Welcome to the PK Lounge

My coworkers are AWESOME.

They all are nature nerds to the max, so I'm never alone in geeking out over a new creature. They have incredible work ethics, so I know we all have each other's backs. They have each read all of the Harry Potter books. Everyone is always down to grab a drink and have a good time. They're all as incredulous as I am that this is our real life. And they are all ecstatic to be here.

One talks in abbrevs. One is more prepared for any situation than any Scout I've ever met (without ever having been a Scout!). One made a Redwall reference on day three (dude, do you guys know how rare it is to find someone else who was as obsessed with those books as me?!). One is always good for a G&T-fueled Tswift dance party. One is always down for a good arts 'n' crafts sesh. One taught me how to make a rue yesterday!

There's three girl interns, including myself, that live in a re-purposed shed with me, and the boy intern gets his own room. But before you start saying how unfair that sounds, let me explain. Although a year ago our "house" was a home for spare bed parts and random pieces of wood, it got a beautiful make over! With two windows (read: arrow slits), a little fresh paint, a "fire escape" and an air conditioner, it has become the PK Lounge. We have to walk across the island for bathrooms and showers, but the boy's room is attached to a building that will house students later this summer...and I'd take our little removed shack over hearing long nights of Truth or Dare and "Never have I ever" any day.


My only complaint? I am the only country music fan on this whole freaking island. So I will bide my time and enjoy the random radio stations of my coworkers...but later this summer when I'm on solo meal duty for a group of students? Yep, you can bet George Strait and friends will be cooking right along with me!

My Next Adventure Awaits!

Today marks the beginning of my last two weeks in Madison, WI.




Laura and I at my graduation in December

Yep, 14 more days to enjoy this wonderful city, and then I'm off to my next adventure! Since the last time I posted, I have graduated with a B.S. in Zoology, earned my Open Water SCUBA certification, and been selected for a 6month internship at the Pigeon Key Marine Science Center on the island of Pigeon Key, FL. If you received my family's Christmas letter you're probably surprised by this news, given that my portion of the letter was more or less a desperate plea for a job :) However, not two days after Joan had licked and stamped the last envelope, I received a call from Florida! Let's just say visions of palm trees--not sugar plums--were dancing in my head this Christmas season.


Myself and my SCUBA buddy Andrea

When I was in middle school, we had the opportunity to go with our classmates on optional overnight field trips to places "up north". Typically we traveled to places with nature-y or American Indian names like Audubon in 5th grade and Widjiwagan in 8th. While there, we got to do all sorts of outdoorsy winter activities like following animal paw prints, learning about predator/prey relationships, and at Widji, doing the "dip sauna dip" since there were no showers. Oh, and did I mention that most of these field trips took place in the middle of winter? So all of our hiking around took place on snowshoes, and the "dip" process involved jumping into a hole cut into the ice of a lake?


An aerial view of Pigeon Key--thanks GoogleImage search!

So while I spent my formative school years playing in the wintery northwoods of MN, students in FL drive south for their overnight field trip adventures (we also get Boy Scout troops and summer camp kids on the island). They come to study at the Pigeon Key Marine Science Center to follow tropical fish, learn about biological relationships in tropical marine ecosystems, and go tidepooling for invertebrates. And it doesn't matter what season they come to the island, it's always somewhere between 80-90 degrees! So while they get to do all this learning they'll be snorkeling, fishing off the end of a dock, and walking around the 5-acre island of Pigeon Key.

I am thrilled to say, that for the 2013 educational season (Feb-Aug), I'll be right there with them filling every role from teacher to lifeguard, to chef and washerwoman.

But, before I go I have a few things I want to knock off my Madison Bucket List:

1. Take a guided tour of the capitol building
2. Get my picture taken in Abe's lap
3. Explore the Chazen Art Museum, the WI Veterans Museum, and the WI State Historical Museum
4. Go to Monday's on a Monday
5. Walk all the way out to the tip of Picnic Point
6. Try a Plazaburger
7. Enjoy one last Fishbowl on Bacon Night with my friends
8. Own something from the Sconnie Store
9. Get kissed on the 50yd line of Camp Randall
10. Do the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics WI (shameless fundraising plug right here)

That's a Wrap!

Well I've been home (as in Madison home) for approximately 1 week. I've been in the US for 13 days. It didn't take long to settle back in--I'm living with some great girls this semester and it feels fantastic to be back on campus. The time I got to spend at home was wonderful, I think that no matter where I travel, my mom's kitchen will be one of my favorite places in the world until the day I die. I loved hanging out with old friends and chatting with all their parents. I didn't realize how many people had been reading this blog until I started getting questions about my recorded adventures! Now that I know I have an audience (outside of my immediate family) typing is a little intimidating! But it's definitely important to do a little reflection I think, so I'll face my fears!

Common Questions I've Received...
1) Well how was Costa Rica?!
2) What was your favorite meal?
3) What's the first thing you ate in America?
4) Was Belize something you did with your study abroad program?
5) Are you experiencing any culture shock?
6) Do you want to go back?
7) Do you miss it?

Answers:
1) Absolutely fantastic. But you'll have to be more specific...
2) In Costa Rica, the typical breakfast. Gallo pinto, fresh farmers cheese, fried plantains....oh lawd. I could eat that everyday I think. Belize, I loved Carmela's homemade tortillas and Zoe's chicken curry. Also Paul's banana milkshakes were out of this world! However, my all time favorite Central American food is ceviche.
3) French fries and a vanilla cone from the McDonalds drive-thru in the front seat of Annie Huber's car.
4) Nope, it was a completely separate internship program that I found using Google a year ago. It was definitely the cherry on top of an incredible semester
5) Not really. I mean it's weird to think that I'll be sitting in a lecture hall again for classes, instead of in the middle of an old growth forest. And I've had sticker shock at restaurants a few times, but it kind of feels like I never left...almost like Costa Rica was a dream! Even though I know better, I keep thinking all my friends' lives stopped when I left. So when they talk about things that happened "last semester" I keep thinking they're talking about last spring...absurd I know, but my brain is adjusting. Climate shock on the other hand, that I am definitely experiencing! To Minnesota and Wisconsin's credit, they definitely tried to ease me out of the 85 and sunny gently, with 40 degrees in the middle of January! However, real winter has since come out to play and there is snow on the ground...and it is COLD!
6) Of course! Absolutely as soon as my schedule and bank account align, I'd go back in either country. 
7) Oh so much. As wonderful as it is to be back on American soil with family, friends, George Strait, and Bucky, Costa Rica and Belize were some of the most magical places I've ever been. I miss the Spanish, the outdoorsy-ness, the people, and most of all the constant feeling of incredulity of "is this real life?!"

Please ask more questions, if you have them! I'm happy to answer them because--shocker--I love talking about my adventures!

All in all, these have been some of the most incredible months of my life! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to explore new countries, interests, and meet some of the most wonderful people I've ever met.

Thank you for reading, it's been quite a journey!

Manic Monkeys

10 Things I didn't know until I lived in Belize:

1. Manatees give the best hugs

2. "Clean" is a relative term--and my standards can get lower than Eladio's.

3. Schizophrenia affects monkeys too.

4. It just doesn't feel like Christmas around here without snow and Reba McEntire.

5. I like holding howler monkeys more than babies.

6. The distraction game of "oh look how much fun I'm having over here while you're over there pouting" works just as well with monkeys as it does with kids.

7. The most potent farts I've ever smelled come from manatees

8. Yucca makes a great tropical Christmas tree.

9. I'd miss my Gringo Parade...a LOT.

10. I'd be this excited to see my family!

I hope finals are being kind and that everyone is safe and warm this Holiday Season. Merry Christmas!

This just in: My Life STILL revolves around a Feeding Schedule

So I'm able to get a little more internet than I expected! Unfortunately not enough to add photos (yet), but enough to record a little of what's been going on in my life in the past week.
Hannah and I arrived to Belize without much fanfare, we breezed through customs (the guys loved Hannah's dreads--everyone kept calling her "rasta girl") and arrived in Sarteneja the same day. We met Paul and Zoe, the directors of Wildtracks, and all their dogs; Lucy, Sally, and Meeko right away. Hannah and I got settled in our little cabana, and got ready to wash off the long travel day. Hannah got a shower in, but as soon as I got my hair lathered up with shampoo, the water cut out. I was able to rinse the shampoo out of my hair while Hannah reached over the top of the shower curtain and dumped the contents of her water bottle on my head. This was not our last experience with waterbottle showers.
Everything here runs on solar power. The lights, the internet, and the pump that draws up well water for toilet flushing and showering. It's been a learning experience, but we've learned that you cannot flush the toilet once the sun goes down if you'd like to brush your teeth before bed. Also if you plan on taking a shower, you'd better do it right around lunch time. However, cleanliness doesn't last long!
Hannah and I are responsible for the feeding of the outdoor monkeys, the peccaries, the deer, and the feeding and entertaining of the manatee. Plus Hannah is working on designing the artwork for the visitors center (to be built...soon?) and I'm busy gathering information to beef up the Wildtracks website, which as you can see, is woefully incomplete. There is never a dull moment around here!

All my little girl dreams are coming true--I'm working behind the scenes in wild animal care! I'm allowed to go into cages, snuggle monkeys, feed a manatee from a bottle--all things I never thought I'd actually get to do! My days starts at 6:30am with the howler monkey feeds, which happen again at 10:30, 2:30, and 4:30. Sultan, Nikki, and Livvy are all around a year old and are still being weaned off humans. Sultan spends the entire feeding sitting on my shoulder, his tail wrapped around my neck, drinking his milk from a syringe. Livvy and Nikki generally ignore me, except for last night. There's a "cold" front moving through, and I think they could tell the night was going to be especially chilly, because Livvy crawled into my arms like a small child and snuggled her head right under my chin! I about died it was so precious. The other 5 howler monkeys that I'm in charge of are all about 2 years old; Eden, Igor, Kofi, Minnie and Moe all love leaves. They love papaya and leaves; Kofi actually starts purring when I bring in a huge bunch! Eden and I got off to a rough start, but now that my unicorn bun has lost its intrigue (her last feeder was a guy) she mostly leaves me alone. Minnie is my favorite of the five. When I'm bent in half sweeping up the cage floor, she flattens herself tummy-down on my back and wraps every limb she's got around my waist. When I stand up to leave the cage--she slowly lets herself slide down the slippery leg of my adventure pants like it's a fireman's pole and plops on the ground. She looks around for a moment, confused "well how did I get here?" and then scrambles up my offered arm, bounds off my head, and perches at the highest possible place to watch me leave.
Twiggy the manatee is my other favorite charge. She's two years old and has been at Wildtracks since she was about two weeks old. I feed her at 7:30 and 4:00 every day, a mixture of milk formula, banana, and vitamins from a bottle, and then I swim with her for about 20 minutes. She's old enough to be living in the lagoon, eating seagrass and learning to be a wild manatee, and when she's out there I'll only feed her in the mornings and use a boat to go out and check on her. However, because of the "cold" front, Zoe decided to keep her in the largest manatee rehab pool because it can be easily heated. In the wild, Twiggy would just swim around with other manatees to find warmer waters, but since she can't leave the lagoon, it's important to keep her warm (too-cold manatees get constipated and their stomachs will twist, like horses). I'm sure she's not too fond of life in the pool, but I love that I get to swim with her! I float around on an innertube, letting her push me up and down the pool. Sometimes we race from one end to the other (I always win) and she seems to really like it when I sing Christmas carols.
Between the manatee and monkey feeds, Hannah and I feed the deer and the peccaries on the property, as well as exercise Neto's horse Bullet (Neto is the caretaker and is away until after Christmas).
In our free time (ha ha) we read out by the lagoon, play with the dogs, and work on puzzles. It's an international place, with volunteers from Italy, Sweden, Canada, and the US. Paul and Zoe are both from England, and there's a troop of 13 boy scouts also from England here doing a service project (building new monkey cages) who keep life interesting. The food is superb, there's a never ending supply of rum and cokes, and I'm absolutely loving life.

I can't wait to see my family in 14 days, and be back in America in 22!

Internationally Thankful

I borrowed this idea from one of the girls on my program, who decided to put a blog-spin on the 30 days of thankful trend on facebook. It's pretty simple, because there are 30 days in November, I decided to make my own list of 30 things that I'm thankful for.  The are in no particular order and most of them are about Costa Rica.  I know if you are reading this blog, I'm thankful for you! Wishing you peace and love on this holiday!

1. All of my family at home for your international love.
2. Costa Rica, for teaching me more about myself than I ever wanted to know
3. Laura, for always putting goodbyes into perspective--it's never for real, just a "see you later"
4. Carissa, for being a role model, a best friend, AND a sister all in one. Peremptory thanks for the stats help next semester ;) 
5. My parents at home for supporting me in all my adventure, and for always including my furry friends in our skypes
6. Skype, and other technology that allows me to stay in contact with America and all the people there that I love
7. Los Aguilar, for welcoming me into their home and making me feel like a part of the family.
8. Annie, Jessie, Katie, Lauren, and Andrea--for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes.
9. Your guys' parents, for encouraging all our endeavors, and for having 5 houses where I always feel at home
10. For Animal Science 101, Livestock Production. Without you, I would never have met Elle Lynch.
11. My roommates here for thinking poop stories are just as funny as I do.
12. Fieds and Craze, for being the best first roommates a girl could ask for. 
13. The regent boys (do you guys have a new name yet?), for always knowing how to make me laugh, having beds to sleep in, and being an outlet for the products of my stress baking.
14. The staff here for being equal parts teachers and friends
15. Carlos, for being the most patient Spanish instructor I've ever met
16. Digital cameras, for allowing me to pretend to be a good photographer.
17. For mothers that send you new cameras when mermaid-ing proves to be too much for them.
18. Blankets, for their versatility--they're good for snuggling, sleeping, wearing...
19. For the knowledge that any hunger I ever experience is temporary
20. Wisconsin beer and cheese--you are going to be oh, so delicious when I return
21. My grandma's chocolate chip cookies, and for the lady that bakes you. I never realized how much I love both of you until I was 2,500 miles away from you
22. The simple joy in a mug of ice cream
23. Learning to enjoy drinking my coffee black--there's something slightly badass about answering "Black, please" when someone asks, "how do you like your coffee?"
24. Eco-friendly sweatpants
25. Harry Potter
26. Not being afraid of heights--dreams are so much better on the top bunk!
27. Sunsets
28. Wool Socks
29. The cooks here at the station, for being so good at their jobs that every meal is like Thanksgiving
• a) for undertaking the cooking of 90 lbs of turkey so that we gringos can have a "real American Thanksgiving"
30. The 22 people on this program who bring the party wherever we go

¿Usted tiene este tour sola, si?

Mi casa

As I type I’m actually living back in gringo-ville. We left our families on the 17^th and quickly took over the station once more! I love living with my friends again (it’s kind of like summer camp, and who doesn’t love summer camp?) but I really miss my family. I spent my last week riding around all of Monteverde and learning about the behind the scenes action that goes into making tourists happy. Things get really complicated when people cancel horse tours last minute—don’t ever do this if you can help it. You cause many people a great inconvenience—and money. I also got to see how tight-knit the community of Monteverde really is. One day we were supposed to take a family of 9 on a tour, and although Cristobál has 13 horses, 7 of them are off in some mystery pasture that I never got to see. In order to accommodate this family of 9, Cristobál called on cousins and friends—instantly his horse herd grew to 11. Another day, while already on a tour, Cristobál got a call saying that there was going to be another tour that afternoon. These tourists wanted to their tour at the exact time we were supposed to finish the tour we were currently leading. From horseback, Cristobál organized the gathering and saddling of his three other horses by a friend. 

That's my host dad, and the lead horse is Pamela.
That rope is connected to my HAND.

After dropping off the tired horses we had just used, we swung by this mystery friend’s house, where the 3 horses were waiting in the front yard. Cristobál tied the horses together, reins to tail, and passed the reins of the lead horse to me. Cristobál drove and from the back of the 4-wheeler I towed the horses. It was a bit like walking a dog (that was never trained by Jim Berglund) with one of those retractable leashes—your arm gets jerked all around, and you’re constantly taking in and letting out the leash, I mean, reins. Oh and the “dogs” weighs somewhere around 2,500 lbs collectively.

Once again I found myself using the phrase that has become a common part of my vocabulary this semester—this is not real life.

I was sitting on this

On a different horse adventure, I found myself riding with a Vietnam veteran from who was truly a global citizen (Cristobál was there too, although he kept trying to get me to guide the tours by myself--it was his favorite joke). The man’s father had worked for the US State Department, and he had spent his first 18 years of life living in 7 different countries! He spoke English and Spanish fluently, so most of the ride took place in hilarious Spanglish. He was convinced that I needed to marry his son, and both he and Cristobál found hilarity in my refusal; “Los novios son demasiado trabajo.”

Looking out over the Pacific Ocean

If I was a tour guide, all my
ponies would be pretty!

I spent my last week with the family, playing with (read: getting bossed around by) Christopher and bonding with Elieth and Katerine over Combate. Combate is my new favorite TV show—it’s like if the Real World: Road Rules and Wipe out had a baby—that would be this show. It’s hilarious and a great way to learn Spanish! I’m hoping that I get to see them this week, and maybe even go with Cristobál on a tour tomorrow. But it’s also finals week around here, and balancing my two lives here isn’t easy…the horses win every time!

The thing that really shook me about leaving is how close my semester here is to ending. I can remember so vividly the anticipation with which I looked forward to traveling here, thinking when I arrived how far off my homestay sounded. I have really grown to love this place, and all the people here. The 22 people that were complete strangers in August have become an extension of my family in a few short months, and saying goodbye to them is going to be extremely difficult. But, I’m thankful for technology. As exasperating as it can be, however detrimental to society the experts say it is, I am grateful it will enable me to stay in contact with my friends from here with ease. Even my host cousin and I are facebook friends! However, speaking of technology…

We have approximately a week left here in Monteverde, and then we hike to the Arenal Volcano, take a bus to San Jose, and go our separate ways on December 1^st. I’ll fly to Belize with my friend Hannah on the 3^rd, and I have no idea what the internet situation will be there. I’ve been told that at the Manatee Sanctuary where I’ll live there is enough to check e-mail occasionally, but probably not enough for facebook, and definitely not enough to upload blog posts and photos. There might be an internet café in town? There might be a touristy place with some wifi? But it’s the Caribbean coast, life is pretty Pura Vida, and I’m expecting little to no internet. So, this is probably the last post for awhile, but I promise to share details when I’m back in the grand ol’ U.S. of A!

This is my puppy. He's a 6-month old Boxer-Rottweiler mix. Dad
you would have been obsessed with him!