Introductions and First Impressions

Well, here we are in the jungle. We are Graham and Daley, the new volunteers at La Reserva!

Some background on Graham….I grew up on Mount Desert Island, a small island off the coast of Maine that is actually quite similar to Mindo in the sense that its economy heavily relies on tourism. After 18 years of exploring the woods and mountains of MDI I crossed the country to attend The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. There I studied environmental science, psychology, mindfulness, and Spanish. Oh and I met Daley (who’s pretty great, I think I might marry her). Besides Washington I’ve lived a year in Alabama and two in North Carolina. I’ve wore many hats including that of ski instructor, landscaper, lobsterman, wilderness therapy staff, and several in the outdoor education field. I’ve traveled to Guatemala and Western Europe but never to South America so this is a whole new deal for me!

Some background on Daley… I’m originally from Madison, Wisconsin where I grew up in the city but also spent a fair amount of time exploring the wilds of Northern Wisconsin. I was driven out of the Midwest to pursue my interest in marine biology and attend school at The Evergreen State College (where I met Graham). Since then I’ve worked in wildlife conservation, mainly with sea turtles and shorebirds, which has brought me all over the country. I love working in the field, studying and conserving wildlife and the environments they live in. It’s always exciting having to learn a new ecosystem, and boy is this place new to me!

After almost a year of having this on our radar, applying, accepting, expecting, and traveling, we are actually here and living it! These first few weeks have been a blur and at the same time felt interminable. The days are long but the weeks are fast is a saying that I think rings true for this experience so far. And what an experience it has been; after a great series of training days with Hailee and Jonas we feel that we have been able to hit the ground running, or at least Graham does. Daley started to get sick during training and it hit her hard, keeping her in bed for several days, during our first solo week. This didn’t stop her from doing computer work and sewing our mosquito net! While Daley rested and recuperated Graham led the first of our Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Lek tours, got to know the trails a bit (including a lot of machete work), and puttered around the cabaña, getting to know this place that will be our new home for the next 5 months.

Our first impressions begin with how truly grateful we are to be here and to be sharing this opportunity together. To have the chance to be in a completely new country, a new ecosystem, a new culture, is incredible and we are grateful to all those who have come before us at the Reserve, at Life Net, and in Mindo who have allowed this to happen for us.

Otherwise, the jungle is truly awesome. We have seen new things everyday: at least one new bird species everyday since we’ve been here (lets hope it continues!); amazing butterflies, insects, snakes, frogs, lizards; flora like we’ve never seen including epiphytes (plants that grow on trees and vines) on pretty much every available airborne surface, fruits and flowers galore (some we can eat, many that we can’t), and ferns (some as big as trees); and of course, people! Quick aside to note that literally as I’m typing this up a Buff-fronted Foliage Gleaner (Dendroma rufe) just landed outside on the porch railing and stared at me for a sec, chévere! Anyway, the people that we’ve encountered here have been spectacular. From our first guests, a woman from Australia and a Chinese man who barely spoke a word of English, to the Canadian couple who have been traveling since November and plan to continue for another year, to the various lek tour guests that we’ve shared breakfast with, it has been a privilege to share experiences with and hear the stories from these folks. It reminds us that travel allows us to interact with people we would likely never speak to in our day to day lives. Through lek tours, sharing a meal, or spotting a new bird together we share meaningful experiences and leave an imprint, no matter how small, on each other’s lives. In this way, as much as it’s all about the birds, it’s all about the humans. And in that we are left questioning and reflecting; how will this experience shape us both? How will the people we meet here influence us? What will we learn and who/what will be our teachers? Stay tuned to our social media posts and this monthly blog to read more ramblings and find out!