Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

It has been an exciting first week in Mexico for Cast B.  Impactful service projects, beautiful beach days, sightseeing, a “rockin” show, and not to mention the delicious Mexican food!  I think it’s safe to say that in our last 7 days here in LaPaz, Cast B may have consumed over 1,000 tacos, enchiladas, tamales, and burritos…nothing wrong with beef tacos for breakfast.  Our beneficiary for this week is Mobilize Mankind.  They are a non-profit organization, that is single handedly changing the lives of disabled children, men, and women in the Cabo San Lucas/La Paz region of Mexico.  They bring donated wheelchairs, prosthetics, and other mobilizing devises from the US and give them to those in need.  They are educating mexican families with disabilities and continuing to bring the awareness into the public eye.  One of our groups had the chance to see the operations of Mobilize Mankind and even help to build new wheelchairs.  Other projects including the revitalization of the stadium we performed in, including painting over graffiti, as well as visiting a Mexican retirement community to spend time with the elderly.

Tuesday was spent with the entire cast at a local beach.  We had some serious “fun in the sun” as we swam, played beach football, snorkeled, and just relaxed on the sand.  We also had time to explore the city of La Paz including visiting a local history museum, and a beautiful church.

As for our show this weekend…All I can say is Wow!  Imagine a giant outdoor baseball stadium full of people.  We had around 3,000 in attendance and the show was great.  The new line-up in Mexico included the “Mexican Medley”…a string of popular Mexican songs and dances, as well as 3 other UWP original songs done in spanish.  The weather was looking poor for most the day, but somehow cleared up just in time for the 9:00 PM performance.  It was all very exciting!

Were off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico…All the way at the southern most point of the Baja Peninsula, just 150 miles south of La Paz.  Cast B is ready to continue the adventure and travel south.  Stay tuned for what is sure to be another wild week “south of the border”…Viva la Mexico!

After many hours of travel and a few small delays, Cast B has arrived in LaPaz, Mexico.  Our cast officially began the 2008 Mexico tour on Monday August 18th, and have since been working hard (and playing hard) in LaPaz.  

The weather is HOT, the city is beautiful, and the Mexican food, well…pretty much amazing. There are many CI (Community Impact) projects around the city this week, along with regional learning, and some major Mexican show preparation.  I won’t spoil the great stories for you just yet, more student blogs to come later this week…

Adios!

The first day of staging…we arrived in Denver, waited anxiously for our host famalies to pick us up, all the while wondering what they would be like…would we get along with our roommates?  In the blink of an eye, our first show was over, and we had to say our goodbyes to these very same people who had opened their lives to us for one month.  It was definitely not easy.  While we were excited about getting on the road, we did not want to part with them yet.  Amidst tears and farwell hugs, we boarded the bus and began our journey on the road.  

We were busy again in no time as we reached our first city on the road, Summit County, Colorado.  Community impact work, marketing and promotions, dance workshops, education, the UWP show,  and getting to know our new host families and roommates.  In Up with People, time seems to fly by so quickly, yet we always get so much accomplished and have so many great experiences.  We have bonded together as a cast…Cast B.  We are looking forward to creating more memories and making an impact in Mexico!  Bon Voyage…

Cindi Wirawan

Singapore

After some tearful goodbyes with our staging host families, Cast B 2008 boarded the two buses that would take us to the first city of our tour, Summit County, Colorado. But before we reached the first of many destinations, we stopped along the way to do some Regional Learning. Regional Learning is one of the components in the Up with People program where we learn about the communities in which we will serve through tours and various activities. This day, we stopped in Idaho Springs, Colorado which is really interesting, because the look and feel of the town is more along the lines of the Old West. In fact, when we first drove through, the theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly whizzed through my brain.  We were let loose to go to the various coffee shops in the area, and also to take a look at a waterwheel that was built by a colorful character by the name of Charlie Taylor, “who attributed his health to the fact that he never kissed women or took a bath.”

After touring Downtown Idaho Springs, we traveled to the nearby Phoenix Mines. When we arrived, we were greeted by our host Al…A life long miner, whose family has owned the mines for generations. We split into groups of around 20, to either pan for gold, or tour the mine. It was interesting, because for our cast, panning for gold turned into panning for iron pyrite, or mica, which is more commonly referred to as Fool’s Gold, because, well, you’re a fool if you believe it’s gold. Fools Gold looks like real gold, but is much flakier than the real stuff. After striking it poor with the Fool’s Gold, it was off to meet Mark for our mine tour. Inside, Mark explained the process of gold mining, and how they separate the ore into different metals by heating it up to various temperatures. During one part of our tour, he offered a few of us the chance to chisel away at some of the rock in order to plant blasts of dynamite. According to Mark, before the days of dynamite, it would take a team of miners all day to chisel their way through 20 feet of rock. Very interesting stuff!

So to conclude, on behalf of Cast B 2008, we would like to thank the people of Idaho Springs, Colorado, and Al, Harry, and Mark for educating us on the rigors of gold mining.

Well…Another not-so-ordinary day in the life of an Up with People student…

Stewart Caswell

Belfast, Maine, USA