2019 Costa Rica International Research Experience

Today, December 12th has been challenging for me. Not because of the time and work put into the research and identification. But, because of my own mental blocks. I hit a wall within my mind, where I am lacking a sense of happiness. I do not know what has caused this, but I know it is only temporary. Luke, the Videographer  for this trip, followed Rachel and I into the forest today, as he is following different groups each day. I do admire the man. He is funny, intelligent and all around genuine, caring person. We did not catch as many species we did yesterday (roughly half the amount yesterday). However, we did see close to 70 butterflies of species that we did catch,  so it was not an entire loss, as that proved valuable data to this research. Coming to the Rio Java river, Rachel was able to catch the that had evaded us not only for the previous 2 days, but also the entire morning, as it teased us with its presence. We came back around 1, as the weather was not in ou...

Today, December 11th, 2019,             There are a few things that have occurred throughout the day.  The rudimentary routine of sleep cycle has been broken. The lack of it has not make it a hindrance on my ability to preform the tasks at hand. Rachel, was enthusiastic today just as always, and it honestly has made things relatively smoother  when it comes to adapting with what is thrown in my way. After breakfast this morning, we met in the Lab and was joined by Leslie as a new member of our group. I do feel bad that she is unable to do what she initially signed up for. I still feel bad for not walking back to hep her up, even though Alduin was there to assist her. Everyone is getting along great and right now, I do feel like I am back to where I usually am at home. Just sort of just on my own. I do not find it to be something that is challenging, there is solace being by yourself. After breakfast,  Rachel, Leslie and I returned ...

Today, I traversed through the rainforest with many friends. We have formed a tribe, formed from many cultures ranging from the great lakes, all the way to the western seaboard. After I traipsed through the trail, and returned to the Station, Rachel introduced me to the project of which I has peaked my interested. The study of which has caught my curiosity is Lepidopterology. I was a bit  deterred from the overwhelming amount of information but it was amazing. The thrill of the hunt through the butterfly garden was absolutely fun. Rachel showed me a few methods of catching many of the multiple families found here at the Station. After she caught thethe first, which happened to be a Sulfer, it was my turn. I immediately caught one moments later, and identified within a minute, it being a Giant Patch or Crimson Patch. We ended up catching 4 species during the time we had. One of them took us nearly 2 hours to identify. But thanks to Juan, we were able to identify from a rare prin...

Well, we made it to Lac Cruces Biological Station. After a few planned stops and one unexpected due to car sickness. Everyone is accounted for. The mountain Juan had taken us to had a tragic story behind it. But, the similarity it has with the Trail of Tears, made it even more heartbreaking.  It was nice to get back into the groove of things when it comes to speaking Spanish. Although, I still have quite a bit to remember. I helped one of my classmates with basic grammar, such as asking basic questions, and responses.  I'm really excited for tomorrow. Getting to work with Rachel on collecting insects does sound challenging; as I heard there is roughly 300,000 species of insects. Overall, I am in love with the country as well as its many customs. I wish I could show those who are no longer in my life how far I've come along.

Well, where to begin. The first full day in Costa Rica was pretty amazing. Met a few people, each coming from a different background and have their own quirks. Many of whom I now call friends are much more enthusiastic than myself when it's coming to this trip.  I know it was only the first day, but I'm not deterred in any way, shape, or form.  My mentor Rachel and I came up with our game plan for catching insects and playing by ear when it comes to certain parts of the study. Really looking forward on traveling through the mountainous terrain and finally reaching the Biological Station tomorrow evening. Fingers crossed that I find many species of insects as well as among other creatures. Jamison.