The other day we had a field lecture on the ecology of Magdelana Bay. For this we set up our camping chairs on the dunes that separate the bay and the Pacific Ocean and after class we spent several hours playing at the beach, gathering sand dollars and shells (which we were then told we were not allowed to keep), body surfing (one of our professors was actually surfing), jumping off the dunes, and sunbathing. Best day of class ever :) Also my first time swimming in the Pacific Ocean!!!!
The following day we had a lecture on Rhodolith beds (a marine algae that looks like coral) and went snokeling in the bay to collect data. The rhodoliths weren´t very interesting but while I was snoking I also found a starfish, and a seahorse. Very fun except when our boat got stuck on the sand for 20 mins and my feet went numb from the cold.
For both of these lectures we had boat rides and got to see lots of the surrounding marine wildlife stingrays whales, sea lions, and dolphins.
The boat trip to the dunes felt like I was in a disney movie. On the right side a sea lion was waving to us with both flippers while a pod of dophins swam on the left. In the distance you could see 4 or 5 gray whales putting on a watershow through their blowholes.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
My stay so far in Mexico has been pretty cushy but there are a few things I have been noticing that I regularly take for granted back home...
1. Clean tap water- after about the 15th time I left my water bottle in my room to go to brush my teeth I started to get very annoyed about about this.
2. Thing generally working - So far our internet has been in and out everyday. Those who talk regularly with me on skype can attest to how frustrating this is. Our student phone hasn´t worked, the VCR and DVD, the hot water ( I had my first hot shower three days ago) and something else I am forgeting at the moment.
3. To go along with the last one... access to things you need - The closest town were we can get access an ATM or bank is an hour away. For other more specialty things (such as the cable to fix our VCR) the professors have to drive 4 hours to La Paz.
4. Recycling- Our school has been working hard to start a recycling program in town but still there are no recycling containers in town. I can talk about this more later. Today I am going with 4 other students to work at the recycling center.
Things we could learn from Mexico...Relax there is no reason to hurry. You can especially appreciate this at a local resturant los arcos (great margaritas but don´t expect to quick service at the other resturant I like we have just taken to grabing the cervesa from the frig rather than wait) Also be friendly. Everyone here says hi ....and if you talk more than a few mins you will probably get a hug and a kiss on the cheek... However the men are a little too friendly.
1. Clean tap water- after about the 15th time I left my water bottle in my room to go to brush my teeth I started to get very annoyed about about this.
2. Thing generally working - So far our internet has been in and out everyday. Those who talk regularly with me on skype can attest to how frustrating this is. Our student phone hasn´t worked, the VCR and DVD, the hot water ( I had my first hot shower three days ago) and something else I am forgeting at the moment.
3. To go along with the last one... access to things you need - The closest town were we can get access an ATM or bank is an hour away. For other more specialty things (such as the cable to fix our VCR) the professors have to drive 4 hours to La Paz.
4. Recycling- Our school has been working hard to start a recycling program in town but still there are no recycling containers in town. I can talk about this more later. Today I am going with 4 other students to work at the recycling center.
Things we could learn from Mexico...Relax there is no reason to hurry. You can especially appreciate this at a local resturant los arcos (great margaritas but don´t expect to quick service at the other resturant I like we have just taken to grabing the cervesa from the frig rather than wait) Also be friendly. Everyone here says hi ....and if you talk more than a few mins you will probably get a hug and a kiss on the cheek... However the men are a little too friendly.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Classes, Field lectures/labs, group outings, homework, and more. There has been so much going on lately that its been hard to keep up with everything....especially updating my blog.
Things I haven't mentioned which where pretty sweet......
-Lecture by Wallace J. Nichols. "J" Nichols basically started the sea turtle conservation movement and founded/cofounded countless NGOs. His talk was kinda depressing at first...all about how much we have screwed up our environment but ended on a much higher note. The last section of his talk was about people he has met through his travels and different people have made an impact....everything from a illegal shark fisher who retired and turned in gear to his parents who gave up eating shrimp. The most interesting stories he told were about the more unlikely people who supported this movement.
Check it out ----> Shrimpsuck.org
-Field Lecture on the ecology and management of Mangroves. Out lecture took place in a disrupted Mangrove and after the lecture we walked around the mangrove identifying the different species of mangroves and discussing our restoration project.
-Yoga. Today after our outdoor lab on seaweed we had an impromptu yoga class lead by our Student Affairs Manager. Lots of fun and great excercised. Although in the future we are thinking of it in the mornings because it is hard to hold an eagle pose when people come up to you to show you a giant slug!!!! yuck.
<3
Things I haven't mentioned which where pretty sweet......
-Lecture by Wallace J. Nichols. "J" Nichols basically started the sea turtle conservation movement and founded/cofounded countless NGOs. His talk was kinda depressing at first...all about how much we have screwed up our environment but ended on a much higher note. The last section of his talk was about people he has met through his travels and different people have made an impact....everything from a illegal shark fisher who retired and turned in gear to his parents who gave up eating shrimp. The most interesting stories he told were about the more unlikely people who supported this movement.
Check it out ----> Shrimpsuck.org
-Field Lecture on the ecology and management of Mangroves. Out lecture took place in a disrupted Mangrove and after the lecture we walked around the mangrove identifying the different species of mangroves and discussing our restoration project.
-Yoga. Today after our outdoor lab on seaweed we had an impromptu yoga class lead by our Student Affairs Manager. Lots of fun and great excercised. Although in the future we are thinking of it in the mornings because it is hard to hold an eagle pose when people come up to you to show you a giant slug!!!! yuck.
<3
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tomorrow I am student of the day...which means several things.. mostly that I lead morning RAP (Reflections-inspirational quotes, poems, thoughtful questions, etc, Announcements-this is opened to anyone who needs to say anything, and Physicality- a game, team building exercise, or some kind of physical activity) So I figured I would share my quote with everyone...
"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree—and there will be one. If his back be strong and his shovel sharp, there may eventually be ten thousand."
Leopold, Aldo: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, 1948, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987, pg. 81
"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree—and there will be one. If his back be strong and his shovel sharp, there may eventually be ten thousand."
Leopold, Aldo: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, 1948, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987, pg. 81
Gray Whales
Today we had our first trip out on the pangas (boats) for our swim test. While we were out we saw 6 gray whales ( 2 sets of mom and child and 1 set of adult whales ), 2 dolphins, lots of shore birds, and a pirate ship!?! or at least what looked like a pirate ship. Some of the whales were as close as 20-30 feet away. SO AWESOME!!!!
For my brother Dale, who inquired about the pollution near the center: the pollution comes from the fish cannery up the road and is over-nutrients not chemical, which I think just means that there is an abundance of bacteria and algae...and to get to the not polluted section you walk any where north of the cannery (about a mile).
For my brother Dale, who inquired about the pollution near the center: the pollution comes from the fish cannery up the road and is over-nutrients not chemical, which I think just means that there is an abundance of bacteria and algae...and to get to the not polluted section you walk any where north of the cannery (about a mile).
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