The Journey of a Friendly Giant

Without inspiration, I don’t believe someone can ever truly reach his or her full potential in life. Inspiration encourages motivation, determination and hope. It shares the same word with the action of breathing in, and poets often use it as a metaphor, “without inspiration , we are not breathing” in other words, it keeps us alive, keeps us going. Even an underdog can become an Alphadog simply by finding the inspiration that drives them and motivates them despite their small size. We can all think of a person, place or thing that inspires us in our lives. For me, art, people in my life, books, and movies, are things that Im inspired by on a regular basis. When I think of a list of people that inspire me, there a few people that always come to mind such as my mother, fiancé, mentors and some of my favorite authors such as Dr. David Suzuki, and Dr. Jane Goodall. “We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place – or not to bother.” – Jane Goodall ...

When we all get old and retire, who will take our places? That's right, the kids. Whether we like it or not, to ensure a better future we have to pay attention to the little ones. The Eco-Club in Puerto Hondo believes in the power that children have to take action and help protect wildlife through awareness. The Pro-Bosque Foundation, which I am working with,greatly contributes to the Ecology Blub of the Puerto Hondo community. They are constantly looking for new ways to teach children about environmental issues, and the things that they can do to help. Pro-Bosque has noticed that investing in the eco-club does more than simply teach children about the environment. : “With the increased investment in the children of the eco club comes increased curiosity by their parents.” – Tania Rios, Pro Bosque supervisor. Laura, Paula and Josephina and I The children learn about recycling, composting and energy efficiency, and then go back home and teach it to mom and dad. Before, Pro-Bosq...

Communication will always be key. Without it, businesses, schools, households and human relationships would suffer tremendously. Being social beings means that communicating is what we rely on in order to move forward. This blog post will be about the importance of communication through networking, the lessons I've learned so far, and the opportunities I've come across. Cerro Blanco, the dry tropical conservation area where I volunteer, receives interns on a regular basis. Some of them are national from universities across Ecuador, and others are international like my partner Lindsay, and I. When I first arrived, my main priority within the office was to network and advertize Cerro Blanco in any way shape or form. This wasn't the priority that was given to me, but I took the initiative because nobody else was doing it. I started with the basics, updating their blog, their Facebook, website, and brochures. But as time went by, I realized something. . . It all began when Ce...

While reading my friend Amber's blog post, I was nodding and smiling the entire time. Like her, I also love kids, and always have. My history consists of working at community centers, children aid camps, sport camps and summer adventure camps. Children inspire me with their shiny eyes full of imagination, dreams and creativity. There are so many things to frown about in this world, and the more we read the news and see how critical some situations are, the easier it is to see the world from a pessimistic viewpoint. A group of children will quickly remind you that there are many beautiful subtle details in this world that you should remember to appreciate. This past weekend I took a break from my weekend travelling trips and stayed in Guayaquil. I had a few meetings planned with a Canadian visitor, and was also asked if I could do a dynamic workshop with the Jardines Del Salado environmental kids club. The age group of the kids was from 7-12 years old. The goal of the activity wa...