Nicaragua!

Howdy folks! Greetings from Granada, Nicaragua! This week has been amazing ... full of great field trips, tours of beautiful Nicaragua and relaxation in our luxurious hotel. After living in bunk beds in various research stations in the middle of the jungle, this comfy hotel room with AC and a flat screen TV has been a breath of fresh air. Granada is a gorgeous, colonial town and I am bummed that we have to leave.

Some of the great trips we took this week include the following: tours of 2 Nicaraguan primary health care clinics, research and shopping at the central market in Managua, a boat tour of Lake Nicaragua and a hike around the base of a volcano! I will upload some photos as soon as I have time ... but midterms are just around the corner (on Friday! yikes!), so I have a lot of studying to do!

We will be spending this week at the Soltis Center in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. This research station is once again, in the middle of the jungle. So I am looking forward to getting back (you don't realize how much you miss the colossal bugs and snakes until they aren't around anymore). We will have the entire week to write our research proposals and study for midterm exams (and hopefully take a few hikes!). It will be a crazy week, but there is a light at the end of the midterm tunnel ... MIDTERM BREAK!

On Saturday, midterm break begins ... and I will be spending the week whitewater rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, hiking (and hopefully relaxing) with none other than my own mother. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing her, and doing lots of touristy things. It promises to be a great week.

TTFN, and wish me luck on the research proposal and midterm exams!

ps - here are the photos: (finally!)