Welcome to my world.

Call me Tasha. Anastasia is fine too.

About a year ago, I had an identity crisis where I was trying to decide between my passport name – Anastasia – and my real name – Tasha. After a number of amusing Shakespearian-comedy moments of communication breakdown, this is what I’ve decided: I love both names. So, pick one for me, and lend me your ears (or eyes, rather).

This is me:

Location: Grand Bahama, where I went to write a paper.
Location: Grand Bahama, where I went to write a midterm paper – and enjoy the sun.

 

Who I’ve been

I’ve always been nuts about “the environment” for as long as I can remember remembering anything. For much of my (young) childhood, I didn’t understand why we didn’t just get rid of all the people and let “nature” be in all its splendor. Since then, my understanding has developed…considerably. Expect to hear a LOT about this in my blog! I welcome you to be part of my ever-continuing journey.

 

Who I am now

You can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take California out of the girl. Still a California girl at heart, I have been living in North Carolina for a bit more than a year now, and I like to fashion myself as a globe trotter. I’ve “lived” (read: been in residence in one place for at least a couple months) in Turks and Caicos, Barcelona, Costa Rica, Australia, and Vancouver – and I travel as much as I can.

Other relevant things you might want to know: I am a 2nd-year PhD student studying Marine Science and Conservation at Duke University, living out at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC. Under the tutelage of my advisor, Dr. Xavier Basurto (http://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/xavierbasurto/), I study how communities organize and adapt to manage their environment (think: fisheries) in Latin America.

 

Our blog journey

I’ve made a headfirst dive from natural science (specifically, parasite ecology) to the social sciences (critical analysis of human-environment/socio-ecological systems) – and so I have become very humble in learning. I am a perennial student, and so when I say, “I welcome you to be part of my ever-continuing journey,” I mean it most seriously. I welcome you to comment on my blogs, to be a part of the discussion, to come to the table, to hear what I have to say, and to share what you have to say. I also welcome you to have discussions with your families and friends, to start talking about how humans interact with the environment, to think critically, and to listen openly.

 

With no further ado, welcome to my world.

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