Today was a better day than yesterday, not because of what we did, but because of the quality of my thoughts. The first day was tiring and draining for me personally. The second day was more of a settling in day for me. Today, I woke up and told myself it was going to be a productive day, and it was. I truly believe in the quality of your thoughts, and I know for some people like myself, it's hard to continuously think positive thoughts but simple positive reminders in your mind can change your whole day. My group did our research outside in the Agrivoltaics and worked with the LiCor machine, which was interesting, but what I really enjoyed was the group activities at the end of the day. I loved playing games and interacting with each other without having work to worry about. I love games that let us connect not as students, but as kids who came to enjoy their time and each other's company. I enjoyed hearing each other's stories. Some made me laugh while some made me want to cry and connected me more with my peers.
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| Van contemplates what this all means as she combats the heat of the desert |
Although today is only the third day we've been here, it feels so much longer because I personally feel so much change and growth in myself not only as a student but as a person. I've learned about improving myself from Susan; she's someone I truly admire and enjoy listening to. I feel like she could see through my soul. To be honest, I'm someone who puts in no effort or attention to subjects I'm not passionate about. What we're doing is interesting, but I'm not passionate about it. This trip has made me become more open-minded, and although I'm not passionate about what we're doing, I learned to be attentive and engaged in it. I’ve learned that if you don't automatically shut out something, you could learn to truly enjoy and maybe even become interested in it as time goes by. I’m learning to take everything day by day and not look forward to the end of the day where I could lay in bed, but truly enjoy the moment I'm living in right now because I know later on this will all be in my memories, so why not enjoy it while it lasts?
Submitted by Van Truong
June 20, 2017
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| Yosgart samples a tasty mango on a break from collecting data |
Today was an unforgettable day. At first I thought doing the research, measuring trees, and searching for how much CO2 was being emitted was going to be boring! I couldn't be more wrong. For the first part of the research project I was measuring the trees in the first floor of the rainforest biome. I greatly enjoyed this part. At first I was a bit scared of the roaches, ants, and especially the spiders. After moving a couple vines and having close contact with these animals I quickly discovered they are harmless and are actually probably the cleanest roaches, ants, and spiders in the world. After lunch I got to measure the amount of CO2 being emitted by the trunks of the trees. For this part of the day I mostly worked on the third and second floors of the rainforest biome. This work really made me realize I actually like studying the environment. I enjoyed this part of the research and feel like I learned a lot about not only the trees, but also how to measure the CO2 they emit. Overall I feel it was a very good day. I look forward to continuing my research. I loved working on the third floor of the rainforest biome. Because it was so hot and humid, it reminded me of my hometown.
Submitted by Yosgart Miranda
June 20, 2017
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