Journal 10 Moon : LUNA

Luna:

“Cuando la luna se pone redondota como una pelotota el gato con botas se pone a mauyar.”

That song always plays I my head when I see the moon. Well only when it’s big, bright and full. I learned that song back when I was a little girl, I used to sing it every time I saw a full moon.  Clearly I still do.

Also I sing these lyrics from one of Guatemala’s MOST famous traditional songs. It is accompanied by the marimba our national traditional instrument. Paco Perez wrote this song back in 1917.  I attached a link to hear the tune of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk_gVBWhm14&feature=related

Luna gardenia de plata que en mi serenanta te vualves canción

 tu que me viste cantando me ves hoy llorando mi desilución 

calles bañadas de luna que fueron la cuna de mi juventuud 

vengo a cantarle a mi amada oh luna plateada de mi Xelajú 

vengo a cantarle a mi amada oh luna plateada de mi Xelajú

Luna de Xelajú que supiste alumbrar

en mis noches de pena

por una morena

de dulce mirar

Luna de Xelajú me diste insipriración la canción que hoy te cantó regada con llanto

de mi corazón

en mi vida no habrá mas cariño que tu mi amor

por que no eres ingrata mi luna de plata Luna de Xeeeeeelajú

Luna que me alumbro en mis noches de amor

hoy consuelas la pena

por una morena que

me abandonooo

Another song that reminds me always of the moon and I sing sometimes is “ese toro enamorado de la luna”  translated is : That bull in love with the moon. Here is alink to the song: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wcp9SCvHm4&feature=related.

Over all I love the moon , it is such mysterious, romantic and beautiful mass.

I always think to my self : wow somewhere in this earth my husband is looking at the same moon. We are both under the same moon, same sky, same sun. 

Journal 9- Invasive

Invasive:  Tending to intrude or encroach

When I was first introduced about the invasive and exotic species in this course. I didn’t think they where actually that important and relevant to our ecosystem.

I used to think: MEAN PEOPLE ARE KILLING ANIMALS AND NATURE!

Funny thing is that they were actually doing my environment a favor. Experts on invasive species were actually trying to control an outrage.

The invasive species of flora and fauna can affect the balance in nature. Like a wise man once said “ everything in excess is bad”. Too much of something can be bad, personally and also in nature.  I learned about certain animals and plants that have spread like crazy around this area, they have also been hard to get rid off, making our environment struggle. 

Some invasive species:

Tegu

Caribbean Crazy ants

The cane toad

Catfish

Monkeys

Monk parakeets

Iguanas

Melaleuca Trees

Cuban tree frog

Nile lizard

Elephant ear plant

Chinese tallow tree

Camphor tree

Also some invasive species can over populate so much that in can cause certain changes in the environment. For example: Burmese python.

The cause why pythons gave become so popular and invasive is because

People no longer wish to care for their pythons (pets). Pythons have grown too large to be kept in their houses, owners have been known to release their pets into the wild rather than have them re-homed or even humanely euthanized.

Journal 8 - Packaging

Journal number 8

Items:

1.     Cheese-cheddar- plastic

2.     Cookies Oreos- plastic

3.     Christmas lights – cardboard and plastic

4.     Photoshop Cs5- cardboard and plastic

5.     Cookies – Plastic

6.     Popcorn- plastic

7.     Chocolate- paper

8.     Gift Cards- Plastic

9.     Fruit bowl – Plastic

10. Macdonald’s – plastic and paper

11. Subway apple slices – Plastic

12. Vitamins – Plastic

13. Cups – Plastic

14.  Mischievous Wal-Mart items - plastic, paper, glass, metal,

15. Movies -plastic

16. Dogs food- Paper

17. Tortilla chips – plastic

18. Pretzels – Plastic

19. Games- cardboard

Packing is everywhere and on everything! I didn’t realize how much packing we use for items; it is really hard to believe. About everything I touched had some sort of packing, made out of plastic or paper.  My question is: Is it really necessary? I understand some of the packaging is required to keep things from spoiling or going stale. Others packages are to make items pretty and presentable.

I personally believe that certain packages are necessary. Certain packaging is required to make the food last linger and keep it away from mold etc.  Others such as over packaging certain Items like a simple cell phone Is crazy. The box and everything is heavier than the actual item. 

I also wonder what happens to everything that is not recycle like:

The little plastic wrappers in gum or

The huge Styrofoam covers for TVs or furniture.  

The boxes used for food.

Some people don’t recycle.  

Plus what happens when we recycle companies are still making LARGE amounts of the same items.

If an item is not packed society takes it as unworthy, dirty, used, contaminated, broken, useless, cheap. The fact that an item packaged can make the difference between a “good” items and “bad” item is obvious.

I personally don’t buy something that might seem to be open. 

24 hours

12:00am: cellular device - twitter

1:00- 6:00 Sleeping time

6:00- cellular device -Alarm clock

6:15- light switch room

6:30- light switch restroom

6:30- shower

6:45- sinks

6:50- hair curler

7:00- microwave

7:15 cellular device- music

7:15-8:00 – drive to school

8:00- school building/room light

8:00-10:45- computer/ cellular device/ screen/

11:00-1:45- screen/ classroom lights

1:45-2:00 – Drive to work

2:30-5:00 – Pencil sharpener/light switches/computers/copy machine/

 5:00-5:30 Drive home

5:30-6:00 – Stove/microwave/toaster/sink/ light switch

6:00-6:30- Nap

6:30-7:30 – drive to church

7:30-10:30- Lights/ laptop/

10:30-11:30- Drive home

11:30-12:00- stove/microwave/fridge/

12:00-1:00- Laptop – homework.

1:00-2:00 –Laptop- homework.

2:00-2:30 – Bible reading / lights

2:30-3:00- Lights . restroom – cellular device set up alarm

3:00-9:00 Sleeping time

9:00- cellular device – alarm

9:30-10:00- Shower , curling iron, microwave.

10:30-11:00 drive to work

11:30-5:00 work – Computers/phones/lights/copy machine

5:00-5:30 Drive home

5:30-6:00 – Stove/microwave/toaster/sink/ light switch

6:00-6:30- Nap

6:30-7:30 – Television

7:30-10:30- Lights/ laptop/

10:30-11:30- homework laptop

11:30-12:00- stove/microwave/fridge/

12:00- cellular device - goodnight

I depend on electricity.

It makes me wonder how many electricity I use.

It makes me wonder how much electricity people use.

It makes me wonder if electricity will ever run 

Fort myers Beach

I had never been to Matanzas!

I had always gone to the beach, seen the colorful buildings, walked around the island, but NEVER had I even known Matanzas existed!

It was VERY interesting.

It was VERY unique.

It was VERY pure.

We got greeted with cookies and sea grape jelly.

I had NEVER tasted sea grape jelly.

I didn’t know it existed! I had always tasted blueberry jelly, Strawberry jelly on toast, Grape jelly on peanut butter sandwich, but NEVER had I tasted sea grape jelly.

She gave me a jar of jelly… I got free jelly!

She said:“shhhhh don’t tell no one I gave you this, hide it! I make its special.”

She was so sweet

She was so kind

She was so interesting

Her stories were fascinating

I had never walked those trails!

I had always walked boardwalks, walked on pavement, waked on sand, but NEVER had I walked on Matanzas trails.

I saw crabs

I saw few fish

I saw mangroves

Black Black Checkered board back

White White Bolts on tight

Red Red pointy-head

Matanzas: Massacre

Massacre: Caloosa

Caloosa: History

History: Ponce de Leon.

I had never known Ponce de Leon was here.

I had always known Edison was here, Ford was here and Obama was here, but NEVER had I known Ponce de Leon was here. ( to kill)

Sad story… No more Carlos

Sad story… No more beautiful island

Sad Story… No more mullet

Sad Story… No more beautiful creatures.

Pink shrimp: unique

Gray mullet: food

Green seaweed: life

Brown Oyster: 9 gallons

Blue water: Tourism

White sand: Tourism

Yellow Sun: Tourism

Purple Towels: Tourism

Orange umbrellas: Tourism

Peach condos: Destruction

I had always gone to the beach, seen the colorful buildings, walked around the island, but NEVER had I even known the history that once existed!

Word Cont: 302

My carbon footprint !

This was my final score in one of the quizzes I took.

Honestly I thought I was going to be more GREEN.

According to the test you have to score 50+ to be GREEN. It said I was on the “right track” so that made me feel better.  I took the test with one of my best friends and we each got our own scores. She was higher than me by a few points, which was surprising. Since she has always considered me a greener person than her.

I learned that food can also be recycled, I thought food could just decompose or rotten. I never thought about recycling it, I thought that was pretty interesting.  It also made emphasis if one had a discomposure pile on the backyard. Honestly I think having one around my house, would only call raccoons.  So I don’t completely agree with having that on my backyard.

Also plenty of the items my family and I recycle where listed on the test. Which made me feel proud to know I was doing something to help my environment. Since I was young my parents have always taught me to be eco friendly, some of the skills we practice at home reflected on the quiz answers.

These quizzes made me want to reach 50+ points to be a complete “tree hugger”. I really want leave the least amount of ugly footprints on this world. I want to able to leave as many green footprints possible. I think constantly about my future and my generations. I want them to see the world the way I did.

Word count 271 

Corckscrew Sanctuary

As soon as the white bus pulled up, I started remembering and imagining scenes from “ a land remembered”. It was so vivid to actually walk in certain areas in which the characters from the book had walked before. I started to imagine the circumstances and dangers they faced.  As we walked into the trail I started to notice why this place was so special. The wood stork (an endangered bird) nests every season right in our own backyard! I learned that feathers were an important part in the history of SWFL. The feathers of white birds were worth more than gold! An ounce of feathers were worth more than once of gold. Fashion made them a high demand for elegant hats.

As we got deeper into the trail I really started to emerge myself into the book “ A Land Remembered” I tried picturing what the characters might have experienced. Certain remote areas of the swap made me wonder: “How in the world did they survive?”.  I started to think about the snakes, alligators, mosquitoes, spiders and other creepy creatures they might have faced. I questioned: Where did they sleep? How did the bathe? How did brush their teeth? Did they smell? How did a coon taste like?  An infinite list of questions popped into mind. I tried answering my own questions, seeing an almost identical setting and remembering what was described in the book.

As my mind went wild with imagination, I couldn’t believe all the tones of green I was viewing. Everything seemed so fresh and healthy; it made me want to breathe in until my lungs could not hold one more inch of air. Seeing all the plants and animals in their home made me feel blissful. I was able to see some alligators and baby alligators, spiders, squirrels, birds, snails, and plenty flora.

Over all I was amazed at God’s beautiful creation!

Word count : 317

JOURNAL 3 - ECHO was Friendly

I had never heard of such place, I have lived in SWFL for almost 8 years. When I heard about the field trip, I got exited for two things:

1.         1. its been a while since I have been on a field trip

2.     2. I had never been to Echo.

When I got there I was very amazed at the plethora of plants and ecosystems that that farm had. Also to see every ecosystem exist in Florida mesmerized me! Florida is hot, sunny, and sometimes dry.  To see how a “rainforest ecosystem”  that could actually survive with adequate maintenance was very interesting to see.

Some of the plants and trees really captured my interest.

Bamboo was one of them; personally I love bamboo because of a story someone once told me.  The reflection story a friend of our family shared, said that life is like a bamboo tree. Life takes years of process and care, but once its ready to grown, it will non-stop. In order for that to happen bamboo has to be planted in excellent ground, have sturdy roots, and include patience for the right moment to develop.

He told me that I need to be like that, that my wait to become someone of importance would take a while, but with the right grounds, values, morals and patience It would happen without no inquiry.

Another interesting plant I noticed was the Moringa. This plant is such a huge blessing for many people around the globe, not only it can be used for medical reasons but it can also help, gain weight, and purify water.

Also I noticed that everything at echo participates in “the circle of life”. For example animals such as: rabbits, goats, ducks, chicken, and worms helped with their discharge to fertilize the land. It was neat to see everything work together in harmony, with out no real human intervention.

Also the vision of this farm was stunning! They created farms according to the environment people in need would live in. They help these people adapt farming to their circumstances so they can survive.

Over all it was an amazing experience, I loved it !

Word count: 360

JOURNAL 2- MY HOME

I grew up in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Guatemala is known as: “la Tierra de la eternal primavera” (the land of eternal spring)

Why: because the weather is to die for, the flowers are always glooming, the trees are always green, and he creeks are always running. The perfect weather is around 70-75 degrees F, Guatemala’s weather is around that constantly thought out the year.

Where I grew up the forest was literally my back yard, every afternoon I could hear the wind glide though the pine trees. It made this unique whistling noise, as if the wind was actually talking. The wind together with leafs of every tree danced in perfect harmony to the peaceful music of birds singing.

The mountains that surrounded my house made me feel healthy, like I was breathing the purest air in the world. Every time I inhaled the fresh breeze my lungs expanded to the limit, but wanting to grasp for more air.  The breeze, the green mountains would send to hug me, made me fell loved by them.

Flowers of different colors, types, and shapes gloom though out the year everywhere in Guatemala. Houses are always full of colorful decorations made by Mother Nature herself.  My favorite of all is the “huele de noche”( scent of the night) plant/tree/flower . It’s a tree that its flowers release a romantic scent at nighttime. Honestly I have smelled the exact scent once, here in the states.  That fragrance brought me right back to my front yard, of my old home in Guate.  It made me feel like I was 6 again. I pictured myself running back inside right before nighttime, and smelling that welcoming smell. That scent always made me feel home! Every night that tree released a sweet, sincere, and lovable scent that I will NEVER forget.  Every time I go back to visit Guatemala that same tree, welcomes me every time just like it did since I was 3.

Word count: 304

Pictures I have taken all over the country of Guatemala:

I did not take these : 

JOURNAL 1 - My connection

 My connection to Florida…..

Florida: The sunny, sunshine, hot state! Wooo!

Honestly I like Florida, but the weather is not my favorite.

Sometimes I feel like I am in a sauna, I get all sticky and sweaty.

How does all of this connect me to the “Floridian environment “, and how much time I spend out doors?

Well ….  I don’t spend too much time outdoors.

I am usually in 4 places: school, work, church, or home.

I simply don’t have too much time to go out doors.

The times I DO GO out doors:

-Playground at work (after school care)

-In and out of my house to get in my car

-Spots where I photograph clients.( my photography business)

I wish I could go and photograph the land, birds, animals, plants, trees, and lakes.

Before I used to photograph nature a lot! I use to spend hours taking images of nature and the creatures. I use to go one a week specifically to photograph nature. I would leave around 3pm and come back until 7pm.  After taking various images of creatures, plants, and the sky, I would wait for the sunset. The sunset was my treat, I loved to watch the sunset and snap pictures with the “perfect lighting” it reflected.  I photography we call it “the perfect light”, at twilight every type of lighting required to create a great shot is being reflected all at once. Soft light, hard light, side lighting, back lighting, rim light, ambient light, spot light all of these all come together at sunset! The images come out beautiful and unique that can only be captured at sunset or sunrise.

My connection to Florida’s environment has changed before it was for the simple pleasure to admire it, now it’s mostly for business.  :( 

I MISS IT! 

These are images I have taken in florida: 

Word count :305