We want to say congrats to Kelly Tausk for winning our 2010 Summer of a Lifetime Essay Contest.  We were so impressed with her submission that we wanted to share it with the world!  See for yourself why Kelly was a clear choice for expressing the essence of an ARCC adventure:

“Always Do What You’re Afraid to Do”    
by Kelly Tausk, Costa Rica Service Adventure

During my junior year of high school, I did something most teenage girls have probably never done: I fell in love with a man 187 years my senior. It started in my English class with an assignment to make a greeting card using an aphorism by a Transcendentalist writer. While assembling the project, I connected with Ralph Waldo Emerson – through his words, thoughts, and beliefs – and chose one of his aphorisms, “Always do what you are afraid to do,” for my card. I have always had a passion for inspirational quotes, so Emerson’s words were constantly in my mind; I was just waiting for a chance to apply them.  

Months later, I left for a service trip to Costa Rica, happy I could bring a piece of Ralph with me in the form of Portable Emerson. My group and I spent the first two weeks participating in service activities, including teaching English to schoolchildren, helping with a sea turtle conservation project, and building a water tank in a remote village. During those two weeks, I did many things my family still doesn’t completely believe I did: I slept in a room with scorpions, swam in a lagoon with nocturnal alligators, and woke up daily to the roaring and grunting of howler monkeys. To conclude the trip, my group and I ended up at a beach camp where we could surf the Pacific Ocean. There I was, a Midwestern girl living next to the ocean, surfing by day and camping on a beach by night.

We spent the first day close to the shore, adjusting to the pattern and feel of surfing. On the second day, everyone in my group was challenged to try the big waves far out into the ocean. Some of my friends chose only to watch while others wiped out constantly and often disappeared for seconds at a time, swallowed by the waves. I stood on the beach, surfboard resting on my head, sand in my toes, Bob Marley songs stuck in my head – so cliché, but entirely true. Suddenly, a rush of thoughts flooded my head as I was caught between daring to take on the big waves and taking the easy way out with the little ones. As I considered surrendering to my fears, I remembered this quote: “Always do what you are afraid to do.” Intuitions aside, I swam out to the biggest waves and embraced the challenge. Inevitably I wiped out many more times than I succeeded, but the thrill of tackling the big waves compensated for all the wipe-outs.

It took many days of Costa Rican “Pura Vida” lifestyle and quite a few adventures for me to fully appreciate Ralph’s words; we really should always do what we are afraid to do – amazing things can happen just by taking those chances. As Søren Kierkegaard once said, “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.” Here I was, losing my footing – both metaphorically and literally – without a care in the world for anything except the exhilaration of it all. I believe everyone should experience what it is like to expand his or her comfort zone. After all, we might lose our footing, maybe even wipe–out and have to fight the waves back out again, but it’s all worth it to catch that one wave that carries us back to shore with new realizations and the stories everyone only half-believes.

Name: Sarah Byron

Position: Regional Director

How long with ARCC: Trip leader from 2006, 2007;  full time office staff since 2009

Favorite ARCC Adventure: While leading the Hawaii Blue trip in the summer of 2006, our group stumbled upon a lively ‘Save the Whales’ rally on the pier in Hanalei Bay. We ran around in circles singing, dancing, making new friends, and laughing as the sun set… just loving life!

Fun Facts you might not know:

1. Played in a field with elephants in South Africa
2. Went skydiving into the cornfields in my home state of Indiana
3. Has moved around the world/country every 8 months in the last 4 years

Taking a trip this summer or interested in learning about more of our leaders? Visit http://adventurescrosscountry.com/ourleaders.

We just posted a page on our web site at ARCC about our leaders.  Well, we wanted to get a little more personal and give you a peek into what makes the ARCC team tick!  Our first profile is of Piper Christian, Senior Regional Director at ARCC.

ARCC Employee: 8 years

Favorite ARCC Adventure: Costa Rica trip visit summer 2008 – I got to hang out with 5 different ARCC groups doing the Costa Rica Service, Costa Rica Language and Costa Rica/Belize Bl…ue Water programs.

Fun Facts About Piper: She has lived in Spain and Brazil. She dreams of being a contestant on the Price is Right. She plans to one day have a pet pig!

Don’t just learn Spanish or French, live it!  Classrooms aren’t necessarily the best way to learn a language.  Try living it with an ARCC for a language immersion adventure and be inspired by the people, places, and cultures you engage in.   Take an ARCC language immersion adventure to Costa Rica/Guatemala, Spain, or France and work hard and play hard as you learn the language, embrace the culture, and engage in the amazing adventure opportunities these destinations offer!

This summer, you can be a part of an ARCC adventure by traveling with us to one of these enchanting countries, and drastically advance your Spanish or French language skills.  Take classes taught by native speakers, and become more confident with one of these widely spoken languages.  Whether you are nearly fluent in Spanish or French or have never taken it before, you will be placed in a learning environment at the appropriate level which will help you advance your personal language skills.  Return to school next Fall with a new passion for the language and clear understanding of the people and places that speak it!  

Experience the Fun! ARCC Language Adventures balance hard work with hard play.  Each program spends time in a classroom learning the language, and time in the communities, markets, and plazas putting what we have learned to use.  When we aren’t spending time mastering the language, we are spending time experiencing the adventure based fun these destinations offer!  Whitewater raft through the Alps, surf the coast of Costa Rica, or windsurf in the sparkling waters of Spain, and experience the splendors of the country that will be your home for the summer.

Read and see pictures from the  Language Adventures here:
Testimonies from Spain
The Splendid Sights of France
A Glimpse of Guatemala Language

We promise, join ARCC for a summer and it will change your outlook on the world, and enhance your ability to communicate in it! Find our more about our Language Adventures here
http://adventurescrosscountry.com/program.cfm?TripCategoryID=2.

Adventures Cross-Country sends its outreach and support to Haiti.  We honor those who have contributed to helping this nation begin its recovery from the devastating earthquake sustained on January 12, 2010.

ARCC is inspired by seven-year-old Charlie Simpson from London, England who has raised over $160,000 for the Haiti earthquake.  We would love to hear your stories too!  Please let us know if you, your school, or any organization you are involved in has lent a helping hand.    Post on our Facebook page and tell us your story.  Here is Charlie’s story.

London, England — He’s no Wyclef Jean or George Clooney, but that hasn’t stopped seven-year-old Charlie Simpson from raising more than £100,000 ($161,000) for the Haiti earthquake.

Simpson from Fulham, west London had hoped to raise just £500 for UNICEF’s earthquake appeal by cycling eight kilometers (five miles) around a local park.

“My name is Charlie Simpson. I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives,” said Simpson on his JustGiving page, a fundraising site which launched his efforts.

“I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti,” he said.

And with that simple call, messages of support flooded the site.

“Such a big heart for a young boy, you’re a little star!” wrote one supporter. “Well done Charlie. A real celebrity,” said another.

More donations began pouring in after the story caught the attention of the British media — with many cheering Simpson on towards the £100,000 mark.

Even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is spreading the message. His “Downing Street” Twitter alias said: “Amazed by response to the great fundraising efforts of 7 yr old Charlie Simpson for the people of Haiti.”

David Bull, UNICEF UK executive director described Simpson’s efforts as “very bold and innovative.”

“It shows he connects with and not only understands what children his own age must be going through in Haiti,” Bull said in a press statement.

“The little seed — his idea — that he has planted has grown rapidly and his is a place well deserved in the humanitarian world.

“On behalf of the many children in Haiti, I thank Charlie for his effort.”

Money raised by Simpson will go towards UNICEF’s Haiti Earthquake Children’s Appeal which will provide water, sanitation, education, nutrition as well as supporting child protection.

Ways you can help Haiti:

Doctors without Borders – http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.cfm
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund – http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/
Unicef – http://www.unicef.org/

Here are a few students who took what they learned on their ARCC journey and continued their dedication to positively impact the lives of others.

Katie Pilot- Back2Back- Sending backpacks to African Schools   

Katie Pilot volunteered in schools on the Adventures Cross-Country Africa Community Service Program.  “After spending a few days with the students it became very evident that their situation is dire.  Pencils, pens, notebooks, and backpacks are all a scarcity.”  Katie returned home with a mission to bring these children school supplies.  She started a non-profit, “Back2Back”, which organizes the donation of school supplies and backpacks for needy schools all over the world.  This past summer, Katie traveled to Rwanda and brought school supplies to orphanages and the kids she worked with.  “Today, I am continuing my dream by extending my surplus of donations to any organization that is travelling to a foreign country to work in the local schools.” 

Dana Mayber- Bear Hugs- Teddy Bears to Thailand

Dana Mayber, who attended the Thailand Community Service Adventure in 2008, started a charity called “Bear Hugs” following her ARCC adventure.  “Bear Hugs” collects various supplies, including teddy bears, to distribute to people in need across the globe.  This past summer, “Bear Hugs” sent school supplies, toys, dental supplies, and 200 teddy bears to the various places her ARCC groups visited throughout Thailand as well as villages in Nicaragua and Peru.  “As I learned in Thailand, a smile is truly a universal language!”  “Bear Hugs” is now raising money to build an orphanage and school “in order to provide support and independence to children in an underprivileged country.”

For more information about Bear Hugs, please visit: http://www.bearhugsonline.org/Bear_Hugs/About_Us.html

Join Adventures Cross-Country for a Community Service Program, and be inspired to make a positive impact on the lives of friends across the globe when you return home at the summer’s end.  Make 2010 the year you help the lives of others, and in the process, have your own life transformed. 

We’d like to invite you to one of Adventures Cross-Country’s upcoming slideshow in your hometown or at an Online Slideshow Webinar to find out more!  Or, visit us on Facebook to hear stories of other inspirational ARCC students.

We want to make 2010 the best year ever for Adventures Cross-Country!  As we draw closer to the end of 2009, it is our hope that everyone will start spreading the word about how great our teen travel adventures are, how it enriches lives and why it really is the experience of a lifetime! 

If you are following our blog, we want you to also become a fan on our Facebook fan page.  At ARCC we want everyone to know about the gift of adventure and fun.

If you become a fan, you will help us get to our goal of 1000 fans by the end of 2009!  You will see dazzling photos, fascinating trip updates, exciting video footage, and real life adventure from around the globe!

When we reach 1000 fans, ARCC will show some fan appreciation by giving out some special gifts! If you’d like to enter our fan appreciation contest, here’s how: 

1. Become a fan.
2. Join our discussion topic “Fun ways to spread the word about ARCC” or by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/yk3g9jo.
3. Share your creative fan invitation story! Once we hit 1000 fans, the team at ARCC will vote on the 5 most creative ways you helped in inviting new fans.

How to Share with your Friends: Once you are a Fan, its simple to invite your friends. Just hit “Suggest to Friends” link on the left side of our Fan Page and an invitation will be sent to those you select.

Lago Atitlan is an incredible freshwater lake situated in the highlands of Guatemala and surrounded by three cone shaped volcanoes.  It is quite the picturesque scene, the water and the volcanoes, the jungle around and of course the incredible colors of the Guatemala weavings all come together for an amazing image. 

We arrived to the town of Panajachel – called Pana – and met with our local guide Pablo, who promptly took us to the local boat dock to catch a boat to the surrounding towns.  The lake has 12 little towns or villages around it and each is unique in its own right. 

The town of San Juan was my favorite in that it is quite a small town – less then 2000 people – many of whom have organized themselves into cooperatives to work together in order to bring visitors to their small town.  They have several weaving collectives, where the women weave the famous Guatemalan colors, not only do they do the weaving but they also make the dyes from natural sources, for example the orange color is from carrots.  They showed us around and had the plants for each color growing right there. We also visited a collective where they make medicines from plants and an artisan gallery with amazing paintings. 

We were treated to a delicious lunch of a traditional bean soup served with mini-tamales followed by a traditional Guatemalan chicken dish, with rice, vegetables and of course the handmade tortillas that were being made right in front of our eyes.  The desert was sweet plantains in a chocolate mole sauce. Yum!

See some photos from the trip on our Facebook page!  Become a fan and get updates and deals on our 2010 trips.

Ellery & Brian are now in Guatemala, scouting a 2010 adventure!  Here is an update we received from Brian yesterday:

Hola from Guatemala!  Ellery and arrived yesterday after a long but pleasant journey.  The flight was a red-eye and we woke to the dawn breaking over a picturesque landscape below.  The Gulf coastline was flat and marshy here, the ocean invading to form lagoons.  As we flew further inland, the coastal flatlands gave way to steadily rising hills, reminiscent of Hawaii in both their steepness and vibrant foliage.  Eventually the hills showed their true origin, as volcanic peaks appeared, cresting the ridgeline.  There were several calderas, collapsed craters that had filled with murky wáter.  We even saw one that must have erupted in the recent past, as the forest below was drowned in its now-cooled lava, bare except for a few adventerous plant colonists, its cráter adorned only with a few wisps of cloud. 

We had a good overview of Guatemala from above.  Farms abounded and the terraced hills spoke the agrarian lifestyle that´s still very much alive here.  As we were landing I tried to ask my seatmate (an old woman who looked uncannily like my neighbor from back home) what was being grown, but she was busy muttering prayers under her breath!  ¨Thank God!¨ she exclaimed as we landed, and I couldn´t agree more.  We were finally in amazing Guatemala…

“The camels are not cooperating…there will be a delay.”  Those were the somewhat nerve racking words we heard as we were waiting for our camels to transport us to a Bedouin camp for a traditional desert meal.  Seems they were being a bit ornery and needed a little extra prodding to start their journey.  We finally climbed aboard the creatures and headed out of town into a desert canyon.  Riding was surprisingly easy….cross one leg in front of you around the horn and control the camel much like a horse, relax in the saddle and sway along with its hypnotic gate.

Our Bedouin lunch was spectacular….best meal in Egypt according to Zach.  We were all seated on cushions in the shade of a large thatched 3-sided building.  A light breeze wafted through as waited for lunch.

In the background, live Arabic music played on traditional Bedouin instruments.  We were served the obligatory sweet tea to start, followed by grilled chicken, Kofta (Egyptian sausage—delicious!), grilled vegetables and of course pita bread and hummus.  Our groups will spend 3 days with the Bedoins deep in the desert.  It will be an amazing experience for our teens.

Things we’ve seen and heard:

• A lone camel purposely walking down the streets of Dahab, apparently heading home on its own.
• Egyptian mini bus drivers need special training and papers to drive American and British citizens.  Seems the government is extra cautious that nothing untoward happen to these nationalities.
• The most frequently heard language in Egyptian Sinai is Russian. They arrive by the chartered planeload.
• The beaches along the Sinai Peninsula are 4-5 miles wide and hundreds of miles long.
• Egyptian Airlines seat row numbers start at row 20 and get higher.  Who knows what happened to seat row 1-19.