When I first arrived in Colombia, I knew that I would find an amazing number of bugs, but I could never have imagined how special it would feel to research them and learn more in the ways I did! Let's take a minute to look back on some of my fondest memories and explore how my global experiences in Colombia are helping to shape my work back in New York City.
One of the first words I learned when I arrived in Barichara was bicho, which means "bug". I learned it first because I got in a lot of trouble with my partner's mother for storing my bichos in the congelador (the freezer). I would collect bugs, specifically insects, and would put them in the freezer to preserve them. My mother-in-law was always shocked to find my frozen bugs next to her ice trays! I learned to put them in the back, a little more out-of-view. The fact that other people are not as comfortable with bugs as I am is something I am working on, and even Tim from Reach the World asked me a question about that in our first video call together. Do you remember?
In Barichara, it's hard to go through your day at any time of the year and not see hundreds and hundreds of amazingly different kinds of bugs.
