On the arrival day, there were a few twists and turns. As the flight to San Jose was coming to what I thought was the end, the pilot made an announcement that we couldn’t land in San Jose because the First Lady was exiting Costa Rica. It was said that it would be a security issue for any plane to land at the time, and when we were re routed to Liberia airport in Costa Rica, there were countless planes that had been re-routed. At first, I was upset because of the minor inconvenience, but I learned later that she was helping come to an agreement for a childhood cancer relationship with the country. I figure a few hours of my time is worth losing in the pursuit of further commitment to childhood cancer research. Furthermore, once we landed in San Jose, my initial worries vanished. The bus ride engaged us with the environment as we weaved through miles of forest with rushing waterfalls mere feet from the bus. Upon arrival to La Selva Biological station, we were greeted to a tasty meal with natural fruits and vegetables grown around Costa Rica.
The first day was an exciting and interactive day where we got to experience the forest during both the day and the night. The guided tour took us into the forest and showed us creatures I had not seen before in my life. Curassow, macaw, and toucans topped the list of the most interesting creatures seen during the day hike. However, during the night hike, all my initial expectations were met as we came face to face with a Fer-de-lance. The most aggressive species of venomous snake in Costa Rica was camping out on the side of the trail; however, our tour guide Jainer spotted him and zoomed in on his telescope so that we could see the distinguishable features in incredible quality.
Following a day of exploring and becoming comfortable in the Forest, the group hunkered down in the classroom beginning to work on the projects that the whole trip is shaped around. I initially had not given much thought to my project, but during the night hike our guide had spoken on a certain lizard species who has developed the skill to reproduce without a man in a process called parthenogenesis. Because of the rising temperatures, reptiles who have temperature dependent sex determination are birthing far more females than males, and with the lack of males, females have harnessed the ability to clone their DNA into their offspring to help keep the species around. I eventually decided to use this as my initial topic for research as it touches on the impacts of climate change while staying within the realm of biology that I am interested in.
Wednesday was a day of some class time, but a lot of relaxation or casual strolls through the forest. The professors wanted to meet face to face with each student to review the topics for research, and this took them much longer than expected. When I had my meeting with the professors, they seemed to like my plan, and gave me incredible feedback on how to obtain quantitative data. During the down time, we got to play cards and socialize with the other members of the trip. Games like kemps, euchre, and capitalism have become group favorites that are played nearly every day.
A bird hike started at 5:30 to begin our Thursday morning. Toucans, vultures, and curassow were some of the rarer birds we saw on the stroll. Jainer also highlighted the national bird of Costa Rica the Clay-Colored Thrush. He spoke of their unique nature and their tendency to approach humans when they are working in the field or going on nature walks. I appreciated their pride in their national bird, and the significance its image has for the citizens of Costa Rica. We shifted gears in the classroom, and we learned about primates. Considering the amount of primates I expect to see on the trip, this lecture informed me of essential information to help me further appreciate the different species.
On Friday morning we did a trial run for the upcoming census of howler monkeys. Kassidy and I hiked 3 miles to out spot in the dead center of la selva. On the journey out, we spotted a baby False Fer-da-Lance. Although these aren’t as dangerous as the previously mentioned, they are still poisonous and babies are known to have less control of their venom, and they can result in some seriously dangerous attacks. Also, I almost walked right into a web of a Golden Orb Weaver. This monster as seen below was only 2 inches from my face. We watched it guzzle down its lunch before we went on our way unscathed. The journey back was tiring, but this was the furthest we had been out into the forest yet, and I was excited for the census to come. The afternoon was taken up by me preparing my research proposal for a few hours. I got to put into words the logistics of the research I plan to accomplish. With a focal point of climate change’s effect on reptilian species, my research can be hard to quantify, but I am working to figure out a methodology.
Crawling out of bed at 2:20 was probably a first for me. The hike in the pitch black was both terrifying and really cool. Our trip only took an hour and ten minutes which was much quicker of a pace than the practice run before. Howls started at 4:30 almost on the dot, and we spent the next 2 and a half hours listening and record monkey howls. Upon return, I took a divine nap, one of the best naps I have had in a long, long time. We had most of the day off until our presentations later at night, and during the presentations I realized that my topic is unique and I’m going to struggle finding a partner for this project with similar interests. I’m excited to see what the professors plan to do with my pairing. I can’t wait to see how this trip turns out in the coming weeks!
Sunday was sad becasue I missed the greatest spectacle in racing. 
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