I finally made it!

After a long day of traveling, I'm finally here in the middle of the beautiful green Puerto Rican rainforest. (Although my luggage didn't quite make it yet... but that's another story.) I flew out of Phoenix at midnight and arrived in San Juan at 1:20 p.m. As soon as I stepped outside, I could feel the humidity. My hair, skin, and clothes all felt immediately damp and sticky, which I am not used to at all, since I live in a desert! Then I met up with my team: another teacher from Boston and 9 other volunteers, all very interesting people from different parts of the world. We packed all of our luggage in a big white van and crammed in. Then we drove for an hour and a half out of the city and into the rainforest. As we drove, I watched the scenery pass by and I couldn't believe how green everything is here! There are giant trees and plants with massive leaves!

When we got here, we were given a tour by Sally Silverstone, the principal investigator for this expedition. She showed us where we would be sleeping... women in a bunkhouse (I'm on a top bunk!) and men in tents. We saw the bathroom, which is basically a small building with stalls containing showers and toilets. The kitchen is in a separate building, and the living/dining area is attached to it, but it's an open-air area with no walls... just a roof with tables, chairs, and a comfy hammock underneath. To get from "room" to "room", you basically follow a path outside. It's so neat! I am surrounded by nature!

I can already hear the call of the coqui frogs all around me. They are pretty noisy, and as the evening grows darker, they are getting even louder! I think I'll be using my earplugs tonight. I'm off to bed early, since I didn't sleep much on my flight. Tomorrow is supposed to be a "training day", where I'll learn all about the project and how to use the different tools. Check back tomorrow for an update!