Jeez, what to even say about the start of my summer... it's been unbelievable. Right off the bat I met Myrna who has quickly become a very close friend. My roommate is great, all the interns are great, my boss is great, the turtles are amazing. I still can't believe I'm getting paid to do what I do. Days at the facilities vary from day to day. We've been pretty busy most mornings and the afternoons slow down and we fill the time with lots of chatting, folding shirts and restocking gift shop items, and sitting on the railings. Patrol days are nice and give me time alone with my thoughts. We drive 32 miles down the beach on ATVs then 32 back. It takes six or seven hours and my thumb is usually killing me from holding down the gas for so long but I listen to my iPod and belt out songs on the deserted beach as I drive and it helps to pass the time. When I got to the jetties on my last patrol, I sat for a while and saw a lot of juvenile Green sea turtles in the water swiming around. I also saw two dolphins, which was incredibly exciting for me.
About two weeks ago Myrna and I were sent down to Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. It's the largest nesting ground for Kemp's Ridley sea turtles in the entire world. It was one of the best weeks of my life. We met so many amazing people, I was totally immersed in Mexican culture, and we were so fucking lucky and we got to see not one but TWO arribadas. For those that don't know, an arribada is a mass nesting of turtles. In the 40s there was an arribada of some 40,000 turtles at Rancho Nuevo. Our arribadas weren't nearly as big - Saturday we had 200 and Sunday we had 500. It was still a great experience. Lots of work and long hours in the sun but worth every minute. I'm just going to end it here because I can't even formulate the words to describe how much of an impact this trip had on me in multiple areas of my life. I picked up a ton of Spanish, tried new things, and broke down some barriers.
Our first nests hatched this past Saturday and luckily my dad and my brother were in town and got to see it. It was pretty cool, although I must admit it was a little anticlimactic for me because we saw so many hatchlings/releases while in Mexico.
Well, I wish I could even gather my thoughts enough to write all the little details that have made the past weeks so good. I need to update more often to avoid those moments just getting lost in my memory. The internet has been down at the facilities the past few days so it's been hard to get online. Right now I'm in Matamoros with Myrna at her house for the night and she has wireless so I'm trying to catch up on everything. We went out and had some authentic mexican tacos and a few beers at this little restaurant. She gave me a brief tour in the car and I must say, I really like the city. Now we're popping in Wizard of Oz and will probably sleep soon. This is bliss. And to make things even better, I get PAID tomorrow!
About two weeks ago Myrna and I were sent down to Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. It's the largest nesting ground for Kemp's Ridley sea turtles in the entire world. It was one of the best weeks of my life. We met so many amazing people, I was totally immersed in Mexican culture, and we were so fucking lucky and we got to see not one but TWO arribadas. For those that don't know, an arribada is a mass nesting of turtles. In the 40s there was an arribada of some 40,000 turtles at Rancho Nuevo. Our arribadas weren't nearly as big - Saturday we had 200 and Sunday we had 500. It was still a great experience. Lots of work and long hours in the sun but worth every minute. I'm just going to end it here because I can't even formulate the words to describe how much of an impact this trip had on me in multiple areas of my life. I picked up a ton of Spanish, tried new things, and broke down some barriers.
Our first nests hatched this past Saturday and luckily my dad and my brother were in town and got to see it. It was pretty cool, although I must admit it was a little anticlimactic for me because we saw so many hatchlings/releases while in Mexico.
Well, I wish I could even gather my thoughts enough to write all the little details that have made the past weeks so good. I need to update more often to avoid those moments just getting lost in my memory. The internet has been down at the facilities the past few days so it's been hard to get online. Right now I'm in Matamoros with Myrna at her house for the night and she has wireless so I'm trying to catch up on everything. We went out and had some authentic mexican tacos and a few beers at this little restaurant. She gave me a brief tour in the car and I must say, I really like the city. Now we're popping in Wizard of Oz and will probably sleep soon. This is bliss. And to make things even better, I get PAID tomorrow!
