Blogs from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 12

R: Next stop is Costa Rica - a small rainforest filled nation sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua. Our flight took us via El Salvador - and to fans of the band Athlete, yes I was humming the song all the way there. We had an initial night in San Jose which was pretty much completely taken up with standing in the immigration line and sitting in a traffic jam into the city. The next morning we headed out on the early bus to La Fortuna, a tiny town in the shadow of the Arenal volcano. The bus took about 4 hours and along the way we mused about whether it was good or bad for a public bus to be this full of tourists when many of the locals couldn't get a seat. We actually had ... read more

I presented on the medicinal use of horseshoe crabs today in class. I first learned about them and interacted with them at the New York Aquarium. They kinda look like stingrays. Fun facts: they pre-date dinosaurs by about 200 million years and they're not really crabs. They are more related to spiders and scorpions. My main focus of the presentation was on their highly valuable blue, copper blood. Their blood is highly desired in the biomedical industry because it can be used to test for toxins in antibiotics and vaccinations. It clots in the presence of the toxins so that's how one can detect if there's something wrong with the medicine. It's actually required by law that it be used as a standard in testing drugs and medical devices before it gets approved and administered to ... read more

I'm beginning to adjust to this routine. Wake up early, walk to the sodafor breakfast, and then go to school. Today I had gallo pinto, fried egg, maduros, bread and mystery cheese...with a cup of coffee. It was good but heavy as usual for an early morning meal. After finishing up, I walked back to school. It's so peaceful in the morning. Love the morning walks. I haven't walked this far to school since my middle school days. I'm usually walking to the bus or train that will take me right where my high school/college is. So this was definitely a nostalgic but new experience for me. In class, we got the details for our Marine Bio overnight weekend field trip! We're going to Paquera and Quesera in Curú, located in the peninsula of Nicoya. I'm ... read more

HAPPY NEW YEAR! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! 2016 is here!! I can't believe a year goes by so quickly nowadays. It especially doesn't feel like it because it's usually freezing cold during my New Year but it's blazing hot here. I must say it's pretty cool having a hot New Year :P I woke up very early today because guess what...I'm going zip-lining today at Monteverde Cloud Forest, or Monteverde Bosque Nuboso!!! How's that for a start to a new year? I met with my USAC friends in front of the school around 6AM. We were able to watch the rest of the sunrise. It was beautiful. Something about being up in the early morning: the air is fresher and cool and everything is just more tranquil. A few of the students didn't wake up on time ... read more

I did my usual routine today. Wake up, get ready, head to la soda and grab breakfast with Kaitlyn. Afterwards, it was time for class. I volunteered to present my paper first. Better to get it over with and I won't have to sit through other people's and get nervous haha. I'm proud of myself. I actually wasn't nervous and barely stuttered. Really thought I would since my classmates are still new to me. I guess you eventually overcome stage fright as you keep practicing and performing it (y). After the presentation, we went to the beach to wait for our boat to take us out to the shore. Of course, it was another super super hot and humid day. Dying from heat...x.X When we all filed in, we were required to wear life jackets. The ... read more