Medlife is a non-profit organization that has multiple chapters around the world; the College of Charleston happens to have a chapter which I am a part of. Medlife stands for medicine, education, and development for low-income families everywhere. The mission of this organization is “to build a worldwide movement empowering the poor in their fight for equal access to healthcare, education, and a safe home.” Their vision is “a world free from the constraints of poverty.” For spring break this year a group of 23 CofC Medlife members traveled to Ecuador to work in remote medical mobile clinics. This trip related to all three pillars of sustainability: environment, society, and economy.

The mobile clinics were located in rural communities, that have limited access to everything. The people living in the communities live about 30 minutes up a mountain, believe it or not, most of them did not have any form of transportation other than their own two feet. The people in these communities are living a minimalist lifestyle, and have been their entire lives. The majority of the patients that we encountered were older than 60 years old and spoke either Spanish or Quechua. The members of the communities worked in the field everyday, and had multiple animals to maintain the farm and carry heavy things from point A to point B. The villages that we visited were located in the central part of Ecuador, in a city called Riobamba. It was the first time ever seeing a doctor for many of the patients that we saw. All of the children that came to the clinics had to be taught how to brush their teeth, and were given a toothbrush with toothpaste, because they did not own any. The older patients suffered from arthritis, due to working the fields everyday. Almost all of the patients that came to the clinics suffered from intestinal parasites, due to the lack of clean water. This trip really opened my eyes, because we take having clean water for granted to drink or even brush our teeth.

On one of our days there, we participated in a project day. The project day consists of going into the communities and asking them what their community needs. Some of the projects that Medlife does in these communities are building bathrooms in schools, building a house for a patient, or creating a stairway up a steep hill. The project that were tasked with was to paint the stairway that had been completed by a previous Medlife chapter. The goal of the project is to have the community remain sustainable. Medlife offers the financial resources that have been donated, while the community offers the labor and maintenance of the community project. Although, not having much to their name, they were wealthy. One does not need to have money to be wealthy. The people of Ecuador are wealthy in other ways, they have a rich culture, and are unified as one.

After this trip to Ecuador, I feel more connected to the natural world than before my trip. I always had an interest in the beauty of nature, but the beauty of what I’ve seen in America is completely different from the beauty of Ecuador. My connection to the natural world has changed over time, after becoming open to learning more about the Earth and the impact that humans have on it. My connection also began to strengthen after I started traveling more often. Every time I travel my mind is blown by how beautiful life is and how amazing God’s creation is. It is important to be connected to the natural world, because without nature we would have nothing. Now that technology has taken over the world, people have become disconnected with not only nature, but with other people; its a shame that we are living in a world that revolves around having wifi. After visiting the villages, it really resonated the fact that people can live a happy life without having technology. If anyone ever has the opportunity to travel to Ecuador, I highly recommend it!

These are some of my favorite pictures that I took while in Ecuador…

I feel very connected to the natural world. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, there were not many opportunities for me to get out into nature. As a child I would watch Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and be completely engrossed in whatever places and animals were out in the world. Despite growing up with very little nature, I felt a deep connection, especially towards our oceans. Being without an ocean for me was difficult. I had always felt a deep connection with it, even though I was 900 miles away from it. The closest thing I could do to experience the ocean was visiting the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I would beg my parents to go to the aquarium so I could watch the dolphins and tropical salt water fish swim around. I would spend hours completely lost in the big blue tanks. I believe it was the Shedd Aquarium that truly ignited my passion for sea life and conservation.  As I grew older, my love for nature and the ocean continued to grow and I knew I wanted my life to be centered around the natural world. When I was choosing where to go to college, I knew I wanted my major to be one where I would get to experience as many of these intricate ecosystems as possible. Thus, I moved to Charleston to study Marine Biology and my life has never been the same.

For one, Charleston has so many intricate ecosystems that are just begging to be explored. I remember my first experience in Charleston like it was yesterday. My mother and I had booked a kayak tour of Shem Creek through Coastal Expeditions. During this tour we got to paddle through the salt water estuaries that make Charleston so diverse and eventually ended up in Charleston Harbor. During this tour, the guide was very knowledgeable about all of the natural processes that occur in the estuaries and the history of the salt marsh and low country. This really got me excited to be living in such a cool place. Not even a week later, I had filed a job application for a kayak tour guide through Coastal Expeditions. Since working for this company my love for nature has grown exponentially and with each tour I give my love deepens.

It is very important to be connected with nature because when you know a lot about it, you start to care for it. Before I started giving tours, I didn’t much care for birds of prey or oysters or marsh grass but as I learned more about it I saw the importance each one has in the ecosystem and started to care more. Its very special for me to take people who have never been immersed in nature like an estuary before and watching the awe that I can inspire by telling them about the pelicans, the oysters, the plough mud and other keystone species and why its all so important in maintaining the health of the area. This is my biggest driver while on a tour because if I can get people from all backgrounds to sit back and be immersed in nature, their minds are expanded and they start to care a little more for the flora and fauna that make the estuaries so unique. This in turn can make people more open to policies that protect our natural environment.

I did three hours without my phone in the middle of Folly Creek. During this time, I saw a pod of dolphins strand feeding (which they only specifically do in the low country), pelicans diving into the water to catch fish, some Eagles circling, and many many many Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Blue Herons, Tricolor herons and sandpipers walking the creek banks looking for a bite to eat. Being immersed in these ecosystems really makes you think about the connections between completely different species and how important it is to conserve these areas, not only for the creatures, but for our own well being. Nature has truly inspired my life and I cant think of anything else I would rather be doing than trying my best to preserve it.

In terms of my connection to nature, I would say that I am very connected and nature has always made me feel more in tune with myself. Nature provides us with so much including food, water, and shelter. But to me and many others, nature provides us with a special connection in which I feel so deeply connected to not only myself but more with the world. I feel like it is very important to maintain a relationship with the natural world because in today’s day and age, it is easy to never have to spend time outdoors or engage in activities involving nature. But without interaction with the natural world and putting myself in areas less connected with urban society, I would not be nearly as sane as I am with it. I have been a competitive sailor starting from the age of six, so this sport allowed me at such a young age to be used to always being out in the ocean engaged in nature. This has allowed me to build a relationship with the natural world in doing something that I love which I think it very important. Also weather it is kitesurfing or just surfing which is what I spend all my free time doing, waves and wind allow me to disconnect with everything on land and I feel like nothing matters when I am out there doing what I love. That is my favorite part about being connected to the natural world is having an escape where the chaos of life stops for a moment and I feel so in tune with just being in the moment and appreciating it. Personally, I feel like nature has that special, power to allow one to find peace within themselves and let go of irrelevant worries. My favorite remedy in the world is salt water therapy. When I am stressed, having a really bad day, or just super out of it and in need for a pick me up, I always feel so much better after getting in the ocean, even if it’s super cold water! This is something that I have always felt so at this point I can’t see myself ever living far from the ocean! Another aspect that has brought me to admire nature has been my ability to travel all over the world and see all that our beautiful world has to offer. From all over the US, to Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Italy, New Zealand, and places in South and Central America, I have been given the opportunity to experience what nature can be like all over the world and this only widens by appreciation for it. From snowy mountains to the prettiest beaches I have ever seen, nature continues to inspire me each day to get out and live my best life.

After doing the little exercise of leaving my phone and going outside to my backyard and just being still and in the moment with nature, I immediately feel more calm and in a way happy. I recognize nature’s ability to alleviate stress and calm nerves by just letting things be and taking in the little things. Nature is also very humbling in the way that it is all at the same time so beautiful but so powerful and destructive. Another philosophy that I also like to follow is when I can, not wearing shoes and just getting dirty. I know this might sound a bit strange but for some reason when I get my feet dirty and am feeling the ground either grass or sand it always makes me feel a little better.

So I would like to note how nature has changed my life and still is for the better. As I continue to travel more places and do more things I know that my connection with nature is only going to continue! I encourage everyone to do the same, unplug, outside and see how nature can better you!

Lately, I’ve been feeling more connected to the natural world than I ever have before. I really started to recognize nature and began to appreciate it last spring, and now my understanding of it is expanding due to being enrolled in two environmentally-related classes (Intro to Environmental Studies and Environmental Ethics). Prior to last spring, I only valued nature and the environment in an anthropocentric way; I viewed it as having purely aesthetic value. I wasn’t even aware that there was a term for that kind of perspective until this semester. I’ve learned in this class, as well as in Environmental Ethics, about anthropocentrism and what it means to view the world in a human-centered light. While I did appreciate nature’s beauty and how it made me feel, I now have grown to cherish that the environment has intrinsic value. There’s more to the environment than the ways in which it can be convenient and instrumental to humans. It might be important to be connected to the natural world because we collectively can act respectfully and responsibly in order to protect our environment and prevent further damage. I find it especially important to take care of our planet because human activity can result in detrimental impacts to all species. Personally, my view has shifted to a biocentrist one. Human needs are not more important than those of other living things, so we should refrain from indirectly harming the environment through our actions and practices.

Instead of simply going outside to my back patio, I chose to make a trip to the beach. I went to Sullivan’s Island this past Saturday with these guidelines in mind. I chose Sullivan’s over the other beaches in the area because it’s my favorite destination for whenever I need to clear my mind and calm down. Thinking ahead and bringing a blanket to sit on, I made it just in time for the sunset. Unsurprisingly, I ended up staying for nearly half an hour embracing my surroundings. I’ve witnessed many Charleston sunsets over my three years here, but this one was different. I focused on the various aspects of my immediate area, which included the dunes, sand, and the sound of the crashing waves in the near distance. Typically, I turn to my phone in order to capture the moment in pictures. This time though, I chose just to sit there and take in the ocean’s serenity. I realized how much more relaxing it felt to just observe instead of capturing it in a photo. Sometimes it’s better to enjoy every second of the picture in front of you, instead of looking through a phone’s camera. With the sound of the waves as a backdrop, I felt entirely enthralled by the natural area around me. As I watched the light pinks and yellows gradually mesh and fade in the sky, I took in a deep breath and exhaled. As I left Sullivan’s that night, I not only had a clearer mind but felt closer to nature than I have in months. Even though the sunset was not saved in a photograph, it’s fixed in my memory.