31 Lessons that the Jungle has taught me

1. Packing and traveling to the airport at 4 am can be a bonding experience.

2. Sitting next to Professor Tudge (the biology professor) for all airplane flights proves to be the best time to hear tales of his summer job as a gravedigger.

3. When you are going through customs in Managua, Nicaragua you should know in advance that you will get yelled for not filling out a form that you never received.

4. Nicaragua is made up of mountain ranges, jungles, and large plains. There are very few places in the world that have such a diverse, unique, and beautiful landscape.

5. ProJoven is a fantastic program. Simply, it is a leadership program which teaches kids leadership skills and provides trips to areas across Nicaragua. These kids then take these skills that they have learned and teach their own leaderships classes ranging in topics from sexually transmitted diseases, leadership, violence, and family dynamics.

6. When locals shout at you ” It’s too dark up there, don’t go up” as you are about to walk up a dark alley, TURN AROUND.

7. There are thousands of ways to eat rice and beans. Expect every meal with them will be different. The same goes for plantains.

8. Even though you might pay for the bathroom, you should not expect the toilet to flush or the faucet to work.

9. Boat rides on the Rio San Juan are gorgeous and are the perfect opportunity to bird watch. Also the three hours go by very quickly when there is an adorable French baby to play with.

10. The Makengue reserve is one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua. Period.

11. Boat rides are the best time to conquer your fears about the jungle at night and its animals. Another perk is that you may see owls, hawks, crocidillies, and a ton of birds.

12. Hammocks are heaven and a mid-afternoon nap in them is a daily necessity.

13. Even if you are not a morning person, you should drag yourself out of bed in order to see the sunrise at least once during your trip. For the best view, you should climb up the water tower to see this breath-taking view.

14. The Makengue reserve is the only place in the world where if you whistle loud enough, Mariana will swim over to you. But make sure you have meat to give her as a treat for being a good girl. Also, did I mention that Mariana is a Camen?

15. You should also try to speak Spanish. Even if it is really broken and more Spanglish than anything, it is sincerely appreciated by the locals. The best way to survive a language barrier is to first get over your fear of saying the wrong word and just try.

16. If the jungle has taught me anything, it is that you should be prepared for anything. For example, when you are setting up the trail camera you should be prepared to see Howler Monkeys swinging in the tree canopy above you.

17. The best time for dance parties with the cooks (Aracellys and Esmelda) of the Makengue Reserve is late at night. Also, no matter how good a dancer you think you are, I promise you that Aracellys and Esmelda are better.

18. The best way to connect with seventh graders in a high school in Castillo is to tell them that your favorite movie is “Finding Nemo”. After that, they will love you forever and follow you to the café where you are going to eat lunch.

19. Learn the phrase “Lo Siento” which means “I am sorry”. You will have to use it several times during multiple soccer games that you will play with Nicaraguan girls and boys and you have to apologize for your repeated mistakes.

20. You should follow up your “Lo Siento” with a smile. Never underestimate the power of a smile.

21. The best way to identify organisms within the Bioblitz is to spread out along one of the sides of the transect and walk across it “CSI-style” as Professor Tudge says.

22. When you finally capture a picture of the mysterious tapir on your trail camera, you will literally jump for joy!

23. One of the saddest parts of leaving Makengue is saying goodbye to the dog, Pinta, who has been your loyal companion for the last week.

24. Views from volcanoes are actually breathtaking. One because of the beautiful views and secondly because of the high amount of sulfur gas that coming out of the volcano.

25. After one week without hot running water, when you finally take a hot shower at a hotel, you may start crying tears of joy.

26. Seeing a sloth in real life is truly as great as it sounds.

27. Dancing in salsa bars may seem intimidating at first but with your Makengue peeps out on the dance floor with you, it will be a fantastic night full of laughter and fun.

28. Getting back into the United States after returning from Nicaragua is surprisingly simple.

29. Whenever the song, “Waving Flag” is played, you must get up and dance.

30. New life motto: I will always try to be “Alive, Awake, Alert and Enthusiastic”

31. This trip will be one of the best experiences of your life. Embrace every challenge and obstacle with open arms. Learn from every experience. Try everything. Talk to everyone. Smile and enjoy life. But once in a while stop to look around. For this, may be the only time that you will ever get to visit Nicaragua. So take it all in. When you get back to the United States I can guarantee that you will enjoy the smaller things in life more. But you will always miss the spectacular views, amazing people and memories that you made at Makengue.

 

who doesn’t love being woken up by a rooster every morning?

 

Why I needed Makengue more than Makengue needed me

Makengue was by far the greatest experience I will ever have. My first look at the reserve was a mental image I won’t forget, and I would have never imagined the place being so beautiful! Like everyone else, I didn’t exactly know what to expect going into this project, but I didn’t realize how much I would take away from it other than some nice pictures and fun souvenirs.

I’ve hit some pretty rough patches while here at AU first semester so I needed this trip more than anything, and the timing could not have been better. It was slightly intimidating though because all at once I was going completely out of my comfort zone and on a trip to a different country (one I do not speak the language of) with a few people I knew well and a few people I didn’t. I also was not the biggest fan of bugs, the dark, or getting dirty. However, once I got there, all of those minor worries faded. Eventually, I was eager to see spiders (something I have always been terrified of), wanting to go on every day and night hike I possibly could, got covered in sweat and dirt, wanted to see every species that we encountered, steered the boat across the river, went snake hunting, tried new foods, and even wanted to wrestle a cayman. I’ve shared some great laughs, nice talks, and amazing stories with everyone on the trip. On top of that, I met some great people and made some even greater friends.

I left AU as someone who felt extremely weak and defeated, but came back as a warrior!

Emma experiences Makengue

I want to go back….

Wow! However great I thought this trip would be before, it was SO much better. From the hikes, to the boat rides, to playing soccer in the local towns (actually I participated very little in the actual “playing” of soccer, but it was still a great experience), I loved it all. Might I also add just how awesome those hammocks were. Above all, the trip to Castillo had to be the highlight of the trip for me. As an SIS major, interacting with the local community, it was a great opportunity to get a taste of what may lie ahead in my future (and indeed to test my Spanish skills, which obviously need a lot of work). It also helps that the view from the fort was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen.

Much of the part that I prepared for while at school was the PSA day. While that day had its challenges, in the end the PSAs turned out well and new friendships were made.

But even beyond my own projects, it was great to help carry out other projects, such as the BioBlitz and the documentaries because we were able to see the Makengue Project in action. I gained a much better understanding of the goals of the project. It was great to see what Becki and Rito are creating and to be a part of that process. Overall, it was a great experience, and given the opportunity I would absolutely go back.

Te amo El Castillo!

Every day at Makengue was truly an adventure. We laughed and danced our way through the week as we immersed ourselves in nature, education, Nicaraguan culture, and a wide array of noteworthy experiences. I don’t think a single blog post can concisely put the entire trip into words, so I decided to choose a specific day to describe using pictures. Being in El Castillo was one of my favorite days and helped lay the groundwork for our community outreach endeavors.

1) Meeting the Pro Joven youth leaders (and dancing with them).

 

2) Views from the waterfront.

 

3) Visiting the Mariposa Reserve.

 

4) Visiting the local school.

5) Lunch at Border’s Coffee.

6) Souvenir shopping.

7) Exploring the fort.

8) Poorly representing Team USA.

 

9) Enjoying the vibrant town in its entirety!

There and Back

http://instagram.com/p/ljPyKejO60/

9 days, 4 flights, many boat rides, an alligator, and some jungle and rainforest exploration later, we’re back! It was an amazing trip. We spent the majority of the week at the Reserve, where we worked on the Bio Blitz, took photos, filmed, watched Marianna (the alligator), danced, learned about the amazing animals around the world from Professor Tudge, learned about the amazing animals in the rainforest from Rito, interacted with the local youth, and so much more. It truly is a one of a kind place, and I loved the opportunity to visit.

I didn’t really know what to expect before going, but I can say it was unlike anything I would have imagined it to be like. The bark of Howler Monkeys, the constant sounds of birds, and of course my friends talking, laughing, and dancing filled the air around Makengue. Every day I would have the opportunity to see something new.

There were just so many incredible things to see, like

the volcano:

http://instagram.com/p/lxHCfVjO71/

or the animals:

http://instagram.com/p/lstjuJjO13/

http://instagram.com/p/lm83YaDOzT/

http://instagram.com/p/lkzcbjDO_8/

http://instagram.com/p/lpSAaXDO2V/

And now I get the chance to share all of this with the wider world. Now that we’re back, my real work begins. I will be updating the website to make it more user-friendly, informative, and functional. Over the past week I’ve been sorting through the pictures we’ve taken on the trip and deciding which ones will be put where on the site. The deadline is coming up soon though, with the symposium right around the corner!

Best Spring Break Ever!

This spring break will be one of the most memorable in my lifetime. Finally being able to go after months of anticipation was thrilling. I was not let down! Waking up before the sun to go on two plane rides, stay a night in a foreign city, take a 3-hour boat ride, and finally a 20-minute boat ride was completely worth it. When we arrived at the reserve, I was blown away. It was so much lovelier in person than in the pictures from last year. Being in the middle of nowhere has always made me feel more at home. So you can only imagine that being hours away from Managua, in a third world country, in the rainforest made me feel secure.

My original intent was to film the nature. But through weeks of class, I learned that I would be filming so much more. I learned a lot about film in those 9 days and I could not be happier that it is my major. I loved capturing the experience of Makengue through the camera lens. I hope that who ever watches my content will feel as though they are there themselves, or make them want to visit the rainforest to make a difference. That was my intent. Working with the students from ProJoven was delightful. I got to know more about their culture and the language. Even though I couldn’t talk to them in complete sentences, I could understand them and their excitement when they were filming their PSAs. I’m glad we get to send some of the footage from that encounter to the leaders of ProJoven. I hope they can use it in the future. Everyone in our group was wonderful. I made some incredible memories during our trip. And I hope we can still be friends for many years to come.

ALL OF THE FILM, and some other cool stuff too…

This is a really hard post to begin because Makengue was so phenomenal. So, I am just going to focus on the key aspects of the trip for me. I think the most incredible thing I learned on the trip was how to film. I mean I have filmed before, but never with a good camera, and never with so much quantity. I filmed almost everything I saw…or so it seemed. I think the best thing I learned though was how to film wildlife. The first few days were rough. Yet, with the help of Angela (our lovely graduate assistant) and experience I eventually learned from my mistakes. My camera hand was shakier than I thought it was, so I learned the importance of a monopod and/or tripod. I learned that in order to focus in on a small objects you have to have your camera a minimum distance away. I learned so many things that I don’t know if I can remember them all or even write them all down. I think my favorite shot was of a cane toad catching a beetle with his tongue. By this point I had gotten way better at focusing the image and staying on the subject so as not to miss the moment. The only thing I wish is that I could keep filming with the same frequency so I can continue to learn, but what happens in Makengue stays in Makengue.

The second key aspect of the trip for me was being able to interact with the local populations surrounding Makengue. On the Monday of the trip we went on about a 15-30 minute boat ride to get to a small town named El Castillo. Here we meet a gay man who owned a (delicious) restaurant and interviewed him about his experience being harassed and how he continues to push on. Then we were able to go to the local school and meet students in each grade. THEN in the afternoon we played a soccer game with the Nicaraguan students—and we didn’t do half bad. Later in the week we worked with these same students, and even some others from a different town, on creating environmental PSAs only using iPads. It was truly amazing to see what these students could do in such a short amount of time and with such a big communication barrier.

Basically, Makengue and Nicaragua were life changing for me. It helped firmly establish in my mind that film is what I want to do with my life, but it also taught me that I want to go on more trips like this in my future. Whether it is going back to Makengue (which I hope I can do someday) or taking my experience and applying to something new!

The Final Stretch

The time is upon us at last guys. We are in the final stretch before taking off to Nicaragua! But before we go, I am sure that we all have some last-minute preparations to make before leaving. The comm group, for one, is working on completing the Life at AU documentary and uploading to the iPads to show them to the ProJoven youth. We have been given three new iPads from the UC office to work with the kids in Makengue.

I have personally been working on the class lesson to teach the students of ProJoven how to make a PSA, and what kinds of shots will be helpful. It will all be in Spanish, which I am not fluent in, but fingers crossed that they will understand me nonetheless! As a heads up to anyone who reads this before we leave, the students who we will be teaching will round up into three groups of five, each taking an iPad. We, the Makengue travelers, will be helping them where we can, directing them towards understanding their task, and helping to edit their films – don’t stress though. It will be mostly the comm group who will worry about that. (These PSAs will go on Nicaraguan TV!). The we-don’t-speak-their-language dynamic will probably be difficult to work around, but we should have enough Spanish among us to work through it.

Also, the coloring book is done! Check it out in it’s entirety here. I added the finishing touches earlier today, and Angela is going to take them to be printed out. It has fun outlines, spanish descriptions, and a groovy font, so they should look great. We also seem to have crayons to bring, so that portion of the project should be completed soon.

Hang in there guys. We’re almost there!

Makengue Coloring Book: Page by Page

The Communications group put together a coloring book that highlights species found at or near the Makengue Reserve.  We’ll be taking thirty copies along with a large box of crayons to share with a local elementary school in the San Juan region.  Here’s the coloring book, page by page: