Some of the activities of the past two weeks

So, what have we been during for the past 2 weeks?  Morning classes with María José and Serafín are just the start.  Now that the host siblings are done with their classes, we have been doing many more afternoon and evening activities with them.  Below is a list of some of them, followed by some pictures of the events.  (You will note that some of the activities have happened on dates different from those originally listed on the calendar.)

·      On Monday evening, June 17^th, the group and some host siblings picked up trash along the path to the beach below the ‘schoolhouse’ before enjoying the waves and sunset at the beach (Monday, June 17)

·      Class on Tuesday, June 18th was at Cueva del Viento (Wind Cave) in Icod de los Vinos.  The cave is the 5^th longest mapped volcanic tube in the world and offers a great insight into how lava flows and cools.  While only a small segment is open to visitors so as to preserve the ecosystem within, it is enough to provide for a great learning experience.

 ·      Parque Forestal!!!!!  Wednesday afternoon, June 19th, we headed to a high ropes/zipline course in the pine forest on the northeast side of the island.

·      The Fiesta del Pijama sleepover was on Thursday night, June 20^th.  There were a lot of laughs during the game of charades as well as during the ‘musical’ performances of the teens.  Coincidentally, it also happened to be Ben's birthday, so we celebrated yet another birthday within the group.  Needless to say, there were a lot of tired faces on Friday morning.

·      The group visited an orphanage on Monday evening, June 24^th, and played with the boys and girls there.  It goes without saying that this was a highlight for the orphans.

·      On Tuesday evening, June 25^th, the group hiked 11 miles in Siete Cañadas, a hike along the big caldera of Teide National Park.  We started the hike in the light of the setting sun.  We then continued walking for about an hour under a sky filled with stars before the moon rose and illuminated the rest of our way.

·      Thursday, June 27^th, we hiked down the Barranco de Masca.  The barranco is a deep valley carved by erosion in the basalt flows from one of the volcanic eruptions on the island.  The walk descends through deep canyons before opening up to the ocean.  We all enjoyed a swim in the cool waters of the Atlantic before boarding a boat that brought us to the coastal town of Los Gigantes.

Path Cleanup (Monday, June 17)

Annie (r) with her host sister Miriam, picking up trash

(l-r) Alberto, Ben, Andrew, Jason, Annie, Sydney, Miriam, Paula, and Parker with their 'haul' of trash

Robbie and Maria José

Water break

Working our way down the path from the house

And continuing on down

Ben photobombs Paula and Sydney.  Photobombs are quite common with this group.

Finally, at the beach

Cueva del Viento (Tuesday, June 18)

Ready to enter the cave

Brendan and Ben in the cave

Raiko, our guide, describes the cave's ecosystem

Parque Forestal (Wednesday, June 19)

Listening to the orientation briefing

Brendan clips in

Tomás crosses a highline

Rachel waves as Jason climbs to the platform

Annie begins the crossing while Miriam waits

Paula begins to climb the net while Sydney waits

Taylor zips into the net

Andrew and Parker, waiting to cross to the next tree

Nick

Robbie lands

An incredulous leader

The group, trying to be serious....

....and failing

Fiesta del Pijama (Thursday, June 20)

The ping-pong table receives a lot of activity

The birthday boy tries to indicate something during Charades

Araceli continues to indicate something while María José laughs at a response

What is it, Annie?  A lawnmower? 

Nick stoically mimics something....

...while Rachel is much more animated in her attempt

Sergio tries to pull the word out of his teammates

as does Taylor.

Sydney has everyone's attention

Sometimes, you just can't believe the word that you have to act out.

I mean, really???

Give me an answer, now, please.

Robbie!

Hands are critical in charades.

Very critical.

The advantage of being an 'adult' -- the students have to carry Spencer everywhere.

Visit to the Orphanage (Monday, June 24)

The group, with some host siblings and the kids, at the orphanage

(l-r) Jason, Alberto, Dario, Ben, and Andrew at the orphanage

Parker and a friend

Playing with the kids

Sydney, her host sister Paula, and one of the boys come up with ideas for some face art

More games at the orphanage

Irene (Taylor's host sister), Taylor, and Rachel with some of the girls.  Sydney and Jason also join the picture

Parker provides the canvas for budding artists

Brendan and an admirer

Hike along Siete Cañadas (Tuesday, June 25)

The mar de nubes (sea of clouds), as seen on the bus ride up to Siete Cañadas

Nick, Araceli (Andrew's host sister), and Sergio (Nick's host brother)

Tired of the paparazzi, Taylor signals 'no more'

The group, just before starting the 11 mile hike

Beginning the hike in the light of the setting sun

Annie

Brendan looks for his shot

We feel small

Ben with Dario, one of his host brothers

The Bajada de Masca (Thursday, June 27)

The barranco at Masca.  The group hiked down the barranco to the ocean

Silhouette of the emblematic Canary palm

Yes, another group shot

And another

Rachel, Daniel, Nick, Sergio, and Raquel explore an overhang in the barranco

Grabbing a breather in the shade while Nick looks for guidance

Nick, Brendan, Ben, Taylor, and Robbie jump into the cool waters at the end of the hike

Ben, Dario, Nick, Alberto, and Robbie repeat the jump

Sydney, Miriam, and Paula

Alberto and Ben, while Parker climbs the ladder for another jump

Yes, it is that fun

Rachel

Back in Los Gigantes after the boat ride

Some of the boys, clowning around