Today was a “free day.” “Free Day” means we aren’t doing anything academic, but they usually plan some sort of vigorous activity for us. Today was a 14K hike round trip to Playa Llorona. Playa Llorona can only be accessed by this single path from San Pedrillo, so even less people go there. They wanted the hike to be the destination and really enjoy the forest. Corcovado is a very healthy forest, and there’s not many places like it. Luke and I hiked together. At the beginning of the path we saw monkeys and coatis. We couldn’t see the monkeys very well though, so I was highly disappointed. We were able to get fairly close to the coatis. They’re so cute, I just want to cuddle with them. I don’t think they’d like that very much though.
The forest was so beautiful. The trees are huge, and you can hear lots of birds. We didn’t really see much after the monkeys and coatis. The path was quite the hike, very hilly and steep. I definitely enjoyed it none the less. It took us two and a half hours to reach Playa Llorona. It was so beautiful. The beach was huge! There were so many shells. Since it was low tide we were able to hike to a waterfall at the end of the beach. It can only be accessed during low tide because you have to walk through the tide pools, it sucked. So rocky and difficult. Sarah fell and dropped her camera in the water. We saw a bright yellow puffer fish stranded in one of the tide pools, natural selection at its finest. The waterfall was pretty cool, but we didn’t stay long because we wanted to leave plenty of time to hike back before it got dark. It was funny to watch Pablo hide from the sun in his rain boots and a sarong. Such a funny guy. Whitest Costa Rican ever.
The hike back was rough. My legs felt like jello. Sarah and I were dragging, but Luke was kicking our asses. My hands were so swollen. Toward the end of the hike we saw some white-faced capuchins, so that made me really happy. I finally saw monkeys! Finally made it back around 4. I was so dehydrated, even after drinking 4 liters of water. Since most people weren’t back I took a really long shower, it was amazing. My whole body got burned, even after several applications of spf 50. My feet got burned badly also. Those tan lines are going to stick with me for a while. We didn’t have a night lecture, so everyone went to bed right after dinner, around 6:30.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, Feb 16: Corcovado
Hot, hot, hot. It’s so freaking hot. I woke up at 5:30 this morning. Not on purpose, that’s just when I woke up. Luke and I tried to snorkel, but we couldn’t see anything. We gave up on snorkeling and just walked on the beach. I LOVE mornings in Corcovado. It’s so peaceful and the perfect temperature. Down the beach were some tapir and jaguar tracks, which was really cool. They were huge! We also saw hermit crabs eating a lizard. There are hermit crabs everywhere, especially at night when they all come out. Breakfast was so good, French toast and fried plantanes. Fried plantanes are quite possibly the best food every.
After breakfast we divided into 6 groups to do field projects. Luke, Brenna, Scott, Sarah S and I went with Moncho to catch norops (little lizards). We wanted to see if males have more tail regeneration than females. They were kind of hard to catch at first, they’re really small and camoflague with the surroundings really well. Then when you find one they jump away. After some practice it wasn’t too hard. We caught about 50 total. We had a ton of fun. We sang Alanis Morsette and the Backstreet Boys, and were laughing the entire time. It definitely lured in the norops.
After lunch we had to make a poster of our findings. It’s ridiculously hot today. You can’t even walk on the grass barefoot it’s so hot. I definitely burned the bottom of my feet. Before the poster session started we had a little time to swim, which felt so good and much needed. The poster was full of laughs. Our poster was not serious at all. We drew of picture of Scott trying to lure in the norops but putting army ants on his tongue. Our conclusion was that further research needs to be done on the ability of Alanis to mesmorize and lure the norops.
After the posters almost everyone went swimming again. How can you resist, really? We were in the water for almost 2 hours probably. Luke and Danny even threw me up in the air. It was fun. After dinner each group presented their poster. Anjali and Alan tore our group apart because some of my group members commented on our study was poorly designed, which it wasn’t. I went to bed after posters. I go to bed really early (at like 8) but there’s not much to do here at night and I’m usually completely worn out by then anyways.
After breakfast we divided into 6 groups to do field projects. Luke, Brenna, Scott, Sarah S and I went with Moncho to catch norops (little lizards). We wanted to see if males have more tail regeneration than females. They were kind of hard to catch at first, they’re really small and camoflague with the surroundings really well. Then when you find one they jump away. After some practice it wasn’t too hard. We caught about 50 total. We had a ton of fun. We sang Alanis Morsette and the Backstreet Boys, and were laughing the entire time. It definitely lured in the norops.
After lunch we had to make a poster of our findings. It’s ridiculously hot today. You can’t even walk on the grass barefoot it’s so hot. I definitely burned the bottom of my feet. Before the poster session started we had a little time to swim, which felt so good and much needed. The poster was full of laughs. Our poster was not serious at all. We drew of picture of Scott trying to lure in the norops but putting army ants on his tongue. Our conclusion was that further research needs to be done on the ability of Alanis to mesmorize and lure the norops.
After the posters almost everyone went swimming again. How can you resist, really? We were in the water for almost 2 hours probably. Luke and Danny even threw me up in the air. It was fun. After dinner each group presented their poster. Anjali and Alan tore our group apart because some of my group members commented on our study was poorly designed, which it wasn’t. I went to bed after posters. I go to bed really early (at like 8) but there’s not much to do here at night and I’m usually completely worn out by then anyways.
Sunday, Feb 15: Corcovado
Today was our first full day in Corcovado. I woke up around 6, which is when the sun comes up. I thought it was too early, since breakfast isn’t till 7, but mornings are very beautiful. We faced west, so there was no sunrise, but it’s so peaceful in the morning. It’s great to just walk on the beach. A lot of other people were up too. Nights are really hot and humid, and half the time I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I went the bed because I’m sweating so much. There’s so much dew we all thought it had rained.
After breakfast we set up a makeshift classroom in the shade so Alan could lecture us on plant leaves. It’s really cool to have to stop lecture to watch the scarlet macaques fly overhead, or because there’s a coati (really cute mammal) walking behind us. After lecture we split into three groups to go on hikes in the forest. First I went with Alan and Yemen. We saw some 800 year old trees and boat billed herons. Next was with Anjali and Pablo. We saw a small lizard, a golden orb weaving spider, leaf cutter ants, and termites. After lunch we had a group lecture before the third round of hikes. We learned about some trees, including the mango and wild cashew. Apparently both those plants are toxic, especially if you are allergic to poison ivy, which of course I am. The only reason humans can eat mango is because the poison goes away as the fruit ripens. Lecture was interrupted by a tiger heron this time. Very pretty. After lecture was a hike with Tania and Moncho. Tania kicked our asses up the steps on the path, holy crap. I had trouble keeping up. There were huge ant hills along the path. At the top was this dead, hollow tree. It was really big. Moncho went inside and caught and bat. It had really sharp teeth and tried to bite him. It was really cool though, we even got to pet it.
After the hikes were done we had to the rest of the afternoon free. Almost everyone hiked the the waterfall in one of the path loops. It was kind of a rough hike, but the waterfall was really cool. We could climb up the rocks to the top part and sit under the falls. After the waterfall I ran back to beat everyone to the showers. There were enclosed showers, but they were super sketchy so everyone used the outside ones. The water was cold, but since Corcovado is so hot and humid it felt really good. After dinner we had a really boring reading assignment, then Luke and I went to the lagoon to see the caymens. We shined our flashlights so we could see the eyes reflect back. We were really lucky to see them, but I wish we could see more than two red dots moving in the water. It was still pretty cool though. After that I started making flash cards for all the species I need to memorize. I hate latin nomenclature.
After breakfast we set up a makeshift classroom in the shade so Alan could lecture us on plant leaves. It’s really cool to have to stop lecture to watch the scarlet macaques fly overhead, or because there’s a coati (really cute mammal) walking behind us. After lecture we split into three groups to go on hikes in the forest. First I went with Alan and Yemen. We saw some 800 year old trees and boat billed herons. Next was with Anjali and Pablo. We saw a small lizard, a golden orb weaving spider, leaf cutter ants, and termites. After lunch we had a group lecture before the third round of hikes. We learned about some trees, including the mango and wild cashew. Apparently both those plants are toxic, especially if you are allergic to poison ivy, which of course I am. The only reason humans can eat mango is because the poison goes away as the fruit ripens. Lecture was interrupted by a tiger heron this time. Very pretty. After lecture was a hike with Tania and Moncho. Tania kicked our asses up the steps on the path, holy crap. I had trouble keeping up. There were huge ant hills along the path. At the top was this dead, hollow tree. It was really big. Moncho went inside and caught and bat. It had really sharp teeth and tried to bite him. It was really cool though, we even got to pet it.
After the hikes were done we had to the rest of the afternoon free. Almost everyone hiked the the waterfall in one of the path loops. It was kind of a rough hike, but the waterfall was really cool. We could climb up the rocks to the top part and sit under the falls. After the waterfall I ran back to beat everyone to the showers. There were enclosed showers, but they were super sketchy so everyone used the outside ones. The water was cold, but since Corcovado is so hot and humid it felt really good. After dinner we had a really boring reading assignment, then Luke and I went to the lagoon to see the caymens. We shined our flashlights so we could see the eyes reflect back. We were really lucky to see them, but I wish we could see more than two red dots moving in the water. It was still pretty cool though. After that I started making flash cards for all the species I need to memorize. I hate latin nomenclature.
Saturday, Feb 14: Sierpe Mangroves and Corcovado
Today after breakfast we got on to boats and headed out into the mangroves. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day. The group was split amongst three boats. The mangroves were pretty cool, we saw birds, bats, raccoons, crabs, and two boas. After a couple hours of looking at plants and animals, we got to climb on the mangrove roots, which was pretty cool. They are so strong, just like branches and trunks. We basically went from the roots into the water swimming, which was really fun. The silt at the bottom was really fine, and was kind of like quick sand. If you tried to walk along the bank your leg sank up to your knee. We had some major mud fights. Then some how swimming led to climbing up the trees and jumping into the water. I was too scared, and it wasn’t even that high.
After some jumping we headed back to the hotel for lunch, then loaded up the boats with all our stuff to Corcovado. Corcovado National Park is in the southwest corner of the country, in the Osa Penninsula. It can only be accessed by boat, and getting there is expensive, so most tourists don’t go there. We had about an hour boat ride in the same tiny fiberglass boats down the river and out into the pacific. It was a beautiful afternoon. When we arrived at the beach, it looked like paradise. It was like vacation. The part of park we’re staying in is called San Pedrillo, the northernmost part of the park. Behind the beach was a small grassy clearing where the ranger station is, and that’s where we set up camp. After basically throwing our stuff on the grass we went right into the water. It was so warm and wonderful. Very rocky. We swam for a few hours before dinner. We hired cook staff to come with us and cook every meal for us while in Corcovado, which was awesome. After dinner we had a snake lecture. Basically Moncho (one of the TA’s) showed us pictures of everything we shouldn’t go near, which is pretty much any snake. And yes students have been bitten before, right in the camping area actually. He was in the hospital for 10 days. Everyone was so paranoid after that. And Pablo (another TA) was actually bitten on the last program.
After some jumping we headed back to the hotel for lunch, then loaded up the boats with all our stuff to Corcovado. Corcovado National Park is in the southwest corner of the country, in the Osa Penninsula. It can only be accessed by boat, and getting there is expensive, so most tourists don’t go there. We had about an hour boat ride in the same tiny fiberglass boats down the river and out into the pacific. It was a beautiful afternoon. When we arrived at the beach, it looked like paradise. It was like vacation. The part of park we’re staying in is called San Pedrillo, the northernmost part of the park. Behind the beach was a small grassy clearing where the ranger station is, and that’s where we set up camp. After basically throwing our stuff on the grass we went right into the water. It was so warm and wonderful. Very rocky. We swam for a few hours before dinner. We hired cook staff to come with us and cook every meal for us while in Corcovado, which was awesome. After dinner we had a snake lecture. Basically Moncho (one of the TA’s) showed us pictures of everything we shouldn’t go near, which is pretty much any snake. And yes students have been bitten before, right in the camping area actually. He was in the hospital for 10 days. Everyone was so paranoid after that. And Pablo (another TA) was actually bitten on the last program.
Friday, Feb 13: Leaving San Jose
Today we left San Jose for our first field trip. We had breakfast at 7, then on the bus at 8. We first stopped about 15 minutes later at a cathedral in Cartago. Cartago used to be the capitol of Costa Rica, and this is the largest Catholic Church. It was really beautiful. The church was built based on a story where a girl found a picture of the virgin under some rocks, so she took it home with her. The next day, she went back to the rocks and found the picture again. She ran home thinking she now had two pictures of the virgin, but when she got home, the first picture was gone. This happened once more before she went to the priest to tell him about it, and they built a church on the spot where the picture was found. Once a year (I think), people from all over walk on foot to the church to celebrate the girl. Some people walk for days. There was a mass going on, so of course we went in and took pictures.
We left the church and headed up the mountains for Cerro de la Muerte (Hill of Death). This place got its name because it is the only passage through this area of the mountains, and it’s really cold. It even gets below zero, so back in the day a lot of travelers weren’t equipped for the cold temperatures and would die. But it wasn’t that cold for us, maybe in the 50’s. We were also there just for a few hours during the day, not at night. The drive up the mountains was beautiful, such a good view down into the valley. We had lunch at this cafeteria in Cerro de la Muerte, and then went into the woods for some species reports. So in San Jose each student was assigned an animal and plant to prepare a 5 minute report on, and when we would see that species during the trip we had to give our report. It was very much like Wisconsin, with lots of oak trees.
After Cerro de la Muerte we headed back down the mountains to the costal town of Sierpe. More gorgeous views. Before hitting the coast we stopped at a pineapple plantation. So many pineapples. Of course we did a species report. We drove miles through the plantation to come to the store, where we had pineapple that was literally just cut off the plant. It was so good, it melted in our mouths. There was a soccer game right next to the pineapple place, so we got to watch that for a few minutes too.
Then we left for Sierpe. It was dark by this time, so no good views. We arrived at our hotel, which is right on the mangrove river. After getting settled, we had a lecture on mangroves by a mangrove expert. He was telling us about mangrove ecology and all the species we were going to see the next day. I’ve come to realize that beer and night lecture go hand-in-hand here in Costa Rica. Too bad for me.
We left the church and headed up the mountains for Cerro de la Muerte (Hill of Death). This place got its name because it is the only passage through this area of the mountains, and it’s really cold. It even gets below zero, so back in the day a lot of travelers weren’t equipped for the cold temperatures and would die. But it wasn’t that cold for us, maybe in the 50’s. We were also there just for a few hours during the day, not at night. The drive up the mountains was beautiful, such a good view down into the valley. We had lunch at this cafeteria in Cerro de la Muerte, and then went into the woods for some species reports. So in San Jose each student was assigned an animal and plant to prepare a 5 minute report on, and when we would see that species during the trip we had to give our report. It was very much like Wisconsin, with lots of oak trees.
After Cerro de la Muerte we headed back down the mountains to the costal town of Sierpe. More gorgeous views. Before hitting the coast we stopped at a pineapple plantation. So many pineapples. Of course we did a species report. We drove miles through the plantation to come to the store, where we had pineapple that was literally just cut off the plant. It was so good, it melted in our mouths. There was a soccer game right next to the pineapple place, so we got to watch that for a few minutes too.
Then we left for Sierpe. It was dark by this time, so no good views. We arrived at our hotel, which is right on the mangrove river. After getting settled, we had a lecture on mangroves by a mangrove expert. He was telling us about mangrove ecology and all the species we were going to see the next day. I’ve come to realize that beer and night lecture go hand-in-hand here in Costa Rica. Too bad for me.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Day 2: More San Jose
Last night we went to dinner at a place in San Jose. I had chicken covered in cheese, served with rice and beans and salsa. It was served on a giant leaf instead of a plate. After dinner we went to the hotel bar with the TAs to watch Costa Rica play Honduras in futbol. We didn't have to pay for our drinks, which was awesome. My TA Pablo, wrapped himself in the Costa Rican flag while watching the game. I wish I could understand what he was saying, he flipped out over everything. Costa Rica ended up winning 3-0.
Today was our first day of class. We had breakfast at 7 AM again, and then class at 8. Our only class today was Humans in the Tropics, and we learned about urbanization. Pablo gave the lecture, but had a hoarse voice from the game last night. We had lecture from about 8-10, and then was thrown out in the city again with our first assignment. We were supposed to go to three different places in San Jose: the university, the mall, and the central market to interview local Costa Ricans about their carbon footprint. Luke and I finished our interviews by 1, so we had a couple hours to wander around the central market and San Jose. We heard stories about bull testicles at the central market, and we were on a mission to find them. We did find them, and they were huge, one is about the length of my palm. It was certainly interesting. After the market Luke and I ate lunch at this little place in the back of a store called Soda Mary. It wasn't on the list of reccommend cafes, so we were hoping we weren't going to get sick (we didn't).
Luke and I then headed back to the hotel to calculate our carbon footprint and compare it to Costa Ricans. My footprint was about 3.5 Earths. The Costa Ricans I interviewed had a footprint of 0.5 Earths. Another interesting thing was if we changed our location to Costa Rica, but kept all our habits the same, our carbon footprint dropped to about 0.8. One man I interviewed misunderstood some of the questions, as he claimed to live in a climate like Moscow, Russia, and made over $120,000 per year. oh well. We then met up to talk about our experiences and findings. We got to drink in class (and didn't have to pay!) which was cool.
After the final class this afternoon we had a little down time before dinner to pack and do some homework. We then headed to a really cute italian place for dinner. I had fettucini alfredo with seafood. We pretty much all had seafood dishes. You could tell we were a bunch of biologists because we all sat there and dissected our mussels and squid. Some girls even knew all of the anatomy.
We are now back at the hotel for the night to pack and do homework. We leave at 8 AM tomorrow for a 2.5 week field trip up the Pacific Coast. We are travelling by bus, and the roads are really bad so it should be interesting. We are first heading to a high point up in the mountains where it will be really cold, and then down to the lowlands where it will be hot and humid. Our desination is Corcovado, a national park in the far southwest corner of the country. We then go to an island in the park too. I'm really excited. It's the most preserved rainforst in the country, and I hear it's absolutely beautiful. There's even monkeys there!!! YAY! On a less academic note, I made my first alcohol purchase tonight! It was very exciting. I bought a little bottle of vodka to bring on the trip. I didn't want vodka, but I wanted something plastic so it wouldn't break.
Well I think that's it for now. I won't be blogging for the next two and a half weeks, or have any sort of communication. Should be a great time!
Today was our first day of class. We had breakfast at 7 AM again, and then class at 8. Our only class today was Humans in the Tropics, and we learned about urbanization. Pablo gave the lecture, but had a hoarse voice from the game last night. We had lecture from about 8-10, and then was thrown out in the city again with our first assignment. We were supposed to go to three different places in San Jose: the university, the mall, and the central market to interview local Costa Ricans about their carbon footprint. Luke and I finished our interviews by 1, so we had a couple hours to wander around the central market and San Jose. We heard stories about bull testicles at the central market, and we were on a mission to find them. We did find them, and they were huge, one is about the length of my palm. It was certainly interesting. After the market Luke and I ate lunch at this little place in the back of a store called Soda Mary. It wasn't on the list of reccommend cafes, so we were hoping we weren't going to get sick (we didn't).
Luke and I then headed back to the hotel to calculate our carbon footprint and compare it to Costa Ricans. My footprint was about 3.5 Earths. The Costa Ricans I interviewed had a footprint of 0.5 Earths. Another interesting thing was if we changed our location to Costa Rica, but kept all our habits the same, our carbon footprint dropped to about 0.8. One man I interviewed misunderstood some of the questions, as he claimed to live in a climate like Moscow, Russia, and made over $120,000 per year. oh well. We then met up to talk about our experiences and findings. We got to drink in class (and didn't have to pay!) which was cool.
After the final class this afternoon we had a little down time before dinner to pack and do some homework. We then headed to a really cute italian place for dinner. I had fettucini alfredo with seafood. We pretty much all had seafood dishes. You could tell we were a bunch of biologists because we all sat there and dissected our mussels and squid. Some girls even knew all of the anatomy.
We are now back at the hotel for the night to pack and do homework. We leave at 8 AM tomorrow for a 2.5 week field trip up the Pacific Coast. We are travelling by bus, and the roads are really bad so it should be interesting. We are first heading to a high point up in the mountains where it will be really cold, and then down to the lowlands where it will be hot and humid. Our desination is Corcovado, a national park in the far southwest corner of the country. We then go to an island in the park too. I'm really excited. It's the most preserved rainforst in the country, and I hear it's absolutely beautiful. There's even monkeys there!!! YAY! On a less academic note, I made my first alcohol purchase tonight! It was very exciting. I bought a little bottle of vodka to bring on the trip. I didn't want vodka, but I wanted something plastic so it wouldn't break.
Well I think that's it for now. I won't be blogging for the next two and a half weeks, or have any sort of communication. Should be a great time!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Day 1: Orientation in San Jose
First and foremost, I made it here safely and with all my luggage despite American Airlines switching planes on us three time, resulting in a two hour delay. There were 3 other girls on my flight, so luckily I wasn't the last one in. We finally got to the hotel around 1 AM. The best part was our taxi driver playing "Sandstorm" during the ride to the hotel. I didn't get much sleep (Costa Ricans are obsessed with honking their car horns), and was up at 6:15 to shower before going to get breakfast at 7 AM. I had a breakfast of fruit, but not enough to fill me up for the day. Oh and LOTS of coffee.
Orientation started at 8 AM. We basically just got an introduction to the country and what our trip itinerary is. Turns out our first camping trip is going to quite luxurious--they hired people to carry around our luggage AND cook for us so we can "focus on the biology." Excellent. My Professor and TAs are all really nice. On Friday we leave for a 2.5 week pacific coastal trip, ALL the way up the entire coast. should be interesting. Then we head back to the station in Monteverde for 2.5 weeks. And then I can't remember what happens. Homestay maybe? Atlantic coastal trip and Panama? They're both in there somewhere.
After orientation we got our first homework assignment. We were each given 1,000 colones (about $2) to go to the market and buy and assigned fruit. It was really hard talking in Spanish, but Costa Ricans are really understanding of tourists and love Americans. We had to find out from the vendors about the item we bought, such as when it's in season, where it's grown, how it's prepared, etc. We got a little time to walk around San Jose too, but none of the streets have street signs so we didn't venture too far.
After the market we all met up back at the hotel to head to the botanical gardens. We had a lunch of empanadas, roast chicken, and salad. After lunch, we started "class." We are starting some basic botany stuff, which was all review to me thanks to Bot 130 (who would have thought that class would come in handy?!). After some introductions, we got a little time to walk around the gardens. There were some really pretty orchids, and it felt like we were walking through the rainforest. We then met up as a group, and shared our knowledge of the fruit we learned about in the market. Some fruits need to be cooked before eaten, weird! And Cashews are actually fruit. And if you're allergic to poison ivy, you might be allergic to the fleshy covering of the cashew. Of course they told me this after I picked it up. We then split up into groups and got to cut into a bunch of fruit and ate it. We were supposed to be learning about the different types of fruit and how they're classified, but we mostly just ate. It was delicious.
We are now back at the hotel for some downtime before dinner at 6:45. Later tonight our TAs are taking us out to the bar. Yes, this is mandatory, ha. Costa Rica plays the Honduras in soccer tonight, and we're all hoping we can watch the game. We remain in San Jose until Friday morning, when we leave sharply at 8 AM for our first field trip. I'll have internet while in San Jose, but not during the field trip. Ok, that's enough for now. I'll write at least once more before leaving for the fieldtrip. Miss everyone!
Orientation started at 8 AM. We basically just got an introduction to the country and what our trip itinerary is. Turns out our first camping trip is going to quite luxurious--they hired people to carry around our luggage AND cook for us so we can "focus on the biology." Excellent. My Professor and TAs are all really nice. On Friday we leave for a 2.5 week pacific coastal trip, ALL the way up the entire coast. should be interesting. Then we head back to the station in Monteverde for 2.5 weeks. And then I can't remember what happens. Homestay maybe? Atlantic coastal trip and Panama? They're both in there somewhere.
After orientation we got our first homework assignment. We were each given 1,000 colones (about $2) to go to the market and buy and assigned fruit. It was really hard talking in Spanish, but Costa Ricans are really understanding of tourists and love Americans. We had to find out from the vendors about the item we bought, such as when it's in season, where it's grown, how it's prepared, etc. We got a little time to walk around San Jose too, but none of the streets have street signs so we didn't venture too far.
After the market we all met up back at the hotel to head to the botanical gardens. We had a lunch of empanadas, roast chicken, and salad. After lunch, we started "class." We are starting some basic botany stuff, which was all review to me thanks to Bot 130 (who would have thought that class would come in handy?!). After some introductions, we got a little time to walk around the gardens. There were some really pretty orchids, and it felt like we were walking through the rainforest. We then met up as a group, and shared our knowledge of the fruit we learned about in the market. Some fruits need to be cooked before eaten, weird! And Cashews are actually fruit. And if you're allergic to poison ivy, you might be allergic to the fleshy covering of the cashew. Of course they told me this after I picked it up. We then split up into groups and got to cut into a bunch of fruit and ate it. We were supposed to be learning about the different types of fruit and how they're classified, but we mostly just ate. It was delicious.
We are now back at the hotel for some downtime before dinner at 6:45. Later tonight our TAs are taking us out to the bar. Yes, this is mandatory, ha. Costa Rica plays the Honduras in soccer tonight, and we're all hoping we can watch the game. We remain in San Jose until Friday morning, when we leave sharply at 8 AM for our first field trip. I'll have internet while in San Jose, but not during the field trip. Ok, that's enough for now. I'll write at least once more before leaving for the fieldtrip. Miss everyone!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The beginning
Hey everyone,
I thought I would start a blog while I'm in Costa Rica since the limited internet connection will probably prevent me from keeping in touch with everyone. I'll try to update it as much as I can. I leave on Tuesday, February 10 and return on May 26. My program starts out with a long field trip, so my first real blog won't be for two or three weeks. I can still be reached by email or facebook, but no guarantees when I will be able to reply back. My mailing address is:
Liz Feit
c/o CIEE
APDO 43-5655
Monteverde
Costa Rica
I would love to get mail (snail mail or email) to hear from you, but due to customs, please to do send care packages. I can't wait to leave, but I know I'll miss everyone. Alright, time to finish packing!
I thought I would start a blog while I'm in Costa Rica since the limited internet connection will probably prevent me from keeping in touch with everyone. I'll try to update it as much as I can. I leave on Tuesday, February 10 and return on May 26. My program starts out with a long field trip, so my first real blog won't be for two or three weeks. I can still be reached by email or facebook, but no guarantees when I will be able to reply back. My mailing address is:
Liz Feit
c/o CIEE
APDO 43-5655
Monteverde
Costa Rica
I would love to get mail (snail mail or email) to hear from you, but due to customs, please to do send care packages. I can't wait to leave, but I know I'll miss everyone. Alright, time to finish packing!
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