Panama School, Nicaragua

Tati dibujado-Tatiana drawing

Every morning for the last two weeks I took the cramped micro bus to a place called Tempisque, then walked fifteen minutes along the dirt road to the Panama School. This is the poorest area of La Concha, Nicaragua. Fumes from the nearby Masaya Volcano blow its ashes onto this area. As a result it prevents campesinos-famers from growing a variety of crops. I would pass by fincas-farms which can only grow mainly pineapple and pitaya. Another problem is contamination in their drinking water. The volcanoes ashes degrade the metal of their roofs where they collect drinking water when it rains.

I've heard there are almost seven hundred children in this area but less than two hundred attend school. This is because another way of collecting water is by getting it from the river. The children are put to work and spend hours hauling the water supplies. One day I saw a family pass me on the road. Imagine a wooden cart with two wheels in the back, and in the front where there would usually be a horse or cow, is a small child. The young girl must have been around ten years old while her mother, grandmother and sibling walked along side.    

First Week in Nicaragua

One of the many rescued cats that live at La Mariposa

Dreads, A Lifestyle

About six months ago there were days my poofy dreads were insanely out of control and I'd think,"aahhh! Why did I do this to my hair!?" Luckily, those freak outs weren't often and I could care less how funny I looked. 

Bad Hair day? About two months in this photo. Photo Credit: Erica F.

Skagway, Alaska

A native once told me that when she was a little girl she would sing up to the brisk winter night sky to conjure the aurora and make it dance. 

As I reflect back at this moment, I was sitting in the taxi on my way to the Juneau ferry terminal. The native Alaskan driver happily shared stories while the rain hit the windshield. I hoped it wouldn’t rain as much in Skagway.

Juneau, Alaska

I glanced into the store window to see these cute scrabble words put together. Other windows held alaskan trinkets, you could find anything you wanted labeled with a cute bear, wild flower, fish, or moose. Outside most of the stores are life sized bears that tourists can cuddle and snap a photo with. 

Central America

This was my home in the jungle of Panama from January to April.

El Diablo Rojo, The Red Devil Bus Transportation in Panama City

Estoy en Panama! The trip here was fun, had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and one of my best girlfriends Sarah picked me up. We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast then spent hours at the Bodies Exhibit. I hopped on the plane that evening and four hours later landed in Panama City. I was greeted by the smiling faces of interns who had also just arrived and Johnny the chef who picked us up. As we drove into the city a cop car had its array of flashing lights on the entire time while it was driving along. Well, you don't see that often in the USA.

Lichens in High Places

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?

-William Henry Davies

      Often referred to as “nature’s pioneers,” lichens can be found all over the world in places you might have never thought of. While trekking in the mountains have you ever noticed colorful organisms clinging to the rocks? Or while walking through the forest, the branches and twigs scattered throughout the forest floor, covered in green to brown organisms? Most likely, these are lichens. Lichens are a symbiotic association between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). They play an important role in not only creating beauty in an otherwise dull and lifeless area, they enable other organisms to grow, are a food source, used for nesting material, and can be used to learn about the health of the environment they are in.

The Wonderland Trail

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 The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mt. Rainier in 93 miles through pristine old growth forests and wind swept alpine areas. This endeavor was another challenge I wanted to fulfill after successfully summiting Mt. Rainier four times, living and working at Sunrise and Paradise and covering miles and miles on the Wonderland Trail. I had only six days to do the trip because I started school in a week. I couldn't find any itinerary for a six day trip so I put the numbers together between camps and tried to realistically consider whether it was possible (as you will discover, I pushed the limit). The Wonderland Trail is most often done clockwise but I did it counter clockwise so I could meet my grandmother at Longmire by a certain day and time. September is a wonderful time on the mountain because there are less people and while the flowers have wilted and died in the lower elevations, all of the flowers are in full bloom up on Mt. Rainier.