I can’t believe it’s here. After more than a year of anticipating this dream field season… we leave in 4 days. Lisa (my friend from master’s degree and current field assistant ) just arrived in Vancouver and we spent the day meeting the lab, packing, and experimenting with new field equipment. Last week, I told my boyfriend that it didn’t feel like we were leaving in a week! And he said, it will when Lisa gets there. And he was right! Our trunks – three 50 lb. trunks (one more than we expected!), plus leftovers now being crammed into our personal backpacks – are packed. When I introduded Lisa to Diane this morning, she said ‘I guess I’ll see you on Sunday!’. She meant, meeting us in Santa Cecilia astride her brand new ATV, ready for us to load it up and head up to Pitilla!
Yes, I still have equipment that I haven’t built yet. Yes, my rubber boots are still 2 sizes too big. Yes, my pack is still half full of my gear from my last camping trip, and I haven’t even made my ‘remember to pack’ list. And yes, I still have no form of currency valid in Costa Rica! BUT, my field assistant is sleeping in my apartment, I have new batteries in my camera, I have my research questions firmly in mind, and I can almost SMELL the jungle!
And we leave in 4 days!!
You guys are going to have so much fun!