https://everythingspeakstome.com/files/original/9984e2a9c06ed7b1acba5594577b5374.png 9bc8500cbca6fe9b84859e645737cefc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Miami Stories Description An account of the resource Real stories of life in Miami. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Please post your written submission in this field. The images you would like to include should be posted as attachments below. The Everglades After Hours Growing up in one of the wettest tropical locations has triggered my love of our wilderness. From a young age, one of my most profound memories was visiting the water forest of southern Florida. The Everglades is one of the most unique ecosystems located in Miami. The glades contains vast acres, shallow freshwater wetlands, sawgrass, tree islands, and coastal areas. It’s a commonly held belief that everyone must have visited the Everglades at least once in their lifespan living down here in Miami. Experiences may be controversial but the beauty you see exists will leave you at a loss for words. My beautiful mother who I can only say good things about. Her luscious golden-brown hair that blows away in my face as we rode on an airboat, and her green eyes that glimmer as the sun hits them. She has always taken me to explore the beauties of the Everglades by her side. Spending the day with her meant I smelled like sunblock for the rest of the day. On our time together we’d go on long walks stopping at any little critters we’d see or hear. SLPASH! For instance, the banded water snake or the alligator coming in and out of the water to give us a show. In addition, we enjoy going on hour-long bike rides down narrow trails with so much to see but mostly the murky green water on either side. As we both bike along, I noticed how accustomed we have become to seeing crocodiles and even a fast turtle crossing the roads. These species are so protected that we must give them the pass, and I don’t mind to. The déjà vu that always brings me back to these swamps is my fascination with the extraordinary wildlife that live within the Everglades. You never knew what to expect when stopping by because each visit could be a different experience from the last. As the sun is still cooking you alive, your body inhabits a survival mode that prompts you into thinking you’re in the thick of the wild. My little 9 year old mind imagines me as the hero in every scenario defending myself against any animal that comes my way to attack. BUZZ! A mosquito! I defend my absolute life from that bite because as soon one bites its whole family is after me. What do I have to defend with, the well-known OFF spray and my mother's chancleta. On the other hand, the Everglades from sunrise to sundown are two unique encounters themselves. The glades get musky at night and by the time the sun is gone all you have is the moon to guide you. As I journey onward I can't help but detect the smell of algae and humidity. Going during the night feels as if you were setting foot on a different planet entirely. One day I will never forget, was my first time exploring the Everglades after dark with Andy and Eduardo my, two closest friends at the time. As I describe Eduardo the only image that comes to mind is the fictional character Sherk, which is the best way to describe his height of 185cm and grotesque face. The only obvious difference would be his short messy curls that would be dripping sweat by the end of the day. Andy on another hand looked as if he was pulled straight out of a Greek mythology book, ready for whatever the world would throw at him. In our friend group, Andy was the leader and a problem solver, but nothing could have prepared us enough for what the night had to bring. Many can agree that many preparations aren’t made for first-time experiences, and we were the perfect example of rookies. Looking back, all we really took was a mediocre landing net which was about 6 feet long, a Home Depot bucket that previously had paint in it, heavy-duty boots perfect for the muddy tertian ahead of us, and three bottles of water one for the each of us. Not much was said on this thirty-minute drive where the closer we got the faster my heart would beat, but we only had the one goal in mind: “Tonight we wrestle the biggest animal that crosses our path no matter the outcome” We quickly came to the realization that wasn’t going to be our case. Along the road, we all realized all we needed to do was stop, turn off the lights, and listen closely. After a few minutes, the Everglades came alive with all types of sounds. Ribbit! Ribbit! There must be a bullfrog around us. All you can hear are the bugs chirping and buzzing to their full volume. The hair-raising spook was walking practically blind as we all weren’t sure what creature could possibly be making noises like the ones we heard that night. Each of these creatures has its own distinctive sound, and at night, their calls and movements can create a captivating but unsettling auditory experience that definitely isn’t for everyone. We all came to terms that we weren’t going to catch anything. Thus, we end the night at around 11 pm, we let the animals sleep in peace. Sadly, we left empty handed as we did not in fact catch the biggest snake that exists in the Everglades. As we are heading out, we can't help but sense not one but many gazes on us. We all turned around just to witness a handful of glowing eyes that looked hungry. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Everglades After Hours Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Diego A Carrillo Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 09/25/2023