Our first weekend trip + haircut day!
Our first full weekend in Costa Rica was quite a busy one. After the field work each team did at the end of last week, we all went on a trip together on Saturday and Sunday. We drove north to a small city called La Fortuna, which is at the base of the Arenal and Chato volcanoes. Here, we went to a hot spring, went on hikes, and visited a waterfall! We also visited a seismic station near Tilaran, and spoke with a man who works there. He gave us a tour of the place and explained his job in detail to us— which was really cool.
On the other hand, today (Monday) things went back to normal, and we all went to work with our Costa Rican mentors for the day. A typical day for me and Rosa (the landslide team!) looks like the following.
First, we wake up at around 7 in the morning and eat breakfast at Gran Casa. We then walk to the Lanamme lab of the University of Costa Rica, which is about 10-15 minutes away. We work at our desk with our mentor, Paulo, from 8-12. For the last few days, our work has revolved around tracing images of the lithology and rainfall patterns in south eastern Costa Rica to create shape files that we can work with later. During our lunch break from 12-1, Rosa and I typically eat at one of the University’s cafes (the food is good and very cheap)! We then work again from 1-4 before we go back to the hotel.
Usually I will go for a run around the university after working, but today, I went to go get a haircut! Rosa was kind enough to come with me and be my translator at the barber. I’m very happy with the way it turned out, and it was only about $5. A true bargain! Some more field work is coming up for the group this week and we will be traveling again very soon… stay tuned!
