We have now been out of the rainforest for one week. Some mornings I still wake up expecting to roll out of my mosquito net, ready for another day on the trails. When I realize that I’m back in LA, part of me rejoices in the lack of humidity and the plethora of dry, cotton clothing. The larger part of me regrets the absence of beautiful and vibrant green. As I reflect on my time in Nicaragua, I am in awe of my good fortune. The beauty of the tropical rainforest will forever be imprinted on my memory and I am endlessly grateful for this opportunity.

In my first blog post, my goal was to learn something new every day during my time in Nicaragua. I can say with absolute confidence that there was not a day that I didn’t learn factoids about a new, fascinating organism, the name and use of a new food, personality quirks about a new friend, or a better technique for headstands. While this goal was easy enough to accomplish, my main motivation in its creation was to remain humble and to remind myself to be present in this amazing experience. This overall goal was harder to achieve than I expected. There were times throughout the trip that I let myself get wrapped up in my own head and stresses. Sometimes things felt out of my control. In those moments, I wish that I had slowed my pace and allowed myself time to absorb my surroundings.

Going into this field experience, I didn’t really know what to expect. Sure, there are things that I wish I could have done or approached differently, but this experience definitely taught me to roll with the punches. More than anything, this experience further showed me my passion for the outdoors and studying the organisms around me. I fell in love with moments when I was observing the behaviors of a little insect, finding an organism that I had never seen before, or walking into the forest with my measurement tools on my fanny pack. With the information I was able to glean from the organisms we studied, I was warmed by the small sense of familiarity I began to feel with the whole community. The feeling of learning something new and discovering something beautiful in the ecosystem around me – no matter the relative size or importance – is a high I will gladly chase for the rest of my life.

Love, hugs, and thanks for listening!

Michelle