Greetings from a rocking chair overlooking Rio San Juan! As I reflect on all of the things I’ve seen and done during my time in Nicaragua, it’s surreal to realize that I have only been here for a few days. It’s beginning to dawn on me how intense this experience is. I’ve seen more amazing organisms in the past week than I’ve seen in most of my life. In the mornings, we wake to a chorus of birds and howler monkey calls in the surrounding forest. In the afternoon, we walk on muddy trails (side-by-side with leaf cutter ants), blanketed by an omnipresent green canopy. In the evenings we take night hikes looking for the retinal eye-shines of nocturnal critters.

I think one of the greatest aspects of this trip has been experiencing everything with my fellow FBQers. In our first couple explorations it was amazing to see how much people knew about certain organisms and processes. More than that, their enthusiasm has been infectious. On one of our first night hikes, we stopped every couple of seconds to look at every thing that moved and almost every plant. I find that I’m fascinated by thing I hadn’t even thought to pay attention to before. It’s overwhelming, humbling, and beautiful.

In the fifth grade, a conservation organization came to talk to our class about biodiversity in tropical rainforests. They brought in large mammals found in the Amazon, taught us about forest structure, and showed us a music video. In all my years since then, I still find myself singing the theme song in my head from time to time: “The rainforest, the tropical rainforest. All, all that beauty!” I’m amazed to find that not even my childhood imagination could have prepared me for the magnificence of the rainforest.

Until next time!

Love, hugs, beans, and rice,

Michelle