I'm Alive!

Sorry it's taken me a little while to update this, but internet has been scarcer than I thought. That problem should be corrected in the next couple of days when my boss gets a portable modem. Right now I snuck into the Sheraton hotel that's about a 5 minute walk away from where I live. Technically these computers are for hotel guests only, but if you walk in like you belong they don't get too suspicious for a couple weeks until they start to recognize you and realize that you're not just a turista.

Anywho, my flights went very smoothly, business class was a definite help (thanks dad!). They had some great movies on the flight, so I watched the new Star Trek because I heard it was good and some of I Love You Man, but because the seat\bed was so comfortable I did get some sleep. Annie (my boss and the researcher I'm working for) was there to pick me up at the airport with no problems.

So basically I'm living in the legit jungle. The Parque Nacional Igazu is absolutely gorgeous. I got a chance to swing by the Iguazu Falls the other day brifely and they are absolutely incredible. (I'll post some pictures when I can use my computer). They definitely rival Victoria Falls. On my day off next week I plan on going down there to see them some more, because I love waterfalls. There's also a huge waterfall and swimming hole about 3km down a path from where I'm living that should be fun to swim in when it gets hotter here. The past few days have actually been pretty cold and rainy, which isn't too fun, but I figure it'll be hot and humid soon enough. I'm currently living at CIES, the main research station. There are about 4 groups of researchers there now. I'm staying in a very small room with two bunkbeds, so 4 field assisstants. There is a bit of a bed shortage so I think I got stuck moving into my boss' house with another girl in the next couple of days, which has its pros and cons. But all of the researchers are young 20somethings, so it's pretty fun. There's a couple of hammocks and I've been reading a lot (right now Harry Potter 7 haha). They don't eat dinner here until around 8 or 10 pm, but their wine is great---tons is made in the Mendoza provence of Argentina. My group of assisstants includes one guy from Ohio, one coming from Spain, one girl from Columbia, one girl from London, and one girl from Arkansas who is training us. Living here, I'm definitely working on my Español! It's not great now but I'm sure in a few months I'll be pretty conversant. All the people seem really cool so far. Most of them are more scientisty than I am which is interesting so I'm learning a lot. The jungle here also has some pretty cool animals, thought it's no Africa. But it does have Capuchin monkeys, coatis, capiberras (sp?), chimeans, tapirs, snakes, toucans, lots of other birds, and mosquitos unforturnately.

So my days are like this-- A few of us wake up at dawn and, dressed in our cool khaki outdoor gear, go into the jungle on mere suggestions of trails (sometimes a machete is needed, and on which I've been getting pretty lost) looking for a group of Brown Capuchin monkeys. Once we find the group we try to identify the individuals, which is quite a bit harder to do than with baboons because they are high up in trees and much smaller and less distinct I think. Then we follow them as they search for food along the ¨trails¨ and next week we'll start recording their foraging habits for 10 minutes at a time. One group does this from dawn until noon, and a second group does this from noon until dusk, when they settle down for sleep. Today I was on the afternoon shift, but the morning shift couldn't keep up with the monkeys so they came back early and we are going to go out later than usual, which is great because its basically a day off for me! But trekking through the jungle in rain boots is certainly fun and dirty and wet. There are tree roots and vines and puddles to avoid and slosh through and it's all great fun for me.

I went into town yesterday afteroon, Puerto Iguazu, and it's actually very nice. It's very safe and friendly. It basically caters to the tourism around the park, so there are lots of shops and nice restaurants, and there is an easy bus to get around everywhere. The town also takes a siesta from about 1230-430pm every day. For the first couple of months we work 4 days on, 1 day off. After a trial period we can change to 25 days on, 5 days off so we can get in some travelling. It's easy to get into Brasil and Paraguay from here, since they're right across the river. There's a spot where you can see all three countries. They have some cool traditions here. One is they have a tea-like drink called Mate (ma-tay) that is actually quite good. It's a big guest-host relationship tradition, where you basically have to serve it if you're a host and its very rude not to drink it if you're the guest. I definitely plan on bringing some home with some of the special cups they drink it out of. They also have these bbq-like get togethers all the time called Asados, much like the South African braii, where there's lots and lots of wine and meat. I've been here 5 days and I've already been to 2 and have 2 more invites to in the next week. They're a great way to meet people who work in the park and to relax with my fellow assisstants and to work on my spanish for sure.

It's been a hectic few days, but that's what my life is looking like for the next 6 months! When I get the modem for my laptop I'll definitely post some pictures. Until next time I can sneak into the Sheraton...