Costa Rica Reflection

    It has been a week as of today since I have returned back from to Connecticut from Costa Rica and although I am glad to have my own been and am familiar with all that's around me, Costa Rica will be missed. From the first night we had after getting of the plane in San Jose I knew I would enjoy this adventure. There is definitely an immediate awareness that Costa Rica moves to a different beat. I believe the first park that we visited was Miravalles National Park which was loaded with great things to see such as the hot spings/mudpits, howler monkeys, an agouti and plants such as the acacia pochote tree. Next on our list was Monte Verde where we stayed at Calandria lodge with a great view of the Gulf of Nicoya. Our class had a lot of fun here particularly when we where at Selvatura Park. Here we had a great time zip-lining though the cloud forest as well as taking a canopy tour through it afterwards. Next onto La Selva Biological Reserve which was by far the most interesting place to me because of the diversity along with the people who were there. It was nice to see scientist doing their research as opposed to just hearing about it. This experience here brought the possibility of become a scientist closer to me. it was great how everyone was there all with the same basic interest in mind. Near by we were able to get a glimpse of Alex's farm and to meet her family. The experiment that she had going on regarding forest regrowth was a fantastic opportunity for us to see the different levels of through in the forest. Some plants had grown maybe 30ft tall while others had just barely gotten a few feet off the surface within the four years since they had been planted. The end of our trip was nice and relaxing hanging out in the Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo. Here we relaxed on the beach, watched to opening of the world cup, ate a lot of fantastic food and had some great late nights. All in all we truly got the most out of Costa Rica seeming all the different environments and places it has to offer. I could not imagine being able to experience so much of the country in only ten days besides through this class. Ill miss Costa Rica but take all that I have learned and carry it into my future.

Colin Murphy