I think I'm immune to earthquakes. I haven't felt ANY in the Bay Area lately, even when people in my building have. I didn't feel the big east coast one or its aftershocks the other day, even though I was in Maryland at the time and it was felt from Georgia all the way to Canada. The last quake I remember feeling was in Panama, when I was on the 10th floor (or higher, I don't remember exactly which floor I was on) and there were 2 in 2 days. Panama = probably not the best place to be during a quake, since the buildings aren't necessarily seismically sound.
To be honest though, I'm also immune to tornado sirens; I once napped through a huge thunderstorm and tornado sirens blaring in the middle of Iowa in the summer. Not sure about fires or tsunamis though...
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Caterpillars
First of all, I had a caterpillar today INSIDE my apartment. It basically devoured my entire mint plant! Considering that I have screens on the windows, how the heck did it get in? Maybe it came in as an egg on a leaf, or crawled in when it was really small. I was shocked that it had escaped my attention until now, because it was more than an inch long and bright green.
Speaking of caterpillars, word on the street (well in the forest actually) is that mangrove skippers (a type of butterfly caterpillar found in mangroves) are eating the seedlings I planted in Panama a few months ago! This is interesting because no one has ever known this type of caterpillar to eat this particular species, AND it means I might have some differential survival between the places I planted seedlings. And that means I'll have results. Yay!
Speaking of caterpillars, word on the street (well in the forest actually) is that mangrove skippers (a type of butterfly caterpillar found in mangroves) are eating the seedlings I planted in Panama a few months ago! This is interesting because no one has ever known this type of caterpillar to eat this particular species, AND it means I might have some differential survival between the places I planted seedlings. And that means I'll have results. Yay!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tree frog friend!
This little guy is a red-toed tree frog, sitting on a leaf of a Pelliciera rhizophorae seedling. We don't usually see a lot of frogs in the mangrove swamps, but this is at least the second one I've blogged about!
Isn't it cute?
Isn't it cute?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Countdown to frustration
For the first few days after we arrived in Panama, everything was going swimmingly (with the exception of the aforementioned problems)...however, after five days here Panama is getting to me. It's hard to describe what it is, exactly, that is so frustrating. It's not just fieldwork and its many complications, because I have done fieldwork elsewhere without getting so frustrated. I think this is distinctly Panamanian...the bugs, the bugbites, the potholes in the road, driving in Panama City and their COMPLETE LACK of street signs, the honking and staring, the catcalls, the flat tires (probably due to so many potholes).
Driving in Panama City is not for those who are faint of heart or have high blood pressure, because it is a hair-raising experience. Very few street signs exist, and when they are present they are so small you can only see them when you're driving past them. Whose great idea was that? As my friend Julie says, it's a small town mentality where you just know your way around (but Panama City is a huge city with tons of people and it seems, more cars). None of the streets are straight or run parallel, and I'm just thankful I had a map and another person to navigate last night as we drove around and around during rush hour. The way Panama City street authorities deal with potholes is draw a bright yellow line around them.
Also, I got a flat tire, which is not surprising given that there are so many potholes and so much debris to drive over. This is not a big deal in Panama since it seems to be a common occurrence here and getting a tire fixed costs less than five dollars. However, when the tire was being changed (I of course did not change it myself), one of the wheel studs that holds the tire on the car BROKE! These are supposed to be strong, sturdy screws to hold the tires on a big SUV. I am told you can drive with only three screws, and this was one of six so once again, it's fine...
Driving in Panama City is not for those who are faint of heart or have high blood pressure, because it is a hair-raising experience. Very few street signs exist, and when they are present they are so small you can only see them when you're driving past them. Whose great idea was that? As my friend Julie says, it's a small town mentality where you just know your way around (but Panama City is a huge city with tons of people and it seems, more cars). None of the streets are straight or run parallel, and I'm just thankful I had a map and another person to navigate last night as we drove around and around during rush hour. The way Panama City street authorities deal with potholes is draw a bright yellow line around them.
Also, I got a flat tire, which is not surprising given that there are so many potholes and so much debris to drive over. This is not a big deal in Panama since it seems to be a common occurrence here and getting a tire fixed costs less than five dollars. However, when the tire was being changed (I of course did not change it myself), one of the wheel studs that holds the tire on the car BROKE! These are supposed to be strong, sturdy screws to hold the tires on a big SUV. I am told you can drive with only three screws, and this was one of six so once again, it's fine...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Problem 3
We managed to go out in a boat with a local boat owner, but when we went to look for more seeds we only found 10 more. The solution to not having enough? This will be a pilot study, or at least the beginning of a bigger study. I am setting up my experiment with the meager number of seeds I have, and hope that I can come back during a time when more are available and add more replicates.
Problem 4 (minor):
In Panama cell phones require a PIN to turn on. I'm not entirely sure why, or why they write down your passport number when you get one, but they do. The PIN is assigned with your SIM card, and apparently, at least for the phone I have (which cost $15), the SIM card or "chip" only lasts 6 months. The problem was that I forgot my PIN since I haven't used my Panamanian cell phone in a year, so I couldn't turn it on or use it.
Solution: I had to get a new chip for the phone, and problem solved! With a brand new phone number. This is weird, isn't it?
Also, we planted seedlings today! Now to see if the crab excluders work! On to the Pacific coast of Panama tomorrow...
Problem 4 (minor):
In Panama cell phones require a PIN to turn on. I'm not entirely sure why, or why they write down your passport number when you get one, but they do. The PIN is assigned with your SIM card, and apparently, at least for the phone I have (which cost $15), the SIM card or "chip" only lasts 6 months. The problem was that I forgot my PIN since I haven't used my Panamanian cell phone in a year, so I couldn't turn it on or use it.
Solution: I had to get a new chip for the phone, and problem solved! With a brand new phone number. This is weird, isn't it?
Also, we planted seedlings today! Now to see if the crab excluders work! On to the Pacific coast of Panama tomorrow...
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Things that go wrong
This post is going to be a multi-part, ongoing list of things that go wrong as I attempt to do fieldwork in Panama. I haven't left the US yet, and am only going to be in Panama for 10 days. Because I know that obstacles always come up, I am mentally prepared to not freak out when these things happen and just take them in stride. So far:
Problem 1: I left my passport in another city. Luckily I realized this yesterday and am leaving tomorrow.
Solution: FedEx has a same-day courier service, and though it is expensive, at least I'm getting updates whenever the package changes hands (from the pick-up to the airport, etc). It should be arriving to me soon.
Problem 2: The boat at the research has motor problems. Not surprising; what is more surprising is that they actually have a boat for once. It is unlikely that the boat will be fixed in a week when I wish to use it.
Solution: Possibly go out with local boat owner. I have done this before and though it isn't ideal, it does allow me to get to populations of my plants that are inaccessible from a road.
Problem 3: I made arrangements to have 150 mangrove seeds collected for me from a location in Panama that is difficult and expensive for me to travel to. The seeds will be sent to a research station and waiting for me when I arrive. However, only 54 seeds were collected. Apparently they were not so easy to find.
Solution: Not sure yet. If there were a boat at the station (see problem 2), I could spend some time searching the forest for seeds. Now, however, my experimental setup is in jeopardy.
Problem 1: I left my passport in another city. Luckily I realized this yesterday and am leaving tomorrow.
Solution: FedEx has a same-day courier service, and though it is expensive, at least I'm getting updates whenever the package changes hands (from the pick-up to the airport, etc). It should be arriving to me soon.
Problem 2: The boat at the research has motor problems. Not surprising; what is more surprising is that they actually have a boat for once. It is unlikely that the boat will be fixed in a week when I wish to use it.
Solution: Possibly go out with local boat owner. I have done this before and though it isn't ideal, it does allow me to get to populations of my plants that are inaccessible from a road.
Problem 3: I made arrangements to have 150 mangrove seeds collected for me from a location in Panama that is difficult and expensive for me to travel to. The seeds will be sent to a research station and waiting for me when I arrive. However, only 54 seeds were collected. Apparently they were not so easy to find.
Solution: Not sure yet. If there were a boat at the station (see problem 2), I could spend some time searching the forest for seeds. Now, however, my experimental setup is in jeopardy.