Project Update

I am back in San Cristóbal after a few weeks of traveling on the mainland and a fun Fulbright conference in Quito (more about that later). I have started a new phase of the black fly project. We have already collected most of the samples necessary for our genetic studies. Due to limited laboratory resources here in Ecuador, most of those samples were sent to Creighton University and the Baylor Genome Center for processing. We will soon know definitively whether Simulium ochraceum is a native or invasive species.

I am in the process of interviewing people who own land in black fly infested areas. This social science aspect of the project was not something I had planned on doing, but I am really enjoying it! I am finding that everyone is extremely willing to answer my questions and share about how black flies are affecting their quality of life. We hope this information will help the government make an informed decision on how to reduce the black fly population. I will keep you updated!

Photo of the Day!

Isabela, Galápagos

Fiestas, Friends, and Scuba!

I cannot believe how fast the year is going! We are well over half way done with our ten month grant. While I have already seen so many amazing places, I still have a long list of things to do before I leave this beautiful country. Looking ahead, it is difficult to foresee a time when I will have this much flexibility in my schedule. I am trying to see, read, learn, and experience as much as I can. Here is what I have been up to…

Fiestas de Galápagos and Carnival
This was a week of celebrations on the island. There were all sorts of parades, dances, competitions, shows, and concerts.

Nelly (fellow Fulbrighter) and her friends came to visit!

And Jeff too!

Field Work at El Junco (a freshwater lake in San Cristóbal)

Last but not least, I am learning how to scuba dive! Though terrifying the first time, I finally feel comfortable hanging out around 60 feet underwater. After passing the final exam, I now have my open water diver certification. The course involved a day of pool training and then four open water dives. Diving in the ocean is unlike anything I have ever done. You feel virtually weightless in the water. The wildlife is incredible! So far, I have seen sea turtles, starfish, rays, sea lions, and vibrant schools of fish. We also went to the site of a huge sunken cargo ship, Karahua. I hope to get a few more dives in before I head back to Iowa in August!

Empieza la lluvia…

“The rain begins.” This is a phrase I have heard for the past few weeks. People usually say it with such dread and despair that I do not exactly know how to respond. Last week we had a few sprinkled showers. This isn’t so bad, I said to a few people at work. They laughed. Apparently, I spoke too soon. The past three days we have had incredibly hot mornings followed by afternoons of torrential downpour. This is not the kind of rain that can be handled with a fitted rain jacket from Scheels and a cute Target umbrella, which happens to be what I have here. This is the kind of rain that requires a hideously long poncho and the kind of umbrella that covers your patio furniture. Even then, this sideways rain will probably find a way to get you. The dirt roads turn into murky rivers. The stairways are downright dangerous. This week of nonstop rain has not helped my laundry situation. It is near impossible to dry my clothes with the sun hidden behind a giant rain cloud. At work, I cannot hear the person next to me because of the powerful rain droplets hitting the tin roof. I am told this is only the beginning. Oh great. But don’t worry, it lets up a little in April. Even better. I am not one to complain about living in the Galápagos, but this may put a slight damper on my next few months.

Welcome to the Jungle!

I returned from a trip to the rainforest a little over a week ago. It was an incredible adventure, something I have dreamed about since asked “what is your favorite biome?” in fourth grade. Rainforest, duh! I have always loved trips to the rainforest dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo. There are a few things, perhaps obvious, that I didn’t quite grasp in my fourth grade science class or walking through the zoo exhibit with my family. There is a reason it is called a rainforest. That is because it rains. A lot. Like torrential downpour every afternoon. There are also a ton of bugs. Everything from ants in the hostel bathroom to flying beetle-like things to biting sandflies. Oh yeah, and there are bugs you can eat. Believe it or not, I tried a small bite of these beetles on the left (or a large nibble, depending on how you look at it)!

Besides a few terrifying bugs, the jungle is just as amazing as I imagined. We went to Tena, the edge of the Amazon. My favorite excursion by far was the canoe trip down the Napo River. The pictures do not do the scenery justice. You cannot fully appreciate the vibrant green of the trees on either side of the powerful river with a photograph. I was surprised at how few people and boats we saw along the way. There was the occasional indigenous woman washing clothes on the side of the river. There were a few men out fishing or searching for gold. Other than that, it was us, our native guide, and the driver of our motorized canoe.

Our first stop was at the house of an indigenous family for breakfast. They didn’t serve any Lucky Charms. Instead, we ate bugs, small bony fish, and yucca. Buen provecho! My favorite part was watching the woman prepare our food. She had a couple of pots and pans, but mainly wrapped the food in giant plant leaves and stuck it into an open fire. The family seemed to really enjoy sharing their culture and food with foreigners, though I would imagine it would get exhausting having gringos traipse through your living room everyday and pick at your food. Despite this, they seemed genuinely happy to have us there. After about an hour, we jumped back in the canoe and headed downstream.

We saw beautiful birds in the wild, but other than that we sort of cheated to get our fill of rainforest wildlife. We visited the Amazonico Animal Rescue Sation and the Isla Amazonica, both full of incredible creatures. I have included a few pictures of our new friends. The monkey (who we named Cesar after the main character in the new Planet of the Apes movie which was conveniently playing on our bus ride to Tena) was by far the highlight of my day.




Overall, my trip to the rainforest was a great success and fulfilled all of my fourth grade dreams. I hope I can get back there again in the near future, perhaps sometime in the next six months. There is so much more to see and learn!