Leatherback Turtle and Orchid Research

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I have been here a little over 48 hours now but have had an easy transition. The weather is humid and hot but I am fairing well.
There are donkeys, chickens, piggies, cows, goats, iguanas...and more animals everywhere. I am pretty much camping in all ways except I have a twin bed under a roof and inside a mosquito net. Other than that everything is pretty much outdoors and very rustic...but I love it. We are outdoors constantly either doing physical work or hanging out in hammocks! Don't worry I have been wearing lots of sunscreen.

We do have a kitchen and they even sell diet coke on the island..though I haven't had one because I am trying to give it up. Oh, and rum is cheaper than fruit a bottle is less than buying two cucumbers! I am living with 3 other people right now who are very nice. The first night I was here, 2 people went on turtle patrol and actually found a large leatherback sea turtle nesting...so they called us at the house at 1:30am and we raced down there and saw the whole thing. I guess this is rare and I am especially lucky to have seen it on my first night. The other 2 interns have only caught a glance once since being here for the last 2-3 months.

Today, I went on an orchid research hike alongside the Quill volcano. The best part, I had to climb up trees to measure and examine the orchids. It was amazing..until the rain came down so hard we could barely see and we had to hike an hour back...Regardless, I am rolling with it and having a great time.

Don't worry I already found a couple people who want to start playing soccer once a week and I found a volleyball so I hope I can get some people into it! This week is pretty mellow becuase we are in between groups of volunteers...My volunteers will be arriving in about a week, so maybe i'll have to write in volleyball lessons between garden building and trail maintenance.

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Photos

Muriel outside Botan House
Here is a view of the front of my new home.

View of St Kitts from house
This is the view you see to your left as you walk outside of the Botanical Garden house.

Pavilion with Carlton
Here is Carlton the Botanical Garden manager standing next to the tables where we eat and hang out.

Pavilion Hammocks
Here is the other side of the pavilion where we hang in hammocks and read or sleep.

My bed
Here is where I sleep. I actually love the mosquito net as I think of it as princess bedding. I am very vigilant when it comes to tucking in my netting and keeping out any creatures.

The Shower
This is probably the hardest thing to get used to...if you look close you will only see a faucet...like one you would attach a hose to...and it is freezing water.

Kitchen
Here is a view of our kitchen...gas powered fridge and stove.

kitchen wash station & bathroom
Yes, this is where we wash our dishes with water from the cistern which collects water right above. The bathroom is the door to the right.

Vincent Blue
He is a bit of a devil though he looks very cute right here. He will swat at my mosquito net in the middle of the night..last night for example, he attacked all of us at some point.

Foxy
This is our doggy, foxy. He is very kind but barks in the middle of the night sometimes.

wild pigs and chickens
Here is an example of the wildlife we see on our way to town.

Uh-Oh Cows are laying down
This apparently means that rain is about to come. Seeing Muriel and I are only wearing tank tops and shorts we were not happy to see this.

Pigs and piglet crossing
This reminds me of one of my favorite books as a kid but with piglets instead of ducklings.

View of Beach
Here is a view of the beach from the car on our way to the office.