Leaving Paradise

Adventures in Sailing are on campus yet the blog just updated recently (we recieved two emails today about the updates).

They have had an amazing experience. Check out their last two entries:     Heading Home and Last day in paradise

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Canvassing Landscapes

The Visual Journaling on the Edge of the World Winterim group has been diligently sketching and painting in Portugal during these past two weeks of Winterim. They have traveled around Portugal to Lisbon, Evora, Olhao, and Sintra, all while painting the landscapes and life that they see.

They have tried to keep up with their daily updates on their blog. They tell of their adventures in the city, the countryside, and the houses they have stayed in during their time in Portugal. They plan on returning to Boston tonight (Thursday) at around 8:00pm. We wish them safe travels on their return back and we hope that they come back with entertaining stories and beautiful paintings.

The Later Bird Gets the... Plane Back Home?

With the last few days of Winterim having come, travel groups who spent two weeks in places all around the world are now starting to arrive back at Lawrence Academy.

The trips returning today (Thursday, March 13) are:

- Adventures in Sailing will be returning to Boston at around 9:30 AM

- From the Ground Up will be returning to Boston at 3:31 PM

- Visual Journaling on the Edge of the World (Portugal) will be returning to Boston at around 7:30 PM

- Dominican Service Project will be returning to Boston at 9:26 PM

The trips returning tomorrow (Friday, March 14) are:

- Sports Journalism will be returning in the morning

- The System will be returning in the early afternoon

- Project Peru will be returning to Boston at around 3:30 PM

- Hawaii will be returning to Boston at 5:05 PM

- Kayaking in Costa Rica will be returning to Boston at 11:45 PM

- Underwater Discovery will be returning to Boston at around 12:00 AM

The Can You Dig It? group will be returning to Boston at 7:35 PM on Saturday.

On behalf on Lawrence Academy, we wish all of the Winterim groups a safe return.

Note: Times are based on the limited information that the Winterim Social Media Team has access to. Times are also subject to possible changes due to delays.

The Guinea Pig Eating, Stove-Builders Return to LA

Last night we received word from the Project Peru Winterim group as they arrived in Cusco after having spent the past five days in a rural Peruvian town:

We are back in Cuzco after an incredible 5 days in the tiny rural community of Patabamba. We spent most of our days building mud stoves for the members of the community - 11 total - and totally immersed ourselves into the Peruvian culture, including eating a feast of guinea pig, which garnered a new appreciation for making something "from scratch." We will have plenty of stories to tell and experiences to recount but for the time being I've attached a few photos that should hold you over until our return home on Friday. We start our long journey from Cuzco tomorrow -- it's bittersweet to be leaving as we are sad to depart Peru but excited to see you all back home!

The Peru group will be traveling from Cusco to Lima this afternoon and will depart from Lima later tonight. The group will be arriving back in Boston on Friday morning.

Wall Dive - Profound and Vast

We received another detailed summary from the Underwater Discovery Winterim Group.  Words can't describe the underwater world they've experienced, so we look forward to seeing more photos and video from them when they return.

Tanning With Tanner at South Water Caye, Belize.

A week and a half ago, we arrived in Belize. None of us imagined the experiences that we would soon undergo. It’s a shame that it will all be over so soon but all good things have to come to an end. Yesterday we completed our dive training. After a series of open water dives and some academic class work we have finally become certified open water divers. Today (Wednesday) was our first free dive. As a group we descended to around 70 feet.  We were wall diving which means we dove along the side of the reef wall. The marine ecosystem on the wall is profound and vast. It would be impossible to write down everything that caught our eye, but among some things that stood out we saw a sea turtle, lion fish, trumpet fish, moray eel, and tubular sponges as high as four feet. After our dive today Tanner and I put together a video of our experience on the island. We have learned so much on the island and most of that is because of the wonderful staff here at IZE. Everybody is engaged with one another and that has made it very easy to befriend the locals and develop relationships with them in such a short amount of time. And obviously we have all been getting tanner with Tanner. Special thanks to Winterim models Craig Waldie and Erik Ekberg

Sincerely, Adrian and Tanner

Final From the Ground Update

The From the Ground Up Winterim group sent us this final update about their last day in the Dominican Republic and their reflections on their time there:

Hello everyone!

It's hard to believe this trip is almost over! This will be our last update from the DR, as we are heading out early Thursday morning and heading back to the States. It's hard to imagine that we are coming back to snow after the wonderful sun and warmth we have been experiencing. If only we could take the weather back with us!

Our last day here was nothing short of amazing. The group woke up early to experience a spectacular sunrise together overlooking the ocean. We then headed out to La Laguna GriGri, where we took a boat through a mangrove estuary and saw not only the mangroves but some wildlife as well. We swam at two beautiful beaches, enjoyed a delicious lunch of fresh lobster, fish, chicken, rice, beans, and platanos, and enjoyed the warm weather as much as possible before heading back to the snow and ice that awaits us back home.

As we headed back to the Beach Comber, we were pleasantly surprised by a visit from LA alum Maritza Menjivar ('07), who is currently in the DR as well! She worked at LA in 2011-2012, so she knew many of the students, and they were excited to see her. She stayed with us for dinner, and then we had our final reflection together as a group. First, the students said a very heartfelt and thoughtful good-bye and thank-you (led by the seniors) to our guide, Luis, who has been with us the entire trip. Then, the students thought about their overall experience and journaled about their five biggest "take-away" moments from the trip, as well as how they would take what they learned from the trip and apply it to their lives back home. Their responses showed just how much they have truly grown during this trip, as well as how much their work in the community genuinely resonated with them. We will further discuss their plans for action on Friday when we have our last day on campus. As the students put it themselves, it is important we hold ourselves accountable to making a difference even after Winterim ends, and we very much plan to do just that.

To say it has been a pleasure being on this trip with this particular group of students would be a gross understatement. The bonding they have done, the work they have executed, the overall experience they have created for themselves, and the communities they have worked with is truly remarkable. It has been a Winterim that the students, as well as the leaders, will remember always.

Hasta manana,
Kacey and Rob

Immersed in the Wild

Imagine kayaking everyday in the middle of warm ocean waters and living among the lush green habitat of Costa Rica.

Our Kayaking in Costa Rica group is doing just that.  They are safe and having a great time. It is a wilderness immersion Winterim at its best with no access to technology.  During this second week they will kayak a little bit more in areas where they may spot dolphins and whales, take in the sites surrounding them and possibly white water raft.

A Puerto Jimenez Beach

Have no worries about this group; they are having a great time and we look forward to seeing their amazing photos upon their return. They return to Boston late Friday evening.

They Descend

Salyna posted on the LA Winterim FB page the update for Monday from Underwater Discovery. Check out that site to read about their first view of Nemo's home!

Post by Salyna Anza.

This update was received from Mr. Brescia and Andrew regarding yesterday's (Tuesday's) diving adventures:

Today (Tuesday), we became certified divers, which means it is our last day that we are obligated to be with an instructor at a depth of up to 60 feet. We spent a good portion of our dives at “the wall,” where we were on the edge of a 500- or 600-foot drop-off. We saw a host of marine life at this location of the reef, including barracudas, eagle rays, and parrot fish.

Declan Kelly, our dive master, began the day with instructions not to touch the bottom or come in contact with any of the coral, which we learned the other day is “built” by polyps acting like “microscopic masons.” We needed to practice only two skills in our first dive, mask removal at 45 feet and demonstrating how we had mastered neutral buoyancy using our oral inflater. This required that we remove our regulator two or three times in order to inflate our BCDs sufficiently to “hover” without touching the bottom.

On our first dive, we reached 60 feet and stayed there approximately 10 minutes before exploring the wall and then surfacing; on the second dive, we submerged at a different location of the same coral structure, and it was there that we all had our closest encounter with a spotted eagle ray, which glided by with much less effort than we needed to keep breathing while witnessing such grace. Nearly everyone took off their wet suits for the second dive to experience the gradual change in temperature during the descent. Ralph Flores, aka Tuff Love, challenged Mr. Brescia to a “game” of air consumption: he would descend with 600 psi and return with plenty of air when the rest of us would need no less than 1500 psi to complete the dive. Mr. Brescia surfaced with approximately 1200 psi and Ralph had 150, confirming that the dive masters have learned to consume a fraction of air needed by the rest of us.

Armed with a camera, Islambek Mussayev took nearly 100 photos, one of which features these two bloggers, Andrew Jean and Mr. Brescia. (see above)

At the end of our two dives, Declan gathered us all together for a group photo and told us to  be ready for our first open-water dive as fully certified open water divers tomorrow (Wednesday)!

Skimming the Ocean

Unlike our Underwater Discovery Winterim Group, whose adventures lie below the surface of the water, the Adventures in Sailing group coasts along the ocean surface learning how to maneuver a sailing vessel and observing marine and island life from above.

As reported on their blog entry, on Monday, they were able to snorkel along the reef in the Statia Marine Park.  This was after a morning of knot tying tests.  Later that day they enjoyed a dinner out off the boat with ice cream, a wonderful refreshing treat for the whole group.

On Tuesday their day began at 5 a.m. with a 3 hour hike up a volcano, "The Quill" (which should have taken them 6 hours!), and then continued with 7 hours of sailing over 38 miles of ocean to their next island!  Read more from their latest entry on their blog. This group is most definitely having an adventure of a lifetime.  We wish them continued good weather, calm seas and safe travels!

And the Moral of the Story is... You Can Trust the System? Man

Students standing at the Jefferson Memorial

On Monday morning, the System Winterim flew down to Washington D.C. and arrived safely at their hotel. That night, the group went for a walking tour around the D.C. area and saw locations such as the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.

Yesterday, the group traveled around the D.C. area to visit various people and places that are important in the United States Federal Government. The group will continue to travel around D.C. today, before they head home on Thursday.

The locations and people that the group visited yesterday and will visit today are: Congress, various legislators, the Supreme Court, the FBI, various attorneys, and various cabinet officials.

The goal of this Winterim was for students to see and understand the inner workings of the United States government and  the various levels of the Judicial System.

Vamos a la Playa

The From the Ground Up Winterim group has sent this update about their first day in a new part of the Dominican Republic, having left El Mango, the community they were working with for the first week and a half of Winterim:


Hola amigos!

Today (Tuesday) was bittersweet, as we left the mountains of Yasica for the playa (beach) of Las Canas. Although we were sad to say good-bye to the leaders and people we had met while working in the schools and on the construction site, everyone was excited to see a new part of the DR and experience Dominican life at the beach.

We arrived at the Beach Comber, which could not offer a more lovely or serene ocean view. After checking into our rooms, we headed to the Mariposa Foundation, where we met up with the other DR Winterim group and learned about the Foundation, as well as the project that group was working on. It was great for the students to see what other work was happening in the DR, as well as for them to have lunch and say hi to the other LA students! The Mariposa Foundation works with local girls and young women to help prevent generational poverty through education and support groups. It was beneficial for both Winterim groups to learn about the work each other had been doing and the many different ways to contribute to helping a community.

After lunch, we returned to the Beach Comber, where we had some truly genuine and thoughtful reflection time as a group. We focused specifically on what it felt like to be "the other" in a new place in terms of thinking about race, socioeconomic status, and language. We also discussed the importance of being "unplugged" this trip, and what it felt like for the students to not have technology (phones, tablets, Wi-Fi, etc). As they have done each evening with the reflections, the students impressed us with their insight and honesty. Students talked about how they realized for the first time how fortunate they are and how  much they take for granted. They also discussed the difference being "poor" and "living in poverty," meaning it's one thing to lead an empty life but have a lot of material possessions, versus if they lead a full, community-driven life, but not necessarily have a lot of material wealth. In terms of the technology, it was refreshing to hear how much they enjoyed not having their phones. This group has bonded in such a way that they have truly become a Winterim family, and they unanimously attributed that to the lack of available technology.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will be taking a boat tour to learn about the marine wildlife in this area, as well as visiting different beaches. We will have a culminating reflection and discuss a "Call to Action" plan, where we will encourage the students to take what they have learned from this trip and apply it to their lives back home.

This trip has been one to remember, and we know our last day here will not disappoint. We are looking forward to enjoying the last of our time in the DR, and we know the students are as well.

Sending ocean waves and warm breezes,
Kacey and Rob

Exciting End to Excavation

Today, Mr. Greene sent us the daily update from the Can You Dig It? Winterim, written by two of the students in the group:


Day 7

Day six at the dig site brought much excitement. Although it was unfortunately our last day digging, we kept up the enthusiasm and hard work. We continued to work in two groups. The group that worked in the barn was able to clear the floor and expose a new layer, and uncover a new wall at the end of the six days. Today the group even found two coins; finds that astonished our archeological instructors. At the end of the six days, the second group was able to find, expose and clear a collapsed wall in a part of the house, allowing us to reach a new layer and this group also was able to uncover another wall. Today, the second group was able to find more pottery and glass. After cleaning the whole site and removing the final loose rocks and soil, the group covered the site with tarps, packed up all the equipment and left the site in great condition for next year's lucky 'Can You Dig It?' members. We are excited to spend our last three days exploring the ancient and beautiful sites of Rome.

Written by: Taylor Scholefield and Meredith Long

Dancing With the Locals

After working hard at the community center and the local school, the From the Ground Up Winterim group departs El Mango and heads up the coast for their final two nights in the Dominican Republic. Mr. Moore sent us this update to let us know how everything went and what their plans are for the coming days:


Hello everyone,

Our final day in El Mango was fun and productive.  One group finished up at the school,  and the other worked at the construction site. Farewells at the school were emotional, and we have seen tangible results at the construction site that have given this community great momentum. Just our being here has motivated the people to come together to get this center built.

Dinner tonight was spectacular and our cooks pulled out all the stops and treated us to one incredible Dominican meal of arroz con maíz, carne de pollo guisado, puré de papas, arrepitas de yuca, pico de gallo, ensalada de tomates con vainitas, y ensalada rusa, y jugo de jagua. (Rice with corn, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, deep fried yuca, Dominican hot sauce, salad with tomatoes & green beans,  Russian potatoe salad, & jagua juice). And then we were served a Dominican sweet bean and sweet potato dessert  that was phenomenal! We have eaten very well!

After dinner entertainment included merengue dancing with the locals. Everyone in our group danced. Our guides commented that it rarely happens with a group of Americans that they all dance. We are very proud that our kids can step out of their comfort zones and have fun. And they've got good rhythm!

Tomorrow we head up to the coast for our final two nights in the DR.  The students have loved their time in the mountains and especially their work in El Mango at the school and at the construction site. We said goodbyes today in El Mango, and have given cards and gifts to some of the people that have made our wonderful experience possible.

We'll check in again tomorrow.

All the best,

Kacey and Rob

A Step into Dominican Culture

After a week of hard work with the Mariposa Foundation, Ms. MacMeekin sent another update about the Dominican Service Project Winterim's trip and their plans for the following week:

Buenos Dias!

It has been a pretty fantastic couple of days here in the DR!  Friday we got more work done on the building we are working on and the kids worked really hard.  We took the weekend to immerse ourselves in the culture and get to know the local community a little more.

Saturday we went to La Boca, which is where the river dumps into the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a great spot because on one side of the beach we had fresh water, and about 60 meters across was the Atlantic.  We spent the morning learning about the river, fishing and swimming. After lunch, we walked along the beach and learned how to catch spider crabs.

Sunday we spent in the countryside on a farm.  We learned about growing cacao, and the process for turning it into chocolate.  We had a traditional Dominican lunch on the farm which was delicious! We had to change our plans a little because the rain had made it too slippery to walk around the farm, but that's what you get during rainy season.

After the farm, we spent a little time in a local lagoon, learning about the mangroves.  Again, weather and rough water changed our plans but we still learned a lot and had fun!

Today (Monday) we are back to work.  We are going to try and get as much building done as possible so that tomorrow we just have to do the small touch up jobs.  Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.  We have an early morning so we can have a breakfast farewell with la maripositas, the younger girls in the program, because we won't see them on Wednesday. Also, the other winterim group in the Dominican is coming to join us for lunch. We have a lot left to get done but everyone is working together and we will get it done.

Hope all is well in the US!

DR Community Trabajo y Juego

It seems like the From the Ground Up Winterim group has been working all day long, but they still have time to balance their work (trabajo) and play (juego).

Ms. Schneider and Mr. Moore have been sending daily updates to the parents of the students in the From the Ground Up Winterim. Here are all the updates so far:


March 4th:

Hello parents!

Well this has been quite the morning to start our Dominican adventure! Luckily, everything has worked out, and we will still be arriving in the DR today -- just a little later than possible, as I'm sure many of you have already heard from your students. Below are our new flight times. We have already been in contact with Lawrence Academy and the organization we are staying with in the DR, so everyone is aware of the new situation, and everyone has adapted their plans to accommodate the new flights.

Best,

Kacey and Rob

March 5th:

Hello again everyone!

Well, we finally made it! We are here, safe and sound, in the DR! Woohoo! Rob and I have all of the students passports and cell phones. We are staying in Santiago for the night since we arrived so late, and they put us up in quite a nice hotel, which is great. We will leave tomorrow morning for El Centro Fusimana, where we will be staying for the remainder of our trip. We will be sure to email again when we arrive there.

Once we arrive at Fusimana, we will have a better sense of our WiFi capabilities. However, we are hoping to send in blog posts and updates on a daily basis. We will be sure to let you know about that tomorrow as well!

Have a good night! Adios!

Kacey and Rob

March 6th:

Hola everyone!

Our trip continues to be a success! The students had their first full day of service work today, and it went great (but they are certainly tired!) For the morning, half of the students worked with students in a local school, and half of the students worked on building a community center. We joined together for lunch, and then we switched groups. The students loved working at the school and have discovered a newfound respect for manual labor by working on the community center! Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable day.

Tomorrow will be similar, and we will also be playing volleyball with locals. Wish us luck! Unfortunately, we will not be able to send the full updates we were hoping to each day because of the fact that there is no WiFi here. However, we will be sending short updates each day via an iPhone. If you need to be in contact with us, you can still email us (we will be briefly checking each day), or you can call.

Continuing to send sunshine and warmth your way!

Rob and Kacey

March 7th:

Buenas noches,

We had another great day in the DR. The group continues to impress us, spirits are good, and everyone is learning a lot and doing their best. Today we worked in a new school, continued our job at the community center, then topped off the day with basketball and volleyball with local kids, followed by another excellent dinner and a very thoughtful and deep reflection time. We look forward continuing our work through the weekend and will send another update mañana.

Everyone is healthy, the food is great, and we're on our way to accomplishing our goals.

Saludos,
Kacey & Rob

March 8th:

Hola,

The group had another productive day.  We got up early and went to the construction site, and we worked hard until around 1. During the morning work session we took a break to walk down the road with some neighborhood kids to buy some refreshments and also took a break to enjoy some sugarcane that our local host farmer cut for us. That was a first for most. After our productive morning, we got back to our lodging at Centro Fusimaña for a late lunch. After lunch was free time and 7 of the students went to a Peace Corp workshop on health and gender roles that was very interesting. Around 5 we took on a Dominican team in basketball and not even the heroics of Emily Pratt could get us the victory, but we had fun and made more friends. Tomorrow we head to the city of Santiago to visit a famous museum, and we will also visit a monument for the Mirabal sisters here in the mountains (not far from our lodging). The group continues to enjoy each other's company and learn a lot. Our evening reflection times have been powerful. It has been around 85 and sunny each day.

All the best,

Kacey & Rob



March 9th:

Greetings,  Today we took the bus to Santiago and had a super visit at the museum. On the way back we visited Trujillo's summer home and the memorial for the Mirabal Sisters. What a different kind of day it was from service learning!  Tourism is not as much fun, so it's back to work tomorrow at the school and construction site in El Mango. Spirits are great, and the group is still enjoying each other and staying positive. Tonight after dinner, our guide Luis taught us how to dance Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue. Very cool. We all loved it.

All the best,
Kacey & Rob

TRIPLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY!

After the long first five days of Winterim, Ms. Cronin sent the following update about how the Project Peru Winterim's trip has gone so far:

We have had an awesome first part of our Winterim! After arriving in Ollantaytambo, we visited an orphanage and split into groups to do games and crafts with the kids there. We definitely gave our Spanish a workout and the kids at the orphanage gave us a workout! Running at 11,000ft was not easy! After lunch we took some of the kids to a local pottery studio. We learned about the process they use and got to make our own tiles. While we were glazing our masterpieces, a triple rainbow appeared over the town of Urubamba!

Yesterday (Thursday) we explored the town of Ollantaytambo and the ruins located in the town. They we explored the local shops and markets before our train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The train ride was gorgeous! Snow-capped peaks and beautiful scenery everywhere you looked.

Today (Friday) we visited Machu Picchu and climed up Huayanu Picchu (the tallest mountain overlooking the ruins). Although it was rainy and foggy, the kids never lost their enthusiasm and we played hide and seek with the vistas a bit.

We are spending tonight in Cusco before heading out to the rural community where we will be volunteering. We will have no access to technology while we are there, and we will be able to experience how rural Peruvians live. Everyone is looking forward to this.

Every night our group shares their "high" and "low" for the day, and also a word that describes their day or an experience. Here is tonight's list:

Cailey - awe
Takuto - climbing
Tim - open height
Cornelius - ancient
Jason - discovery
Nick - trains
Chase - mystical
Ms. Cronin - past
Mr. Igoe - panoramic
Charlotte - conquering fears
Marcus - glaciers
Peter - engulfed
Julia - new heights
Kalyn - spectacular
Meghan - selfie
Jaly - satisfied
Keiya - appreciation

From Saturday through Wednesday, the Peru Winterim group will be staying in Patabamba, a rural Peruvian community, to help with tasks such as cleaning stoves and teaching children English.

Under the Sea...Down Where it's Wetter

The group in Belize has been able to communicate with us regularly.  If you are following the Lawrence Academy Facebook page, then you've probably read some of their posts about coconut grinding, practice diving, and discovering giant hermit crabs!

Grinding coconut

Day 7 at South Water Caye, Belize

Today (Saturday) was our second time scuba diving and we did confined water dive at about 14 feet. We did some skills under the water, starting from the oral inflation of the BCD to cramp removals, but most of the people found it the most difficult to swim 30 feet without the masks. Luckily, everybody passed the swimming test!

We caught a hermit crab just off the shore of the island. Also, we found a mollusk and the cooks made us ceviche on the spot. Tomorrow, we will go on our first open water dive at 25 feet!! And on Wednesday we will do our final dive at around 60 feet and observe the second largest coral reef in the world.

-Islambek & Jin

Dive instruction

Island Hopping in the Caribbean

The group in Caribbean Sea is updating their blog regularly - check it out to get the most updated information and see their amazing photos of their trip.

These are the titles and links of their posts from most recent to less recent:

• Brimstone Fortress
• On to St Kitts
• Into the Wind
• Yacht Orientation
• The journey begins
• Arrival in Paradise

Digging Up History

The Can You Dig It? Winterim group has been excavating a dig site for the past week, making history come alive by physically digging it up and studying it, as opposed to looking at pictures of it in a textbook at home. This is a unique experience that these students get to have and it is one that they can gain a wealth of knowledge from.

Mr. Greene, on behalf of the Can You Dig It? Winterim group, sent us their daily blog entries over the weekend along with some group pictures from Italy:

Ciao, Lawrence Community!!

Here are entries for Days 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. I've also attached a couple of photos of us at the dig site and Tolfaccia. 

Day 2

We started by going to our dig site. This area is a mountain in which there used to be a medieval town that was destroyed by the Pope. We hiked to the top of the mountain where there was a spectacular view. We hiked down the mountain and were introduced to our site. We split into to two groups and we were given our areas in different rooms of the house. Next we had to clean our areas to get a clean surface. Then we began to dig for a little bit and saw basic pieces of pots and such that would be lying towards the surface of the house. Finally we went back to the dorm and played a riveting game of spoons (card game). Then we had a marvelous dinner down the street. We had antipasti, caprice salad, and an assortment of meats for our entrée. Lastly, we went back to the dorm and enjoyed a game of foosball and went to bed.

Day 3

On the third day in Italy, we got right to digging.  Most of the time was spent digging out the remaining walls of the house.  A small group was able to actually start digging in a pit in the middle of the house. In this pit they found all kinds of things such as parts of pottery and old screws. After we were done for the day at the dig site we went straight to a museum in the town of Allumiere. At this museum we saw artifacts that were found at dig sites like ours.  Some of these artifacts dated back to prehistoric times. We then went to dinner at the same restaurant. We had antipasti and then as an entrée we had manicotti. We then finally went back to the dorm and to bed after an exhausting day.

Day 4

Day three for digging, began with an early home cooked breakfast. We proceeded to head to the dig site were the laboring began. The main goal of day three was to begin finding the different layers of earth in the site. The process involved working from the walls into the middle. The walls were essential because they were able to tell us a lot of the function of the rooms we were working in. Near the wall we were able to find many artifacts that consisted of 15^th century pottery and other things like screws and hinges. We also dug up a lot of earth adjacent to the wall we worked on and found artifacts that included a glazed white plate with detailed blue flowers and the handle to an ancient cup. After our hard day of digging we traveled from the dig site to the grocery store in Allumiere. At the store we bought different snacks chocolates and foods to enjoy. We then went back to our dorms at the top of the hill in Allumiere and got ready for dinner. We finished the day with a replenishing and delicious meal after our digging.

Day 5

We began our fourth day at the dig site by continuing to excavate the structure of the building. After a few hours, we helped our hosts prepare a barbecue for lunch. We enjoyed our lunch on a sunny hillside with a beautiful view of the mountains overlooking the Mediterranean. After a much-needed break, we returned to the dig site and made some more progress. Using larger tools such as shovels or pick-axes and smaller ones like trowels and brushes, the group is making a lot of progress unearthing the structure. After finishing our work at the site, we were treated to gelato in Allumiere.

Day 6

Day five at the dig site, we continued to work in our designated zones. One group finally uncovered another layer of soil, called "strato" in Italian, and removed several of the larger rocks that were plaguing the area. The second group finally solved the missing wall conundrum. With that, they found the place where the walls met, and started to remove the rocks of the fallen wall in the room. People have found numerous amounts of artifacts, and today we found bones. We also had another day of sunny weather, which meant warm showers back at the solar powered dormitory. We have plans to go to dinner at the restaurant where we have become regulars, eating dinner there each night of our trip thus far. Tomorrow is our last day at the dig site; we will focus on removing the rock and finding some more artifacts. Maybe we will find some treasure!? 

Written By: Connor McManus, Meghan Zaloudek, Christian Hernandez, Kyle Gillen-Hughes, Paul Schnebly, Callie Parsons, Arnold Wang, and Clare Noone