Signing up for this class, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard Dr Wasserman talk about it a few times in the classes that I had taken with him but I didn’t really consider it until I took HUBI 200 with him in the fall. After hearing him and Libby talking about Costa Rica and their policies in regards to conservation, I decided to look into the class in the beginning of the winter and I ended up applying for the class. Not only did it sound like a cool class, I would also be exploring a new country in the tropics that wasn’t Cambodia, and I felt like I was also going to be exploring it in an organic way since we weren’t really staying in too many touristy spots. The drive to the station was really pretty and the drive through the mountain pass was jaw dropping, it definitely felt like I was in a new world.
A lot of people like to call the Amazon a green hell because of how green and dangerous it is, and even though we’re not in the Amazon, the forests here are a lot greener than what you’d see in nature books or docs; the only connection I can find here to hell is that it’s definitely as hot as hell. At La Selva, we went through the usual safety talk about the snakes and such and about what rooming and food would look like and then we ended up walking to our rooms: all I can say was, damn. I hadn’t gone to the gym in a bit since I rarely went last semester and the walk to the River Station with my 45 pound suitcase felt so taxing on me, especially the part when we had to carry our luggage up the makeshift stairs to the River Station. The station was nice, I liked how it was in the forest but I just wish that there was AC instead of a fan since the air here just feels so still, wet, and heavy and it doesn’t help that we got here in time for the start of the wet season. I think we were the first school to get to the River Station but we do have a resident tarantula, some bullet ants, and a lot of other bugs and critters as our neighbors. Going to bed that night I could really hear the diversity in life outside of my window, which I thought would prevent me from sleeping but I have been sleeping extremely easily from all the project work we are doing.
The project has been our main focus this first week, with us starting out on it immediately during our first full day here and we’ve moved fast through this process; I had never done so much background research and made a presentation in only a day and a half. Now we are staring data collection and what my partner and I are doing is looking at the amount of different species of butterflies that land on a specific flower and if that changes depending on the environment around the flower. It’s been interesting and it has taught me more about the wild than any lecture of documentary could teach me. The first lesson that it taught me was that nature and beauty are honestly everywhere. Everywhere I’ve looked I’ve seen some sort of cool butterfly, insect, lizard, and even a mammal if I’m really lucky. It’s honestly helped me become more in tune with my surroundings and its also helped me with just getting used to living out in the jungle. The second lesson is kinda tied but it’s that to not take the little things for granted (literally). Coming here I was more interested in animals like the monkeys, cats, snakes, and birds that I’d be seeing everywhere but after doing some research on butterflies and their impact, it’s made me realize that we honestly do take bugs like butterflies for granted and even if we don’t we just focus on them being pollinators and call it a day. So now I just spend my days looking at only butterflies for research but it’s nothing too bad, it’s just a test of my patience. But even though I’m mainly focused on butterflies at the moment, that still doesn’t mean I’m not looking out for the other little things in the forest; whether it be snakes, frogs, and even mushrooms I am always on the lookout for something cool to take a picture of to show my friends and family.
While our projects have been the majority of the work that has consumed our days, that doesn’t mean that we don’t get any free time on the trip. One of the more fun things I did was play soccer with some of the other AIs, professors, staff, and my classmates and I got to meet some new people like an AI named Sari who has been one of the coolest people I’ve met so far at the station. I’ve also been trying to find the missing ping pong table but it seems as though no one knows where it went; if they did then I’d definitely try and set up a ping pong match. If it isn’t sports, I’ve also been keeping busy near the library because of the air conditioning and also because of the little hammock spot next to Erick’s office that feels especially nice during big rains. The food is also a big part of being here and after a week of being here I already have a list of some of my favorites throughout the week, but I’m wondering if the food we get during the farm tours will be able to top some of my favorites. Finally, the people I’m here with are also a big part of why I’m enjoying this trip. Whether it’s playing cards or just talking during meals, it’s been fun to get to know people and to at least know that I’m not suffering through this humidity alone. This trip has been fun overall and I don’t regret signing up for it and I know my enjoyment of it will grow after we leave La Selva because we’ll be able to get a rapid fire tour of the rest of the country. Maybe I’ll be able to make a top 10 list of the food I’ve had…but who knows.
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