So, I always fill up my water bottles in the morning, always. The day our water mysteriously shut off and we had to raid Dr. L's abode was hard, but, I still managed to always fill mine up the morning of. Last night, I had this weird sense of foreboding and this undying urge to fill up my water bottles. Still don't know why, but, I am very impulsive and listen to those little voices in my head and filled them both up- I was completely empty. As it so happened, we woke up to no water anywhere, not at Dr. L's, not at the dining hall, nowhere. So, we ended up filling up one of our big jugs of water at Ernesto's and then people just poured from there.
We had another good field day and Tara- who is pumped about what I do so she makes me more excited- worked with me again today. We finished our map from last week, mapped another little section, and then started mapping an area that I messed up before- I now don't trust myself to map at all! The weather was slightly cooler and, since we have had no rain, there were less mosquitoes. When we had just reached the site, I smelled something really amazing- like flowers mixed with deet almost. It is weird, but, you learn to appreciate scents that are not sweat and grime. As I walked to the field, I realized it was Cleofo!
We had a 15 minute change when we got back to Banana Bank and then off to town. We got our passports back from being stamped again and tried to go to the bank- but both of them were closed all ready. I printed out my new plant list in a paper shop; it will help Dr. L when she presents what I have found thus far. I did some other small errands and found myself across town where we normally hang out- because Dr. L has this cafe that she uses Internet at and gets smoothies from. I have been craving rootbeer and finally managed to find some! It was a good day.
We had another 15 minute change before supper by the time we returned home, during which time I pressed plants and recorded them. The Internet is still not what it should be, but, at least it is there! And it allowed me to get some needed work done, so, that made me excited!
Random side-note: so, I was coming out of a tomb in Caracol and my sunglasses slipped out of my shirt- where I was storing them- and onto the stairs in front of me. I stepped on them and it broke. However, a little later, Hannah found a pair of sunglasses that someone had lost and gave them to me. I figured out that I now own two pairs of sunglasses that I just happened to find someplace- didn't have to pay for them. Very interesting.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 21- I found out what all I CANT do without Internet :)
I woke up right before 8 so I could take my field notes to Dr. L for reviewing. I looked very groggy again, but managed to wake up after passing by a leaky hose and getting sprayed. It was awesome actually because of our lack of air conditioning- the only time I feel comfortable is in the cold shower or when I get sprayed down or, in the field, step off into a puddle.
I worked on identifying plants the entire day using my new favorite book: "Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize". No pretty pictures, only page after page packed with text about plants in this area. I talked to Dr. L about my rest-of-UIUC plan and got super excited. It all sounds like fun, in a very, very nerdy way :)
Around noon we lost power, which was unfortunate because electricity is what powers the machines that make our lunches at the restaurant and I had had animal crackers for breakfast. Also, the Internet also failed, which meant that there were e-mails I couldn't send out, things I needed to look up online that I couldn't, etc. The students debated about ordering a pizza, but, in order to make it worth the pizza delivery guys' while, we had to order 10 pizzas- which would have cost about $100 US, or $200 Belize dollars. The pay phone was also dead, and I had a minor mishap while trying to get a phone to work, so, I eventually gave up on calling home :(
The power came back on again a little before 2 and we all rushed to order lunch. I got another strawberry/banana smoothie and it was amazing! Then, around 4 our time, the Internet came back up again. So, I started frantically e-mailing people in case it went off again! Another great day :)
Also, something I forgot from yesterday was that our guide found out that I am the "plant girl" and made me identify plants all the time. So, I was on call for our entire trip! I was thankful to have Cleofo's notes in my head then.
Tomorrow, we start work again and I hopefully finish up the area I worked on last week before our lab days. Then, we get to go into town again and my to-do list is a tad daunting, but all possible. I can do it!
I worked on identifying plants the entire day using my new favorite book: "Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize". No pretty pictures, only page after page packed with text about plants in this area. I talked to Dr. L about my rest-of-UIUC plan and got super excited. It all sounds like fun, in a very, very nerdy way :)
Around noon we lost power, which was unfortunate because electricity is what powers the machines that make our lunches at the restaurant and I had had animal crackers for breakfast. Also, the Internet also failed, which meant that there were e-mails I couldn't send out, things I needed to look up online that I couldn't, etc. The students debated about ordering a pizza, but, in order to make it worth the pizza delivery guys' while, we had to order 10 pizzas- which would have cost about $100 US, or $200 Belize dollars. The pay phone was also dead, and I had a minor mishap while trying to get a phone to work, so, I eventually gave up on calling home :(
The power came back on again a little before 2 and we all rushed to order lunch. I got another strawberry/banana smoothie and it was amazing! Then, around 4 our time, the Internet came back up again. So, I started frantically e-mailing people in case it went off again! Another great day :)
Also, something I forgot from yesterday was that our guide found out that I am the "plant girl" and made me identify plants all the time. So, I was on call for our entire trip! I was thankful to have Cleofo's notes in my head then.
Tomorrow, we start work again and I hopefully finish up the area I worked on last week before our lab days. Then, we get to go into town again and my to-do list is a tad daunting, but all possible. I can do it!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 20- I would make a great servant! ~Jose
At 6:15am sharp we (Hannah, Tara, Robbyn, Kayla, Jose, Chris and I) crossed the river and headed off in an air-conditioned van toward Caracol. We bypassed it actually and went into Cayo so our driver could pick himself up some lunch. As we were driving through the area, I saw this awesome market that I thought- had I had the time- I would have scavenged through for sure! Amazingly enough, the driver read my mind and dropped us off at the market while he went to get his lunch. The market had a lot of cool tents with vendors selling clothing, goods, and food. I found more movies than I care to mention that I picked up for a little over $2 US and also bought grapefruit juice- Fresco grapefruit juice. It is amazing to me what Americans buy when they see something familiar that strikes their fancy that they are so excited to find in another country but would never buy if they passed it in a grocery store in the US.
At any rate, we made it to the bumpy road that was worse than the road we take to get to Yalbac daily- which surprised me. We traveled 37 miles on that road and stopped along the way to visit a cave with two large entrances, so, it was pretty light in there. Since they have a bandit problem, we had 2 escorts that came with us to the cave. Both were very young- probably still in their mid-20s- but wore full camo gear and backed large automatic weapons. The bandits didn't dare bother us, and we went on to Caracol. It is the largest site in all of Belize and included some pretty impressive temples and such. Actually, Caracol wasn't of interest to very many people until the late 1980s when they found out that it had actually conquered other Maya centers, including Tikal. We climbed all around these temples, since they are not as threatened as Tikal's temples, and took photos of it all (mine are now on Facebook).
We ate lunch at a picnic area near our parking lot- I was excited because they had banana bread packed for us! Then, I rested in the van on the way to our third destination of the day- a waterfall next to a river that we swam around in. I was reminded again of my lack of swimming abilities as I fought the currents of the waterfall, the downward pull of the water, and the slipperiness of the rocks I was trying to cling to. It was a very interesting task and made me wish wholeheartedly for more endurance. I actually sat on the edge of the waterfall for awhile- and the spray of slightly-cold water was amazing. I wish someone had had a water-resistant camera. But, we had more fun than pictures would allow I guess. Robbyn, Kayla and Chris were risky enough to jump off of several rock outcroppings into the water. It was fun to watch but, after my first and only jump- in which I inhaled water, found myself in over 10 ft of water trying to cough and swim against a current, I decided I would much rather watch thank you very much :)
Also, after the water trip, I found out that white skin soaking up the sun all day changes colors- even with sunscreen applications (yes, I did apply sunscreen, Mom). But, I am doing fine now, so, I guess it is not as bad as it looks in some of my pics.
We made it home just in time for supper! Which was perfect. All in all, rather awesome adventure!
At any rate, we made it to the bumpy road that was worse than the road we take to get to Yalbac daily- which surprised me. We traveled 37 miles on that road and stopped along the way to visit a cave with two large entrances, so, it was pretty light in there. Since they have a bandit problem, we had 2 escorts that came with us to the cave. Both were very young- probably still in their mid-20s- but wore full camo gear and backed large automatic weapons. The bandits didn't dare bother us, and we went on to Caracol. It is the largest site in all of Belize and included some pretty impressive temples and such. Actually, Caracol wasn't of interest to very many people until the late 1980s when they found out that it had actually conquered other Maya centers, including Tikal. We climbed all around these temples, since they are not as threatened as Tikal's temples, and took photos of it all (mine are now on Facebook).
We ate lunch at a picnic area near our parking lot- I was excited because they had banana bread packed for us! Then, I rested in the van on the way to our third destination of the day- a waterfall next to a river that we swam around in. I was reminded again of my lack of swimming abilities as I fought the currents of the waterfall, the downward pull of the water, and the slipperiness of the rocks I was trying to cling to. It was a very interesting task and made me wish wholeheartedly for more endurance. I actually sat on the edge of the waterfall for awhile- and the spray of slightly-cold water was amazing. I wish someone had had a water-resistant camera. But, we had more fun than pictures would allow I guess. Robbyn, Kayla and Chris were risky enough to jump off of several rock outcroppings into the water. It was fun to watch but, after my first and only jump- in which I inhaled water, found myself in over 10 ft of water trying to cough and swim against a current, I decided I would much rather watch thank you very much :)
Also, after the water trip, I found out that white skin soaking up the sun all day changes colors- even with sunscreen applications (yes, I did apply sunscreen, Mom). But, I am doing fine now, so, I guess it is not as bad as it looks in some of my pics.
We made it home just in time for supper! Which was perfect. All in all, rather awesome adventure!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 19- Attack of the bugs
Last night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I felt something nudging my foot. I thought at first it was my imagination- you tend to imagine yourself swarming with bugs all the time after a couple of days, and we call it paranoia. But, this was actually persistent and was firm and cold and smooth. I just about freaked out- thinking it was a snake. Luckily, upon flashlight investigation, it was only a little hard-shelled bug- about the size of a quarter or so. So, I flicked it out of my bed and went to sleep. When Elle and Molly woke up this morning to join Dr. L in the field, I again felt a little nudge on my feet. Weird feet-loving mongrels! So, I threw the second one out onto the floor. When I went into our bathroom, I found a huge cockroach sitting on top of one of my bottles, so, I took him on a ride to the door. On my way back inside, I found the same dumb hard-shelled bug trying to crawl up my bed-skirt back onto my bed. I picked him up and threw him out the door too.
Steve got bitten so much yesterday (by mosquitoes and blood-drawing flies) that, when I found him this morning, he was dressed up like he was going out into the field. He declared that he wasn't going to let them get him again, he just wasn't!
Today was another productive day. I finished photographing my specimen, tagged the ones for the drier, checked photographs, and actually started identifying specimen! So, it was a very good day. After the students got down washing the rest of the artifacts, 7 of us went to town. It was a good experience, as always. I got Skittles (they gave me a refrigerated bag, because of the heat) and rice to attempt to dry out my water-logged ipod. So, right now, it is sitting in a bag full of rice. We were dropped off at the river and got swarmed by mosquitoes while waiting for the boat man to come pick us up and take us back to Banana Bank.
I worked more on plant identification and trying to find an out-of-print, not found anywhere book that I really want : "The ABC's to the Vegetation of Belize". Oh well. I finally got a chance to chat with Mom again! Yay! And upload photos to Facebook- finally.
Tomorrow, we are going to Caracol to see those Maya ruins. I can't wait. I will try to take lots of pics!
Steve got bitten so much yesterday (by mosquitoes and blood-drawing flies) that, when I found him this morning, he was dressed up like he was going out into the field. He declared that he wasn't going to let them get him again, he just wasn't!
Today was another productive day. I finished photographing my specimen, tagged the ones for the drier, checked photographs, and actually started identifying specimen! So, it was a very good day. After the students got down washing the rest of the artifacts, 7 of us went to town. It was a good experience, as always. I got Skittles (they gave me a refrigerated bag, because of the heat) and rice to attempt to dry out my water-logged ipod. So, right now, it is sitting in a bag full of rice. We were dropped off at the river and got swarmed by mosquitoes while waiting for the boat man to come pick us up and take us back to Banana Bank.
I worked more on plant identification and trying to find an out-of-print, not found anywhere book that I really want : "The ABC's to the Vegetation of Belize". Oh well. I finally got a chance to chat with Mom again! Yay! And upload photos to Facebook- finally.
Tomorrow, we are going to Caracol to see those Maya ruins. I can't wait. I will try to take lots of pics!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Day 18- Lab Day
We got to sleep in today! We thought breakfast was at 8:30, but, luckily, Elle went and checked and woke us all up at 7:20 saying that it was at 7:30. I was very groggy as usual- and sat on the edge of my bed and looked off into the distance; she asked if I was ok. I told her I look like death when I first wake up, but, I get over it.
Breakfast was great and afterward I looked up Caracol, our weekend destination, to see if it was worth it to spend money to go see it- it is an optional trip. I rather thought it was. Here is what I saw: http://belizex.com/caracol.htm. It definitely made me want to go- especially the pools, rock slides and caves. It actually made me miss Johnson Shut-Ins back home.
We all washed artifacts until lunch, and I ate lunch at the little restaurant instead of their pre-cooked dinner option. It was a fun experience. Then, back to washing artifacts. A little after 2, I started work on plant stuff and photoed all my pressed specimen and numbered the photos in my field notebook- which took almost 4 hours, and then built a plant drier. It looks fab if I do say so myself ;) I felt quite accomplished for finishing all of that- even though I know it doesn't seem like much in words.
Dr. L and I are moving forward on the pollen side of my research- which excites me to no end! And I have to send out e-mails after dinner regarding arrangements for the pollen samples collected during her earlier research (this summer prior to field school). I am so excited to finally put to good use the information gleaned from pouring over pollen samples all Spring semester with Derek.
Tomorrow, the students are finishing up their lab work and I am finishing up my plant stuff before the weekend. My goal is to have time for a swim tomorrow (I haven't had time to do anything at all lately) and maybe a smoothie............here's hoping!
Breakfast was great and afterward I looked up Caracol, our weekend destination, to see if it was worth it to spend money to go see it- it is an optional trip. I rather thought it was. Here is what I saw: http://belizex.com/caracol.htm. It definitely made me want to go- especially the pools, rock slides and caves. It actually made me miss Johnson Shut-Ins back home.
We all washed artifacts until lunch, and I ate lunch at the little restaurant instead of their pre-cooked dinner option. It was a fun experience. Then, back to washing artifacts. A little after 2, I started work on plant stuff and photoed all my pressed specimen and numbered the photos in my field notebook- which took almost 4 hours, and then built a plant drier. It looks fab if I do say so myself ;) I felt quite accomplished for finishing all of that- even though I know it doesn't seem like much in words.
Dr. L and I are moving forward on the pollen side of my research- which excites me to no end! And I have to send out e-mails after dinner regarding arrangements for the pollen samples collected during her earlier research (this summer prior to field school). I am so excited to finally put to good use the information gleaned from pouring over pollen samples all Spring semester with Derek.
Tomorrow, the students are finishing up their lab work and I am finishing up my plant stuff before the weekend. My goal is to have time for a swim tomorrow (I haven't had time to do anything at all lately) and maybe a smoothie............here's hoping!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Day 17
This was our third full day in a row in the jungle. I have found that my "assistants" either love or hate what I do. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with me, instead, the thick jungle, 1KM hike one way carrying all you need for the day there and back, painstaking care to plants and mapping them, and mosquito hoards tend to discourage newcomers.
Today, we went in to 1 KM and started mapping plants in a 20 km circle. We had a minor mishap with a map and then we were back on track again. Tara called me a saint for putting up with the set-back so well, and then she went on to say that, with all the work I do, she is not wanting to do a dissertation. When I informed her this was just the pilot study for my thesis, and the dissertation work will come later, she freaked out even more. We found more new plants, bringing the grand total to 171. The mosquitoes were swarming today and, everywhere we moved, we had a pack following us. Cleofo was the worst because he doesn't use deet- because it hurts his skin. So, his white shirt highlighted his personal crew of mosquitoes.
We now have a half-an-hour hike in and back and Dr. L informs me that the car stops at Yalbac- meaning that the farther I travel inland, the farther I have to walk. Hopefully, I won't make it all the way to 11KM, because that is one epic hike!
We didn't collect many specimen, so, my pressing job was light tonight, which was a relief after the almost 2 hours daily I have spent pressing for the past couple of days. I relaxed today and cut up one of the two mangoes that I bought in the market yesterday and shared it, while slicing off random pieces. It was very good. We have a lab day tomorrow, so, I can work on my stuff some tomorrow instead of trying to do EVERYTHING tonight!
I think I said that I bought all my press stuff yesterday, so, I am officially a plant press NERD- according to Dr. L. I found stuff to make due, and it was awesome. I missed Wal-Mart's have everything you could possibly need or want, but, I found other alternatives that I am now enthused about.
We have had two catastrophes on this trip so far: Tara fell and hurt her ankle badly (it was still bothering her to work with me today and especially that hike), and then today we found out that Chris has pink eye. I knew that his eye was doing poorly yesterday when he was working with me and his eye was pink and puffy and he kept rubbing it with a wet handkerchief. He had to take a day off today.
Today, we were joined by one of the women who originally mapped the site (Jane) and her dad who also worked on Yalbac (James). They are from Texas and Jane used her archaeology degree very well- to open a relaxing resort where she is a professional Yoga instructor.
All in all, it has been a very good day, minus the mosquito attacks!
Today, we went in to 1 KM and started mapping plants in a 20 km circle. We had a minor mishap with a map and then we were back on track again. Tara called me a saint for putting up with the set-back so well, and then she went on to say that, with all the work I do, she is not wanting to do a dissertation. When I informed her this was just the pilot study for my thesis, and the dissertation work will come later, she freaked out even more. We found more new plants, bringing the grand total to 171. The mosquitoes were swarming today and, everywhere we moved, we had a pack following us. Cleofo was the worst because he doesn't use deet- because it hurts his skin. So, his white shirt highlighted his personal crew of mosquitoes.
We now have a half-an-hour hike in and back and Dr. L informs me that the car stops at Yalbac- meaning that the farther I travel inland, the farther I have to walk. Hopefully, I won't make it all the way to 11KM, because that is one epic hike!
We didn't collect many specimen, so, my pressing job was light tonight, which was a relief after the almost 2 hours daily I have spent pressing for the past couple of days. I relaxed today and cut up one of the two mangoes that I bought in the market yesterday and shared it, while slicing off random pieces. It was very good. We have a lab day tomorrow, so, I can work on my stuff some tomorrow instead of trying to do EVERYTHING tonight!
I think I said that I bought all my press stuff yesterday, so, I am officially a plant press NERD- according to Dr. L. I found stuff to make due, and it was awesome. I missed Wal-Mart's have everything you could possibly need or want, but, I found other alternatives that I am now enthused about.
We have had two catastrophes on this trip so far: Tara fell and hurt her ankle badly (it was still bothering her to work with me today and especially that hike), and then today we found out that Chris has pink eye. I knew that his eye was doing poorly yesterday when he was working with me and his eye was pink and puffy and he kept rubbing it with a wet handkerchief. He had to take a day off today.
Today, we were joined by one of the women who originally mapped the site (Jane) and her dad who also worked on Yalbac (James). They are from Texas and Jane used her archaeology degree very well- to open a relaxing resort where she is a professional Yoga instructor.
All in all, it has been a very good day, minus the mosquito attacks!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 16- You're a NERD
Again, the sky was threatening when we started out this morning. The fog was so thick and so humid that, as we rode to Mrs. Choc's, those of us riding in the back got our faces soaked. The fog was still hanging heavy when we drove to Yalbac, however, during the course of the day, it cleared up and was sunny most of the day. It is amazing how the weather operates around here. Clear skies in the morning usually bode rain by the afternoon and thick, ominous clouds clear up into sunny skies. Strangeness, just strangeness.
I took Hannah and Chris with me into the jungle and we collected plants and mapped with Cleofo. It was quite the task and it took us nearly the whole day to finish up one map that we were working on and map a smaller chunk with the smallest plants on the jungle floor. Then we started off again- trying to go another 500 meters into the jungle. We made it a total of 750 meters before I called it and we went back to Yalbac. Our daily hike just keeps getting longer. It takes 15 minutes to hike in 500 meters. And, at the end of this adventure, I intend to be 11 KM in, which means a daily hike of ........ 5.5 hours one way.........? Um.......I think we will spend our entire time hiking by the end of this.
Anyway, we were out there from 7:30am until 2:30pm with a 30 minute lunch break and a lot of pauses to let the brain slog through functioning amidst the heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Actually, another blessing, the mosquitoes were lots less intense today. I couldn't tell if they really were less obnoxious today, if it was the sunny skies, or if I have turned myself into the deet monster. Maybe all three!
We made it out alive and went back to Banana Bank. We had a 10 minute clothing change/try to get the mud off/try to actually smell decent/grab your stuff and we were off again. Actually, Dr. L had a flat tire and Ernesto, who had driven the guys home, changed it. We cheered for him afterward. In town, I bought a couple of gorgeous looking mangos and Steve wanted to get another field shirt, so, I bought 2 clothing items and we got a deal on all three. We also got lost on our way to Brodies to get all my needed supplies, because Steve took the short-cut :) It was an awesome adventure and I was in a bright mood, so, all was well. Unfortunately, not all were in the same mood. However, we finally made it to the little shopping area around Brodies and Dr. L's favorite hangout- Perkups, with 15 minutes to spare. In that time, I acquired all my needed plant pressing and preservation items as well as a Klondike bar (which ended up melting on the ride home because I was riding in the truck this time and Dr. L has a strict no food policy. On the way back from town, we met Dr. L's former grad student: Jane, who is now over a resort and a professional Yoga instructor.
We had dinner, which was simply lovely, and then I pressed plants for an hour and 15 while listening to the Decemberists and Flight of the Conchords before Molly wanted to go to bed. I finished notes around 10 our time and then had a chance to chat online a bit- while writing the blog :) Still no time for e-mails, I will get to them and Facebook.......soon........I hope!
I took Hannah and Chris with me into the jungle and we collected plants and mapped with Cleofo. It was quite the task and it took us nearly the whole day to finish up one map that we were working on and map a smaller chunk with the smallest plants on the jungle floor. Then we started off again- trying to go another 500 meters into the jungle. We made it a total of 750 meters before I called it and we went back to Yalbac. Our daily hike just keeps getting longer. It takes 15 minutes to hike in 500 meters. And, at the end of this adventure, I intend to be 11 KM in, which means a daily hike of ........ 5.5 hours one way.........? Um.......I think we will spend our entire time hiking by the end of this.
Anyway, we were out there from 7:30am until 2:30pm with a 30 minute lunch break and a lot of pauses to let the brain slog through functioning amidst the heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Actually, another blessing, the mosquitoes were lots less intense today. I couldn't tell if they really were less obnoxious today, if it was the sunny skies, or if I have turned myself into the deet monster. Maybe all three!
We made it out alive and went back to Banana Bank. We had a 10 minute clothing change/try to get the mud off/try to actually smell decent/grab your stuff and we were off again. Actually, Dr. L had a flat tire and Ernesto, who had driven the guys home, changed it. We cheered for him afterward. In town, I bought a couple of gorgeous looking mangos and Steve wanted to get another field shirt, so, I bought 2 clothing items and we got a deal on all three. We also got lost on our way to Brodies to get all my needed supplies, because Steve took the short-cut :) It was an awesome adventure and I was in a bright mood, so, all was well. Unfortunately, not all were in the same mood. However, we finally made it to the little shopping area around Brodies and Dr. L's favorite hangout- Perkups, with 15 minutes to spare. In that time, I acquired all my needed plant pressing and preservation items as well as a Klondike bar (which ended up melting on the ride home because I was riding in the truck this time and Dr. L has a strict no food policy. On the way back from town, we met Dr. L's former grad student: Jane, who is now over a resort and a professional Yoga instructor.
We had dinner, which was simply lovely, and then I pressed plants for an hour and 15 while listening to the Decemberists and Flight of the Conchords before Molly wanted to go to bed. I finished notes around 10 our time and then had a chance to chat online a bit- while writing the blog :) Still no time for e-mails, I will get to them and Facebook.......soon........I hope!
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