ctstcostarica2021

Started off the day with breakfast and went to our classroom area for our first field day. We met in the classroom around 8:30 in the morning to start heading out. We got a quick rundown of what the plan was and we headed out. We hiked on a gravel road to the locations of the leafcutter ants that our instructors Ibraheim and Gabriel had found early that morning.  There are two different types of leafcutter ants that we are going to be studying while we are here and they are the Atta and Acromyrmex leafcutter ants. The main difference is that the Atta have larger colonies that are in the ground and the Acromyrmex have much smaller colonies that are in the sides of hills, walls of dirt, or trees. We stopped at some colonies that were in the side of a dirt hill to get our first real look at a colony in person. Ibraheim started digging right into the colony as a quick demo to show us how its done. It took almost no time at all to get to the fungus garden that we are looking for. He qui...

Hey everyone, Day two in Costa Rica!! Today we had our Covid tests.... negative all around! For breakfast we had eggs, rice, beans, pineapple and papaya which was followed by some free time. We all used this to explore the pathways around Finca la Anita where we saw our first leaf cutter ants. Around 9:45 we all gathered for a chocolate tour given by Pablo, our host. We were walked through the process of making a chocolate drink that was originated from the Aztecs. After trying the cacao beans and chocolate provided we were walked through a history of chocolate in the world!! Next, Pablo took us through the cacao farm and showed us the crops. He picked one of the cacao fruits and let us try sucking on the cacao beans before they were fermented.     After a bit of rain, we ran back to lunch where Pablo gave us a demonstration of harvesting palm. He showed us how to make a delicious salad which we ate along with lunch. At lunch our instructors, Gabriel and Ibrahim, arrived. Then...

Day One - June 20 Arrival Day Groggily, we write to you, parents, as we reflect on our long day of travel.  We departed as the intrepid adventurers we are, drowsy eyed, yet full of anticipation.  After a short flight to Houston, we faced the challenge of filling a two and a half hour layover.  Wandering through the airport terminals, us young scientists visited shops and cafes and prepared for the excitement awaiting us following our upcoming flight.  After a roughly two hour flight, we landed in Costa Rica.   FINALLY!  We could not wait to leave the terminal, yet we were soon met with the dreaded customs line: a more than hour long wait which was the only thing separating us from the exciting world which awaited us beyond the walls that confined us.  We then travelled to a restaurant which served mystery drinks and enormous portions of chicken, rice, salads, and beans.   After gulping down our meals, we travelled along a bumpy and sceni...