Counting down to adventure

Two long years have gone by since I started working on my Master's program.  At times it seemed I might never finish the courses, at least not with my sanity intact.  Now spring semester is over and the countdown has begun.  What am I counting down to, you ask?  Graduation?  The end of summer vacation?  Nope. 



My anti-insect arsenal so far.

One option for our elective credits is a 7 unit field study with Earth Expeditions.   There are twelve different locales to select from.  We had to submit our applications last November and wait until February to hear whether we had been accepted and for which trip.  My choices were the newest program in Hawai'i, Belize, Namibia, Baja, or Thailand (in that order).  In just over two months I'll be setting out for Belize as part of the EE: Belize III.

Our syllabus and Course Reader repeatedly admonish us to pack light, but the list of items we're required to bring is quite long.  I've slowly been collecting things I can't beg or borrow from family and friends, while researching the best way to defend against mosquitoes...and the very nasty botflies that hijack mosquitoes as vectors for their eggs.  Blech!  





Here's my reading homework, not counting the articles I've been working my way through with a highlighter before tackling the pre-trip research paper.  My assigned discussion group is "Community Based Conservation."  I'm focusing my paper on the impact of culture and traditions on conservation efforts; so far it has been really interesting learning about the different groups in Belize.  I've only scratched the surface, though!  For those of you who've been along on this rollercoaster with me, I'm going to try and post updates each month as I get ready.  After I return from Belize I'll be turning back around to fly to Seattle for my very last course there, so trip pictures will likely have to wait until the very end of August.    





Our Course Reader (bottom) is among the items I have to pack.