My realization of the big picture: Earth

This was originally an essay for my college writing class. I loved writing this paper and decided it was perfect to update my blog.  It sums up my summer perfectly - best summer ever.  

Mingo and the spray tanks, ready to go!

As was routine, the three of us stepped out of the truck and unloaded four horses – one for each of us and a pack horse to carry the spray tanks.  It was another day hiking trails through the mountains, scouting and spraying introduced and invasive weeds for the Forest Service in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.  We started up the Lightning Lake Trail by 10 a.m., headed into the mountains for the day.  This time of year, the hills were covered in color – green, mostly, and beautiful reds, yellows, purples, and whites.  The smell was something that I could never quite explain, but if I had to, I might say it smells very much like how I would imagine heaven’s scent might be.  The sounds are exciting and yet peaceful.  Many species of birds were chirping and singing, announcing the day’s promise.  You could hear the faint trickling of the creek in the distance – the Lightning Creek that leads to the lake.  The gentle breeze made it a comfortable ride.

Lightning Lake Trail

            The trail was mostly clear of destructive weeds, except for a couple patches – one of us would get off our horse, put on our gloves, take the pack horse, and give the plants a good dosing of engineered chemicals directed towards “suffocating” those specific species of plants.  It was a tedious job, but completely worth it, as we got to witness some of the most beautiful wilderness of southwest Montana.  I got to thinking, as I did every day, how lucky I was to have a summer job like this.  But then, a new thought popped into my head on the day we took the trail to Lightning Lake.  I couldn’t help but begin to appreciate my job and the mission we were on.  It may be a small part of the state, country, and world, but I was still doing the best I could to help preserve Mother Nature, who has been around for much longer than I could imagine.  In the big, beautiful picture, it may be hard to see my tiny self spraying weeds in the mountains, but without that piece of the puzzle, there would be a hole; it would be incomplete.   And so I continue my work. 

This time it was my turn to spray a rather large patch of Hounds Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) off in the meadow to the right.  I hopped off my horse, Chance, put on my gloves, walked the pack horse, Mingo, with the spray tanks across the meadow and went to work.  As spraying became a mindless ordeal, my thoughts picked up where I left off.  

I asked myself “Why do I think this way? Why work for the good of the big picture, anyway?”

Sure, it’s because the earth needs the protection and the aid – we destroy nature every day, according to all the conservationists, right?  But that is the truth.  And someday if we continue on a destructive path where people only care about themselves, we will no longer have a Mother Nature.  It will be gone.  Out of sight.  And there will only be cities, suburbs, and selfish people. 

Earth is one large puzzle that is constantly balancing and “fitting” itself together.  Each ecosystem reacts in itself, with the neighboring ecosystem, and with the entire atmosphere.  Every day a natural system or a part of the system is damaged, the earth works with itself to balance that factor.  If it cannot, it wreaks havoc on the whole earth.  As things like pollution continue every day, the atmosphere’s chemical make-up is tainted, the weather changes, and it affects ecosystems around the world.  Each person’s every day choices add up and affect the earth.  You need to be conscious of your actions. 

So I work to save nature. 

Reached Lightning Lake!

Hailey enjoying the lake.

Lunch time brought us to the infamous Lightning Lake.  The surface of the water was glass flat, it reflected the trees beyond and white, puffy clouds above.   Our dog decided this was a good time to jump in the lake, and she sent a ripple across its glassy surface.   My thoughts trailed once again.

Many people and societies rely heavily on what nature provides them.  In countries in Central America (for example), the precious, sacred, and absolutely beautiful rain forests and wilderness attract people from all around the world.  Those countries depend on tourism, because of nature.  People travel from all over to Montana to hunt and fish the countryside for their “trophy” elk or trout.  Montana depends on the hunting industry, because of nature’s provision.   And so, one person’s selfishness (not tagging game they shot), or an industry’s selfishness (destroying an important ecosystem just for the gold or resources) can have a negative ripple effect.  It can have a harmful effect not only on the wilderness, but in turn on our society itself.  By not paying attention to the actions of today, we can affect our own selves tomorrow. 

La Selva Rain Forest, Costa Rica

Shortly after we packed up our lunches and continued up the trail, we came across a huge meadow with a respectable amount of flowering plants, and an abundance of wild chives with their purple flowers.  Naturally, I had to ask for us to stop so I could “smell the roses,” and smell them I did! The colors came from countless plants such as Indian Paintbrushes, Horse Mint, and many types from the sunflower family.  I was on cloud-nine amongst these flowers.

Running through a field of blooming wild chives

 And then it clicked.  If I am working for the good of the bigger picture, then I am largely helping my own well-being.   It may not be an obvious statement, but, psychologically and emotionally, taking care of something other than yourself brings a kind of peace and happiness that can’t be filled by anything else.  Not only does Mother Nature benefit from your help, but also you benefit from your gift of giving. 

Think of Christmas – everyone is looking for the perfect gift for that special someone or the people close to them.  The look on that person’s face when they open your thoughtful gift is priceless.  It leaves you with that warm feeling inside and the happiness of beautiful accomplishment.  It gives you hope of something bigger and better in life.  The same is for giving to nature.  Whether that is planting a tree in your treeless yard, giving money to a conservation agency, or even simply recycling, it helps the big picture of supporting and taking care of this earth, like we are supposed to do.  Just as you take care of your body by brushing your teeth daily, showering, or getting a haircut, you should take care of your home.  It has been around for much longer than you have, and will be around for much, much longer. 

Chris McCandless, from Into the Wild, loved the feeling that nature and wilderness gave him, enough to go explore it completely on his own.  He discovered a release, renewal, and rethinking from spending a lot of time in the “wild,” especially after spending his life up until that point drowning in the pettiness of society.  Granted, some people do not need that complete engulfment of the wilderness in order to experience enlightenment like he did, but often people do need a dose of goodness that only comes from earth itself; after being caught up and worried about humanity’s issues, such an exposure can quickly and deeply change a person’s perspective. 

Just after we lost the trail. Beautiful views all the time

A few miles after the field of flowers, we lost the trail that was clearly stated on the map.  Undoubtedly, it was no longer in existence.  That tended to happen often.  And so we had to “bush-whack” our way around the rest of the mountain and back to the trail-head, which needless to say, took much longer than we anticipated.  My patience was tested to its absolute limit – within myself, with my horse, with my co-workers, and with nature.  As we finally cleared all the downed timber, the sun was setting and we saw the trail in the distance!  Relief swept over us and all we could do was laugh.  I couldn’t help but find the whole thing funny by the end.  Sometimes, you have to fight to get down the path you want to go.  During that trek, it may seem as though the world is falling down, but you shouldn’t worry.  It’s still spinning, and you are still a piece of the beautiful puzzle. 

We need Mother Nature, because in the end, that’s the best thing we can learn from, concerning the circle of life – balance, beauty, and most of all, trueness.  It offers lessons and wisdom that have been the foundation since the beginning of earth’s existence.  If we take care of our home, it profits the wilderness that covers it, us as a society, and especially us as a person.

The sun was now solidly behind the mountains when we reached the bottom at the trail-head.  We loaded up our trusty steeds, dusted off our boots, and headed back to the Forest Service station after a long, accomplished day.  The feeling I felt as I watched the mountains in the fading light was one I will never be able to replace with anything else.  It’s like I glimpsed a view of the whole picture, beautiful and true.  

~"Because it's summer and the memories are just waiting to happen."~ 

To Jaco Beach for the Day!

For these last two weekends I have spent here in San Jose, I decided to go make the most of my time with the low budget I have! I went to playa Jaco, a beach only about an hour and half drive from San Jose, for the day with two of my girl friends. It was a good time, but so incredibly hot!! So as you can guess, we spent most of our time in the water. It was an overcast day, but still nice to spend time at the beach. A surf instructor joined us and even took us fishing for a while!

Fishing on the beach

On my bucket list to do while I am in this beautiful country is to ride a horse on the beach.  One of the best moments of my life!! I was lucky enough to horseback ride for 10 minutes. I was so elated! It was definitely a beautiful experience. 

Horseback riding on the beach <3

I am pretty sure I am becoming an expert at this public transportation in Costa Rica. I can't believe how inexpensive it is. It makes me want to take public transit when I get back to California, but then I think again and decided against it. Probably a good idea to stay safer and drive my own car. 

There are so many beaches and other places to go here in Costa Rica, even in three months its hard to visit them all! I only hope to continue to get the best out of this trip while I am still here. 

I can't believe I only have three more weeks left in the God-blessed country. 

~"The best dreams happen with you're awake." ~

San Jose Zoo and La Selva: Round 2!

Thanks to all the free time I have, I went to the Parque Zoológico Simón Bolívar, in San Jose on February 22nd with a couple friends from Land Vertebrates class. After hearing rumors that the animals in this zoo were sad and depressed, I wanted to see for myself. In all truth, these animals were happy as clams. Despite their small exhibits, they are taken good care of. Much to my enjoyment, they had several species of owls! I was in heaven, people probably thought I was a creep for how much time I spent staring at the owls... I like to call myself dedicated. :) 

A sleeping pair of owls

There was also a darling, smiling sloth Chewy, a dwarf jaguar (literally had short limbs, but a regular sized body), macaws, poison dart frogs, a tapir, white-faced Capuchins, and spider monkeys. The most magestic of the animals was the male lion. I loved him because he had a couple dreads on his mane - he looked a bit like Captain Jack Sparrow. Coincidence? I think not. 

Here is a video of the king of the jungle waiting his dinner - a huge pile of meat. You can see his few dreads on his mane near his chest. 

Faith and I standing so close to Chewy the sloth!

Short Jaguar - Brutus

On our journey through the zoo, we ran into an older couple several times.  The man ended up being a professional photographer, and even let me use his 500mm lens!!! This opporunity made my day, I couldn't believe I shot a couple photos with a nearly $7,000 lens! :D Maybe one day I'll be a proud owner of one, especially with my interest in nature and wildlife!

The Top Predator: Humankind

Before I continue with my adventures, I have to take a moment to spill these depressing feelings on a page.
Warning: there are graphic descriptions in the following passage. If you are sensitive to abuse and more, please read at your own risk.

It began with a video a friend shared on Facebook. It was about the animal fur trade in China.  It started by showing the depressing living situation of many stolen wild animals such as the beautiful Arctic fox. They forcefully removed the fox from its tiny, cramped cage, and onto a table to electrify it to death. Unfortunately, too often animals don't die from the shock, they only go into shock. These people then pull off the skin, whole. Imagine the pain that a still-alive animal experiences.
I witnessed a skinned, but still-alive raccoon  piled on top of many other skinless bodies, lift its head up and try to look around. Absolutely horrendous shot that I will never be able to get the image out of my head.
Next, they showed domestic cats and dogs being shipped into China (some with collars still on - like they were just someone's pet!). The cages were stuffed with many dogs or cats per tiny metal cage. The people threw the crates around, surely breaking bones.  These pets are skinned in the same manner, then bodies tossed into a growing pile, again with bodies still moving. Depressing.

The look in the cats and dogs eyes is what got me, and I couldn't stop the flow of tears after. Now, I can't get the images out of my head. The video urged everyone to stop the fur trade by boycott.  I encourage everyone to never buy real fur or anything with fur trim or accessory. Fur fashion is a terrible trend that hurts thousands, if not millions, of animals, just for vanity. It's understandable that animals are here on Earth for our use, and in history, we used them to cover ourselves and keep warm.  It's also understandable that many people would never mean to kill an animal, but the few who would - do. And they are the one's who are inhumanely destroying lives of animals. There are many homeless cats and dogs in the world, but this is no way for them to die.
All the time, I hear "what is this world coming to?" and all I can think is Humankind.
In my two classes here in Costa Rica, Tropical Ecology and Land Vertebrates of Costa Rica, I am learning everyday of species of animals and plants that are declining in numbers, all stemming from the destructive lifestyle of humanity.
--> Rain forests, dry forests, swamps, and many other ecosystems are being destroyed by logging, pollution, agriculture, over-exploitation, and much more.
--> Mangroves are being overtaken by shrimp farms, upsetting the balance of the mangroves, which act as carbon-absorbers - taking in the climbing amount of carbon in the atmosphere and depositing it back in the soil and ocean to begin the process again. Tigers, who have resorted to mangroves after their home forest habitats diminished in size.  They are trapped here, as well, because the mangroves are diminishing, too.
These are just a few examples.
I hate to be a Debbie-downer or to come off as a "tree-hugger", but the more aware I become of these issues, the more I want to help change.  I realize that many people out there who might be thinking "We should be worrying about the poverty and starvation of humans around the world.".  There are enough people in this world to put their efforts into one or the other. Both aspects need help. All problems on this earth need help in some way. The question is, whether or not you will do something or not at all.
The Waorani indigenous people of Ecuador still to this day, hold generations of traditional hunting of wild animals and gardening of a few plants on rotation.  If you are interested in learning about the amazing journey of the Waorani people, you can read the article on the following link. Obviously, this isn't an option for the incredible amount of people today, but it is interesting to see the progression of Western culture on the indigenous people.  But that is a whole other topic.

http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/data/articles/waorani/waorani_articles_main.html

I cannot believe how destructive one species can be. Sure, the balance of ecosystems on earth are always changing, but humankind has become the Ultimate Predator, and, therefore, is rapidly disrupting the balance of the entire earth as a whole. In nature, there is a top of the food chain, yes, but it is necessary to keep even that species in check.

As one who believes there is a God, I see everyday humans natural inclination towards greed and vanity. We are the only race capable of making moral decisions on the level that we do, and I believe it is important to make the right choices and to stand for something that is greater than yourself. This world wasn't made to reproduce terrible characteristics such as greed and vanity, and yet everyday people make decisions that ultimately affect everyone around and future generations to come.

Here is the video I watched of the animal fur trade in China. Warning: Very graphic content.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE56fAD3HyE

Thanks for reading this article, and I hope I have moved you to do something different, whether it only be buying organic vegetables or donating to World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, or other organizations whose goals are to better our impact on Earth.

~"All good things are wild and free."~

Fiesta de Mariela!

Monday after our weekend at Puerto Viejo, my host mom, Mariela, had here graduation BBQ party! She finished classes are her university, and threw a party to celebrate with family and friends. Both family from Mariela's side and Kenneth's side were invited, along with some of Mariela's classmates and friends.  We had a blast, with our very own Kenneth as DJ!

Soon after, we had our very own Mariachi band join us in the backyard to serenade Mariela!  It was a fun night full of dancing and great food. Congrats, Mariela! <3

Mariachi band walking in

My crazy roommates! <3

Kenneth and Laura dancing!

Kenneth and Mariela dancing!

Mariela and her classmates/friends

~"Be the most wonderful expression that you're capable of."~

Puerto Viejo, Round 2!

Two weekends ago now (please excuse my tardiness on blogging), my roommates and I went to Puerto Viejo! The six of us packed up and went on our own! The previous weekends we had all been going with our programs, so this was going on a limb traveling by ourselves. It was quite the adventure, if you want to put it that way! It wasn't too bad on the way there, but the way back was a mayhem, but more on that later... Four of us arrived early - Elizabeth, Anabel, Tyana, and I - around 4 or 5pm. We made our way to the hostel we were to stay at for the weekend, which was about a 10 minute walk from town. The walk was absolutely beautiful through the rain forest along the coast. We stayed at Rocking J's, a crazy unique hostel - full of mosaic floors and walls and indie music playing in the background. The bed options included regular things like rooms and tents, but the attraction of this hostel was the option to stay in hammocks! What an experience, it was so awesome!! Surprisingly, it was very comfortable sleeping two nights in them... Guess what I'm bringing home :D 

Hammocks at Rocking J's

Cameron and Laura came a couple hours later with the majority of the other people from our school, Veritas.  I liked to call it gringo weekend. We had dinner at a restaurant called the Flip Flop while waiting for the other two girls. When they got there we went to another restaurant called Chile Rojo that was playing awesome live reggae music. That night we went out the Mango, where most of the gringos went for the night. It was tons of fun! I had met a tico named Marlon last time I went to Puerto Viejo, and this time, we met up again and all hung out. I was able to practice my Spanish a lot, since Marlon only knew some broken English. It was quite a fun night!  

Me, Marlon, and Laura

Saturday, all of us roommates spent almost the entire day at the beach! Laura has an underwater camera, which meant we had to take millions of underwater and in-water photos... :)  

About halfway through our day, Marlon found us relaxing on the beach and joined us. We met a couple new friends of the canine type, including a very friendly black dog! I've never seen a place have so many seemingly homeless dogs, it must be the capitol. haha  Saturday night we went out to Mango and Tex Mex again. I played a game of darts for the first time with Marlon and another girl, it was so fun! I rocked it, for being the first time I've played. Sunday was departure day, and after leisurely getting up, we went to lunch and to buy our bus tickets back. Calling mayhem! I don't need to get into detail, but all I have to say is Puerto Viejo's bus system is quite unorganized! In the end, three of us took the bus we wanted, and the other three of us took a taxi to the next town, and a bus from there back to San Jose. Luckily, we all made it home by Sunday evening. Puerto Viejo was a relaxing and fun time, it never lets me down!! <3

~"The summer night is like a perfection of thought." -Wallace Stevens~

La Selva Biological Station

This weekend was a field trip with my Tropical Ecology class to a rain forest on the Caribbean coast.  La Selva is a private organization dedicated to studying wildlife in the rain forest near Braulio Carrillo National Park. 

 We spent Saturday and Sunday hiking around in the forest. Saturday we got there around 11 and had lunch at the indoor/outdoor at the dining hall, which we feasted at every meal. Those scientists don't lack having great food! Afterwards, we went on a hike as a class along with the Ecological Photography class for a few hours.  It was a great time and I learned so much!  We talked about the green vine snake, the walking palm, the tree Sura, and many others.  After dinner at 6pm, we went on a night walk in smaller groups. The nightlife is incredible, there are probably like 10 times more animals out at night, most being insects - YUCK! We saw things such as praying manti, bullet ants, frogs, and a couple common pauraque, which is a bird that comes out at night and nests around the grasses near bushes.  

Green Vine Snake

Bromeliad - a plant that grow on anther tree, but isn't  parasitic. 

Sunday, a few people got up at the crack of dawn to go bird watching, and I made the mistake of not going.. BUT there is a next time for me, in two weeks in fact. I am so glad my Land Vertebrates of Costa Rica class is going back. Anyways, after breakfast, we split into groups of two or three for our project with the photography students. We each had a partner, and in my case, there were three of us. We had the assignment to photograph bromeliads.  Bromeliads are plants that grow on trees, but aren't necessarily parasitic. At the end, we pick a photo to present and describe to the rest of the class.  So we spent the morning on a trail that went deeper into the forest, where the path became narrow and the wildlife a little more diverse. It was a beautiful time, and I couldn't help but stop and photograph constantly. During this time, we spotted howler monkeys, lizards, a beautifully radiant green spider, and two nesting crested owls! This sighting made my day!! I love owls, and now have decided to do my research project for my Land Verts class on the crested owl :D One of the last cool things we saw was a hummingbird's nest. It was one of the most intricate and tiny nests I have every seen. My love for hummingbirds was also satisfied. In all my years feeding hummingbirds in my backyard, I had only seen one other nest. I am so glad I got a great photo!

There was no way to capture the full beauty and teeming life, but I will share with you as best I can. :) 

Can you spot the crested owls?

Hummingbird Nest

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." -Mark Twain

In My Free Time: Mission Photo!

Well the first month of morning Spanish classes are over. And since this month I'm not taking a morning class, I have TONS of free time on my hands.  Yesterday I was pondering all the possibilities with which I can spent my time. A new photo project then occurred to me! 

I have decided to look deeper into the culture of Costa Rica by exploring the vast amounts of life that grows here.  While on a run the other day, I noticed several times the occurrence of plants reaching out from between fence posts or growing between the concrete. Amongst places where nature doesn't necessarily have a place, life persists. It is a pretty generic project, but every photography student should have some of those, right? It helps on your specific journey in photography and in life.  As I thought more about this project, I couldn't help but relate. Even in the most ugly of places, beauty is present. I have decided this project symbolizes the beauty in the little things, in every single person, and in places where beauty is unexpected. 

So far, I have started my project with the tiny fern plant growing along side my house. It is the anchor photo in this series, since it inspired the first thought.

~"If we could see the miracle of one flower clearly, your whole life would change."~ 

An Attempt at a Trip to Irazu Volcano

This weekend I stayed here in San Jose and yesterday some of took a trip to hike around Volcan Irazu. Luck was not out for us yesterday. We spent two hours trying to flag down a bus to take us to Cartago, the town close to the volcano.  Our Tico friend told us that is what we were supposed to do, but we came to find out we were not standing on a certain cement block meant to be a bus station! Eventually we were too frustrated to continue, and our Tico friend Carlos, had to drive back and pick us up. Finally we were on our way to the volcano, but by the time we got up there, they had closed for the day!! Talk about luckless! haha So we reluctantly turned around and headed back down the hill. We stopped at this soda (aka diner) and had an afternoon snack. On the way down the hill, we stopped several times to take photos of the absolutely stunning sunset. By far one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life!!!!

Tamarindo Beach

Last weekend was our last excursion together as an Independent group. (There are several different groups of study abroad programs, all of which go to different places for excursions on the weekends.) We went to the beautiful town of Tamarindo! It was such a great little place, I loved it! But then again, what place don't I like here in Costa Rica... haha Tamarindo was definitely more touristy than the other places I have been, and in turn,there was more expensive food and merchandise.  The beach was absolutely stunning!  

Just a part of Tamarindo Beach

Roommates!

Here at Tamarindo, we didn't have much on the agenda besides chill on the beach, all day long! <3 It was so so great to be able to just relax and be worry-free.  People were swimming, tanning, and tons of us from the group learned how to surf! I decided that my horrible balance lost me the chance to try it out, but maybe some day! I thoroughly enjoyed just walking along the beach, tanning (or trying to...), and swimming. Two of my roommates from another study abroad program also went to Tamarindo, so I was able to see them. It was unfortunate though that we didn't get to see each other the rest of the time. That's how large this beach was! Saturday evening we walked to a rocky area to watch the sunset, it was a beautiful thing. Saturday night, the group spent almost the entire night out at the beach. Under a full moon, we had the time of our lives. I cannot say enough how blessed my life is!

Sunset at a part of Tamarindo Beach

Sunday, Nikki, Lexi, and I went walking down the very far part of the beach, in search of hermit crabs we heard rumors about! Unfortunately, we didn't find any, but in its place, there were thousands and thousands of shells washed up on the beach!! This gave me the idea (along with Pinterest) to fill a glass container full of shells I collected from all the beaches I've been to. Sure, you can buy these at the store, but not only was this free, I will also have several great stories for all the shells and a memory forever. 

Shells at Tamarindo Beach 

All in all, it was yet another great trip! Love life.

Mas Comida and The Church of Cartago

Mercado de Cartago

The food here in Costa Rica just keeps getting better and better! Our Spanish class took a field trip last Friday to Cartago, a town about half and hour away from San Jose. We went to a local farmer's market called Mercado de Cartago and browsed among the tons and tons of stands full of all kinds of fruit! It was quite the colorful event. 

Carambola (Starfruit)

Pejibaye (una verdura)

Maracuya - A fruit I did a presentation about in my Spanish class.

The typical bakery

I tried a pastry called pastel de Guayaba- amazingly good!!

While wondering around the market, my friend Sam and I stumbled upon some hedgehogs for sale!! Thus, I took the opportunity to hold one for the first time! Those little spikes aren't for nothing.  Every time they're spooked, they prick their spines out. It was a very interesting but painful thing to experience. They were such darling creatures, nonetheless. 

On our field trip, we also saw a church in Cartago names Basilica de Cartago. It was absolutely beautiful architecturally and spiritually.  My professor, Silvia, shared with us the importance of the Virgin Mary to the Central American culture.  This belief is called Marianismo.  This is the symbol for acceptance of one's identity and one's culture. It was a beautiful thing to see people in their holy place.

Basilica de Cartago

Inside Basilica de Cartago

Where is your holy place?

Beautiful Architecture outside the church

Exploring all the beautiful tropical fruit and vegetables, experiencing the Basilica de Cartago, and holding a hedge by far made my day.

~"I have found that if you love life, life will love you right back."-Arthur Rubinstein~