by Nicole Martínez-Llaurador
I have to say I was incredibly nervous to start the course. It was the English version of it, even though I consider myself a pretty good English speaker, it is still very nerve racking to have to switch completely to your second language. But I was in for a big surprise, because sure there was English speaking, but there was also lots of Spanish in many different versions, some Portuguese, a little bit of French, Mandarin and Japanese. We were only 9 students and I have never seen so much diversity in a group. It was simply wonderful!
Now let me introduce you to our group! Our first stop is Colombia, beautiful and smart my two Colombian friends Laura and Claudia. They were opposite of the same root with the warmest hearts. As if it wasn’t enough being from Colombia these two live in Sao Paulo and Puerto Rico respectively. Talk about diverse! Then we had the most genuine and gentle soul I’ve ever met, Miss Janet from China. She really was the sweetest person ever and we shared one of the most amazing things, our love for giant pandas! Our next person was the beautiful mushroom girl, Mareli from Puerto Rico! Being from Puerto Rico myself I love finding people from my country in other places and even better when it turns out to be someone you already know and haven’t seen in years. Mareli is such a sweetheart studying in New Orleans and she definitely brought some jazz to the group. Then comes my eternal roommate, my dear Rieka like Costa Rica! She was born in the U.S. with Japanese and Taiwanese descent. Rieka was one funny girl who loved to talk about poop and encourage everyone to do so too, which really helps to break the ice. Up next is the beautiful half Brazilian and half American Brenna! She described herself as a very motherly person and I can definitely vouch for it. She was the first person I met in the course and was also the one that made me relax. My birder friend Sarah is from many places in the U.S. but mainly the Midwest. Quirky and funny, Sarah always kept us entertained and interested in birds, always in birds. We had a very exciting experience together watching one of the “holy trinity of tropical birds” (her description as birder) the three-waddle bell bird. Last but not least, the only male of the group Bill, also known as the pseudo-colombian. Bill was from upstate New York, but the colombian girls have adopted him as part Colombian, as he would say: “Que chimba!”. He was a true champ because it probably wasn’t easy being with all of us girls sometimes, but he made it work. He was very funny and in my case my savior when it came to stats.
Now before I finish, I have to add a little bonus person, our dear Gaby! Gaby was our Costa Rican TA, but she was much more than that. She was our confidant and our friend. The perfect description of her is life of the party, with a very Costa Rican happy and bubbly personality. She made sure we had one of the best Costa Rican experiences and she is incredibly proud that we all now use the word mae.
The course didn’t just teach me science, it taught me culture. I’ve learned many great things from everyone, and the experience has been one of a kind. We had fun discussing the differences in language, dancing, food, and even the way we do science. I will never forget all that I’ve learned and the people that I met. I hope to see them soon again and be able to talk about our recent adventures. This was a short way for me to say thank you to everyone! I’m extremely grateful to have met such beautiful and unique souls. See you soon! Pura vida, mae!
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