Vida at its Purest: My Stay in El Sur
May 15, 2012Categories:
Costa Rica: Sustainable Development Studies, SFS alumni posts, Sustainability
Name: Paige Nicole Triola
School: Lafayette College
Major: Biological Sciences
Program: SFS Costa Rica, Spring 2012
Reflecting on her spring semester with SFS, alumna Paige Triola gives a rich description of a day in the field – and in the mud – at a traditional sugarcane mill in the small town of El Sur, Costa Rica.
There was a hole in my rubber boot. Being one of the 34 sodden students crossing the small yellow creek, this was a less than thrilling discovery for me. We were in the tiny community of El Sur, Costa Rica, a town of about 60 people. Our purpose for trudging through the rain was to observe the old fashioned method of grinding sugarcane in the town’s nearby sugar mill. I gripped my soggy umbrella and tried gingerly tip-toeing the rest of my way across the stream in order to avoid any more icy water rushing into my unreliable footwear. Through the sheets of rain I could see a small barn-like structure in the distance. A brown calf with enormous ears and glassy black eyes gazed at us curiously as we plodded in a sullen herd past its cozy-looking pen, probably wondering what strange type of cattle we were.
As we filed into the dank wooden mill, a few other girls and I tiredly plunked down on a bench and assessed our surroundings. In the center of the room was some sort of grinder with a large wheel attached to it. Two massive oxen yoked together, looking very bored, stood near the wheel, attached to the structure by a long wooden pole. A plump, smiling man in a rain soaked grey t-shirt gave us a brief introduction in Spanish, explaining the significance of the traditional sugar mill. He then proceeded to ask for volunteers to feed stalks of sugarcane into the grinder.
Final Impressions of SFS Turks & Caicos
May 10, 2012Categories:
SFS students, Turks & Caicos: Marine Resource Management Studies
Name: Doug Rice
School: Clark University
Major: Environmental Science
Program: Marine Management Studies, Turks & Caicos
What did you like most about the SFS experience?
Being in the water everyday. If I can live my life without my swimsuit completely drying, I’ll be happy.
You’ve been in the country for a full semester – tell us your impressions of it now.
I love it here! There are certain things that seem really backwards and everyone runs on island time, but that’s how life is here and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
What is life at the field station really like? What are the best and the most challenging parts of living at a remote field station?
Absolutely amazing! The best part, for me, was the people. These are the some of the greatest people I’ve ever met and I’ve definitely grown as close to them as anyone else in such a short amount of time. A large part of that is a product of the Center itself. The only challenge for me was that no clothes or sheets ever got clean, but if that’s my worst complaint then I’ve got it made!
Final Impressions of SFS Kenya
May 9, 2012Categories:
Kenya + Tanzania: Wildlife Management Studies, SFS students
Name: Kristin Partin
School: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Major: Political Science
Program: Wildlife Management Studies, Tanzania & Kenya
What did you like most about the SFS experience?
I haven’t the faintest idea of what to name the experience I find most nzuri sana. I do know that I cannot express well enough the appreciation I have in finding that I can step outside of my comfort zone, my major in political science, and find a rewarding and utterly successful experience working with SFS in East Africa. It’s a brilliant gift to carry with yourself, knowing that there are always other options for your life.
You’ve been in the country for a full semester – tell us your impressions of it now.
I stepped off the plane in Tanzania almost 14 full weeks ago with a head full of comical impressions of the area, coupled with a fervent desire to complete the puzzle that was “Tanzania,” and “Kenya,” in my mind. What I’ve found is a place that isn’t a puzzle to be completed, but a painting that is ever expanding. East Africa is full of rich colors – likely composed of the brilliant reds of the Kenyans, and the greens, yellows, and blues of the Tanzanians. It hosts textures not of a flat canvas, but a sculpture of acacia thorns, red soil, maize leaves, and a soft kanga cloth. I’ve never stopped finding something beautiful about the area, and I don’t believe I ever could.
Final Impressions of SFS Costa Rica
May 8, 2012Categories:
Costa Rica: Sustainable Development Studies, SFS students
Name: Patrick Ronay
School: Gonzaga University
Major: Environmental Studies
Program: Sustainable Development Studies, Costa Rica
What did you like most about the SFS experience?
The interplay between our travels and academic undertakings. The collaboration between faculty for us students to extract the maximum benefit from every circumstance was quite evident on trips. It was a privilege to see so many of the ecosystems that Costa Rica harbors all the while being with thirty-four other students who were gleaning different lessons from each scenario.
You’ve been in the country for a full semester – tell us your impressions of it now.
My three months in Costa Rica has led to an environment that in scope isn’t very wide but is endlessly deep in experiences. My impression is fuller and more vivid primarily because of the people and relationships that developed through the semester. It was interesting to learn about the problems – environmentally, socially, economically – this country faces that I was previously unaware of and that helped in making the country all the more real and distinct. Now I realize the length of time and activities in Costa Rica allowed for an “ethic of place” and subsequent affection to be developed, which is a wonderful byproduct of our educational endeavor and perhaps what SFS is all about.
Final Impressions of SFS Tanzania
May 7, 2012Categories:
Kenya + Tanzania: Wildlife Management Studies, SFS students
Name: Asha Misra
School: University of Rhode Island
Major: Wildlife Management
Program: Wildlife Management Studies, Kenya & Tanzania
What did you like most about the SFS experience?
This seems like an impossible question to answer! I think that my favorite part of this experience has been spending time in two different countries. Upon entering the program, I had no idea how different my experiences in Kenya and Tanzania would be, but they really are like different worlds. Having the opportunity to get to know both places so well has been truly amazing.
You’ve been in the country for a full semester- tell us your impressions of it now.
Kenya was the epitome of my mental image of Africa. The vast, open, flat plains and towering Acacias were exactly how I pictured them. In my first impressions of Kenya, I wrote about how friendly the people were. From the first to the last minute of my time in Kenya, absolutely everyone I encountered wanted to chat with me and shake my hand.
The second half of the semester has been very different, but equally as beautiful. As we crossed the border into Tanzania, the flat plains were replaced with rolling hills; the Acacias with baobabs and other broadleaf trees, even conifers! The people here have been just as friendly, and as they are more attached to their Kiswahili here in Tanzania, I’ve gotten a lot of practice on my many walks into the town near camp.
I have really become attached to these two incredible places, and I know that someday I’ll return.
Student Reflection
May 4, 2012Categories:
SFS faculty posts, Turks & Caicos: Marine Resource Management Studies
Name: Eduardo Guevara, Ph.D.Ed.
Position: Lecturer in Environmental Policy & Socioeconomics
Program: Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos
Last week the students completed the spring 2012 Directed Research (DR) project. It has been a very steep learning curve for every student, with many challenges and opportunities to grow. I provided them with the perspective of “connecting the dots” between science and socioeconomic values, linking the scientific process to the surrounding communities.
Below, I cite two examples of their answers to the question: “How am I going to apply the experience acquired in this course in the rest of my life?”
Quote 1: “… In the past my classes had focused on memorizing laws and regulations first, and then applying them to situations… I learned this semester to not take things at face value. This class really taught me how to think before I speak. There is a whole other layer to the world that I plan to keep my eye out for… As I head off into the real world, I hope that I will remember to look a little closer at things before I decide what they are all about….”
Quote 2: “…This class has taught me more about the challenges surrounding environmental policy making than I would have learned at home, due to being able to see the consequences of these challenges firsthand. I learned about the difficulty of teaching someone about “sustainability” in the long term, when they live day-to-day, basically as indentured servants to processing plants. I learned that implementing regulations without proper education and consultation of the people that are most affected by it will not work…”.
Wedding Crashers: Maasai Edition
May 3, 2012Categories:
Kenya + Tanzania: Wildlife Management Studies, SFS students
Name: Isabella Lowery
School: Whitman College
Major: Biological Sciences
Program: Wildlife Management Studies, Kenya
Adding to the list of new experiences I’ve gained on this trip, today I presented a gift and sang a song to a newlywed couple at a Maasai wedding celebration.
A few weeks ago during the data collection stage of our Directed Research, one of our guides mentioned that he was going to a friend’s wedding this weekend. Soon after, we had secured an invitation for our group and convinced our professors to let us take the afternoon off from writing papers to go.
While we all felt a little trepidation upon arriving (imagine twenty foreign strangers dropping in to your wedding), in true Kenyan and Maasai style we were quickly made to feel comfortable and welcomed. There were many people standing and sitting around, enjoying sodas and each others’ company. About half of the guests were dressed in traditional Maasai shuka and jewelry, while the other half were wearing western style clothes, some speaking Maasai, and others Swahili or English. The bride and groom, looking somber, were decked out in beautiful beaded shukas and elaborate jewelry, including a headpiece on the bride’s part.
The Possibilities for Adventure are Endless
May 3, 2012Categories:
Australia: Tropical Rainforest Studies, SFS students
Name: Emily Johnson
School: Wesleyan University
Major: Biological Sciences
Program: Rainforest Studies, Australia
The week began with 27 people working diligently to put the final touches on a month’s worth of work and has transitioned into handshakes and jubilation as that work went to the presses. With a hard copy in hand, a new era has arrived! We will now present our hard-earned knowledge at Community Night in Yungaburra! Through our research, we have dug up the facts to influence new legislation on wild dog control, we have uncovered hidden agendas within big box companies that drive out local farmers, and we have discovered that in many ways, selective logging is not as sustainable as it is made to seem.
Research in the Maasai Steppe
May 2, 2012Categories:
Kenya + Tanzania: Wildlife Management Studies, SFS faculty posts
Name: Christian Kiffner, Ph.D.
Position: Lecturer in Wildlife Management
Program: Wildlife Management Studies, Tanzania
What are the consequences of climate change for local livelihoods in northern Tanzania? Which wildlife species are used by traditional healers? Which wildlife species compete most for scarce resources with the abundant livestock? How many elephants, wildebeest, zebra and other species are in this ecosystem? Which areas do wildlife species use for migrating between protected areas? Do different forms of protection affect behavior and demography of wildlife?
Quiet Thoughts
May 1, 2012Categories:
SFS students, Turks & Caicos: Marine Resource Management Studies
Name: Benedict Scheuer
School: Yale University
Major: Environmental Studies
Program: Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos
I came here to study the ocean—yes, that is completely true. As my time on this island shortens to quiet moments of, “I’m not ready to leave this place,” I’m starting to make sense of what truly makes this study abroad program unique. I can tell you surely that the last three months of my life have been deeply involved in scientific research and, naturally, an academic experience like no other I have ever had. There is no doubt in my mind that I am extremely grateful for this. However, I want to make clear something that I view as far more important than anything learned by means of a classroom, excel spreadsheet, or measuring transect along the ocean floor.
Take me back to one of my first nights here: a night of stars and a few strangers with backs to the floor and shy eyes to the sky. It’s funny how simple stargazing can be the pivotal thread of a new friendship, and there are plenty of constellations here to admire. Slip further to the present and you will have found me around a glowing fire, learning the laughs of everyone’s dimly lit face, playing silly games, and eventually making the choice to sleep on the beach with waves and the little dreams of those who were becoming closer to me in kinship with every sunny and, in this case, sandy wake up. Take me to the sunsets, countless as they are, and it will have me smiling; despite all needs, I can count on all lives to gently hum in unison for the silent dip of orange beneath the blue waters.
