Giving Back: "Goodsearch It"

Wow, I'm working on day six here in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, and have absolutely fallen in love with this island--time is just flying by! The coming week is full of preparations for the opening of a new school year, getting to know the staff, and helping where needed.

Needless to say, I don't have much time this morning to post an in-depth entry. I just wanted to share a Web site with you all called GoodSearch.com. Basically, it's a search engine just like Google, only better. For every search you conduct through GoodSearch.com, they will donate between one and three cents to ESD! How great is that? If you think about it, how many times a day do you "google" something? Do you realize how much money that company is making, and how little they do to give back?

Do me a favor: change your home page on your Internet browser to GoodSearch.com, and spread the word to everyone you know. It's simple. When you get to their page, enter "Evangelical School for the Deaf," and click verify. Then, start searching and contributing. You can even check out how much has been contributed; it's updated instantly!


Click to view larger version of image.

Just Another Day in Paradise...

For those of you who aren't caught up yet, I'm in Puerto Rico for a month photographing a school for deaf children. Now, the new school year has yet to commence, and as a result, today we were able to just relax and enjoy this abnormally cool weather. And when I say "cool," I mean ninety degrees with about ninety percent humidity.

Today I awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the window panes. Confused, I moved to peek outside wondering how that liquid gold dawn light could coexist with such a fierce storm. As I staggered toward the door, Miranda appeared from the bathroom just as a stray kitten peeked his head into the laundry room. Frail as can be and fur matted down from the early morning rain, Miranda moved to scoop up the tiny bag of bones in an old towel. For fear that the kitten would soon turn to dog food, she proceeded to temporarily place him in the car.

The remainder of our day revolved around new sights, foods, and experiences, everything from finding lil' kitty a home, to a quick dip in the ocean at Playa Azul. It was really great to hang out with Austin (A.K.A.) and Miranda (both hearing) and get to know their background; learning all the while more and more about deaf culture and current issues. Sadly, they'll be going back to Ohio tomorrow after a five week stay here at ESD. They will be greatly missed!

Now, I've included images from just a few of the highlights of the day. Please Enjoy!


So fierce!


Clouds looming above the Puerto Rican Rain Forest.


Quenepas. They're kind of like a Puerto Rican grape, but you can't eat the skins and the flesh of the fruit is like much like a gel consistency.


And this is where we shower...


One thing I absolutely love about this island, everywhere you look, there are such amazingly vibrant colors!


Everywhere, green.


The courtyard of ESD.


Miranda looking beautiful at sunset!


A.K.A. & Miranda made us a wonderfully delicious dinner!


Tostones. Twice fried plantain slices. Very scrumptuous!

Puerto Rico, Island of Enchantment

Today marked day one of my trip to the Evangelical School for the Deaf located in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. Myself, and good friend Nicole Bravo, left Los Angeles International Airport this morning at the crack of dawn and a mere twelve hours later, I awoke to the cheering of about two hundred Puerto Ricans signifying the safe arrival on their "Island of Enchantment."

We were greeted at the San Juan Airport by Miranda and Austin Kocher, summer caretakers of ESD, and students, James and Rebeca (both 15). With curbside service, introductions were kept informal and short, allowing us to be whisked away quickly from the night's nearly intolerable heat. As the navy blue mini van made its way through abnormally calm traffic to its first stop of the night, I watched intently as Nicole conversed effortlessly with old friends in American Sign Language (ASL) under the dimly lit space.

Complete submersion is supposedly the best way to learn a language. Grasping tightly to this fact two days prior, I stood firm and attempted (adamantly, in fact) to convince Nicole that I would be completely fine with attending a "deaf event" upon immediate arrival in San Juan. But...three sets of hands and already my vision began to blur, making me second-guess that once solid shred of confidence I had possessed.

Fast-forward an hour or so. Starbucks. Yes, the first place I'm taken when in a foreign country for my very first time, Starbucks. I really couldn't believe my eyes. The oh-so familiar, cookie cutter coffee house was packed to the brim with people of all ages--almost all deaf and almost all Puerto RIcan. There was no walking room and literally no standing room.

Intimidation.

To say that I stood out like a sore thumb would most likely be a gross understatement. But nonetheless, I pressed onward into the densely populated, air conditioned mass of craziness. What a sight. Everywhere hands were flying a million miles a second, as the Latino music pumped lively through the stereo system.

Now, if you were like I was about six months ago, then your nose probably crinkled with curiosity when your eyes found the phrase "deaf event." A little deaf history background for you....Deafness is not seen as a shortcoming or a "disability," but rather a lifestyle, a way of life-a culture in its own right. I'll talk more about this soon, I promise...

For now, below are some images from the night!

Breaking the Silence

Hey everyone! I'm terribly sorry for the gap in entries. I've spent the last month and a half out in the sticks of my old stomping grounds. My time away from California was originally planned for shooting a couple big projects. Well, nothing in life is ever for certain. At the last minute, shoots were postponed by the clients. Though it didn't seem so upon occurrence, this was nothing short of a blessing in disguise. My freed schedule allowed me to spend my days with my grandmother and ailing grandfather, do some volunteering, and also reconnect with some old friends.

Much of what I shot while home is a work in progress and therefore, was done on film (yeah!). So, needless to say, I've been couch hopping while back in California and haven't had access to my scanner. I will share that stuff sometime in this fall when things calm down!