My first impression of Costa Rica was one that was preceded by an all-nighter, stress, and a long day of travel. Even with all of that, I was awestruck by the beauty of this country at first sight. Flying over the mountainous terrain surrounded by ocean caused the adrenaline and excitement to kick in. We took a scenic drive from San José, through Braulio Carrillo National Park and its beautiful mountains, to La Selva Biological Research Station. When we arrived, we were greeted by the kind staff, enjoyed a delicious dinner, and headed to our rooms. It was an incredibly long day of travel. The following day, we had a delicious first breakfast and then embarked on a nature hike, which would be my first introduction to this place’s incredible wildlife. I saw two sloths, a toucan, and two macaws flying overhead.
Thursday, we started our day with a 5:45 am bird hike, when the birds would be most active. I don’t normally do well with early mornings, but luckily, the time change has been helpful. What made this day so special was this it was my first encounter with monkeys. During our bird hike we encountered a group of howler monkeys. Our tour guide managed to capture them in the scope, and we got incredible pictures! This experience was truly surreal. It was only topped by an encounter with a mixed group of capuchin and spider monkeys swinging right above our heads on a hiking trail on Saturday. It is so beautiful to see the wildlife here in their natural habitat existing freely, not in cages at a zoo. It is so much more rewarding encountering them in the wild as well. I was just awestruck, and I don’t think I’ll forget this experience as long as I live.
Some other cool encounters we’ve had include the creatures we encountered on our night hike. I was, honestly, a little afraid of the night hike. I’ve been scared walking through the forest at night because that is when all the scary forest dwellers, like snakes and bullet ants, come out. However, the night hike turned out to be amazing. We saw a lot of insects, which I would normally not be a fan of, but the tour guide had so much knowledge of all the insects and the important role they play in the ecosystem. I was particularly amazed by the leaf cutter ants. These little ants have a whole production line and seemingly work day and night. They are all females, and they cut and carry leaves back to their colony. There are even ants whose job is to clean the bacteria off the leaves while the other ants transport them. I also got to see a red eyed tree frog, which was one of the animals I was hoping to see while I was here, and a big boa constrictor. The night hike was one of those experiences where I had to challenge myself but the reward was incredible.
Aside from wildlife, most of our focus here is on our research projects. Me and Alaina have been working together on a project about formaldehyde as an air pollutant from two different sources, agriculture and consumer goods. We are looking at the forest filtration effect that occurs by measuring the amount of formaldehyde along trails that pass by farms and buildings and lead into the primary forest. We have faced setbacks with this project, in terms of logistics and not getting the readings we expected. It has been a lot of hard work, because there is a long hike we must take every day on which we take measurements every 100 meters. We’re typically exhausted at the end of the day, but we’re very passionate about this project. I can only hope that it comes together in the end.
I’ve always been one to appreciate nature. I really appreciate the aesthetics and beauty of the natural world, and that is a large part of what urges me to care about climate change, biodiversity, and conserving our environment. Being here truly shows you the interconnectedness between wildlife and human well-being. I truly feel that the wildlife encounters I have each day energize me and fill me with purpose. To be in a place that harbors 6% of the world’s biodiversity is a privilege, and it is important that I use what I’ve learned to educate and encourage solutions to the biodiversity crisis. It can be incredibly depressing to think about the state of our environment and the endangerment of wildlife, but this trip has also given me hope. From the way that the staff here cares so deeply for this ecosystem and all the people here who are researching it, it is clear that many people are on the side of change. Not to mention, my fellow peers in this program who all come from different paths of study but care about these issues.
My whole life I’ve yearned for adventure. Up until this point, I have never traveled outside of the country. Throughout high school, I kept a travel bucket list of places I’d want to visit and what I’d want to do there. Now, at 20, I’m crossing my first item off my travel bucket list. Not only that, but I’m living here for 3 weeks. This trip is bound to teach me so much about our world, life, and myself. I’m quickly learning that travel is not perfect. There are moments that are challenging but also many moments where I ask myself, “How is this real?”. I am so grateful for the experiences I’ve had so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Leave a Reply