Being at the field station the past four days has been unlike anything I have ever experienced. The rainforest is massive, endlessly full of noises that I’ve never heard before and animals that I have most definitely never encountered before. We have been here four full days, but it feels like I have been here for weeks. For one, I have already become accustomed to feeling dirty at all times, but it has become the norm and doesn’t bother me. I’m covered in a layer of bug spray, dirt, sweat and dampness from the humidity, but it’s actually quite fun, I just focus on trekking through the rainforest day in and day out. It’s interesting because I already feel settled. We have all found somewhat of a daily routine here, which is nice. I break my days up into before breakfast, between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and after dinner. I go on at least two hikes a day, most often after breakfast and after lunch, with the occasional morning or night hike or canoe ride. It is mildly exhausting going on so many hikes throughout the day (a majority of the hours of my day are spent wondering the trails here, which is awesome) but you get used to it after a while and I feel like I am getting in superb shape. Plus, one of the research studies my partner, Jeff, and I are planning involves locating strawberry poison dart frogs by their calls (we are getting quite good at it), which requires stopping along the trail and listening for multiple minutes, which is very peaceful.

And as for the research, the main reason we are all here, it is amazing to see the range of different questions people are choosing on focusing on. I am currently typing while sitting in the common area of the field station, an open dining area with hammocks looking out at the Rio San Juan, while some of my peers are shining a UV light on a spider they caught that fluoresces. Another group has an arena made in a Tupperware with a spider and ant enclosed, seeing if the spider will eat the ant (the last time I went over to check, the spider seemed afraid of the ant). Other groups are looking at things from the contents of the water in bromeliads to trying to catch agoutis. There are just so many variables, controls, and possible directions when thinking of questions for something you want to research, it is overwhelming at times but exciting.

I have loved so many things being here, one of which being the food, more will have to come on that later, but my favorite part so far has to be standing in the rainforest when the wind passes by. The rush of wind builds up and sounds like an ocean wave passing over you. The entire forest moves, the trees and the leaves, and it feels like you move with it and you simply can’t help but smile. It will be a long three weeks, but it is off to a good start.