An Introduction

Hello all!

Tomorrow I leave for Costa Rica and I am quite excited!  For my first entry in this blog, I will share a little bit about myself so you can get an idea of who I am. 

My name is Jared Dial and I was born and raised in northern New Mexico.  I am 26 years old and I graduated with my BS from the Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management department in the fall of 2010.  I have currently returned to school to take prerequisites for future graduate school in Anthropology or a related field. 

My interests include sustainability education, environmental and cultural interpretation, and social justice and equality.  I am interested in seeing how I can tie these interests to my degree in hospitality, which is one of the reasons why I am doing this exchange program to Costa Rica.  I love to travel, explore nature, read, cook, and watch obscure films.  I also participate in a myriad of community service projects revolved around LGBTQ equality and environmental preservation and conservation. 

I am thrilled to be able to participate in this program at CATIE because it directly aligns with my interests and allows me to travel to a part of the world that I have always wanted to see and experience.  I participated in a National Student Exchange program a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it, which is why I hope to continue traveling, exploring new cultures, and learning more about the world and myself.

 I am happy to be part of the inaugural group for this program and I will continue to update you all along the way (while sharing many photos!).

There will be more to come soon, and as they say in Costa Rica –

Pura Vida!!