No restraint

Good things come to those who wait embrace them.

There will forever be truth in the act of patience and acceptance. Things are neither good nor bad--they just are. Always use them to your advantage. Always use them for good.

I inquired on a volunteer position on March 11, 2008, impulsively applying for this particular position the following day. I only applied for one, submitting one resume, communicating with one contact, confiding only in one's self--me. Applying solely for this meant that I would be putting all my faith and energy into one goal. This is what I do. It makes things meaningful, and honest. The volunteer position was for an assistant position with PRETOMA in/on Playa Caletas, Costa Rica. If I got it, I would be living with 8 other people on a newly established, endangered sea turtle nesting field site, on a beach virtually untouched.

Well, I got it :) I... got it. Do you honestly know how much that means to me?

It will be a rustic way of life for the duration--no running water, enough electricity to power one light, living out of a tent on the beach, the floor being the very same sand I walk upon. I will likely only communicate in handwritten letter. Send me literature... send me love.

The cause itself is really rather special to me. It is one step forward in preserving biodiversity in one of my most favorite ecosystems--the ocean. I'll be doing the environmental work I've always dreamed of; the kind of work that is hands-on and will actually make a difference. I will be working with and protecting endangered animals and I am so honored.


In comfort, this experience will return me to a place that is safe and cherished--my childhood. I spent every summer in Florida, seeing protected sea turtle nests. I always loved sea turtles and wanted to work with them. I mean, who honestly doesn't love the majestic nature of a sea turtle (some people less fortunate, obviously)? I can't express to you how much I love the earth and want to protect it. I don't just love animals. I don't just love plants. I love everything that has to do with this beauty we call life. I want to experience this fully, always and in everything I do.

On top of wanting to grow up and be an astronomer, zoo keeper, poet, paleontologist, journalist, artist and photographer--I also wanted to be a biologist, specifically a marine biologist. I wanted to obtain a biology and environmental science degree from Earlham College and even had a prestigious letter-of-recommendation from a mentor who firmly anchored my passion for the environment even further. He's still a biology teacher in Lebanon, and ironically, he also now takes students to Costa Rica to study plant and animal biodiversity, instead of his annual safari trip to Kenya (which has now become far to dangerous anymore). He'd be be so proud. I am more proud.

I can't believe it, but I can. I felt it in my heart, and in my heart it will stay. Playa Calestas, I'll see you in November.

♥♥♥