Tag Archives: 2017

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If You’re Reading This, I’m Sweating

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It’s hard to believe that it was just this morning that I hopped on the lightrail in Houston with my backpack and suitcase to meet the rest of the group at Rice.  After some preparation at Rice, we got on the shuttle to Hobby for our flight. Despite slow lines and a minor delay, we finally got on our way to Belize City.

Upon arriving at about 4pm, we were picked up by a van, loaded all of our gear up, and went on our way to the Tropical Education Center (TEC). After stopping to buy snacks and refreshments at a convenience store on the way, we arrived at the TEC around 6. We managed to spot some reptiles here, including a green iguana (Iguana iguana) in a tree eating some leaves, lots of little geckos that I believe are house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus), and a spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) on a windowsill after dark.

Leafcutter ants at the TEC
Low-quality picture of the green iguana we spotted at the TEC – sorry for the quality, look at the branch 

I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I got to Belize. I’m realizing quickly that I won’t feel clean again for the next two weeks, but I am already dreaming of the ice-cold shower I will take after writing this post. I’m very excited for our journey to Glover’s Reef tomorrow, despite the before-6am wakeup that comes with it. I guess it’s a good thing I am already prepared to crash at 8:30 pm.

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HERE!!!

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Wow, we’re finally here! It’s a whole lot warmer and sweaty here than I anticipated, but that’s not stopping my excitement.  Within the first hour of being here, I  had already seen views of the savannah, some goats, and of course some birds.

I saw two white birds with longer necks on the side of the road when we were traveling to the Tropical Education Center.  They looked similar to Great Egrets, but this was in the tropical savannah and usually Egrets are found in marshlands or waterside.  I also saw a glimpse of a parrot and Scott did an impression of its fast wingbeat that is so characteristic of parrots.

I keep hearing bird noises and wanting to find the source of them! I guess to see them well I’d really have to wake up early.  I also saw a bird feather, but cannot identify what it is from.

Other cool highlights so far is that we saw an iguana and two toads, one of which was in my room. The iguana was feeding and I was surprised to see how agile it was on such a small branch.

The trip is only just getting started and I cannot wait to see what else it holds!

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T-1 Day From Crossing Belize Off My Travel Bucket List

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This morning, I went out fishing on my boat in Miami and it suddenly hit me that the next boat I’ll be on will be headed for Glover’s Reef Research Station. It’s crazy how fast these past two weeks have gone but I am so excited to finally visit Belize. It was on my list of the top two destinations for my high school graduation trip, but I ultimately visited Costa Rica. Now I’ll finally get to go.

These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of catching up with family and friends, and ultimately procrastinating on my assignments for this course. As deadlines approached, I mustered the motivation to read the textbook, make sense of jargon in about 10 different research papers on mangroves, cringe my way through magnified photographs of ants, and put together three presentations.

Speaking of my presentations, I am kind of nervous to give them. My public speaking skills aren’t too great but I’m hoping that all the preparation I’ve done will carry me through my awkwardness.

Ultimately, the presentations are just a fraction of the course and I absolutely cannot wait to get out into the field. I hope I get to learn more about two ecosystems that have fascinated me: coral reefs and rainforests. Living in South Florida and being just a stone’s throw from the Bahamas has given me the opportunity to snorkel and scuba dive, awestruck at the beauty of reefs. And just the previous summer, as I briefly mentioned, I got to visit the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica which gave me my first immersive experience in a rainforest.

With this trip, I am hoping to see these two ecosystems through the lens of a researcher and gain some practical knowledge about them that I can carry with me when I go diving or on future vacations. I’m also interested to compare what I see in Belize to the reefs of home and the wet season in Costa Rica. If I’m going to be ready, I should probably go finish packing.

No way… next time I post I’ll be in Belize!

P.S. I’m also hoping to take some great pictures like the ones I got from Costa Rica for memories 🙂

 

2017

Excited like howler monkeys during sunrise

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Hi friends!

Well, I finally am able to sit down and write this blog post. The past few days have been a hectic mess of finishing up the assignments for this class (should’ve heed Scott’s advice on starting the assignments early in the semester…), moving off campus, and packing for Belize. Only now can I say that I am done and ready to go!

I am so looking forward to going to Belize, and the taxon assignments have definitely enhanced this excitement. Having been researching on the mammals, annelids and molluscs of Belize and seeing pictures and videos of them, I’m eager to finally see them live in their natural habitat. Having been fortunate enough to live in the same suite with an alumnus of this course (Randy with the man bun), I’ve had the opportunity to discuss my taxon research with him and apparently we will get to see a lot of the annelids and molluscs while snorkeling. Very pumped for that!!

My research into tropical diseases, on the other hand… let’s just say it has made me more paranoid about my chances of survival in the two weeks.

Having talked to Randy a lot about the course, I gathered that my time at Belize will be physically intensive but at the same time a very memorable learning journey. I hope to learn as much as I can about the rainforest and the coral reef, as this will probably be the best opportunity I will ever have to do so. When will I ever get to stay a week in a research station and another week in one of the world’s most well-preserved reef and learn from experts in the field again?

That said, I’m slightly worried that my lack of knowledge in biology might hinder my experience there. Being a mechanical engineering major, I took this class because this is my last summer in college and I wanted to use this last chance to explore outside of my field of expertise. I hope that I am able to keep up with the rest of the class in terms of understanding biology-related concepts. We’ll see how that goes.

Lastly, having lived in Singapore all my life, I would say that I’m used to the tropics. But I’ve lived in a concrete jungle and not the actual tropical rainforest so maybe not. Living in the tropics have certainly helped me during my tropical disease research though, because I have already been aware of most of the diseases that I was supposed to do research on.

Now, I shall get a good night’s sleep, and immerse myself in a whole new world starting tomorrow!

Good night y’all,

Damien

P.S. Had Whataburger for my last dinner before Belize cuz it’s awesome.

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Almost done packing, I swear

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Phew… it’s been 2 weeks of hardcore supply shopping/ reading/researching/citation writing (so. many. citations.) and it still hasn’t sunk in that I’ll be in Belize tomorrow afternoon. The closest I’ve gotten to the tropics is the 100%-humidity streets of Hangzhou, China, so I have no idea what to expect– but I am prepared at least for action packed days and aching feet, maybe like hiking Big Bend?

My goals for this trip are to experience firsthand what it’s like to be a field researcher. I’m hoping to become a zookeeper or museum curator, which both can have elements of field research, so after this trip I’ll be able to decide if I really love it and maybe want to do it full time.

I think I’m most nervous about snorkeling, as I’ve never done it before and only recently got the hang of breathing. Hopefully I won’t be slowing down the rest of the group… And my ears are still not used to the pressure in deep water. Another thing is that I haven’t actually taken a proper biology course since high school, so I feel a bit rusty on some general conceptual things, like how taxonomy works. I’m nervous about possibly getting something wrong in my presentations especially.

The thing I’m most looking forward to is exploring the caves, thanks to my topic assignment! There are so many freaky unidentified creatures down there; maybe I’ll see some bug that no human has set eyes on before. Also, I love the eerie atmosphere of a cave, like a bubble completely sealed off from the rest of the world. Even though most nutrient sources come from outside, if we’re being picky ecologists here.  And the specific animals I want to see: any classic rainforest animals, like big cats and primates, bats, and the humble fungus gnat (makes strands of silk that hang from cave ceilings).

 

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Belize: the Country, the Myth, the Legend

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In 14 hours, I’ll be on a Southwest Airlines flight, hopefully in an aisle seat. Unfortunately, that dream has never been a reality. But tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is the day I fight anyone and anything for that beloved aisle seat covered in rich velvet and provided with technologies such as extra leg room and a free arm rest. Oh, tomorrow will be the day I come, see, and conquer. After that, I’m going to Belize.

I’m not really too sure what to expect out of this two week journey. I’ve never been to the tropics or a reef before, and there are so many variables that’ll be thrown at me all at once in such a short time period- the sights and sounds of a new country, the vast unknown of the tropical rainforest, and the shimmery blue depths of the reef. I’m pretty pumped for the sensory overload and figure it’ll be an awesome experience. Reading the book and researching my lecture topic/taxon assignments prepared and provided me with somewhat of an idea of what Belize has to offer, but experiencing everything firsthand will definitely be eye opening.

Honestly, I hope I can identify piscivorous fish and arachnids when I get to that jungle of a place. The piscivorous fish finding should not be too bad because they’ll be in plain sight underwater, but arachnids might be a bit tough. There are so many of them that’ll scurry past before you can identify them and a lot of them are hidden under rocks/debris. But where there is a will, there is a way.

I’m the most nervous about snorkeling. I don’t have too much experience with it and mainly need to work on depressurizing my ears. That being said, I’m really excited to venture out into the tropical rainforest and walk under a canopy of leaves while surrounded by massive, towering tree trunks. I really hope I can see an ocelot- if not in real time, at least from a camera trap. Also, I’m weirdly stoked about getting down and dirty on the forest floor to identify some arachnids. I’ve never been to the tropics before, but I also never rode a bike until I rode a bike.

Watch out Belize- Deepu Karri is coming to town. On a Southwest Airlines aisle seat.

 

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I’m Procrastinating Packing by Writing This Blog Post :)

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As I sit here on my couch watching a segment called “Extreme Ironing” on Ellen, the pre-departure anxiety is starting to set in. Do I have enough sunscreen? What if I have no coral-identifying skills? What if Scott and Adrienne ask us to iron a shirt while kayaking?

While some of these anxieties are slightly more realistic than others, I know that once we’re on our way, my worries will be gone. I have come to terms with the personal fact that sunburn is unavoidable, and I have spent a significant amount of time creating taxon sheets and Powerpoint presentations to help me with identification. I feel pretty prepared for this trip after doing the required readings and extra research.

As an aspiring marine biologist, I am obviously jumping for joy at this opportunity to experience field work at a real coral reef. However, the required readings have gotten me incredibly excited to experience the diversity of the rainforest as well! I honestly can’t pick one thing that I am most looking forward to. My biggest goal for this trip is to get a feel for field research and make sure I would be happy doing it for the rest of my life.

After all this preparation, I cannot wait to get to Belize! I’ve been to the tropics before on family vacations, but I’m thrilled to visit again with the perspective of a researcher, rather than a tourist. I’m excited to see all the things I’ve spent so much time reading about up close and in the flesh, and I’m ready to completely immerse myself in the ecosystems we are there to study. The only thing left to do is pack!

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Belize it or not! I will be in Belize in less than 24 hours!

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I am very excited for this trip to Belize. I think that it will be an amazing experience through which I can learn a lot about the coral reef and tropical rainforest environments. I haven’t had any experience with tropical rainforests, so it will be fascinating to see this environment up close. I expect that this course will be a very fun and enriching experience even though it involves a lot of hard work and early mornings.

I hope that I will be able to find and identify the amphibians and herbivorous fish that I learned about for my taxonomic briefings. For my topic lecture, I learned about the multitude of different factors affecting coral reefs today and the techniques that are being used to study them. I hope that I will be able to apply this knowledge during our time at Glovers.

The only thing that I am slightly nervous about are the mosquitos. Although we are traveling in the dry season and mosquito populations should be small, they always seem to find me. I hope that I will not come back from this trip as one giant mosquito bite.

I hope to learn more about the realities of doing field research in the tropics. I am still trying to decide what I want to do in the future. I believe that through this trip, I can get a better understanding of how to perform tropical research and hopefully decide if I want to become a marine biologist or go into medicine in the future. I believe that this trip will show me both the positive and negative qualities of becoming a tropical field researcher. I am the most excited to learn how to apply field research techniques on the coral reef and in the rainforest.

Fortunately, I have visited the tropics and Belize before. All of my immediate family members are avid scuba divers and we have taken family diving trips in Cancun, Florida, and Bonaire. It will be very interesting to learn more about the coral reef which previously I have only admired for its aesthetic beauty. A few years ago, my family took a trip to Belize, but we primarily stayed on the resort. I am excited to stray away from the more touristy parts of the country. Overall, I can’t wait to experience everything Belize has to offer.

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Belize is almost Here … and We’re Almost There!

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This time tomorrow, I will be in Belize. That’s pretty wild, but to be honest it really hasn’t hit me yet. I have been putting so much of my time and thought into preparing for the trip that I haven’t had time to really think about what an exciting and fun experience it’s going to be.

As far as expectations go, I sure hope that the course itself will be less stressful than the time leading up to it has been. I am really excited to get to spend a lot of time on the reef, and I am expecting that I will be able to appreciate it much more than any other snorkel trip I’ve been on. While I’ve visited reefs several times before, I never have been able to experience one through the eyes of being a tropical field biologist! I’m especially excited because I learned so much about reefs in the Coral Reef Ecosystems class this past semester. I’m expecting to see a lot of things that I won’t recognize initially, but I hope by the end of the week on the reef I’ll have a much better idea of what I’m looking at.

In the rain forest, I expect to learn a lot. I’m expecting the days there (and the days on the reef too, I’m sure) to be extremely tiring, so I’m hoping I don’t have any gear issues that make things at all more difficult. I think the last time I was in a rain forest I hadn’t realized that I was blind yet, so I couldn’t see anything. I still don’t have the best eye for detail, but now that I wear contacts I can actually see and I’m hoping I’ll be able to notice things hiding in the trees or underbrush (especially snakes!!)

What I’m hoping to learn from this course is what it’s like to be a field biologist because that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m also excited to learn about the intricacies of the rain forest and the coral reef, two of the world’s most amazing and threatened ecosystems. In preparing for this course, I took Dr. Correa’s class ‘Coral Reef Ecosystems.’ I’m really hoping I’ll be able to apply what I learned last semester to the reef we’ll be studying, and that I didn’t forget too much of the course material by this point in the summer. I’ve also taken other basic EBIO courses, and hopefully those prepared me well in terms of field techniques we might use in the rain forest.

I am nervous that I will not be able to spot any Orthoptera species at all. I am also nervous that I’m going to have trouble identifying species, of both Orthoptera and Green Algae. I’m also nervous about having difficulty staying underwater long enough to get anything done. Luckily, I have prior experience with snorkeling so I’m quite comfortable with that, it’s just the time spent underwater where I struggle sometimes. I’m also nervous that I will be ill prepared in some way. I really really hope I did not forget anything important.

I have a little previous experience in the Tropics, but only as a quite young tourist. I visited the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica with my family one time. I’ve also been to Mexico and snorkeled on reefs and in cenotes in the Yucatan more recently.

I am most excited about seeing unique tropical organisms. I want to see some Christmas tree worms, and maybe some Parrotfish on the reef. In the rainforest, it’d be amazing to see a scarlet macaw, a monkey, or a big cat, but I know that probably won’t happen. And as long as they don’t bite me, I’m exciting to see the snake species we saw during our visit to the Houston Zoo Herpetology exhibit. Finally, I’m exciting to grow close to my fellow Tropical Field Biology Classmates. I can’t believe this course is about to start!

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Pre-Trip: The Countdown

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I’ve been to Canada twice. Those are the only times I have ever left the United States. Tomorrow, my list will be longer. I will leave the U.S. for Belize.

Belize will provide me with an unique opportunity to learn about new living things in new settings. As a lover of nature, viewing the coral reefs and rainforest Belize offers will be a fulfilling experience. I have never seen coral outside of a fish tank or on a piece of jewelry. Likewise, it has been a long, long time since I have seen a tree taller than 50 feet. I am excited to immerse myself in the unique land- and seascapes and gain perceptive of the natural wonders that lie outside of an American cityscape.

I am most excited to see Belize’s natural colors – the lush green of the rainforest canopy, the crisp blue of the Caribbean sea, and the plethora of new colors I have not yet anticipated.

My concerns? Just the uncertainty. There are a lot of unknowns. However, the uncertainty does not deter me. I am determined to grasp every opportunity, see every site, and learn as much as I can about each living thing I encounter.

I’ve had my passport printed and ordered boots and fins and a snorkel and special adventurer pants. I’ve read hundreds of pages of facts. I have, for the most part, packed. I am ready.

Nature is calling, and I am calling back.

Here’s to Belize!