AAVE Trip BLOG » 2007 » August
August 24, 2007
Costa Rica Was the BEST!
Posted by AAVE Parent in : Costa Rica Clasica, Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
Hi AAVE!!
Kaitlin just raved about the trip to Costa Rica and loved you the BEST as well as Angelo. Annemarie sure made a difference in her life. What an Adventure!! And it surely did leave footprints on her heart. Tell me, if we were to select next summer another opportunity for KK what would you suggest? I know she would love to visit Europe, however, she wants to use her language too!! Anything in South America or closer? Or is Spain a great way to go? She will be contacting you and as you can see she is wise beyond her years with great leadership skills and very responsible. I wanted her to have fun and just be a teenager. She just told me she cried the 1st two nights home. Re-entry is sometimes difficult after a mountain top experience! Thanks for all who contributed to this experience and your leadership was appreciated..sincerely,
Lise C.
August 20, 2007
CSI2-A Costa Rican Summer
Posted by AAVE Camper in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
August 17, 2007
Ultimate Hawaii - Happy Camper!
Posted by AAVE Camper in : General AAVE Trip BLOG, Ultimate Hawaii , add a comment
Hey AAVE,
My name is Camille Spalding, and I finished Ultimate Hawaii a few weeks ago. Being on Ultimate Hawaii gave me so much more to take home than I ever imagined it could. The friends I made, the natives I met, the sights I saw, and even some of the food I ate made this trip extremely special to me. Out of everything, however, my trip leaders Ian Saunders and Ally Raber made the trip what is was. They added enthusiasm, spirit, passion, energy, laughter, motivation, and knowledge to every single aspect of the trip. I have been on previous adventure trips, and I know from experience that bad leaders result in bad trips. Well, Ian and Ally made my trip one hundred times more amazing than it ever could have been without them. Ian always had an answer to every single question we had. I’m not gonna lie, many of our questions were pretty stupid, but he put up with it! He taught us how to stake tents so we wouldn’t get rained on, how to open our eyes to different things and opinions, and most importantly, how versatile a sarong is! Without Ian, I couldn’t have survived the trip. He was always there, and taught us so many important values and lessons. And ooh Ally… her smile was not only contagious, but it was CONSTANTLY on her face. I truly admire Ally’s positivity and genuine compassion for each of us. Ally, the junior leader, did everything for the first time, just like us kids; however, it seemed as though she knew exactly what she was doing. Being a native of Hawaii, Ally knew what she was doing! I feel as if I could laugh with Ally like she was my friend rather than my leader. She has so much potential to be an amazing senior leader. I only knew Ally for three weeks, and I feel like she is the big sister I never had. I could go on and on about these two leaders, but I just want you to know that you made no mistake in hiring Ian and Ally. I want to thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to meet them. AAVE gave me an experience that I will never forget.
- Camille
August 13, 2007
Bold Europe #2A - France, Spain, Italy!
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : Bold Europe, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
Hello Bold Europe Families!
Sort, Spain:
Leaving France, we headed for Sort, Spain where we camped for 4 nights. It was a relief getting to a nice campsite after a long drive and knowing that we were going to do our laundry. Our first day started off with canyoning. Alejandro and Baldo, the instructors, made canyoning fun and easy despite the wetsuits that made us feel like granolas. The next day was a full day of rafting. The views wer beautiful, and the adventure intense. Continuing our journey in Sort we kayaked putting our coordination to the test. After, we participated in a community service project as we paddled our kayaks and picked up trash around the lake to preserve the wildlife and improve recreational opportunities. We rewarded our hard work by dancing the night away in Sort. We all had a good time dancing together and it was a good way to end our last night in Sort along with everyone sleeping outside under the stars.
Barcelona:
Hola from Barcelona! In Barcelona we stayed at a really nice hostel for 2 nights. Once we got to our rooms we relaxed and showered. The next day was full of sightseeing. It started off in the Gaudi-designed Guell Park where we saw all the colorful mosaics, the long bench and the iguana. Along the way we made our usual ice cream stop and continued to the amazing La Sangrada Familia. After sightseeing we took a long walk to the beach - but it was definitely worth it! Dinner was at the beach once everyone dried off after tanning and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Las Ramblas was next, which was an interesting experience between shopping and seeing the people perform in the street. Barcelona ended with eating paella and having a fun last night in an awesome hostel.
Leaving Barcelona we returned to France and a campsite with mountains surrounding us in every direction. This marked the half way point in the trip. The first day began with rock climbing. It was a great accomplishment getting to the top beacause it was steep and slippery. Our next activity was mountain biking with our really funny instructor, Dominique. We started warming up first doing little obstacles and competing who could bike the slowest without stopping. Some biked with ease while others struggled more, but the ride was mostly downhill so it was fun for everyone. The highlight of the bike ride was riding downhill with the wind in our hair surrounded by vineyards and nice views. It was an active two-day stay, and we were ready to relax near Nice!
The French Riviera is amazing! On the way to the hostel we got to see the beach with the light blue Mediterranean. Once we got to the hostel we met up with a lady called Geraldine who told everyone that we could call her anytime if we wanted anything. Before the next day we did our second laundry stop. The long day ended on a good note when we all went out for ice cream by the beach for Hilary’s birthday. In the morning we all got a taste of breakfast in France with hot chocolate. Later we split into groups to shop and have lunch. It was really funny watching Hilary jump into the fountain while others in other group had fun jumping on the big trampoline in the middle of the park! In the afternoon we all met up at the beach where we just relaxed or swam in the water.
The Mercantour:
Via Ferrata was a new activity for everyone which we tried after leaving Nice. At first it looked really crazy because it is literally climbing vertically up a mountain wall attached on ropes and climbing metal bars. We had a lot of fun though and it was great to see those who had a fear of heights keep going. Then we went to our new campsite which was really cool because we were surrounded by mountains and had a river to hang out by. Later we went canyoning for the second time of the trip. It was a long, hot hike to the canyon with our gear on our backs but it was lovely to get in the water once we arrived at the canyon. This time there were more jumps into the water and more slides and swimming. Some of the jumps were nerve-racking but everyone cheered and encouraged each other to do it so it was fulfilling. “Little Buddy” the bag also came with us to hold our stuff and do the jumps. After canyoning, the next two days were spent in the wilderness on the border between France and Italy. When we got there we met our guides, David and Johanne. David was really cool with dreadlocks and a lot of knowledge about the area. We went on a hike and David showed us the different berries, plants and animals in the area and we ate blueberries and red currants straight off the bushes. Dinner that night was the best one yet because David cooked so well for us. Then we went to bed in tee-pees. The next morning we woke up at 6am for an all day hike up a mountain. Then we returned to our campsite and prepared to begin the final leg of our journey in Italy Europa…
Written by Britney and Elisa
Wild Coast Discovery #2A - Photo
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : General AAVE Trip BLOG, Wild Coast Discovery , 4 comments
August 10, 2007
Aloha from Ultimate Hawaii #2B!
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : General AAVE Trip BLOG, Ultimate Hawaii , add a comment
Hello UH#2B Family and Friends!
It’s Ultimate Hawaii 2B writing from the Big Island of Hawaii . We are exploring Kona Town today and buying souvenirs for all of you! We spent the morning on a relaxing beach and tonight we’re headed for the Mauna Kea Observatory to star gaze at one of the world’s premier observatories. The trip has been incredible so far!
Some highlights include: sea kayaking to black sand beaches, bicycling around one of the world’s most active volcanoes (the Kilauea Crater), backpacking to the gorgeous Waimanu Valley, swimming in picturesque waterfalls, surfing the Kona Coast, playing cards, relaxing, and making amazing new friends. We only have 3 days left, but we have just enough time to catch some more waves, learn about outrigger canoeing, and hit the town for our final celebration dinner!!! See you all soon!
Aloha & Mahalo,
Andrew, Allison and the Ultimate Hawaii 2B crew
August 9, 2007
Ultimate Hawaii #2A - Photo
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : General AAVE Trip BLOG, Ultimate Hawaii , add a comment
Boot Saddle Paddle #2 - Yee Haw!
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : Boot Saddle Paddle, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
Hello BSP2 Families!
Hey its the Boot, Saddle, Paddle trip! So far the trip is going awesome, all the kids are getting along and having a blast.
We just returned from a sweet horseback riding trip. Don’t be suprised if you hear a few ‘yee-haw’s’ when your son or daughter returns! Here is a quick overview of our amazing campers:
We’ve been playing some sneaky Capture the Flag games, with Pierre, Stefano and Joseph, all from Lebanon, rocking it on the winning team. Tony is one of the best salad chefs ever, bon appetit! Eli is a laugh-a-holic, when a giant moth flew in the van after him he almost died! He’s doing well after a lengthy recovery. Eliza has a new nickname, ‘Smeagol’, and she’s always with the girls! Marcie is indespensible, everybody loves her, especially Smeagol, who always loses her stuff. Thanks Marcie!!! Sonya is an adventure athlete in the making. She was super brave on the rafting, and the fastest backpacker in the group! Jacob is a rock star, super-singer who loves the ‘Beautiful Girl’ song, which we are pleased to hear every day! Catherine is an angel, always positive and ready to help out. Andi loves to talk, she has perpetual enthusiasm, a real gem. Marion is a photo wiz, she’ll have some great shots from this journey. Kelly is sweetheart, mature and always has a great conversation waiting.
Our group is Amazing! They all get along famously! Most nights, when it’s not raining, we all sleep out on a big blue tarp under a myriad of celestial stars! We have good food, especially salad, and always eat our vegetables. (We always eat dessert too!) We have rafted down the Colorado River where everyone paddled as a team. We had water fights in the boats and on land, too. The group is positive and fun. WE LOVE YOUR KIDS! Send them back to us next year!
Well, we gotta run, we’re going out for ice cream! And tomorrow we begin our service project and cultural exchange on the Navajo Reservation to help paint a community center.
Boot, Saddle-sore, Paddlers!!
We Love You!
Taylor, Jessie and the BSP crew
CSI#2A: Hola!
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
Hola CSI Parents & Families,
Things here in Costa Rica are fabulous! The group has been basking in the sun (along with plenty of sunscreen, of course). We had our best evening meeting yet last night with a fire on the beach, s´mores, and star gazing with the entire group. All of the campers loved the surprise and enjoyed it thouroughly. Today we had some well-deserved down time playing in the surf of Flamingo Beach. Tomorrow we jump on our mountain bikes for a magnificent coastal ride, and then we finish the trip with an amazing sailboat ride and some snorkeling off the coast of Flamingo. Everyone is happy, healthy and wonderful! We can’t wait to return home, but we sure are going to miss Costa Rica.
Pura Vida,
Annemarie & the Costa Rica Spanish Intensive group
August 8, 2007
Rock & Roll #3A Photo
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : General AAVE Trip BLOG, Rock and Roll , add a comment
