Hot. Wet. Sweat.
Dripping down with each incline.
From merely breathing.
From merely moving.
From merely being still.

In retrospect, the climate never really crossed my mind before coming to Nicaragua, however big it may have influenced my daily schedule in the rainforest. Yes, I did not believe the weather would remain at a constant fixture (because it is the Neotropics); but, the impact of an ever-changing environment was not evident until data collection was crucial.

I remember waking up around 2:30 am to the heavy pitter patter of rain on the metal roof and thinking, “The rain will stop around 5:30 am; enough time for our dragonflies to readjust to their habitat.” But the rain did not stop. It did not stop for three days. What was even more frustrating was that we could not collect data for our water quality project since the usually clear water was too murky and full of soot to count animal abundance.

Eventually, the rain did stop. But my partner and I were on hyper drive, anxious to recover the bits of data we failed to collect. So we became more flexible with our schedule in order to complete more dragonfly trials.

The humidity…now that was something else entirely. You could walk for less than 2 minutes and feel as if you jumped head first into a river. Once or twice I would joke and dramatically tell Vivien to “go on without me” as I wiped the sweat from my face whenever we started hiking up a trail.

But the humidity did not affect me until stress affected me. Until I worried about making a mistake. Until I feared that I was not respected. Until I felt somewhat homesick. Until I wanted to know how my mom, dad, and brother’s day went. Until I questioned my life goals.

So I would close my eyes when I was in the rainforest and breathe in deeply. Taking in the sounds and smells, remembering that this is exactly where I want to be. Where I am destined to be. Working. Right. Here.

There will be high stress events involved in science. It is just how you adapt to those situations that either make or break you. I believe Vivien and I were capable of handling ourselves well when the weather was not optimal. I even believe Vivien and I were very compatible partners, so I am grateful for that. This experience will definitely be one I will not forget. It will always be the first of many: research projects, rare animal sightings (!!!), and true independent range on what scientifically interested me.

On the last day, my friend Brigit and I walked the length of the Rio Gaitan. This was perhaps my most favorite memory. I have never seen such untouched beauty and peace. It looked like a dream. And when I felt the humidity and the sweat, I welcomed it with open arms for I was saying goodbye to an old friend.