Hey all,
We started our host stays today which will last for the next month, while we take finals and work on our independent project. I am living in a very cute yet small house in Cañitas (close to Montverde) with a young couple (Nísida 29 and Alejandro 31) and their cute baby girl, Valentina born in April. This will be the first real test of my spanish!
During the host stay I´ll also be working on my independent project analysing how pollen loads on bats differ according to the different wing shapes and therefore foraging styles. This means i get to collect bats for 3 to 5 days, and then sit at a microscope analysing pollen samples for the next three weeks. But at least i get to play with bats!
We recently got back from our adventures along the Caribbean coast. We started by hiking from Monteverde into el Bosque Eternal de los niños, the largest private reserve in C. Amer. We hiked in 10 mi with our packs for the 4 days we stayed there, and then out another 10mi. It was beauitful and very remote. The farmer who sold this property to the Monteverde Reserve hiked in with us and packd in our food via horse.
After the stay at Eladio´s we traveled to La Selva a famous research station where almost everyone who does biology work in CR does their research. Then we stayed a few days in Tirimbina, catching frogs (learning their scientific names) and shining lights on Caimen.
Next we headed to Tortugera and saw amazing turtles. Finally down to Panama for some fun in the sun. (more details to come later)
Miss you all keep writing!!
Julia
viernes, 19 de octubre de 2007
domingo, 16 de septiembre de 2007
Monteverde
Hey,
We have spent the past week in Monteverde at the Biological station, where we are staying. Yet, there hasn't been too much time for exploring, as our midterm for tropical diversity is tomorrow. (over 100 species name, family, and life styles mostly plants) We have however made some time for exploration.
Sept 15 is the Central American independence from Spain and in Monteverde is celebrated with an extremely long parade invoving marching bands for each of the schools. We woke up early because the parade was supposed to start at 8am, but being on Tico time caused it not to start until about 9:30 and it ran until 11. This morning we also took a trip on the zip lines through a cloud forest (very touristy yet amazing).
I have posted some pictures from the first field trip, http://picasaweb.google.com/Julia.P.S.Hoeh/CostaRicaPublished .
Hope everyone is doing well! miss you love you!
We have spent the past week in Monteverde at the Biological station, where we are staying. Yet, there hasn't been too much time for exploring, as our midterm for tropical diversity is tomorrow. (over 100 species name, family, and life styles mostly plants) We have however made some time for exploration.
Sept 15 is the Central American independence from Spain and in Monteverde is celebrated with an extremely long parade invoving marching bands for each of the schools. We woke up early because the parade was supposed to start at 8am, but being on Tico time caused it not to start until about 9:30 and it ran until 11. This morning we also took a trip on the zip lines through a cloud forest (very touristy yet amazing).
I have posted some pictures from the first field trip, http://picasaweb.google.com/Julia.P.S.Hoeh/CostaRicaPublished .
Hope everyone is doing well! miss you love you!
domingo, 9 de septiembre de 2007
9-9-2007
Hey all,
The first field trip just finished up and we are now in Monteverde, were we will be staying at a research station for the next three weeks. Here we have more scheduled lectures and our first few exams.
So far everything has been amazing! We have seen some stuff I thought only existed in National Geographic magazine, visited very remote preserves, and learned more species than imaginable. As one of the girls put it “next time I’m going to Antarctica to study biodiversity… not as many scientific names to remember”.
I already have enough stories to overflow the capacity of the web page, along with boring everyone, but we did go swimming in glowing water at Curu. Curu is a preserve that used to be a large hacienda, which the family let a big section of remain forested for hunting. This provided a great place to see older wet forest environments (wet forest = less than 6m of rain per year, rain forest = more than 6 m). Then at night we went walking on the beach to discover that the water had florescent diatoms the made the waves glow. We went swimming, which cause the diatoms to glow around us, giving the impression of magical powers and fairy dust.
Hopefully now that there is more constant internet access I will write more, however there are 26 students, 4 computers, and internet speed from the early 90s. Love to all and I hope everything is well where you are!
The first field trip just finished up and we are now in Monteverde, were we will be staying at a research station for the next three weeks. Here we have more scheduled lectures and our first few exams.
So far everything has been amazing! We have seen some stuff I thought only existed in National Geographic magazine, visited very remote preserves, and learned more species than imaginable. As one of the girls put it “next time I’m going to Antarctica to study biodiversity… not as many scientific names to remember”.
I already have enough stories to overflow the capacity of the web page, along with boring everyone, but we did go swimming in glowing water at Curu. Curu is a preserve that used to be a large hacienda, which the family let a big section of remain forested for hunting. This provided a great place to see older wet forest environments (wet forest = less than 6m of rain per year, rain forest = more than 6 m). Then at night we went walking on the beach to discover that the water had florescent diatoms the made the waves glow. We went swimming, which cause the diatoms to glow around us, giving the impression of magical powers and fairy dust.
Hopefully now that there is more constant internet access I will write more, however there are 26 students, 4 computers, and internet speed from the early 90s. Love to all and I hope everything is well where you are!
martes, 21 de agosto de 2007
8/21
First day in Costa Rica and it's already rainy! I arrived safely and it only took slightly over an hour to get through immigration. Upon arriving at the hotel around 11:30p were met with some of the profs and then headed up to bed as we began around 7:30a this morning. The morning included a short history lesson of Costa Rica and a visit to a butterfly garden. After lunch we began our first official class with a lecture on snakes, esp which ones are venomous and how to identify them so we can avoid them in the field. No worries mom, someone in the program suffered a snake bite 2 years ago, so the likely hood of it happening again this soon is rare.
After learning not to suck the venom out (only removes about .2%) and not to touch snakes with a r.a.n.a. (rojo amarillo negro amarillo) pattern, we headed for the market. Just in time for the rain to start! Luckily the market was covered. Taking up a full street block, you could buy everything from elaborate hammocks to fresh fruits.
I will try to write again soon, but we will be out of touch for about 2 weeks starting thurs.
Love to all!
After learning not to suck the venom out (only removes about .2%) and not to touch snakes with a r.a.n.a. (rojo amarillo negro amarillo) pattern, we headed for the market. Just in time for the rain to start! Luckily the market was covered. Taking up a full street block, you could buy everything from elaborate hammocks to fresh fruits.
I will try to write again soon, but we will be out of touch for about 2 weeks starting thurs.
Love to all!
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