Monday, June 25, 2018

Day 9: El Jobo


Today we we left Finca La Anita to our new destination in El Jobo.  On the way, we pondered our experiences and each of the following are comments/reflections made by the students on this trip.  They are numbered with a name unassigned.  See if you can tell which comment was made by your student.


  1. The food is very healthy, and there are lots of activities.
  2. This trip was a great start to the summer and really helpful in showing us the hands - on experience that we can get in the field.
  3. There were lots of activities that were unexpected.
  4. The trip has been a great experience for me. Except for the infection, that wasn't so enjoyable.
  5. You've never felt true discomfort until you're digging out ant fungus in a termite nuptial flight, but you've never felt true excitement until you're in Costa Rica.  
  6. Dear parentals, I really like the hiking and waterfalls they are extremely fun!!
  7. I really want a pet monkey and this entire trip has been better than expected!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  8. This trip was an amazing experience but I'm surprised that I've only had guacamole once :((
  9. I tried to buy a huge banana but it was a plantain, at least there are a bunch of dogs here to keep me company
  10. I will never be scared of a Minnesota bug again, also I LOVE all the cows
  11. My abs hurt from laughing, my feet hurt from hiking, but the dogs are really cute, so it's okay.
  12. I have never had so many new experiences in such a short span of time!!!
  13. Lots of little bug friendos. Neat.
  14. I'm not sure if this experience was amazing or traumatizing. Probably both, in the best way possible.
  15. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 
  16. The cultural exposure of this trip is so cool, I love it here! 


       Greetings and salutations once more! Today it is I, Miah, writing for your favorite Costa Rican blog. Our day today was eventful, to say the least. After some last-minute packing and a final breakfast at La Anita, we loaded into the Party Bus to begin our journey to El Jobo. While the music was questionable, the view was phenomenal and the company was superb (shout out to Felix!). We made a pit stop at Peri, a super-duper-market. Everyone loaded up on junk food (which was hard to come by at La Anita) and cookies, which was quite fun. It was interesting to see who was adventurous and bought Costa Rican snacks, and who went with American classics (I was among the former, because my mother is always reminding me to try things I can't get anywhere else).
       We continued our ride until we arrived at Blue Dream Hotel, a charming (and diminutive) hotel with a wonderful view of the beach. Before we had much time to settle in, we rushed to lunch at Kembly's, a home style up-and-coming restaurant, which I thought was quite- oh wait, I can't talk about the food. I guess you'll never know what I thought... Anyway, the most important part of our day was our ray adventure. We met with a marine biologist named Sebastian, and traversed the (very slippery) beach to Playa Rayas, which literally means "Ray Beach". Suited up in fins, goggles, and snorkels, we searched for, found, and caught a variety of rays, from sting to butterfly. My snorkeling experience was a bit of a disaster, (don't worry Mom, I'm fine), but I think everyone else enjoyed themselves a lot. We also got to measure, tag, weigh, and release the rays we caught, which I liked a lot more. Did you know that butterfly rays are distinct because they are wider than they are long? I do now. It was also cool getting to see what such a large-scale project looks like on a day to day basis.
       To conclude our day, we got a chance to shower, and relax over a pizza dinner (made by Joseph and Ravi), which I am currently consuming. Thanks for tuning in to the best research trip blog in El Jobo, and don't forget to guess who wrote each of the numbered comments above!





Sincerely,
Miah 🦆

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like you guys are having an awesome experience! Our guess for Nicole is #7 or #11!

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  2. For Miah, Dad thinks #5 or #10. Mom thinks #10 or #14. We both hope it's not #4!

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  3. What an amazing trip so far! I’m guessing Olivia is #5.

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  4. guessing 8 or 10 for Tara, but hoping it's not 4. Sorry to whoever that is!

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