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 …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Sophia's Bella Vita 