EXAMS ARE OVAHHH!!!

RAINBOW!

PHEW! I just finished my last final exam. It’s hard to believe that this program is coming to an end. We only have one week left before we part ways. Last Friday at the bar we started talking about this, and it ended up turning into a tear fest! I was a mess thinking about how much I’m going to miss everyone. We truly have established life-long friendships, and I feel like these people are my family. I had never before been in a group where we hang out all day every day and love one another’s company. It’s really hard to explain the bond we all have, but parting with these people is certainly going to be one of the hardest things about this semester’s end.

ratón

So what have I been up to the past week? STUDYING! Last Wednesday we took our TCB final, which I felt much more prepared for than I did the last one. Hopefully I did well. Then on Thursday we spent the day at the study center writing our internship reports, which were due at 2:30, which is when we had CRNH with Matt. Karen wasn’t here all last week because she had to go to the States for a conference, so Matt ran shit while she was away.

starting out on our walk

Our CRNH class was about mammals, and Thursday and Friday were mammal days. After class we had a few hours to go get dinner, so we all went to a Mediterranean place right near the study center before going up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. When we got to the reserve, we learned about bats from a bat expert, and we each got to hold a bat! It was so cool! I let one bite me, which didn’t hurt because it was just a little nibble. After learning about bats and catching a few in the mist netting, we went to the hummingbird sanctuary to see a few bats visiting the feeders.

what a view!

Then we began our walk back! We had spotlights and were scanning the trees to try to see different mammals because most mammals are nocturnal. We were looking for illuminated eyes because most mammals have tapetum licidium, a reflective layer in their eyes that helps them to see at night and makes their eyes shine in the dark.  We were lucky enough to see an Alingo, a raccoon, and most importantly, A SLOTH! It was a wonderful night! We got back home around 10pm.

inside of the fig tree

The next morning we went to Matt’s house for the second part of mammal day. On our way to the bank to be picked up, Libba and I saw a gorgeous rainbow, which was a sure sign that it would be a good day. When we got to Matt’s, we checked the traps he had set the night before, and it turns out he had caught a little mouse in one of them. The other ones were empty, and one had definitely been tampered with. We made a pancake brunch at Matt’s and hung out waiting for mammals to come by while we shared information about the mammals we had each researched. We saw a squirrel, but that was it.

After mammal day we walked back to the study center and hung out a bit before heading home. That night Julia came over to get ready and we went out to the bars. Somehow, even though we were all emotional messes, it ended up being a really perfect night. The next day, Saturday, I woke up super early and went to a long hike with Julia and Carrie. Our intention was to study, but it didn’t end up happening. Instead, we just walked and enjoyed our surroundings.

That afternoon we went to the Common Cup and met up with John and Jenny. We then went home for dinner, and that night John, Libba and I went out to the bars, but it ended up being a fail because, although the bar was full of people, we were simply too tired from the night before to do anything. We ended up going back to my house and hanging out instead.

Ze next morning, I woke up and studied a bit and then John, Libba and I met up and went down to meet Chris, one of the Tican boys we met here, who said he would take us to a fig tree that we could climb. We also snagged Korey and Carrie and we all went to the fig tree. It was the coolest thing! The fig tree had strangled its host and the host had died, leaving a ladder-like enclosing (the fig) that you could climb to the top from the inside. Too cool! The rest of that day was also super fun. We just hung out and walked around, and SOMEHOW ended up going to every single food place that had ever served us food in Monteverde: the pollería, the panadería, the Common Cup, Sabores, and the pulpería.

On Monday I woke up early again and hiked to a gorgeous lookout with Libba, Carrie, and Julia to study for our SEES final. That day was somewhat unproductive because we had the whole day to study and nobody was able to focus. When we took our exam on Tuesday, however, I felt pretty prepared. After three and a half hours, I finished my exam and felt pretty good about it. I then relaxed by watching a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother before heading home to take a nap and study for the CRNH exam.

This morning I woke up, worked out on my mama tica’s stationary bike for a bit, and studied all morning before taking the CRNH final exam at 3. The exam went fairly well. We shall see what I get on it.

the view from our study spot

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! In the morning we are going to talk about our symposium for presenting our internships to the public, and then we’re going to cook in the afternoon before heading up to the Biological station to feast with the Bio program. We’re supposed to dress as pilgrims and they’re supposed to be Indians, since there are more of them and we’re coming to them. Should be a good time.

working hard? Hardly working?

I can’t believe I’ll be home in a two and a half weeks. CRAZY!