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