Greetings from Nicaragua! After a very long day of traveling, lost bags, and the airport holding our gear hostage, we are finally here! The accommodations are great here at Refugio Bartola. Four people are staying in my room—five if you include the shrieking gecko on the ceiling. Every morning I get woken up by howler monkeys screaming in the trees nearby. Usually I get woken up by car alarms, so it’s a refreshing, new alarm clock. The days seem to pass by slowly, but each day is packed full of hiking, science, and more hiking! So far I have gone on nine hikes and two canoe rides, all in four days. I am loving the beautiful, ever-changing trails through the rainforest. Trekking through the muddy, muddy forest multiple times a day is extremely physically exhausting. However, I have never been so happy and content with what I’m doing since coming to college. I am constantly sweaty, dirty, and itchy but it feels so fulfilling to be doing something I love. My first impression of field biology is that it is very fun, but a lot of work—both manual and mental.

I have seen so many new organisms, ranging from spider monkeys, bullet ants, agouti, snakes, and a lot of spiders. My partner, Brigit, and I are focusing on harvestmen for one of our projects. I have never been a fan of anything tiny or multi-legged, and unfortunately harvestmen exhibit both these characteristics. We are looking into some intriguing questions with their behavior, so this means we have to handle them. Today, after about 15 minutes of pep-talks, I caught two harvestmen. All in the name of science! Before we started catching harvestmen, I accidentally ate a spider, a monkey threw a fruit at Brigit’s head, I saw a snake, and I saved Brigit from a bullet ant. Today was the hardest day so far, but thinking about it now actually makes me laugh. Scary experiences help make the forest more real and also more approachable. Being around nature all day every day is a luxury and a challenge. And being here has definitely been showing me how important it is to take the time to experience life, as cheesy as that sound, it’s so true. Facing fears liking catching harvestmen gives me confidence in myself and my budding field biologist skills. I’m excited to see where the next few weeks take me and I’m fully ready to tackle whatever comes my way!