Two weeks have flown by already!
As we finished our first assignments for the week, our class prepared to move on to the town of Ostional. Tuesday morning we were off, arriving in Ostional a little before lunchtime to meet our new host families and settle in. When we arrived we had time to get acquainted with the town before the big event the next day: the start of turtle patrols!
We bounced from training to lectures on Wednesday, as we learned how to properly identify and collect data on nesting sea turtles. We learned a lot about the different behaviors and characteristics of the seven different turtle species, and that night we were all ready to start our first patrol!
Patrols happen at night, from either 8pm-12am or 12am-4am. We walk back and forth in a section of the Ostional beach, surveying for any turtle emerging from the water, nesting, or laying their eggs. We were able to see three turtles on our first night, and my group got to collect data on one! The picture below on the right is my friend and me preparing to count the number of eggs our turtle will lay.
Turtle patrols have definitely been one of my favorite experiences so far. The sky during patrols is incredible during clear nights, as you can clearly see the Milky Way and so many stars. The picture above on the left is one we were able to take on a clear sky patrol night. It has been incredible being able to stargaze and see constellations and stars I have never seen in San Diego. Every night we go out I have seen at least one shooting star as well. The sky is just beautiful.
On the topic of turtles, our class got an incredible and rare experience of being able to measure and release baby green sea turtles. This was such a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me, as I have always dreamed about being able to help release baby sea turtles. The pictures below show me measuring one of the baby turtles, all of the baby turtles that hatched that day together, and us releasing them on the beach afterwards.
I could write about the sea turtles forever and ever, but I do want to acknowledge the other amazing wildlife all around Ostional. From the wide range of butterflies, plants, lizards, birds, bees, and mammals, I have seen so much biodiversity. There is a tree nearby my homestay growing spider hibiscus that attracts a pletheroa of butterflies and bees. These flowers bring more species of butterflies and bees that I have ever seen in my life before. Furthermore, howler monkeys enjoy relaxing in the trees all around the area. I have walked right under these monkeys many times while they were eating or napping. Crabs also run rampant around the area, even making their ways into our rooms once in awhile. The wildlife in Guanacaste is so interesting to study and encounter. The picture below shows one of the monkeys I've seen while walking around Ostional.
The culture in Ostional has been incredibly fun and rewarding to immerse myself in as well. One of the days this week we were able to all get together in one of the homestays and make tortillas from scratch. After we had all enjoyed our tortillas, we got to learn different dances. Everyday I am also learning more and more Spanish, and I have been able to understand my host family better and better. This week we were also visited by a local jewelry maker. He hand makes all of his jewelry from coconuts, cow bone and hooves, and plastic picked up from the beaches of Ostional. He is an incredible artist, and is able to make just about anything. I got a leatherback turtle ring from him, as well as ordered a custom turtle necklace for my mom and manta ray earrings. I can't wait to get these pieces next week!
Although this experience is already flying by, I can't wait for what else is to come in the next three weeks. We have one more week in Ostional, and then we move back to San Juanillo. I already know I will thoroughly miss Ostional when we have to leave, so I am trying to enjoy my time here as much as I can!
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