A Lifelong Thirst for the Green

I grew up in Colombia, the doorway to South America,  a country blessed by coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and gifted with an unbelievably diverse range of habitats. I remember being in third grade Social Studies class and half-listening to the teacher's speech about our desert to the north, our very different beaches, the Pacific, rimmed by rainforest and the Atlantic, idyllic and punctuated by sun kissed white sand. Then she talked about our mountain ranges, three rugged daughters of the Andes and how they enter our country, dotted with volcanoes and snow here and there, and among which our main cities are nestled. Then she mentioned, casually, how almost half of our territory was split between fertile, seemingly endless plains perfect for cattle herding, that suddenly end as the dense vegetation of the Amazon takes over, and she punctuated, "less than five percent of our population lives in this wilderness"...
That was like a golden key to unlock my imagination. I started dreaming about finding the way to move there, to learn about the macaws, the jaguars, the monkeys, the flowers, all the magnificent creatures I read about and all the others the books hinted at, many of which, especially fish and insects, had not even been seen or classified by scientists. A magical being started visiting my dreams. She introduced herself as Penelope, the spirit of simplicity, and promised to guide me as I learned more and more about this place that tantalized my heart. I remember how everything I had to do at school I tried to channel into a project that would allow me to learn more about the Amazon.
I wished with every fiber of my being to find a way to actually see the wilderness. I dreamed about finding a life project that would allow me to combine my passion and make a living. I had no idea about the tortuous path that it would turn out to be. How by following my heart, I would in fact, find my way to the Emerald Forest, where I would leave a piece of my heart and in return, I would keep memories that became intrinsic to who I am. I dreamed about flying high, but I did not know this desire would bring me so far away, thousands of miles away, and now back, twenty-two years later, an eager explorer hoping to share the stories of the changes I will witness and feed the urgency of my message: we need to learn more about the Emerald Rainforest and fall in love with it, so that together, we can save it.

with love,
Lina Cuartas, Jungleeyes.