When I first arrived in Yaremche, Ukraine, as an American Peace Corps volunteer, I did not expect was to fall in love with a place that would forever change how I think about nature, education, and the power of curiosity. Nestled in the heart of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, Yaremche is home to the Carpathian National Nature Park, one of Ukraine's oldest and most treasured protected areas. The park safeguards ancient forests, mountain rivers, waterfalls, wildlife habit

There's something particularly romantic about the way the train winds through Yaremche: a certain grandeur as the train approaches the platform, heralded by that classic whistle sounding of industry and faraway places; a quiet grace in the way the tracks curve on the way out of town and disappear into mountains dusted with fresh snow even in May. The tracks are a reminder that Yaremche is a gateway; a place from which one is constantly beckoned to go onward, in search of adve