Day #10: More data collection

So this morning was good. I took off even earlier. Before I continue let me add stuff from last night.

So for Audra’s birthday her team made some banana bread which was good, I did get to taste it twice though….if you catch my drift. I thought I had more to say…..but that was it :/

Was up by 5:45 as usual, got up and grabbed this morning cookies. Orange chomps again, usually I eat any duplicates I get but I have no appetite especially in the morning. I still have pretty much all of my zone bars left and a few clif bars, would have more if I didn’t give 14 to Christian. I took my cipro which I forgot to take last night. I only had one instance of diarrhea, but I started to take it as soon a that happened try to quelch it before it gets worse. It’s been fine so I wonder about finishing the whole 6 day dose or stopping, but I guess the point of an antibiotic is to continue until it’s done. I have other anti-diarrhea pills anyway just in case. Linda gave me some Dayquil, but I felt better in the morning aside from the lack of appetite and bit of stomach uneasiness.

I was out by 6:20 after talking to my teacher, collecting my stuff and everything. I realize on my walks now that it’s growing more boring. The walking not the whole experience. Courtney goes out with another research team doing Sakis and the rest of my group is doing Titi monkeys so they’re all together. Not saying it’s anyone’s fault or boo hoo me, but I envy it. Walks aren’t as fun without someone else around. Not even just to talk to but just to have around I guess? Plus it’s more eyes for monkeys haha. I reach where I wanted, a giant fruit tree at the intersection of trail 8 and 20……and waited……and waited.

There were two birds nearby that wouldn’t shut up, one makes a “Cat call” as if you’re walking by a construction site, and the other just screams. So I severely wished someone to quiet it…..jaguar or rock whichever is quickest. Especially when I hear the calls and need to hear them to find out how close they are and where they are. After about 15-20 minutes they finally get there. I have this great view of the tree where I can see about half of it, so perfect for data collection. They avoid that part……..instead they go where the undergrowth is thick, and there are shorter trees so I can’t see higher up as well.

I get decent data, and manage to keep an eye on one for 10 minutes otherwise it’s a couple data points here or there. I do need to get better at sticking to my methods while data collecting.

Mainly they just foraged, and I did my best to dodge what they dropped which was everything. A couple sticks dropped on me. It’s never wise to stand directly under them, and even then they still hit you. Madeleine wasn’t paying attention and one was right above her and dropped a branch full of ants on her. She performed, as she called it, the “I’m swarmed with ants” dance.

Anyway, they started to move off and so I continued on my way, only to run into them again. I caught view of some but then found a juvenile. He looked to be grooming but his back was turned to me so I couldn’t tell, also I use the term “he” lightly FYI. He notices me and begins to move up a bit, and in his mouth is a big brazil nut. These are huge round husks that vary a bit in size and inside of them are all the nuts that we buy still in the shell haha. Anyway I watch him fiddle with it for about 16 minutes before he just drops it. All the while he occasionally hits it against the tree branch in an effort to break it I’m guessing. Everytime he hits the husk on the branch he would look at me.

Of course when he drops it he stares at it sadly, and then eyes me as if he wants to get it but I’m there. I back off and he starts to move down, so I’m hoping he goes and grabs it but he changes his mind and goes off. So I take it upon myself to get it. Yup…….I bush wacked more to find his lost brazil nut, and carried it to camp. It smelled……..which reminds me I’ve been rubbing my face and forgot to wash my hands xD Which I’m going to go do now.

I’m thinking he found it on the ground and was eating insects out of it and then trying to break it to get into it more. It smells like god knows what, it’s awful. I’m keeping it for my presentation.

On the way back I tripped over a vine and startled 3 emperor tamarins that I saw in the shadows jumping.

I got dizzy and nauseous so I ended up taking a nap today for a bit, and then went out for about an hour again at 3.

Oh, for breakfast it was something? I didn’t get a good look at what the group around me was eating I was just waiting for the teacher to get in to tell her I’m going out. Lunch was a bit of barley and like chopped tomatoes or something and then a beef stew, part of a boiled potato and of course rice.

I went back out and found another group, pretty fast and not a far hike in. I got about 40 minutes of data on them, including some points on a baby. Extra cute, but he constantly went out of view, and when he was in view he’d watch me. Wearing bright orange doesn’t help, but eh they don’t run frightened from me haha.

Part of the group behind me seemed to been threatened by something it seemed based off of the calls they were giving. Not sure, but again it seems I have written a short blog. Hopefully tomorrow I will get more good data. I am getting the data I want to help support my hypotheses. I also need to quit being apprehensive to follow throughout the forest. I almost did with one of the groups but I just about ran into a spider about the size of my fist so I opted out and then left haha.

Tomorrow I will be going out for a few hours, and then coming back to study for the exam at 2. Then I will go out again until 5 when it starts to get dark. From then on I will stay out for the full 5 hours that I intend to. Lately I have been coming back early, but I have also been throwing up a lot the past few days. It’s getting better, but I can’t keep giving my body time off to recuperate. I don’t have the time, it goes by way too fast.

Dinner bell just rang, I’m not even that hungry. I’m trying to charge up my computer so that I can type up my notes from the books.

Dinner is chicken noodle soup of course, and some rice with potatoes with a sauce. Not planning on eating haha It’s lecture right after then I’m going to bed and leisure reading. I’ve been too much of that but my book is good, and it’s ironically NOT good that I’m reading so much.

Just spending my time now writing out my notes, dreading lecture and will count down until it’s over then go to bed, read, and dream.

So far I have 108 minutes of data collected. You really strain your neck staring straight up into the canopy.

No internet tonight after all, will just post tomorrow afternoon.

People complain way too much about not having internet. No one is doing anything of vast importance that warrants as much complaining. Blogs, facebook, emails can all wait. It’s not the end of the world. People complain about not being able to email or Ichat with their significant others that they haven’t talked to in the past couple hours. I guess that’s the good thing about being long distance, you’re used to not having the best timing for conversations. Even we talk every night, and spend every night together but being here it’s something to be used to it’s hard but it shouldn’t warrant so much complaining. Even this much time apart, you still get to talk to them it’s not like you have absolute zero contact or go days and days. If it’s that important go out and call. You can’t complain about something that will always be there waiting when you get home. That’s just how I feel. Too many people here complain about being a week apart from their significant others or a month and how hard it is and complain complain complain. I don’t mind the judgy looks when I say it’s not that bad of a situation. If they don’t bother to ask why then I don’t explain. You can’t complain THIS much about being apart when you will be together right when you get home. Even in my situation, there are opportunities to complain and we do when it gets hard, but there’s always people who have it worse. There’s always someone out there who is having the same situation in a worse light, if they’re not complaining why should you?

It’s just too much of it, it gets tiring after a while.

There was no internet as I stated so I posted this today.I apologize for those instances where multiple copies would upload. the internet is shotty here and even though it says it had an error and to try again it apparently still goes through.