Posts Tagged ‘Spanish’

Dec
12

El Final/ The End

Posted by in En Español,Guest Blogger Series

This is the last of my Spanish/English blog series that started in October and had been doing as an intern. You will find the English version below the Spanish version (Versión en Ingles ofrecida debajo de la versión en español). I hope you will enjoy it, and spread the word, post it on your Facebook page, and Tweet it!  Please leave any comments for me after the blog post below. I’d love to hear from you.

Este es el ultimo en una serie de blogs en español e ingles que empecé en octubre. La versión en español se encuentra arriba de la versión en ingles. Espero que te guste y que me ayudes a compartir mi experiencia con otros a través de Facebook y Twitter. Favor de dejar tus mensajes o preguntas al final, me encantaría oír de ti. 

Me & The Renaissance crew during their visit to The Zoo

Toda jornada tiene su fin. Desafortunadamente ha llegado el fin de mi jornada con el Zoológico de Houston.  Primeramente quisiera darle las gracias a toda la gente que trabaja en el Zoológico por ser parte de mi experiencia y por ser siempre tan buena gente.  Ha sido un placer conocer a todos y aprender mas sobre la organización y todos los animales.

Jamás se me olvidara la experiencia que tuve aquí. Desde el día que llegue siempre me han recibido bien y me han ayudado con cualquier cosa que se me ofrezca. Hasta tuve la oportunidad de ir a las citas donde planeaban todos los eventos y aprendí cuanto tiempo se tiene que tomar para hacer un evento y que tienen que hacer para asegurarse que no les falte nada a los invitados.  También ayude a pensar en ideas para promocionar las diferentes cosas por Facebook, Twitter, y los blogs.  Lo que mas me gustaba hacer durante mi hora de almuerzo era ver a los animales relajándose o jugando con los demás.  Aunque se me haya acabado el tiempo como estudiante aquí jamás dejare de visitar el Zoológico.

Antes de irme quisiera invitarlos a un evento muy especial.  Es para toda la gente que le guste tomar fotos con paisajes bonitos o de animales preciosos.  Este evento se llama Photo Day y se tomara acabo el 17 de diciembre de 7 a 9 de la mañana.  Al comprar un boleto el Zoológico les dará un desayuno y la oportunidad de explorar el Zoológico como nunca lo haz hecho.  En las mañanas es cuando nuestros animales tienen mas energía y también es cuando les dan de comer entonces podrás ver todo eso y mas. Si quieres darte una idea de que tan especial es este evento VE Y MIRA las fotos que tomaron los previos visitantes del evento.

REGISTRATE POR INTERNET o compra tus boletos al llegar al evento a las 7 de la manana.  Para mas información sobre Photo Day VISITANOS AQUÍ.

Si aun no has leido mi serie de blogs puedes leerlos AQUÍ o si quisieras leer los otros blogs ofrecidos por el Zoologico los puedes ver AQUÍ

Now, in English!


During Zoo Boo I took a big bite of candy corn

 

There comes an end to every journey and unfortunately, I have come to the end of my journey with The Houston Zoo’s Marketing Department. SAD FACE!  First of all, I’d like to thank the entire Houston Zoo staff for being a part of my experience and always being so kind and helpful.  It’s been a pleasure getting to know everyone and learning more about wildlife.

My experience as a Web Intern has been one I’ll never forget.  Since day one everyone was so helpful and I was even able to sit in on meetings and see what it takes to plan and execute all event details.  I also helped come up with ideas to promote events and increase our visitors’ interactions on our social networks such asFacebook, Twitter, and our Blogs. One of my favorite things is that I got the chance to eat my lunch as I watched the animals relaxing and playing around.  Although I will no longer be an intern, I will still be around visiting the Zoo whenever I get the chance.

Before I go, I’d like to invite everyone to Photo Day! If you enjoy capturing great pictures and would like to snap a few when our animals are most active then this is perfect for you. It will take place on December 17, 2011 from 7-9 am.   With your purchase of a ticket you’ll get a continental breakfast and will get to take pictures of zoo grounds and several animals in their habitats.  Just TAKE A LOOK at some of the pictures taken by past Photo Day visitors!

REGISTER ONLINE or buy your tickets in person at 7 am that same morning. For more information check this out.

If you haven’t already read my previous blog posts or would like to see what other blogs are offered Click HERE!

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Oct
21

My Intern Safari Ride through The Houston Zoo – En Ingles y Español!

Posted by in En Español,Guest Blogger Series

*  This is the first in a Spanish/English blog series that will last until mid-December. You can find the Spanish version below the English version (Versión en Español ofrecida debajo de la versión en Ingles). I hope you will enjoy it, and spread the word, post it on your Facebook page, and Tweet it!  Please leave any comments for me after the blog post below. I’d love to hear from you.

Hello everyone! I’m Erika, a new intern at the Zoo’s Interactive Marketing Exhibit…I mean Department, yikes! I am a mammal but unlike Mtembei who’s on the left of me in the picture, I am of the Human species.  From now until the end of the year, I will be writing a series of blogs about my personal experience here and about all the great ways you can participate in the Zoo.

Before I start my blog series about all the cool stuff, I will tell you a few interesting things about myself. After getting to know me, I hope you too will tell me something about yourself and let me know if there’s anything you would like to see in my blogs.

I am a 21- year- old senior studying Marketing at the University of St. Thomas. Next Summer I will graduate and begin my journey through adulthood; although, I wish I could be a kid forever just like Peter Pan.

Anyway, I was raised here in Houston but my family and I are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico and oddly enough, we don’t own a Chihuahua.  I am fluent in both Spanish and English and will therefore be able to write a series of blogs in Spanish! I am definitely excited about that.

I’ve always loved learning new things, both in and out of classrooms. For this reason, I decided to do a study abroad program in France this past summer. I was very excited to be learning about international trade and finance as well as the French culture. After that adventure, I decided it would be great to get hands-on experience as an intern with a Houston organization.  Once I heard about the Houston Zoo’s Internship Program I knew it was the place for me.  Here, I will not only get to learn things about my career but also about wild animals and how we can help them out. After all, we all inhabit the same planet.

Please check back regularly for an update on what I’ve learned about the organization and the animals. I’ll also be letting you know about some of the great events you can attend right here at The Houston Zoo. So, don’t miss out and if you have any questions or comments feel free to write them in the comment section below.  I will gladly respond to you as soon as I can.

Don’t forget to check out our other blogs: Wild Conservation, Trunk Tales, and Education.

 

Ahora en Español

Este es el primero en una serie de blogs en español e ingles que durara hasta mediados de Diciembre. Normalmente podrás encontrar la versión en español arribe de la versión en ingles. Espero que te guste y que me ayudes a compartir mi experiencia con otros a través de Facebook y Twitter. Favor de dejar tus mensajes o preguntas al final, me encantaría oír de ti.  

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Erika y soy una estudiante haciendo mis practicas de mercadotecnia aquí en el Zoológico de Houston. Tengo 21 años y estoy en mi ultimo año de estudios en la Universidad de San Tomas. Nací en Chihuahua, México y crecí aquí en Houston pero mis padres siempre me han enseñado orgullosamente las tradiciones y el idioma de México.  Es por eso que estoy tan feliz que el Zoológico me ha dado la oportunidad de escribir una serie de blogs para nuestros visitantes que prefieren leer en español.

Desde pequeña siempre me ha gustado aprender cosas nuevas y no nada mas en la escuela si no también por medio de gente que viene de diferentes culturas. Hay tantas cosas que aprender de nuestro mundo y de la gente e animales que habitan en el. El verano pasado me fui a estudiar a Francia por tres semanas y aparte de las clases de finanzas que tomé, también aprendí muchísimo sobre el estilo de vida en Europa y las costumbres de la gente. Ahora en el Zoológico se que aprenderé bastante sobre los animales y el medio ambiente.

Ya que sabes unas cuantas cosas de mi dime lo que piensas o lo que te gustaria saber del Zoológico, los eventos, o los animales. Me encantaría escribir sobre esos temas que te interesan.

Bueno, es todo por ahorita pero no dejes de revisar la pagina de nuestros Blogs para oír de mis aventuras en el Zoológico de Houston.

 

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May
31

Dr Joe’s Giant Tortoise Adventure: Back on Santa Cruz Island

Posted by in Animal Info,Conservation,Dr Joe's Giant Tortoise Adventure,Endangered,Reptiles,Tortoise

May 21, Friday, back in Santa Cruz

Every time I come to Galapagos and have the opportunity to work with the professional staffs of either the Galapagos National Park or the Charles Darwin Research Station, I am thankful for my opportunity to work in this unique environment. I also thank the Spanish teachers I had from grade school in Omaha, NE to college at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. At the time I had no idea how important that “elective” would be to my career. I sometimes think it was among the smartest things I’ve ever done.

That said, I frequently feel pretty good about my ability to speak Spanish. I can converse, listen, and even lecture almost as if it was my native tongue. Then, I can go to a different setting, sit with a different group of people, and not be able to make out word one of anything being said. Mostly this latter situation is when a bunch of native speakers get together and speak quickly, using slang, and proper names of people and/or places that aren’t familiar to me.  They lose me quickly.  Galapagos is generally a pretty easy place to get by with weak language skills. The people who have settled here over the years are American, German, French, Scandinavian, Ecuadorian, —you name it.  So, most people on the street have the command of more than one language and are very forgiving when I butcher a sentence with bad vocabulary or grammar.

Now, today was a busy day.  I’d been loaned a Sonosite Titan 180 ultrasound machine by Chuck Boland for use on the tortoises here. It’s a great machine, just like we use at the zoo, but we use ours so much there’s no way I could have brought it down for two and a half weeks. Chuck was nice enough to loan me this unit which is now on sale at the close out price of $10K.  Really a nice deal, but I have one already. I think we’ll be in the market again in a few years for the “next” technology, and then I’ll be able to take this battery operated, fully portable machine anywhere!

Anyway, I wanted to examine a few animals at the tortoise rearing center in the Galapagos National Park facilities in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos.  I looked at 6 animals, observing heart, gonads, and kidneys with the ultrasound. Five were to establish reference information which I then applied to the images I got from Lonesome George. I was surprised with what I was able to see, as all were of a saddleback tortoise shape, making it a lot easier to access their soft tissues where ultrasound is most diagnostic. I also collected blood on these animals to use as additional reference “normals” which I can compare to the samples collected from the 39 animals now released on Pinta.

After spending my morning doing that, I offered my services to scan the remaining females in the Espanola tortoise breeding herd to see what their ovarian activity was. It looks like most have developed follicles, and are on track to start laying eggs in about a month. The Centro de Crianza (rearing center) has produced over 1500 of these Espanola tortoises for repatriation on Espanola Island since the program began in the 1970s.

The Park staff will be making some moves of animals in the near future so that their breeding efforts can continue to be successful and produce the greatest genetic diversity possible from this herd of 3 male and 12 female animals.

It’s not over yet! Come back to read about Dr. Joe’s last day in Galapagos… If you haven’t been following Dr. Joe’s Giant Tortoise Adventure, please scoll down to his first post on May 6.

Written by Dr. Joe Flanagan

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