Sophia's Bella Vita

Baños y La Selva

After my first week of working in Tarqui, the other three volunteers and I decided to take a day trip to Baños. At the time, there was some tension left over from the transportation strike against the president in Ecuador, so although the roads were open for the day, the buses weren’t running because there wasn’t much gas. With that being said, the four of us ended up taking a taxi there and back.

While in Baños, we did a tour of the Ruta de Cascadas which ended with the Pailon del Diablo. We also did a tour of la Casa del Arbol where we sat on the swing at the end of the world. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

This past Thursday, the man who runs the the zoo decided to give us a break and take us to la selva (rainforest/jungle). He took the four of us who had already been volunteering for three weeks, as well as four other volunteers from Healing Animals Organisation. These women are from Great Britain and have come in hope of teaching certain techniques to the zoo refuge in order to help enrich the lives of the animals.

While in la selva we saw some Paiche, which are carnivorous fish from the Amazon that have two sets of lungs allowing them to breath both in and out of water. Unfortunately they are becoming extinct, so the ones we saw were in captivity. We then visited the indigenous village of Cotococha where several children painted our faces and taught us how to dance. Soon after that, we canoed down El Rio Puyo and then drove to a place with a beautiful view where we did a high-up swing and explored some caves. After lunch, we hiked to la Cascada Hola Vida which was a beautiful waterfall. To top the day off, we learned a little about the process of how cocoa is harvested to make chocolate. It was one jam-packed day, but super fun.

Animals of Zoorefugio Tarqui

For the past two weeks, I have spent my time volunteering at an animal refuge known as Zoorefugio Tarqui in the Pastaza province of Ecuador. Most of the animals here were once pets and have gotten use to living with people, so they cannot return to the wild. Others are animals that have been injured and will be returned to the wild once they have healed.

Me and three other volunteers work on a daily basis with the zookeepers to clean the cages and give food to the animals. We work five days a week for six hours, one day a week for four hours, and then we get the final day off to rest/travel.

Since the refuge is located in the Amazon, it receives a variety of exotic animals, which includes many that I had never seen in person or heard of before arriving in Ecuador. With that being said, here are some pictures of several of the animals that me and my fellow volunteers work with.

On top of these animals, we have a few pets/ followers that we see on a daily basis.

Mama- likes to join us on our feeding trips

Patricia Lynne Pitts Obituary

My mother passed away about 2 years ago and she never received a proper obituary. With that being said, here it is:

On Sunday, October 8th, 2017, Dr. Patricia Lynne Pitts, loving mother of two, passed away at the age of 60.

Patricia was born on November 16th, 1956 in Tallmadge, OH to Richard and Maria Pitts. She received a doctorate in psychology from Cambridge Graduate School of Psychology in 1989. While in school, she founded The Bella Vita, a Beautiful Life Psychology Group, Inc, and was the CEO for over 30 years up until her passing. She raised a son, David, and a daughter, Sophia.

Patricia had a passion for helping others and her legacy was her heart. Her loving and gentle essence was felt by all, including her patients who she helped recover from eating disorders and a variety of other mental illnesses. Patricia was very intelligent and always eager to learn new things. With this came the independence and the strength of a wise woman who worked hard and diligently to achieve her goals. In doing so, she portrayed the qualities of a strong role model for her friends, peers, employees, and most importantly her children, who she found joy in raising.

Patricia was preceded in death by her brother, Richard Jr. She was survived by her parents Richard and Maria, her sisters Susan and Deborah, and her children David and Sophia. Although alive at the time of Patricia’s death, her father passed away on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019. The funeral for Patricia was held on Saturday, October 14th, 2017.

Mother and daughter never truly part, maybe in distance but never in heart.
-unknown

Just remember, even on cloudy days, it’s always sunny above the clouds.
-unknown

TEFL Certified

After a month-long intensive course through ITA Costa Rica, I can officially say that I am TEFL certified, along with 18 other classmates!

This was my third time traveling to a new country without knowing anyone and like before, the first few days were very intimidating. You never know what to expect, but what’s life without a little risk?

This risk ended up paying off because I met so many amazing people who share a love of traveling and are at similar points in their life. No matter a person’s age, we all have those transition periods where we have no clue what we’re going to do. Some people turn to jobs, others turn to school; we all just happened to turn to travel.

To see some of the fun things me and my friends did while in Costa Rica, check out this video and these photos from my last day!

1se-my-timeline-20190929-065916 One Second Everyday Costa Rica

Volcanic Waters

On Saturday morning, a group of us rented a van and drove to La Fortuna where we stopped to walk around and get a few drinks. We then headed to a river where the water was warmed by the molten underneath the active volcano known as Arenal, which is pictured at the top of this blog. While there, we chilled in the river for several hours and had a fun photo shoot with a few pictures below.

We would have stayed longer, but it began to rain and the water began to move quickly. *If clear water turns muddy when it begins to rain, it’s best to get out because this means the current is picking up and it can become dangerous.*

Although our time was cut short, one of my new favorite memories is walking back to the car in our bathing suits in the pouring rain. It was just one of those moments where you think, “Wow, am I actually here?”

After lunch, we headed for Baldi, which is a hotel and spa with hot springs. It’s basically like a water park with only a few water slides and a ton of pools that get warmer the further in you go. We stayed there from 3 PM until close at 9 PM.

Overall, it was an amazing day and I would 100% do it again 🙂

Weekend Fun

I’ve noticed that when I travel, Americans often get stereotyped as loud people who like to go out and get drunk. Although I sometimes find this slightly insulting, it does have some truth to it 😛

We had three birthdays this weekend, one on Friday and two on Saturday, so a fair amount of my class decided to go grab food on Friday and go get drinks. After ordering more sushi than we could eat, we headed to a local bar in Barva and had a little fun. Since it was Friday the 13th with a full moon, Katie’s one birthday wish was for us to go out to the park and howl at the moon at midnight. Naturally, we all agreed and headed out a few minutes before the haunting hour. We saw two cop cars roll by and I thought for sure we were going to get in trouble while making a ruckus with beer bottles and Smirnoff ice’s in hand, but no. Turns out they don’t really care.

After the park we hit up one more bar before calling it a night. The next day, a few of us decided to hike around the Barva Volcano, so we took an Uber up the mountain around 11. Pro tip: Make sure the car has four-wheel drive because the higher you go, the worse the roads are. After about 45 minutes, we made it to the entrance and hiked to the volcanic crater where there is now a beautiful lake. It was amazing to see the moss entangled trees and the beautifully foreign plants as we hiked and it was almost mesmerizing to see the mist move in and out of the crater as we sat by the water’s edge. Here are a few pictures from the hike:

Although it was Costa Rica’s Independence Day, most of my Sunday was spent doing homework. That’s okay because I got to study with some pretty awesome friends. If you ever want to visit a coffee shop in Barva, I recommend either Barvak Cafe or Marfil Cafe Galeria 🙂

The Views of Costa Rica

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful an endless prospect of magic and wonder.
-Ansel Adams

After driving through the horrible mess that is L.A. traffic on Friday night, I finally made it to the airport. That night, I boarded the plane and before I knew it, I had landed in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Since I arrived so early, I met my host family and then took a nap before heading down into town. My host parents were serving food for their church, so I stopped by and grabbed a late lunch. Not long after, I began seeing people dressed up in masks and carrying around pig bladders. Although it was slightly terrifying, it was very interesting and fun to see how Barva celebrates one of their saints over the course of two weeks. My host family called it Payasos de Barva, which translates to clowns of Barva.

On Sunday August 1st, I met up with some classmates to do a tour provided through the school. This consisted of being served a local breakfast, visiting a coffee plantation, hiking to see La Poas volcano, and walking through the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. The food was pretty good and everywhere we went was truly a sight to see. Below are several pictures that I took from the tour:

Coffee plantation
Fun fact: The darker the coffee, the longer it’s been roasted, meaning that it has more flavor and less caffeine if measured in terms of scoops.

La Poas Volcano
We wear helmets for safety since it is an active volcano and last erupted about 2 years ago

el colibrí
el tucán
La mariposa
las orquídeas.
Las cataratas

The following weekend, about 13 out of 20 of my classmates and I decided to take a trip out to Manuel Antonio, which is a beautiful national park and beach in Costa Rica. It took some transportation to get there, which included Ubering for an hour from Barva to San Jose and then taking a four hour bus ride from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. Although it was a long trip, it was worth it because the area was gorgeous. We stayed in a Selina hostel about 20 minutes from the beach, so we could just walk up and down the hill to get there. (Side note: Selinas are some of the nicer hostels found all throughout Latin America.)

On Friday we went down to the beach, mostly hanging out in the water and attempting to surf a little. A few of us also walked along the water a bit, where we came across a ton of sand crabs. The next day we went on a hike to a waterfall in Manuel Antonio National Park and then headed to the beach within the park. While there, we saw a variety of animals including monkeys, iguanas, sloths, and crabs. Pro tip: Don’t leave your food out in the open because the animals will find it.

Both nights, we all had a few drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere of the hostel and the surrounding area. Overall it was a fun trip and I am thankful that I got to experience it with my new classmates/friends. Below are a few pictures from the trip 🙂

The view from our hostel: Selina Manuel Antonio

The beach day 1

La iguana
Los monos

Manuel Antonio National Park

Friends and Family

“Having somewhere to go is home, having someone to love is family, having both is a blessing”
-Unknown

When you read this quote, what do you think of? Your hometown? Your parents or siblings? How about your significant other? Everyone is different, but I personally do not consider home to be a single place or family to be just those who are blood related. During my travels this past month across the United States, I have come to realize that although I have been and will be living out of a suitcase for the next few months, I know I will always have somewhere to go and someone who loves me. Therefore, my home is where my family and friends are, whether that be in the Northeast or the Southwest. I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life and if you’re curious to learn about where I’ve stayed and what I’ve done throughout August, don’t stop reading just yet. 😊

South Carolina

*Don’t forget that moving out includes cleaning everything…* July 30^th was the last time I saw the inside of Campus View apartment 609. I had lived there for a solid two years with some of the best roommates a girl could find, but once everyone else moved out and once I graduated from college, it just didn’t quite feel like home anymore.

Tennessee (July 30^th-Aug 2^nd)

Visiting father’s extended family

*When on long drives, catch up with friends* I got to Knoxville late on the 30^th and stayed with my aunt and uncle. The next day we visited my cousin’s children in Rogersville and hung out with them all day. The two nuggets were super cute, but a little draining :P. The following day my aunt took me shopping and then I prepared all my belongings to be put into storage. This was the second time I visited my family in Tennessee this year and I am so thankful for everything they’ve done and continue to do for me.

Ohio (Aug 2^nd– Aug 8^th)

Visiting mother’s extended family

*The Akron area offers a ton of natural beauty, including Cuyahoga Falls National Park* My aunt picked me up from the airport and she showed me around town before taking me to see my grandparents. (I’m not going to lie, the days got a little mixed up in my mind, so my timeline might not be chronological.) One of the days, my two aunts took me to Szalay’s Farm and Market and then to the national park near where they lived. One of my aunts invited me to church where I caught up with Pastor Jeanette (Pastor J) who had come to see me graduate. A few days later my aunt and Pastor J ended up taking me into Cleveland. Unfortunately, it was very rainy, so instead of walking around, we all grabbed lunch in Little Italy and ended up at a casino for a few hours. While in Ohio, I also got the chance to catch up with a friend from college who was working out in Columbus, as well as grab lunch with a new friend I met through one of my aunt’s close friends named Mary. I had the opportunity to meet Mary, who was very bubbly and willing to teach me how to make Italian sauce.

Massachusetts(Aug 8^th-Aug 13^th)

Visiting my friends Hannah and Abigail from college

*Be aware that flying through the Northeast can cause delays due to weather* *If possible, travel light! Carrying suitcases up and down four flights of narrow stairs is not fun* My flight to Boston was delayed several hours, so they switched my connecting flight, which ended up being delayed an extra 30 minutes. Although I didn’t arrive until late in the afternoon, I was fortunately able to have enough time for my friend Abigail to show me around the North End a bit. The North End is known for its Italian influence, so you best believe that we ate all the pasta, pizza and cannolis. I did try a cannoli from each of the four big pastry shops: Mike’s, Modern, Maria’s, Bova’s; but I will not state my ranking because it is a highly debated topic in the area :P. The second day, both Hannah and Abigail took me along the Freedom Trail and through several of the public parks, as well as the public library. The following days Hannah and I explored Cambridge and the South End where we did a brewery tour. The three of us also visited some of Abigail’s family outside the city and I ended my trip with a day at the beach, or at least I thought…

Texas (Aug 13^th-Aug 17^th)

Visiting my brother and his girls

*Beat the heat by staying inside air conditioned rooms* Turns out my flights got delayed again, so I ended up spending one more night in Boston before waking up bright and early to catch my flight to San Antonio. While in Texas, I spent most of my time with my nieces and their mother’s family. This was my first time meeting my youngest niece, Alita, which was very exciting. After taking her to a dentist appointment the first day I arrived, my two nieces, their mother, their uncle, their grandmother, and I all went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Later that night, I got the chance to hang out with my brother and catch up a bit. A lot of time here was spent watching TV and playing with the girls’, while also running a few errands here and there. One day my brother took me and his other daughter Davina to the McNay Museum. It had some beautiful art with big names like Picasso and Warhol.

California (Aug 17^th– Aug 30^th)

Going home and visiting friends

*If you get sick, take a break. It may seem obvious, but if you have things to do, then you tend to not always follow the rules :P* I managed to avoid any delays on the flight to Los Angeles and landed bright and early for Ellie to pick me up. She took me to get tamales and then we walked around and did some shopping before we headed up to La Cañada. After that I met up with my friends Sam and Travis for a while before calling it a night and crashing at about 8:30/9. Most of my time here has consisted of meeting up with high school friends and work friends that I haven’t seen or talked with in a while. As much fun as I’ve had, I’ve also gotten a little sick. Catching up with everyone is fun and ideal, but I have to get better at not spreading myself too thin. Doing too much over the course of a short time can catch up to you and for me, that meant catching a virus. I guess some lessons you just have to learn more than once :P. Apart from that, I’ve also begun to pull things together for my trip to Costa Rica where I plan on getting certified to teach English as a foreign language. My last night here was spent watching the Clemson football game against Georgia Tech with some good friends and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

1se-my-timeline-20190829-214910-1 Watch my 1 Second Everyday Video for August!

Thanks for reading! Next time I post, I will officially be in Costa Rica :0. It’s kinda crazy, but exciting. See you then!

An Introduction

Hello! My name is Sophia and I’m a 22 year old from the small town of La Cañada in southern California, USA. I recently graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Language (Spanish) and International Health.

I have always loved to travel, whether it be visiting my family in Tennessee for Christmas or going on a cross country road trip with one of my close friends. Even before I started college, I knew that I wanted to study abroad and fortunately, my dream came true during my third year. In Spring of 2018 I participated in a program through my school that placed me in the Andalusian city of Seville. I learned so much about the unique culture of southern Spain and had the opportunity to travel to several surrounding countries.

After five months abroad in Europe, I returned to the United States and was content until I came across a program known as GIVE volunteers. I signed up and flew out to South East Asia during the summer of 2019. While there, I helped teach English and promote sustainable agriculture by working on permaculture plots. After learning about the culture and connecting with the people I met in Thailand and Laos, my eagerness to travel grew even more.

A little less than two months after I returned to the United States, I already started planning my next trip which would be to Latin America. With that in mind, I decided to start a travel blog. Everyone is unique and people blog for many different reasons. Here are my reasons:

I have family and friends all around the world who are always curious about what I am doing. A blog gives them the opportunity to follow my life even when we can’t keep in contact.
I love to travel and would love a way to document my travels so that I can look back at the many memories I gain.
After my parents passed away, I realized that there were many things I did not know about them. Even if I don’t have children, I still have younger cousins and nieces who might be curious as to what my life was like when I was their age.

I’m sure as I continue to blog, the reasons behind why I do so will begin to multiply, but for now I am satisfied with my answer. I hope you enjoy keeping up with my life and if you want to get in touch, you can either do so through this site or through any other form of media I may know you through. ❤