Judy – Costa Rica

March 7, 2025

Hello everyone! I’m Judy and I’m a sophomore majoring in Biology with minors in Art and Ethnic Studies. A few fun facts about me are that I am a first-generation college student, I’m in the Honors College, and I love cool animals! This will be my first time studying abroad at ECU. While everyone goes home during spring break, I will be traveling to Costa Rica and doing some exciting fieldwork in the tropical climate. The two main locations we will be visiting are La Selva Biological Station and Cahuita, where we will be surveying local bird and fish populations respectively.

To be honest with you, I am very anxious about the traveling part of the trip. Airports make me stressed and plane rides can be scary when you have a fear of heights. I just hope it’s not too busy and that I can catch up on some sleep on the plane. Now that I have got that out, I think I should turn to the positives of this experience.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to visit this tropical area. I’ve seen so many pictures and videos about Costa Rica and my professor speaks highly of its beautiful and rich biodiversity. Even though this is just a weeklong program, I am excited to explore a new environment and immerse myself in the culture. My goal is to expand my scientific understanding and skills in the duration of this trip and that I get to form closer relationships with my peers.

I will spend these last couple of days in the U.S. grabbing a few last-minute things and packing (not overpacking hopefully). I will update you all once I get settled in La Selva! ”

March 12, 2024.. La Selva

It’s been a minute since I’ve updated this. ¡Ya llegue a Costa Rica! I made it to Costa Rica! Here’s a quick rundown of what happened. I got no sleep because I was double checking my bags, and I was worried about not making it to the airport on time. We left Greenville at midnight and got to San Jose around lunch time (I’m not completely sure how much time we spent on planes and in airports because of time changes).

We arrived at La Selva Research and Biological Station near a town called Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí just before dinner. Our field guide, Kenneth, gave us a short introduction to La Selva. This research station was established in 1968 and is made up of almost 4,000 acres of tropical forest! La Selva has hosted many scientists and students and has contributed greatly to the world of scientific research and communication. The tour guides here are local to the area and are proud of the work that they do and happy to share the beauty of Costa Rica.

Fun fact: La Selva means the jungle in Spanish. Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica, and it’s also my first language. A few of my peers don’t know Spanish or are learning it, and I was able to help them learn some words and practice it. I am happy that we were able to immerse ourselves in the Costa Rican culture in that way. Speaking Spanish is not a requirement for this trip, but it helps a lot to know a few words!

I think it is important for me to mention that this study abroad program is faculty-led and currently consists of three ECU courses. BIOL1201 which is the lab for the second Principles of Biology taken mostly by first-year students. BIOL 4810 is the course designed for undergraduates that have already completed the previous course but want the same experience. BIOL 6220 is the graduate course. I am in BIOL4810, and my class was combined with the graduate course, so we meet at the same time and have similar assignments.

Monday was spent mostly getting to know La Selva and my class went on a boat tour on Sarapiquí River. During this boat tour, we got to see many birds, monkeys, and some cute bats. We also got to see a caiman! I had never seen one before. My favorite part of the tour was our guide sharing with us some stories he had about living in Costa Rica while we snacked on bananas and enjoyed the cool breeze.

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday doing bird surveys. We were put in small groups and tasked with taking notes on the birds that we saw and the calls we were able to capture using a bird identification app. My group and I walked through a total of 4 trails and saw amazing birds (and many other amazing animals)! Between our surveys, we grabbed breakfast at La Selva’s cafeteria because we couldn’t keep running on protein bars for another two hours. Eating at La Selva was convenient because they provided all three meals, and they were delicious. There was always a side of fruit with the Latin American cuisine. I enjoyed it because it was similar to what I would have with my family, but with different flavors and staple foods.

I loved the bird surveys because I was able to work on my bird identification skills in the field rather than just using a Quizlet (which is what we were doing to prepare for the trip). My favorite bird was the Montezuma oropendola because they have an interesting array of colors and have a unique call that I can easily recognize. We also saw the iconic Yellow-throated toucans! I don’t have any photos of them because they were far up in the trees and birds do not pose for the camera. I will insert some photos from eBird so you can get to know these birds.

While walking through the trails, we met a man that goes birding and makes educational videos named Marty. He was able to help us identify some of the birds and spot some that we didn’t notice. Birders are awesome people. I am linking his channel here: @birdecologyidentificationvideo Hopefully you’ll see my group and I on there this summer!

I almost forgot to mention our short trip to the Butterfly Farm! We got to see many beautiful butterflies as well as other types of bugs that are important to the environment. Conservation of insects is quite important since they are pollinators and food for other animals. Their absence can disturb the food chain greatly.

One thing I love about Costa Rica so far is that they make biodiversity one of their top priorities. This is the most colorful and lively country I’ve visited. Although it is very hot and humid, I really enjoyed staying at La Selva for the first half of this trip. It almost felt like being in Jurassic Park because of the tropical climate and animals I had never seen before. I also loved being surrounded by other scientists and birders, as well as our guides. They were incredible and happy to share their knowledge with us. I will miss this place, but I look forward to staying by the beach in Cahuita!

March 14, 2024.. Cahuita

Wednesday evening, we said goodbye to La Selva and headed to Cahuita on the bus. It was about a four-hour bus ride to the coastal village. When we got here, we had dinner and got ready for the next day. Cahuita is where we would be snorkeling and taking our REEF fish surveys, and I was excited! I had never gone snorkeling before and I had a slight fear of the ocean, but this trip helped me overcome it!

Cahuita is known for its beautiful National Park (Parque Nacional Cahuita), which includes beaches, forests, and a diversity of terrestrial and marine life. We snorkeled in five different zones belonging to the park. What makes this park unique is that it is made possible by the collaboration between the local community and the government. Sustainability and environmental conservation is important to the people in this region, especially because they have many coral reefs which have faced numerous threats recently and their conservation now is more important than it ever was. Community members can have jobs in this National Park, making environmental education accessible and bringing them closer to their home.

We were expected to take surveys on fish populations for the three days that we say here. Although waking up super early for these surveys and running on a protein bar was a challenge, the experience was very worth it! I enjoyed going on these morning swims and getting the chance to see the beautiful coral reefs and fish! To take these surveys, we had to use our knowledge and identification skills from class and count the number of species we saw.

What excited me the most was being able to identify fish that I had been learning about all semester! Being able to see them in person made them even more memorable. I was looking forward to seeing parrotfish, but unfortunately there were very few young ones. But there were many kinds of damselfish, and they were quite smaller than I anticipated them to be. I got to swim past a school of fish, got to see a nurse shark, a stingray, a pufferfish, and lionfish.

We got the chance to “choose our own adventure” when it came to our free time. Lunches and dinners in Cahuita were my favorite. We got to try out different restaurants and I discovered my love for fried plantains and guacamole. We also got to look at unique gift shops with handmade souvenirs by local artisans, which I enjoyed and got to talk to some artists about their work.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Costa Rica, and it feels surreal. It’s only been a week, but I feel like I have adapted well to the environment and the culture. I cannot imagine coming back home. The people here have been inviting, and the environment has been a pleasure to be in and explore. It is a bittersweet feeling, but I look forward to coming back some day in the future. 🙂