selves are persistent metaphors

Howler Monkeys

2006-04-22T18:41:42Z

On our way back to the city from the Monteverde region, our driver, an ecotour veteran, stopped suddenly on the road after hearing familiar noises.

A quick glance out the window revealed a bunch of howler monkeys
howling, tossing, and lounging about in a roadside tree.

We piled out of the van just in time for an afternoon snack

and hung out with the howlers for a few minutes
before the rest of the drive back to the hooting, honking city.

.

Have a good Earth Day, you howling, hooting earthlings.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

2006-02-19T18:37:20Z

Inside Monteverde

Feelin' kinda tongue-tied at the moment, but the photos are their own layer of experience. Check back for the ecological narration later.

You are in for a treat, my friends. More to come.

Part 1 - Part 2

La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica

2006-02-17T15:33:14Z

La Fortuna is a bustling little tourist town at the foot of Volcán Arenal. Every afternoon when the buses arrive, hotel and cabin owners rush to meet the flocks of weary tourists, bearing flyers and photos and sales pitches. My three traveling companions and I ended up sharing a room in a little cabin with mediocre accomodations for the low, low price of approximately US $7 each. We also paid about US $30 each for a guided hike through a forest on the volcano, a visit to the hot springs, and a night viewing of the volcano, which is active. None of the photos came out well.

While I was there, I was reminded of my place in food web.

Mosquito's gotta eat, too, needs protein from blood in order to reproduce. I let her be.

One of my traveling companions and I encountered this gem while wandering around town looking at the touristy shops:

Possibly the first super christian I'd ever seen. What was most striking about it was the realization that somewhere out there is a SUPER CRISTIAN #1 filled with more alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, trashy mags, snack-foods, and other groceries...

The world is a strange place.

Approaching the Cloud Forest

2006-02-15T08:05:53Z

Approaching Monteverde

The long trip over old bumpy roads up the Tilarán mountains is part of the charm of the Monteverde region, not to mention one of its greatest defenses against excessive tourism and the ecological degradation that results.

It also offers spectacular, if somewhat melancholy, views, which were made possible only by the clearing of the forests and in which one can see the cattle pastures—the sad result of ecological imperialism.

When settlers arrived in the tropics, they were amazed by the lush dry forests and rain forests. Applying the ecological principles of the temperate region, they concluded that the soils would be rich for farming. So they cut down the forests, burned the organic matter, and planted their crops just as they would at home. What they didn't know was that tropical soils are actually some of the poorest due to heavy rains that leach away all the water-soluble nutrients, and the existence of tropical forests is only possible because of mutualistic symbiotic relationships between trees and nitrogen-fixing micchorizal fungi that live in tree roots. The first year of crops was good, but the next year was mediocre, and after that crops wouldn't grow at all. The nutrients from organic matter of the forest had quickly leached away.

Naturally, the settlers responded by cutting down more forest and repeating the process until the dry forests were almost completely gone and the rain forests had been decimated. The only thing that could be done with the depleted land was turn it into pasture—destroying the quality of the soil at an even quicker rate. Extensive cattle ranching and conventional agriculture (made possible again with the heavy application of imported fertilizers) continue to this day.

These practices are a stark contrast from the swidden (slash-and-burn) agriculture that was once practiced by indigenous peoples. Swidden agriculture involves the carefully controlled slashing and burning of a small patch of land, which is used for a year or two and then left fallow for several to around twenty years during which the forest surrounding the land grows back over it and nutrients are restored to the soil. This practice is sustainable but only if the amount of land cleared is sufficiently small and the time it is given to recover is sufficiently long.

Disturbances such as falling trees and fires in tropical forests are a part of their natural progression, though usually on a limited scale. Given a long enough period of non-interference (which can number in the hundreds of years), tropical dry forests and tropical rain forests will regrow, the ecosystems eventually reaching their climaxes again. However, cattle ranching and conventional agriculture—practices upon which the livelihoods of many locals currently depend—prevent this. In the 1970s, Daniel Janzen (with the support of Winnie Hallwachs and too many local and foreign scientists, conservationists, and (even) politicians to name) headed a massive program to restore the tropical dry forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica and turn the land into a park. Through public campaigning, extensive political wrangling and maneuvering, generous international financial support (especially from Switzerland), debt-for-nature swaps (in which the country's international debt is purchased abraod at a discounted rate and is sold back to that country for local currency, which is then used for conservation projects, simultaneously furthering conservation and reducing the international debt that is a major impetus for liquidating natural resources), biocultural restoration (the education of people about local ecosystems and their value), and the creation of new eco-friendly jobs and training of locals for those new jobs, the project was a success.

Tropical cloud forests are a bit more resilient than tropical dry forests and rain forests. They're harder to cut down and the wood that results isn't as good for building, so they've fared better than the other forest types. However, the three forest types depend on each other ecologically and environmentally, and cloud forests are slowly drying up and becoming more like rain forests. According to my professor, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has become more and more like a rain forest over the years and cannot rightly be considered a "true cloud forest" in the way that the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is for instance. Since the cloud forest is itself necessary to maintain the moisture that characterizes it and upon which it depends, it cannot practically be restored or regrown as the tropical dry forest or rain forest can.

Visit while you can.

Outside the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

After a long, bumpy ride up the mountains with meandering conversations (not without some drama), engrossing sights, and a stop for a brunch of gallo pinto (the special rice-and-bean dish of Costa Rica) and toast, chicken and rice, or casadas of fresh tortilla chips and bean dip, rice, beans, avocado, and fried plantains, and fresh fruit and juice, my Tropical Ecology class arrived at the entrace of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The cool air was a refreshing contrast with the mugginess of the bus, the consistent fifty-five-to-seventy-degree weather of the central valley where the university was located, the hot beaches, and the sweltering rain forests that we had visited before.

We spotted a couple of hungry coatis just outside the reserve, but they were too quick for my camera.

My friend Nina managed to get a clearer shot of one, however, as it stole across the yard for a quick snack from the trash bin. I had seen coatis twice before, once hanging at the Punta Leona beach resort and once stealing a container of sugar from a table at the research station at La Selva, but there was something especially exciting about seeing these coatis right outside the cloud forest even though a park ranger said they were regulars. I could picture them in a group of about twenty leaping up and down trees and roving the area as they are wont to do. After the park ranger shoed the coatis away from the trash bin, they headed back into the forest. We were about to follow.

To be continued...

Edited @ 12:56 EST. I posted this hastily while putting off studying for a biology lab practical (which I managed to do quite poorly on), but I've had some time to add to the story since.

Part 1 - Part 2

Experimental Set 2006-01-21

2006-02-06T06:05:26Z

Life is so short.

We unlock a few doors,

Smell a few flowers,

Reflect a little,

Share a few words,

And then it's gone.

... Well, it's not gone yet.

Central Park 2005-10-03

2006-01-30T16:34:47Z

larger

larger

larger

新年快樂! I would have photographed the madness that was Chinatown yesterday, but I am still without a camera... or, come to think of it, any training in photography.

Got a flickr account as ironed_orchid suggested; more photos from Costa Rica are forthcoming. Unfortunately, the maximum photo size allowed is 1024 X 768 pixels, and I can only upload 20 MB per month. For those of you who care: Which would you prefer, that I upload more photos at a lower quality or that I upload fewer photos but a higher quality?

Why it's important to read the terms and conditions carefully

2006-01-08T18:24:43Z

So apparently my scrapbook is being held hostage.

Account Status

Degraded AccountYour account expired on 2006-01-05. The following restrictions are in effect:
You cannot upload new pictures
Galleries are not publicly visible

If you do not renew your account, your data will be permanently deleted:

2006-01-15: Your account will be flagged for deletion

FAQ Question #217

What happens to my ScrapBook when my Paid Account expires?

When your Paid Account expires, your ScrapBook images and galleries will become more and more restricted over a period of 30 days.

Restrictions come into effect according to the following timeline:

Days 0 - 3: All of your images and galleries are still available, but you can't upload any other images.

Days 4 - 10: Your images and galleries become private so that only you can see them.

Days 11 - 30: Your galleries are disabled and full-size images are unavailable, but the data is still stored.

Days 30+: Images and galleries are subject to deletion.

Last Updated:
October 23rd, 2005 (burr86)

Has it always been that way? I wish I'd read this before spending all those hours uploading, annotating, and organizing photos. I really wanted to show you the cloud forest. Maybe I'll find another service.

Research Center in Costa Rica (Birthday Gift, Part II)

2006-01-06T17:30:03Z

Unfortunately, my paid account has expired, so I'll only be able to show in high-quality whatever I managed to upload.

The end of another field trip, a long drive back to Heredia with plenty of time to look at the scenery, watch a movie, write, or daydream... or so we thought. To our surprise, we stopped at a touristy research center with butterfly and frog gardens, crocodiles, and caimans (which I won't show).

After a briefing on the events for our visit, we split into two groups, one for non-Spanish speakers and the other for those proficient in Spanish. I chose the latter group although I wouldn't understand half of what the guides would say.

My group was led into a sweltering, insect-filled forest, where we all rushed to spray and rub on insect repellent as our guide spoke. Outside the frog garden, the guide instructed us to search for frogs by poking through the fallen leaves with pointed sticks. I didn't have much luck.

The frogs were all poisonous, but they could be held if they were shaken a bit to keep them dizzy. Poor things.

Next, we were led into a net-covered garden filled with chaotic butterflies.

[Thinkin' of one_earth_heart and nycscribbler.]

Startled by a speedy blue morpho, I chased it with my lens. This was the only shot I managed.

Butterflies landed right-side up, upside-down, and sideways...

on leaves...

...on stones...

...on trees...

(Some sported adaptive eye spots.)

...on flowers...

(This one was busy drinking and pollinating. I wondered how the ecosystem was affected by the butterflies' captivity.)

...and on people.

The green butterflies seemed drawn to the green tie-die T of Alejandro, the Plant Biotechnology and the Environment professor.

They tickled him.

Perhaps sensing her gentle personality, a butterfly settled on Kate's forehead where it stayed for about fifteen minutes.

This unfortunate was passed around. I tried to be gentle, but some of its soft fuzz (which I'm guessing keeps raindrops from adhering like the hairs on leaves do) came off between my fingers.

Our next stop was to the crocodile cage. Students were encouraged to throw raw meat (chunks or whole calves) over the fence to the crocs. If a student had poor aim and a piece of meat landed between crocs, they fought over it. Some of them had the scars and missing bits to prove it. I've heard that wild crocodiles don't usually fight.

But this one had no competition.

Next came the sexing of a crocodile. Kind of cruel, I thought.

The birds were agitated, too.

Finally, we visited the caiman cage (no photos, I'm afraid), where our guide grabbed adorable but dangerous caimans by their snouts and duct-taped them shut, covered the caimans' eyes so that they would remain calm, and passed them to students, who had a delightful time carrying the crocodilians, stroking their textured skin, and shaking their hands. One of the caimans, perhaps not enjoying the interaction so much, peed on a student when she placed it on her head. The perfect revenge.

Part III to come.

Drawings

2006-01-03T23:39:48Z

My soul aches for beauty and the company of trees.

Self-portrait

On my birthday I decided to do something I hadn't done in years: draw. Sitting on the back of my chair hunched over my clipboard and shifting back and forth, I drew my reflection in the medicine cabinet. The facial features are all askew because I was too lazy to keep the proportions and angles right whenever I changed my position. Maybe it would be easier to draw other people. This is probably my fourth portrait ever, so don't laugh too hard.

Hummingbird

Today fresh anguish inspired me to draw this hummingbird based on a photo I took in Costa Rica. I wonder if the actual hummingbird is flying somewhere in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and taking a sweet drink of nectar right now...

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica (Birthday Gift, Early Edition)

2005-12-30T17:07:56Z

Tomorrow I turn 21. Since the poem-writing last year was a flop, I've decided to take you all with me to Costa Rica (minus the sunburn, insect bites, and horrible rashes) as my gift this year. But damn, I should have written the captions in advance. In any case, tomorrow will be all mine for depressive reflection and psychological breakdowns... and inspiration.

Welcome to the Osa Peninsula

Far beach

After a long hike to the beach, I was rewarded by a scarlet macaw sighting.

A raucous pair of birds if ever I heard them.

Some bird had a first-class meal, no doubt.

But this hermit crab is avoiding the menu by sporting a camo helmet (always in style here).

Corcovado National Park

Canopy-gazing never gets old. Considering that most of the life of a forest is in the canopy, you always wonder what you might see.

Ever stand inside a tree? After this one was struck by lightning, a group of bats moved in. You can tell by the guano on the ground.

After a strenuous hike, everyone rushed into the waterfall for a dip... except me since I had no bathing suit and cannot swim.

Most people didn't even think of looking through the telescope set up by a tree outside the park and missed the napping bats entirely.

But everyone crowded around the telescope to catch a glimpse of this lazy tree-lounger during the hike.

A common lizard, but I've forgotten its name.

Drake Bay

There's nothing like a speed boat ride: wind in your face and hair, sea-scented air, mist spraying everywhere, sudden turns, and, for some people, debilitating queasiness. So refreshing.

Watching from the beach is nice, too.

The perfect place for a nap or journalling... just watch out for the ants. They get everywhere.

I never liked the beach much until I came here.

All the time in the world to stop to photograph and stroke a flower... soft and silky petals.

This rainbow was perfectly timed for my last day at Drake Bay.

Waiting for Sunset

I wish you could see the fireflies come out after dark.

Seems zhenzhi has gone public. Her journal is a year-round gift.

Have a beautiful new year.

Costa Rica

2005-10-29T14:33:26Z

full size

Birds in the distance

Log on Punta Leona Beach

full size

Coconut on Punta Leona Beach

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Leaves... at Carrera National Park?

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Heliocone Plant at La Selva Research Station

Beetle in hand at La Selva

full size

Lady Beetle at La Selva

Unindentified Pit at La Selva

full size

Volcán Poãs Lagoon

full size

Volcán Poãs Crater

full size

Logs on Beach at Montezuma

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Scorpion Gratís

Nina found this cute little scorpion nestled on her side of the bed in our bedsheets at Drake's Bay. My complimentary scorpion never came.

full size

Beach at Drake's Bay

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Sunset at Drake's Bay (Photo taken by Nina)

whole gallery

Canada

2005-10-28T07:47:54Z

Canadian Sun

Canadian Moon
(A few experimental camera settings can do quite a bit.)

Both of these photos are from Niagara Falls. My, what people who only photograph the Falls are missing.

Like a lukewarm letter in a cool envelope. Or is it a cool letter in a warm envelope?

2005-09-30T03:42:30Z

When the air is dark and damp like this, there's no contentment like that of listening to recorded voices looping like a tag team of lazy flies caught in a honey jar but only half-looking for a way out. For the moment I'm at home^† here with no company but my lamp, my laptop, and the voices that will buzz pleasantly around until the last lands on my ear drum with a static stop. Every now and then I piggyback on my voice, which becomes one of the flies and joins in the aerial dance until the vibrations fade or break into laughter that also lands on my ears. If this experience had a taste, it would be like lukewarm Sunkist orange soda gone slightly flat.

And there's the chill, of course; but it's hard to tell just by feeling whether the chill is present or the warmth is absent, if either. Regardless, the cold ache of hands and feet only highlights the warmth of the light on my skin and of the keyboard beneath my fingers, and vice versa. It's exquisite. The echoes of nonpresent people are delicious like magicians' tricks you know the secrets to. There's not actually anyone here with me; indeed, it would be much noisier if anyone were. But I don't feel the absence of people in any negative sense. These allusory presences are company without claustrophobia, room for reflection. Plus I get to sit around in my underwear.

All these experiences emerge from, among other things, crazy chemical dances on catabolic and anabolic pathways where macromolecules breakdown and are assembled, where energy stored in the bonds between atoms are converted to and from the kinetic energy of colliding molecules--the warmth of the body. Maybe you don't want to hear that, though. It is intimate yet alien and occasionally sets the aesthetic alarm bells blaring in me because I know what it means: these dances, persistent yet contingent, become other dances, and at some point I won't be around to reflect on it nor witness anymore.

Just being alive is so beautiful that nostalgia edges up on me because I know it, or rather I, must end. Who knows whether the last steps will taste more bitter or sweet? I'm guessing bitter because I don't think a little thing like me will ever run out of things it wants to do and experience. For the moment, though, I can't complain.

^† But now the moment has passed and I have no home to return to. I change too fast and my house becomes decrepit and falls down, so there never is. All that's left is splintered wood, broken glass, disintegrating cardboard, vacuous memories, and nausea.

Regardless of what I used to think: always separate, I have never really known anyone or anything well, nor truly loved anyone, nor been seriously and irreparably injured by anything... and have only come close through my foolishness or naivete. It's as if I'm just a piece of driftwood (but I'm not).

Well, I've still got time.

.
.
.

This is New York.

2005-09-24T13:23:12Z

East River Shining

You have to chain both tires here.

The sky is always free.

Sometimes the painted ones are all you've got.

There's nothing like a barefoot stroll to make you feel free.

Friends reading about favorite topic in college biology: female reproductive anatomy.

New York Magazine Subway Ad

better than writing a pathetic poem. i feel alive again; let's go for a stroll.

happy fall/spring, by the way!

I haven't been writing public entries.

2005-09-16T05:48:05Z

There's too much I want to say that would take too much time and effort to articulate. Since I've been in contact with people and have told them some of these things already in a casual, unartistic way, writing them would seem repetitive. Do others need me to inspire their vitality, to help them see beauty? Would they benefit from hearing my complaints? Perhaps not. I feel no need to preach or prove myself either (though I will argue about truth, knowledge, meaning, and aesthetics when the time is right); I'm not as insecure as I used to be.

Oh, I am filled with such restlessness. Is this just the sugar I've ingested, or is it something else? My leg is twitching, I have energy, and I have homework, but I'm tempted to go jogging. Such East River lovely ugliness that would be, but so time-consuming. Time with non-horrendously-ugly people (friends, the few—for why should I join the ugly in their pseudo-lives?) was enjoyable but I could have spent some of that time walking by the East River and feeling cool existential exasperation. I can't decide how I feel. Perhaps I can spend the weekend in isolation. Or I could go home and take care of business.

I've ingested too much and need to release this energy. Sugar, starches, spices, life; delicious, but I'm sorry I made myself overfull. Cooking has become something beautiful to me: an energy-release, creative entertainment—expression, art, energy conversion. I love the anticipation of the tasty food, the imprecise, creative experiment, the joy. There is something wonderful about it. It's alive, that is, an activity for the living. It is vital. Scents of toasted almonds, garlic & onions (I let them make me cry) frying in sesame oil, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, pepper, vegetarian oyster sauce and soy, garam masala, burning peppers, fresh organic tomatoes—I am rich with life. But life is much richer than these painted scenes.

I felt so dead earlier (in listless afternoon doldrums) and so alive now. But it is constrained vitality, its expression muted. If I tap and shake and shift, I am still here sitting and writing with the aching teeth and sweat and skin itching and legs locked in a tilted near-pretzel. I could brush my teeth, I could go jogging, I could do my homework, I could let my skin burn against the upholstery of the chair as I write more; the situation is saturated with potential.

There's still time for cool existential exasperation before Theory of Knowledge reading. Now I'm going to brush this bacteria off my teeth with cool minty paste and—it's raining, forget teeth and get out there!

pitter patter
run through puddles,
i am free, jogging with the rain.

i scream unvoiced war cries against death
that no one hears
all my own

alone--
drench my sole

dirty pools will not deter me
nor cigarette butts on the street
kill me
nor east river garbage flowing drain
or sharp pebble beneath my foot

bare and
parched
i drink
the acid rain
will not burn my tongue

and my arms will not stretch
as far as i imagine

but whirling

(crazyhair flying
worldspinning)

water my life
water me with life

ecstatic
but--

rain,
why won't you rain(
drops thud
) harder?

This poem is lacking... Oh, public it is. Uncrafted clumsy I am a poor craftsman, but it is beautiful.

Spontaneity, I love you.
Now the acrylic upholstery is burning the skin of my feet again, and I'm inspired to move.

Ugliness, beauty, exasperation, inspiration... it's so good to be alive.

Whooooooooeee!

2005-08-25T15:08:21Z

(Photo taken by Nina)

Suddenly you realize... you're free, competent, unafraid, and ready to explore the world.

Why am I back here again in this room, in this lifestyle?

But things are changing. What a relief.

Even in the city, there is beauty.

2005-08-23T15:44:11Z

The sun looked like the moon,

the sky was a gradient of blues,

and an eye and I peeked at each other from behind the clouds.

Sitting on my family's deck in Brooklyn and cloud-gazing alone, I felt possibly as content as I'd ever felt in my life. I understand now why someone would want to spend her life capturing and creating beauty.

End of Trip Rambling

2005-08-10T03:47:31Z

A chapter of my life is closing, and I find myself wanting to say so much and yet strangely mute but for the scribbles in my paper journal and the remnant ramblings by which those who have spent time with me during my loquacious spells have come to know me. The message is clear more or less, but I do not have the time, energy, and patience to express it in such a way as will do it justice. It is always this way.

The best days of my life so far are coming to an end. After the unexpected five-day, four-night tour of Canada that my mother and sister are planning (and generously funding) for the 17th-21st of August, I may not have much to look forward for a year or more to but philosophy and what little beauty I can find in the city. This is quite depressing (I've been mourning the end of this trip on and off since it was halfway through) but not too worrying. I'll have the memories of that one clear night where I lay on the beach in Montezuma beneath the only star-filled sky I've ever seen, of that brilliant sunset of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues behind tree-covered hills that I watched on the road, and of the refreshing hikes through the cloud forests of Monteverde and Santa Elena to look back on whenever I'm deadened and hopelessly uninspired (as I am used to be perpetually whenever I ~~stay~~ stayed in a city).

Life is too short to waste missing dazzling sunsets and nights of stargazing and/or living in a routine ignorant stupor. I want to be on the road chasing those sunsets with the wind blowing in my face while trying to understand... everything.

Drying-Out Pens and Crazy Dreams

2005-07-27T03:59:27Z

I was going to delete this entry or abandon it like everything else I've been writing, but I'll never get around to finishing the tortured metaphors on which I've been operating, so this will have to do.

Sun 24 July 2005
I have to write something meaningful before this pen runs out of ink.

That sentence is what I wrote in my diary after spending about a minute scratching out the date and trying to get the ink to flow out of my pen. I was riding back to Heredia on a bus filled with other, arguably less preoccupied and pensive students after an overnight trip to Volcán Arenal and had just watched Exterminador^† between long stares out of the window. Seeing the movie again after so many years was an odd experience. I think I remember sitting on my parents' bed in their little bedroom in our apartment in the projects watching the movie for the first time on our ghetto old television set (which I had already marked up with crayons) when I was a little girl. I never would have guessed all that's happened to me since that unimaginative time in my life, and yet I don't feel like I've come particularly far. My eyes are still very young. The movie made me think again of my mortality and the future. I am in my twenties now, I haven't done anything yet, and at some uncertain time, I am going to die. What do I want to do with the next decade of my life if I should live through another decade?

Short answer: I want to learn, to explore, to be on the road, maybe start or participate in a revolution or two...

I can't wait to see what happens.

^† That's right, the original Terminator, en español.

Unidentified perching object

2005-07-15T21:14:16Z

Somebody help me identify this bird! (~~Lorikeet? Parakeet?~~ Conure? Red lored parrot? I should take a class on taxonomy.) I've got to learn more about this bird so that I can appreciate more than the splendor of its presence (from memory). What is the niche of its species (e.g., specific kinds of... seed dispersal, herbivory, insect predation, part of nutrient cycles...)? What are its habits (social, feeding, mating, nesting, breeding)? What is its history (developmental, (co)evolutionary)?

Of course, I can't really expect a species identification without an expert and from a photo when there is such diversity in the tropics. That would be ecological naivete.

Unidentified Bird
A local brought this bird to a fútbol game in a town on the Osa Peninsula of southern Costa Rica.

It kindly perched on a branch while I snapped a few photos.

Once again, I recommend androkles's journal.

Teaching English Abroad

2005-07-13T02:17:41Z

Two lovely Aussie girls who are staying in the same hostel where I've been living taught English (with no teaching background) through a company in Japan in luxurious conditions for two years and are now teaching English here in Costa Rica in less luxurious yet more pleasant conditions. Their experiences sounded great, so I decided to do some preliminary research into milking my imperialist cultural inheritance and teaching English abroad.

Since some of you may be interested in this as well:
SoYouWanna teach English abroad?

Now if only the conditions for uncertified English teachers in the non-English-speaking countries that I am most interested in seeing (e.g., Thailand, Madagascar) were more appropriate... I don't mind living with little money and/or without luxuries, but I am a finicky person when it comes to such things as being immersed in 'nature' (I may never want to live in a city again), maintaining an environmentally friendly lifestyle (including a vegetarian (or near-vegetarian) diet and socially ~~responsible~~ considerate consumption), and being able to study what I'm interested in (whether independently or in a structured environment).

Experience, learn, appreciate, teach... that's definitely what I want to do with my life. The trouble is details. I've mostly been crossing things off the list. Too bad philosopher-scientist-adventurer isn't a readily available option.

What's this 'grad school' business they're babbling about? Oh right, that.

...I don't want to go back to NY.

Guns, Germs & Steel Tonight

2005-07-11T23:41:19Z

(Posting daily, just like old times...)

This announcement is a bit late (at least for those on the east coast of the US), but a three-part PBS/National Geographic miniseries on Jared Diamond's famous work in historical science, Guns, Germs & Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, airs tonight in the US.^† It offers environmental and ecological (nonracist) answers to such questions as:

Why were Europeans the ones to conquer so much of our planet?

Why didn't the Chinese, or the Inca, become masters of the globe instead?

Why did cities first evolve in the Middle East?

Why did farming never emerge in Australia?

And why are the tropics now the capital of global poverty?

The show's website has great resources including an overview of the show, summaries and transcripts of each episode, and additional material. Also see:

Third Culture's intro to and transcript of a talk Mr. Diamond gave
Jared Diamond's Easter Island's End in Discover Magazine, August 1995
-//- The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race, Discover Magazine, May 1987

^† Turns out that it will also be available on DVD [Amazon.com] (US/Canada formats only) starting tomorrow.

Spider... erm, Capuchin Monkey Special

2005-07-11T04:05:17Z

I'm slowly posting resized/cropped photos to my new gallery at http://emily.galaxybee.com/photos/costarica but this giant photo is especially for tiresias2 (because he charged me with "see[ing] at least one spider monkey and at least one howler monkey in the wild") and laurasubby (because she's an anthro geek and primate enthusiast).

~~Spider~~ Capuchin Monkey with Its Tongue Sticking Out
This playful ~~spider~~ capuchin monkey appeared right outside my room at Drake Bay.

After hearing someone misidentify this monkey a few times, I mixed it up with another kind. How embarrassing!

Tomorrow begins the second session of classes... Intermediate Spanish II and Tropical Ecology await.

Photos from Carrera National Park & La Selva Research Station

2005-07-10T03:57:45Z

Carrera National Park

Tree and Epiphyte Canopy from Below Rotting Log Banana Plant with Symbiotes

La Selva Research Station

A View from the Bridge This flower gives off a scent of rotting meat to attract the flies that pollinate it. Walking Stick Cocoa Beans

More photos: http://emily.galaxybee.com/photos/costarica

Photos from Costa Rica

2005-06-23T20:00:36Z

Coati eating cheese curls
A coati eating cheese curls on the beach at Punta Leona

Crocodile
A crocodile relaxing on the banks of the Tarcoles River

Beach at Punta Leona

White Beach at Punta Leona
The nicer beach at Punta Leona complete with white sand, a mostly rock and shell free shoreline, and crazy waves

Iguana on the pavement
An iguana chillin' at the resort in Punta Leona

Tree and Ted
My Tropical Conservation (this session) and Tropical Ecology (next session) professor in front of... an amazing tree with large buttresses

Lizard in the forest
A lizard lounging in Carrera National Park

Lizard in the mangroves
A lizard relaxing by a grass bed in the Tarcoles River

Golden Weaver
Golden Weaver at La Selva biological research station

Old-Growth Cloud Forest
Old-growth cloud forest as seen from a mountain highway... possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.