Abby - Anna - Eli, The Three Musketeers's Stories

Well, the first day didn’t start off so well for me. On the plane ride to C.R, I got a bloody nose, and water spilled on me. I then slept through most of the ride through the cloud forest to the Chilamate Eco-retreat. I didn't like it there as much as I like the Biology reserve we are at today (07/16). The car ride to the reserve was really cool because we all sat in the back of the car since the back was lined with seats on both sides, kind of like 2 couches. It will be easier to explain with some pictures when we get back. Anna, Lizzie, Casey, Taylor, and I decided to do a research project on poison dart frogs, which are actually pretty cute. I am also looking forward to staying with my host family, and about the zip-lining. Tell Bear, and Foxy that I miss them, and can’t wait to see them when I get home. I’m really glad I came.-       J Abby Bishop

Today is day four and we have settled in to the biology reserve nicely. Life here has been fairly calm so far. After the long and extremely bumpy ride up on Saturday, we went on a night hike part of the way down the “road” that brought us here. Jenny, the biologist that is staying here with us, and Paul, the caretaker of the base, educated us on the extensive wild life that makes their home in the rainforest. Jenny, specifically, is an expert on frogs and has pointed out many different types since we got here. The brightly-colored poison dart frogs are very cool but I think the favorite one I saw was the glass frog, I small white frog. When Jenny caught it she flipped it over to show us its clear belly and pointed out its tiny-tiny heart, stomach and intestines. All in all, I think everyone is starting to get used to all the wildlife that shares the base with us, from the moths that gather around the lights at night, our bat house guests that sleep outside the bathroom, or the group of howler monkeys that like to hang out in a tree about twenty feet from the building (and howl at five o’ clock in the morning), but nevertheless, I am glad I have a mosquito net to sleep under. I am having a great time and am looking forward to the rest of the trip!-       J Anna Denson

We have all settled in nicely into Costa Rica. We have all had to get used to feeling sticky all the time because of the humidity and the heat. We are currently on day four and we are all having a blast and really enjoying all of the new foods we are eating, which is mainly rice and beans. We are also enjoying all of the new bugs, trees, and plants that we have seen this far. Yesterday we saw a group of monkeys and earlier that day we saw toucans in the trees. Everything has been great and I really look forward to everything else that we will be doing. Currently we are at the biology reserve and we are doing projects. Some of us are doing a project on poison dart frogs and another group is doing a project of grasshoppers. I am having a great time and can’t wait to do everything else on this trip!-       Elizabeth Parrish