Live from Winnipeg ...

[Posting includes the 2 Group D games from Winnipeg on June 8 as well as my recap from the two Group B matches from Sunday, June 7. It also contains a bunch of travelogue.]

Reporting to you live from Winnipeg (or more accurately the air between Winnipeg and Vancouver). It was a win for Team USA; it wasn't a pretty win, but a win is 3 points, pretty or not! But, I digress. The story starts much earlier.

Travelogue

Monday, June 8, started my summer Women's World Cup travel extravaganza, and what a start it was! I had a Boston to Toronto flight scheduled with a tight-but-doable one hour and eleven minute layover before my flight to Winnipeg. Becks, my soccer and travel buddy, was meeting me in Toronto. It all sounded so good ... until my flight out of Boston was delayed. I didn't stress when they posted the 9:50 departure for the 9:25 flight. But when I woke up after falling asleep before takeoff and discovered we were still about #5 for takeoff, I started to worry.

We hit the ground in Toronto at 11:52; boarding for Winnipeg started at 11:55. That's when I really started to panic. I explained to the guy next to me that I was going to be that jerky customer who needed to dash forward as quickly as posible because my connecting flight was boarding. He was gracious and the moment we stopped, I had leapt out and was about 5 rows ahead of where I was. Of course, I didn't mention where I was sitting -- row 33 -- the very last row on the plane. So 5 rows was good, but it was at least another ten minutes before I was off the plane.

Next up: clear customs. Once again, I was that passenger saying, "Excuse me, I hate to ask, but my flight is boarding, do you mind if I go ahead?" Practically everyone was incredibly generous and kind. One grumpy business man insisted that I was in the wrong place, because he'd seen "connecting flights" on the way to customs. I was pretty sure that those were only for International connections (for which you don't have to clear customs). I get through customs and then make my way through the 3 dimensional maze that is the Toronto airport. I kid you not: down from customs; through the baggage claim and immigrations exit (where they didn't even take the travel card I had had to fill out and get stamped); up an elevator to security; through security and down an escalator to the gates. Now, picture me with my large carry-on backpack (enough for 2 weeks of travel including a black tie event and a keynote plus some large number of soccer games), my tiny travel backpack, and my gimpy right hip racing through the airport. At security, I once again threw myself on the mercy of my fellow passengers who were, once again, totally awesome. The security person was not so awesome -- I missed the signs that said I had to take my laptop out (after all, my boarding pass said TSA-pre), so in what can only be described as slow motion animation, she had to swipe the laptop, put the bag through again, and make me stand in people's way while she did it. She was the only truly unhelpful person I encountered. And of course, while going through security, I heard them call my name at the gate.

Down the escalator and I found a friendly Air Canada agent (the Air Canada folks were all truly, truly helpful) and I asked if she could phone the gate to tell them I was on my way. Instead, she directed me to one of those little cars and I got a ride to my gate (which was, of course, at the far end of the concourse). As I approach the gate, I see the gate agent, and wonder of wonder, Becks -- who hadn't boarded the plane, because she was doing her best to make sure they waited for me. I can't imagine a more sincere expression of friendship than not getting on that plane. I feel very lucky!

Now, here is the greatest irony of all -- it turns out that I was about to board the exact same airplane on which I had flown to Toronto. Yup, while I had navigated the Toronto airport, customs, and security at breakneck speed, my plane had leisurely wandered from my international arrival gate to my domestic departure one. It seems that while I was racing through the airport, the gate agent was also tracking me, "She's not through security yet ... Oh wait! There she is!." Additionally Becks could see me come down the escalator, but then I disappeared (to get my car).

It's rather difficult to describe my physical state when I finally got on that plane, found space for my bag, and collapsed in my seat (next to the hung over fellow who dashed to the bathroom during takeoff, because I think he was, um, taking care of the effects of the night before). I had been propelled through the airport on pure adrenaline; I was hot, exhausted, and spent. I turned the air on full blast and promptly fell asleep to let my body get back to normal. By the time we landed in Winnipeg, I had pretty much recovered.

Well, it's not like we suddenly became leisurely tourists though. It was about 2:15 and the first game started at 3:00. Fotunately Winnipeg airport is quite small and our hotel was close to the airport. We grabbed a cab, stopped at the hotel, dumped our bags, got back in the taxi and high-tailed it to the game. We arrived at about 5 minutes in and were in our seats just as ... oh wait, now we're on to:

Sweden versus Nigeria

The US placed into what has been nicknamed, The Group of Death, which seems to happen with alarming regularity. The US is ranked #2 (behind Germany), Sweden is ranked #5, Nigeria is ranked #33, and Austrailia is ranked #10. Sweden were pretty heavy favorites going into the opening match.

The two teams have reasonably different styles: Nigeria is lightning fast and physical; Sweden is organized and fluid. Just as we arrived, Sweden scored their first goal. Nigeria responded with repeated attacks into Swedens' box, but they weren't able to finish any of them. The crowd was pretty pro-Nigeria -- most of the USA fans bitterly remembered the final US game of the group stage of the 2011 Women's World Cup, where Sweden took down the US to finish first in the group. In an effort to avoid a replay, I think we all wanted Nigeria to win. Sweden scored again in the first half and the two teams went off at half time with a score of 2-0.

Early in the second half, Becks went out to forage for food (neither of us had had much in the way of meals given the travel schedule we'd had) and in a span of about 10 minutes, Nigeria scored two spectacular goals. It was a brand new game!! The rest of the half was some of the most thrilling soccer I've seen -- end to end play, Nigeria pushing hard, some lapses in defense on both side, and a highly energized crowd (assisted by the Nigerian band who played the entire game). Sweden scored one more and it looked like it was going to be a 3-2 game, much to the American fan's disappointment. And then ... in the 87th minute, Nigeria tied it up at 3-3, which would be how the game would end.

Wow! A terrific match to watch and perhaps the best outcome for which the US could have hoped. All they needed to do was beat Australia to take control of the group ...

USA versus Australia

I repeat, pretty or ugly, a win is a win, and a win was what the US needed.

Both teams opened up playing a lot of "kick and run" -- long balls that didn't quite reach their intended receiver and neither team exhibiting much in the way of control or rhythm on the field. It was worrisome. Then the Aussies started attacking. And they attacked well. Hope Solo had a couple of spectacular saves early that were awesome in their athleticism, but worrisome in their boding of the future. The American fans breathed a huge sign of relief in the twelfth minute when speedy and crafty Megan Rapinoe nailed one from distance and got a perfect re-direction off an Australian player. Goal! USA 1- Australia 0. That didn't last nearly long enough though -- later in the half, Australia retaliated with a blast from De Vanna (formerly of the Boston Breakers) at about 8 yards out. Goal! It was 1-1 game.

The 1-1 score stood into halftime. Australia looked good -- they were pounding the American back line, who were letting De Vanna and others in the box just a few times too often. They were shutting down US forwards Wambach and Leroux pretty effectively. The US seemed to be playing from nerves -- there was no rhythm and very little control. Lloyd in the midfield seemed to bring some calm and stability to the field, but she wasn't enough. She and Rapinoe seemed to be the only two US players consistently playing their own game rather than responding to the Aussies. It wasn't looking pretty.

The second half started without any subs, and the stop and start, long-ball game seemed to have returned. And then things changed: the US put together a beautiful 1-2-3: Rapinoe sending Leroux up the left side. Leroux taking on her player and placing the ball at the feet of Christen Press right in front of the goal, and Press finishing decisively. It was a textbook play, executed brilliantly. USA 2-1!

Only then, after their second goal, did we see the real US team emerge. Suddenly they were holding the ball, batting it around the midfield, playing with a calm that had been entirely lacking in the first half. As the Aussies became more frantic, needing to first win the ball so they could take shots on goal, the US took advantage of errors. And Rapinoe came through in a big way again -- nailing team USA's third goal in the 78th minute from about 15 yards out. It was gorgeous! The second half also saw some substitutions: shortly after the go-ahead goal, Morgan for Leroux. Then Tobin Heath for Christen Press. And finally, with about five minutes left, Morgan Brian for a Megan Rapinoe who was, along with Hope Solo, the star of the game. The US held the 3-1 lead until the game's end.

Had the US lost, I probably would have done a great deal of whining about the officiating. Although they won, I have to voice my complaints anyway. There were some calls that appeared to be really terrible, and it seemed that a lot of them went against the US. In a tournament where yellow cards accumulate for the first 5 games (until the semi-finals), and where two yellow cards result in a 1-game suspension, giving yellow cards is a big deal. The US got two of them, neither of which seemed warranted from this fan's perspective. Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe each left the match with a card -- a most uncomfortable position for team USA moving forward.

Sunday Group B Competition

If Group D is the Group of Death, then Group B should be The Group of Injustice, pitting #1 Germany and #11 Norway against #29 Thailand and #67 Cote D'Ivoire, the latter two making their debut appearances in the world cup. Anyone who follows the game would predict that Germany and Norway will go 2-0 against their other opponents and the Germany-Norway game will determine the winner and runner up in the group. Furthermore, when these two powerhouses meet these two debutantes, it's a great opportunity to generate some goal differential and contenders for the Golden Boot award (most number of goals scored in the tournament by a single player). All of this appeared to play out on Sunday.

First up: Norway versus Thailand

I have to confess to having been distracted by laundry during parts of this game, but the game was reasonably predictable: Norway attacking and Thailand defending. But defend valiantly, they did! They also counter attacked a few times, and when they did, you could see the potential there. This may be their first big tournament, but they will be back and they will be better. They (tried to) play a precise, technical passing game. When they succeeded, they appeared threatening, but they weren't consistent enough to make a difference. Final score: Norway 4-0.

Second up: Germany versus Cote D'Ivoire

You knew it was going to be a lopsided game before it started, but you didn't realize how lopsided until the third minute when Germany scored a picture perfect goal and made it very clear that there were going to be a lot of those to follow. It was going to be a long day for Cote D'Ivoire. That said, Cote D'Ivoire did show some beautiful play -- they were speedy and connected on several nice sets of passes, but nothing that could slice through the organized German defense. And somehow, when they got to midfield, it always seemed that Germany outnumbered them about 4:1, although I'm fairly confident each team had only 11 players on the field. Watching Germany play, particularly in the box, is a thing of beauty. You can just see the build up to the goal and KNOW that it's going in. this happened over and over again to the tune of 5-0 at halftime and 10-0 for a final score.

I awarded the Cote D'Ivoire goalie the "Best Goalie Uniform" of the tournament for her hot pink attire, but if you're going to wear hot pink, you better be red-hot in goal, and I think she feel short there. Her timing seemed to be a bit off, and there were just a few too many balls that were bobbled instead of caught.

Welcome to the World Cup!

2015 Women's World Cup: Game 1 Canada versus China

Someone suggested that I blog the Women's World Cup since I'll be spending the next month in Canada flying hither and yon watching a lot of soccer.  I can't wait!

I enjoyed today's world cup opener in the comfort of my own home (and successfully made dinner in exactly 15 minutes during halftime).  Even before the game started though, I got worried -- it seems that Audi decided to advertise during the WWC (good), however, they appear to be too lazy to actually put together a new ad, so they featured an ad with a bunch of men's soccer and proclaimed themselves a partner of the MLS.  Really?  A commercial during the WOMEN'S world cup and you can't be bothered to film a new commercial?  Sheesh.

Canada were heavy favorites going into the match, but China did not seem to have gotten the message. They opened up with a lot of pressure on the ball and prevented Canada from developing any kind of rhythm in the game. I got distracted by the tiny black pellets being flung in the air from the artificial turf.  For those of you who have never played on turf, let me try to describe it.  Let's see - it sucks.  The field is hard and you end up just that much sorer after; your shoes and clothes get covered in tiny rubber pellets (made from old tires from what I understand); and the field radiates heat -- a lot of it.  And did I mention how nicely the turf tears up your legs.  If you've been burying your head in the turf for the past year, you might not know that the men have NEVER had to play a World Cup on turf, but what do you expect from an organization whose (former) leader thought that the way to increase the popularity of women's soccer was to have the women wear tighter shorts. (Reminds me of the uniforms in a League of Their Own -- I guess some things haven't changed since the 40's.)

Anyway, back to the game.  Watching Christine Sinclair move the ball really is a thing of beauty. She had a couple of plays early in the game, but became largely invisible for a disturbingly long time in the first half.

As I said earlier, China did a fabulous job putting pressure on the ball.  They were also terrific at getting every player back on defense.  The first really close call of the game (and perhaps the closest non-goal I've ever witnessed) came from China in the 22nd minute -- the shot hit two goal posts, but thanks to goal line technology, we know that the ball never entirely crossed the plane of the goal line, so no goal!

Approaching half time, China had only 32% possession, but had done a good job containing Canada and threatening on the counter attack. Many of us are still curious about the Chinese strategy of  making a sub in the 42nd minute.  Why not wait until half time?  Inquiring minds want to know!

The second half was a bit different -- Canada put together a number of threatening combinations, but China's goaltender was incredibly solid.  There weren't spectular saves, but there were many good solid saves.  So, it was with some sadness that I watched the 92nd minute as China took down a player in the box and got called for a penalty.  It was the right call, but a somewhat unfortunate way for the game to end. Given Canada's intensity in the second half, particularly in those last 15 minutes, I'd say the win was earned, but it was a bitter defeat for China.  I'm looking forward to their next game.

Final score: Canada 1, China 0

Dr. Greg can Moo, Can You?

Once again, I find myself writing in verse ...

With thanks and apologies to Dr. Seuss

Oh, the wonderful sounds
Dr. Greg can do!
He can sound like a cow
He can go Moo, Moo


He can sound like a bee
If that bee were a cow
He would say, "Moo."
Can you say Moo too?


He can go like a cork
on a bottle of milk
He can go like a spider
on a long thread of silk


He can go like a rooster,
so long as it's Coq
As his days here wind down,
He goes like tick tock


He can go snort snort,
like one angry cow
But we go boo hoo
Because he's leaving us now.


Oh, the wonderful things Dr. Greg can do
He can sound like a cow,
He can go Moo moo moo.
He can prove every program
as long as it's right
He can Moo like a cow
all day and all night
He can run a good meeting
and make it quite short
And none of his colleagues
Like the bull make a snort


Dr. Greg is smart as smart as they come!
He can sound like a fife;
He can sound like a drum
Or maybe wife Tanya
With the drum and the fife
Makes it possible for Greg
To have the traveling life


He can go vroom like a plane
To meetings afar
The advisory boards know
That he is their star


He can race back to Harvard
Where he's our bright star true
He teaches the kiddies,
Mentors faculty too.

He can run a good search
Hiring faculty strong
He has run a good CRCS
Where cows didn't belong


Dr. Greg is Amazing,
When he leaves we'll be blue.
But when he goes to Cornell
There's one thing he can't do
He can't graze his cow
In Harvard Yard as we do.

A Billion Rocks

I spent nine days this summer on a service trip to Costa Rica. It was a marvelous experience with a group of awesome students, teachers, and parents. And I moved a lot of rock -- up hills, over flats, down ravines, up more hills, into buckets, out of buckets, over walls, etc. A billion might be a hyperbole, but this was definitely a rock-oriented trip, or a rock party, as we grew to call it.

The journey began weeks before our first flight -- raising money and gathering "stuff" to support the projects we intended to accomplish. Our time would be split between a PANI (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia) transitional home and the Bribri Melleruk school in the Talamanca. For the PANI homes, we collected gently used toys, books, and clothing. Thanks to: Sujata Bhatia, Lisa Lowy, Junko Nagano, Sandy Yelen, and the two teenagers in my own house, who donated all this stuff.

The money we raised went to purchase materials -- tons of rock, sand, and gravel, paint, duffels, additional items for PANI -- and to pay folks we hired there (e.g., an electrician). Thanks to my team of supporters: Mark O'Friel, Geoffrey Knauth, Cathy Lanteri, Christine Price, Rebecca Ruck, Kristen Rupert, Carol Sandstrom, Miki Seltzer, Stan Seltzer, Leslie Shelman, and Susan Welby.

There were 32 of us heading to Costa Rica: 5 teachers, 3 parents, and 24 students, ranging from rising 8th graders to a rising senior. The vast majority of the students graduated from The Meadowbrook School of Weston in either 2013 or 2014. Our leader, Matt Molyneux, is a truly gifted teacher, who innovates at the school and teaches whatever needs teaching, from technology to outdoor survival skills. The whole program is the result of a grant from The Meadowbrook Leadership Institute, and this was the third summer we made a summer service trip. It was my first time on the trip.

Most of us met the day before departure to pack 32 enormous duffel bags that we would check. Students, teachers, parents, and even those who had planned on going, but couldn't, showed up to sort and pack.

Then we stuffed duffel bags into SUVs, minivans, and our pickup truck, heading home only to reconvene at 5:00 AM the next morning at Logan airport.

Amazingly we all made it to Logan with the 32 duffel bags and enough time to check them and get ourselves on our flight to Miami. The transit in Miami was a bit tight, but we and the bags all made it to San Jose, Costa Rica, where we were greated by our longterm guides, Monica Leal Rodriguez and Adrian Salas Campos of Costa Rican Adventures.

One of the first things that struck me was the genuine affection and warmth between Monica and Adrian and our students. Of the 32 of us, only two students, two parents, and two or three of the teachers were first timers -- and it didn't take long for us newbies to "get" the connection with Adrian and Monica. Not only were they our guides, but they worked and played side by side with us throughout the week. They looked out for us; made sure we were happy and cared for; made sure that we were able to undertake our projects. We could not have done this without them.

Next we met Andre, our bus driver, who would soon find himself an integral member of the Meadowbrook family. While he had been the driver during this past February's 8th grade trip, a wonderful surprise awaited us the next day.

As one leaves the San Jose airport, you have to pay attention to realize that you're not in San Jose, California amidst the Walmarts, MacDonalds, Burger Kings, and nearly every other fast food franchise that line our own highways.

Between San Jose and Limon, our first destination, are the Costa Rican mountains, so we were spending the first night at a mountain lodge about 2 hours out side of Limon. We made a brief stop in Cartago to see the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles and then to stock up on important supplies: Chikky's and Yipy's -- the standard cookie treat for all Meadowbrook Costa Rica trips. I'm pretty sure some of the folks subsist on nothing more than Yipy's and Chikky's. Finally after a very long travel day, we arrived at Guayabo Lodge in Turialba, down a 300m bumpy, narrow, steep dirt road that Andre navigated masterfully.

As this was my first time in Costa Rica and I was interested only in soaking everything up, I was somewhat taken aback by the rapidity with which the students (and many of the teachers) took to their electronic devices the moment we got to the Wifi-enabled lodge. I now understand and support the Meadowbrook policy of taking these electronic devices away from the students during the school trip. There was way more "parallel play" going on than true interaction whenever we returned into Wifi-land.

After the first of many rice and bean dinners, we all hung out for awhile and then retired to prepare for our first work day.

Monday morning we packed up and drove down the mountain into Limon and to the PANI transitional home. Children end up in transitional homes either when they have been abandoned or when they are removed from their homes for their safety. I won't be sharing pictures here of the kids, because these children have families and we are asked to protect their privacy. Suffice it to say that children range in age from birth to 18, when they age out of the PANI system. One of the newest arrivals to the Limon home was a 12-year-old girl and her 22 day old baby. The young lady is a sweet, artistically talented girl with eyes way beyond her twelve years.

Our Meadowbrook 8th graders have been visiting the PANI home for several years and as we pull up, many of the children recognize their American friends and they rush to greet them. Our group splits into several different teams -- one group heads into the baby/toddler house to spend more of their time holding and playing with babies who get little one on one attention. A second group starts sorting clothes and toys that we'll give to the children and/or leave in the learning center. A third group embarks on a photo project -- they brought a photo printer as well as some polaroids and took pictures of the kids, printed them out and then helped them construct personalized binders. Pictures are very popular. Another group begins clearing out the back rooms of the learning center that we intend to renovate to create a computer lab and small storage room. The rooms are currently full of lumber, piles of termite residue, an old toilet and lots of other stuff. The painters take over one wall of the center and construct a mural. And the last group starts digging to create a nature trail around the facility.

Unfortunately, within 30 minutes, the digging team managed to break a water line. Fortunately, we had a plumber in our midst (the father of our fearless leader), but this ended up torpedoing our nature trail plans. The digging team (mostly rising 9th grade boys) then focused their attention on an area at the top of the complex -- the teenagers wanted an outdoor space to hang out -- and we were determined to build a patio area. This was the first of many rock-moving projects.

When Andre, our bus driver, saw what we were doing in the back room, he let on that he worked construction in another of his lives and asked if he could help. From that moment on, Andre became part of our team -- working with us at every site we visited and doing anything that needed to be done. It was fascinating watching Andre, who spoke no English, and Jim, who spoke no Spanish, work together on master minding the renovation of the rooms -- with a shared goal and mutual respect, one can accomplish amazing things without a shared language. I think of Andre as one of our greatest gifts from this trip.

Personally, I started with the emptying of the back rooms and the removal of shelf liners covered in termite residue (a much nicer term than termite dung). Then I did some ladder holding for painters and finally, began my journey of a billion rocks by bringing wheelbarrows-full of stones, large and small, up the hill.

We worked until after 6 and then headed to Puerto Viejo, which would be our home base for most of the week.

By the time, the hungry, dirty, exhausted crew got to the restaurant in Puerto Viejo, I'm pretty sure we'd have been excited to be served dogfood, but instead we got more rice and beans (with either veggies, chicken, or fish) -- the restaurant was clever to give us their outside room so we didn't scare the other customers away.

Tuesday was another long PANI day, only this time, our main focus was finishing up the patio. The patio was on a pretty steep hill so we had to reinforce one side. The original plan was to simply reinforce with stone, but then I remembered that we had a few cinder blocks that we'd found in the back room -- turns out we had precisely enough to line the hill edge of the patio. So, we used a combination of cinder blocks, large stones, and concrete to build the edge. I'd never mixed concrete before, so this was a learning experience as well. Once we had the concrete going, we hauled about a gazillion wheelbarrow loads of gravel to fill in the patio. Turns out that was the easy part! Once the patio was near complete, we had to transport the concrete furniture up the hill. The small pieces were probably about a hundred pounds and the large ones were probably 200-300 pounds each. There was no way this was going to happen with the wheel barrows, so we found someone who would let us use a truck. Even loading the truck required monumental team effort. We left the furniture assembly to professionals, as a girl had already ended up with a broken leg from some of their less well installed concrete furniture, and we really didn't want that happening. We'll come back to the patio on day 5.

Once again we worked late and headed back into Puerto Viejo for a late dinner. As we hit the road it started pouring and by the time they had delivered about half the meals, the restaurant lost power. But have no fear - they were cooking over gas and there were a few backup lights, so they continued to bring food out and get us all fed. One of the teachers, who earned his spot on the trip by saying, "That's me!" in response to, "I need someone who can build a nuclear reactor out of a pile of scrap material", constructed an adhoc lamp using his iPhone and a bag. Very nice mood lighting.

Day three was a bit more low key. We got a latish start of around 9:30 and headed to a nearby hotel where we met up with all the kids from both the Limon PANI and the Guapiles PANI (where the teenage boys are). We spent the morning tossing them about in the pool and hanging out with them. A couple of the recent Meadowbrook graduates prepared some team building games for the teenagers, because they'd found in February that while it was easy to play with the little kids, it was awkward to interact with the teenagers, so they wanted to have some activities to bring people together. This was the same crew of girls who did the photo project at PANI.

It seemed to work reasonably well. As our wonderful leader described, it was a bit of a middle school mixer, but most people seemed to have a good time. After several hours of pool time and lunch, we all boarded busses and headed to the Jaguar Rescue Center. We broke up into four different groups based on the ages of the kids in the group; each of us had a buddy, and we toured the center. The older kids all wanted to take pictures so practically all of us gave our cameras to the kids and they took pictures.

Although this was a much lighter day, it was surprisingly exhausting and everyone was thrilled to have a somewhat earlier dinner that evening, leaving time to wander through Puerto Viejo.

Thursday we were off to the Talamanca, home to the Bribri (indigenous people of Costa Rica) and location of the Melleruk school. In February, our 8th graders had hauled 23 tons of rock to build a retaining wall. Unfortunately, it turns out that the mesh baskets full of rocks weren't exactly the right solution, so we were back to build a real retaining wall of large rocks and concrete. Yeay -- I only learned to mix concrete a few days before and already I was going to get to use my newly acquired skill. And of course, this would involve, you guessed it, hauling a lot more rock! In addition, a group of our 8th grade boys had proposed a project to build a playground for the children of the school, so a large playset was delivered and they dug holes (also filled with concrete) and assembled it.

It was an amazing day. As the story goes, the different indigenous peoples of Costa Rica named each other, and Bribri translates roughly into "tough guys." This seems totally appropriate -- most of the men were small in stature but incredibly strong and with aweinspiring endurance. The electrician we hired to come along and work with us is quite an accomplished soccer player and he said his team was one of the top teams in the country, but they always dreaded playing the Bribri team, because they would just run circles around them all game.

To complicate things a bit, the Bribri have their own language, so even our Spanish-speakers were not able to translate, but once the job got underway, it was pretty clear what needed to be done: we hauled a mixture of sand and gravel to form five large (huge) piles into which we mixed cement and then water to make the concrete. The Bribri did most of the wheelbarrow driving, while we picked larger rocks out of the mixture, but then we all formed work circles as we mixed the materials together -- you work around the circle, piling up everything into a big hill, then tearing it down to form a large crater and then building it up again. Once we had big mixed piles, we then formed a large bucket brigade to fill large barrels of water to mix into the cement. (Your truly got to experience fire ants first hand during one of those bucket brigade exercises.)

Finally, once we had piles of concrete, it went back into wheelbarrows that got dumped into the approximately 30 foot long, by 3 foot wide, by 4 foot high wooden framing that had been assembled for the wall. Running down the hill with a wheelbarrow full of cement that you tried to push over the already wet cement in the frame was pretty darned hard work, but our Bribri colleagues relished in the challenge and the young men seemed to having a bit of fun egging each other on during the activity. We had a separate party collecting large rocks to toss into the wall -- we carried them by hand, in buckets, in wheelbarrows, etc. The young Bribri boys were also anxious to help and there were few things quite as cute as 6 and 7 year olds lugging large pails of rocks on their shoulders. It was truly wonderful to see our teenage girls working side by side with the Bribri men all day -- it was a real team effort.

That evening, we spent the night in the Ditsowo cultural center, which resembles a giant treehouse, complete with authentic Bribri cooking. The beds are surprisingly comfortable cotton mattresses surrounded by mosquito netting, and we were split up into 2 large areas (boys and girls) and 2 small areas (male teachers and female teachers). We'd been told to dress for the cold, but as our space was on the 3rd floor, it stayed relatively warm all evening.

The next morning, our group split -- half went back to the Melleruk school to finish the wall and half went back to Pani to build some desks, finish the deck/patio, paint another mural, and play with kids. I ended up going back to PANI, where we --- guess what --- got to bring yet more small rock up to the patio to fill in around the massive concrete furniture that had been assembled in our absence. Yeay! It's so much more fun to push gravel up hill than to do it on the level ground. After we dumped enough rock, we recruited a group of the teen age girls to paint the furniture. They seemed to have a blast and we ended up with colorful, hand-decorated furniture that the girls "owned." It was a lot of fun and I only ruined a pair of shorts and two shirts in the painting process! (I wish I could share the photos of the girls, but we have been asked to respect the privacy of the children and their families.)

Both groups reconvened for a last night in Puerto Viejo, before the beginning of the end -- our day off and reentry to normal life. Saturday, we left at the crack of dawn, stopped at the PANI center for a final farewell and then drove for a couple of hours to have breakfast at the base camp for our white water rafting expedition. We rafted the Pacuare River, which boasted several class III and IV rapids, breathtaking landscape, first growth forest, and beautiful wild life. Our boat didn't lose any rafters, but several of the other rafts did, but we gathered them all back by the end of the trip.

Afterwards we boarded the busses for another 3-4 hours drive to an off-the-grid family farm, the Seelye Family Farm, which ended with a 3km walk/hike up a long up and down driveway in the dark. This was not a popular way to end the day. Fortunately, we were greeted with warm hospitality and amazing food.

The Farm is located pretty much atop a mountain in a cloud forest and just below a rare Paramo forest. After the long day rafting and the surprise hike, everyone crashed fairly quickly and we awoke to a wonderland of mountain, cloud, and livestock where life is hobbit like -- if you're up at 6 you get warm cinnamon rolls (if you can eat gluten), before cow-milking, and then (second) breakfast afterwards.

A relatively large group set out for the 5 minute hike to the magical "Castle Tree" -- a thousand-year-old tree that you can climb into, up, and under!

A much smaller group of us continued on to the hydro generators.

I had been planning on stopping there while the rest of the crew went to the top of the mountain, but well, for some reason, I felt compelled to go on. We made it to the top just as the drizzle started, and the entire mountain was clouded in, so I have no beautiful vista shots, just picture of the crew.

The way down was much quicker, but we did get caught in some real rain, which made for muddy and cold going. A shower afterwards helped, but I did spent a huge fraction of the rest of the day curled up around the enormous stone stove in the living room. That night was story hour and the preparation, both mental and physical, for the return home. The next day dawned beautifully, and we even got a glimpse of a smoldering volcano.

We bid our surroundings farewell,

hiked down the long driveway and bussed about two hours back to San Jose.

From there it was back to Miami and back home.

I truly loved the trip and am hoping to go back next year. Thank you to any who have made it to the end of this very long piece. Thank you to those of you who donated items. Thank you to those of you who donated money. And thank you to Meadowbrook students, alumni, parents, and teachers who shared 9 special days with me.

Why I'm going to Costa Rica

I'm sure many of you have been to Costa Rica, and you'll feel no need to read this. You know it's a beautiful country and a lovely vacation destination, so why should you read my drivel? You should read it, because I am not going on vacation. I am going to Costa Rica for a service trip organized by The Meadowbrook School of Weston, who has established a longterm relationship with several communities in Costa Rica. We will spend half our time in Limon at the PANI Transitional Home, where we will refurbish two rooms (that adjoin the learning center that the team refurbished last summer), one as a computer room with air conditioning and the second as a small storage room, paint a mural, plant flowerbeds, and build a wall/fence so that when the children play, their ball doesn't roll away into the nearby ditch. We will then spend the rest of the time working with the Melleruk school, where we will build a retaining wall, construct a playground, create a school garden, and do some electrical installation to follow up on the amazing solar panel project completed last summer.

So that's the what, but why? In short, I am going both because I am grateful for how much a brief trip to Costa Rica helped both my children grow up, and because I want to be part of what Meadowbrook is doing in Costa Rica.

For the past seven or eight years, Meadowbrook has taken their 8th graders to Costa Rica for a trip that combines some vacationy fun with lessons in sustainability and an introduction to the circumstances of those much less fortunate than themselves. And the kids come back older, in a shockingly visible way. One look in my son's eyes upon his return from Costa Rica and I knew that something truly transformative had happened. You can catch a glimpse of the experience through a few of the videos below:

A beautifully narrated eight minute video that takes you through the entire trip

A gut-wrenching five minute video of a visit to the PANI Transitional Home in Limon

A short two and a half minute video of this year's 8th graders building a retaining wall at the Melleruk School

So, this will be the equivalent of my summer vacation this year -- I can't wait. And you can be part of this too by helping us achieve our fundraising goal, so we can do everything we've set out to do. Alternately, we will be bringing gently used clothes, toys, shoes, books, in addition to new ones, so if you have things to contribute, let me know!

Each of the 26 teenage volunteers and 4 parents are paying their own way, and the school will be sending six teachers along as well. Together, we are determined to raise an additional $15,000 to fund the projects and bring more books, clothes, and toys to the children in the PANI transitional home.

CS161 Through the Ages

It's that special time of year when we need to design this year's CS161 T-Shirt. Students requested seeing previous shirts, so here is my historical collection.

2001

2003

2009

2011

2013

The first Seussical

And because it's always a good time for Doctor Seuss. Here was the first one I did that started it all.

While he ran the Circus

In all the whole world, the most wonderful spot
Is right here in Cambridge near the Law School lot
It's just the right spot for my wonderful plan
Said Venky Narayanamurty, I can do it I can

He came to Harvard in 19-98
The Division had lots of stuff on its plate
But his long term vision was always in sight
A school of engineering -- that would be right

One hire here, three hires there
Creating offices out of thin air
And yet with each hire, as FTE's grew
Each and every one was one Venky knew

From the youngest new member, just out of school
To the most senior -- tip top of the pool
Venky knows each new hire astonishingly well,
Having taken many to lunch or dinner for the sell.

When time came for promotion, the faculty knew
That admidst the commotion, Venky knew what to do
From junior to senior one here and one there
And soon thereafter, each had a committee to chair

Through all of this growth and all of this work
Our Dean Venky had one unusual quirk
His students, his postdocs, his young undergrads
Continued their research with Venky -- ye gads!

How on earth did he do it, we all wondered how
Here a decade later, we still wonder now
A division to run, faculty to tend
It seemed clear that his days never end

And yet every day either early or late
He'd enter the lab with his unmistakable gait
No longer a dean, just a regular teacher
Reviewing, critiquing and improving each feature

Four Presidents, three deans of F-A-S
He served them all and served us no less
For he always said, "I work for you."
And now I have a parting gift for you too:

Watch as I take a Division quite strong
Add administrative support and before very long
A school of engineering at Fair Harvard at last
Our days in the shadows are now in our past

Thank you is not nearly enough to say
And we know that you aren't going away.
So, to Venky, our colleague, leader, mentor, and friend
Dean or not, we'll follow you to the world's end