First Day Adventures

The day started bright and early with a breakfast of rice and beans, eggs, and fresh fruit, with orange juice and coffee. We departed San José on a huge bus, while excited and anxious for the adventure that awaited us in the tropics of Costa Rica. I spent my time on the bus observing the plant and animal life I saw out the windows. The amount of species I saw in the hours spent driving seemed to be endless. We had a little time to hike around a mountainous area above 11,000 ft elevation called the Páramo in Costa Rica. It is the area in tropical ecosystems above the continuous forest line. There was a lot of different shrubbery and grasses that were much taller than the shrubbery in the sub alpine region I am used to on the Colorado Plateau. The people I have met so far are wonderful and it has been amazing to share stories, language, and humor with people from other tribes. The Costa Rican culture I have experienced so far is so beautiful and different from the Navajo Nation where I come from. I am still amazed that I have the opportunity to be doing research and gaining ecological knowledge in an area so biologically diverse. I am grateful for the hard work of the coordinators and mentors, and I am looking forward to the next few weeks I have at the Las Cruces Biological Station here in Costa Rica.