Embracing Nature

By Martin “Phoenix” Sanchez

Nature is something that we tend to take for granted. Busy with our daily lives surrounded by technology and noise we tend to forget how the natural world really is. Being 51% Rainforest, Costa Rica gave us no option but to embrace nature. On our 7th day in Costa Rica we experienced the natural beauty of the world when we visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest. As we walked through the cloud forest we could do nothing but admire and be amazed by the natural world we forgot was at our reach. Walking through so much vegetation was definitely a much needed activity as it made us notice small things such as the better quality of air and all the different types of plants that were just about everywhere. We saw many animals such as tarantulas, coatis, hummingbirds and monkeys and even though it was raining we didn't really get wet as all the vegetation above us kept us pretty dry. 

Later that day half of us were going zipline  while the rest would walk on hanging bridges through the forest. Unfortunately due to harsh weather conditions the Zip lining group could not perform their activity but the hanging bridges group was able to follow through with their plans. I was part of the bridges group and honestly it was a thrilling experience. Just crossing through the forest suspended a couple of hundred feet above ground was pretty scary but exciting.

Going to Costa Rica I really wanted to experience nature and what it had to offer as much as possible and this day out of all was the one where I felt the most connected to nature. Not only was it a great experience but to some extent it was also therapeutic and much needed for most of us as it helped us feel more human by remembering how beautiful the world is naturally.