Tag Archives: 2017

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Belize Bound

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After taking my first malaria pill and finally finishing up all my assignments, it’s beginning to finally hit me that tomorrow is the day we take off for Belize. I’m lucky enough to say that I have traveled to Belize and other parts of the Americas before, but I don’t think those trips will compare to this one. Having access to some of the most pristine habitats that can only be accessed by special groups such as ours is a privilege that I can’t wait to seize. I am especially excited for Glover’s Reef. I have always been enamored by marine life, and I take any chance I can get to dive or snorkel.

With that being said, I know this trip will not be all fun and games and that I’ll have to wake up early, take good notes in my field notebook, and write these blogs every day. Our preparations of making taxon sheets, doing readings on the environments we will encounter, making power points, and searching for gear have made it clear that this will be a fast-paced trip, but one that will also teach me a lot. I hope that the trip will give me a good idea of what it is like to be a field biologist, something that has always been alluring to me but that I don’t have firsthand experience doing. I don’t find myself too nervous about anything we will encounter except for the large amount of insect bites that I already know I will have to endure.

I do have a lot of experience traveling, especially in the last year or so, but seeing a new place never seems any less appealing to me; in fact, the more I travel, the more I want to see, and the more I want to have different experiences. I am most excited this trip because research is the focal task, unlike any trip I have ever taken before. Rather than traveling primarily to observe, I am now traveling with the primary purpose of actively interacting with my environment.

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Belize, here we come

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The day after tomorrow we fly to Belize! I’m pretty pumped.

I expect to learn about a huge variety of rainforest and reef organisms, both from lectures and in person. Reading the book beforehand was unquestionably valuable, but I think that I will learn so much more by being in the ecosystems of Belize.

I hope to improve my snorkeling skills, and I hope to correctly identify some sponges and bees! I’ve been researching both taxa for some weeks now, and I am crossing my fingers for some orchid bees (Euglossini tribe) and a chicken liver sponge (Chondrilla caribensis). I also hope to get to know everyone on the trip and learn how to work together as a team.

I am most nervous, and also excited, about snorkeling on the reef. I am especially excited to see, in person, some of the species we talked about in Coral Reef Ecosystems. All semester I have been looking forward to seeing the coral reef, in all of its glory, in real life. I hope I’ll be able to identify some of the coral species that we learned this past semester. I am especially nervous about the reef slope, which is heaven for coral but maybe will require deeper diving than I have practiced/done before. Hopefully, I can keep up with the experienced snorkelers!

I don’t have much experience in the tropics, especially not related to tropical ecology. I am approaching this experience with an open mind, ready to soak up as much knowledge as I can. Like, say, a sponge. This is a really cool opportunity, and I am glad that I am able to take this course during my time at Rice.

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I Can’t Believe I’m Almost in Belize!

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There’s only a few days left before I leave or Belize and it really has not hit me yet.  I am still in Chicago where it was 40 degrees last week and in a few days, I will be in the tropics?! However, I am extremely excited to have this opportunity.

I expect this trip to give me a good look into what field research would be like.  My goal for the summer is to figure out what I want to major in because I am currently stuck between biochemistry (bioc) or ecology and evolutionary biology (ebio).  I hope this trip gives me a good idea of what research in ecology and evolutionary biology would be like.

So far I have been preparing by reading up on Belize and my assigned organisms.  I now know more about crustaceans and birds than I ever thought I would especially since I grew up in downtown Chicago where all I would ever see was maybe a pigeon.

My mother is very nervous about the snakes or random risks associated with the trip, but I am not.  I feel like all the animal planet and discovery channel television shows I watched when I was younger about venomous snakes or deadly trips people took in forests should make me think twice about my safety; however, I am more excited than nervous.  My only concern is about my dietary restrictions.  I am gluten and dairy free and a little nervous about not getting enough food or accidentally eating something contaminated and getting sick.

I am most excited for snorkeling and the caves.  I absolutely love being in the ocean and watching all the marine species.  Sharks are my favorite animal and I am really hoping to see one.  I also think caves are so interesting because they are a hidden form of beauty and shelter.  I went in a crystal cave in Bermuda when I was a lot younger, but I have not been since.

My don’t have much experience in the tropics.  I have been to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos which are tropical, but I think they feel different knowing you are on an island.  In the Bahamas, I stayed at a resort and did not really explore much of the ecosystems.  I went scuba diving in Turks and Caicos and that was amazing.  I saw two sharks!! I have never been in a tropical forest which will be super interesting.  Overall, I am super excited to go to Belize and learn all about the ecosystems and field research.