Emily Christine Taugner
Volunteer Trip to Ecuador
In 2009 I was lucky enough to travel to Ecuador to climb to the top of Illiniza Sur, a volcano over 5,000 meters tall, as well as volunteer at an organic farm. We stayed with a local who a few years prior started a program to help Ecuadorian farmers convert their farms to organic practices. We volunteered on these newly organic farms and helped till soil (on a very steep slope!), make compost piles, and we even helped re-build a village road. The best part might have been learning how to compost from the Ecuadorian farmers and building a massive compost pile ten feet high!
Cultural Immersion at Padmasambhava Monastery
This spring I spent three days and two nights at Padmasambhava Monastery near Oneonta, NY. This monastery is very open and encourages visitors to stay at their monastery and participate in their practice sessions. All you have to do is call ahead and make sure a room is available, so I would recommend this to any under-classmen at IC that still need to complete their cultural immersion. It was wonderful interacting with the monks at meals and services and learning about their views on the world, which match up quite well with environmental philosophies. The temple was stunning, and we spent quite a bit of time meditating at the temple, a practice I had never explored before but would like to continue. This cultural immersion was a wonderful experience.
Nature Area Head at Camp Echo
Camp Echo is a rustic overnight camp located in Fremont, MI. The summer of 2010 I spent 10 weeks there as a senior counselor, while also running the nature program. This involved taking groups of campers one or two times a day on hikes or leading them in nature-related activities and games. The kids mostly enjoyed survivalist activities that included edible plant identification, shelter building and fire making. This role taught me a lot about leadership, organization, as well as reinforced my knowledge of experiential learning in a natural environment. The picture to the left is part of the staff from the summer-I am third from the left in the top row.