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Lending a Hand this Summer

by James :: Tuesday June 7, 2005

My Thacher career feels like it’s dwindling down to the end right before my eyes. I can’t believe my career here is already half over!

I feel that I ended the year strong, making it through the home stretch of finals without too much difficulty. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of jubilation that you get when you walk out of that last final knowing that you studied as hard as you possibly could and pushed yourself to the best of your abilities.

This summer I hope to push my internal boundaries outside of the classroom as well. In August I’m off to South America to the Urubamba Valley of Peru which hugs the ancient Andes Mountains near Machu Pichu. With Visions, a teen travel agency, I will go finish building a firehouse in the local village and start on the construction of the local pre-school for three weeks. On the weekends, I will go explore the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Pichu while submerging myself into the local culture, tasting such local delicacies as Guinea Pig and learning the local language of Quechua while at the same time brushing up on my Spanish.

Before that, in July, I’ll be heading to the Caribbean where I’ll stay for a month on the small island of Roatan, part of the Bay Island chain, off the coast of Honduras, where my mother was born. My family is quite familiar with the island, having made four trips there in the last three years. I received my open water SCUBA diver qualification there, and hope to receive my Rescue Diver qualification this summer. I’ll provide my family with a little more safety (!) while learning valuable CPR and first AID instruction.

Right now, I’m back in Bakersfield where I’m volunteering at the M.A.R.E riding center while working at my father’s farm. M.A.R.E stands for Mastering Abilities Riding Equine. Since I ride a fair amount at Thacher, I hope to offer any help I can in helping physically and mentally disabled children learn how to ride. The program believes, and I agree that there is something therapeutic, both physically and mentally, to being on a horse that helps children to reach goals they once considered unachievable. I know that riding sure helped me relax at Thacher! By gaining knowledge and experience in this program, I hope to start something similar at Thacher. I figure that we have the resources and commitment that such a program requires.

I’ll let you know how that goes when I return. Til then, see ya in September!

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