Beginnings

Hey everyone! My fifth week in the Galapagos is fast approaching and I have so much of what I have been doing to update all of you on. Great snorkeling trips, camping up in the highlands of Santa Cruz, a tour around a finca in the highlands of Isabela and of course encounters with the emblematic animals that everyone thinks of when they think of the Galapagos.

But more importantly, I want to show you guys a glimpse of the culture and the people of the Galapagos. The Galapagos is definitely not as isolated as I once thought. Families have lived for generations here and there is a rich sense of belonging and community here is Puerto Villamil.

I am living with a family (you will hear more about them later) in Puerto Villamil. This is only community that occupies Isla Isabela, which is the largest island within the Galapagos and it is the most recently formed with 5 volcanos. This program is called UGalapagos. The University of Miami works with a non-profit organization called the Isabela Oceanographic Institute, IOI, which works with the community of Puerto Villamil to create sustainable practices, teach English in local schools, and to bring students, through UM, to a new place where they take classes and live with host families.

Here are a couple of maps that should help with knowing exactly where the Galapagos are and where I am within them.

I am going to start from the beginning and hopefully I will catch up with as soon as I can :)