Hi everyone! Welcome to my very first blog post (disclaimer: I’ve never written a blog before but I’ll do my best) about my soon-to-be tropical field biology adventures in Belize! I, along with thirteen other students and two professors from Rice University, fly out tomorrow (!!!), and I am both excited and nervous.
Oddly enough, a part of both of those emotions come from not quite knowing what to expect. Though I have been speaking with other students who went on the trip last year to try to prepare myself and gain insight on what might be useful to bring/do, I feel like there is no way to completely know what is going to happen these next couple of weeks.
That aside, most of my excitement stems from being able to explore new ecosystems and learning firsthand about a variety of organisms that live in those ecosystems. I hope to learn a lot about the different aspects of the rainforest and the coral reef and be able to identify some species that live in each of them. On the other hand, I am slightly nervous because some of those organisms are definitely not things I would normally prefer to interact with (i.e. spiders and snakes) and because I have no previous experience conducting research in the tropics.
In an attempt to prepare myself for such an adventure, I have been doing some research on my assigned topic (marine debris!) and taxa (echinoderms and beetles!) to prepare for the presentations we will be giving, but I am sure that the actual experience of finding and identifying these species will be quite the learning experience in itself. I have also purchased all of the required equipment (and lots of other things we may or may not need) and practiced with the snorkel gear. Still, I know that despite any and all preparations I could make, there will undoubtedly be surprises once we arrive and are actually immersed in both the rainforest and coral reef.
For right now, my bags are packed, my presentation PowerPoints are finished, and by the time I make my next post, I will be in Belize amongst the rainforest creatures! See you all on the other side! 🙂
~Stephanie
Alright! I couldn’t figure out exactly how to make a new blog post and pre-flight sleep beckons, so I will leave a reply and hope this works for the first blog entry.
To my parents, sorry I’ve been radio-silent all day, but I left the arduous task of moving out of my dorm room until today. Hauling winter clothes and furniture in the rain is no simple task and I am fully exhausted. I’ll call in the morning before we leave.
As you might imagine, my last few hours have been spent in anxious tedium, far from the mood one normally thinks of when preparing for exciting international travel. Stress is no foreign concept to me as I near my senior year, but unneeded stress nonetheless restricts my ability to enjoy the anticipation.
I remember the initial reason I had for taking this lab was to seek ADVENTURE and now, in the final hours before leaving, I am reminded that adventurers must be determined and prepared, two things I am not. I am committed however. And I am adaptable. I am prepared to meet the challenges of the next two weeks head on. I am ready to observe and question the world around me at every instance in a novel environment. I have never been in a situation in which I have less of a clue how my own self will respond. I assume my assumptions will be proven naive soon enough.
Will it be the boiling heat and high humidity that ruins me? I didn’t get a haircut and Ive never been closer to a full-blown mullet. Did I pack enough shirts in case I sweat through all of mine? Will my lack of hiking socks give me cruel blisters? Will I be the first Rice student to be eaten by a Jaguar?And will my peers and professors mock me for all, some, or none of this? Will they even read this blog post? Only time will tell. Such is the nature of this adventure. I am ready to find out.