https://www.haleyfrance.com/about daily 0.75 2023-02-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/a9523885-fd9f-4060-8b7a-16bebe4e8e23/Haley+France.jpg About - About Haley France is a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she specialized in Photo and Video Journalism with a minor in Social and Economic Justice. She is a passionate visual storyteller and excited to continue pursuing projects that connect people through videography, photography and design. https://www.haleyfrance.com/singles daily 1.0 2020-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845503442-C80X3KQ5QG14TWGQ3UGK/France_SilentSamFlare.jpg Singles A masked demonstrator lights a flare that others quickly ask to be extinguished during the one-year anniversary for the toppling of Silent Sam, a Confederate monument that stood on the grounds of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for more than 100 years. The anniversary event began with speakers and singers at Peace and Justice Plaza and ended with a march through campus on Aug. 20, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845485352-XHE3XKA67BTJ4BZDMVB4/France_JeanWater.jpg Singles Jean Parker and her husband Murray are one of more than 30 members living in an intentional community called Blue Heron Farm in Pittsboro, N.C. Every afternoon, when the weather is warm enough and she’s not at her part-time job, Jean swims laps around the property’s pond. She, and the community's late founder, were the only members to take advantage of this resource, partially due to the pond's snapping turtles and fish. When asked what she thinks about while swimming on Aug. 30, 2019, she said, “I pray for the waters and the Earth and for people to wake up to steward this Earth.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845478223-H3H84QT37WRQTGVJZJA4/France_RiversideWin.jpg Singles Riverside High School football players celebrate after defeating Northern High School 27-7 and taking home the Friday Night Rivals trophy Sept. 13, 2019, in Durham, N.C. This night marks the first time Riverside football has defeated Northern in seven years. "Honestly, for me, football has always been my way to express my true self, no holding back any feelings or emotions, because I could always just let it all out on the field," senior Chi Infinito said. "As for the team, I love them as if they are my family, and some of us have created bonds that will never be broken.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845486766-HA2DECVRYHZPZU9H2U2R/France_SeaTurtleRelease.jpg Singles A crowd gathers on the beach to cheer on one of 20 sea turtles returning to the wild during the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center's release day June 5, 2019 in Surf City, N.C. The center generally holds two releases a year, and people of all ages travel, sometimes from states away, to be in attendance. “We can’t protect them once we put them in that first wave, but they are going home, home to you, and that’s where they should be,” said Jean Beasley, the center’s founder and director, in an ode to the ocean. ”It has been our privilege to give them another chance at life.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845469123-MINZDXQYUXUMFY2SXQHZ/France_Seaweed.jpg Singles Seaweed farmer Marneesha Leslie, 23, hauls a line of seaweed back to its plot after weighing it aboard a boat to monitor its growth with the Belize Women’s Seaweed Farmers Association on March 12, 2020, off the coast of Placencia, Belize. Traditionally, seaweed efforts in the area have been male-dominated, but this group, which formed in 2019, marks a shift in that history. In addition to its wholesale market, seaweed is rich in minerals and nutrients, so it is used in value-added products such as milkshakes, shampoo, soap, vitamins and fertilizer. Moreover, seaweed farming is seen as a sustainable practice because the plots act as nurseries for marine creatures, restoring fish populations that help both Belize’s economy and coral reef. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845497279-1YOMGF540JLHHM4LV3C6/France_Maria.jpg Singles ”Maria" poses for a portrait in Medellín, Colombia, March 14, 2019. She asked that her face not be shown and her real name not be used to protect her identity and safety as a sex worker. Maria emigrated from Venezuela in 2018 and was forced into sex work in order to be able to afford to bring her two kids to Colombia. “I know that when they get older, there will be a moment when I sit down with them and tell them, and I hope that they will thank me for everything I am doing,” Maria said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845454968-M0J3GVAX9TMMON92EFHP/1025129352+NC_ILM_0727CBEACH-1.jpg Singles People enjoy swinging around on a ride part of Carolina Beach Boardwalk's amusement park one summer evening, July 25, 2019, in Carolina Beach, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845453697-MBNO3996QJ85C6OQXJ7R/France_489ObjectPortrait-6.jpg Singles This image is part of a series that explored how objects are used for self-expression or sentimental reasons and how that impacts both how we see ourselves as well as how others perceive us. "I am surely unsure,” Mia Borchlewicz said. "I think if there’s one thing that my objects will say about me is that I’m still figuring it out. … There’s a lot of pressure for people to find the one thing that they’re really passionate about and run with it, but I don’t think that necessarily has to be the case.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845478348-ZXTPOCN0Z3HKFHJBK9CE/France_DanielToben.jpg Singles Daniel Toben picks up trash underneath an overpass in Durham, N.C. on Nov. 6, 2019. Toben started picking up litter 10 years ago when he was in college at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Since then, he estimates he has filled 2,800 trash bags, collected 2,000 tires and recycled two tons of metal. “If the Earth is like the one thing that we all share, it’s healing a human and an Earth relationship,” Toben said. “It feels like a weight is lifted off of the place that you clean up.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845461780-PQLST2JUSZB5P5RIG74N/France_Hearst_SemiFinals-6.jpg Singles Neon bender Danielle James, also known as DJ, blows glass for a client’s project at Glas studio on Oct. 21, 2019, in Raleigh, N.C. She estimates there are roughly 300 neon benders left in the United States, and her fear is the knowledge will die with the older generation of benders, so she is working to archive old books and to act as capsule herself by being part of the younger generation pursuing this skill and art form. "It’s such a crazy thing to do to bend a tube and then pump it full of crazy gas and put mercury in it and then electrify it and put some, some wires on the end and then hang it in a window," James said. "Like why? The fact that it exists in the first place is so interesting." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845470438-OFYV3QHUI8728J17TPAP/France_RiversideLockerRoom.jpg Singles Camaar Epps, a senior on the Riverside High School football team, leaves the locker room to board the bus for the team’s second game of the season Aug. 30, 2019, in Durham, N.C. Riverside’s football team came back from a three-year losing streak in 2017 to winning the program's first conference championship in 16 years in 2018. At the start of their 2019 season, they work to defend this position. "This team, more than any other that I have helped coach, has impacted me more than anyone can know," said head coach Cory Lea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845503989-EG21J1A10VRSFNGC2MTV/France_ROTCmarch.jpg Singles The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Army ROTC completes a ruck march beginning around 5:15 a.m., March 2, 2020, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Participating members trek throughout the town and were divided into two groups based on class year, with underclassmen traveling five miles and upperclassmen traveling six. ”Ruck marches consist of distance movements with a heavy backpack called a rucksack in full Army Combat Uniform, and are often conducted in a formation to encourage cohesion in the Tar Heel Battalion," said Cadet Mitch Sorensen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845513625-7OQ1GT0DJVCJVCXGKRE7/France_Wolfpack-1.jpg Singles NC State basketball fans cheer on their team at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. as they take on the UNC Tar Heels Jan. 8, 2019. NC State was defeated 90-82. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590845517849-WRGDUEY0YFEHLTNV23RS/France_SteelPike19-1.jpg Singles Pfc. Johnathon Latondras, a motor transport operator with the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, waits in a training structure for Exercise Steel Pike 19 to begin at Camp Lejeune, N.C., after it was delayed several hours June 11, 2019. Steel Pike 19 was the “largest Marine Corps air assault exercise on the East Coast in over a decade,” according to the Marine Corps. https://www.haleyfrance.com/stories daily 0.75 2023-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849827770-ZHWOHOFYZHD7MWBBN680/France_BlueHeronStory_2.jpg Stories Murray Parker, 77, prepares the garden for fall vegetables by digging up old plants on Aug. 24, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. He and his wife, Jean, work in their garden every day. They value sustainability and permaculture, which is reflected in their garden. “I think it comes from just a love of the land and how to treat the land really well,” Murray said. “I mean the Earth is, for I think both of us, our spiritual base.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849833993-W51T4S7QSY6HNDPPE1SR/France_BlueHeronStory_3.jpg Stories Jean Parker, 73, tucks vines back into the plant so they will grow along the fencing surrounding the perimeter of their circular garden Aug. 28, 2019 in Pittsboro, N.C. Jean and Murray’s love for gardening predates their relationship which began in California almost 40 years ago. “We both had gardens in Los Angeles, of all places,” Jean said. “And then we were married next to a garden and we’ve had that in our life as kind of a central focus for 37 years. But we had that love individually first.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849838498-5RSV2AX3AW5F9G1X34OS/France_BlueHeronStory_4.jpg Stories Jean and Murray plant fall vegetables in their garden together the evening of Sept. 1, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. Murray digs the holes and Jean loosens the roots and places the plants inside them. Their garden provides them with enough vegetables year-round. “One time, years ago,” Jean laughs as she recounts a time at the grocery store, “the woman in front of me had this cart with broccoli in it, and I thought, ‘Why is she buying broccoli? Oh, she doesn’t have a garden!’ I thought that was the weirdest thing in the world.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849845761-LY2NUGKA5HRHRSUUAP33/France_BlueHeronStory_5.jpg Stories Murray dances after listening to a guided meditation Aug. 24, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. Nearly every morning at 7 a.m., Murray sits in his white chair overlooking the garden and the field for an hour to reflect before he starts the day's work. "I just feel on track with what I'm doing here, but also at times immense loneliness," Murray said. Many years ago, Murray fell into what he described as a deep depression over the state of the environment, which he now counteracts with deep appreciation and focusing on the individual efforts he can make. “It’s about love of others, love of self and love of land, plants and animals. The whole nine yards.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849848183-JQS4ATS00N0805LOQ2SV/France_BlueHeronStory_6.jpg Stories Jean harvests apples from the small, shared orchard after working in her garden on a misty morning Aug. 28, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. She and Murray will eat these raw or use them to make pies and other goods. “I like [the community] because there’s a lot of sharing,” Jean said. “The people want to connect and I like the spontaneity of meeting somebody on the road as I take a walk or go down to the pond.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849857512-E5S8IY7KLOLC367MS1YE/France_BlueHeronStory_7.jpg Stories Murray and Jean are seen together in a picture posted on their refrigerator, Aug. 24, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. Jean and Murray met in California almost 40 years ago. When asked what brings him joy, Murray said, “Being really aware of how I love Jean. It’s just a mindblower sometimes when I think into how free and lucky I am. I’m very conscious of how lucky I am that I can have a number of people that love me, have Jean love me, have enough money and be able to eat good food.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849859452-0L8C2LRLSB37L6SUZ5QR/France_BlueHeronStory_8.jpg Stories Jean and Murray prepare a meal in their home, using a majority of items found in their garden on Aug. 28, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. Like their garden, the house itself is sustainable with Earthen plaster walls and floors made out of cob, which is a mixture of sand, straw and clay. Murray and other members of the community helped build this home, which was completed in 2009. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849869536-QUP89FTSHFS27YYDMBR4/France_BlueHeronStory_9.jpg Stories Murray enjoys the house to himself while Jean takes her daily swim in the community's pond on Aug. 30, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. While Murray and Jean have been together for nearly 40 years, they both value their independence and time alone. Murray explained it as this way they do not have to compromise what makes them happy. When he is alone, Murray enjoys reading, practicing guitar and watching movies that he rents from the public library when he ventures into town every two weeks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849867416-GOY3LEPVME44BO6DIKJ4/France_BlueHeronStory_10.jpg Stories Jean swims laps around the community’s pond Aug. 30, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. She does this every afternoon when the weather is warm enough and she’s not at her part-time job. She, and the community’s late founder, were the only members to take advantage of this resource, partially due to the pond’s snapping turtles and fish. When asked what she thinks about while swimming, she replied, “Not much. I pray for the waters and the Earth and for people to wake up to steward this Earth.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849873618-8SP22W48HT2P1SC7D0S0/France_BlueHeronStory_11.jpg Stories Murray soaks in the golden hour sun as he and Jean work in the garden the evening of Sept. 1, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. They are transplanting collards and kale for the colder months and using cardboard pieces to shade the plants from harsh sunlight as they adjust to their new home. When asked what he would say if the whole world was listening, he said, “Wake up. Mother Earth needs you.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849826493-ZMBLCCGFPT1XPCNEP0XZ/France_BlueHeronStory_1.jpg Stories Murray watches the sunset across the field, which he does nearly every evening, while Jean takes a stroll to visit the goats across the street Sept. 1, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C. On this night, Murray also set up a tent so he can sleep outside amongst nature. “It’s times like these when I think, ‘God, there’s got to be some sort of creator,’” Murray said. “‘Some creator, some being, some force, something.’” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849760636-DAGLYF55M62D6LCXQY19/image-asset.jpeg Stories - Blue Heron The natural world sparks a unique joy for this couple. Jean and Murray Parker live on an intentional community in Pittsboro, N.C., called Blue Heron Farm, which Murray co-founded about 25 years ago and now contains more than 30 residents. Here, they reside in a sustainable house, partake in permaculture gardening and live with a strong environmental connection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225424475-HVPCQJ4V0VM6HY318EUV/France_489LiteralIdioms-8.jpg Stories - Literal Idioms “Under the weather” “Don’t cry over spilled milk” “Hold your horses” Have you ever wondered where those ridiculous figures of speech come from? Me too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589222622989-VZ8YL03A8PW8U87S1Q8N/20200417_France_Tasha_V5-2.jpg Stories - Guiding Generations Natasha Gibson was born and raised in Belize and has worked in its tourism industry for over a decade. However, being a single mother to her daughter Athaliah Belisle has shown her that she can’t depend on it like she used to. This story was part of a larger project and comes with its own interactive format, which you can view HERE. Otherwise, click below for a gallery experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849120950-Z9MD1KGX18X86WSEQC6D/EmergingVision-27.jpg Stories Senior Lemere Jones of Riverside High School football waits in between drills during practice one evening on Oct. 7, 2019, in Durham, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849120493-JSM5MGIMVHUJFGPDJYTK/EmergingVision-28.jpg Stories Riverside football players joke around in the school hallways before a game against Orange High School Sept. 20, 2019, in Durham, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849132150-J62DNJIW1SSY9NQ6DOL3/EmergingVision-29.jpg Stories Quarterback Landin Sledge stares out the window as the bus pulls into Hillside High School Oct. 11, 2019, in Durham, N.C. Hillside is one of Riverside's biggest conference rivals and today is their homecoming. Sledge goes on to throw seven touchdowns this game, with the Riverside Pirates winning 54-28. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849135240-YEHG7L2ULK6JRPBOEC5K/EmergingVision-30.jpg Stories Running back Donte McCall, 25, is sacked by Cardinal Gibbons players at Riverside's second game of the season, Aug. 31, 2019, in Raleigh, N.C. Riverside started the game out strong but eventually lost 58-27. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849142536-PVBAH8GIF6N9C2IHVGSG/EmergingVision-31.jpg Stories Reggie Snowden, 32, yells from the sidelines during a heated game against Hillside High School, Oct. 11, 2019, in Durham, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849147961-ZQRHVF5OWSH2B44LSOPH/EmergingVision-32.jpg Stories Senior Kivonte Koonce, 40, prays on the track around the football field during halftime of a game against Cardinal Gibbons Aug. 31, 2019, in Raleigh, N.C. This is Riverside's second game of the season and they were defeated 58-27. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849154191-NR2CB4LHNDZZNWPMSFZP/EmergingVision-33.jpg Stories Head coach Cory Lea prays with the team after a loss against Jordan High School Oct. 25, 2019, in Durham, N.C. The team prays together after each game, putting a hand on the person next to them so they are all connected. "This team, more than any other that I have helped coach, has impacted me more than anyone can know," said Lea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849158483-QYFIBYIYLSZ3RI141X2W/EmergingVision-34.jpg Stories The Riverside Pirates take the field at golden hour to begin warming up before their home game against Orange High School Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Durham, N.C. "The team is like brotherhood," junior Derek Brown said. "We all go through the good; we all go through the bad; but most importantly we keep going." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849166088-HZ9N1LITWJLYCG3IIE5L/EmergingVision-35.jpg Stories The Riverside student section gets rowdy during a game against Northern High School Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Durham, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849169915-73P2VATNEZKLML5VZQCG/EmergingVision-36.jpg Stories Sophomore Nasir Winston, 9, is tackled near the end zone during an away game against Hillside, Oct. 11, 2019, in Durham, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849178745-47KO6B4SF82HIK2DIGFY/EmergingVision-37.jpg Stories Riverside High School football players celebrate after defeating Northern High School 27-7 and taking home the Friday Night Rivals trophy Sept. 13, 2019, in Durham, N.C. This night marks the first time Riverside football has defeated Northern in seven years. "Honestly, for me, football has always been my way to express my true self, no holding back any feelings or emotions because I could always just let it all out on the field," senior Chi Infinito said. "As for the team, I love them as if they are my family, and some of us have created bonds that will never be broken." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849180869-JOFJ8VMZ85UVVLSA77GM/EmergingVision-38.jpg Stories Senior Camaar Epps leaves the locker room to get on the bus for an away game Aug. 30, 2019, in Durham, N.C. While Riverside did not win the conference championship this year, they moved on to the first round of playoffs where they were defeated by Seventy-First High School 28-20. "We took from this season that even though we didn’t win the conference this year and didn’t finish undefeated, we have changed the culture here where winning is now the expectation," said head coach Cory Lea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590849038776-7TZUYFIH6UBLBCL2OEQ2/image-asset.jpeg Stories - Riverside Riverside High School football in Durham, N.C., came back from a three-year losing streak in 2017 to winning the program's first conference championship in 16 years in 2018. In the 2019 season, the Riverside Pirates work to defend this position. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223640322-M2IASEFDQJFCRS0R3PAE/France_Haley_picturestory01.jpg Stories Natasha helps Athaliah get ready in the morning at their home in Placencia, Belize. Before work, she walks her to school and then gets ready for her own day, usually as a tour guide or coral restoration practitioner. “Being in tourism, you’re gambling your life,” Natasha said. “When there's an offseason after June, you see how bad it is here in this town […] it feels like you're living in slow motion like a graveyard.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223641923-492PLKY9C6OKEDX2TFC9/France_Haley_picturestory02.jpg Stories Athaliah attends Peninsula International Academy (PIA). Despite being more expensive than the public school, Natasha chose to transfer her there because there are smaller classrooms, more outreach opportunities, and Athaliah was bullied at her previous school. Natasha wasn’t able to finish high school herself because of lack of funds, so providing her child with a good education is one of her biggest priorities in life. “I’m already messing up raising her as a single parent, but what the heck, maybe it is for the best that her father’s not in her life,” Natasha said. “But I want everything that I didn't have for her which is a good, good education. I want to raise a child with her head screwed on properly, who go out and change the world.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223615339-M8QCFQG82JQXSXN36ZR5/France_Haley_picturestory03.jpg Stories According to Natasha, a year at PIA costs BZ$8,000, which is equivalent to US$4,000. Like many non-international students, Athaliah is on a scholarship that lowers the cost to BZ$2,400, or US$1,200. However, with the combined cost of tuition, books, a uniform and food, it quickly adds up. Natasha is also still building back her savings after taking time off work to care for her aunt who raised her and recently passed away. “I had to stay home and I didn't work and all my little savings I had went shooo, so I am starting from scratch again,” Natasha said. “Starting to try and save again because hard time for slow season for her. Like I explained for me, I'm fine. I eat when I'm hungry. I'll find something, whatever it is, but having a child is a whole different ball game.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223629507-HA6BHNHDJ1ORIZZ46SND/France_Haley_picturestory04.jpg Stories After dropping Athaliah off at school, Natasha finishing getting ready at home and then bikes down to the Placencia Village pier, usually to hop on a boat for a tour. She holds a special place in her heart for the outdoors, recounting memories from her childhood of climbing trees, running away from crocodiles, and being able to tell the changing seasons of fruit just by the smell in the air. The environment she knows and loves changed considerably after Hurricane Iris in 2001, which she accredits for much of the development in the area. “There was a point when the changes started and I started missing the old Placencia. It brought tears to my eyes,” she said. Nevertheless, she finds joy in being out on the water. “If it's not natural, I don't find it fun,” Natasha said. “For me, who was born and raised, like, I’m from here. This is my backyard.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223627630-MOVAB4AIU0CC01ZQDFNJ/France_Haley_picturestory05.jpg Stories While Natasha loves her job as a freelance, licensed tour guide, its unpredictability makes her nervous. “I was thinking of going back to waitressing because I have a child,” she said. “I know I can get up every day and do my eight-hour shift. The part that really puzzles me is working all week and just collecting — the most people get paid here is 250 a week.” 250 Belizean dollars is equivalent to 125 U.S. dollars. As a guide, she makes above the minimum wage, which is a measly BZ$3.30 an hour or US$1.15. According to Gibson, tour guides typically earn BZ$75 a day. However, if there’s bad weather or if it’s during offseason, there may not be any tours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223615704-X9EEIUVGMB7B1Q19D90Y/France_Haley_picturestory06.jpg Stories One of her frequent tour locations is Laughing Bird Caye, an island off the coast of Placencia, known for its healthy coral. A locally based coral restoration organization, Fragments of Hope (FoH), has focused on this island with coral outplanting and microfragmenting. Natasha has helped lead educational tours for FoH in the past, but as of January 2020, she’s also started coral planting with them in addition to her other jobs. “I can't find words to express how it makes me feel to be planting corals,” Gibson said. “To every one I stick down, I can't wait to go back to see what's my outcome because not all the corals survive, you know?” Belize is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef, and like coral all over the world, it’s dying due to factors including climate change and rising ocean temperatures. Over half of the world’s coral reefs have died, and UNESCO estimates that Belize’s reef will be almost entirely gone by 2050 if there’s not significant intervention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223604160-Z7Q88LDIFYBU6R05FSBP/France_Haley_picturestory07.jpg Stories After a day out on the water, Natasha heads home and immediately throws her wet, salty clothes in the wash and hops in the shower. She also picks up her daughter from her cousin, who lives beneath them and watches Athaliah for her after school. If she could, Natasha says she would give up her other jobs to only do coral planting because it’s such meaningful work. “My question right now is, ‘Look at Laughing Bird. How many islands can we fill like that?’” Natasha said. Due to funding and diving schedules, full-time involvement isn’t feasible, so for now, “I'm just basically day-by-day, structuring out, brainstorming some type of something,” she said. “I have to make sure I'm ahead of my game.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223602595-MK75P1QADKFU78CW4GG2/France_Haley_picturestory08.jpg Stories Instead of making dinner right away or doing household chores, Natasha sometimes takes Athaliah back down to the pier with her to play with her friends, while Natasha chats with those of her own. There’s a tire swing off to the side that Athaliah likes to be pushed on, over the water and amongst the mangroves. “You come home from work and it's so much going on,” Natasha said. “You know, you gotta wake up next day. You just want to shut your brains off.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223591814-7ZKNXVCDUKU4FONHZQ3J/France_Haley_picturestory09.jpg Stories Natasha and Athaliah return home after a long day of school, work and play. Athaliah is tucked into bed around 8 p.m. and eventually Natasha follows suit. Finances weigh heavily on her mind with the complex issues of pension plans, taxes and social security that come with having multiple income sources. Additionally, Natasha says that while tour guiding pays well, it’s not that simple. “It's been 30 years, I think, it's been 75 dollars a day and hasn't gone up at all.” For her daughter, she sees a different future. “She wants to be a doctor, and I can see that because she's very caring [...] very observant and likes to question a lot,” Natasha said. “At school, they have all these nice, fun toys around. The first thing she grabbed in the morning is her little heart thing and she wants to check everybody’s heart and check their temperature.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589223591662-KRBIB0JVXR2OSNR7VZY8/France_Haley_picturestory010.jpg Stories Just after 6:30 a.m., Athaliah lays in bed despite her mother’s nudges that it’s time to get up and ready for school. Soon, she’ll be on her way to class and Natasha will be back on a boat, ready to start another day in hopes of creating a better future for her daughter. “I'm waiting a little bit more to really train her with a snorkeling mask and all that stuff, but as soon as she's able to do it, I want to get her out there and start flooding her brains with it all,” she said. “This part of my life, that is the hard struggle job for me, will be fun for her. My little girl, you're gonna be a nice doctor, some lawyer, something.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225516189-L02XIYUR8IWT9L5D29KB/France_489LiteralIdioms-1.jpg Stories - Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk While the original logic for this expression is unknown, usage of the phrase is found to be at least 350 years old with an early appearance in Paramoigraphy (Proverbs), 1659 by James Howell as “No weeping for shed milk.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225517630-B1ODCTLX08XYQ83KZTTX/France_489LiteralIdioms-2.jpg Stories - Butter up This phrase is thought to have originated from ancient India where there was a custom that included throwing balls of ghee, or butter, at statues of gods to ask for a favor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225520111-IZF7YMHRW432DROULW96/France_489LiteralIdioms-3.jpg Stories - Head in the Clouds The specific origins for this phase are unclear, but it is thought to have been in use since the mid-1600s to provide imagery of a very creative and imaginative person. It is important to keep in mind that this was a time before aviation existed, so that could not have inspired it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225523002-IKDLLJCL5NFRP60CCLDE/France_489LiteralIdioms-4.jpg Stories - Window-Shopping While perhaps not considered an idiom by strict classifications, this phrase is still quite interesting and can be traced back to the early 1900s. Fun fact: In French, “to go window-shopping” is “faire du lèche-vitrines,” which directly translates as “to do some display case licking.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225528372-OJOKLNMO0QR3PWACHUPI/France_489LiteralIdioms-6.jpg Stories - On the Fence This phrase is thought to have been in popular use since the 1800s. According to Ginger Software, “Fences often define ownership, and to sit on a physical fence is to straddle a position between two different properties. Metaphorically, sitting on the fence is straddling the position between two ideas without committing to either of them.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225527030-DS0L9LQY9QW6XHNBOD29/France_489LiteralIdioms-7.jpg Stories - Piece of Cake The possible origins of this expression are muddled and many, but in referencing Brewer’s 1870 Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Businessballs.com states that this phrase stems from the “tradition in USA slavery states when slaves or free descendents would walk in a procession in pairs around a cake at a social gathering or party, the most graceful pair being awarded the cake as a prize. This also gave us the expression ‘cake walk’ and ‘a piece of cake,’ both meaning a job or contest that's very easy to achieve or win.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1589225529813-ZJ6K21ELM56ZI9ZVLNWA/France_489LiteralIdioms-8.jpg Stories - Under the Weather Some say this phrase has nautical origins and comes from when seasick ship passengers would go below deck where the rocking motion from the storm or rough seas is less noticeable, or from when sailors were sent below deck to rest, away from the elements, if they were sick. https://www.haleyfrance.com/video daily 0.75 2024-03-21 https://www.haleyfrance.com/graphics daily 0.75 2024-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590848817943-0DE3XVW5MS3NDS88P1Q9/image-asset.png Graphics https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb95a98122cea533e1dfeb4/1590848865515-AFPEC4ZFSBLDZRH4M5AO/image-asset.png Graphics