Blog Post Ten: Bellavista Cloud Forest


Giant Worm. 
My favorite part of Bellavista was all of the wildlife. I was starting to feel cramped in the city so it was relieving to get out into nature. I wish we could have seen more animals, but the hummingbirds, frogs, and insects were very interesting in their own right. My favorite find of the day was when I spotted the Giant Worm. As we were about to turn a corner I saw movement in my peripherals and spotted it. To go along with the animals, the plant life was spectacular too. There were so many beautiful flowers and towering trees within the forest. Many of the plants had a glisten to them that made them appear plastic and an exoskeleton that looked very similar to an armadillo. The smell, sights, and sounds were familiar and foreign at the same time. The Cloud Forest had many characteristics that a forest back home would, but also so many unique characteristics too.

Hummingbird. 
My biggest challenge I encountered in the Cloud Forest was paying attention to the guides. There was so much going on around me all at once and I wanted to take it all in, which meant I wasn’t focused on the guides at times. I overcame this by making sure to perk up and listen when I heard a guide’s voice, but any other time I was focused in on my surroundings.  


My thoughts on culture and communication have changed drastically over the past week. It has certainly been an eye-opening experience. It is one thing to talk about cultures, communication, ethnocentrism, etc. in a classroom, but to truly understand it you must be immersed in it. Not only have I noticed changes in my responses to aspects of a different culture, but this experience has also made me think of instances in the past where my reaction was not what it should have been. Over this final week, I hope to continue to improve the constant battle of removing my cultural lens as well as improving my Spanish speaking and listening skills.




Flower. 

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