Voices of Kalu Yala

At the end of the day, Kalu Yala is nothing more than a collection of individuals who have chosen to get behind each other and take a concept which was once only a possibility and turn it into an inevitability. To understand Kalu Yala, all anyone really needs to do is listen to the voices of the people making it happen. These personal stories and opinions will hopefully inspire even more readers to believe in the power of a genuine intent grounded in diverse real world expertise, and to join the quickly growing network of people who already do.

Sunset in the Valley
This will be my last blog as an intern for Kalu Yala. It is weird to think that only three months ago I was about to get on a plane to a country I had never before been to, hell the most exotic place I had visited prior was Texas. This semester turned into a [...]  Read More
Spring 2012 Outdoor Rec Interns
The week before the Spring 2012 internship started, interns from all over the U.S., some international, began arriving at the place where they would start their 3-month adventure in Panama. Outnumbering all other programs, the seven Outdoor Recreation interns began collaborating and brainstorming right off the bat. The first week in the valley ideas were [...]  Read More
Kalu Yala
Three short months ago I found myself anxious and stressed out as I tried to decide what the heck I would need to live in the Panamanian jungles. I had a faint idea of what I was getting into, but nothing could have prepared me for the journey I was about to embark on. I [...]  Read More
Singing together
When we were in San Blas last week, Erin and I changed the lyrics of “Leaving On A Jet Plane” by John Denver to make a Kalu Yala Spring 2012 farewell song. This is a video of us singing the song together one night, drinking margarita out of bowls. All my bags are packed I’m [...]  Read More
Sunrise over Kalu Yala
Three months ago I awoke from a dead sleep with a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was four days away from heading to Panama for three months. I knew little of the company I was going to work for and even less about the country in which it operated. Qualms aside, I grabbed my four enormous bags (I didn’t know what to bring so I brought it all) jumped aboard the plane and met my future head-on. Now it is my last day in Panama, and I cannot quite comprehend this little factoid.   Read More
Ornithology
Biology intern Terra Filmer describes taking people on bird watching and nature tours in the Kalu Yala valley.   Read More
public mural
Art in Panama it has momentum, it has style, it is accessible and most importantly it is a binding agent for the community. It has been wonderful to be aware of it, contribute to it and support it. The best part, the art scene is entirely here because the people of Panama want to express [...]  Read More
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March has been quite the eventful month. Since the 2nd day of March my level of stress and responsibility has gone up, and I am just starting to be able to look back on the last few weeks and feel rewarded for my efforts and time. March was the month to paint the mural in [...]  Read More
Happy while painting the mural
So I recently watched the movie Into the wild and memories of how I envisioned it from the book was brought to light. The protagonist was listening to his heart; and going on his own path in a contradictory way of being mindful of himself (and others), as well as being selfish. He longed for [...]  Read More
Consumerism
I bought a DVD from Giant Tiger for $3.29. And before that item, I bought a shirt for $5.48. I don’t need either item, but I bought them because they seemed interesting and inexpensive – and they are both interesting and inexpensive. I don’t particularly want to contribute to the cycle of consumption of goods, [...]  Read More