Isla Violin

The first part of the 12-night camping trip took place in the rain forest of Isla Violin, located in the Osa Peninsula. We departed from the city bright and early, and en route, we stopped at plantation to learn about African Oil Palms. We had a delicious lunch at a soda before we loaded into the boats to cruised down Rio Sierpe into the Pacific ocean and onto the sandy beach of Isla Violin. We set up our tents, ate dinner, and went on our first night walk!

Bats nesting with termites, a colorful land crab, a bull frog that sounds like a cat when distressed, a leaf litter frog, a huge spider....we saw so many critters! To be honest though, the very first animal I saw on the island was the venomous fer de lance! We saw a baby fer de lance the next day on our orientation hikes, which were incredibly tiring but rewarding and interesting! We split into 3 groups and rotated hikes with instructors to learn about different aspects of the island. I started off going on the Frank hike up to the top of the hill, down the other side to the mangroves, and all the way back. It was an intense first hike, and even though I ended up with blisters from the poor fit of my rubber boots, I still enjoyed being overwhelmed by all the outdoor learning. After lunch, I learned about plant families and herbivory in Federico's and Sofia's hikes. It was really different to go along the trail and stop whenever the instructors spotted a plant or animal to talk about. My field notes are messy and smudged from dirt, sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray, but I'm loving this new learning environment!

Frank setting up scent lures

Euglossa Orchid Bee

Clearing in the forest in Nicanor's Farm

Avicennia mangrove

Yellow Bullseye Puffer fish

Baby fer de lance!

Tiny wild orchid!

The next day, we split into groups and my group studied sand crab feeding behavior! We spent the day on the beach conducting our manipulations and collecting data. In the down time, I had fun playing with the little hermit crabs found everywhere. My new best friends! At night we made our poster, and presented it to the class the next day. After lunch, we had a nice activity called 20 questions, which involved about an hour of sitting alone in nature and writing down questions that came to mind. I really liked the discussion afterwards, because it was important for us to remember that all questions have significance and we would learn best in the program by being open-minded and curious. Great appreciation of learning :) After dinner that night, we went crocodile hunting! 

Orientation in San Jose

I arrived to Costa Rica at 7AM after my overnight flight and I was exhausted! I shared a cab with 3 other students to get to the hotel, checked in, ate breakfast, and crashed for a very satisfying nap. Around noon, I woke up to the arrival of other students, and went out to get lunch with them.

My first meal in Costa Rica! Arroz con camarones

Afterwards, I went to the nearby park with a group and chased this cute family of ducks around on a pedal boat. They were so cute! The park also had horseback riding, but I felt bad for them since they looked so sad and dejected. The rest of the evening was spent talking and getting to know other people. We ate dinner at a relatively fancy restaurant and spent the rest of the night enjoying our free time.

The program started officially with the 2-day orientation, which included introductions, paperwork, lectures from each instructor, a visit to the market, a swim test, and our fruit assignment. We were assigned a fruit to buy to share with the class and present its natural history. My fruit was the maracuyá, passionfruit! After I ate lunch and explored the artisan market with my dear friend Isabel, I came back for the fruit presentations. We had such a great feast of fruits! The group's favorite was definitely guanabana, an amazing soursop that was incredibly addicting. The final night in San Jose was dedicated to lectures and preparing for tomorrow's departure. Adventure is in store!