The Extra Mile Adventure

TEMA HAIKUS

tony breen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:27:51 +0000

Haikus written by us on the first adventure:
Haikus….TEMA Style

RAIN
Raindrops fall from high
Shattering stillness dust flies
Poof praf piff dust flies Ryan

The sky is spitting
I have rain on my forehead
It feels satisfying Morgan

Cleansing the heaviness
Sweeping away for something new
Open your mouth and drink Katie

Comes without warning
Speaks through the sound of contact
Leaves trace of rich life David

Raindrop splish splash
Raining down upon my lash
Getting wet I’m drenched but my thirst quenched Shelly

One sunny morning
The clouds rush in unannounced
Soaking my sweatshirt Tony

Feel the splash
I’ve been waiting for this
Fuck have to take down the tent Blitz

Rain flows like my brain flows
Brainpower blows
Like thunder rain flow Ulises

Inspired by the music of Ken Burns’ Jazz, Charlie Parker

Coffee cake, pancakes
Orange Juice and bacon too
Yummy breakfast ooooooo! Ryan

Underground jazz den
Smoke smiles through the darkness
Is that Louis Armstrong? Morgan

Caressing my ears
Vibrations step lightly
My soul drink s Katie

Peaceful precipice
Oxy of morons resist
Surrender, soak bliss David

Jazz licks taste so sweet
Heavy on my tongue this piano
Sax kisses lips good night Alison

Back in the forties
Moonshine in a Speakeasy
Swaying to jazz masters Tony

The land of Oaxaca
Dig the ground and horse shit
Hell yeah I’m in trance Blitz

Sexy jazz makes me dance
With my chance
To be in love one more dance Ulises

2009

Oh we start again
2009 oh my yes
Oh we start again Ryan

The dawn of a new year
I got TEMA on my mind
Will we meet again? Morgan

A new year is born
Throw away old tops worn
Its time for a change, remove the negative thorn Shelly

Awakening again
In front of me an open vessel
Open wings and soar Katie

My world begins fresh
With clear skies, life is freedom
Count ways you are blessed David

Travel many roads
Pad Thai, Angkor at, Palenque
You have made me whole Alison

First month of the New Year
A blank sheet lies before us
Oh to paint it red Tony

Feel and sense the changes
The clouds pass over my body
Take my soul with you Blitz

The time has come
For you to become
The child of who succumbed Ulises

BUTTER CREAM DROP

Smooth caramel cream
Heavenly sweet golden dream
One delightful treat Ryan

I don’t like butter
But cream tickles my tongue
Drop the butter please Morgan

Butter cream drop
What is a butter cream drop?
I’m not really sure Shelly

Smooth succulent slippery
Slyly slithering soaking sumptuously
Buttery round ass Katie

Let it hit my face
The taste, I anticipate
Take me far away David

Butter cream drip drop
You take me to your candy shop
Ryan’s mind is on mushrooms Alison

Morgan hates butter
Ryan creates butter songs
I prefer tacos Tony

The tongues of cat feel good
I want to be this moment more
Might put butter on me Blitz

Butter cream drop
Like honey down your pouch
Makes me want to sprout Ulises

SAM

A pirate at heart
Furry caterpillar shaved
There’s his upper lip Ryan

Big Sam smiles at me
A mess of curly black hair
Tope, too late, we’ve hit! Morgan

Maybe one day
Transported back to a land before time
We’ll create dinosaur fetuses Katie

I don’t like green eggs
But Sam shall take them any day
Miss that giant beast David

The name of my first love
Solid name for a solid man
Blue Dino will be missed Alison

Tall, dark and mustached
Bike riding big Blue Dino
Laughter will be missed Tony

Sam, my hero, Sam
Dino of the group, Mom of Shelly
Also mushroom head Blitz

Sam, you Dino man
Tall, strong and young
Untamable to be owned Ulises

TEMA

Crazy adventure
Craziest adventure yet
Something else is driving

What the hell is this
What a love fest space ship trip
Does anyone know?

Oh I love my life
This reality is rich
What a treat!

Space for all of us
Let it all hang out for real
Transformation! Yip!

E, e, e, e, e!
Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo!
Waaaaa! This is so cool!

We are growing tight
The group gets smaller, more love
Exponential joy Ryan

A bus, some cash and Ryan
With a crew of reprobates
It works, so where next? Morgan

Sometimes I look around
And remember again that this bus is our home
My head cocks back with joyful laughter

Veils lifted
We speak with pure love and joy
I see all of you and am in love Katie

Lets communicate
Move to liberate
Hold on, we still on the move

The community
Like a roller coaster rolls
We live the guest house David
The Extra Mile Adventure
Extraordinary miles have been shared
When will we meet again?

Topes, tacos, tequila
Tortugas, Trabjar, Tablas
This trip is called TEMA Alison

Here I sit content
With eight new family members
As our time ticks away Tony

Two-month trip in three weeks?
Silly Katie, I can’t do it
Anyways send me the web Blitz

The extra mile adventure
How far you have ventured
So far that it turned into the Extra Smile adventure Ulises

TEMA opens new doors
Not ready for it to end
I hope there will be more

TEMA will move along
The stories and the songs
It feels so right, it can’t be wrong Shelly

Results and Accomplishments

tony breen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:25:39 +0000

RESULTS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. El Cardonal, Baja California, Mexico
- Constructed first Adobe Earth Domes in Baja California
- Performance about environmental conservation to local community

2. Ajijic near Lake Chapala, Guadalajara, Mexico
- Performance in downtown Ajijic
- Beach Clean-up on the shores of Lake Chapala
- Performance near Lake Chapala for local community

3. Colima, Guanajuato, Mexico
- Assisted in special needs children’s clinic with physical therapy and education

4. La Vainilla, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Worked alongside The Union of Cooperative Societies of the Wetlands of the Oaxacan Coast (La RED) in completing various projects:
1. Construction of bridge and clearing swamplands for ecotourism project in the wetlands
2. Painted mural to promote ecotourism project in the community
3. Performed show for the community of La Vainilla at the local school
4. Donated health guides to the health clinic, clothes for families, supplies to the primary school and money to LA RED
5. Connected La RED with TUPA, Transmitters Uniting the People of the Americas, to start their own radio station
6. Attended local celebration in which the mayor of the municipality granted requested supplies to the ecotourism project in La Vainilla

5. La Ventanilla, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Worked alongside La RED in completing the following project for the local ecotourism project:
1. Assisted in the protection of sea turtles on a night care expedition
2. Took footage for a promotional video for the ecotourism project in La Ventanilla
3. Translated the declaration of La RED into English to post on their new website

6. Xela, Guatemala
- Performed show and worked with families in a domestic violence shelter for women and children called Nuevas Horizontes
- Donated clothing and toys for the children’s Christmas gifts

7. San Rafael, Guatemala
- Made community contact with the manager of the local Quetzal refuge for future projects and to send monetary donations from the US

8. Colomba, Guatemala
- Performed Christmas Eve Performance for the community at the request of the mayor
- Distributed dinner to the local population that attended and on the street to those in need
- Handed out Christmas toys with the mayor and performed for the children and families of in the rural community of Santa Rosa
- Donated money to the local volunteer fireman’s association of Colomba
9. San Salvador, El Salvador
- Recorded music with local musicians of San Salvador
- Learned about the underground resistance movement during the recent civil war at the Radio Museum
10. Lago de Coatepeque, El Salvador
- Painted a mural to promote the Tourist Committee of Lake Coatepeque
- Videotaped locals’ stories and myths about the lake’s creation
11. Border town, Guatemala
- Performed show for the local community in a central park
12. San Marcos, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
- Performed show for local community and facilitated an open mic
- Recorded music with local musicians and medicine healers
13. Xecaguic, Guatemala
- Donated health guides, raised money and clothes to the local health clinic
- Heard testimony of families affected by the recent Guatemalan civil war, videotaped their stories to be made into an educational film about the realities of war and to raise money for the female victims of war in the community
- Connected community with TUPA to begin broadcasting their own news over the radio
- Donated school supplies and toys to the local primary school
13. Lago de Montebello, Chiapas, Mexico
- Donated clothes to the local community
14. Santiaguito, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Performed for the local community of Santiaguito
- Worked on an educational farm for children with and without special needs with the mission of raising awareness around people with special needs, responsible animal care, and environmental conservation, and completed the following projects:
1. Dug trenches for and animal sanctuary and assisted in construction of new volunteer houses
2. Created animal art sculptures with recycled materials for around the farm and painted signs projecting the values of the farm
3. Took footage and photographed farm to promote the vision and display on their website
15. Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Worked alongside humanitarian organization, No More Deaths, to distribute food and water to migrant paths from Mexico to USA and walked the migrant paths looking for stressed migrants who were in need of medical attention

The Schedule of Events for our first TEMA Adventure.

tony breen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:23:43 +0000

This is how it all went down:
OUR SCHEDULE

Dec 1 San Francisco to Los Angeles- Send off party in Los Angeles
Overnight in Los Angeles
Dec 2 Los Angeles to San Diego
Sleep at Tony’s grandmas in San Diego
Dec 3 San Diego, cross border at Tijuana, to San Quentin, Baja California, Mexico
Overnight in San Quentin
Dec 4 San Quentin to El Coyote
Overnight on beach at El Coyote
Dec 5 El Coyote to La Paz
Dinner in La Paz, continue to El Cardonal at night
Dec 6 El Cardonal- construction
Dec 7 El Cardonal- construction and performance in downtown El Cardonal
Dec 8 El Cardonal to Los Mochis on ferry
Overnight drive
Dec 9 Stop in Tepic, Mexico
Continue drive to Sayulita
Dec 10 Sayulita- Spend time on the beach
Dec 11 Sayulita to Ajijic in Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
Overnight in Ajijic at Osveglio’s
Dec 12 Ajijic- Rehearsal and Performance in downtown Ajijic
Dec 13 Performance on Lake Chapala, Beach Clean, Graduation Party
Dec 14 Lake Chapala Hike and Prayer, Party at Omar’s
Dec 15 Lake Chapala to Via de Alvarez, Colima- Work with Lolita
Colima to Maruate, overnight in Maruate

Dec 16 Maruate- cave exploration, release of sea turtles
Overnight drive
Dec 17 Stop in Puerto Escondido, continue to La Vainilla, Oaxaca
Overnight in La Vainilla
Dec 18 La Vainilla- Row boats, beach, President of Municipality gift giving
Performance at school in La Vainilla
Dec 19 La Vainilla to La Ventanilla, Oaxaca
La Ventanilla- Make video, monitor sea turtles, create mural
Stay over in La Ventanilla
Dec 20 La Ventanilla, Mexico to Guatemala after crossing border
Overnight on bus
Dec 21 Arrive in San Rafael, Guatemala after attempt to Xela
Overnight in San Rafael- Visit Quetzal Refuge
Dec 22 San Rafael to Colomba, Guatemala
Half group leaves to Xela. Overnight half in Colomba, half in Xela
Dec 23 San Rafael to Xela, group reunites
Work in women and children’s shelter in Xela
Drive to hot springs in Fuentes Georginas and stay overnight
Dec 24 Fuentes Georginas- Janzu water massage workshop
Performance and food distribution in Colomba
Overnight in Colomba
Dec 25 Colomba to Monterico, Guatemala
Overnight on beach in Monterico
Dec 26 Monterico, Guatemala to San Salvador, El Salvador
Overnight at Vinicio’s grandmas in San Salvador
Dec 27 San Salvador- Party in Chutulipan
San Salvador to El Zonte, overnight in El Zonte
Dec 28 El Zonte, overnight in San Salvador
Dec 29 San Salvador- museum of the war
San Salvador to Lago de Coatepeque, overnight in Lago de Coatepeque
Dec 30 Lago de Coatepeque- mural
Drive to Guatemalan border town, performance and overnight
Dec 31 Border town to Lago Atitlan, ferry to San Marcos, Guatemala
Overnight in San Marcos
Jan 1 Lago Atitlan
Jan 2 Lago Atitlan
One team to Usupantan, others stay in San Marcos and perform show
Jan 3 Usupantan to Xecaguic, others in San Marcos, Lago Atitlan
Jan 4 Xecacguic- mural at clinic
Xecaguic to San Marcos, group reunites
Jan 5 San Marcos, Guatemala to Lagos de Montebello, Chiapas, Mexico
Overnight in Lagos de Montebello
Jan 6 Lagos de Montebello to Las Nubes
Overnight in Las Nubes
Jan 7 Las Nubes to Yaxchitlan
Overnight in Yaxchitlan
Jan 8 Ruins at Yaxchitlan, to Palenque
Overnight in Palenque
Jan 9 Visit ruins at Palenque
Overnight in Palenque
Jan 10 Palenque to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
Overnight in San Cristobal de las Casas
Jan 11 San Cristobal de las Casas- Market
Overnight in San Cristobal de las Casas

Jan 12 San Cristobal de las Casas to Ojo de Agua, Oaxaca
Overnight in Ojo de Agua
Jan 13 Ojo de Agua- Janzu Workshop to Santiaguito, Oaxaca City
Overnight in Divertigranja Center, Santiaguito
Jan 14 Divertigranja
Jan 15 Divertigranja
Jan 16 Divertigranja- Performance in downtown Santiaguito
Jan 17 Divertigranja- Dinner and performance in Oaxaca City
Jan 18 Oaxaca City to desert in the state of San Luis Potosi
Overnight drive on the bus
Jan 19 Arrive in desert in San Luis Potosi
Overnight in the desert
Jan 20 Desert to San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi
Overnight bus to Creel
Jan 21 Creel to Copper Canyon
Overnight in Creel
Jan 22 Copper Canyon
Overnight in Creel
Jan 23 Creel to Chihuahua
Overnight drive to the border of Mexico and US
Jan 24 Cross into US, drive to Tucson
Overnight in Tucson, AZ
Jan 25 Tucson to desert on border of Mexico with No More Deaths (NMD)
Overnight in desert
Jan 26 Work with NMD- water drops, migrant hikes
Overnight in desert

Jan 27 Continue work with NMD
Overnight in the desert
Jan 28 Desert to Tucson, watch immigrant trials in Court
Overnight in Tucson
Jan 29 Tucson to Riverside, CA
Overnight at Liz’s parents in Riverside
Jan 30 Riverside to Santa Barbara
Overnight in Santa Barbara
Jan 31 Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz
Overnight to Santa Cruz
Feb 1 Santa Cruz to San Francisco
We’re baaaaaaaackkk!!!

TEMA DAY 56: No More Deaths!!

tony breen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:12:51 +0000

After crossing the border of Mexico and Arizona the night before and gorging ourselves on fresh American pizza we parked Patricia in a residential neighborhood and went right to sleep. The next morning we awoke to the sounds of Ry Ry bumping loud dance music and dancing around the bus in an effort to coax us to rise with a smile. We did and quickly divided up into our teams to start the day. We had an excellent meal together once again and then it was time to meet the people of the new group that we would be working with on the Arizona border: No More Deaths.
We all piled in Patricia to putter over to the headquarters, where we were all briefed on what was going on in the desert out in Tucson. The USA has adopted a policy of deterrence in dealing with its borders. The government put up agents every 100 feet in San Diego and El Paso (the two urban border areas) so that people crossing into the United States would be forced into the desert areas of Arizona. They new that people couldn’t survive crossing in the desert and thought that enough people would die to deter others from crossing the border. Since this policy has been in effect thousands of people have crossed and died but few have been “deterred”.
No more deaths is a group with a permanent 24-hour station in the desert during the summer started in 2004 and have continued to expand their presence in the desert, every summer since. Recently they have had a lot of volunteers during college spring break as conscientious co-eds come to their camp to help people rather than spend a week in Cancun with alcohol poisoning. No More Deaths camp out in the desert and walk the trails that the migrants use to cross into America, looking for sick or injured people whose lives may be in danger. They also have numerous food and water drops to leave on the trails for thirsty or hungry migrants to come across in their daily treks.
As we were briefed on the history of No More deaths they also told us the legalities of the organization. . In 2005 two volunteers found some migrants in dire need of help. So they took them to the hospital and were charged with three felonies each. In order for us to be safe we would only provide food, water, and information. These are what lawyers have deemed legally safe actions. We were also told not to engage with border patrol as the officers may not be able to take frustrations out on us, but they could take it out on a helpless migrant. We were also told that no one has to do anything, we will not be forced to do anything we did not want to.
After the debriefing we had some delicious soup made by a delightful woman named Louis who was a part of the organization. Then, after a brief grocery stop, we were on our way out to the desert to try to save some lives. It took a few hours to arrive at our destination and when we finally coaxed Patricia along the last bumpy dirt road we arrived at our campsite, and split up to pitch our tents. The cooking crew cooked a delicious peanut stir-fry and then we all gathered round the fire to tell our stories to the four No More Deaths members at the camp. Steve a knowledgeable firecracker of a man led the meeting and we all sipped jalapeño cocoa and somehow got to know each other on an even deeper level than we already had. After two months we were still learning about each other. Finally we all said good night and crept off to our tents in the freezing cold desert night.
Steve woke us up at seven in the morning to another delicious breakfast, which we gobbled down and then participated in a brief lesson on how to use a GPS device. Then it was time to hit the trails so we loaded up a hundred gallons of water and a huge bin of food and all piled into three different vehicles. We were all wondering if we would be able to help someone today.
“It’s not everyday you see a migrant, especially at this time of year.” Steve informed us. “Its so much colder in the winter that not as many get into trouble from the heat, and if they don’t want you to see them, you won’t”
No sooner than five minutes after saying this, the car ahead of us stopped and I peered out from the back of the pickup truck to see a young Migrant on the side of the road, waving us down. He was sick and throwing up. Ulises approached him and spoke to him in Spanish. He had been wandering in the desert for the last six days after his Coyote (the man he paid to lead him through the desert safely) robbed him of his food, water and cash and left him to die. He had a water bottle full of yellow water in it that he had gotten from a cow trough out in the desert somewhere. Steve emptied it out and gave him a Gatorade to replace his electrolytes and nourish him. He drank it down in seconds and drank another half of another one. We gave him clothes and food and water and told him to rest and we would return to check on him.
Then we hit the trails. We followed our GPS to different drop points and left gallons of water at each spot along the trails. We would often find fresh footprints and empty gallons of water that had been gratefully depleted. Sometime, Steve told us, you would find notes on the empty gallons, like “Thank you, you have been sent from God”. Our last drop of the day was a big one, 50 gallons of water and multiple backpacks full of food. When we arrived we found a woman’s sweatshirt in a tree and Steve told us that when someone finds female underwear in a tree it often times means a woman was raped in that spot usually by her coyote. Walking back from the drop point Steve took us to a grave sight for a young El Salvadorian girl who had died in the desert a year before. They found her with a broken leg, lying with her feet in a small pool. Her younger brother had been with her and was forced to leave her with the group or face the same fate as she did by staying behind. He had made it and his parents called authorities for a search of the desert but it was not in time. We all stood in silence and paid our respects.
It was almost sundown once again so we headed back to camp for another delicious dinner. Then we said goodbye to Steve, who was leaving in the morning and hit the hay, exhausted and cold.

Interviews: Liz

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:49:47 +0000

Name: Elizabeth Joy Guilliams

Role: Source of Joy and Inspiration

Age:28 Hometown: Los Angeles

Who are you and what do you do? I am a channel for love through music. I am serving the Universe in every way I can. I’m a professional cuddler too. I am in absolute awe of the beauty of it all. FUN!

What is important to you in this world? Connection. Contribution. Generating Love and Levity.

Your childhood dream; your adult dream? My childhood dream was being able to do everything I could ever need in life; design clothes, fix my car, compose music, dance on my toes, travel to the moon, talk to dolphins. My adult dream is be wildly alive, sustained by my radical self expression, and be financially abundant & blissfully contribute joy and freedom to the planet. I would still love to talk to dolphins. Generally, I’m hoeing a path to elegant evolution and I’m lifting you with me.

What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing? The happening of TEMA carves out an immediate space for complete reflection of self by 17 other trained artistic eyes. We are each committed to leave the comforts of our lives in the name of making a difference to people that haven’t yet met. It’s an absolutely amazing, phenomenal opportunity to enliven peace, ignite action and get excited about the possibilities we can create on a global level! WooWho!

What are you passionate about? Sounds, laughter, being connected, sharing inspiration, and Loving.

What is your favorite food? Mangoes, dark chocolate, human flesh.

Have you ever left the country? Yes. Peru, Chile, some living in the Carribean, England, Italy, France & Mexico.

What is your educational background? I’ve studied Theater and music, energetic healing and bodywork. I’ve enjoyed placing my history and schooling behind me to be present to this moment. I teach middle school kids and they school me.

Tell an extremely memorable moment. There was this time on the beach, when we had to eat all this trailmix in a hurry… I’ll tell you later.

Tell us a joke. President Bush was elected twice!

Interviews: Blitz

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:46:31 +0000

Interview
Name: Blitz
Role: Dancer
Age:25
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Who are you and what do you do?:
Now I live the moment in Latin America. I was an Educational Organizer. I would go to local public schools in east Oakland to talk with teachers while they are eating their lunch too see who is down for improving Educational standards. I would go door to door and eat dinner with parents and see if they are interested in getting involved with improving education to create strength in numbers. I also would go into class rooms to sing happy songs and tell them how wonderful their smiles are!!

What is important to you in this world?:
Communities, food, and hot springs

Your childhood dream, your adult dream?:
Childhood dream: I wanted to be something like Brad Pitt. Current dream: something like Bob Marley.

What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing?:
The idea of a bunch of happy, smiling youth artists with creative hearts having fun together totally blows my mind and I am here. My contribution would be lots of random dance scenes on the trip!! I am also a great team player and hard worker!

What are you passionate about?:
Positive changes and positive energies coming form positive hearts.

What is your favorite food?:
Mexican Sushi!!!

Have you ever left the country?:
I was born in Japan. When I was 19, I went to Nepal for a project with my dad to establish a language school. Then I came to California, fell in love with Latin cultures, started exploring South: Mexico, Central America, South America, and ended up in Brazil playing Capoeira.
I have traveled to China and Europe as well. When I was 22, my buddy and I hopped on a 27-foot sailing boat to sail to Cuba from Texas, but the boat broke down from a storm and we almost killed ourselves in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then I haven’t made it to Cuba yet which is my next destination.

Educational Background:
I hold a BA in International Development Studies from UC Berkeley. My concentration was community development in Latin America.

Memorial Moment
Nov.11, 2008, I got a phone call from my good crazy friend Katie. She told me that we gotta hang out before she leaves for the magical project in two and a half weeks. I asked her what her magical trip was? She told me the magicalness of the project and also invited me to join the project.
I said: “There is no way I can take off for two month in two weeks.”
It was around 8 pm on Tuesday night, and I was working in the office by myself to prepare for a conference in LA the next day. I checked the website anyway.
The next day, I told my boss that I cannot come to LA because I am going on a magical trip to teach Japanese and spread the happiness to local kids in Central America.
Funny thing was I made all these choices before I talked to either of Ryan or Summer. And here I am, I knew it!!!

tell us a joke:
Un hombre estaba en la tienda de las ropas. La vendedora le pregunto “que busca?”
“un brajer para mi esposa” el hombre respondio.
“que tamano?” la vendedora.
“oh no se,,,” el hombre.
“como lechugas?” la vendedora
“no!! mas chiquitos.” el hombre
“como naranjas?”
“no!! mas chiquitos.”
“entonces, como huevos?”
“oh!! si si!! pero fritos!!” el hombre respondio.

Interviews: Alison

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:44:19 +0000

Name: Alison Fay

Role: Busser/ One Love Ambassador

Age: 27

Hometown: here and there

Who are you and what do you do? I am a politically minded actress who loves travel, adventure, reggae music, interesting people and FUN!! I am working towards being a positive, resourceful, spiritual, friendly and creative member of the global community.
What is important to you in this world? Peace, art, activism, love, respect towards all humankind, compassion, being a good person, leaving a positive impact on the universe.

Your childhood dream; your adult dream? I always wanted to be an architect as a kid, then I realized you have to be a real mathematician, and that’s not my strongest area! As an adult, I am living my dream!! I have been a professional actress for the last 5 years and I have gotten the opportunity to travel the world!

What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing? I am inspired by: the community outreach, the collaboration of artists, the simplicity of living on a bus for 9 weeks, the opportunity to expand my knowledge of the countries we are visiting and the Spanish language, and the overall mission of the project. I am contributing so that I can be the change I want to see.
What are you passionate about? Barack Obama, getting our troops out of Iraq, struggles for equal rights, like the opposition to Proposition 8, theatre, music, being on the open road and dancing… so hard you feel like you went to the gym.

What is your favorite food? I love Japenese food… Sushi, yum…

Have you ever left the country? Yes! I have traveled to: Italy, Spain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, England, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Thailand and Cambodia.
What is your educational background? I hold a BFA in Acting and a minor in Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara.

Tell an extremely memorable moment. November 4th, 2008, Oakland, California. Barack Obama is announced as the 44nd President of the United States and people erupt in an explosion of emotions. Strangers embrace, old women weep, people break out dancing in the streets and there is a feeling of hope and unity that I have not felt in this country for a long time!!

Tell us a joke. George W. Bush fell off of his bicycle and today has declared a war on gravity… haha

Interviews: Sam

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:41:08 +0000

Name: Sam Johnson

Role: Actor, Carpenter, Humorist Blogger

Age: 25

Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Who are you and what do you do?

I am a professional cyclist. I spend most of my year racing road bikes around the country for a team based out of Seattle, Washington. I keep a blog of my adventures, to share my life with friends and family (gliderbison.blogspot.com). Last winter I built cabinets for Boise’s only green cabinet builder until the season started, after which I raced bikes full time.
Once the season ended in September, I flew straight down to my home state of New Mexico to work for the Barack Obama campaign. In 2000 New Mexico went to Gore by under 300 votes. In 2004 it went to Bush by roughly two votes per precinct. I’ve never worked so hard for anything in my life, and never reaped such great rewards for my work; New Mexico went for Obama by a 15% margin.

What is important to you in this world?

Outside my personal sphere of interests (cycling, books, my family, etc.), community building, and sustainability are two very important things to me.

Your childhood dream; your adult dream?

When I was younger, I wanted to do something that involved a lot of action or adventure — a Fireman sounded nice. Now my job involves bumping elbows with other guys while flying down mountain roads at upwards of sixty miles per hour on a bicycle, so I’d say that dream has been fulfilled. My current dream is to establish a way of living, and help my culture set a standard of living, that would be sustainable even if everyone on the planet were to live the same way.

What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing?

I’m impressed by how collaborative TEMA is. I’m impressed by how willing the trip’s organizers are to let this thing, whatever it is, develop organically.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about my relationships with my friends and family. I’m passionate about living my life without regrets — I am enjoying every instant of my existence, always. Yes, I’m also passionate about racing bicycles.

What is your favorite food?

Anything Venicio cooks. Everything Venicio cooks. I’m also fond of hunkering down to (what to many would be a disastrously large) bowl of cherries.

Have you ever left the country?

Yes, I did a walking tour of County Wicklow in Ireland, I spent six months organic farming in Italy, I learned to make handmade paper in Japan and I was a total tourist in New Zealand.

What is your educational background?

I went to high school in Santa Fe, and then to Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where I majored in studio art.

Tell an extremely memorable moment.

I joined TEMA rather late in the game. I received the news that there was space for me on the bus four days before we were supposed to depart, but a mere nine hours before I was headed home for thanksgiving. I had to scramble to prepare (book a plane ticket to San Fransisco, find that missing passport, and pack everything I needed), and I was extremely nervous. It didn’t set in that I was actually going until I got off the subway to meet up with the other bussers the day before we left.

Tell us a joke.

I don’t joke. Filthy habit you know. I also like to keep all humor on my blog just to be tidy.

Interviews: Katie

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:37:57 +0000

Name: Kati con accento

Age: 24

Hometown: Bay Area, California

Who are you and what do you do?

I am me and me and me and me and me and I create and love and cry and laugh and hug and explore and play and listen and still love and assist and dream and hope.

What is important to you in this world?

That everyone realize their true beauty and power.

Your childhood dream; your adult dream?

As long as I can remember, I have felt a super connection with animals. I remember crawling on the ground to save ants and mosquitoes and could imagine myself to be nothing but a protector and healer of animals. Now as an adult with my child self still poking out, I have extended the sensitivity I felt with animals to people. I LOVE PEOPLE. I love their resilience, their beauty, their struggle, their stories, their love. My dream, hmmmmmmm, I’m dreaming of a world with smiles and laughter and embraces and understanding across all of the artificial and created borders and systems and boundaries that separate us. Realizing the illusion of our difference and believing in our sameness, of our source and falling in love with each other over and over and over again.

What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing?

The collective possibility and the synchronicity with which this adventure has happened.

What are you passionate about?

Waking up to each day as the most beautiful day of our lives.
And gettin your blackheads. Call me.

What is your favorite food?

I like things that move things through my digestive track like papaya and coffee. Mac and cheese still holds a firms place in my heart.

Have you ever left the country?

My other homes have been in Peru, Belize and Costa Rica.

What is your educational background?

I am a student of life. I studied International Development Studies at UC Berkeley and graduate to a new self everyday.

Tell an extremely memorable moment.

Right now I am sitting on a tropical beach in the state of Oaxaca listening to the song of the pueblo strumming on guitar and a dancer keeping the beat rhythmically with his dance. The sun just set and the sky is still shining with hints of brilliant orange and purple at the horizon. Waves are lulling behind the music, and the birds and insects are singing their finals calls before nightfall. I am surrounded by people I love. Whaaaaaaat? Think this moment is pretty memorable like every other in this life if we learn to open our senses and listen in a new way…..

Tell us a joke.

“Gracias.”

“De nalgas.” Ooooooooooooooo. Thank you children of Mexico for widening my joke repertoire.

TEMA DAY 45- Divertingranja

tony breen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:52:49 +0000

January, 14th 2009-
Winding our way down a narrow, dark, country Oaxacan road we arrived at Divertingranja Zoo well past sunset last night. Getting a full nights rest after a days bout of sickness, I woke up feeling better and with a beautifully rich, pink sunrise to greet the new day. As is often the case, Blitz and I were the only two awake to appreciate the warming sky and after the sun was well above the silhouette of the mountains we started preparing breakfast. With peacocks roaming in front of the campstove, I had one of the most relaxing and fulfilling meal preparations of the trip so far. Cooking in a rickety, open-air wooden shack with animals roaming at your feet and birdsongs chiming in the new day is a feeling hard to explain unless you are present. Everyone slowly woke up, ate a hearty breakfast and we started a long days work. I had been itching to break a sweat. It had been a week or so since we have worked on a project that required physical labor and since we are here to build animal cages, dig trenches and construct fences- plenty of sweat will be shed. We started the workday with an orientation where some of us were put in wheelchairs and some of us were blindfolded to simulate the everyday experience of the community that Divertingranja Zoo reaches out to. I was one of the blind and guiding myself by feel and voice was a beautiful reminder to be ever grateful for my sight. It was an amazing sensation and lesson in the trust of others as well as one’s own self-reliance. After the exercise, a group of us grabbed shovels, pickaxes and rakes and started clearing the ground of bamboo and digging trenches for foundations and poles. After 4 days of cloud cover we had apparently brought the sunshine because it was rising high in the sky and everyone’s skin was getting darker by the minute. Sam and David (whom we had picked up the day before in Oaxaca City) worked with Ruben, the local hand who has answers to everything around here, to dig holes and set poles for the volunteer structure. After Amanda, Alison, Liz, Katie, Sam and I cleared the ground of debris, Blitz, Tony, Ulisses and I spent a solid two hours digging trenches, feeling the muscles in our backs and shoulders get worked with each swing of the pickaxe. Morgan and Shelley handled the machete and cut down bamboo for the walls and then the heat of the day justified a siesta. It was lunchtime and some people ventured into the sleepy town for food which proved to be hard to find during siesta hour but we all ate well nonetheless. When Amanda and I returned from town we found Blitz and Sam still working like madmen. All the poles had been set in cement for the volunteer hut and half of the trenches had been dug for the rabbit enclosure. I was on my way to help them finish up when Amanda called me into the bus with a wary voice…I found thousands of flies lining the walls of Patricia buzzing in intimidating force. Little black, pesky flies covering our bed and our belongings- oddly enough everything but our food. So much for helping Blitz and Sam finish up in the dirt, we ended up spending the next hour with a handkerchief over our faces and a broom in the air swatting them out into the open and trying to secure the bus from further attack. Apparently this wasn’t the first time for someone or something to be attacked by flies here at Divertingranja. Even with the attack of the flies, a lot of progress had been made for one day and after the clearing of fly carcasses from the bus people started to wind down their workday. The sun set and the air temperature was dropping with each passing hour, people were tired from a hard days work and full from a delicious meal prepared by Ulisses. Bedtime approached and we will wake up and do it all over again. I love a hard days work and it’s so fulfilling to be doing something that gets your hands dirty for the betterment of a community in need.
For the animals at Divertingranja…..
Peace and gratitude.
Hannah