So I have been back in Pondicherry for a week and we have started getting into the grind of classes and projects. We had our first round of statistics basics for our data analysis of our mangrove study. We also are working on our paper for our coral reef dive research as well as our Andaman Island's portion of our final project. So we are kept nice and busy writing papers galore!
Yesterday we went to Sunday Market in Pondicherry where all the businesses shut down and a street market, a very vast and extensive street market is opened for the day. They sell everything that you could possibly need from tommy hilfiger shirt to machetes to q-tips and all the items are usually draped over tarps or hanging in the streets its a really cool experience. Last night we went to a pizza place and got pizza for dinner and the large pizza was freaking huge and quite tasty.
The rest of the week is mainly statistics lectures and field work and we have a fishery lecture in an hour. Saw some of the eagles game mainly the first half and went to sleep after because I figured they had no chance in hell of coming back but I guess they did but not enough. Oh well.
Its sunny and 80 degrees here its actually a bit chilly here with the wind but I guess I can cope.
Hope all is well in the states and I'm nice and prepared to see the inauguration tomorrow.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Still Alive
So it has been a week and change since I last posted; the internet on the islands is very slow and spaced out so I haven't been able to get on a computer since before we left. Since then though, I have had some truely amazing experiences!
We just arrived to ANET (Andaman Nicobar Evironmental Team) yesturdaywhere we will be staying for 5 days to study mangroves. The past week we were on Havelock Island where we stayed on a beachfront resort of sorts and did A LOT of scuba diving! Th water is always 27 degrees C.I dovefor 5 strait days because I already had my certicfication and also completed two advanced dives, deep water and fish identification. When deep diving I even saw a white tiped reef shark which was really cool as well as hundreds of different fish and corals. Havelock Island was truely wonderful an there were many people from all over the world there so it was nice to meet then and make some friends while diving.
Today at ANET we took a tour of the place which was a hike through the rainforest and a mangrove comparison between tsunami struck mangrove and untouched mangroves and the difference was astounding. I have yet to get sick and the food has been wonderful we have been constantly pestered by Pelkey about our health which is good and when we head back to FERAL in Pondy on the 15th we will be seeing the local pediatrician for a check up.
Well my internet time is up for the cafe and I should be able to get back on the net on the 15th when we arive back at FERAL. All the internet kinks have been fixed there so I will have constant internet for a few weeks once the 15th rolls by. Well I hope all is well in the states and I hope winter isn't too cold there because it is a comfortable mid to high 80's here and 70's at night.
Enjoy your winter while im here sweating like crazy climbing through mangroves!(oh and we also learned how to tree climb rope harness and all so I literally mean climbing)
love, cj
Thursday, January 1, 2009
I'm Here
SO I am not dead and have arrived in India safe and sound.
Our campus is in right outside of pondy and the weather hasn't been to terribly hot. At night it is a comfortable 75 degrees I am sure you are all jealous while during the day it has been
We sleep in raised huts on comfortable bedding and it is basically like sleeping outside, which I greatly enjoy! On campus we have 5 dogs and two cats who constantly pester us for our scraps but are very friendly and playful.
The jetlag was not too terrible but the crying babies on the way to London were enough to make me cry as well from the headache they caused me.
My posts for this blog in the beginning will most likely be infrequent and scattered because the internet at campus has had some troubles and is working on being fixed but once that is done I will be able to blog more and upload some photos of where I am living and of all the crazy stuff I have seen such as the drving here. If you all think I am a bad driver or even Kevin not even close to compare to the way people drive here, especially the mopeds.
We traveled into the town of Pondy the other day I think it was yesturday or the day before but I still don't really know what days are yet with getting adjusted to the time here. We are officially 10 and a half hours ahead of the east coast so new years was a considerable ammount of time ahead of yours.
Our new years consisted of walking to Anu's (our main prof) house and meeting various instructors and people who work around feral while enjoying plenty of food(very good food mind you) and beverage. I hope everyone back in the states had a great new years.
On Sunday we will be traveling to the Andaman Islands for roughly 10 days and we will have spotty if any internet connection so if we don't I will update my blog when I get back and will have plenty of great pictures of the islands and corals and beaches. Tommorow on Saturday we will be at a Croc reserve feeding the crocodile so that should be exciting.
The food here is great as you can imagine. Many of the people on the trip with me are not fans of very spicy food so it has been dulled down a little but still tastes wonderful. It is also nice being able to drink chai with every meal and not having to eat food with utensils!
Well again I hope everyone had a happy new years and I will be updating you all on how the islands are hopeuflly in a couple of days if not I will update it in about a week and a half.
Cheers
Our campus is in right outside of pondy and the weather hasn't been to terribly hot. At night it is a comfortable 75 degrees I am sure you are all jealous while during the day it has been
We sleep in raised huts on comfortable bedding and it is basically like sleeping outside, which I greatly enjoy! On campus we have 5 dogs and two cats who constantly pester us for our scraps but are very friendly and playful.
The jetlag was not too terrible but the crying babies on the way to London were enough to make me cry as well from the headache they caused me.
My posts for this blog in the beginning will most likely be infrequent and scattered because the internet at campus has had some troubles and is working on being fixed but once that is done I will be able to blog more and upload some photos of where I am living and of all the crazy stuff I have seen such as the drving here. If you all think I am a bad driver or even Kevin not even close to compare to the way people drive here, especially the mopeds.
We traveled into the town of Pondy the other day I think it was yesturday or the day before but I still don't really know what days are yet with getting adjusted to the time here. We are officially 10 and a half hours ahead of the east coast so new years was a considerable ammount of time ahead of yours.
Our new years consisted of walking to Anu's (our main prof) house and meeting various instructors and people who work around feral while enjoying plenty of food(very good food mind you) and beverage. I hope everyone back in the states had a great new years.
On Sunday we will be traveling to the Andaman Islands for roughly 10 days and we will have spotty if any internet connection so if we don't I will update my blog when I get back and will have plenty of great pictures of the islands and corals and beaches. Tommorow on Saturday we will be at a Croc reserve feeding the crocodile so that should be exciting.
The food here is great as you can imagine. Many of the people on the trip with me are not fans of very spicy food so it has been dulled down a little but still tastes wonderful. It is also nice being able to drink chai with every meal and not having to eat food with utensils!
Well again I hope everyone had a happy new years and I will be updating you all on how the islands are hopeuflly in a couple of days if not I will update it in about a week and a half.
Cheers
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