Fort Myers

Our last fieldtrip with the Colloquium class was to Fort Myers Down Town. I think it was my favorite trip after ECHO. Most of the students became friends during colloquium experience and it was much more interesting than our first trip. I found out a lot of interesting information about this great city. I live in Port Charlotte and it is far from my house, so it was my first time in the downtown area.

Fort Myers has a population of about 65,000 people.  The city is one of two major cities in the area. Established in 1886, Fort Myers is the historical and governmental hub of Lee County. It is a major tourist destination in Florida. The winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, which are both primary tourist attractions in the region, are located on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. There are many things to do in the city: variety of restaurants, bars, parks, museums and so on. The city is alive even after 10pm. Professor Coventry took us to the local theater. We even got to go backstage. It was a fascinating experience since I love drama. I am currently teaching a drama class of teenagers so I liked that part of the trip the most.  

This is my favorite place in the city. I think it is really creative. After we fished with our little tour, we all divided in groups to go some place to have coffee and discussion. Jackie, Trini and I went to this cute little British café called Matisse. We had a very good time. They are nice girls so we had a very good conversation and a very good coffee.  

They have a book for comments. We left a little message and drew some funny picture. Thanks to this class, I was able to make some good friends.

Out Golfong

This time we decided something new. My dad’s good old friend from Russia came to visit. While my dad is at work there is nothing for him to do. So instead of just going to the beach we decided to go golfing. We bought 36 holes. It was a long game. Our friend and I have never being golfing before. This fact made it just more interesting.

What I liked about it the most is that it is outside where we could get some fresh air. And also it is on the beach right next to the Punta Gorda Bridge. It has an amazing view. It first I really socked, but then I learned some hints and at the end was able to raise my score and become the second worst J

I took this last stunning picture. It looks just like a postcard. It made me think about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place and enjoy such pretty sceneries every day. Florida is beautiful. As all states it has down sides to it too. We do have a high rate of unemployment and it does get too hot in the summer, but despite the negative sides, there are more pluses. Some people pay big money just to come here ones a year. And we live here all the time!  My dad't friend took this picture with him to Russia so that he can show it to his friends and make them jealous

Marine Environment

I will be honest with you, before fieldtrip I was a little skeptic. Where can they possible take us for the marine environment? I thought we probably are just going to go the beach; it will be hot, humid and nothing new. But our professor surprised us all as usual. We went to this interesting place I never knew even existed on the Fort Myers beach. It is called Matanzas Pass Preserve. First I got to learn a lot from this lovely lady who told us about rich history of the Fort Myers. She is extremely nice. She gave us to try her own jam!!! It was delicious.

Then we went on the short board walk though the marine environment. The Matanzas Pass Preserve has the last maritime oak hammock community on Estero Island. A hammock is an elevated area surrounded by wetlands or different vegetation. This change in habitat provides for a diversity of birds and animals.

There were a lot of Mangrove trees: red, white and black. We also saw the resurrection fern.  

What I liked the most is the time when we got to just sit and enjoy the view of the lake. It is being preserved so there is not fishing allowed. We could see how fish was jumping out of the water every few minutes.  That lady said that unfortunately a lot has changed since the time she was young. The water is not as clear as it used to be. Human development since 1940 has resulted in alteration of the natural landscape. We are building so many bars and other building that people do not come to simply enjoy the sunset as they used to be. Despite that beach is amazing. If I had a chance I would come there every day for a walk. It is so calming a peaceful there.

Service-Learning Project

Report analyzing site research for University Colloquium Service learning project

Young children learn from their experiences. They use their senses to gather information about the world around them. That’s why field trips play an important role in the curriculum for young children involved in school. After visiting and evaluating the Peace River Wildlife Center, we concluded that it is perfect organization to establish partnership with. It will educate children to cherish birds and animals and how to rescue them. Youth Conservation Center will help children appreciate the Florida nature and its habitats. Guided tours are available all year long from volunteers, who not only describe the story behind each resident, but also share advice about what individuals can do to help conserve rare, threatened, and endangered species. There is no admission charge, although donations are gratefully accepted. Topics for additional consideration include transportation, volunteers, liability and lunch opportunities.

We were astonished by two American Bald Eagles. The female is 20 years old and the male is much younger. The female, whose name is BilFred was found by a woman who saw her injured at the Punta Gorda garbage dump. The male Eagle fell out of his nest, along with a sibling. The sibling died from the fall and this male survived but he was badly damaged and cannot fly anymore. It's a very sad story but at least they are cared for.

There were two kinds of Vultures here - the Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture. Two of them are actually blind. Those birds ruin your roof tiles when they walk all over it but do serve a purpose by cleaning away road kill. Both Vultures are protected under Florida law.

As you walk through, you see Seagulls, Cormorants, Sandhill Cranes, Gray Herons, Hawks, Vultures, Egrets, Night Herons and so many others. Near the end of the center path is the Pelican pool and habitat. This area is open and often has bird visitors dropping in for a swim or some free food. The white Pelican was amazingly huge and friendly.

It's a beautiful place and a great fieldtrip opportunity for kids. We would befinatly recomend it for Your Conservation Program.

Miami trip

This weekend my husband and I decided to explore our beautiful state. And since my husband never been in Miami, we chose to start there. Miami is a great city. There are s lot of things to do, especially for tourists. So many people dream to visit that city. Off course it has its poor areas with many crimes and homeless people, but majority of the city i sunny and fun. We came to the Biscane Blvd. There is a  huge mall outlets. What I liked about it the most is that most of the little shops are outside where you can walk as though you are in the museum.

Also, it is right next to the ocean and you can enjoy terrific view as you stop by for lunch. We saw there a lot of boats. And we decide to take a ture around the Miami. It was a nice trip where they told us all about this famous city and it's history.

We got to see places where famous movies took place such as SCI Miami. Also we saw rich summer houses of celebrities such as Elizabeth Tailor, Arnold Shwatznager, Julio Iglesias and so on. And this house I found was the best one, I would love to live in the house like that:

The captain even let me turn the weal for a sec

Overall, it was a nice trip. My husband and I got to bond and share memories. Miami is beautiful place to go visit. It's like a little country. What I likes the most, walking along South Beach, is that all of the people looked happy and pretty. Just like they show them in movies. Good weather and sunshine do influence people's mood and attitude. We are lucky to live in the sunshine state.

Picnic

I best friend Katie and I got married about at the same time. We spend a lot of time together as families. This week we decided to do something different and surprise our husbands. We cooked a dinner and instead of simply eating it at home, we decided to organize a picnic. When our husbands came home from work, they found a note, in which we invited them to meet us as the beach at 6 o'clock. When they came, my friend and I were waiting for them with nice dinner and vine.

We brought candles too. It was very romantic. Apparently, it is a lot more fun to eat out in the nature then as usually at home. We got to socialise, connect and enjoy nature at the same time. We met the sunset. Walked along the beach and just relaxed. That made me think how little we appreciate living here, in Florida. People pay big money to see our ocean once a year, when we can enjoy it every day. We make ourselves so busy that we barely even go to the beach any more. Weather was perfect and it was a fascinating experience. It made me realize once again that FLORIDA IS BEAUTIFUL

 

Children are flowers

When I was thinking of the place to go to rest, I thought about my baby-nieces. Someone ones said that the kids are the flowers in the garden of life. They require love, care, attention, and the right conditions in order to grow. They need to get strong and make their roots deep and firm. I love spending time with them. When you play with children, they make you forget about reality and take you to the world of imagination. With them you don’t have to be boring mature adult, you can be whoever you want to. I have two beautiful nieces. Their names are Emily and Daniella and the third one is on the way!

This is my baby Daniella. She is 1,5 years old. She just started to walk and is a lot of fun to be with. Her hair is curly and it is adorable. We love playing pica-boo game. This time we were playing with dolls. 

You can tell she is going to be a good mommy. lol. 

This is Emily. She is the oldest and is the smartest baby ever. She already knows how to count. She talks using full sentences. She is a very active kid, and I love this about her. When I asked her how old is she she showed me this:

After the day spent with kids, you feel exhausted but it is a nice feeling. I found it calming.

Children is a blessing from God. They are so happy and make you appreciate every day. One of the my friends just lost a baby, and my sister thought how lucky she is to have healthy beautiful kids. She is a perfect mom and wife, and I hope to become one the future too.

Agricultural Field Trip

On September 16 our class went on the second field trip. The theme was Agriculture, and I was clueless were would they take us. We visited Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, or simply ECHO. It is an experimental, 21-acre garden devoted to researching farming techniques usable in (as they say) "developing" countries. It was the most creative working farm I had ever experienced. Sines it is a Christian organization, they made me so proud of our Christian volunteers and their developing to what they do. I never knew such organizations existed. From the short clip that we watched at the beginning of our tour I remember the phrase: if you give man a fish - you will feed him for a day, teach him how to fish - and you will feed him for life. This organization travels all around the world and teaches poor people how to plant gardens in the places where gardening seems impossible.They have six different settings of the Global Farm, such as rain forest, mountain, urban and much more.

 

Here are the bamboo trees. It is very reusable resource. People make flooring, housing and even clothing out of it. 

I found this was an interesting fact: Neem leaves can be soaked in water and used as insect repellent. People also chew on its branches in order to have healthy teeth, and it can heal the skin.

Duck/Tilapia System is pretty amazing also. They feed ducks, and then tilapia eats duck’s waste. I have never seen a house for ducks above the lake.  

That same day, my husband (who is from north) asked me if we have banana trees in Florida. Here is the answer. By the way, banana trees are not real trees: it is grass. It’s great source of potassium and also animals can eat its leaves.

ECHO introduced us with system of rice intensification. They encourage single seedlings with less flooding which results in higher yields. Some nations depend on rice. And it is very interesting discovery which can save people from starvation.

I really like this picture. It simply shows how beautiful and innocent our nature is!

This is a primitive level. People who plant on the mountains use such levels in order to plant in the straight line. Out professor is demonstrating how they use it.

There are very weird chickens that I have never seen before. They do not have feathers on their neck so that they can withstand heat.

This is one of the typical Haitian schools for the student in the developing countries. When I was sitting there, it made me think of how lucky we are to be able to study in normal conditions.

These are Bio gas Digesters. They remove methane gas from manure, providing an alternative energy source for cooking.

And this is the most fascinating part of the tour for me. There is actually such thing as urban gardening. They can grow plants of the tops of the roof. And you can use any kind of garbage for it. It made me want I own little garden.

This is green onion that grows in garbage, using old tire. This is amazing!!!
I enjoyed this field trip. I learned  a lot of useful information there. Go ECHO!

Another day of rest

This weekend my husband took me to the beach, saying that I work too much and I need some rest. This time we decided to go to my favorite beach called Siesta Key in Sarasota. I love that beach because the sand is snow white. It never gets hot. It took us a long time to get there, but it was totally worth it. I think I read somewhere in the newspaper, that this beach is one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. For our honeymoon, my husband and I went to Caribbean cruise ship, but Siesta Key is so much better. The day was nice and sunny. Water was perfect to swim in. We spent most of the time in the water. The best part of going to the beach is walking along the beach holding hands and talk about nothing. 

Since we are talking so much about children, I started noticing kids everywhere, how they play.

They are so cute. I can watch them play forever. It is so calming.  

When we were at the beach, some kids were playing with the kite. It reminded me of my childhood.



Children love to build sand castles. I thinks it develops their imagination.

We also were able to enjoy seeing little airplane and the small boats. My husband was able to catch them in the photo. It must be really pretty watching our nature from the above. 

We so so many seagulls. There were about a thousand of them. I think it is a very pretty bird. In Russian the are called "chaika".

Beach is the perfect place to rest, spend time with people you love, and connect to the nature. You never know what kind of animals you can meet. We saw this pretty bird. It is very graceful.

Florida's nature is very unique and beautiful. We need to take some time and appreciate it. I am very amazed how wonderful God created this world.

On the way back home we stoped in Venice to see a car show. There were many old and unique cars. It was a nice day.