From the Field: Week Three

Hello! Welcome to this week’s adventures in Costa Rica. Field work is moving along as planned (woohoo!), minus a few delays by unexpected rain storms.

This week was fairly normal with a sprinkle of cool things: I was able to pet a hummingbird, took a guided night walk, got to participate in the open house that Las Cruces hosted, and visited a really cool waterfall.

The night walk was hosted by a local environmental non-profit, Finca Cántaros and was a really great way to explore parts of the Costa Rican forest safely at night! I saw very large ants, small frogs, some spiders and a snake (see photos below).

This past weekend, Las Cruces hosted their annual open house, where community members could visit the property to take tours and learn about the research happening at the station. I was able to hang out with other researchers at the station and talk about my project. It was a good experience for me to practice my Spanish speaking skills (which are definitely still improving), and get to know some of the locals. After talking about my work, I took some time to relax and do some arts and crafts. I learned that my Spanish speaking skill level is best understood by small children, which earned me some friends at the arts and crafts table. It was a great way to get involved with the community and highlight some pretty cool science that is happening at Las Cruces. After the event, I went and got dinner with some friends and spent some time dancing at a local club.

Elena and myself at Dia de Puertas Abiertas (Open house)

On Sunday, we ventured out to Catarata meta punto, a beautiful waterfall near Agua Bueno. After taking about an hour to find the actual hiking trail, we embarked on probably one of the most sketchy hikes I have ever been on, but it was worth the view! We were able to see the waterfall up close, and there was even a rainbow that formed at the bottom. Since it’s the rainy season here, we couldn’t hang out for long because the clouds rolled in, so we headed back to the top and stopped to hang out with some cattle (which may have been Andrea’s favorite part).