Climate Change is Reality

I went to a talk at The Climate Reality Project today and we discussed the dangers of the Earth's drastically changing climate. Climate Change is a buzzword not taken seriously by many Americans, and viewed as taboo. But through my studies in D.C. and in Costa Rica, it is a phenomena I now believe in, because of factual data that most people choose not to see. Here is a basic video Climate Reality Project sponsored, and it is a great explanation of what is happening. I encourage you to watch it, and think twice about the significant rains and higher temperatures we've experienced this year alone.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

Union Station

We took some time after our internships to explore the Christmas decorations around Washington, D.C. Union Station was the most beautiful: light up wreaths on the outside of the building that could be seen several blocks away and garland lining the stairs inside. There was even a model train track!

A California Dream Come True

jumping into a huge pile of leaves!

california girls 

a real fall, with colorful leaves and bare trees

America the Beautiful

"American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it." -James Baldwin

"I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." -James Baldwin

These quotes were given to me at a good time, having just finished a project researching the complex issues of gentrification and segregation affecting D.C. I have seen the beauty of my capital city and the terrible failures of my capital city during my four months here. I realize now, more than before, how lucky and privileged I am to have grown up in Orange County, with a supportive family, attending private school and university. And I have come to truly appreciate being an American by fully recognizing the rights I am entitled to, not only feeling guilty by my status or by my nation's violent history. 

I believe America has a beautiful and terrible history marked by patriotism, democracy, oppression, and inequality. We are the first to defend human rights abroad, but ignore injustice in our own country. We offer opportunity, but only if you look a certain way. We rejoice in our powerful army, and forget to use our words to solve problems. And I believe that too often America gets painted only as "the land of the free" and is regarded as the most beautiful country without acknowledging the terrible.

I voted for the first time this year. It was the first time I knew not only the names of the major candidates, but could discuss their political stances. I watched all of the nomination speeches and debates. And I streamed anything available to watch the results of election night in Costa Rica. I actually felt powerful as a voter, because I was able to vote for a man who would protect the rights of the most vulnerable in my country and in the developing countries of the world. It was exciting to listen to the excitement of my international classmates cheer for Obama's re-election. I find that I feel overwhelmingly proud or overwhelmingly guilty by my American nationality. I am in an extremely important position to create change in the world, but who am I to be born in the United States?

Really, I feel that America has the potential to be truly beautiful, if it didn't perpetuate terrible actions, beliefs, oppressions, and hypocrisy. I believe it is the most influential country in the world, but it needs to take responsibility for its influence and create positive change in the world without worrying about image or allies or saving face. I'm waiting, America.

New York Thanksgiving

The perfect way to start the holiday season

cinnamon apple cider in Bryant Park

photos in the middle of the street in times square!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

i've decided i must begin every christmas season in new york.

What I Learned in Costa Rica (alternate blog post)

I chose the Environment & Development program at Washington Semester mostly because of the travel to Costa Rica. I'd take any chance possible to get back to Central America. And while I was passionate about studying international development, I had limited knowledge of environmental issues. It was the trip to Costa Rica that taught me most about the environment, even if I didn't always understand what I was seeing. 

In Costa Rica we visited countless reserves - rainforests, cloudforests, butterfly reserves, national parks, lakes, beaches, volcanoes, wind turbines, and eco-friendly hotels. I didn't always share the initial excitement of a new forest or a new bird sighting, mostly because I didn't understand the significance, but our nature guides and my classmates taught me so much. I learned not only about beautiful animals, but how all creatures affect the eco-system. And that saving animals can be just as important as saving people. Bats no longer scare me! I learned about the positives of alternative wind and/or water energy, and how the benefits are worth the costs. I appreciate the wind turbines that I see along California! I  learned how negatively human beings impact the environment, sickening animals and damaging natural resources. And, I am convinced that climate change is a real problem.

Most importantly, I learned how extremely connected environmental issues are to developmental issues. It seems so obvious. And yet none of my previous classes ever demonstrated that to me. In Erasmus, I could note how lack of available resources, or poor farming possibilities, forced women and children into sex slavery but it was never so defined for me until this class. And I learned it visually as well, traveling through Costa Rica and Nicaragua. 

Here are some of the organizations we worked with:

Santa Rosa National Park

Kids Saving the Rainforest

Monte Verde Institute
Tio Antonio
Si Como No

My Costa Rica Experience (alternate blog post)

To describe Costa Rica, I must first start with the country's slogan pura vida. pure life. It is a greeting, a response, a compliment, an expression, and an attitude. The ticos (Costa Ricans) were savvy about tourism and rainforest conservation. The entire country, from citizens to NGO employees to government officials to foreign investors were all committed to protecting the environment. It was an attitude very different from wasteful Americans or poverty-burdened Salvadorans. (much of our visit included speculating how the conservation was a priority throughout all of Costa Rica.)

Costa Rica is rightfully called one of the most beautiful places in Latin America. The whole country is beautiful - mostly because there are so many trees, and so many birds and animals around {I sight I have missed back in D.C.} Exotic flowers and tall trees grow in the rainforest preservations, large rolling fields of green line the highways, and beaches back up to forests. But the country seems exceptionally beautiful because there are limited views of poverty and human suffering. Costa Rica has officially been classified as a "developed" country, with the majority of the population earning $10/day. Not many people greet you on the sidewalk, dirty and asking for money. There is not a lot of trash on the ground. Buses are clean and sleek. It were these missing views that threw me off the most, having traveled to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. In general, the ticos were friendly, but they were also very arrogant. I had heard this complaint from my Salvadoran friends, that Costa Ricans are arrogant, and look down upon other Latinos. Costa Rica is a developed country, with lots of foreign support and no need for an army, with sanitation plans and environmental conservation programs. Costa Rica is miles ahead of all other Central American countries, and the ticos are very proud. Our Costa Rican tour guide, Giuliano, was very nice, very invested in our education, and very passionate about all things of nature. He showed us many good things about Costa Rica, and encouraged my Spanish. One of the best things about heading back to Central America, in addition to beans and rice (pinto gallo) was speaking and hearing Spanish. Speaking the language of the country I'm visiting makes the whole experience more enriching - feeling comfortable communicating, impressing the locals, bartering for jewelry, and having the opportunity to ask questions and start discussions. Ticos are very used to American tourists, but it is more fulfilling to speak to the taxi driver, the nature guide, and the speaker. 

We also spent three days in Granada, Nicaragua, which was starkly different from developed Costa Rica. I felt both more comfortable and less comfortable. Much of the views - of the countryside, of people in their fincas, of poor people on the streets - reminded of El Salvador. These views reminded me of El Salvador, a place I love and miss. These views were what I was used to when traveling (social justice trips), but it doesn't make them acceptable. One of the worst things I witnessed in Granada was a street fight among street kids high on glue. I was so helpless, so unable to act. So not American. I don't ever feel voiceless in the United States, but there was nothing I could do or say for those two minutes in Nicaragua. But also in Granada was a café run by deaf and mute citizens, who also went to school and made hammocks to sell. There is a lot of good in Nicaragua, but an outdated negative opinion disguises it.