Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At first, Jacobs arranged for the satos (Spanish for “street dogs”) to be shipped to the
mainland United States for adoption through local rescue organizations, but then she had a
better idea. Since 1991, she and her husband, John Lee, a language teacher, have been or-
ganizing cross-cultural exchanges in Puerto Rico, mainly for students. She and her husband
reasoned that as long as students were there experiencing a new culture, being involved in
a community, why not have them repair a hiking trail, visit a school, plant some trees—or
help build the Vieques Humane Society? Volunteer vacations, or what Jacobs calls “volunteer
placements,” sprang out of these visits.
CAN YOU SAY “BIOLUMINESCENT”?
After years of protests, the U.S. Navy finally relinquished its bombing range at
Vieques Island, turning over its holdings, which covered two-thirds of the laid-back
little island, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That means Vieques, with its
powdery white-sand beaches, will remain largely undeveloped, so when you're not
walking dogs for the Humane Society, you'll be able to explore miles of beaches
with no buildings, no T-shirt shops, and almost no tourists.
The one place you will find plenty of tourists is at Puerto Mosquito, on a shal-
low bay that is home to billions of luminescent organisms, a rare species of phyto-
plankton called Pyrodinium bahamense, that light up the waters at night like fire-
flies. Any underwater movement in the shallow waters of the bay, from waves slap-
ping against a boat to darting schools of fish to a swimmer's simple scissors kick,
causes these tiny creatures to glow and leave glittery, luminescent trails. The exper-
ience is eerie, and this is one of the few places in the world where you can see such
a spectacle.
Now, Explorations in Travel works with volunteers of all ages, organizing volunteer
placements in several countries. In Puerto Rico, for example, Jacobs also matches volunteers
up with a small conservation group that's working to preserve a Caribbean rain forest.
The unique aspect about working with the Vieques Humane Society is that volunteers get
hands-on experience in lots of things they probably wouldn't do back home. Stacy Morris, a
volunteer from Seattle who had zero veterinary training before arriving in Puerto Rico, found
herself giving injections, assisting with spaying and neutering, and conducting biopsies. She
had so much fun that her five-month volunteer placement grew into a year's stay.
According to Jacobs, the volunteer placements offered through Explorations in Travel
are designed for independent, self-disciplined folks who want flexibility not typically offered
in group travel. Want to extend your two-week or two-month volunteer vacation? Not a prob-
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