One of the 10 essential principles of a shoulder-to-shoulder experience is “whenever possible, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with locals…because the relationships we develop and the learning that occurs through them are as important as the project itself.” This is the principle that resonates the most with me. Relationships are truly an important aspect of both our...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]After awakening from a well needed and deep sleep, we were all ready to begin our first full day in Chengdu, China. We woke for an early breakfast of traditional Chinese food: fried rice, potatoes, vegetables, and tea. We left quite early to visit the Panda Breeding Center on the other side of the...
This morning we went to Jungle Mike’s. He’s an entomologist from the US who moved to Costa Rica over 20 years ago. He showed us around his open-air butterfly farm, and taught us a lot about different bugs in the area. Many of us caught butterflies, and tried eating some termites. He told us that...