Just yesterday we came across an amazing article about high school students and volunteering.

Actually it’s an article and a debate about the question: ‘’ Should high school students be required to volunteer in community service projects?’’ 

 Well do they? There are all kinds of projects available, whether you’ll teach children English, or teach kids how to swim or surf, you could also just play with them. This doesn’t only benefit the children but a student that wants to become a teacher will have a great opportunity to apply their course line into practice. This way they will gain experiences and by the end of their education they will have already done something to enrich themselves. Of course the work students do in the communities is connected with what they are learning in school.

We have had several interns in the past that gained experience in their field of study.

There are many things they help with at the center located in Bambu, including teaching English to the families who work there, children and adults from town, translating for the tours, helping to build marketing material, planting flowers and trees, general maintenance, and the planning & fulfilment of cultural activities. Also the Spanish language skills of the students will highly increase during their stay in Costa Rica.  Students who want a teaching degree will have an opportunity to apply their course line.

At our Wildlife Rescue Center we provide quality Spanish language classes (optional) at our on-site language school

Well so far the poll is 58 % Yes and 42 % says No. How will this turn out?

(Read the article)

One sore subject in Costa Rica -- and around the world -- is the rising cost of basic food. Our basic food basket here in Costa Rica during the first quarter of 2008 rose 13.3%. This basket is made up of 10 items, such as rice, beans, vegetables and eggs.

Of course the subject is complicated and there are several factors leading to this constant rise. This includes the ever-increasing oil cost, the fact that

Also contributing to the problem is the fact that Costa Rica has had a long-term dependency on imports and holds a terrible score on supporting local production and farming. This is supposedly about to change. The Arias administration announced at the end of last month a plan to promote national production and to come up with solutions to help the poor cover food costs.

The average Costa Rican earns 259,722 colones -- or about $529 USD according to a recent study by the Spanish-language daily, Al Dia. And as a family of four needs about 447,788 ($911) to cover basic monthly expenses, such as transportation, mortgage, utilities, and food -- it's a struggle for the average family to just "get by."

Acknowledging that something has to be done is a great first step. But I'm afraid that putting measures into place could take a very long time. In the meantime, there are a great number of people who can't afford to eat. And they certainly can't afford to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Long-term, we're talking about some potential health issues as well.

I'm willing to bet that the average tourist would be surprised to find out that over 500,000 children under the age of 17 are living in poverty in Costa Rica, according to the University of Costa Rica. Overall, it's estimated that 22% overall live in poverty here.1

More shocking is knowing how many people live on less than two dollars a day, which is almost 10% of the population.2 Living under $1 per day you'll find 3.3% of the population. That's approximately 140,000 people.3

These are exactly the people whom Tropical Adventures is targeting their efforts. We don't feel like we can "save the world," but a little at a time we strive to share tools by which families, groups and communities can find sustainable ways to live -- and the opportunity to share what they are learning with others. Pictured in this blog entry are children we have provided food to, as well as a picture of some of our volunteers handing out baby formula.

We only hope that together we can make a difference. Food is such a basic part of living. There aren't many more painful things than to see a family -- especially a child -- who has nothing to eat.

1 - 1990-2004. Human and income poverty: developing countries / Population living below the national poverty line (%), Human Development Report 2007/08, UNDP

2 - 1990-2005. Human and income poverty: developing countries / Population living below $2 a day (%), Human Development Report 2007/08, UNDP

3 - 1990-2005. Human and income poverty: developing countries / Population living below $1 a day (%), Human Development Report 2007/08, UNDP

Here at the Tropical Adventures Foundation, your safety is our primary concern. In the event of any emergency, please use the following information to contact us here in Costa Rica. Please be aware that we not only live in a developing nation where communication and technology are inconsistent, but we also work in remote areas.

We do most often answer the phone, but in the event you can't reach us, please leave us a message on more than one number and we will get back with you just as soon as possible.

Our office numbers are:

• +1-800-832-9419, ext 301 or 302  (Toll-Free from USA and Canada)
• +506 2575-0410                         (Direct International Number)

If you can't reach anyone in the office (nights, weekends, holidays), please start calling people from this list:

• Susan Schuetze, Tour Coordinator             +506 8358-6161
• Scott Pralinsky, Executive Director            +506 8868-0296
                                    US number          +1-218-506-TICO (8426)  

Could it be true? Well 60,000 who have been cured so far think so! But let me back up. A friend of mine from Miami had been diagnosed with cancer (for the fourth time). He heard about a guy in Cuba who uses scorpion venum to cure people who have cancer. Two weeks after starting on the treatment, his cancer disappeared (though he had to keep consuming the venum for six months to complete the treatment).

It all started back in 1992 when this guy, Jose Felipe Monzon, was trying desperately to help his 28 year old daugther, Niurys. She had been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and it had spread despite two years of chemotherapy, radiation treatment and three operations. He says that doctors had given up, but he wasn't ready to. (Read more of the story here.)

The best part? This guy now helps anyone and everyone -- for FREE! Though most people pay what they can for the help. The only catch is you have to travel to Cuba to see him. But I'd say it's worth it if it works!

What a long few weeks! As you know by now, I just got out of the hospital. I ended up being in there for 5 days. In the end, they think I had 2 different infections. One viral, like meningitis, and the other bacterial in my respiratory system, like streptococcus.

I had been sick for about 15 days earlier. I had (and still do) awful headaches, pain behind the eyes, sensitivity to light, was bruising easily and was nauseas. Most of the time I was in the hospital, I was sleeping. This whole thing has really worn me out. I’ve been home now 3 days and still haven’t been out of bed very much. My head and neck are in lots of pain.

The surprising news was that I only paid about $3,000 for all of the many tests, doctors, medications, and a private room for five days. Though that didn’t initially sound like too much to me, I realized that it’s more money than many people in Costa Rica make in a year. Hopefully my insurance will cover part of this.

I guess the worst part was how I have felt over the last 23 days. But beyond that, the hardest part was just letting go of all the “important” things I was supposed to have been doing. Sadly, it took something this serious to remind me to take good care of myself.

Anyhow, I’m home now. I’m slowly getting things back together. If I owe you an email or a phone call, please be patient. I’m way behind on everything.

Isn't this card cute? You probably can't read the words. It says, "From what the doctor said, you'll be back under my feet in no time!"

Also cute is the new name I've been given. "DeyBi Pedrinsk" is the name on my records here at the hospital in Costa Rica. I've actually been in here for 4 days now. Tomorrow will be day 5 and I hope to go home. I stopped by on Saturday because I'd been having awful headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light for way too long. Over 15 days. I know, stupid. I don't always take care of myself like I should.

We went through many iterations and guesses as to what might be ailing me. First they thought Dengue Fever, then Meningitis, later kidney stones. A million tests and four days later they think it's some kind of a virus similar to meningitis. Oh goodie. It sure has knocked me off my feet! This is the first time I've ever been in a hospital that wasn't for a scheduled surgery.

All-in-all it hasn't been that bad. Well, the experience wasn't that pleasant. But the staff and facilities have been great. There certainly were times I thought I was just dying or that my body was being ravaged by some flesh-eating (or at least muscle-eating) disease. The headaches were certaily the worst though.

I'm in a private hospital in a private room. I have no idea what it's going to cost me. Hopefully insurance will cover some of it. God knows they still haven't reimbursed us for the money from the house theft yet. More later when I have an update about my health and costs.

Am I ever bummed out. I went out on Saturday night with friends I hadn't seen in ages. I guess I let loose a bit too much. I woke up Sunday morning (two hours after going to bed, of course) puking like crazy. I spent the next 8 hours alternating between puking every 20 minutes and going back to bed. I was sure I'd at least wake up today feeling better. WRONG. At least I'm not puking anymore, but I sure am sick still.

This all comes after being in bed all day on Friday with a migraine. I had been so excited about being here in San Francisco to see my family and to go to Ikea and buy some new curtains. I've only seen John, Hai-Nhu and the new baby once. And I sure haven't gone to Ikea! Now I can't wait to get home tomorrow and sleep some more. I'm never drinking again! (Heard that one before?)

Some 20%-50% of international travelers develop diarrhea, including me. It can really ruin a vacation. As I've dealt with it all my life, I have come up with the best way to prevent it -- for me. I offer it here not as medical advice, but in hopes that my experience may help make your travel safer and more enjoyable.

One website you may want to check out is from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to them, several studies have shown that bismuth subsalicylate (such as Pepto-Bismol) taken as either 2 tablets 4 times daily or 2 fluid ounces 4 times daily reduces the incidence of travelers' diarrhea. At times this has worked for me. But I have to admit, the majority of time it did not work.

Furthermore, they say some antibiotics administered in a once-a-day dose are 90% effective at preventing travelers' diarrhea. This normally does work for me. I take 100mg of doxycycline per day starting about one day before I travel, up until a couple days after my return. More info on doxycycline here.

In addition, I take a product from Merk called Perenterol. It's non-pathogenic yeast, saccharomyces boulardii, that is recognized to have probiotic effectiveness. I recognize it for saving myself many hours in the bathroom! I found a good info sheet on this drug you may want to read. It warns you not to drink alcohol when taking this, as it kills the yeast. Other name brands of this yeast are: Jarrow, Biocodex and Thiemann. I take one pill (200mg) twice a day for three days starting 2 days before I travel. I also take an additional three days at 2 pills per day at the end of my trip staring about one day before I head back home.

Again, I can't provide you with medical advice legally. I'm just sharing with you what works for me. Check with your doctor before self-medicating.

Here in Costa Rica, all of the above are available over-the-counter and are not expensive at all. Remember, prevention is good medicine!

Since we're on the subject of the cost of living, I wanted to throw my two cents in about something. Though many things here in Costa Rica (such as automobile and electronics) are more expensive than other parts of the world, I am still amazed at innexpensive other things are.

For instance, I had not been feeling well for about a month. Suddenly my symptoms got much worse yesterday. The last thing I wanted to do was to drive to San Jose, which is over an hour away, and wait in an emergency room. My housekeeper took it upon herself to call a local doctor. I didn't even know there were any doctors where I live in Paraiso de Cartago!

The doctor actually came to my house 10 minutes later. He perfomed an examination, scheduled tests (also nearby) and wrote me a prescription. All for $24. Amazing! What's even more amazing is that my prescription cost only $1 to fill.