RECYCLING PAPER WITH REPAPEL

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

When Bruce and I first committed to traveling to the Dominican Republic (the DR) aboard the Adonia and participating in Fathom’s Impact Travel program, our vision was locked on Chocal. Volunteering at the cacao plantation and chocolate factory was what I had my heart set on, and Bruce was pleased with the plan.

Once aboard ship, though, our cohort leader, Colin, persuasively talked us into signing up to volunteer at the paper recycling co-op. RePapel is a women’s entrepreneurship initiative which turns wasted paper from the local community into recycled paper products that are sold to consumers.

We told Colin there was no way we would give up one of our Chocal activities, though, and RePapel was booked solid for our only available time—the Friday morning before the Adonia would set sail for her return to Miami. Sitting at 7^th and 8^th on the waitlist didn’t look promising; so, we opted on Friday to see if there were some no shows out at the RePapel bus.

As it turned out, we were in luck! A lady on our Chocal bus the previous day overheard us talking about our plan. At breakfast on Friday morning, she came over to our table to say her husband didn’t want to go; so, she wouldn’t go either. Would we like her tickets? Heck yeah!

Off we went to RePapel where we would help produce paper beads for jewelry and recycled paper for handicrafts to be sold by the women.

By working with the women of RePapel, we would help the ladies generate more income for their families. The co-op allows for flexible work schedules, so the women can spend more time at home caring for their children. Fathom’s website states, “Unemployed or underemployed local residents are able to transition to self-supporting entrepreneurs, proving that community-driven economic initiatives empower and sustain communities.”

Upon arrival at RePapel, we could hear the ladies singing. Our group of volunteers broke out in big smiles, looked at each other, and laughed. These ladies were having FUN! They were very happy to see us and gave us a warm welcome, as we made our way to the courtyard where we were split up into small groups.

Bruce and I were first sent to the jewelry workshop where we used strips of colorful paper that had been torn out from discarded magazines. We were shown how to make paper beads; however, Bruce and I were old pros at this task, since we had taught the handicraft in arts and crafts classes aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line cruises.

Next, we were given a piece of cord to string a necklace from the paper beads and a variety of other beads made from dried tree seeds. These necklaces would be sold in their gift shop. Time was quite limited at this station, so I quickly assembled this necklace before our group was transferred to the paper recycling station:

The first step in this process is separating the clean portions of used paper from the portions with ink. We sat on the patio in a circle with one of the ladies while we tore sheets of the paper apart to separate these portions into different bins. While we worked, our guide answered questions about life in the DR.

The next step in their paper recycling process was to mix the small bits of torn paper with water in a washing machine to begin breaking down the fibers in the paper.

The wet, pulpy mixture is then scooped out of the machine and dumped in a blender (yes, the same kind you have at home to make your smoothies) to further break apart the fibers.

The fun part in the process came next. We were given a wooden-framed screen to use as a sifter to extract the cleaned recycled paper pulp from a huge sink where it was dumped from the blender. We then took it over to a table where we turned the screen over onto a piece of cardboard, pressed the screen, and then carefully lifted the screen off the wet paper. The newly-created paper was transferred to the cardboard to dry on racks out in the sun.

Once the paper is dried, it is removed from the cardboard and stacked onto another table. Here, used roll-on deodorant bottles get a second life as a manual “iron” to smooth out the screen pattern marks and wrinkles in the paper. This required some muscle—a great dryland workout to keep my swimmers’ shoulders and arms in shape!

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These sheets of paper were ready for the women to make stationary, greeting cards, and other handicrafts for sale. I bought a five-pack of some cute little greeting cards with matching envelopes.

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The entire time we worked side-by-side with the ladies, they sang and danced. From what I read from another blog, this isn’t their usual workday routine. When the Fathom volunteers come to help (for a couple of days every other week), though, they are just so happy to have us there!

Bruce and I were happy to be there to help these entrepreneurial women, and we were thankful we had the opportunity to do one last Impact Travel activity before the ship set sail for home.

The following are scenes from the neighborhood around RePapel:

Just outside of the co-op where they were drying work gloves and clothes out in the sun.

I photographed this cute little barbershop from the bus window.

CHOCAL: MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT THE CACAO NURSERY

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

As Adonia cruised into Amber Cove, Bruce and I admired the gorgeous tropical scenery of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (aka “the DR”). We were eager to start the day, so we were among the first to disembark after our arrival. It was too early to board the bus for Chocal; so, we explored Amber Cove, the $90 million-dollar port completed a year ago by Carnival Cruise Lines. I took several photos of the attractive complex; however, I am eager to write about Chocal. Amber Cove will have to wait…

In my first post about Fathom Impact Travel, I mentioned we would be helping Chocal with their cacao and chocolate production. It is a women’s cooperative currently employing thirty women (as well as some of their adult children); however, their goal is to grow the cooperative and thrive. Helping them to succeed will enable Chocal to hire more local women, and bring more income into their community.

During the bus ride to Chocal, Leurys, a representative of IDDI (Dominican Institute for Integral Development), prepared us for our upcoming morning at the cacao plantation and chocolate factory. In addition to learning about Chocal’s creation in 2008 (detailed in the photo above), the entire chocolate-making process was explained, from cacao seedling to chocolate bar. We would be contributing to many of those processes to help increase production.

I was curious how these women learned the business of producing chocolate. We were told a consultant from Switzerland was hired to teach them the entire process, and educate them on the special equipment needed to process the cacao. After the co-op obtained a loan from the U.S.A., the machines were built to specification and delivered to the factory.

Chocal is located high up in the mountains in the town of Altamira (Spanish for “high view”) where cacao grows naturally and abundantly, along with mango and other tropical fruits. Many local farmers belong to a farming cooperative and make their living by harvesting their cacao and selling the cacao beans.

Having Chocal in their community provides another buying source for their cacao beans. When Chocal is in need of more cacao than their own trees produce, they buy from the farmers in their community. In turn, when those farmers need additional cacao trees for their land, they can purchase young trees from Chocal at cost. The farmers provide compost for the seedlings, and pay the equivalent of ten cents for each two-foot tall tree they purchase. This covers the cost of the bag, and the (free) labor is provided by us volunteers. IDDI representatives work with Fathom and Chocal to facilitate the volunteer process.

It was in the nursery where we ended each of our three volunteer days at Chocal; however, it is where I will begin our tour here, since this is the origin of chocolate. It all begins with cacao.

Once the teams were in place at the bag filling station, bag brigade, and seedling planting station; we rocked! I never noted how much time we spent in production mode (perhaps one hour); but, whatever the time period, we produced. Our bus load of +/- thirty volunteers filled bags and planted 504 seedlings our first day, and 584 the second day. Our group had less time to work on the third day; however, we still managed to complete 403 bags. That’s teamwork!

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We met Jessica, age 9, and her dad, Len, during the first night aboard ship. They were wonderful table mates, and became fast friends. Erin and Erin were college friends who we met during the bus ride.

Leurys explained how the bags should be filled to the top and compacted. Next, a hole is inserted in the soil and a cacao seedling is planted.

Carola (right), helps plant the seedlings. She was our table mate on another night aboard ship.

Gumarcindo lines up the seedlings on our first day. Our group planted 504!

By Day 3, Gumarcindo was trying to figure out where to put them all!

These little cacao trees will be sold to area farmers at cost– about ten cents per tree.

My new amigo, Gumarcindo.

After our work was completed, Gumarcindo, the nursery manager, showed us how the beans are processed at the nursery, before they are taken next door to the factory.

First, the cacao pods are carefully removed from the trees, and then manually cut open within 7-10 days of harvest. The beans and pulp are scooped out from the pod and placed into the top level of boxes in the fermenting room. After two days at the top level, they are dumped down into the middle level for another two days of fermenting. Finally, they are transferred into the bottom level where they ferment for an additional two days before being spread out in the sun to dry.

Although many cacao growers skip the fermenting step before drying their beans, the Swiss consultant explained to the co-op members that fermented beans would make for better-tasting chocolate.

After the fermentation process is complete, the beans are left in the sun to dry to reduce the moisture content from about 60% to 7.5%. If it looks like it’s going to rain, the roofs are pulled over the bean tables to keep the beans dry.

The drying process is done carefully and slowly to ensure that off-flavors are not developed. If the beans are dried too quickly, some of the chemical reactions started in the fermentation process are not allowed to complete their work. This causes the beans to become acidic and taste bitter. If the drying is done too slowly, however, mold can develop.

To ensure an even drying process, the beans are spread out in the sun and raked or turned periodically. In all, the drying process takes about six days.

Once dried, the beans are packed in large sacks and stored in Chocal’s warehouse that is kept cool and dry. Under these conditions, the cacao beans can be stored for years.

My next post will be about those cacao beans that are processed to become delicious chocolate!

Meanwhile, as our tour came to an end, we said “Hasta manana!” (See you tomorrow!”) to Gumarcindo and the IDDI facilitators helping out at the nursery. All of them gave us a funny look, because nobody comes back tomorrow if they are on a Fathom cruise. As a matter of fact, the Fathom website doesn’t allow for registering for multiple Impact activities at the same location. Besides, most people opt for a variety of volunteer opportunities rather than just one. Not me. Between my passion for all things chocolate and my strong belief in the women’s co-op; I was determined to spend as much time as possible at Chocal. Bruce was fine with it, so I called Fathom’s headquarters as soon as we signed up for the cruise and pleaded my case. Happily, the gal I spoke with empathized and did a manual override of their computer system to sign us up for to volunteer at Chocal all three full days in the DR.

When Bruce and I returned the following day, we found Gumarcindo and greeted him with, “Hola, Gumarcindo! Que lo que?” (“Hello, Gumarcindo! What’s up?”) (“Que lo Que” is a special DR greeting that is very much appreciated by the locals, so we enjoyed using that greeting often!)

A big grin and a fist bump greeted us back!

On the third day, I was sad to have to tell Gumarcindo, “No hasta manana.” I didn’t know if or when we would ever be back…

Next up:

CHOCAL: MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

FATHOM: PREPARING TO MAKE AN IMPACT

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Fathom’s Adonia departed Miami for Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on New Year’s Day during the early evening while golden light of the warm sun reflected off the condo towers. The view from our spot on the top deck was beautiful, and we enjoyed the sail-away before joining in on the first activity.

It was then we discovered this would be nothing like a typical party cruise. Waiters weren’t hawking expensive cocktails, and the poolside activities were much different than I had ever seen before.

For those who chose to participate, we were given a “passport” and instructed to look for five stations that were scattered around the two poolside decks. At each station, we did the required activity and earned a stamp in our passport. One station was posted at the railing of the upper deck. The end of a string was tied to the railing, and the other end was tied to the pool railing across the deck below. We were instructed to take an index card, and write an inspiring message to a random passenger below. We were given a metal bell to attach to our card and asked to tie it in a loop around the string. A good push sent the bell and message down the string to the waiting hands of another Impact Staff member below who untied the message and gave it to a random sunbather on the pool deck. Smiles and laughs spread throughout the pool area.

At another station, questions were posted on glass window panels, and we were instructed to respond to any or all of them. “What are you grateful for?” and “What is your passion?” were two questions that I liked, as was “What is your favorite inspirational quote?” I chose to answer that one with, “Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations.” I previously wrote a blog post about the origin of that quote.

The final station was clever. We were photographed and given a Polaroid mini photo and asked to write our name and city on the picture. We then placed the photo (with a magnet attached to the back) on the huge map located on the metal wall of the pool deck. Mine joined several others from the state of Georgia where we live now. (Georgia ultimately won over my beloved home state of California where I instinctively went to place my photo.)

As the photos collected, it was interesting to see where other passengers were from. Many had traveled from faraway states and countries!

All of these details are to say this wasn’t shaping up to be your typical Caribbean party cruise!

During the following full day at sea, many workshops were offered to prepare us for upcoming Impact Travel activities. We were assigned to small “cohort” groups where we would meet with the same passengers and facilitator for two preparation workshops and one wrap-up session, and there were several optional workshops we could attend as well. For those who would be teaching English, there was an additional required session.

We were fortunate to have Colin as our “cohort” leader. A former professional football player with the Cincinatti Bengals, he didn’t look the stereotype of someone who deeply cared about other people and making a difference in the world. This environmentally conscious, Whole Foods-loving do-gooder had the looks of the Mr. Clean Man! He was hilarious, though, and I’m sure our cohort group laughed far more than any other.

The purpose of the “Getting to Know the Dominican Republic” workshop was to orient us to the customs and culture of the “the DR,” learn about its history, and build a community with our fellow travelers as we prepare for our on-ground impact experience.

The workshop entitled, “Being a Fathom Traveler” is described on Fathom’s website as, “Fathom Travel is about transformative experiences through connecting to locality and place with an open heart and mind. Being a Fathom Traveler sets you up with valuable insights, tools and knowledge that will help you get the most out of your experience.”

Colin’s final cohort workshop, “Fathom What’s Next,” will be detailed in a later post.

I also attended a couple of “Social Innovation” workshops that helped prepare us for our on-ground experience by learning skills for authentic interactions with others. These workshops were designed by Ashoka and Ashoka Fellows (www.ashoka.org), and they were quite interesting!

The ultimate goal of these workshops was to help us integrate the week’s experience into our lives going forward.

Coming up next:

CHOCAL: MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT THE WOMEN’S CHOCOLATE COOPERATIVE NURSERY

FATHOM- A UNIQUE WAY TO GIVE BACK

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

There are so many different ways to open your heart, and give back to society. Whether it’s through volunteering in your own community, joining an overseas mission with a church, or opening up your wallet; it all helps make our world a better place.

Carnival Cruises presented a unique opportunity to give back by launching Fathom, their one-ship (“Adonia”) cruise line and presenting the concept of “Impact Travel,” Carnival’s trademarked name for cruising with a purpose.

Taking the focus off the “it’s all about me” attitude of passengers that cruise companies cater to, most people who book a Fathom cruise do so with the purpose of participating in several of the Impact Travel volunteer opportunities available on shore in the Dominican Republic. Although volunteering is not required, typically 95% of the passengers on most of the cruises have done so, since Fathom launched in April 2016. (Unfortunately, though, as I explained in my previous post, Fathom will cease to exist at the end of May this year. More details will follow in a later post.)

Once aboard ship, we discovered a “feel” among the passengers unlike anything we had previously experienced during our years as guest lecturers/ craft instructors. Instead of an attitude of entitlement (“What’s in it for me?”), many of the passengers we talked to were eager to arrive in Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic (“the DR”) and volunteer during each of our 3-1/2 days in port. For those who didn’t sign up online ahead of time for the available volunteer activities, they were disappointed to learn many of them were booked full. (All opportunities were located a bus ride away from the port, requiring buses to transport volunteers to their activities.)

Wait lists were started for the various activities, but the lists grew longer as passengers came back after the first day of volunteering and shared their excitement about the impact they had made through their efforts.

In addition, passengers were only permitted to sign up online in advance for three activities– one for each full day; however, groups were dispatched in the morning and afternoon allowing for doubling up each day in some cases. As enthusiasm grew for volunteering, several passengers added to their three activities; so, they could make more of a positive impact on this impoverished country.

This is the attitude of the typical Fathom passenger. Most didn’t care about the lack of over-the-top amenities and entertainment now standard on the newest mega-ships. Instead, passengers lingered over coffee in the dining room after dinner and shared their experiences of the day. The most common question asked was, “What ‘Impact’ activity did you do today?” That was often followed by asking, “How was it?” Passengers eagerly spoke proudly of the impact their group made that day. For those who worked at Chocal, we shared the all-important numbers: pounds of cacao beans sorted, pounds of cacao nibs sorted from shell fragments, quantity of chocolate bars wrapped or packaged; and, at the nursery, the quantity of bags filled with dirt and seedlings planted. (When those numbers were revealed during the bus ride back to ship, the passengers broke out in applause and cheers.)

Think back on the last cruise you took, if you have taken an ocean cruise. Does any of this sound familiar to you? I didn’t think so…

Next up: PREPARING TO MAKE AND IMPACT

Adonia, as we depart Miami:

The Adonia was a former Renaissance cruise ship and has a capacity of 704 passengers.

The Ocean Grill was an alternative dining room with a $25pp charge.

This very cool huge photo of a diver was on the stairway landing wall on the way to the gym and spa.

We were given a free upgrade to an outside cabin. The large window was nice to have! Behind me are the closets and bathroom.

Miami

Notice the backed-up traffic heading towards the beach. Ugh!

This bridge leads to homes of the 1%-ers.

It takes a 1%-er to own a house and yacht like that!

Ditto!

PRE-CRUISE: VISITING VERO BEACH

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

The idea of going on an Impact Travel cruise came from our friends, David and Melody. They had heard of Fathom’s unique concept and shared it with us. We were intrigued and looked forward to experiencing it together.

Unfortunately, several days before the cruise, Melody had a back injury too serious to be able to travel; so, they had to cancel out. David and Melody still wanted us to visit them in Vero Beach prior to the cruise, so we made our way south on December 28^th.

While Melody rested, David gave us a fabulous tour of Vero Beach during the first full day of our visit; so, it made it easier for Bruce and I to find our way around while exploring over the next two days.

Over the next couple of days, between poking around the galleries, visiting the McKee Botanical Garden, taking long walks along the boardwalk at the beach, and watching the manatees; we got a great feel for the area. Bruce and I enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and friendliness of the locals.

It just wasn’t the same not being able to share it with our friends, though; and, we were heartbroken Melody and David wouldn’t be able to experience the cruise.

On New Year’s Day, we left Vero Beach for Miami to board Fathom’s Adonia. It was a day of mixed feelings—concern for Melody, and sadness our friends would be missing the upcoming adventure; but, excitement that our volunteer work in the Dominican Republic would have an impact in more ways than one.

The following are scenes from our visit in Vero Beach.:

Bruce and David

Melody, at a farm near their house, before her back took a serious turn for the worse.

“Woody” was made out of LEGOS! What a surprise to find an amazing Lego sculpture exhibit waiting for us at McKee Botanical Garden! Throughout the gardens were beautiful Lego creatures constructed by Sean Kenney, the world’s first LEGO Certified Professional. Made of regular off-the-shelf Lego pieces, the exhibition featured thirteen individual displays built with over 300,000 LEGO pieces. This guy was the most complex and made from 4,424 pieces. He measured 10″x 8″ x 20″.

This life-size gardener was constructed from 34,340 LEGO pieces.

42,164 pieces were used to build this praying mantis.

This Monarch Butterfly has an 8-foot wing-span and was created with 60,549 LEGO pieces. It’s the second largest sculpture Sean Kenney has every created.

Uh-oh! This Milk snake is about to chow down in this cute field mouse. Both sculptures were made from a total of 12,069 pieces.

Our national bird, the Bald Eagle is made from 42,198 pieces and measures five feet tall.

In addition to this squirrel, there were other squirrels and birds on the fence eyeing the bird feeder above (filled with LEGO pieces!).

31,565 pieces were used to create this huge hummingbird.

This Giant White Triumphator Lily made from 32,514 pieces was giant, measuring 72″ in length!

How about a life-size rototiller? It took 20,903 pieces to create it.

Next up: Aboard Fathom’s Adonia

Impact Travel: A New Adventure

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

After a few dozen big ship cruises as a guest lecturer (mostly travel photography) and crafts instructor, I was ready for a different cruising experience. Back in 2002, my mom had wanted to take a river cruise on the waterways of Belgium and Holland, so we paired up for a non-working cruise and headed to Europe. One time on an intimate riverboat was all it took; I was hooked and never thought I would return to the big ships again.

That all changed when some friends bounced an idea off us that was different than the typical big ship cruising experience: impact travel. I had never heard of the concept in cruising, but Fathom, a one-ship cruise line launched by Carnival Cruises last April, had done just that.

Fathom’s 704-passenger former Renaissance ship, Adonia, made headlines by being the first cruise ship to take American passengers to Cuba; but, what I didn’t know was that the ship sails to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for one-week impact travel cruises on alternate weeks.

Puerto Plata wasn’t on the top of my bucket list for destinations—I had been there before as a teenager on a family cruise—but this opportunity intrigued me. After hearing David and Melody’s excitement about the concept and their idea of having us experience it together, I did some further research. Bruce and I both loved what we discovered, so we signed on. After visiting them in Vero Beach, we’ll drive down to Miami and hop aboard Adonia together.

Now, before I explain further and (possibly) get you excited about the concept of impact travel, I recently learned from two different USA Today articles that Fathom will cease operations in spring of this year. The ship has been sailing far under capacity, and the cruise line is losing money. Unless you book your cruise and travel soon, you will be out of luck.

We got an affordable deal– $850 for BOTH of us, including port fees and taxes, for a one-week cruise. Even at this great price, it is doubtful the ship will sail anywhere near capacity.

On our day of departure, we will set sail from Miami to Puerto Plata. During our transit, we will participate in workshops to learn about the culture and prepare us for our chosen volunteer activities. While the ship stays docked at Amber Cove in Puerto Plata, passengers will have the option of being tourists, volunteering, or both. Those of us who will be volunteers will spend three days immersing ourselves in the local culture and collaborating with local volunteers on community projects that will have an impact on education, environment, economy, and more.

The need in Dominican Republic is tremendous. The poorest half of their population receives less than one-fifth of the country’s annual GDP, and most of them live below the poverty line. Job prospects for women are especially scarce.

While looking over the various choices of how we could help make an impact, one option stood out above and beyond the rest: Chocal, a women’s cooperative that cultivates organic cacao plants and produces chocolate from bean to bar.

Under the guidance of Dominican Institute for Integral Development (IDDI), Chocal has been successful in creating jobs, providing local cacao growers with an outlet to sell their plants, and generating income from the sales of their organic chocolate. Along the way, the women have learned new skills and have been afforded the opportunity to continue their education. Flexible work hours have allowed the women to do all this while still caring for their families.

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As volunteers, we will participate in the complete cacao production cycle: from planting and cultivating the organic cacao trees, to sorting cacao beans, to molding chocolate, and packaging the final product for sale in their gift shop and aboard Adonia.

According to Fathom’s website, by helping to improve production and increase sales, we will be helping Chocal to thrive, so it can hire more local women and provide more income to the region.

This is a win-win! Visiting a full-production cacao plantation was on my bucket list; however, trying to incorporate it as part of a vacation with my husband was proving to be difficult. Bruce is totally on board with this and has even enthusiastically agreed with my idea of volunteering all three available days at Chocal rather than choosing two other activities. Our friends will also be joining us on one of the days at Chocal, and then spending another day making clay water filters. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of stories to share that evening over dinner back onboard ship!

Stay tuned for more on this upcoming adventure!*

*Unfortunately, thieves have gotten smarter and figured out how to prey on travel bloggers, so for security reasons (even though we live in a guarded community and have a house sitter), our travel dates will not be noted, and future posts will not be published until after we return.

Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools… and CHOCOLATE!

Tag Archives: Impact Travel

RECYCLING PAPER WITH REPAPEL

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FATHOM: PREPARING TO MAKE AN IMPACT

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FATHOM- A UNIQUE WAY TO GIVE BACK

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PRE-CRUISE: VISITING VERO BEACH

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Impact Travel: A New Adventure

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