First Impressions
"Cuidado- be careful" Peter said to me as I reached for a piece of wood to cover a gaping hole below the door to the greenhouse. Oh, yea, I forget that there is a potential for danger behind every crevice. Scorpions and Fer-de-lance serpents could find you before you find them. Yikes.
Today was the third day of a year-long internship with a sustainable development study-abroad program for Peter and I, and the myriad of tasks needing to be done is already well underway. Our goal at the greenhouse was to check for any major gaps or holes that would allow black iguanas to get in and eat up the lettuce crops growing in the raised plant beds- a tinosaur favorite. To our surprise, we ended up chasing a few out of the greenhouse as soon as we entered, only later investigating exactly how they entered in the first place.
This version of life is a complete 180 from my cozy little office desk in South Carolina. After making several trips into town by taxi and grabbing free rides, I finally have the right "bio-degradable" toiletries as well as some snacks to make it in-between scheduled meal times. Tomorrow I will shower while turning the water off between rinses after waking up with the sun at 5:30 AM, and probably let it mellow if it's yellow throughout the day. At least the view isn't bad from breakfast.
We are gradually getting settled into our roles on this mango and orange grove farm. On Monday we met the cow and her adopted baby, the chickens and various types of ducks, the pigs, the butterfly garden, the compost station and the vegetable beds. We've shared broken Spanish over afternoon coffee with the staff, and taken inventory of nearly every piece of equipment and textbook we will use this semester. We've tracked down every professor to get to know their role in the sustainability program and attended several meetings. We've separated recycling and developed projects. Sometimes I am amazed at how my mind still functions after these three very long days, with the though there will still be over 362 to go.
On Monday, the students will arrive and the fast-paced and structured semester will be in full-swing. With that thought, it is time to first shake out my blanket, check for any hidden scorpions, climb into bed, and close the mosquito net.
Today was the third day of a year-long internship with a sustainable development study-abroad program for Peter and I, and the myriad of tasks needing to be done is already well underway. Our goal at the greenhouse was to check for any major gaps or holes that would allow black iguanas to get in and eat up the lettuce crops growing in the raised plant beds- a tinosaur favorite. To our surprise, we ended up chasing a few out of the greenhouse as soon as we entered, only later investigating exactly how they entered in the first place.
This version of life is a complete 180 from my cozy little office desk in South Carolina. After making several trips into town by taxi and grabbing free rides, I finally have the right "bio-degradable" toiletries as well as some snacks to make it in-between scheduled meal times. Tomorrow I will shower while turning the water off between rinses after waking up with the sun at 5:30 AM, and probably let it mellow if it's yellow throughout the day. At least the view isn't bad from breakfast.
We are gradually getting settled into our roles on this mango and orange grove farm. On Monday we met the cow and her adopted baby, the chickens and various types of ducks, the pigs, the butterfly garden, the compost station and the vegetable beds. We've shared broken Spanish over afternoon coffee with the staff, and taken inventory of nearly every piece of equipment and textbook we will use this semester. We've tracked down every professor to get to know their role in the sustainability program and attended several meetings. We've separated recycling and developed projects. Sometimes I am amazed at how my mind still functions after these three very long days, with the though there will still be over 362 to go.
On Monday, the students will arrive and the fast-paced and structured semester will be in full-swing. With that thought, it is time to first shake out my blanket, check for any hidden scorpions, climb into bed, and close the mosquito net.
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