About Me

About Me:


Hello friends! Welcome to my Blog. My name is Emily Green and I am a senior at Washington & Jefferson College. I study Spanish and Latin American Studies. I am also the captain of the Women's Tennis Team here at W&J. I can be found giving tours for prospective students, sitting at baseball games, or off on an adventure somewhere around the world. After studying abroad in Costa Rica, I also traveled to Nicaragua and Panama. Afterwards, I helped to coordinate and translate a medical missions trip in the Dominican Republic. From there I went to Easter Island, Chile for my Magellan Project.

I want to see as much of the world as I can and meet every person I come across. My plan is to just go: Go across the street and share a smile and go across the world and share a lifetime of experiences. After completing an intersession trip to Spain, and a semester-long study abroad program in San Ramón, Costa Rica, I realize how much I want to visit places that are not fairly represented or understood. Easter Island, Chile, is well known for the giant stone heads greeting everyone who crosses the Pacific Ocean. Aside from that, most of the culture and people are underappreciated. I loved the chance to change that. I learned about their culture and history that spans the entire age of the island. I came back to educate the people around me about the polynesian culture that is far south of us. I now also have the chance to represent the United States as a respectful, curious, and cautious traveler. I did not want to be merely just a tourist, I left the island as a friend.

Around the world, culture and religion are compacted into one-minute segments shot from GoPros and plastered onto Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. People, as a whole, long for the feeling of adventure and knowledge about a life different than their own. However, sociology, political science, and religion classes fall silent when professors and students ask certain questions. Once the adventure is taken out of the equation, no one wants to be offensive or wrong about other cultures and religions. I do not want to be that person. I never want to add my opinion on something that I have no perspective in. I want to be able to confidently talk about culture and religions. I believe no one should blindly accept beliefs or information; we should be able to see it for ourselves. Knowledge is the greatest power we have. Most of my adventures and perspectives come from a modern world. By experiencing the modern culture mixing with the ancient culture of the Rapa Nui people, I gained entirely new definitions for religions and cultures. I had the chance to talk with the people of the island about religion and culture, as they are not always separate distinctions. Also, the people of the island were very, very cool.

As a senior at W&J, my “adult” life is quickly approaching. This trip will be added to my resume as nothing but a positive addition. With this solo trip, I will be able to understand language, archaeology, engineering, and people more than I could on any other trip. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but in an area that was safe and reliable. This trip was truly be once-in-a-lifetime. The island does not get too many visitors each year, and those that do go are not usually so young with ambitions as big as my research proposal. I came back to the United States with a book of experiences and a blog of historical and archaeological finds. I hope to share my findings and ideas with anyone who is willing to listen.

About My Magellan

About Magellan:


The Magellan Project is a student-led project only found at Washington & Jefferson College. It allows students to plan, organize, and pursue their own independent research study. Students can choose just about anywhere in the world to go!!


Through a Magellan Project, students can develop their educational, language, and independent research skills, all while staying within a budget and itinerary. It looks amazing on resumes and really teaches more than you could ever think. If you have any questions about the Magellan Project, feel free to contact me or to visit washjeff.edu/the-magellan-project for more information!


Thursday, August 23, 2018

Day 9: June 12

Today I started my long day attempting to venture to the middle of the island and explore there.  However, a nice man gave me a ride to the western coastline that I had not yet explored, so I said “why not?!”

My first stop of the hike was La Caverna de Dos Ventanas, or the Cavern of Two Windows.  This place was incredible!! This cave is where the ancient people used to hide from tsunamis and other pacific storms.  I found a group of Chileans and we all crawled down into the caves together. We hung out for a bit, looking out at the ocean and the waves crashing far beneath us.  The cave opening is nearly hidden from everything. In all honesty, I would have missed the cave if my new friends didn’t ask me to tag along! They were locals who went to the caves to have lunch.  So they stayed behind as I made my trek onward.


A local farm dog found me and decided he was going to be my tour guide.  He was a good guide, too! There were artifacts and caves that I never would have noticed if he didn’t stop and bark at them. He must have hopped on a few tours before, because he knew all the good places! I never even had to use my map because he took me on all the correct trails.  
After touring a few other caves, we came to La Cueva de los Platanos, or the Cave of Bananas. This This is a sacred place known as Ana Te Pahu giant cavern system was where fresh water was stored and bananas were grown.  Much of the cooking for the island happened here as well.


It was raining heavily when I was in the caves, so these pictures are from the Island's website (imaginaisladepascua.com).  The cave is so big that the banana plants grown inside of it!


He also took me to the ruins of an ancient town.  There were remnants of the houses, chicken coops, and cooking “ovens” all over the place.  It was incredible. I was able to walk through the ancient town centers and houses, dog right beside me.  This area isn’t marked on the map and tours do not go here because it is “boring.” There is nothing inherently special about this place, but for me it is so special.  I was able to walk through the living room that an ancient Rapa Nui family used hundreds of years ago. That’s so special to me.

We hit about the 6-hour mark of our hike and I was pretty worn out.  It was going to be dark soon, so I started my way home. My dog friend stopped to take a swim with the wild horses.  We also stopped at a FEW of his favorite bone sites where cows have died. He found a good bone to carry back home with him haha he was so proud of it.  He did not leave my side for the entire day. He loved the snacks I have him along the way. He also loved that I had two water bottles, and one soon became his.  He made me miss my dogs back home. I had to leave him and I was pretty upset about it. I am so grateful to have had him as a travel buddy for the day!


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