Day 4: Science Day

Folder for Day 4 Pictures

Hey guys, welcome back to our blog. It's Olivia and Tara hitting you with the hottest news from Costa Rica. Today for breakfast we had the classic eggs(huevos) , rice(arroz), and beans(frijoles) mixture with some classic mystery juice and the always popular white toast with butter, jam, and cacao nibs(sugar-free, all natural, ground up beans, straight from cacao plants). Today was a full day of science, from 8:30am to 9:30pm. After breakfast we dove straight into some science. Andy(a professor from the University of Oregon) talked to us about possible topics for our research projects, including water quality, biodiversity, and, of course, the ants. After that we plucked some fresh fungus from the newly retrieved ant colonies from yesterday, we put the particles on a nutrient rich agar plate. The saying, time flies when you're collecting fungus, definitely applied to this situation. Then we did some riveting worksheets for about an hour and half and had some lunch. For lunch we had rice with chicken and vegetables, as well as perfectly pureed black bean, and some salted banana chips. After that we had a little break so Pinto and Andy could create our research groups. Most people went to the pulperia to get some snacks and ice cream, but Tara, Olivia, Joseph, Anna, and Sara decided to go on a lovely adventure through the Costa Rican rain forest. Olivia, Tara, and Joseph saw a bullet ant nest on their walk by the river. Bullet ants get their name from their sting, which feels like a bullet bursting into your skin, which makes even grown Costa Rican men cry. After that we did some more science until 9:30pm and walked back to bed.

Hasta luego friends! Till next time,
xoxo Tara and Olivia