It was amazing to see how passionate everyone at the Cheetah Conservation Fund was about their collective efforts to save the cheetahs. One moment where their passion stood out to me was in the food preparation room with Kate Vannelli, where we organized and cut up donkey meat to feed to the cheetahs. It was a very unique and interesting task, but it reeked and was very time consuming. However, in the middle of the meat-chopping process, Kate held up her bloody hands and told us, "I have the best job in the world." Her smile and the tone of her voice let us know that she really meant it.
It was amazing to see how passionate everyone at the Cheetah Conservation Fund was about their collective efforts to save the cheetahs. One moment where their passion stood out to me was in the food preparation room with Kate Vannelli, where we organized and cut up donkey meat to feed to the cheetahs. It was a very unique and interesting task, but it reeked and was very time consuming. However, in the middle of the meat-chopping process, Kate held up her bloody hands and told us, "I have the best job in the world." Her smile and the tone of her voice let us know that she really meant it.
“The Wifi won’t work”, “My water is warm”, “I’m sweating a lot right now”. These expressions used to show discomfort wouldn’t even run through the head of one of the Quinchos. As we rode away from the kids today, I looked through the back window of our bus to see all of the children waving a sad goodbye as we left them for the final time. Today’s beach trip was a highlight of the trip if not the best part altogether. While we dove into waves with the children riding on our backs, and as the children hunted for shells in the sand, it became clear that our trip was about to come to a close. During our weeklong trip, there were ups and downs, and along with these came some complaints and inversely lots of happy moments. As we left the beach today, we came to the realization that our complaints were not even comparable to the discomforts that the Quinchos have felt in their lives. This past week has definitely been a life changing expirience. I didnt realize how strong of a connection I made with the kids until we finally left the beach. Once saying goodbye I found myself in tears. However, those tears were connected to the fun soccer games, laughs, and jokes made and shared during the week. It was both an empowering but yet humbling expirience. I definitely would want to comeback to los Quinchos again and also just to explore Nicaragua and Central America becuase it has so much to offer. I know that the next time I read a newspaper article or hear a news report involving human rights, I will now see it in a different light. This trip helped me to realize that everybody is human and therefore connected in someway. When you become vulnerable and open yourself up to others, you can create a bond with someone who may be completely different than you. This is the most important thing I’ve learned during this trip.
EJ and Nicky
The students have been able to observe a large variety of animal, bird, and plant species in the wild. By spending time both during the day and camping out overnight, they have also observed many different elements of their lives.
The students have been able to observe a large variety of animal, bird, and plant species in the wild. By spending time both during the day and camping out overnight, they have also observed many different elements of their lives.
Under the guidance of the research and conservation scientists at CCF, the students were able to gather real time data in the field. They will spend time analyzing the data and formatting their findings for presentation during the final week of the course back in the classroom at Collegiate.
Under the guidance of the research and conservation scientists at CCF, the students were able to gather real time data in the field. They will spend time analyzing the data and formatting their findings for presentation during the final week of the course back in the classroom at Collegiate.
Understanding the conservation of the Cheetahs and the survival of the biodiversity of the area, depends on understanding what and how the Cheetahs eat. Our students gathered first hand experience with this during their work at CCF.
