Author Archives: lornaofarabia

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About lornaofarabia

I am a teacher from Medford, Oregon. I currently live and work in Bangkok, Thailand.

Eco touring in Costa Rica

Posted on 3 Jul 2014 by lornaofarabia

Costa Rica is a progressive country. When you don’t have a military, it seems you have more money for education, health care, and infrastructure. And also (my personal favorite this summer) parks. There are 26 national parks in this little … Continue reading →

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Quaker cheese

Posted on 2 Jul 2014 by lornaofarabia

Before tourism took off in this region, the most profitable industry was cheesemaking and the biggest employer was the Monteverde cheese factory. This morning we took a tour of the factory. Unfortunately the particular varieties they were making today didn’t … Continue reading →

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Tantos arboles y yo sin frenos

Posted on 1 Jul 2014 by lornaofarabia

One of the most popular touristy things to do around Monteverde is the zip line “canopy tour” of the rainforest. Many of you readers are probably old hands at the zipline thing, but this was our first time out. I … Continue reading →

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Just like we imagined it

Posted on 30 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

When my son Nik was in middle school, I helped him build a rainforest diorama for a science project. We fashioned exotic vine-draped trees out of dowels and clay and string and covered them with lots of hobby store moss. … Continue reading →

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Monteverde

Posted on 29 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

After two nights in San José we took a bus up to Monteverde. This small town on the edge of the rainforest makes a good base for sampling a variety of tourist attractions. We went to the frog habitat and … Continue reading →

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San José

Posted on 26 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

Now the real travels begin. This year’s summer vacation destination: Central America. Our Lonely Planet guidebook didn’t have much good to say about Costa Rica’s capital city of San José. In a lot of ways it looked and felt like … Continue reading →

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I love L.A.

Posted on 24 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

We lived in Los Angeles for five years when I was in graduate school, and I just couldn’t wait to get out of there as soon as I passed my doctoral exams. I’m having a hard time remembering now what … Continue reading →

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CARE

Posted on 5 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

A few months ago Alekka began an internship at CARE Ethiopia’s downtown office. Her job on Tuesday and Friday afternoons is to edit stories for publication in the NGO’s newsletter. CARE’s projects in Ethiopia focus on teaching modern farming methods … Continue reading →

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Gonder, part 2

Posted on 1 Jun 2014 by lornaofarabia

As promised, pictures from around town on our trip to Gonder.

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We have just passed into the realm of Gonder

Posted on 27 May 2014 by lornaofarabia

Last weekend Andreas and I took an overnight trip to Gonder (also spelled Gondar) in northwestern Ethiopia. Alekka had already visited Gonder on a school trip so she opted to stay home and work on her Extended Essay. Gonder was … Continue reading →

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