrated on electing new governors so that immigrants would gain rights. The entire week I interviewed "Up With People Land" couples and performed marriages at morning meetings. This activity became an excellent way for our cast to grow as a whole and witness how hard the immigration process can be.

Many exercises that UWP facilitates cause our cast to grow significantly. Many exercises can just be seen as fun activities, but every workshop we do simulates some sort of actual global issue. I am always blown away by our education department's ability to use our full cast in every activity.

Our week in Aberdeen provided Up With People students with a variety of ways to interact with the community. Our community impact projects provided Aberdeen with hundreds of hours of community service, but on Wednesday we participated in a cultural fair and mini show at the Aberdeen Mall. Students were able to educate the public about their home countries while promoting the UWP show. Our cultural fare was broken up by each region of the world. Obviously, I worked at the USA and Canada table, but our booth was poorly attended since we were placed right next to the European exhibit. The Up With People cultural fairs are always well received and are an excellent way for our students to educate others on their cultures and customs.

My experience in Aberdeen South, Dakota got even better when I found out that I had been selected for the Up With People Business Internship. The UWP tour is run by 16 staff members, but there are many things to manage during the tour so internships are given in each road staff position. As the business intern I work with Matthew, who is our Finance and Merchandise Manager on the road. I shadow the business process of the UWP tour and assist in business decisions that have to do with merchandise and economic planning for future costs. We use a creative process to design merchandise promotion, price points, and sales strategies. This internship also molds my public speaking abilities and my conversation techniques.

Cheyenne, Wyoming

2008-11-13T14:21:00.017-05:00

On Monday, October 20, our cast reached Cheyenne, Wyoming. In each city on our American tour, the cast and I have taken part in a series of workshops based on global interaction. The workshops are some of the most interesting aspects of our tour and allow our multicultural group to discuss universal issues that are shared among people no matter where they come from. They generally take place on Regional Learning Day and the topic we discuss is exercised throughout the week. For example, our topic in Utah was centered around student's perspectives of religion. During our time in Cheyenne our topic of the week was gender.

Our cast studied the different roles of men and women around the world. Each International Relations session is given by cast members from different countries, so the perspectives and ideas that are added to each discussion make for an incredible life experience of learning. Just like any Up With People workshop, the message that is conveyed during these sessions is incredibly well-rounded because of the differences in opinions brought forth by students that represent opinions from a variety of cultures. Our Cheyenne gender studies were given to help the cast better understand the past and present rules for men and women in different societies. Its purpose was to encourage people to think about how they can change or facilitate change for future generations. Our group was presented with several elements of introduction and then broken up into group rotations.

Our workshop was broken up into four topics: children's gender roles, the media's effect on gender roles, women's role in the workplace, and women's roles in the communities of different cultures. Many of these topics may seen like normal topics for discussion, but imagine having the ability to travel to the 22 different countries that are represented in our UWP cast and hearing the opinions of a vast number of cultural opinions.

Gender Workshop created by Up With People students

Children’s Gender Roles:

The children’s gender roles session, was geared towards raising children in certain molds. The main topic was how parents and society influence children on how they look, act, and participate in society. This group was a discussion group. The beginning of the 15 minutes was dedicated to facts found on the internet through various sources and then opened up to general discussion between the students and the coordinator of the workshop. The conversation evolved around personal experience, ideas and opinions.

Media’s Effect on Gender Roles:

The media group was designed to bring up issues on how both men and women have standards to live up to based on how the media portrays each gender. This too was a discussion group with facts given throughout. The main focus was how women have been given the passive role as well as how they are portrayed in most of the sex driven commercials. The focus was also on men as well, due to the fact that they have pressures put on them to look masculine and tough. The group discussed the feelings and opinions on the media in their own culture as well as how they felt about it in the western media. They discussed how it effects the girls and boys who these ads are geared towards and the standards it sets for each gender as they are discovering who they are.

Women’s Roles in the Business World:

This workshop was an interactive workshop with facts given throughout. The goal of this workshop was to give statistics on women and men in the workplace. It pointed out how women were habitually paid less and advanced slower than men. It gave examples of women who actually responded better in leadership positions and how women are just as capable of doing the same job as men and should be paid accordingly.

Women’s Roles in the Community in Different Cultures:

This workshop was an informational workshop with some discussion. It was geared towards how women are treated and expected to act in various communities around the world. It brought up issues on roles they play in the family, roles they play in society, and how they are pressured to be subservient in specific cultures. They discussed how to create change so that women are no longer oppressed or treated unfairly in those societies.

Cheyenne, Wyoming is the home of Cheyenne Frontier Days which hosts the largest rodeo in America. Our cast had a blast learning about the culture of the rodeo at the Laramie County Community College. Rodeo students had a blast sharing their experiences and knowledge with our cast through the art of roping, riding, and storytelling. Personally was able to try my hand at working with a lariat and riding the mechanical bull.

Our show in Cheyenne was performed at the Cheyenne Civic Center and was a great way of ending our week of working with The United Way community impact partners. On show day we were given the opportunity to see a cultural presentation on the Netherlands. Students dressed up in traditional Christmas costumes and gave out plenty of holiday treats and information about their country's heritage.

During my community impact projects in Cheyenne I was able to work at local homeless shelter and help the local Parks and Recreation Department get ready for their family Halloween Events. Our travel day from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Aberdeen, South Dakota started a day earlier than usual because our cast was given the occasion to spend a night in the Black Hills of South Dakota and visit Mt. Rushmore.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

2008-11-07T17:11:00.014-05:00

After experiencing cast B's week in Colorado Springs, I felt as if I had experienced the cookie cutter week of Up With People; my experience was a perfect example of an UWP tour week. We arrived in Colorado Springs at five o'clock on October 6th and had our Allocation Meeting at the Crowne Plaza, just outside of town. We were then told that the week ahead of us was all about honoring our US military families. The majority of our cast is made up of students from other countries so it was important to point out the fact that this week was about family and outreach to those who are doing things for others. Our goal was to acknowledge the US military families, but also to promote universal compassion from so many international students.

We met our host families at 6:30 PM and little did I know that I would be staying in a "Little Home on the Range." My Colorado host mother worked as an event planner for military families, so she personally had a lot to do with Up With People's visit to Colorado Springs. After telling her how honored I was to be performing at the Fort Carson Event Complex, she told me some of the history of our show venue. We were performing on a stage that had held many stars over the years including Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson numerous times. She remarked how pleasant it was to be working with UWP and how she could not wait to pick up her host sons Vitor from Venezuela and Russ from Baltimore, Maryland. Our host dad was a retired firefighter and ex-rodeo rider who enjoyed teaching us about the prairie and taking us for a horseback ride! Ye-Ha!!

On our regional learning day, the cast and I toured the USA Olympic Training Center and visited the Garden of The Gods park. Each week, a member of our cast gives a cultural presentation of their home country. Since our group represents 22 different countries it is important for us to learn about each other's international backgrounds.

During the week in Colorado Springs, our Swiss UWP students gave a presentation of Switzerland. The country covers an area of 15,942 square miles and is only twice the size of New Jersey, USA. Some of the largest cities in Switzerland are Zurich, Geneva and Basel. The capital is Berne. With a population of 7,290,000 only 20% are foreigners. About 65% of all those in Switzerland speak Swiss German, 18% speak French, 10% speak Italian and 1% are making other choices. Citizens are mostly Catholic or Protestant.

The first of August is the anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation and is a large day of celebration. The yodeling festival is held in Lucerne. Switzerland is made up of 26 cantons. While each canton has its own constitution and laws, national laws are above those of the canton. Education in Switzerland seems to be very practical. Students start out in elementary school and then move into apprenticeships during high school. There are apprenticeships in America, but those of Switzerland are much more common and carry the majority of students into the work world. Just like America, their highest level of education can be found at universities. Switzerland's government is made up of seven counselors and one federal secretary. Every year one counselor stands as President of Switzerland and the seven counselors rotate annually.

The Swiss are very independent, responsible people and are very proud of their heritage. Three kisses are given on the cheek when two people meet on the street. The Swiss love their meat, cheese, potatoes and lots of coffee and tea, but just from being a member of Up With People, I can tell you that the Swiss girls hold chocolate to be above everything else. Switzerland has many issues that are similar to America. There are problems with immigration, drugs and drinking, but for the most part Switzerland is a very safe place. Social etiquette and respect is very similar to the United States. Friends are excited to see one another and people are respectful to individuals they do not know. Gwen, a cast member from Switzerland, told me that many individuals in Switzerland do not use the phrase "I love you" as much as Americans do. She noticed that Americans seem to throw around the phrase quite commonly. They will say things like," Oh thanks for doing that for me, I love you!" Gwen told me that such a phrase is held with much importance and is only used when it is truly meant.

Cultural presentations are an excellent way to better your relationship with cast members and to develop your global understanding of others. Listening to other students tell about their home cultures is an experience that affects me more than others may think. I love to watch students tell about the things that make them passionate. Cultural presentations have given me the opportunity to better my lifelong listening skills and witness the life of others.

After our cultural presentation, military officials joined our cast and the students of UWP were able to attend a military panel at Fort Carson. Being in a room with international representatives and members of the United States Army was an opportunity of a lifetime. With so many global issues going on in our world right now, I was able to be a part of promoting mutual understanding at a UWP gathering of diversity.

Our Colorado Springs community impact took place in the elementary schools on Fort Carson. On Wednesday, October 8th, Up With People taught Stand For Peace lessons at Mountainside elementary. Thursday’s classes took place at Abrams elementary and on Friday were at Patriot school. To find out more about Stand For Peace please visit my Arizona blog.

Stand For Peace is an excellent example of Up With People's drive for helping others to develop. It is an awesome experience to be a part of UWP's ability to reach all ages with a motivational message. Imagine the impact that 94 international teachers have upon one school. With our appearance at the three elementary schools, thousands of young students could witness our message of unity throughout the course of just three days. Our students became very involved and seemed to be very eager to learn about international opinions. At the end of each Stand For Peace day, our cast performs a mini show in each school's auditorium. To hear the roar of 700 elementary schoolers is like being at a Beatles concert. Students get very in tune with our colorful presentation and the energetic delivery of our message. These mini shows bring hundreds of students to our primary performances and make for an excellent demonstration of calling students to action and influencing their interests to learn.

Our Colorado Springs show was our second in Colorado and was greatly received and appreciated by hundreds of military families. Our backstage tour had an awesome turn out and the cast had a blast in that night's performance.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

2008-11-06T22:15:00.036-05:00

On Tuesday, September 30, the cast and I spent our first day in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a regional learning experience, we were able to take a bus ride to the Acoma Sky City, located at the top a 367 foot Mesa 65 miles from Albuquerque. Acoma is the oldest constantly inhabited community in the United States and is continuously being restored through traditional means of construction. After a short bus ride, the cast and I reached the top of the mesa and saw many men constructing mud bricks and patching the outsides of buildings in need of repair. We were able to enter the city, but were expected to be extremely respectful to people's homes and most importantly the church.

Even though photography was limited, I found the scenes before me to be filled with color and easy to remember. The San Esteban del Ray(Acoma Pueblo Church) was incredible and filled with history. In front of its doors was a large cemetery which was made up of five layers. A small wall surrounded the burial site to protect the individuals buried within. I noticed a small hole within the wall. It was said to be a doorway for the souls of buried individuals to pass through as each moved on. The walls of the San Esteban del Ray were over a foot thick and held a ceiling that was supported by large wooden beams transported from Mt. Taylor, located over 15 miles from the Acoma Pueblo. Each wooden beam, carried by hand, was prohibited from touching the ground in order to maintain its purity. The wooden beams were then pushed up large dirt ramps that led to the height of the church's ceiling and placed into their final resting place. The remains of many holy individuals and builders of the church lie within the walls and floor.

As we toured the city we passed large collecting pools which held water for building and cleaning. Water from the collecting pools is mixed with mud and clay which is then combined with straw. Straw is the most important element of the building process because it cuts down on wind erosion and protects the walls of the adobe homes from being blown apart. The walls of the adobes are thick just like that of the church because they are constantly being rebuilt and recovered seasonally. The streets of the sky city are filled with hard workers and street vendors and one of them sold me a tasty apple pie. The view from the Pueblos is absolutely breathtaking. I felt as if I was standing with in one of the scenes of Will Hobbs' book The Maze. It is said that one travels to the ocean to think outward and then hikes in the mountains to reflect inward, but I was able to witness the feeling of being absolute free from thought as I gazed at the mesas in the Acoma Valley..

Wednesday, held an excellent experience of understanding cultural communication and interpreting group interaction. Our Up With People education team put together a workshop based on the concepts of "Johari’s Window." With a group as diverse as ours, there are sometimes moments when individuals will misunderstand one another simply because of communication barriers. The members of our cast are around each other for such a long time that sometimes a simple misunderstanding may grow into a slight grudge. This is perfectly normal in group settings, but in order to keep our group's zest for development it is important to iron out mistakes in communication that magnify issues so that positive growth can take place. Concepts of "Johari’s Window" addressed such elements of communication as approaching an issue at its source and understanding the self deeper. It was a workshop that opened many minds and asked students to reflect upon their understanding of them self and those around them.

"Johari’s Window" Is divided into four sections of glass. Section 1 is referred to as the open realm of communication. It is based upon how an individual concretely sees themself and what they feel they know about others. Section 2 is titled "blind." A person is in the blind area when they feel that they understand another person, but they are unknown when it comes to themselves. Section 3 is called the hidden realm and it is when a person is fully understanding themself but cannot see the ideas of others. Section 4 is the ideal area of understanding. It is when a person understands themself and the perspective of others. Using these ideas of communication, our cast was asked to discuss the ways in which we may reach section 4, in order to better our interaction with one another.

In order to apply "Johari’s Window," we were broken up into smaller groups and asked to give one another constructive feedback. We were given slips of paper and instructed to simply write other students small letters that would better them as a person. I found it to be one of the most interesting activities I have ever taken part in. It was incredible to see the different ways in which I personally was being received. A student from Germany said that I should be more precise when I speak and more to the point. A student from Asia remarked that I was always positive but could speak more clearly and a bit slower. An American wrote that I could talk to him more because he did not know much about me.

I found these elements of feedback to be very interesting because students from similar regions of the world wrote comments that were similar in content. I began to realize that mechanics of communication are taught somewhat differently in different countries. All people realize the importance of communication, but it seems to me that some cultural communicators sometimes like to play around a bit more with their conversation objectives. For example, during a conversation with a Swedish girl, I was interrupted and had to leave. I told her that our conversation was, "to be continued" and she replied by saying, "but I don't want to be continued, is that an insult?" Of course I meant nothing hurtful by what I said, but without the proper reflection, I could have potentially hurt my relationship with that individual. Our exercises in Up With People almost always build some kind of cultural bridge, but the "Johari’s Window" feedback groups changed my perspective of myself and the ways in which I feel I am perceived by others. There many elements of communication that affect the ways in which we are seen by others, but cultural differences should not build barriers between us; they should give us things to talk about.

Our show today in Albuquerque was unlike any other. The cast and I were given the opportunity to perform at the Rio Grande Zoo. Personally, I was placed in a situation where I could totally rock 'n roll and relive my childhood at the same time. Our set up was totally out of this world. The stage pavilion just happen to be located between the giraffes and the seals and of course directly across from the grizzly bears. A large fishpond divided the stage from our audience and I was hoping that I would be able to float by on a kayak during my big guitar solo. Unfortunately, I was told that the swan ate a small boy three years back and that the cod were only fed every other day. So, sadly I decided to stay out of the water.

The day started off on kind of a sad note because the giraffe wouldn't turn around for his picture to be taken and the seals had no idea who Up With People were, but my spirits were lightened when I found out that our concert beneficiary was Albuquerque Reads. Many russreitter.com blog followers have no idea that I have dyslexia, but I love an opportunity to encourage someone to read.

Just like any other UWP appearance our New Mexico show was packed full of sponsors. thanks to Comcast, Univision, Telefutura, Super Estrella105.9, and Zangara Dodge, our advertising and expenses were generously covered. Ticket sales from around 2000 people, provided a generous donation to the young struggling readers of Albuquerque and were available to be purchased directly from the Rio Grande Zoo, Music Mart and Book Works, a local bookstore. With Comcast as one of our major sponsors we were able to have Up With People advertisements air regionally on TV channels such as MTV, Discovery Channel and The History Channel. We experienced lighting problems due to a faulty generator, but generally our show was pretty "kick’n."

As far as the performance I bring to the UWP show, I am beginning to develop the ability to musically step outside of the instructions I have been given and improvise a little bit. Each of the people in the cast performs a relatively similar show so it is important for each student to make their individual role unique and special. I have begun to make the guitar part mine by giving it that informational garlic and rhythmic seasoning that really adds some zesty nuances to each song. The dancers are really starting to get comfortable with their routines and have begun to take on bigger responsibilities. Our show day rehearsals have begun to become much more student run as interns have begun to step up into larger roles. Every week I am fulfilling my need to perform and this week I accomplished a childhood goal of working at the zoo. our show in Albuquerque allowed my fingers to dance on the fretboard while my inner child played at the zoo. Needless to say our performance was awesome.

Our theme for the week was centered around global pollution and natural awareness so we were told that we would be working at a landfill at four o'clock on Saturday morning. All week we have been discussing pollution, energy usage and natural disasters of the countries that are represented in our UWP 08 cast, so the cast expected to leave Friday night's show at 12:30 AM, sleep for two hours at our base facility and then leave for the Albuquerque landfill at three but little did we know that our staff had made other plans.

Before the show on Friday, the cast and I were informed that our actual Saturday activity was to volunteer at the 2008 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. We were told that we would be assisting international balloon pilots during the launch of more than 250 hot air balloons. I thought to myself -- leave it to Up With People to put me in the exact center of the action in every city! I was given the opportunity to work with a gentleman by the name of Randall Fuehrer, pilot of the Magic a balloon from McMinnville, Oregon. Rendell was an honor to work with and an excellent teacher. I was placed on a team with three other UWP cast members: Fenna from Germany, Natalie from Sweden, and Rina from Finland. The four of us were able to help Randall interact with the Magic's ground team and successfully work through each step in the launching process.

As a part of a ballooning team at the International Balloon Fiesta, it is important to review your Crew Chase Handbook and dress warmly because the working hours of the morning are freezing cold. The balloon arrived around 4:30 AM and our team began to prepare the launch site. The balloon launch field is broken up into a large grid that is organized by a sequence of letters and numbers. Each grid space provides enough room for a balloon to be properly spread out, filled, and launched. The word of the day is without a doubt: teamwork. It is essential that every member of the team is communicating clearly and conscientiously sharing the field with other pilots and their crews.

After Randall arrived, nine balloons began to fill and left the ground just before daybreak. This activity is called a Balloon Glow because each balloon glows like a light bulb in the night sky and creates an effect that is truly breathtaking. Around 7:30 AM our international team began spreading our balloon for a cold fill. After the basket is attached, the cold fill is a process that calls for a large gasoline powered fan that fills the balloon with cold air as it lays on the ground. Members of the group stand around the balloon and protect it from blowing into trailers or other objects that may puncture its parachute-like fabric. An individual stands at the top of the balloon as it rests on the ground and holds a long rope that prevents the large craft from blowing side to side.

After the pilot fills the balloon with the fan, he tests his two propane burners and begins to fill the shut with warmth. The flame gave off an intense heat which seemed to warm the morning around us as our breath seemed to disappear from the air. As warm air is added the balloon begins to rise. My job during the launching process was to make sure that the Magic did not blow up against a truck and trailer that pulled up nearby our launching site. After the balloon finished taking form and was fully upright, it's tie down ropes were removed and our team held tightly to its basket until we were cleared for takeoff.

At around 8:30 AM, our balloon took flight and began rising with all the others. As I watched it float into the sky, I felt as if I was watching my child chase the school bus with all the other little children in a graceful effort to make it to school on time. Mom you would have loved it. International balloons came from places like Great Britain, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Belgium, Brazil, Switzerland, and Canada.

My host family was an absolute a blast. I was hosted with four other members from our cast: Kyle and awesome friend and talented dancer from New Jersey, Natalie one of the best Swedes you will ever meet, Lexi a singer from Maine, and (believe it or not) our cast manager Martin Brennan originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our Albuquerque host parents where without a doubt people who love life and enjoy sharing it with others. They did an excellent job of knowing which sites to take us to. Spending time with them on Saturday gave us a chance to journey to the top of Sandia Peak. We were able to ride the longest passenger tramway in the world. The Sandia Peak Tramway was manufactured by Bell Engineering of Lucerne Switzerland and was completed in 1966 at the cost of 2 million dollars.

Some statistical facts for all those engineer-like people out there. The tramway’s total horizontal length hits 2.7 miles with a vertical rise of 3,819 feet. The tram car starts at a lower terminal which is located 6,559 feet above sea level and climbs to an upper terminal which sits at 10,378 feet. The tram car’s full capacity is around 10,000 pounds, or approximately 50 passengers. An average of 250,000 passengers ride the tramway annually. Two towers hold up the cable car's track ropes. The maximum clear span between Tower Two and the top is around 1/2 mile and is one of the longest spans in the world. The tram rides take 14 minutes each way at normal speeds of 20 feet per second or 13.6 miles per hour.

During our short ride up the mountain, we began to lose the ability to see much farther than 3 feet outside the tram windows; a thick fog covered the top of the mountain. Fortunately, we were able to see all of Albuquerque before reaching the first cable tower. Even though visibility became poor, our view of the mountainside was absolutely gorgeous. Pine trees and large rock formations stood below us and seemed to be floating in the cloud-like surroundings.

After reaching the upper terminal, our host dad took us on a long hike up the mountain towards a visitor's center located near the top of the mountain. Our path to the top was very narrow and very close to the edge of a long drop that seemed to end in a foggy abyss. In places our walkway was only around a foot and a half wide. I decided that New Mexico is the only other state in America that I could see myself living in - the only other than Maryland.

Our tour is changing my life more than I ever thought it would. I can only imagine what awaits in Colorado Springs.

Saurhita, Arizona

2008-10-26T01:12:00.005-04:00

BACK IN THE USA! On Monday the cast and I crossed over Mexico's border and entered Arizona! I am very disappointed to have left Mexico. Only a few days before leaving I had developed the ability to carry on a conversation in Spanish. Of course I was saying the same thing to everyone, but I had finally started to feel like a member of society. On our travel day from Hermosillo, Mexico to Sahuarita, Arizona I was able to ride in the Up With People(UWP) Van with our Cast Manager Martin Brennan. Riding in the van with Martin was an exciting experience for me because we were able to discuss a lot about our tour's statistical progress.

Having performed seven shows in Mexico, our UWP cast B performed for over 26,000 Mexican people and donated 3,750 community impact hours. Depending on our schedule each week the individual cast member donates somewhere between 10-17 hours of their time to service and spans 11-15 hours in regional education sessions. Our evening hours are then filled with cultural submersion as we get to know our host families from around the world. On show days each individual spends 14 hours preparing, rehearsing and performing the Up With People show. If any individuals work through their hour lunch or dinner break, thats additional time. If these hours of performance outreach preparation are added to the number of service hours each student contributes to the program, a student is donating 32 hours of their time to each local society. Since our host families provide an excellent amount of regional education, some of the time we spend with them each week can be added to each student's education time. Considering the fact that each student eats an evening meal with their family and usually spends at least an hour conversing or playing a game, an additional two hours of education can be added to five days of our weekly schedule. So, in addition to our 11-15 hours of regional education, host family time provides each student with up to 25 hours of additional education each week. To sum up my statistical babble, each individual student spends six days a week with the cast and contributes 57 hours to the UWP program. When a student is not taking part in the 9.5 hours of UWP each day they are either sleeping, blogging, learning English, or helping their host family out around the home.

Collectively, our cast of 94 students donates somewhere between 2500-3000 hours serving and performing in each city we visit. During some community service days a portion of our students are signed out to work on activities such as dance performance or musical development, so service hours can vary a small bit, but not often. Like normal, on-campus means of education, I personally learn the most when I am studying or doing homework on my own, so the time that I spend reflecting and blogging is sometimes the most valuable part of my day.

My experience in Arizona was fantastic. On Monday night I met my new host family and enjoyed American food for the first time in weeks and started to learn about the Wild West! Never before had I known of such a thing as the Arizona three-piece suit or gone scorpion hunting with a black light. My host father a retired locomotive engineer explained to me that the three-piece suit consists of a T-shirt, shorts and a sturdy pair of sandals. it can be worn just about every day of the year. I spent most of Saurhita visiting a hospital in Tucson and recovering from my illness of the previous week, but I was able to teach a Stand For Peace class for the first time.

Stand For Peace is designed to educate elementary and middle school students about promoting peace in a context of diversity. The standard, one day Stand for Peace workshop typically consists of approximately 2 hours of morning classroom activities that focus on peace and diversity issues followed by an up With People Mini show in the afternoon. This 30 minute show is presented by the Up With People cast and is centered around ideas of hope, positive thinking and cultural understanding. The members of our cast who are signed up for Stand For Peace classes, go into the elementary schools in groups of three and teach an interactive class period that promotes teamwork and the understanding of others. I was able to teach one class of third-graders and also a group of fifth-graders. Our multicultural cast makes for an interesting group of international teachers. The children we taught were excited to "get out their wings" and take a flight around the world to visit all the places that our UWP cast are from. The children I taught had already brought their imaginations to school with them and were excited to go crab fishing in Chesapeake Bay and to eat a hot dog at Camden Yards. Other cast members took the children to their home countries and taught about their traditions and customs. Everyone in class was excited to fly to Mexico to visit Paulina's home in Mexico and learn about Ilka's experiences in Germany.

One of the topics we discussed in class is the concept of "Power With" vs. "Power Over". This section of class is taught by using a hand activity that discusses the classic conflict resolution concepts of "win-win" versus "win-lose." The students of the class are asked to pair up into groups of two. One student is person A the other is person B. The object of the activity is for person B to get person A to open their hand. The UWP cast member that is teaching the class allows the children to have time to try to get the other persons had open using any means. After 15-30 seconds the UWP cast member asks which students used forceful means to get partner A's and open. Of course more than half of the class used force to try to get their opponents hand open, but one or two children are successful by just simply asking their class mate to open their hand. This concept begins the classes discussion of "Power With." The students are asked questions like, how can you practice having "Power With" versus "Power Over"? Or what is challenging or hard about having "Power With"? The students are asked about ways that they can exercise this concept in their classes, on teams, in their communities, and in their families. They are encouraged to try these concepts with their friends and siblings. Another activity is called "Personal Flags" which gives students an opportunity to grow within themselves and to show other classmates the things that they are proud of. Each student designs a piece of paper with symbols, colors, and pictures of events that describe who they are. All of the personal flags are then connected at the end of the class to make one class flag. This concept shows the students that they are connected through their differences and that they are a strong group of people because each one of them bring something different to the class.

Spending an extended amount of time at home with my host dad allowed me to learn a lot about American western culture. My host dad, having been a train engineer and a native Arizonian, taught me a lot about living in the desert and the culture of Green Valley. My host parent's house was located 20 minutes outside downtown Tucson and was surrounded by four major mountain ranges. Just north of our home lay the Catalina Mountains, to the East the Rincon Mountains, the Santarina Mountains lay to the south, and the Tucson Mountains were in the West. We lived close to the University of Arizona and David Munson Air Force Base. Twenty minutes from the house was the Titan Missile Silo Museum. My host family took me to Corral Western Wear and took my host brothers and I to the Boneyard where all the old United States military airplanes are kept after they are retired from service. I was able to get my picture taken with a Saguaro and visit old Tucson Studios where Easy Rider was filmed. Scorpion hunting with a black light was an exhilarating experience and allowed me to really bond with my host dad. When a black light is casted upon a scorpion it will begin to glow metallic lime green. The scorpion is unharmed by the light but will begin to react as if it is threatened. Going scorp'n was definitely one of the coolest things I have done out west. I highly recommend it, but be careful people die! No I'm just kidding. But seriously, wearing sandals is exhilarating! Gared Ginsberg would have loved it!!!

I performed will the Colwell Brothers who started Up With People in 1965!!

I'll be in New Mexico next week, catch me there!

Salt Lake City, Utah Cast workshop created by Russ

2008-10-14T02:42:00.020-04:00

In Utah, a small number of Up With People students were given the chance to create a lesson plan to teach to other students. This activity is called "Cast University," and it gave me the ability to exercise my interests in public speaking and my ability to facilitate group discussion. Students gave workshops on a variety of different topics. Some students gave talks on topics like, Religion Around The World and Language Studies. By workshop was given with the intention of helping students to better understand themselves and their interaction with others. My Melody Theory Workshop went over very well and made for excellent conversation topics. My group of international students made for interesting perspectives. It is interesting to see how similar people are no matter what country they come from. The goal behind my workshop was to encourage interpersonal communication and self-development.

Russ in Melody Theory workshop

Russ Teaching International Cast Members

Cast University Workshop - Basic Lesson Plan

MELODY THEORY -- AN IDEA BY RUSS REITTER

Opening idea
The "Higher Self" is the way in which the mind interacts with the soul. This "Higher Self", is what writes a persons melody of life. This theory is nonreligious, nonracial and not ethnic.
Melody Theory is simply a universal way for an individual to better understand his or her own composition of life.

Is there anyone that believes that they fully understand the ways in which they make decisions?

Your soul is who you are, but no matter how well you understand yourself your decisions are not made by the soul. Your decisions are played out by the "Higher Self" or internal instrument.

What is your internal instrument? What element of your life exercises your ability to strengthen your "higher self"?

Activity
Allow students to use colors and patterns to paint their idea of personal decision making.

Example
When an individual better understands their "higher self", they will have a better understanding of who they are and how they are seen by others. For example, a violin is much like the human body. Strings create melodies much like the human mind generates thoughts. The soul of the violin exists within its elements of wood. the wood reflects the sounds of the strings just like the human soul listens to the thoughts of the mind. Without craftsmanship and maintenance the quality of the relationship between the wood and the strings loses tone. In the painting, activity I would paint the image of a violin and the instrumental idea it projects.

Activity Discussion
How do you believe you make decisions? Do you analyze each choice you make? Are you driven by the soul? Is there a connection between you and your everyday activities?

Discussion
Where do you think your thoughts come from?
Your....

Soul, Mind, Gut, Conscience,

Your life is a composition, the decisions you make are based on three elements the past, the now, and the future. Life is a constant arrangement of action and nothing - just like music is an assortment of sound and silence. The mind interacts with the world around it and the soul is a reflection of action. But, the "Higher Self" guides a person and creates his or her bookmark within a relationship or existence.

Melody Theory Concepts
SOUL- is who you are- CAN NOT REACH THE SENSES
- Stored Feelings
- Yearnings
- Callings
- Ambitions
- Conscience
- Emotions

MIND- is a tool- DOES REACH THE SENSES - it analyzes the soul
- Guidance and Direction
- Processing and Reflection
- Confusion and Misconception

The mind is a scary thing because it analyzes both your soul and worldly sensory perception. Trouble begins when your mind begins to analyze the soul as if it is one of the senses. When the mind is allowed to make decisions without the "Higher Self," it may allow a person to fall out of the musical key of their life long composition.

HIGHER SELF - is a connection
- A Paintbrush
- An Instrument
- A Bookmark in Time

HIGHER SELF DIRECTS - ACTIONS AND LIFE

ACTIONS - are notes of your song - THIS IS WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SEE AND HEAR
- Body Language
- Tone of Voice
- Things That are Said

LIFE - composition
- Family
- Career
- Health Choices

When an individual takes the time to speak with others and hear their points of view, they are expanding their relationship between their own mind and soul. The mind analyzes what others say and the soul answers the questions of the mind but the higher self directs an individual and causes them to act.

Academics expand the mind.

Emotions and experiences expand the soul.

What expands the higher self?
- Art
- Physical Exertion
- Interaction With Others
- Faith in a Higher Power
- Trial and Error

It is up to the individual to decide.

Elements to find Through Melody Theory
§ Self-confidence
§ Persistence
§ Initiative
§ Innovation
§ Decision Making

The Road to Utah!

Elementary school where UWP taught "Stand for Peace" classes

Community Impact work at The Utah Food Bank

Lovisa and Russ at Spruces Campground

Host Family Day Utah

Dad and Jerry

Jerry's Scooter and me!

Fifth Week in Mexico - Hermosillo-Cultural Awareness

2008-09-23T23:13:00.007-04:00

On September 15, the cast and I reached Hermosillo. Thousands of Mexican citizens filled the streets of the city celebrating the day of Mexico's independence. Shortly after getting off the bus, the other students and I were blown away when we heard of the opportunity that lay before us. Viva La Gente had been invited to spend the evening at the Palace de Gobierno (Governor's Palace). We were told that we would be meeting the Governor of Sonora and would be given the ability to watch an annual Independence Day celebration from the front lawn of the palace.

The palace was gorgeous with the colors of the Mexican flag projected upon the white walls. As we walked to the entrance, we were surrounded by soldiers that stood in formation all around us. I entered the building in disbelief; I could not believe the opportunity that I had been given. The ceiling of the palace was open and filled with the night air. Large plants surrounded pillars that held a covered walkway that ran the perimeter of the building. The cast an I climbed a large white staircase that led to the second floor. Gorgeous murals and intricate designs covered the walls and as we entered the upper level I was filled with honor and patriotism. I was soon informed that the Viva La Gente students would be the first to greet the governor that evening. The cast and I were taken to the grand ballroom and divided into two rows. We were told to create an aisle for the governor and his wife to walk down as they entered the palace. Earlier that evening I had seen pictures of the governor on nearby banners, so I assured myself that I would be able to recognize him as he entered the building. Many well-dressed individuals passed by us, but none matched the individual that I had seen pictured in political advertisements. As soon as I began to worry that we had missed him, a loud thunder of drums came from the front lawn of the palace. Soon the governor and his wife entered followed by soldiers and news crews. I noticed that he was randomly shaking students hands, so I quietly stood alongside all the others and hoped that he would speak to me. As he walked past, he thanked us for attending and reached his hand out to me. He thanked me for attending and asked me where I was from. When I told him that I was from Baltimore, Maryland USA, he paused, smiled and said, " I remember it being cold. Thank you for coming such a long way." As the governor passed I felt very honored to have represented Maryland in such an important international event. I had never before represented so many people with a single handshake. It was a wonderful feeling to know that because of me, the state of Maryland was able to take part in such an important event. After greeting the governor, the cast and I stood on the front lawn of the palace and listened to a speech given by the governor. We were then able to enjoy a 45 minute fireworks celebration. If you like fireworks, go to Mexico because they don't mess around! I have never seen a longer fireworks display in my life. My experience at the Palace de Gobierno was filled with cultural awareness and allowed me to witness another country's appreciation of their own independence.

My host family from Hermosillo was incredible. They more than adequately fit the ideal of a Mexican family. My mama and papa were hard-working, generous, and loving while my two host brothers were very welcoming and friendly. On my first CI or Community Impact day, the cast and I found ourselves at the Children's Hospital of Hermosillo dressed in clown noses. On my previous visits to children's hospitals I have always felt very connected to the importance of medicine and the strength of a child, but Mexico allowed a children's hospital to speak to me with words of culture. The connections within the Mexican families were incredibly magnified. Every children's visit to the hospital seemed to be filled with family. With the help of an Up With People student from Mexico, I was able to speak with a mother about her child and she informed me that her husband and his parents had come to stay with their child during his or her experience at the hospital. The child's grandmother held a container of warm food and thanked us for our presence. My experience at the hospital allowed me to see through cultural differences among American and Mexican families and allowed me to witness the instincts of a family under stress. I saw that the support of a Mexican family was the same as an American family.

Up With People has allowed me to reach the areas of Mexico that are sometimes overlooked by the common international traveler. My hospital experience allowed me to catch another large glimpse of the hearts of the Mexican people. I spent our second CI day repainting a basketball court with a few members of the cast, but my medical issues that began in Culiacan, made my week in Hermosillo a test of mental and physical stamina. As I drifted in and out of the hospital, my host family stayed beside me everyday and got me ready for show day. Our concert facility in Hermosillo was incredible! We were able to use The Expo Forum's outdoor sound system so our tech team was able to run sixteen, 15-inch suspended speakers and eight, 18-inch subwoofers. This sound system made our performance in Hermosillo our best sounding show in Mexico.

On Tuesday, the cast and I were given the chance to travel to Guaymas. Guaymas is a small fishing town two hours outside of Hermosillo and looks like a scene from a novel. if you have ever been sitting in someone else's home and seen a picture of Mexico hanging in a bathroom, it is very likely that you're looking at a picture of Guaymas. Because of the city's simple beauty and gorgeous view of the water, it is no wonder that it would stay in the mind of the painter. As I walked down small streets and gazed at mountains on the other side of a gorgeous bay, I decided that I had come to the most peaceful place in Mexico. Very little traffic filled the streets of Guaymas and its bay was free of boat traffic. We were given the chance to tour a cathedral in the center of the city and after seeing a number of people kneeling and praying on a Monday afternoon, I was able to see the extreme amount of faith that is held within the Mexican culture. Guaymas was an excellent place of reflection and was the perfect destination for me to travel to during my fifth and last week in Mexico. I was able to witness Mexico's true beauty and reflect upon my feelings of the last five weeks.

On host family day in Hermosillo was fantastic. I was able to experience a Mexican family fiesta and see some of the biggest frogs and tarantulas that I have ever seen in my life. I was also able to check out the famous hand made cowboy boots of Hermosillo! The boots produced in this area of Mexico are some of the finest handcrafted pieces of footwear in North America. Personally my feet are not worth 3,000 pesos so I will not probably own a pair, but that is all right because I took plenty of pictures so that my "russreitter.com blog followers" can see what they looked like and imagine my feet being colorful.

I'll see you in Arizona! until next time I'm Russ Reitter!

If my Loco Tio Enrique from Hermosillo his reading this right now... You are the MAN!! Look after Papa!!

Fourth Week in Mexico - Culiacan

2008-09-23T23:10:00.010-04:00

At 7:00 AM on September 8, I climbed into the back of my host family's pickup truck and headed for the bus that would take the cast and I from Tepic to Culiacan. My host dad was very sad to see me go. He told me that if I ever wanted to return to Mexico, he would gladly open up his home to me and give me a job in his family's business. After being in Mexico for three weeks, my host father in Tepic made me feel like there was a piece of Mexican culture inside of me. Having him offer me a job was a great honor. I felt like an equal member of Mexico's society. The day before I had had some young Mexican men call me a "Blonco" or "Whitey". I was not offended, but I felt a large void between Mexican culture and myself. My host father allowed me to feel the strength of cultural acceptance.

Our cast's trip to Culiacan took 12 hours. Our bus, traveled through beautiful deserts lined with mountains that decorated the horizon. Freight trains sped by like snakes in the distance. The mountains between Tepic and Culiacan are very defined; nothing stands between the desert and the steep sides of each incline. We were frequently stopped by military checkpoints along the highway. Students were sometimes asked to show their passport, but for the most part these checkpoints are used as a way of raising awareness. The transportation of drugs is a large concern in Mexico, but other items such as fruit cannot be taken from city to city and are commonly transported by tourists by mistake. The city of Culiacan has been fighting a war against drugs for many years. The sight of an army vehicle filled with soldiers is not uncommon to see driving by, but the city of Culiacan holds no danger to individuals that did not get involved in the wrong activity.

During my community impact days in Culiacan, I was given the opportunity to visit one of the most incredible places in Mexico. Myself and eight other male cast members signed up to visit a drug rehab center in downtown Culiacan. The center was started on March 21, 1995 by a woman called Mama Ilda. It originated in a small house with an eight member group. It was born by the needs of the people. Originally, it started out as a home for young men that had recently been released from prison. It started to grow as homeless individuals came seeking refuge from the harsh elements of street life. Everyone that has lived at the center since 1995 has voluntarily asked for help and a place to live. The men are required to stay at the facility for six months, but they are given food and a place to sleep. Residents are taught to self reflect and are shown many different trades such as carpentry, cooking and farming. Five days a week every each individual works in the facility's bakery. The gentleman cook breads and pastries that are sold in the local markets. The bakery goods they make are a main source of income for the rehabilitation center.

The facility is filled with laughter and compassion because the residents are allowed to converse and have a good time, but they are encourage to follow the rules of love and respect. I was extremely moved by my visit. I have never witnessed such a strong sense of brotherhood among men of such age differences. I could not figure out why everyone was so closely connected until I spoke to Mama Ilda. She told me that the secret was soccer. Every Saturday, men of all ages get together to play a game that they all took very seriously. Ilda told me that the men's soccer game was their purpose for making it through another week. Rain or shine, Saturday was game day and no one missed it. Some members that become attached to Mama Ilda's center stay for many years and coach other individuals in need. Residents are able to earn college degrees and find apprenticeships with the assistance of teachers who were at one point struggling with drugs as well.

Up With People is a nonreligious organization, but I have never felt closer to God than I did during my visit to Mama Ilda's rehabilitation center. As I sat in a circle of men in a small church, It was as if I could feel the silence of the setting throughout my whole body. The room was very still. The heat of the building seemed to match the warmth of my body and it was as if the barrier of my skin did not separate my soul from the air around me. The men around me sat in silence as Ilda's translator spoke and I felt the strength of a higher power all around me. A translator helped me to speak to some of the men around me and the elements of our conversations allowed me to better understand their culture and leverage our diversity. Whether or not you believe in religion, there is a higher sense of connection that holds all people together regardless of culture. We must all understand our differences, but I feel as if I have traveled to a place that has allowed me to look into the eyes of another without noticing their differences.

Towards the middle of the week, I became very sick and was taken to a clinic/hospital in downtown Culiacan. Blood work indicated that I had somehow caught in intestinal disease called typhus. I had to stay in bed for the next few days, but I was able to make it through our Thursday and Friday night shows and it was worth it. Our cast performed for over 2500 citizens of Culiacan and provided a sign of hope in a city that commonly wages a war against drugs. Before we reached Culiacan I was told that we where going to a city that was extremely hot and sometimes violent, but the city of Culiacan is gorgeous, clean and enjoyable. Let's hope that the city of Hermosillo is a little cooler.

Tepic - Host family Experience

2008-09-23T22:54:00.003-04:00

Standing on a street in Mexico is like standing on the inside of a painting. Everything exists in Mexico: ATVs pass by holding eight passengers, men on horses are selling licorice and I'm drinking Coca-Cola out of a plastic bag with a straw. Sometimes, it is hard to analyze a picture when you are inside of it, but the most incredible thing about studying abroad is that you are inside the picture and you are a pigment of the masterpiece. As I live in Mexico, I am able to self reflect and improve my color as a person. I am not a tourist. I am an artist of the presence. Living with a host family allows a student to witness absolute cultural education.

Today is Sunday, September 7 and the cast and I are in Tepic, Mexico. I have truly enjoyed this week of our Mexican tour because of my loving host family. My Papa is a jolly Pesquero Captain(shrimp boat captain). My Mama is a loving mother that works alongside of Papa in the family shrimp business. My three loving host sisters and their cousin are in their 20's; they are an excellent example of Mexican youth. I have found Tepic to be saturated with cultural education. My host siblings have taken me deep within Mexico's pop-culture. Two of my sisters Jazmin and Maria speak excellent English and have taught me much about Mexican music, recreation, and home life. But, they have all shown me the importance of balance in their lives.

I have noticed that the girls in my host family do an excellent job of balancing their time between family, education, and free time. Many people, even Mexicans, will joke that Mexicans are always late, but I have come to realize that this is not true in every case. My sisters are never late to school and still have time to do everything Mama and Papa ask them to do as they are on their way out the door. After working hard in school everyday and spending time with friends and doing homework in the evenings, my three sisters and their cousin work in the family fish store on Sundays. The four of them work a long day and collect no pay because it is there way of giving back to the family.

If you want to really know how something is done talk to the Captain. Spending time with Papa has given me a chance to learn a lot about traditional shrimp fishing. Papa no longer catches shrimp, he has retired, and now teaches nautical navigation at a local university. The shrimp he sells today are purchased each morning at local docks, but there was a time when he owned and operated a 60 foot fishing boat. With my host sister Jazmin's help as a translator, Papa taught me that his 60 foot fishing boat has a crew of six and traditionally leaves the marina for 24-hour periods. He says that when his boat leaves the dock it is important to have two mechanics on board, one general fisherman, a cook and of course the captain. I asked Papa, "How does the Captain know where the shrimp are?" He told me that a fisherman must pay attention to the size of the moon and the time of day. The best catch can be found when there is little to no moon at all. When there is a full moon, the shrimp can see very well in the water and spread out, but when the moonlight is dim, the shrimp cluster together for safety because visibility becomes slim. During the day, the shrimp migrate towards shallow water so the best fishing is closer to the beach. During Papa's years of being Captain, he was respected by his crew, but no one is liked as much as the cook. I believe he said that a shrimp boat could hold up to 400 pounds of shrimp, but I think our conversion of the metric system or his language translation could have been a bit off. Papa says, "Put faith in your crew and pray for a good sea and the shrimp will be good to you." What did I eat when I lived in Tepic? Shrimp! Where did I work in Tepic? Shrimp shop! Did I have a good time? Who doesn't like shrimp!

Reaching the Mexican consumer is a unique process that is sometimes more creative than the product itself. A Mexican producer or sales person must pay taxes to the government if he or she owns a permanent business. Put wheels on the establishment and it is just you and your product. My host Mama and Papa own three strip trucks, a mobile fish taco stand, and a small fish store. The trucks roll every Sunday and commonly stop at regular customer's houses. The fish store and taco stand are open during the week selling shrimp and ceviche tacos. Riding in the shrimp truck is quite a colorful experience. The back is filled with coolers and the persons inside advertise fresco Camaron(fresh shrimp) over a megaphone. Street vendors are very successful in Mexico because they are able to bring the product directly to the consumer. Bicycle carts, umbrella stands, and all sorts of pickup trucks fill the streets of Mexico especially in Tepic and stay open until all hours of the morning. Being in Mexico is almost like stepping back in time. Values of family and work ethics stand out through small family businesses. This element is almost gone in the USA due to large commercial businesses.

I miss my home country, but my host family experience in Tepic has shown me the ways in which the people of Mexico work together and coexist. The people of Mexico are like one large family. They are finally, generous and filled with faith. Mexico is an incredible place to see the similarities between families and city life. When you live within a host family you live within their culture.

Third Week in Mexico - Tepic

2008-09-23T22:44:00.014-04:00

On Monday night, the cast and I reached city of Tepic. We were greeted by a local drumming performance that had been organized just for us. The performance was held in a mall. Several hundred people, excited to see Vila La Gente return to Mexico, came to see our arrival. The cast and I were given costumes and our new attire helped our host families locate us in the crowd. Our trip to Tepic included a six-hour ferry ride and eight hours on the bus. Personally, I was exhausted, but a good host family has a way of waking me up.

We spent Tuesday working at a sea turtle hatchery. The beaches within driving distance of Tepic are very popular to tourists and have many resorts. The turtle hatchery occupies a section of beach that can not be purchased by developers. Hatchery workers say that only 3% of the turtles make it to the sea, so the work of the hatchery is very beneficial to the local sea turtle population. Half of our cast was given the opportunity to pull hundreds of newborns out of the sand while the rest of the cast helped clean out old nests and clear the beach for "turtle departure day." The turtles that are fresh from the sand are out of their nests, but are motionless because they are still in a sleep-like state. The babies are taken from the earth at this point so that they can all be collected. It does not heart the turtle to take it from the earth before its biological clock tells it to emerge, so the workers place the little turtles in a large baby pools. The animals slowly wake and are kept cool and moist as they are monitored. The turtles are given time to build their strength and are then released.

Wednesday was all about people! Viva La Gente took part in a large culture fair that was held in the same park as our Tepic performance. Local colleges and Viva La Gente sponsors set up booths with educational activities that called visitors together through cultural trades and traditions.

On Thursday, the band and I performed in our first BTS - our backing track show. The BTS is promotional and normally performed a day or two before the official Viva La Gente show of the week. These promotional shows are our main source of ticket sales and help educate the public about our arrival. That night my host sisters took me to a local Mexican hang out. Everyone insisted on hearing English music hits, so I got to perform!!!

Show day in Tepic was fantastic. Our stage was underneath a large decorative sound sheet that eventually protected our equipment from a small amount of rainfall that delayed the second half of the show. Our show in Tepic has been our best. Our audience was fantastic and demanded more. Performing an encore after a two-hour show is quite an exhilarating experience. The only people that enjoy our performances more than our audience is the cast. The energy of a great show really sticks with us and really intensifies the attitude of the group. On Monday, September 8 we are departing for Culiacan and will perform a BTS and a full show on Thursday and on Friday.

What's next!!?

Second week in Mexico - Los Cabos

2008-09-23T22:41:00.004-04:00

Our travel day to Los Cabos was quite exciting. I saw the Hotel California! The one from the song! Los Cabos is only around three hours from La Paz so we were able to leave in the morning and still have time that day to spend in our new destination. As we reached the city, we were given police escorts. The streets of Los Cabos are very busy and narrow, so our vans and buses needed to be assisted at each intersection. Eventually, our buses reached Teatro de la Ciudad, a theater in nearby San Jose. Many members of the cast attended a press conference while the rest of us attended a speech given by the governor of Los Cabos. Since we are such a large group and will be in Mexico for such a long time, our organization is fully recognized by the Mexican government. This allows Viva La Gente to have many opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. We are allowed to use city-owned buildings as meeting places, promote in areas that are closed to advertising and most Importantly we are able to take part in some of the Governor’s time. After meeting with the press and the Governor, the cast and I were able to see a once-in-a-lifetime performance provided by students from Cuba, Mexico and Argentina. This performance was a demonstration of Mexican culture. It featured traditional styles of dance and movement that are performed during mariachi, salsa and flamenco song selections. The students in this performance had rehearsed for weeks and choreographed an incredible show just for the arrival of Viva La Gente.

Our first full day in the Los Cabos area was filled with regional learning. We started off the morning with a bus tour that took us through the streets of downtown San Jose. The cast and I were able to see many homes and businesses that are sometimes overlooked by tourists. San Jose and Los Cabos are gorgeous areas, both cities are located on the tip of the Baja Peninsula. The many tourists provide an excellent economy for these small cities. Members of society who work in tourism are living very well, but other citizens are not as lucky. A large problem in this area of Mexico are the hundreds of families that have no land to build a home. Illegally, these families build houses in dried out riverbeds. This has become a large problem for the Mexican government. Substantial rainfall takes place in these areas annually and can become devastating to many families that refuse to leave the land in the river beds. The Mexican citizens and the government have fought over this issue for years. Citizens say they will protest government land laws until they are given the rights to live in safe places, yet the government can hardly keep up with growing populations and the need to keep its citizens safe. After visiting local neighborhoods and seeing substantial building projects in the river beds, the cast and I took an hour-long bus ride into the country. We were told that we would visit a traditional Mexican ranch.

Personally, I was livid when I realized that I had forgotten my boots and hat, but the day got better when I ate the best piece of fruit I have ever eaten in my life. When we reached the ranch I was given a large orange-ish yellow fruit and I was able to taste why the farmers of Mexico are such, "Jolly Ranchers". It is all in the mango! The mango is an incredible fruit. I'm sure that in some countries it is the reason why monkeys are able to climb so fast, but in Mexico I soon found out that it is the reason why people are happy. I believe that the only reason why people drink in Mexico is because they are waiting for the mango to grow. God bless the mango! God bless Mexico! Viva Mexico!

That evening, the cast and I were given the gift of dinner on a boat in the harbor. One of the best cover bands I have ever seen was the Mexican group that played on our dinner cruise. Mexico is always even prettier from the water. The cast and I were able to see 40 to 50 seals sunning on the rocks near the harbor. An hour or so later, a small number of the cast and I, happened to be standing in the right place on the boat to see two Dolphins jump out of the water. I never thought that I would come to a place this insane during my lifetime. Traveling has never been a large priority of mine because I have always looked for incredible things with out seeing them. My parents were right when they taught me to concentrate on the people around me and wonderful things will come to me to be seen.

Show day in San Jose was on thursday and went excellently. I was placed on the show set up crew and helped our tech team get ready for the show. Around 2,000 people came to the San Jose baseball stadium that evening. Mexico has taught me that there is a large difference between musical performance and entertainment. It does not matter how I feel about my guitar playing in a show, the people of Mexico want a message and are looking for entertainment. Viva La Gente has shown me that a show is only as powerful as a group makes it.

After the show, I worked with another student conducting an interview. After each show, a portion of the cast interviews potential students for the Viva La Gente program. I interviewed a local boy named Samuel. Samuel lives in San Jose and is an excellent candidate for our group. Student interviewing sessions are the most important part of my week. Up With People/Viva La Gente is only as strong as its student body, so I love interviewing new students for the program because it is sometimes like meeting a future cast.

Our Friday night show was a bit larger that the night before. We performed in a stadium in Los Cabos. The cast was very tired but pulled though! The next day we boarded the ferry to Tepic! Who knows what is next!!?

First week in Mexico - La Paz

2008-09-23T22:35:00.002-04:00

Today is August 23, ’08. It is Saturday and the cast and I have just finished our third, Up With People or in Spanish Viva La Gente show. We are still in La Paz, Mexico and it has been well over 100 degrees each day this week. I have been able to post many photos, but have been an unable to connect to the internet since then. In my last blog entry I had posted photographs from our outdoor set up in the La Paz Baseball Stadium. I have experienced a lot of excitement since then.

I spent all day Wednesday as a Community Impact Crew Leader, leading 50 UWP students and staff through a day of heat and satisfaction. The students and I painted the outside walls of the La Paz Baseball Stadium for the Ray Thompson Foundation. For many years this stadium has been a community symbol of family and recreation, but overtime it is fallen victim to years of graffiti vandalism. Fifty students and I set out to improve the walls of an old building, but ended up painting hope in the eyes of a community. As we worked, car after car drove by honking and yelling, "gracias" and "fantastico". My experiences on Wednesday taught me that a true leader allows room for error and facilitates a group in a way that allows them to lead themselves. A leader of a large group can never be everywhere at once so I discovered that my strength as a person had to be divided. I found great success when I appointed individuals as group leaders. I divided all 50 students into groups of 10 and became a leader of leaders. I was then much more relaxed and open minded because I was able to monitor progress through the eyes of five people instead of relying on myself to guide 50. In a short while my group of 50 was leading itself. I was then able to concentrate on instructions that were given to me by community leaders such as Mr. Dominguez, president of the Ray Thompson Foundation. A leader should take it upon himself to accomplish tasks that others would rather not do. He or she does not make him or herself a hero, but it is important to establish an image that does not place the leader above others. Students were happy to do the jobs I asks them to do because I had earned their respect. This element of leadership worked because I had given my strength to group leaders that relied on me for instructions. That night, I showered with a turtle(host family's pet) and realized that Mexico really is a place I love!

Thursday was a day of rehearsal. Viva La Gente split us up into group sessions. Dancers practice routines at a local dance studio and many students were placed in smaller community impact groups. As a member of the show band, I worked with Javi our drummer from Texas, Julie our bass player from Norway, Jochem keyboard player from the Netherlands, Phil alternative bass player from the USA and Michael Bowerman our music director. The six of us rehearsed the Mexican Medley. This arrangement of music is a 10 minute arrangement of popular Spanish songs from the late 80s early 90s and the present. Since the first time I saw this selection, I found it to be very difficult, even though the chord changes and melodies are very simple. Unlike our 50s Medley of American music, the Mexican Medley is of course made up of music that I have never heard before. Working on these Spanish songs was yet another indication to me that I am the kind of person that needs to listen to a song over and over again in order to remember the exact melody. I have never been able to simply look at a piece of paper and play notes as they are written, but my Viva La Gente experience has really expanded my ability to read charts and recognize written music. That evening many members of the cast and I were in downtown La Paz. In order to find out about the ways in which others view world differences of politics and culture, I am challenging myself to spend individual time with each member of the cast over the course of the next few months.

Each week we are given a least one day to learn about the city we are performing in. We call this day of local education a Regional Learning or RL day. Friday was our RL day in La Paz. The cast and I started the day by taking a bus tour around the city. Mexico is home to many old Catholic churches. Many of these places of worship are very famous and have stood for well over 100 years. After visiting many churches, our buses took us past a community sports complex. This area of recreation was very large and contained many indoor and outdoor fields. Outdoor fields included bike and skateboard ramps, soccer fields, basketball courts, running tracks and many food venders. The indoor facilities were even nicer. I saw a racquetball rooms, nice basketball courts and a large room with ping-pong tables, but the coolest thing about this facility was the fact that everything was free to the community every day. This facility was built as part of La Paz's efforts to keep young people occupied and away from drugs. After the bus tour we ate dinner on the beach. It was an incredible experience because everyone knew that our first performance in Mexico would be the next day.

Saturday was show day! and was also very hot!, very sandy!, very long! and very ROCK 'N ROLL!!! Our day started at 8:00 AM and ended at 1:30 AM. Every show day the cast is divided into three groups: promotions, exploration and set up. Promotion for the show takes place weeks before the cast even reaches a city. Promos run in monthly and weekly newspapers, play on the radio and are posted in storefronts, but on the day of a performance the Promotions Team will go to local malls and tourist attractions to hand out flyers and meet the public. Cast members who are placed on Exploration are given the opportunity to go in to the city and explore the local markets. The third Group of students is added to the stage setup crew. Since our dress rehearsal in Denver Colorado I have been on stage set up. Constructing our stage in Mexico becomes a mental and physical test of endurance. Since all but one of our shows in Mexico are held in baseball stadiums working set up for one of our shows is much like being in an ancient Egyptian slave. Working in the direct sun on top of sand with temperatures over 100 degrees can become a bit unrestful, but our setup in La Paz went well do to a steady breeze that blew throughout the day. A full cast run through was scheduled to be held at two o'clock, but it began to rain around one and show rehearsal was delayed three hours. I sensed our lack of practice in our performance that evening, yet twenty five hundred people roared with applause after each song.

Set Up - In the La Paz Stadium

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Debris washed in by a storm

Backing Track Show in Down Town La Paz

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Sunday in La Paz - Host Family Day

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English to Spanish dictionary

Puffer Fish!!!

Host family! I only live with Ofelia and Samuel

Dago Fransisco Ofelia's Grandson.

Ocean view in La Paz

Samuel's Mom!

Slowest taco place in Mexico

No function!

First Day in La Paz

2008-08-18T23:13:00.012-04:00

Today is my first day in Mexico. I am becoming familiar with feelings that I never knew existed. The cast and I left Breckenridge at four o'clock AM and arrived in La Paz early yesterday evening. Our drive through town was quite incredible. The street we drove on paralleled the beach and the boardwalk which was teeming with life, yet the streets were filled with water because it had just rained. I have been to Mexico before, but never in my life have I seen what I saw yesterday. I had never seen an ocean so blue. La Paz is gorgeous and the food is wonderful. Shortly after leaving the city limits, our buses stopped at a nearby resort. We were able to have an hour-long meeting before our host families came to pick us up.

Minutes after meeting my host mother, Ofelia, I realized that my life for the next week was going to be very different than it had ever been before. I felt as if I was handicapped or wearing a glass helmet that prevented me from orally or audibly communicating with another person. Ofalia does not speak a word of English. Shortly after getting into her station wagon, I began the hardest conversation I have ever had. Our drive to her house was 35 minutes long. After three minutes I began hating Up With People and wondering why anyone would put me in this situation. I had a million things I wanted to tell her and to thank her, but all I knew how to say was "hello" and " peanuts". I was given a piece of paper with several lines of Spanish translations and my host family’s address. I began to panic because I started trying to use hand gestures. She started to believe that I was trying to help her guide the car. I began to get very worried because I thought that I had caused her to dislike me, but then I remembered that the word God in Spanish is Jesucristo. So I pointed at the church as we passed it and said “Jesucristo”. She smiled and for the first time in 25 minutes we were able to make a connection with one another. She then told me that she was Catholic. She thinks that I am Catholic because I have no way to tell her that I am Methodist.

When we reached her home I was able to meet her grandson Samuel. He is 15 and can speak a small amount of English. If he had never though of Google translator I would have never made it though the night. Ofelia's apartment is very nice. My room has two windows that over look La Paz! There are no screens in Ofelia's windows, but it is ok because bugs do not fly to the lights in the apartment. Many people in La Paz know of Viva La Gente (Up With People), so my host family is happy to have my in their home. I am blessed to have a Mexican Mama.

The roaches in Mexico are this big
<---------------------------------->(size recorded).

Show in Breckenrighe, CO - Summit High School

2008-08-18T22:34:00.005-04:00

Review of the First Show - Tape #3

2008-08-12T02:20:00.004-04:00

Review of the First Show - Tape #2

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Review of the First Show - Tape #1

2008-08-12T01:53:00.003-04:00

/Users/Russ/Desktop/Movie 27.mov

Trip to Breckenridge

2008-08-12T01:46:00.009-04:00

Dress Rehearsal day in Denver

2008-08-12T01:31:00.009-04:00

Surprisingly, our month of staging has flown by. Cast B and I will be leaving for Breckenridge, Colorado tomorrow morning at 7:30. We will depart from Elitch Gardens Amusement park located in downtown Denver. I cannot believe that our tour starts tomorrow. For the first time, I am starting to experience what it is like to leave a host family. It is my last night in the Eastman's home. Colleen and Jug, my host parents, are incredible people. They have opened up their home to over 100 UWP students. Including Ryan and Javi, my host brothers, I am the 121st college age person to live with Colleen and her husband. This evening, Colleen took the boys and me to a Mark Schultz concert. Mark is a nationally recognized singer-songwriter who happens to be an Up With People alum. He is very popular and has hit the top 40 Christian music circuit. I was literally blown away when Colleen told me that Mark and I had something in common. Unbelievably, he and I were host brothers because he too had stayed with Colleen when traveling with Up With People.

I found Mark's concert to be very moving. It was relaxing to listen to music that I myself did not have to memorize and play. I found his message to be very expressive because it called upon elements of family and outreach. It caused me to reflect on experiences I have had with my family and how much I miss them. This whole Up With People touring experience has come on so quickly and moves so fast that it is hard to find time to reflect. I am often so overwhelmed by changes in excitement level, that I am sometimes mentally two or three events behind every one else. A single day feels like a week and a week seems to hold the experiences of a year, and yet at the same time, the first day of the tour could have been yesterday.

Last Day of Staging

2008-08-09T01:50:00.002-04:00

The excitement in Colorado continues to get better. It is now the Friday night of my fourth and last week in Denver. Tomorrow night is the 2008 cast B, Up With People(UWP) dress rehearsal and show taping. I can not believe that our four weeks of staging have gone by so quickly. After today’s third run through, the cast's movement and syncopation has really begun to become show-ready and the band has really begun to come along. Our music director has told the cast that this semester's band is the strongest one he has ever seen come through the UWP staging process.

This past Wednesday, the cast and I spent the day "striking" the stage equipment and loading it into our two Up With People trucks. UWP operates out of two shipping vehicles because the lighting and sound equipment must be separated during the tour. If our cast performs in a smaller venue it is commonly only in need of sound reinforcement because lighting may take up too much room. It is quite impressive to be a part of a large staging tour. Every object that is placed on the truck has a specific area and space in which it takes up. During the loading process, charts are posted on the wall that contain diagrams of truck bed equipment layouts. These computer-generated drawings are like blueprints and make for an easy packing process. Loading the trucks took all day on Wednesday. The learning process we went through was excellent, but our cast lost half a day of rehearsal.

I found Thursday morning to be quite exhilarating. It was much like Wednesday because we spent half a day pushing aluminum boxes around, but we had finally reached our first concert venue and I was ready to get started.

After a two-hour bus ride through the city, my host brothers and sisters and I reached a small campus overlooking a beautiful view of the Colorado Rockies. The the location of our dress rehearsal, Teikyo is a Japanese university that has agreed to let us use their facilities for our last three days of staging. We were able to set up the entire stage before lunch and began our first show run through at one o'clock. Like the days before our arrival at Teikyo, our performance was still very poor and I found it hard to get into the feeling of the show.

Today was unlike any other I have experienced during staging. I am now nailing the timing of each piece and cast B is really starting to become energized. I really hope that I am selected to sing "Tonight I've Got a Cut Loose" and "Ounce of Positive" in tomorrow's show.

Thank you for reading this blog. It was very dry. If you have made it this far you are without a doubt a faithful UWP blog follower, a teacher, a cast member, or my mom. Thank you to all... russreitter.com !

We will spend tomorrow(Sat) running through the show until three o'clock. We will then perform the two hour presentation in front of as many as 1,000 people. The trucks will be loaded and on Monday our cast leaves for Breckenridge.

Set Up at Teikyo University

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Leaving The Sherman Complex

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Band on The Big Stage

2008-08-05T00:48:00.007-04:00

Today was an incredible day to wear headphones! The band and I were finally able to get out of the basement and set up on the risers located on the big stage. Each member was given a personal monitor control mixing board which elaborately allows each instrumentalist to listen to everyone on stage through their own headphones. Each mixing board holds 25 channels which include drums, guitar, bass, keys, up to three lead vocals, four mic groups, two brass, the backing tracks, and a click track which keeps the group synchronized.

Getting acquainted with the system was a little bit challenging at first, but the band and I quickly started to get in touch with our live and playback controls. I still cannot believe how cool our monitoring system is. It is crazy to believe that the sound I hear in my headphones is as intense as the house mix. Having my own monitor control really gives me a sense of confidence. With so much happening onstage it is easy to lose track of the comprehension of your own sound. I felt really good about today's rehearsal and can not wait to get back to it.

2nd to Last Weekend in Denver

2008-08-05T00:44:00.004-04:00

It is the end of another great week. The cast is beginning to learn the movement for the entire show. This past week dance and vocal sessions were combined, and everyone but the members of the band spent the day in the fifth floor auditorium learning show blocking. The members of the cast as well as the instrumentalists are very excited for Monday because the band will finally leave the basement and begin rehearsing with the entire cast on the big stage.

There is not much to tell about the weekend. Saturday was a normal rehearsal day at the Sherman complex, so Ryan, Javi and I spent Sunday sleeping and running errands with Colleen, our host mom. Colleen's daughter and son-in-law drove in from Pueblo, Colorado and have stayed with us for the past two days. My roommates and I had a lot of fun playing with their daughters Amber age 2 and Alana who is 5 months old. This blog is coming to you a day late because I fell asleep for 15 hours and was unable to get it to you yesterday. Although I did get a chance to watch No Country For Old Men which Ryan, Javi and I found to be a fantastic movie but Colleen thought otherwise.

After Diner on the Deck- The Video

2008-07-30T22:52:00.001-04:00

First Community Impact Project

2008-07-29T23:27:00.008-04:00

Today was our first day of community impact projects. The cast and I loaded into buses and spent the first two hours of the day on a ride into the mountains. We were told that we would be part of the Haymen fire restoration project. The Haymen fire which occurred over six years ago, was the largest wildfire ever to occur in the state of Colorado. As we entered the area of devastation, we drove through miles of burnt trees and charred ground cover. Finally, the busses struggled up a long dirt road, which led to the top of a 330 acre plot of land. The gentleman who owned the property had lost everything but the area around his house. The dirt drive was littered with charred powerboats and frames of antique cars. His agricultural equipment lay rusting on either side of our bus. I could tell that each piece of equipment had rusted over because the fire had burned the weatherproof paint from each piece of steel.

After receiving hard helmets, the cast was split up into three groups. Our day consisted of taking down trees and dragging them into erosion ditches. My portion of the cast planted 150 pine trees along a crispy hillside. The awesome thing about Up With People community impact projects is that we do more than improve the environment of one person. We worked side-by-side with state and community organizations to complete jobs that require a large work force. With the time we are given, Up With People works to improve situations of people that will eventually help themselves. Up With People CI Days are not a part of a mission trip! We do not plant a seed and pray for a better tomorrow. We impact communities and discuss matters with officials that deal with the issues daily.

I have never felt closer to my cast than I did today. It is awesome to see how the true personality of a person comes out when they are placed under pressure. As you can see from the pictures, we had fun with the hard helmet thing and even got creative with our photography at the end of the day.

Colleen and Jug took Ryan, Javi, and me out to dinner at Taco Loco for a bit of classic Denver dining. It is still sunny in Colorado!!!

12 Days Left of Staging

2008-07-29T02:54:00.005-04:00

Clips of songs from the 1950’s - studying this compilation is an excellent way to become familiar with traditional guitar phrasing and rhythm. For example, one of the clips that is sampled is " Sherry," a song that many people know from the movie Back to The Future or Denny's Satellite Radio. A clip like this one demonstrates the versatility of brush strumming which was a common technique of 50's and 60's bebop. After finding out that I would be performing in this piece of the show, I have been eager to hear what it will sound like with the entire group. Several of my friends have been awed by the classic tones that I have been able to get out of my touring guitar. Wired by my dad, my 2001 US Legacy G&L Stratocaster sounds incredible because of its customized pickups and wiring configuration. I can only imagine how good it will sound on Thursday when our band and cast rehearse together for the first time, on the big stage.

I have a feeling that this week will turn out to be a good one. I was able to get a lot of sleep on Sunday after getting home from a trip into the mountains. Getting some sleep really paid off because today happened to be the day that vocal soloists were called back for final assessments. As of today, it looks like I may be singing the "Ounce of Positive" solo. Throughout this song I may be the lead singer as well as the guitar player. I am really excited to be given this opportunity because the song is challenging and will expand my blues/country vocal interests. The song is traditionally sung by one male and three female backup singers. If I am given this role, I will be the first student of Up With People to sing this solo and perform in the band at the same time.

Tomorrow is a CI Day or Community Impact Day, I believe that I will be planting trees, so I suppose I will get to bed. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Regional Learning Day at The Colorado State Capital

2008-07-26T01:13:00.007-04:00

Stepping Out Side of Rehearsal

2008-07-25T02:42:00.003-04:00

It is Thursday and already this week has been incredible. I apologize for my lack of blogging. With an extreme lack of sleep and an intense rehearsal schedule, I have been left with little time to sit at my computer, but I am starting to get adjusted to the rhythm of my new lifestyle.

For the first time in two weeks, rehearsal has begun to sound good. The band is really starting to nail "Oye El Boom" and "Ayiko", two of the hardest pieces of the show. During the first half of this week, I found myself truly doubting my success as a musician, but the accomplishment of the group has been awesome and very encouraging. We have less than three weeks to learn two hours of material. The thought of perfection is overwhelming, but what we have accomplished so far has made for a strong foundation. While the band rehearses in the basement, dance, movement, and vocal rehearsals take place on the other three floors. Today, the cast began working on show blocking/staging. Judging by the talent I've seen in the group so far, it won't be long until band rehearsals are combined with the rest of the cast.

I have spent a lot of time in my blog discussing my feelings towards the music and arts of Up With People, but I was given the chance to witness our program’s effect on the community. Tuesday morning we were able to begin our first community interaction seminar. The cast and I were able to meet with local corporate sponsors. Some of the individuals we met with included the President of the Children's Museum of Denver and the Director of Health and Interaction from the Center for African-American Health. I found that I really had a connection with National Leadership Development Officer Morris W. Price, Jr. His view of society and generation really caused me to reflect on my position in current affairs. Price informed us that any individual student receiving a college degree today may work in over eight different professions in their adult career. He then told the group that four of these eight positions do not yet exist today. Price had many statistics and interesting facts that expanded my view of the future, but the most important element of his conversation with us was his value of the time consumed in preparation for the future. He believed that he was successful because he knew that his greatest fortune was his ability to move forward. He encouraged us to take advantage of every moment we were given, because our interests for exploration, that exist within us today, will carry us towards the future.

Tomorrow, we will be taking a break from rehearsal to visit the local courthouse and meet other individuals of Denver's society to hear their opinions on current events. Next week the band will rehearse with the cast and begin putting the show together as one.

Living so far away from the city, it has been very difficult to transport my guitar back and forth between the Sherman Center and Colleen's house so I was able to purchase a backup guitar at Musicians Warehouse in Denver. Mom and Dad! Don't worry, the price was right and look its PINK!

Host Family Day

2008-07-21T01:57:00.004-04:00

Today was our host family day. Colleen took the boys and I over to one of the other hosts family's house for a pool party. It was good to see so many of the cast members without having to be at practice. I was really able to connect with many of the other students. It’s fun to be with students from other countries in social situations! I never realized how different European culture is from American traditions. For example, we all planned to go to the movies to see Batman and one of the girls from Germany told us that the European movie theaters sell tickets for individual seats in the theater instead of a ticket of general admission. She was blown away to find out that you could sit anywhere in the theater after paying one price.

Colleen really is fun; hanging out with her all day was a blast. We started off the morning by stopping by the guitar store. We were all able to stock up on our musical needs and then head over to the party. Afterwards, it was really neat to get her perspective on Batman. Tomorrow, we will go back to practice and hopefully Xia from China will not take my position as a guitar player.

I am doing well. Mom, don't worry I am now well rested! Dad, technical issues are going well! And Breck, I hope you are able to get away from your studying every now and then. Love you guys!

Here is a picture of Michael Bowerman and me!

First Band Practice

2008-07-19T00:29:00.007-04:00

First of all, I would like to apologize to my faithful blog followers. I failed to update my experiences yesterday because I ended up going to bed shortly after getting home from practice. Luckily, yesterday was a very uneventful day. We spent most of our time in logistical seminars, as well as an afternoon "tour band meeting."

Today was a very new experience for me. I spent my seven hours of tour practice sitting in one chair rehearsing three songs that will be a part of this semester's show. Since there are many students trying out for the Up With People Band and no one competing with me for the position of the guitar player, I was expected to play the guitar part for each audition rotation. One would think that I would have mastered the guitar part in each song because I had to play them all day, but for some reason I found it very difficult to maintain consistency as each drummer, bass player, and keyboardist changed every half hour.

I found myself on edge all day because there is a boy flying in from China on Monday who has auditioned as a drummer but can also play guitar. I am sure he will be an excellent addition to this semester’s cast, but we already have Ryan and Javi who are already excellent drummers. This has been somewhat of a concern for me because he may turn his interests towards the guitar. We are in need of two guitar players, but if he turns out to be really good, I may get placed on the back burner. Let me take this time to remind you that everything is always "all about Russ," so hopefully everything will turn out just fine and I can continue my efforts of transforming "Up With People" into "Up With Russ and Us." (A note to those of importance: what you have just read is simply a cast joke; please don't allow it to taint your image of me). On a lighter note, practice has gotten off to a smooth start and tomorrow I will have completed my first week of practice. Three more weeks left until we leave for the road.

First Live Performance

2008-07-17T02:03:00.003-04:00

I like to think of myself as kind of a fly ball. If this is true at all, today was the kind of day that really hit me out of the park. As normal, the day started with the opening ceremony. We discussed world news and received our instructions for the day. The morning activities were very intense. Our staff broke us up into 10 groups in order to isolate us by gender and to focus on individual strengths. Each of the groups visited four modules, testing their ability to sing, dance, public speak and to set up and break down technical equipment. There was also a fifth segment which allowed us to work with costume designers who helped us select our show apparel. By lunchtime they had already posted lead dancing rolls for one of the songs of the show. We spent the afternoon in a culture seminar and attended a three-hour Movement Session. We learned the dance moves for our first piece. I found this Movement session to be very difficult; synchronized dancing is a lot more challenging than it appears. I left Movement early because I was called downstairs for a second vocal audition. I feel that the audition went really well. There are many accomplished singers on the tour and having the opportunity to be called back for a second chance left me with lots of excitement.

This evening was our "Cultural Jam." Given kind of a lame name, this concert is one of the biggest highlights of the tour. The hour-long event, allowed students from around the world to share original and ethic forms of performance that occupied their artistic ability before UWP. I found the evening to be incredible. Each student that performed had been hand-selected to participate in the UWP program so, as you can imagine, the talent of the evening was quite impressive. For me, it was a chance to play my original material outside the State of Maryland. Being able to play "Subscription to Your Love" for 150 people in Denver, Colorado was truly a new experience. It was an excellent time for me to show my ability to the group. Everyone became very excited to find that their excellent singing and dancing would be accompanied by another fine musician. This may sound conceited, but I can now comfortably be a part of the group because I have shown everyone that I am a reliable sound that can add to the greater art of the program.

Tomorrow I will begin practicing with the UWP band and start walking down the road toward becoming a touring guitar player.

Note to blog audience! My evening blog will soon become a bit more academic as I discuss deeper elements of global education, but I will still try my best to entertain you. Please keep visiting my experiences with world travel and enjoy russreitter.com. "It just might change your life!"

Day Three!!!

2008-07-15T23:45:00.006-04:00

Today's blog will be shorter than normal because Ryan, Javi and I got home really late and I will be performing the guitar for the group tomorrow, so I must practice. Here are some pictures from my day.

First Day of Rehearsal

2008-07-15T01:13:00.018-04:00

Today was incredible! the cast and I were finally able to get past the logistics of orientation and get down to business! Getting up at 6:45 is a little bit challenging for me because I stay up with Ryan and Javi all night, but our morning trip to the Sherman Center is quite an insane feeling. Colleen, our host mom, takes us to the city bus stop near her house. The guys and I have about an hour trip into the city. As we walk to The Sherman Center, I feel as if we are actors in a Sister Act movie. The city of Denver is alive with traffic and pedestrians, but walking from all directions are 18-29 year old singers and dancers dressed in workout cloths. It is simply mind-boggling to see all these students formulating on the streets outside this hundred-year-old building. I am surprised at how clean everything is. You can hear loud music coming from open windows. Since the weather is perfect every day, the building is completely open and students sit on the front steps and in the hallways tapping out rhythms and listening to iPods.

Today was the first day that we were able to start moving after meeting our choreographers and production managers. We spent the first part of the day in a long seminar learning about the history and quality of our performance. We were able to see a short demonstration performed by our dance and aerobic instructors. After the morning seminar, we went down to the ballroom and began our first day of class / educational session. We talked about making goals and the importance of learning from those around us. Many of the movement and educational exercises we did throughout the morning seemed somewhat elementary, but as the day progressed I began to feel an overwhelming sense of belonging. Today was the first day I began to feel concrete relationships beginning to take place. I found lunch to be quite exciting; our food was served on molded plastic trays just like the ones from my Maryland high school. The whole day seemed like some sort of 80's pop dance movie. I truly believe that the past four days of UWP have been the most incredible days of my educational background. The value of this tour is overwhelmingly worth every dollar my family and I have spent getting me here.

Our afternoon activities were unlike anything else I have experienced before. We began learning to dance by taking part in a large group aerobics class. I will begin working with the band and playing the guitar on Thursday, but until then and after, I will be lined up every day in aerobics classes as they evolve into structured dance. I think the highlight of my day was catching chicks as we practiced the Lover's Leap. Surprisingly, no one hit the floor during this exercise.

Tomorrow we will be broken down into small groups and begin auditioning for our singing parts. As for now, the guys and I are sitting around a campfire of Macs. Here are some pictures of the ballroom and the dance presentation we saw.

Orientation

2008-07-13T22:12:00.005-04:00

Today was our first day of orientation at the Sherman Street Event. This building, built sometime in the 1920s, had six floors. The top three were completely open and contained a large auditorium. Orientation started with a short performance of last semester's show. I found myself getting really psyched because there was a large guitar part in three of the four songs that were performed. Actually watching an Up With People performance for the second time really helped me focus on my hopes for the next six months.

I was able to meet Michael Bowerman today. Michael is our show director and will begin teaching us tomorrow about our role in this semester's music. Fortunately, I was able to have a long talk with him today. He said that the guitar part for this show segment will be presented to me in cord charts. He stressed the importance of every musician's ability to make their part fresh and unique. The UWP show is very similar from semester to semester, so it is important for each student to receive their part and really run with it. This of course was music to my ears because I had imagined myself becoming glued to a sheet of music. Michael really is a neat guy. He has actually written several pieces that are performed in the Up With People show. I hope to become closer to him this month and really match his needs.

Right now, the guys and I are back it Colleen's, doing our nightly ritual. This ritual consists of drinking our Colorado jazz Pepsi and sitting around our campfire of Mac laptops. Tomorrow we will be getting up at 7:30 and going back to Sherman Street Event complex and begin Up With People!!!

Trailside

2008-07-13T02:42:00.001-04:00

Loving Colorado

2008-07-13T01:24:00.002-04:00

Day Two of international tour; I am loving Colorado! Today was our day off with our host families. Ryan, a drummer from Corpus Christi Texas, and Javier(Javi), a drummer from Houston, are my roommates this month as we learn the Up With People show in Denver. The three of us are staying at Colleen and Jug Eastman's House, in Brighton. Jeff, a student who has traveled with Up With People in the past, is staying with us this weekend. Today, Colleen and us four boys traveled into the mountains. We visited Red Rocks Amphitheater, located in the foothills west of Denver. We also visited Idaho Springs and traveled down Highway 6 curving through deep canyons. I took many pictures of the rock faces we saw and admired the old all-terrain vehicles along the highway. I saw what I thought to be hang gliders, but Ryan insisted that they were parachuters.

That evening we ate dinner at White Fence Farm which is said to have the best fried chicken in Colorado. I am still feeling the pain! Ryan and Javi are insane!! We are constantly having a ball! Javi is really down to earth and has excellent articulation when speaking. He is commonly finishing my thoughts and helping me mentally function! Ryan is not a typical drummer; he is not opinionated and a little bit squarely. If I was Al Pacino, I would say that he was "a real standup guy!" Colleen is awesome and really knows how to live up life! Her husband, Jug( yes “Jug” mom I did not spell “Jud” wrong) is the man, but I think he thinks that I'm a little bit over the top. After all, he was in the Air Force for over 20 years and let's just say that I am not exactly above the line of presentable.

Tomorrow, I will probably wake up at 12 and go to orientation at three. There, we will begin learning how this whole Up With People / live performance thing is going to go down. I'm psyched! Here are some pictures of today.

Us

2008-07-12T02:22:00.002-04:00

In Denver

2008-07-12T02:03:00.008-04:00

Well!!!! Lots of cowboy hats in Denver! For some reason!!??? It really is Sunny! I have many great stories to tell about the 110 people that I have met here, but those are stories for tomorrow! Here are some pictures of some of the other cast members.

Flight to Denver!

2008-07-12T01:49:00.009-04:00

Awakened by anticipation, the day of my flight to Denver has begun!!! The best thing is that I've been out of the house for three hours and things are already broken. The handle on my suitcase it's no longer existent and my iPod plays only one song, but no worries I will always have the old black-and-white iPod standing strong. I found my first 15 minutes on the plane to be quite amusing, everyone was calmly finding their seats and storing their carry-on in the overhead compartments, as I am going through the motions of killing a cat as I shoved my oversized bag under the seat in front of me. As the pilot checked his flaps, I wondered to myself if anyone had ever noted how delicate they appear. I love the way that I prepare myself for flight. I commonly find myself saying the flight number over and over again in my head as if I am hearing it on Frontline News or 60 Minutes, " an unbelievable tragedy has hit America again. Early today, FLIT 2614... 2614!!... 2614!!!!!... from Baltimore to Denver... never really did reach its destination!," but now I am just scaring myself. It's all good though, ask a motor-cycler, " when it's your time it's your time" and I stand by that!

In my own way, I'm setting out to better the communication among people. I feel that the days to come will help me understand misunderstandings between cultures. The kind of tour that I am setting out on today, is the exact experience that is needed in a young person's life. I hope to find out how members of other cultures view war, religion, fun, music and love. I will keep everyone posted.

One Week Before Leaving

2008-07-04T17:55:00.005-04:00

With exactly one week before I board a plane to Denver for my six month tour with Up With People, I am overwhelmed by thoughts of preparation. My tour guitar is in three pieces. I have four lists of things to do and to buy. There are college requirements out there somewhere that I must ready myself for. My hands have no clue how good I wish they played the guitar. And, the ball and chain of my 20-year-old mind during the summer is a heavy burden of distraction.

I think that I have spent too much time worrying about needless elements of anxiety. When I think of leaving home for six months, the only images I see in my mind are those of leaving and returning. I must always remind myself that I believe my purpose in life is to entertain and bring others together. Whenever I fear the thought of leaving home, I always hear my mind saying, "Well, Russ, all you want out of life is something crazy, why not begin the story?" Someone asked me the other day, "So dude, Russ, what are you going to do if you get trapped in the Philippines and no one knows how to get you home." I said to them, "I would take pictures of everything and tell my friends back home that it was part of my reason for being alive. I would establish Wal-Marts in small villages and make sure that every child knew the taste of Taco Bell."

As of today, I am mentally prepared to leave because I have remembered the true meaning of my Up With People participation. I have personally been shown the power that music creates within the motivation of a person. It is the one language that is truly timeless and has the power to bridge all barriers of age, gender, and ethnic background. I plan to leave home and share my love for the power of music with others and bring them together through compassion.