June 10th, 2013
Here in Brazil I am running an insect hotel in my bed. I charge cheap daily rates... But all bugs must checkout by 8:00pm on the dot. No excuses.
While we are on the topic of sleeping, quick shoutout to my parents who think I have a sleeping disorder/am still a teenager- I have seen the sunrise everyday this summer, with the exception of three at the most.
Then I go sleep at around nine or before. Lol probably because I am very very (mentally) exhausted plus I don't have any social media to keep me up.
Not that it is social media's fault; it is certainly my own fault for letting that sort of thing consume me.
But we are social animals, so it is acceptable.
What am I talking about? Listen, let me describe some things to you and my future self:
There are an abundance of frogs and toads here and I love all of them so much. They are so cute and sweet.
Did I already tell you that I love ants? I started documenting the many local species. It took me four sort photo sessions this Sunday to capture five species here around the house In photographs. Super easy. And it was fun. I also got lots of other animal pics! Doree said I have missed my calling as a wildlife photographer... I told her that I haven't missed it yet!
Yesterday we were following Jatoba's group for the first time in a week. I missed them. And it hit me much harder (since we have recently only been following the other monkey group) how habituated they are! As in, they don't give a FLIP who is following them or how closely. It takes YEARS to establish that trust... What an asset!
Oh yeah, so we were following them! And they got so close to our house... In fact, at one point, they climbed up the cliff (plateau) that is closest to our house... So we walked on home to wait for them to descend while hanging on the hammocks. Stalking monkeys from our back porch. What.
Today, though, we are following no monkeys because guess whatttttt!!!- we are going into town! Which means that I might be able to get wifi to text my sisters and dad and others with iPhones! I hope my mom is hanging out with my sisters so that I can talk to her too. But mainly... I need another banana Popsicle like the one I got when I first got here.
The other day another school group came here on a field trip. Noemi (that's how you spell her name, sorry!!!) is raising awareness around here for science and the wildlife, so that's why these kids keep coming. But anyways, Marcio brought a 17 year old girl over to me to juggle the soccer ball with me. It was awesome to see Brazilian style... From a girl! She was great! We traded tricks. She was very clean with her tricks. I would trade some of my fancier tricks for her swag. Marcio said he would invite her over to play with us sometime! Girl power!!
Speaking of Noemi... She is leaving today! And Michelli and Doree!! In fact, that is why we are going to Gilbues. But... Yep, they are all leaving. Micheal left on Sunday, did I tell y'all? Oops. Sooooo it is just gonna be me, Allison, Yonat, Natalie, Alejandra, and Hanna. Until those last two leave later this month.
Speaking of Noemi again.... I guess I can go ahead and mention the master plan I have been hinting at for the past week or so....
Noemi, Allison, and I have plans to return here next summer to work on another project. However... We wouldn't be studying monkeys!! We would be studying people! And weather and ecosystems and climate change and conserrrrrvatttionnnn! But, let's not get our hopes up about this... Because it has to be approved by her advisor in São Paulo. So we reeeeally don't know 100% that this is the plan. But they have written up the proposal in Portuguese to send out. And I can't read it. But I guess that is OK since I'm FOR REAL about to have to learn Portuguese.
By the way, I forget Japanese almost entirely. I have to fix that when I get home. Kalia. Help.
Yesterday Natalie and I made a Jeopardy game for everyone to participate in. It was fun... But we were really nervous that people wouldn't like it or there would be bad language barriers or something IDK!
Turned out just fine. They liked it.
I just finished the book I got last year in India... That I meant to have read immediately when I returned, but that I wasn't in a susceptible enough mindset to absorb. I absorbed it. Thanks, Your Holiness the Dalai Lamaaaaa! (He wrote it.)
Laundry is a beast. And not because we wash our clothes in buckets... But because all of the wasps in the country are really thirsty and this is the dry season. We use water and laundry detergent, but courage is not included. Ahhhhhhh!!
I got my first tick yesterday. Well- the first tick I have ever known about. There may be more. Don't worry, I checked for more. But only after I ran across the yard holding my shirt up and shouting for Allison to come look! It was right on my belly. And it was just a teeny tiny one. It was kinda cute.
Yesterday we woke up and had breakfast and came back to our little house to gather our field belongings for the day's adventure when... All of a sudden... I discovered under a pile of papers... Right there on our computer work table... A large scorpion. It was legit chillin. Just chillin there as if it were on the table where he was born. No way. Get out of here. They said it was very poisonous. Then we all got a short lesson on scorpion identification; if the tail thing is much larger in proportion to the pinchers- it is poisonous. Cool. How about I just not touch a single one of them.
What else... What else...
Allison and I have been getting serious about my project recently. But... It is quite a hard thing to study. I'm trying to measure how spread out the group of monkeys is as they travel... Lol but they are wild and fast- so it is hard to count and place them on the iPad map! But we are getting it all worked out. And I'm happy with this project because they don't have this sort of data on this monkey group!
Oh, after this trip to town... I'm not sure how many more times I will be able to upload blogs. And that is because it is expensive to go to town and because no one will be here to GO to town. But, we will see how that goes.
Only a month has gone by... But I feel so different. I feel stress free. I don't feel disconnected though. I feel honest and happy. Luckily I have a month and a half more to go!! Basically, this trip is so much more than field experience.
Am I being dramatic? Who cares. That's what you get for reading my diary.
Oops, I mean blog! My blog! :-P
If you know me well then you may be aware that I haven't always enjoyed the beauty of nature as much as your average hipster. But guess what. I even bought a beautiful hammock. Maybe I only love Brazilian nature though. Regardless- tell the American squirrels I said hello.
Brazil plays Japan in a few days... And I am rooting for my hometown of Japan. Sorryyyyy!!
Oh snap- big news for all of you out there!! I have discovered Nutella! In other news... I will be returning to Georgia with several new cavities... :-/ lol
Which, btw, hints to you that I'm eating well down here. I know that at least one of you is worried about that. (Hi, Mom!)
Today is Valentines Day here in this country. So, big shoutout to myself for being cute and single and not able mingle!
Love y'all.
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