mindsayI finished my paper last night! What a relief. I guess this means that I'm officially a junior in college--pretty exciting. (Except I'm one step closer to joining the workforce and losing the allowance my parents give me...damn.) This paper definitely wasn't the best thing I've written this year (it might be the worst), but at least it's over with. My grades should come in soon; I think I did relatively well.
Today was another lovely day in paradise. I had planned on waking up early to go for a run with some of the other students, but I stayed up late writing so I decided to sleep in. After breakfast, Fernando--one of our TAs--gave a lecture about conservation biology and what goes on at IPE. He posed one question that I found particularly interesting: Why should we spend money to conserve species when there are millions of people around the world dying from starvation?
Well, our money isn't being spent on international aid to save impoverished peoples... it's being spent on this "war"! The total cost of the Iraq was is over $500 million so far: Imagine how many ecosystems could have been saved with those dollars that were used to destroy life rather than preserve it...
Fernando lectured for about an hour before we grabbed our backpacks (stocked with bug spray, windbreakers, and binoculars) and headed down the hill past the organic garden to two boats waiting on the shore. We hopped in and began our journey to Fazendinha, a resort further up the reservoir. The boat ride was absolutely lovely--I took some great pictures (I'll post them here as soon as I upload them from my camera). When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a few charming dogs--mostly lab mixes, but a couple of smaller breeds too. And none of them were neutered. I think I might study this topic for my individual project: Measure dog population sizes (and the population sizes of other domesticated animals); how neutering would change population numbers; what neutering services are currently available; how dogs and other domesticated animals affect the natural environment (ie. by spreading diseases); etc. Hopefully I'll be able to find some relevant research via Google.
We began our climb up a small mountain (a hill, really) soon after we docked and used the restrooms. The trek was definitely uphill, but it wound around the incline so it wasn't too strenuous. And it was absolutely breathtaking. We were surrounded by an incredibly lush canopy hung with thick twisted vines, interrupted by spatters of sunlight shining through breaks in the leaf cover. When we were about half way up, Juliana--another TA--asked us to find something interesting and show it to the rest of the group. I found several species of lichen on a tree: some green, some red, and some orange. I also noticed that on all of the surrounding trees, the lichen only covered one side because the hill prevented the other side from sun exposure. It was very pretty, although slightly reminiscent of ringworm. The hill's peak was gorgeous--a stunning view of the reservoir, some quaint houses along the shore, and plots of eucalyptus trees.
We had a delicious lunch (albeit a little late) at the Fazendinha, a more varied meal than what we've eaten here so far. I had a huge salad, some potatoes, some ambiguous fried vegetables, cous cous, and a little bit of pasta slathered in butter....I'm skipping dinner tonight. Oh, and I had a beer. Which was great. After stuffing our faces--we were all ravenous after our hike up the "mountain"--a few people hopped in the pool. Pas moi, non merci. Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, so I was not terribly enthusiastic about getting wet.
Of course, I got wet anyway: I rode in the smaller of the two boats on the way back to IPE and I was absolutely soaked through. Oh well. We had a good time and laughed while the spray drenched our hiking boots and backpacks, but everyone could see my ass through my wet pants when we walked back up the hill through the garden (where the produce that we eat here is grown).
I have a bit of homework tonight and I need to finish the reading from last night since I was occupied by my paper. The reading isn't too heavy, but we have a quiz tomorrow so I need to make sure that I understand all of the material. And I need to write a paragraph about my ideas for my project. I don't mind the work; at least I'm done with that paper. Thannnnnk God.
Today was another lovely day in paradise. I had planned on waking up early to go for a run with some of the other students, but I stayed up late writing so I decided to sleep in. After breakfast, Fernando--one of our TAs--gave a lecture about conservation biology and what goes on at IPE. He posed one question that I found particularly interesting: Why should we spend money to conserve species when there are millions of people around the world dying from starvation?
Well, our money isn't being spent on international aid to save impoverished peoples... it's being spent on this "war"! The total cost of the Iraq was is over $500 million so far: Imagine how many ecosystems could have been saved with those dollars that were used to destroy life rather than preserve it...
Fernando lectured for about an hour before we grabbed our backpacks (stocked with bug spray, windbreakers, and binoculars) and headed down the hill past the organic garden to two boats waiting on the shore. We hopped in and began our journey to Fazendinha, a resort further up the reservoir. The boat ride was absolutely lovely--I took some great pictures (I'll post them here as soon as I upload them from my camera). When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a few charming dogs--mostly lab mixes, but a couple of smaller breeds too. And none of them were neutered. I think I might study this topic for my individual project: Measure dog population sizes (and the population sizes of other domesticated animals); how neutering would change population numbers; what neutering services are currently available; how dogs and other domesticated animals affect the natural environment (ie. by spreading diseases); etc. Hopefully I'll be able to find some relevant research via Google.
We began our climb up a small mountain (a hill, really) soon after we docked and used the restrooms. The trek was definitely uphill, but it wound around the incline so it wasn't too strenuous. And it was absolutely breathtaking. We were surrounded by an incredibly lush canopy hung with thick twisted vines, interrupted by spatters of sunlight shining through breaks in the leaf cover. When we were about half way up, Juliana--another TA--asked us to find something interesting and show it to the rest of the group. I found several species of lichen on a tree: some green, some red, and some orange. I also noticed that on all of the surrounding trees, the lichen only covered one side because the hill prevented the other side from sun exposure. It was very pretty, although slightly reminiscent of ringworm. The hill's peak was gorgeous--a stunning view of the reservoir, some quaint houses along the shore, and plots of eucalyptus trees.
We had a delicious lunch (albeit a little late) at the Fazendinha, a more varied meal than what we've eaten here so far. I had a huge salad, some potatoes, some ambiguous fried vegetables, cous cous, and a little bit of pasta slathered in butter....I'm skipping dinner tonight. Oh, and I had a beer. Which was great. After stuffing our faces--we were all ravenous after our hike up the "mountain"--a few people hopped in the pool. Pas moi, non merci. Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, so I was not terribly enthusiastic about getting wet.
Of course, I got wet anyway: I rode in the smaller of the two boats on the way back to IPE and I was absolutely soaked through. Oh well. We had a good time and laughed while the spray drenched our hiking boots and backpacks, but everyone could see my ass through my wet pants when we walked back up the hill through the garden (where the produce that we eat here is grown).
I have a bit of homework tonight and I need to finish the reading from last night since I was occupied by my paper. The reading isn't too heavy, but we have a quiz tomorrow so I need to make sure that I understand all of the material. And I need to write a paragraph about my ideas for my project. I don't mind the work; at least I'm done with that paper. Thannnnnk God.
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almost23 on
Re: Across the water and up a mountain
so far, so good. 
it sounds like you are having agreat time!! thanks for sharing
of course i had naughty thoughts when you mentioned everyone could see that cute butt of yours when you got wet 
And of course, everyone could see the stars I have tattooed on my ass too... Oh well. lol
you didn't tell me about those! did i miss a blog? i hope you have at least 5 of them that is how i would rate your cute tush
that is how i would rate your cute tush Quick Links
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