A New(old) Adventure

After three years of living on different continents, I have finally started a blog.

Ironically, this is something that I have been aspiring to since I started living abroad, but it’s often easier said than done when there are friends to be met, adventures to be had, new foods to try, rest needed and exams to be written.

I hope this blog can be a place to share experiences, ponder scientific questions, create a healthy dialogue about conservation and share some of the (miss)adventures that have happened and are bound to, hopefully NOT, repeat themselves along the way.

Currently, I live in Bocas del Toro, Panama and work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) as a part of my current master’s in International Nature Conservation with support from the Rotary Foundation through the Global Grant Scholarship.

Although I have lived (short-term) in Panama before, I was reminded of the impact that my past experience here imprinted on me when I arrived on the familiar streets of Bocas Town on the main island of Isla Colon.

**full stop**

Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Image credit: https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Bocas_del_Toro_Archipelago_map.png

I should take a moment to mention that Bocas del Toro is a region of Panama that is composed of eight islands and part of the Panamanian mainland. STRI is located on the busiest of the eight islands, Isla Colon, in the Caribbean Sea (yes, like Pirates of that same Caribbean). Panama is also one of the most diverse places on earth because it acts as a land bridge between North and South America!

Imagine palm trees, warm sand, intense sun, and variegated blue ocean as far as the eye can see, unless you’re staring at the mainland, of course, and that is a largely accurate visual image of the island.

But Bocas is a lot more than that – that explanation will be a completely different blog post.

**returning to the subject**

Bocas is where I fell in love with marine conservation. Here in Panama, my previous scientific knowledge was transformed into something tangible and something that I was passionate about and excited about. I delighted in staring at coral reefs, tidal waves, algal communities and attempting to understand the complex systems immediately in front of me. This is where I discovered that I want to continue bridging the gap between conservation needs and the needs of people. Both matter, and honoring both sets of needs is the only way to create a sustainable future for those humans and ecosystems that come after we are gone.

Returning to the archipelago reminded me that I am a part of something much bigger than myself (and also that the tropics are beautiful).

That’s all for this week, but feel free to drop a question about conservation, ecology or life in the tropics. I hope to answer them in future blog posts and expand on some of my work here at STRI, which mainly focuses on corals (which are not plants but indeed animals).

Fun fact: The temperature in Bocas fluctuates more during the day than it does over the entire year – meaning that it is a balmy 85 degrees (~29 degrees Celsius) almost all year round.

Animals of the week: The poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio)

Photo credit: Jan Sarapak

AND

the howler monkey (who are really active at 5 AM every morning) (Alouatta spp.)

Photo credit: Jan Sarapak

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a lovely week!

Sincerely,

the miss in (miss)adventures

Shout out to Elizabeth Zerrien, who set-up and designed this beautiful website. Her design skills are amazing, and she is the reason that this blog looks so wonderful! :)