National Coming Out Day

Today is National Coming Out Day.
I am straight, and although I think coming out day should be EVERY day, I think that this is a way for people to feel more sense of community and raise awareness, and I fully support that.

My brother is gay. More importantly, my brother is a great person, a role model, one of the smartest people I know, and a valuable friend and mentor. He is my big brother and I am happy to see him in a committed and loving relationship that makes him happy, regardless of whether the other person is male or female.

To all of my friends and family- gay, straight, or bi, I wish you nothing but the best in life and love, because everyone deserves to have someone they love to live out the rest of their life with.

No one should ever have to feel ashamed of their love- it is our purest emotion and one of the things that unites us as humans. So go out and love someone today. And if you need some help deciding on where to start, how about loving yourself?

Back to School

I've said goodbye to the long hot days of summer, patrolling the interactive salt marsh for signs of spider-crab abuse, and explaining AGAIN and AGAIN that no, the horseshoe crab will not stab, sting, bite, pinch or otherwise harm you with his tail or any other body parts. As much as I love my job at the aquarium, I was beginning to feel burnt out because of how rushed and jam-packed my summer had been, so I am eager to return next summer with a fresh outlook.

So now, as my second week of junior year (yikes!) is wrapping up, I finally feel like I'm starting to settle back into the rhythms of collegiate life. I'm all settled into my new apartment (sorry to all of the Toscanini friends I abandoned, but I really like living in West!), and I've only eaten campus food twice (and those two times were because I went out with people to get food)!

This year is going to be a lot different in a lot of ways, but I'm excited for the changes! I am one of those people who gets bored by routine (which is probably why running/exercising never really worked for me), and I am really excited because all of these changes will help me work towards my independence and my career in veterinary medicine.

The hardest part about the change will be seeing less of people who I am used to seeing almost every day, and budgeting my time so that I do get to spend time with everyone! Does anyone else ever feel like they're spread too thin socially? I'm not saying I think I'm super popular by any means, but I find myself revolving around a few core groups of friends, with some overlapping events, but otherwise all existing in separate spheres.

Sometimes, I feel like more than one person. It's not that I'm fake, or putting on a front when I hang out with different people, but different facets of my personality become stronger or subtler, depending on who I'm hanging out with. I truly enjoy all of the things I do with my free time- from riding my horse, to going to social events, to watching Doctor Who, playing boardgames, or even just roaming around campus and being spontaneous- but I find that I fall into a pattern as to what friend group I do each of those things with. I guess everyone does this to some extent, but sometimes I feel like I don't have the ability to give each friend the attention, time, and friendship that everyone deserves. It's no wonder I don't have a boyfriend right now- I can barely juggle all of the friends and acquaintances that are already in my life!

So if you ARE reading this, and you ARE one of my friends, I'll say it right now- I'm sorry if we don't hang out as much as you'd like, I truly WANT to spend time with everyone, but there are only so many hours in the day, and I do have classes and homework and responsibilities to attend to. There's a reason I named this blog "Far Too Much."

So in that spirit, I'm just letting life take me where it will (which, as of right now, seems to point at Ecuador, Honduras, Ghana, and possibly Costa Rica again in the upcoming year). I just found out that my school offers some anthropology credits in Costa Rica over the winter, and so that might be my plan for the winter of senior year, because I'd love to learn some more about the CULTURE of Costa Rica, being that most of my current knowledge is about its ecological diversity.

If you'd like to learn more about my work in Honduras (and now Ghana), or even donate- every dollar helps!, please visit my fundraising pages:
Honduras
Ghana

You are welcome to make a donation on my behalf (to help with my personal program fee/expenses/fundraising goal) OR a general donation to the entire group, which would help cover medical supplies and other materials needed for the brigades. If you can't or don't want to donate at this time, please consider a random act of kindness just because giving feels so good!

"Summer blows away...

And quietly gets swallowed by a wave..."
-The Decemberists

For whatever reason, the Decemberists always remind me of winter. Maybe it's because I first discovered that I liked them during the winter; maybe it's the fact that they're called the "DECEMBERists," but their songs always make me think of brisk fall days and cold, rainy, rocky beaches with pounding waves.

That's not to say that I don't listen to them in the summer (quite the contrary- I find them to be great "cooldown" music if I've been out in the sun too long!), but I just find it interesting that even in songs that have no mention of seasons or weather, I always imagine a chilly northern town, and there are often clouds in the sky.

This, along with their generally melancholy lyrics, has caused me to feel really sad/wistful/nostalgic lately when I hear them, because they remind me that summer is almost over and it will soon be time to trade my aquarium-issued polo, khaki shorts, and tevas for scarves, hoodies, and cozy flannel shirts. I used to think that I was a "seasons" kind of person- enjoying the different weathers for their unique qualities, but I learned this past summer that I am much better adapted for warm-weather living than cold. I used to be the type that was always arguing with my mom about the temperature in the house- she being invariably cold, and wanting to turn off the A/C or at least turn up the temperature. But now, being in air conditioning makes me shiver, and I spent all day at work today with a long-sleeved shirt under my sleeveless polo, and long khaki pants in lieu of my usual shorts.

It makes me thankful that I had the wonderful foresight to book myself another 3-week neotropical excursion this winter, and I'm pretty sure I will only make it through the winter by clinging to this idea. Hopefully I'm wrong, and my body will re-adapt to the fierce winds and freezing temperatures of my college campus, but I think I'll be bringing along lots of scarves and hoodies to school, just in case.

I guess this post doesn't have much of a point, except to express my sadness at summer's passing. I'm excited for the new semester and the opportunities it will bring, but after experiencing such a magical summer, it's difficult to let go and let the wave swallow me, as well. For now, I'll be clinging to those rocky shores of summer until I have no choice but to surrender my grip and let the winter take me where it will.

Pico the Japanese Macaque (aka Snow Monkey), who is looking forward to winter much more than I am!

Horse-Crazy? Or Just Crazy...

Today I had the day off from work. Rather, I specifically requested to have the day off. The reason? There was a horse show, and after so much traveling I am cramming to get back in shape in time for the Hampton Classic at the end of the month! Sounds reasonable right? Well, let me tell you how my day went.

First, after a not-so-great-night's sleep (dog barking at 2AM), I woke up a full hour earlier than I have to for work. 6:00AM isn't TOO bad on a normal night's sleep, but this was a bit much. Then, I left my house a full hour and a half before I have to for work, and proceeded to spend all day (all hot, humid, sticky day) walking around outside in long pants, leather boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and a wool coat. As if that weren't ENOUGH to make this sound crazy, add the fact that in the afternoon when I was showing, it started raining. Oh, and food? Who has TIME for food at a horse show? I went all day on just my early morning oatmeal, a cup of fruit salad, and half of a granola bar (the other half went to the real star of the day, Hero!). Add in the fact that I got home a full hour later than I would from work, and then factor in the idea that I was spending money rather than making it, and this whole picture could seem a little puzzling to a non-horse person.

But you know what? I loved EVERY minute of it. Hero was, like I said, the true shining star of the day, living up to his name by faithfully carrying me around even though it was only my 4th time riding since I got back! And that's what it's all about to me- the bond I share with this absolutely remarkable animal.

When I got home, hungry and tired from a long day, I whipped up some fresh-picked tomato and basil pasta. The tomatoes were amongst the sweetest, ripest tomatoes I've ever had, and all-in-all, it was the perfect way to end the day (plus, it was quick and easy to make!). Since my recent transition to weekday veganism (to help with my self control, I allow myself to indulge on egg and dairy products on weekends), I've had to be even more creative and selective about what I eat than usual, but tonight's meal was a nice throwback to old times- a meal I've been enjoying since I was old enough to chew solid food! I will admit, I didn't have the appreciation for tomatoes then that I do now, but even so, this dish is a better comfort food to me than the traditional mac-n-cheese or other fatty greasy dishes (it's a good thing since that I don't eat cheese, usually).

So although my day today was unconventional to say the least, and would not even fall on the radar for most people's definitions of a "good day," I can express nothing but gratitude and contentment at the way things have turned out, today and also just in my life in general!

Whirlwind Summer

Wow, I can't believe it's August already! With all of my traveling, my summer has absolutely flown by, and now that I'm working 4 days a week, it certainly isn't slowing down any.
Costa Rica was an absolutely magical experience for me- I had so many amazing experiences there I can't even think of how to sum it up here. Luckily, I kept a journal, so in the future I will probably post some excerpts from that.

Part of our trip included a day tour at Fundacion Santuario Silvestre de Osa, a wonderful little wildlife sanctuary that has had tremendous success in the rehabilitation and release of animals such as scarlet macaws, several species of monkey, and even top predators like ocelots. The owner, Carol, is an inspiration, and was a very lovely woman to talk to. To learn more, visit their website here.

It's weird to think that less than a month ago, I was living with virtually no internet, absolutely no cell phone, and allowing my sleep patterns to follow those of the primates we were studying- early to bed and early to rise! It's really quite astonishing, how quickly we can assimilate back into both the perks and the drawbacks of this modern life.

The rest of my summer entails working long hours and trying to find a balance between the easy rhythm of tropical rainforest life and the hustle and bustle of suburbia. I'll be sure to post my progress here, although I can't guarantee any degree of regularity with posts- sometimes I just get sick of the internet and need a break.

A Journey of A Thousand Miles...

Begins with a plane ride to Honduras!

Last week was the beginning of what I like to call "my year of super adventures," as I made my way to Honduras with a group of 39 students and 2 doctors to try and make a difference in the lives of rural villagers who have no regular access to healthcare.

The organization that we worked through is called Global Brigades, and their claim to fame is the fact that all of the brigades are entirely student-run. We paid a set program fee to Global Brigades which covered our lodging, food, transportation, and helped to buy medications/pay doctors, but we were responsible for gathering medications, contacting doctors, and otherwise setting up our clinic.

On the day of our arrival, and our first full day in Honudras, we spent a majority of our time getting accustomed to our surroundings and sorting through the medications and donations we had received. We learned that our brigade leader, Quique (who also happens to be a cofounder of the organization as a whole), was actual an orphan as a child, growing up through the very system of orphanages with which Global Brigades is associated (La Sociedad Amigos de los Ninos).

We visited the orphanage that was located on our compound, and it was a truly uplifting and inspiring experience. Whereas I went in expecting some sort of Annie-like scenario, with forlorn children mourning the absence of fun in their lives, I was met with a group of eager, excited, playful, and overall HAPPY looking children. Although their living conditions would fail to pass the standards of most American couch-potatoes that I know, these kids did not want for anything in terms of food, shelter, care, or love, and they seemed to have a perfectly good time running around outside with one another.

After the orphanage, we enjoyed some of the freshest, ripest mangoes I've ever tasted- by hiking to a mango grove and eating them directly off of the trees! It was a really magical way to connect with nature, and I'm convinced that besides the obvious impact of the freshness, the flavor of the mangoes was influenced by the entire experience of picking and eating them ourselves.

The next 3 days were the days that everyone was looking forward to- the medical brigade! We made our 2-hour commute every morning to the rural village of Santa Maria, and split our ranks up into several stations- triage, consultations, dental, pap smears, and pharmacy. My favorite station was the pharmacy because it was where I felt most helpful- running around filling patients' prescriptions and matching ages and genders with the various clothing/toy donations we were giving out. It was fast paced and exciting work, and the days really flew by. During breaks, we played with the local children, blowing up balloons and playing catch with a little football that someone had brought.

Over three days, we saw and treated a total of 1164 patients- a number that all of us were immensely proud of. As true as it may be that putting in effort to help just one or two people is always worth it, just the idea that a group of 41 people from different backgrounds could come together to help such an astonishing volume of people still amazes me when I think about it now.

It was a bittersweet journey home, leaning more towards the bitter, at least in my opinion. To me, it felt like I had just gotten warmed up into the ways of helping out. I have decided to return to Honduras next year during my spring break as a part of the Global Medical Brigade, with many of the people that I met this year. And between now and then, I hope to seek out other opportunities to help improve the lives of others.

More Food!

This time, it's dinner!

What is it about being at home that makes me want to cook so much? Maybe it's my way of thanking my parents for everything they do for me... or maybe it's a convenient way to avoid doing other things, like unpacking my dorm stuff, or packing for my summer adventures.

Regardless, I seem to have been bitten by the cooking bug as of late, so today I decided to create a recipe for vegetarian dumplings to use up the wonton wraps I bought the other day. After skimming the internet, and not really finding anything that jumped out at me, I decided to just wing it, as is my usual style (especially when it comes to dinner- I'm more cautious with baking because that's a more scientific venture).

First, I marinated some chopped up extra-firm tofu in a concocted solution of teryaki sauce, orange juice, rice vinegar, and some pepper. While that was soaking, I chopped up some carrots, red pepper, and spinach, and my dad was kind enough to start up a pan with some sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Eventually, all of the ingredients found their way to that pan, and I let them simmer for a while to soak up all of the flavors. I threw in some corn starch to thicken everything up, and then I got to work wrapping up the dumplings.


My dad helped (thankfully!), and although it was rough at first, eventually we came up with a folding system that worked efficiently.

After a short time in the oven, dinner was served. The rest of my family was having steak (yuck!) but I was more than happy to munch on my little creations with some Trader Joe's Gyoza dipping sauce. The result earned a seal of approval from both my mom and my tofu-hating dad, so I'd consider that a success.



Next time, I'd probably brush the shells with a little oil before baking because the edges got a little dried out, but baking was definitely a viable method, as the result was crispy without all of the grease associated with frying. I'm also interested in experimenting with other fillings, but I have yet to go wrong with the tangy orange-soy combination that I use in almost all of my Asian dishes.

I'd also consider cooking the tofu before I make the filling to firm it up a little better (for a vegetarian of 2+ years, I'm pretty inexperienced with cooking tofu because I love veggies so much, I haven't found the need to add much tofu to my diet).

I'm hoping that I can keep up the motivation to cook throughout the summer (when possible), and into the fall semester, when I'll have an on-campus apartment with a kitchen. Hopefully I'll be able to add a Latin-American flare to my cooking with some Honduran and Costa-Rican inspired flavors after my upcoming trips.

In other news, I got an email from the coordinator for my Ecuador/Galapagos Islands trip in Winter 2012, confirming my enrollment, and I got really excited! Hopefully I'll find the time to finish the two books on the top of my list right now- The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin. That's what summer is supposed to be about, right? Relaxing and catching up on stuff you put off during the year? The only problem is that my schedule seems to get even BUSIER during the summer months! There's just never enough time for anything!

Healthy Blondies?

After a whirlwind weekend of visiting friends, finishing up finals, and moving out of my dorm room, when I finally got home this afternoon, I needed to do something to relax. Since I really enjoy cooking/baking, I thought it would be nice to make something for my parents to come home to (and for me to enjoy, as well!), so I decided on an intriguing recipe I read about online recently:

Chocolate Chip Blondies

As a part of CCK's "Hug A Vegan Dessert" Extravaganza

Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I have difficulty following recipes exactly, partially because I rarely have all of the proper ingredients, and partially because I like to experiment. In these, I didn't have any chick peas, so I used cannelini beans instead, and I subbed out the brown sugar with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup of oatmeal. I also replaced the 1/4 cup flax with oatmeal because I didn't have any flax on hand either.

I was hesitant to taste the batter, as I had just watched myself mash up a can of beans into a bowl of peanut butter, sugar, and various other dessert ingredients, and was a little weirded-out by the whole process. So when a smudge got on my finger, I took it as a sign and quickly licked it off, trying to pretend it was normal batter. I soon found out that the pretending was unnecessary, because they tasted absolutely delicious! Excited to try the finished product, I quickly spooned the mix into a mini muffin pan, and threw them in the oven to bake.

My mom came home before they were done, and since I had told her about the recipe previously, I decided not to hide the true nature of the blondies from her (plus, my mom doesn't much care for dessert, so telling her they were healthy would make it MORE likely for her to try some).

The finished product.

After they had cooled, we popped two out of the pan and dug in. I, having already approved the batter, had no trepidations and finished mine rather quickly, but my mom was a little hesitant. "I'm a little scared to eat this," she said, "knowing what it's made of." After seeing how quickly I had eaten mine, she got over her fear pretty quickly, and with just one bite she was in love, and we began brainstorming the flavor possibilities.

So my life lesson of the day is to be adventurous and push the boundaries of society, because who knows, you may just find something you really like. As for me, I plan on trying to sneak healthy things into my desserts more often, and to unleash my trickery onto unsuspecting friends and family members, starting tonight with my dad and a mini-muffin blondie.

A close-up texture shot:

Who would know that this wasn't a normal dessert?

Things Work Out

This past weekend, I took my horse, Hero, to a horse show. It wasn't an especially fancy show, but it was one of slightly higher caliber than the usual horse shows we go to, and so I knew I had to do everything absolutely perfectly if I wanted to win (which is, of course, the goal of all athletic competitions)!

Although I made a bunch of silly mistakes in my first classes of the day, by the end, I was on top of my game and put in some really nice trips. For those of you who don't know about hunter divisions at horse shows, the basic idea is that you have to do ~8 jumps in a specific order (called a "course" or "trip") and you are judged on style, with the focus being the horse's form as he clears the obstacles. It's kind of like figure skating or gymnastics in that there are little nuanced things that outsiders might not catch, but could mean the difference between winning and not placing at all.

So I was super excited when I laid down what I, and my trainer, believed to be some really nice courses at the end of my day. I watched the other riders with baited breath, tallying their errors in my head and decided whether theirs summed up to be better or worse than my own. I was sure that I had a chance of winning at least one, if not several, of my classes, and had my eye on the much-coveted "champion" title for the division.

And then the results came in.
The first class: 6th place. I swallowed my disappointment, assuring myself that this was my worst course, and that surely I would win the other two classes.
Second class: 2nd place. There we go, that's what I was aiming for. Now surely I could win the 3rd class!
Third class: 3rd place. My heart sank a little as I realized that I wasn't going to get my champion ribbon, and would have to work that much harder to qualify for the year-end finals.

When I talked to my trainer about what I could've done differently to get a better result, she didn't really know what to tell me. My trips had been good- but so were all of the others. This has been one of the toughest lessons that horseback riding has taught me- sometimes you do your best, and it's really good, but someone else's best is just a little better that day.

Part of it comes down to the nature of horse showing. My horse did not come with a six-figure price tag like some of the horses I was showing against, which, although not an inherent, advantage based on price, indicates that my horse is not as "fancy" or "desirable" as the others. I wouldn't trade him for the world, but horse shows rarely care about the adorable personality traits that make me love my horse. In addition, the judging is extremely subjective and with a different person judging the same classes, it's likely that the placings would have looked at least moderately different from what they were.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat here. I am thankful for the opportunities I have to ride and show, and I am more than satisfied with my own performance as well as that of my horse. It's just human nature to want that verification that I did something good, that knowledge that someone else recognizes my achievements.

So we packed up and left the show, and while I was far from being upset, I wasn't as jubilant as I had anticipated that morning when I first arrived. I decided that next time, there wouldn't even be any little mistakes for the judge to hold against me, and started to think about ways I could improve myself and my horse.

Then, on Monday, my trainer called me. She had been checking results from the show online, and discovered that I had won the Marshall and Sterling Hunter Classic, a special class whose results had not yet been announced when we left the show.

So next time things don't seem to be going as planned, I will remind myself of this past weekend. Even if things don't always end up with this kind of redemption, knowing that they have in the past will encourage me to keep trying for the future. And that's what life is all about.

Far Too Much?

Oh, look at that. Aren't I clever? I used the name of my blog as the title to one of my posts because the subject matter is directly related to the reason behind the blog's name!

Anyway, I digress....

Once upon a time, I took one of those Meyers-Briggs Personality Profile tests. I don't remember my exact profile, but it told me that I am a super-enthusiastic person who gets really excited by new things and often abandons old interests when they get too dull.

This is fairly accurate, but sometimes I wonder if I don't do enough of the "letting go" part. I tend to be more of the type that just accumulates new interests and hobbies and extracurriculars all of the time, but I never give up old things to fit them in. Instead, I move my schedule around until I figure something out that sort of works, and end up exhausting myself in the process.

I had my orchestra concert last night, and my mom commented that I looked tired. I was quick to respond with "I'm not tired, I actually got a decent night's sleep last night!" and then jumped to a new topic of conversation.

Upon further reflection, I realized that my mom might be right. Although I haven't been physically tired lately, I think my 20-credit schedule and the enormity of my plans for the upcoming summer and school year are enough to make me feel exhausted just from thinking about how jam-packed my life is going to be.

Some might see this as a bad thing, and who knows, maybe one day it will catch up to me and I won't be able to deal with it anymore, but for right now, it's the way I like it. I've always been the type that needs to fill my time with activities in order to be productive at all, because if I have free time I'm apt to waste it. Spending half of my summer abroad will force me to avoid succumbing to the laziness of summer vacation for the second half, because there are other responsibilities I have to fulfill before the school year begins.

So I guess what I'm saying is, maybe being tired isn't such a bad thing. Tired, to me, means that I've accomplished something whether it's playing a game with friends or writing that term paper I've been putting off. As long as I remain asymptomatic of stress-related syndromes, I am going to keep on pushing the boundaries of time itself so that I can fit in all of the things that I want to do in a day, week, month, year, or lifetime.

End of Week Hijinks (long post- sorry!)

Thursday evening, I had the pleasure of forgoing my schoolwork and other responsibilities to take some much-needed "me" time by going to the city with a few friends. We ate at Republic in Union Square (the Thai Noodle Salad was delicious), and then headed down to the Bowery Ballroom for what turned out to be a fantastic concert!

The opening act was Pretty & Nice, and although they weren't my favorite (partially because of a way-too-loud bass guitar), they had a great energy and played a fun set.

The first headliner was Wakey!Wakey!, a piano-based band whose music I had little experience with, but ended up really enjoying! The lead singer/pianist, Mike Grubbs, had a really great stage presence and captivated the audience with little anecdotes between songs. You could tell he just loved being on stage with his keyboard, and his happy-go-lucky demeanor was extremely contagious. He calmly laughed off his (alcohol-induced?) error in the lyrics of one song, and really just put on a fun show for all! Oh, and did I mention that their band also features an electric violin? That was a definite highlight of their set.

The final band, which is the one that we came specifically to see, was Jukebox The Ghost. I first head of this Washington D.C.- based piano-pop trio from a friend this past winter, and I fell in love with their songs. Even on their recorded albums, they have this infectious energy, and hearing just a few notes of any of their piano lines is enough to make me smile. Thus, I was extremely excited to see them live, and let me tell, you- they did not disappoint. Everyone in the audience seemed to know all of the lyrics, and the dance-party that ensued was somewhat magical. Most of the songs they played were from their two released albums, but they also threw in two new songs (a real treat!) from their upcoming album (scheduled for recording this summer). Following their self-described "terrible habit of singing terrible covers," they also sang Hewey Lewis and the News' "The Power of Love." All-too-soon, the concert was over, and it was time to march back across the city on aching feet and legs.

We caught the 1:16AM train from Penn, and when my head finally hit my pillow at 4:15AM, the adrenaline was still rushing through my veins. It's a good thing, too, because the energy from that evening was enough to power me up at 8:00AM, when I awoke to make the final preparations on the Stony Brook Equestrian Team's boat for the annual Roth Pond Regatta. If you've never heard of it (which is likely if you don't know anyone who went to Stony Brook University between 1986 and now), it is an annual boat race across a 200-yard pond in one of the residence quads. The catch? All of the boats must be homemade out of cardboard, duct tape, rope, and paint, and nothing else.

It's a favorite springtime tradition here at Stony, partially because it is one of the few events on a campus of tens of thousands of students that is able to give us a sense of community. This year's theme was superheroes and supervillains, so naturally, the Equestrian Team decided to make Aquaman on his trusty Seahorse, Admiral. Standing at more than 8 feet tall, we weren't expecting much in the speed department, striving instead for a chance at the must coveted "Best in Show" award against the defending champs- the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), who won last year with their giant Wall-E boat.

Ready to load!

Although we had some mishaps as far as boarding our boat went (in other words, I ended up swimming across the pond while pulling the boat behind me), we ended up second-best in show to the Toscanini Hall Council, whose Spiderman design was definitely deserving of the title.

During the race (I'm the one in the red life jacket in the water)

SHPE's boat this year was a batmobile that actually ejected a bat-motorcycle-boat halfway through the race, like in the current franchise. They were the winners of the "Kick it in the Back Seat" Award, a Rebecca Black-inspired award whose credentials I am unsure of. All in all, it was a fun day, and next year, I'm hoping that we can clinch the title of Best In Show (and maybe even win a race!).

Giving Back, But Also Giving To Yourself

At the end of May, I will be embarking on a very special trip to Honduras as a part of a student-led group called the Stony Brook Global Medical Brigade. Approximately 40 of us dedicated students will travel down, with a carry-on of our own clothing, and a full-sized suitcase of donated medicines, toys, clothing, and other items.

Once there, we will arrive at a compound for training in providing basic medical care, as well as administrative duties so that on the 3rd day, we can be shipped to a rural mountain village to set up a free medical clinic for people who have no other access to things that we in America take for granted.

As a group, we have raised over $57,000 to cover airfare and the expenses of medications and doctors, a remarkable achievement, for a mixed group of college students.

Some people (not many) have asked me, "Why are you going on this trip when you're not even Pre-Med?"

I find this question to be very misdirected. Yes, one consideration when doing charity work should always be what benefits you yourself get out of it, but just because I don't want to be a doctor, it does not mean that I can't benefit from this experience.

For one thing, humans are really just big apes, and if I want to learn how to be a veterinarian for wild animals, at least some of the skills will cross over. And secondly, I am hoping to get something other than an activity to mark down on my résumé out of this. I want to see the world, and experience a culture and lifestyle that is about as far-removed from my own cushy middle-class life as possible. I want to push my boundaries, and to feel a little uncomfortable in a land where I don't really speak the language. And most of all, I want to prove to myself that through all of this, I can still form a connection with people, and that goodwill transcends the language and culture barriers that human civilizations set up.

Maybe I'm just being cliché, but I really do believe that helping others is one of the healthiest things you can do for your own mental and spiritual well-being. I know that this will be a life-changing experience for me, because it is my full intention to make it a life-changing experience for me. Too many people these days want to sit in the back seat and just coast along, waiting for big events to happen and change them, but that isn't how it works. I want to be the driving force of change in my own life, and if it means needing to get several series of vaccinations and malaria pills, then so be it.

Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." What he forgot to mention was that you also have to be the change you wish to see in yourself.

If you're interested in helping out in our last push for fundraising efforts, or just learning more about the brigade, please visit Our Fundraising Page. I have already surpassed my individual goal, so donate to the brigade in general, rather than on behalf of me in particular. I will be sure to post after the trip, so that you can see the good that everyone's money has facilitated!

Introduction

Hi all!
If you're reading this, chances are you know me because I can't imagine many people will have found this on their own!
I made this blog to chronicle my adventures as I complete my undergraduate and graduate education on my path to becoming a conservation veterinarian!

The title of this blog was inspired by "The Circle of Life" lyric, "There's far too much to take in here/more to find than can ever be found." The Lion King is one of the first movies I remember seeing, and I am sure that it has influenced who I am today, as far as my enthusiasm for nature and animals goes. I think this line really captures the excitement I feel about the world- I am always looking for new ideas and activities to pursue! Don't get me wrong, I am very happy and grateful for everything I do have, but I have this unquenchable thirst for more (not so much in a material sense, although I do admit to enjoying a good shopping trip on occasion).

Amongst my favorite things are music (I'm always open to new bands!), animals/nature, horses/horseback riding, photography, reading (I don't have nearly as much time for this as I'd like), traveling, and cooking. Expect to hear about all (or most) of these things in future posts, depending on what my mood is for the day that I am posting.

The current background is a shot that I took of an egret at Sunken Meadow State Park, peeking through the marsh grasses. Sunken Meadow is one of my favorite locations for walking, napping in the sand, photographing wildlife, and even jogging if my motivation happens to reach that level, and I feel a deep connection with the environment there because I attended summer camp there for several years of my childhood.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I don't bore any of you too much!