Pura Vida OTS

At the end of the road...

2009-07-13T18:42:00.003-06:00

There are course evaluations, group photos, and a path that splits a thousand ways. Because at the start of the road there was just one, that road, but now we are at the end. And throughout this trip, I haven’t really talked about the people, mostly because it wasn’t essentially about the people. You don’t get to know a person until you spend a month with them, sometimes not even then. But at the end, we are out of the jungle and settled nicely into El Sesteo, where it all began, and we have a night to laugh and rejoice and reflect on this most incredible journey. And it becomes very much about the people.

Let me just say, I had fun. OTS did a great job of putting this course together because, hey, organizing the food, equipment, transportation, lodging, and everything else in between must take a lot of work. A lot could have gone wrong, but nothing did. This isn’t to say everything went flawlessly; a handful of things could have been better organized and there are those who are discontent with the work and the faculty. They can write it in their blog though, because… Yes, this was an intensive course, Yes, the coordinator(s) could have been more (Experienced? Consistent? Organized?), Yes, the mosquitoes were bad at Palo Verde, Yes to the 7 hour bus rides, the days in the rain… There are people who probably regret signing up for such a program, and others who might think they made the most of it. There are people I ‘disagree with’ and those I’m not afraid to call ‘friend.’ But respect and tolerance was consistent throughout the course and I couldn’t imagine this trip without any one of them.

Who is this blog for anyways? I haven’t a clue, and I’ve just been keeping this like a diary. I guess this is for Karl and Cathleen, who contacted me through OTS and set this up for me. Thank you. This is possibly for my Mom (Love ya!) whose expectation for me is this: Follow your dreams. And for whoever else at Duke, whoever is reading this… Man, come visit Costa Rica; it’s a wonderful place.

But perhaps this should mostly be for future OTS students. To them I have to say… If you love Biology, this is IT. It is hardcore. It is sweaty and muddy. In the last few days we had to do two papers, two presentations, two exams, and then any edits from previous papers. You might be frustrated and coffee might be your lifeline. But this (being out here) is the way to learn; to me it’s the only way to learn. If you come in expecting an easy grade, you will fail. And you will probably be overwhelmed trying for some pretty number on your paper. But if you come to learn, and you take every opportunity that’s thrown at you, knowing a good grade (should be) based on enthusiasm and effort, this will be one of the best choices in your life. My test grades and papers were not top notch at all, but throughout this course I’ve been confident about my ‘final grade,’ because it isn’t what matters to me. Does that make sense? Because in the end no ‘B’ or ‘A++++’ can even begin to measure me as a person and everything I’ve been through in the last month.

Come with a thirst for adventure, a helping hand for your peers, and respect towards your professors. Oh, and come with an open mind and a lot of flexibility for changes in the schedule. Have an appetite for rice and beans. Don’t be afraid of bullet ants (but be careful). Jump into streams, get muddy! Keep an eye out for snakes and an ear open for Howler Monkeys. Keep this mantra in your head: Pura Vida. Pura Vida. Pura Vida all the way!

PS I haven’t forgotten about my field notebook. It was great but not as interesting as pictures and videos : )

Thank you for reading, I hope this blog has done its job (which is inspiring you to get out there and EXPLORE!). If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at canyx_dragon@hotmail.com

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For those who care to know, my final grade for this course was: A.

Unfortunately, this is the only group photo I could find, but it is missing Aniko Toth. Apologies for that!

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Where I am headed now:

-10 more days in Costa Rica with my family, starting tomorrow

-14 day backpacking trip for Duke’s PWILD program for incoming freshmen

-Courses for the fall term: Primate Cognition, Marine Megafauna, Plants and Human Uses, Intro Biology, Globalization Women and Development, Yoga

-Spring term: Duke Marine Lab

-Junior year: OTS South Africa

Videos galore

2009-07-08T10:33:00.008-06:00

We have our final at 1 pm today, and I think I have time to post a few videos while studying. Here are some of the many memorable moments throughout this trip:

A mass of caterpillars moving as one in Las Cruces:

Coatis in Palo Verde are not afraid of humans:

Palo Verde, A Caddisfly larvae in its leaf-armor, crawling on my professor:

An epic sunrise from the lookout at Palo Verde. This video does not do it justice:

The Howler Monkey video (I 'howl,' it calls back) that I missed on a previous post (volume up, ignore comment : )

And lastly, a short clip on the mudpots of Rincon:

Well, time to go over those notes one last time... what's in a test anyways? Perhaps grades are important but no one should be here because of that. Cheers!

2 Kinds of Paradise...

2009-07-04T15:05:00.010-06:00

...The first one being Rincon de la Vieja.

There is not much to say about Rincon de la Vieja, as it is basically a super fancy resort complete with zip lines, horses, mudpots, volcanos, waterfalls, and manicured gardens. Well, I guess there is a lot to say, and even more to do in Rincon, but we were only able to spend half a day there so perhaps next time I will be able to get to know it better. In the short time we were here though, I was able to visit their well-known mudpots, swim under one of the most spectacular waterfalls, and witness yet another glorious sunset. And I apologize in advance for the disproportionate amount of sunset pictures/mentioning throughout this blog, but none of them are ever the same (and I am perhaps a bit addicted to them).

But now we are in La Selva, and in hindsight that title to one of my previous posts, "BioDIVERSITY," should really be used here. La Selva is a Tropical Lowland Forest, "Where the action is at," to quote one of my professors. There have been Sloths, Tamanduas, Woolly Opossoms, (here are poor quality photos of the Two-Toed Sloth, Tamandua and Woolly Opossom)

Currasows, and Frogs, Snakes, and Birds of all shapes and sizes. I post the above 3 photos because they were taken in roughly the same place, which is just a few meters from our cabins, and on the same day. La Selva is the most productive tropical biology research station, and in an area so busy and relatively fragmented, it is amazing how much one can see right outside the bedroom door, let alone in the forests (on an hour long night hike we saw 3 different kinds of snakes and perhaps even more kinds of frogs).

Lectures were on the Mammals and Herps of Costa Rica, and an overview of La Selva in general. Our group was also taken on an orientation walk by guides (local experts), and it's amazing how much more a trained eye can find in the forest. There was also a really cool talk about bats, including some live specimen caught in mist nets. But from this point on, there are no more formal walks or lectures... We are preparing our papers and presentations for the final group porject, studying for the final and the practical, and coming up with independent project ideas. I am fairly certain at this point that I will be working with Bullet Ants, which are said to be the most venomous insect and to have a sting that makes it feel like you've been shot by a bullet (or "being injected with boiling sulfuric acid and twisting the needle for 4 hours" for a more colorful description). The added danger, and the fact that many people do not want to work with them, makes it that much more interesting. Don't worry, I don't plan on being stung.

Palo Verde: Land of the Scorpions

2009-07-01T07:10:00.007-06:00

There is no hot water in Palo Verde, and it’s great because after a long, sweaty, DEET-filled day outside, or anywhere besides the air-conditioned classroom, that cold water on your back feels glorious. Then again, Palo Verde is glorious. The sunrise over the mountain lookout, which I’ve been up four times…

… the winding Tempisque River, which we just came back from this morning, and just the sheer amount of life that’s literally crawling between every nook and cranny. I kid you not.

So earlier today, back from our Tempisque River Tour, where Crocs swam just a few meters away and White-Faced Capuchins jumped onto our boat, I decided to take a shower. Gone were the chemicals and caked blood from burst mosquitoes. I step out, I grab a towel, I reach for my pants, and I find a Scorpion. I kid you not. The following few minutes were spent by me shouting “Give me back my pants!” and the chatter and squealing from the people outside (who I’d asked to shake the bugger out).

Snakes curl up near the bathroom and Tarantula nests dot the hillside right outside our dorms. Macaws fly across the mountains at sunrise as Howler Monkeys roar back and forth, and at us when we call at them. I made a nice video of that, but I haven't been able to post it yet: the first guttural sound is me, and the reply is the howler. The speaker at the end is another student. Not much to look at, as it was fairly far away, but turn your volume up!

(Go here for video of howler!)

We are all scarred and itchy, and we all anticipate Rincon de la Vieja (mud pots and hot springs!) tomorrow, but I think now we all appreciate a little more… life’s cycles and all its workings, big and small… that it doesn’t start with the rare Jabaroo, but with the humble Mosquito.

On the academic side, 3 studies were done in Palo Verde: one group studied the ‘Optimal Predation Theory’ with Jacanas and aquatic insects, another Seed Dispersal, and my group looked at Pollination. I stood ankle-deep in a marsh, under the sun, and stared at a single plant for 2 hours… and strangely enough, thought it was quite interesting. The Jacana group had to wade through floating islands of cow dung.

We are almost at our final site, a primary feather in the wing of biological field stations (bad analogy, I know): La Selva. I don’t want to think about the end yet, and I won’t because I have 2 tests, 2 presentations and 2 papers in the way, but I know it will jump up on me, just like how June 15th jumped up on me a few weeks ago. I will take each day in stride though, because there hasn’t been a day, not a single one, when I missed home or wanted to be elsewhere. I am exactly where I belong. So, I go, and I will see you all in La Selva.

P.S. I still don’t like mosquitoes very much.

Midterm at Cuerici

2009-06-26T15:41:00.007-06:00

It’s 11:27 PM at Cuerici, a little farm-lodge setup up in the Cloud Mountains. There is no internet connection here so by the time of this posting I will already be in Palo Verde. But before that, let me just say, I love it here. Rainforests have a wild, lush feeling to them, but mountains have this ruggedness that is just indomitable. Our cabin is very rustic and quaint, and the entire area is like something out of a fairytale.

There is a white horse here named Neblina (‘Fog’ in Spanish) and there is also Carlos, property owner and mountain man extraordinaire who also happens to walk around with a machete at his waist. Too cool.

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Actually, we came to Cuerici to take a midterm exam. Let’s not dwell too long on that subject (alright, it was pretty challenging, not in the best way). It’s over now though and after this night of chimney fire and storytelling, we are ready to head to our fourth site: Palo Verde. Throughout the trip our professors have been ‘warning’ us about the clouds of mosquitoes, the sweltering heat, and all that good stuff. It will certainly be a drastic change from the cool mountains.

I’ll leave it at that, and add to this post at Palo Verde before I post it. It’s already been a week and a half… can you believe it?

Palo Verde. A Coati welcomed us as we walked out of the bus while dragonflies (our protectors) darted every which way scooping up mosquitoes. As the day progressed, and we only arrived at around 4-5 PM… we saw egrets, whistling ducks, a ctenosaur, snakes, a raccoon, many moths, beetles, and spiders. And of course, mosquitoes. Up till now I haven’t touched any repellent and I was already eaten up as it was before Palo Verde. Even on tonight’s night hike, I refused to use any and I cut my nails short so that I wouldn’t scratch. It was rough though, and I am told that it is worse in the morning, when they occur in mobs. That and the humidity + heat of day is enough to drive me mad. Recommendation for not being bitten is to wear two long sleeve shirts.

So I give; pass the Deet. As much as I would have liked to say ‘I didn’t use any repellent throughout this trip,’ I would like more to enjoy the spring of diversity that is Palo Verde and not have to slap my arm every ten seconds, or suffer a heat stroke. Our professor has a point though, that we’re leaving our DNA with these mosquitoes and passing it through the chains of life. I have to appreciate this onslaught of bugs that drives this whole system and makes possible the birds, reptiles, and every other creature I saw today and will see over the next five days.

I miss the mountains. But there is a lot to be learned here as well.

BioDIVERSITY

2009-06-19T21:15:00.006-06:00

We're well settled in the Wilson Botanical Garden area of Las Cruces Field Station by the time of this posting. Natural History orientations, lectures on writing scientific papers and bird families of Costa Rica are only a few of the topics we covered throughout these days, but of course the best teacher is still personal experience. Today was our first opportunity to do actual fieldwork, and we pseudo-bushwhacked through primary forest to count the number of ferns, woody plants, herbs and palms along our 25 m transect. I learned something very important and shockingly obvious as a result of this experiment...
People too often think of a 'forest' as nothing but trees, and we overlook the smaller aspects of it, such as undergrowth and abiotic factors. This, along with our lecture on Restoration Ecology today taught me, above all else, that there are so many factors to consider when trying to 'save' an area. There's more to just planting trees. And yes, this should be common knowledge, but think of a forest right now... What do you imagine? I'll bet the first things that comes to mind are sweeping green canopies and sturdy trunks. If not, I'd like to know, because I'm still trying to add that layer of undergrowth to the forests in my mind. This course has made us question and find the answers for ourselves. Among a handful of articles we have to read, one is about the 'value' of Biodiversity, from an ecological standpoint and an economic one. I can go on and on about this, and I plan to during our discussion on Sunday, but I strongly believe that you cannot put a monetary value on any life, or combinations of lives that create our ecosystems.

Anyways, besides all the intellectual overload, let me share with you some rare moments that I've been lucky to capture on camera, or just creatures that are too beautiful for words:

I forgot to mention that the Wilson Gardens contain "over 1000 genera in more than 200 plant families," taken from all over the world. This is a certain kind of bamboo from Japan, and for it to reach this height of... a 3 story building at least... took one month. One.

Oh, and at the base of one of the stalks were these two lizards duking it out. I was able to get close enough to take this macro shot.

And then there were these two Bird-Eating Snakes mating by our cabin, spotted by yours truly. Captured on camera, too... what could be better?

A video, of course.

This is the view from inside a Strangler Fig structure... Imagine a typical, HUGE rain forest tree. A strangler fig is a vine that slowly but surely wraps around its host tree and eventually... well, strangles it to death. When the tree rots away, the fig vine still remains. And this thing is ginormous... the only thing that gives away the fact that it is not a tree is that it is hollow.

We went to look at a blacklight sheet (used to attract insects) tonight and before long we realized we were standing in the way of a swarm of army ants. Imagine the very ground beneath you *pulsing* with ants, ants with large pincers. I was lucky enough not to be bitten but a few of my peers were. I later went back and dropped a moth into the swarm and watched it get completely engulfed in a matter of seconds. The ones pictured here were pulled off of my socks.

And I have a lot of great pictures of moths and beetles from the blacklight, which I visited again after the swarm cleared, but I won't bother you with all of those shots. Here is one that a girl showed to me as I was writing this blog though. Beautiful. Here, you can't escape from the wild, not even when you're inside. And that's just how I like it.

Costa Rica is...

2009-06-16T20:38:00.004-06:00

Amazing.
Did you see that coming? I definitely did. So much has happened already and we're not even at the field stations yet. I am writing this from a hotel called El Sesteo, which is a cozy but beautiful place. I'm surrounded by budding Microbiologists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Conservationists, and others who are here to broaden their horizons or figure out what they want to do. We range from as young as 1.5? (professor Alex Sloan's son), to a professor who is much older than any of us who teaches at the University of Oregon. Already the diversity is so great and the energy is so enriching, and we have yet to step foot in a rainforest. I'm excited, and I expect great things to happen.

Above are pictures of El Sesteo.

Today was our first formal lecture. It was (intensely interesting, in my opinion) mostly about safety concerning snakes, but we also learned a great deal about the snakes of Costa Rica and the production of antivenom. In fact, we had this lecture in the Institute of Clodomiro Picado, where antivenom is produced and shipped all over the world. It seems like snake encounters are inevitable here, and especially when we really get into the thick of things, but I'm looking forward to it. I want to feel that burst of adrenaline (but not be bitten). Actually, the chances of me dying if I'm bitten are pretty close to zero, so that would be quite a story to tell, wouldn't it?

Lunch was served afterwards at the OTS headquarters, where we also had a lecture on the Geology and Climate of Costa Rica by our other coordinator/professor, Brian O'Shea, followed by an overview of our course from Prof. Sloan.
Dinner took place at a Mexican restaurant called Maria Bonita ("pretty Maria" in Spanish) and free time is happening as I am typing this. The halls are quiet, and I suspect everyone is on their computer now that the management finally fixed the internet.

I will leave it at that for now, because we are leaving at 7 am tomorrow for Las Cruces, a 7 hour drive. Meanwhile, enjoy this picture of an anole I caught earlier this evening at the hotel (and let me know if you know the species, because nothing I've searched matches so far):

Ready, Set, GO!

2009-06-14T22:21:00.002-06:00

For a hectic 30 minutes tonight, I was done. Kaput. This trip was over before it even started. I had EVERYTHING packed except the one, most important thing, the first item on the first checklist: my passport. It is my fault, partly for being disorganized and partly for procrastinating. In less than 12 hours I will be in another country and I'd only started packing earlier tonight. Everything is ready now though, packed tight into a single duffel bag and my school backpack, from the Flip Video I hope to have a chance to use for this blog, to the EpiPen I hope I won't have to use. This is the night of spontaneous thoughts and last minute doubts. I am wondering how much dancing will be involved throughout this course (hinted many times throughout the packet), and I am slightly worried because I have just about as much dancing ability as a rock. I am reminding myself to pick up extra contact lense solution from some pharmacy before I go. I am thinking about the past month and a half; my To-Do List of things to-do in New York is mostly checked off, but there are still empty spaces. But I am ready, I tell myself, for an adventure. I am ready. I am ready. I am...

...tired, and I should admit that it's 12:26 AM as I am typing this sentence, my flight is 7:30 am, and I'm leaving the house at 5 am. I like to sleep during flights because that is how I will adapt to the sudden change in time/schedule/country. I'd like to stay awake till 7:30, fall asleep before take off, and wake up there. Wouldn't that be glorious? But I know that is impossible, because I am already falling asleep at the keyboard, and 3.5 hours later, I will wake up groggy and grumpy and want to not be in Costa Rica (which is a lie!). Let me stop here though, and say: Goodbye New York, Goodbye Soro (my dog), Goodbye Mom and family and friends!

My next post will be from Costa Rica. See you there!

The Field Notebook

2009-05-29T12:39:00.004-06:00

An interesting part of this trip will be keeping a field notebook. Here is what it says on the syllabus:

“Students are required to keep a field notebook throughout the semester. Information recorded in the notebook should include observations from field trips, orientation walks, plant taxonomy exercises, etc. Students are strongly encouraged to personalize the field notebook by including observations of their own. Examples of observations that might be included are drawings and descriptions of interesting spiders; a list of birds or herps sited at each field station; climatic conditions, etc. Field notebooks are collected at the end of the course and graded based on completeness, neatness, and effort.”

In all of the excursions I’ve been on, my ‘notebook’ has always been my brain, or my camera. Neatness is not one of my strong points and I’m more the type to just sit back and let the experience wash over me rather than jot everything down. However, I am glad that this has been made a requirement. No doubt it will force me to pay attention to details more closely and, like this blog, it will help organize my memories of Costa Rica.

But I’m also glad because this will give me a chance to work on my drawing. I mostly do cartoonish and tattoo design work right now, but classes like these inspire me to work more on scientific/realistic. I love movement and anatomy, so hopefully I will be able to capture this with a pencil as well as with my camera… I would love to take pictures of my notebook and share it on this blog from time to time.

I’ve been practicing (kind of), because I know when I see that beautiful animal, it probably won’t be posing for me, but disappear in the wink of an eye. I need to work on speed, and stop focusing on tiny details when I’m drawing in the field. For now I have the luxury of Google Images, but soon that won’t be the case. I need to familiarize myself with the flora and fauna of Costa Rica while I still have Wikipedia at my disposal.

For now though, here are some examples of what I intend to do:

(above: spider monkey, below: yawning jaguar. Used references from google)

Minor Preparations

2009-05-22T20:19:00.001-06:00

There is little I can do (or, being the college student that I am… there is little I feel compelled to do) with still a good number of days before Costa Rica. I will probably see this blog post the night before my flight and mentally slap myself. But it isn’t to say I have done nothing at all! I’ve just been to the doctors for a blood test to see if the Hep. A and B vaccines I had years ago is still present in my blood… Or something along those lines (my not-pre-med knowledge). I am wondering if it is necessary to take those extra precautions to prevent malaria or dengue… I’m not one to worry too much about diseases, but getting sick would definitely detract from my experience.

Also, I had some time in Barnes&Nobles today to browse through Costa Rica for Dummies. I’m fooling myself if I think I can become a Costa Rica expert and memorize the map of the country in just a few hours, especially because I can’t even memorize the map of my own country after living here for 18 years. I guess I read it mainly to get the most basic sense of their history and culture. And to be honest, not a lot of it rubbed off on me. I think it’s like getting your first dog… You can read all the books and talk to all the so-called experts, you can feel totally prepared for the challenge, but in the end there will still be things you could never have learned any other way except by trying it yourself. And if Costa Rica is anything like my first (and current) dog, it will be life changing in all the best ways. But this should go without saying, because I already know it will be amazing, just like the moment I walked up to the kennel cage and knew, “This is the one.”

A month away

2009-05-13T21:03:00.002-06:00

Hello out there!

This is Tiff Shao, blogging for the first time. The Costa Rica program is only about a month away and I already know it’s going to be the highlight of my summer. I’m excited because this kind of experience… hands-on, in the field, utilizing all the senses… it is truly the best way to learn. They say the moment you become a scientist is the moment you ask a question and feel it, the feeling that tells you, "This is what I want to study for the rest of my life!" I’m not sure what my calling is yet, but I’ve felt it in Yellowstone, in Mexico, and even in the woods near my house. There is just something so intriguing about the world outside what we know. And I know I will feel it in Costa Rica. Maybe I’ll even find that question that will make me a scientist (no, a Wildlife Ecologist!), or perhaps I already am one.

Man, the 15^th of June seems so far away, but I know it will jump up on me. I try imagining what it will be like to be in Costa Rica, and all that seems to come up is a blast of rainbow colors. I can't wait to meet my peers and my professors. I can't wait to see all the different plants and animals and to experience such a different culture. I can't wait to enter that state of mind... when I'm inevitably covered in bug bites and possibly have blisters on my feet... it could possibly be raining... But I will smile and I will know, this is Pura Vida.

Course Description

2009-05-04T09:50:00.003-06:00

Biology 134L Field Tropical Biology offers students the exciting opportunity to study first-hand the evolutionary ecology of important plant and animal taxa in tropical ecosystems. Course design emphasizes intensive field work and visits all three OTS field stations as well as other sites. Students are thus introduced to a great diversity of tropical habitats, each possessing distinctive biotas that in turn demonstrate unique evolutionary histories and ecological dynamics. As part of the course, students work closely with resident professors in the design, implementation, and interpretation of their own independent research project in field ecology. Independent projects allow students to learn science by doing science in a beautiful and challenging tropical setting. Results are presented orally following the protocol of a scientific meeting. Students also submit a formal research report which becomes part of the permanent records of OTS field stations.

The course concludes with a short unit on conservation biology, including the application of island biogeography to reserve design and management, as well as the impact of deforestation and fragmentation.

2009-04-28T14:13:00.002-06:00

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