7:21 am: We have all of today to write our lab reports. Breakfast was of Gallo Pinto, scrambled huevos, fried plantains, and toast. Coffee and hot chocolate are mandatory. The station is permeated with that feeling of a looming amount of work to do and an impending deadline. Our tree results didn’t turn out too well. I remember why I hated stats so much. Daryl has done and re-done the numbers, we keep finding out we have to test different things than we already did or that we have to test it a different way. I think I have a new bug bite on the back of my leg. I really should get to work.

9:02 am: My arms look disgusting; the anti-itch cream is rather popular with everyone. Diane has gone on a run into Santa Cecilia to get more supplies (we’re low on toilet paper) and to photocopy everyone’s calculations to share as a class. It’s sunny and the station is quiet, I’m on the deck in front of our dorm room writing up the methods for the quadrat lab. If I can write up four introductions and methods, or two complete labs this morning, I’ll be on track. My watch is starting to irritate my skin and I’ve got some kind of rash behind my left ear. I wonder if you build up tolerance if you live here.

2:01 pm: I washed my grey pants (again) and my Sun Run shirt. It’s hot and sunny and I figure I might as well do laundry if the weather lets my clothes dry. There’s still dirt embedded in the pants. I hung my towel out to dry as well. Athena said it looked a lot like her towel and now neither of us is sure if we ever mixed them up. Athena: “It’s all one cesspool”.
    We had a lunch of Gallo Pinto, a fried rice thing with eggs and ham and bacon, beef stew, bread and tamarind juice.
    So far I’ve done intros and methods for four labs, and results for two. I’m working on one discussion right now. It’s too hot to wear long sleeves, I’m now in my dried-to-a-crisp grad t-shirt with the bleeding logo. I’ve got my tearaways open from the knee down, and I’m too lazy to change into shorts.

9:54 pm: Dinner was of Gallo Pinto, a really nice seasoned rice with pork, and oatmeal tortillas, especially produced for us as Nicole is allergic to wheat gluten. They were very good and crunchy, Chantal: “Hearty”, Sarah: “Like McDonalds hash browns”. We also had more tamarind juice. We’re now sitting around doing labs by candlelight. I’ve finished four, leaving me with one more discussion and a complete write-up yet to do.