The Nicaraguan rainforest overflows with beautiful plants and vines, unique mammals, and an orchestra of haunting song. After being completely immersed in the forest for three weeks, I feel at home. Even though every day I see or hear something new, there is something very familiar about starting my trek every morning into the muddy trails of Refugio Bartola. Every day is full of laughter, frustration, falling, slipping, bugs, spiders, more bugs, and even more spiders. I can’t count how many bugs I have inhaled or eaten by accident. I can’t count how many times Brigit and I have cried from laughing so hard. After 21 days of sweat, bug bites, data, harvestmen, leaf cutter ants, and mud I am ready to make my journey home to LA. I will miss falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of the forest. I will miss seeing capuchins, the cute sloth, and beautifully colored birds.

If I could sum up the trip in one moment it would be my canoe trip into the darkness of the night on a new moon. Lindsey, Juan, and I sat there on the water with our headlamps off and just listened to the night. Several fireflies flew over the river and canoe shining their lights so vividly against the dark night. This was my first time seeing fireflies and it was so mesmerizing. It’s amazing that something so small can have such a big contribution to lighting up the night’s sky. I think that’s a moment that I will remember forever. This trip has been full of moments I’ll never forget–some moments of frustration and some moments of pure bliss. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to do research in a place most people will never get to visit. What we are doing here is important and crucial to getting people to care about saving the rainforest. I’m thankful to have spent the last three weeks doing fieldwork and learning important lessons about how science works outside of the classroom. Hopefully I will be back to the rainforest again sometime in my life, but for now I am saying a respectful farewell!