Oh Reader, all I can say is that it's been a very long day. The worst part is that I don't really have that much to tell you about! Oh well it's for the best since I have to wake up at 4:45am tomorrow. Might as well get this entry out of the way and head straight to bead!
So this morning I woke up with a terrible headache and a feeling of complete exhaustion. This exhaustion was probably partly due to the fact that we woke up at 5:15am but I think it was also just everything catching up to me. Either way I wasn't feeling 100% and unfortunately this morning was our second planned snorkelling trip. I put my bathing suit on, got all ready to go and headed down to the docks but by the time I got there I was only feeling worse. I told my profs and they said it was no problem if I missed this snorkelling excursion and that I could be the official chiton hunter for the day. (Chitons are a type of mollusc by the way.) So while everyone snorkelled off Ross Island, I indeed hunted for chitons and managed to find quite a few. We also saw another humpback whale and another little seal! By the time we got back I was still feeling a bit sick but it was nothing a hot shower couldn't fix. It felt SO good after being out in the cold all morning.
The rest of the day was again spent in lecture/lab. I didn't mind though since we're now doing molluscs (one of my favorite phyla). By the time 5:00pm rolled around I had accomplished so many things but I still had a limpet dissection to get done. Since supper wasn't until 6:00pm I figured "hey why not get this over with so I won't have to come back to the lab tonight". Unfortunately for me my lab partner was sick yesterday and the day before so she has fallen quite behind. She wasn't able to help with the limpet dissection because she was still on the phylum before molluscs. I didn't mind but it meant more work for me which meant more time would need to be taken. I got to work dissecting the limpet and all was going well until around 5:45pm. The pins I was using to hold down the organism were not cooperating and they kept coming loose. I had finally had enough and removed them all so that I could readjust the limpet and re-pin it. Unfortunately one of the rusty old pins went right into my left index finger. I was not impressed.
Now Reader, for those of you who read my LiveJournal blog (aka the blog where I usually post my non-Bamfield related entries), you'll know that I stepped on a thumbtack in April and debated on whether or not I needed a tetanus shot. I did not end up getting one in that particular situation. Well the same thing happened today. I immediately told my TA what had happened and she said that she'd call the nurse for me to get her opinion on the matter of whether I needed a tetanus shot or not. About fifteen minutes after I ate supper (around 6:45pm), my TA told me that the nurse wanted to give me a shot just in case. The thing about Bamfield is that a minor injury is considered a major injury since there are no doctors and they'd rather be safe than sorry (by sorry they mean me getting lockjaw and needing to be airlifted to Port Alberni via helicopter). Again for those who read my LiveJournal blog you'll know that I HATE needles with a passion. Well I had to suck it up because me and my TA went to the nurse's station and she gave me a tetanus shot. Needless to say I was scared out of my mind (I didn't cry though) and my left arm hurts really badly.
Alright well it's time for this tetanus surviver to get some shut eye. Early (WAY TOO EARLY) morning tomorrow and it's going to be a very long day on top of that. Field trip, lectures, lab, a seminar and studying for the quiz on Friday equals one tired Victorialune. Thanks for reading! Love and miss you all!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Day 16: A Worm Light Show
Hey Reader! Sorry about posting so late but I've been procrastinating writing this entry. It's not that I didn't want to write it, I just got a bit sidetracked with a certain show about mermaids that I've recently been watching (curse you Netflix). Either way today's entry will be short and sweet so enjoy!
I've got to quickly mention something that actually happened yesterday night so I didn't get a chance to write about it in Day 15's entry. The whole class went out nightlighting last night at about 9:30pm until 11:00pm. Nightlighting is when we go out and put a diving lamp down into the water and see what animals come around. We set out in two boats down the inlet and let me just say that boating at night was one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was just so peaceful and the water was so calm, it was almost eerie just how quite it was! Once we found a good spot, we anchored the boat and Dr. M told us to just sit and watch the water for a bit before we put the light down. So we sat in the pitch black on the water and we watched. What we saw took my breath away. Hundreds of little blue lights arose on the surface of the water and began swimming around. Bioluminescence (organisms with the ability to create their own light), something I never thought I'd get to see in person. We watched the lights for about twenty minutes while Dr. M explained about the worms that create the light and how they do it to attract mates in the darkness. A genuine light show put on by worms! It was amazing! After watching the worms we finally put our light down into the water. We were pretty disappointed when the only thing that came to our light was a little fish. Sorry fishy, it's an INvertebrates class. We waited for a good while before calling it a night and heading back.
Today was a lecture/lab day so not much to report. I did however do a tube worm dissection today (on my own since my lab partner was sick). I was pretty impressed with myself since I managed to keep all the organs intact and I didn't rupture any blood vessels! Yes, my dissecting skills are vastly improving! It's always amazing to see the insides of what we believe to be 'simple' animals when really they have such highly developed systems!
My last quick note goes out to Karina. She is embarking on a year long journey tomorrow and I'd like to wish her all the best! We're all going to miss her but I know she's going to have a blast and kick some serious butt! Be safe girly! Jeg skal savne deg Karina! Jeg elsker og tenker på deg! <3
Well Reader, I will definitely be posting at a better hour tomorrow evening! I miss and love you guys! Keep on reading and I'll keep on posting!
I've got to quickly mention something that actually happened yesterday night so I didn't get a chance to write about it in Day 15's entry. The whole class went out nightlighting last night at about 9:30pm until 11:00pm. Nightlighting is when we go out and put a diving lamp down into the water and see what animals come around. We set out in two boats down the inlet and let me just say that boating at night was one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was just so peaceful and the water was so calm, it was almost eerie just how quite it was! Once we found a good spot, we anchored the boat and Dr. M told us to just sit and watch the water for a bit before we put the light down. So we sat in the pitch black on the water and we watched. What we saw took my breath away. Hundreds of little blue lights arose on the surface of the water and began swimming around. Bioluminescence (organisms with the ability to create their own light), something I never thought I'd get to see in person. We watched the lights for about twenty minutes while Dr. M explained about the worms that create the light and how they do it to attract mates in the darkness. A genuine light show put on by worms! It was amazing! After watching the worms we finally put our light down into the water. We were pretty disappointed when the only thing that came to our light was a little fish. Sorry fishy, it's an INvertebrates class. We waited for a good while before calling it a night and heading back.
Today was a lecture/lab day so not much to report. I did however do a tube worm dissection today (on my own since my lab partner was sick). I was pretty impressed with myself since I managed to keep all the organs intact and I didn't rupture any blood vessels! Yes, my dissecting skills are vastly improving! It's always amazing to see the insides of what we believe to be 'simple' animals when really they have such highly developed systems!
My last quick note goes out to Karina. She is embarking on a year long journey tomorrow and I'd like to wish her all the best! We're all going to miss her but I know she's going to have a blast and kick some serious butt! Be safe girly! Jeg skal savne deg Karina! Jeg elsker og tenker på deg! <3
Well Reader, I will definitely be posting at a better hour tomorrow evening! I miss and love you guys! Keep on reading and I'll keep on posting!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Day 15: Mud On the Tires
Hello Reader and welcome back to my musings (punctuation mark). I know you've all been in withdrawal without my blog for the weekend and who could blame you? It's quite amazing. But don't fret because I'm back for the week and it's been an eventful couple of days! (Yes that's right, I've got you addicted just like a drug or coffee or Dollar Drink Days...)
So this weekend was mostly just chillin and trying to catch up on much needed sleep! Friday night (as I mentioned) was karaoke at the local pub (yes THE local pub as there is only one pub). It was lots of fun and believe it or not the locals were actually pretty friendly! I know what you're thinking Reader. 'Victorialune, you said in one of your posts on LiveJournal that locals hate outsiders and that they're always glaring and what not.' Yes Reader I did indeed say that but these locals must be different. They are SO friendly! I think it's probably because the Bamfield students keep their businesses running throughout the summer! Either way I sang 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey (a classic karaoke song) and a group of us sang some Back Street Boys. Oh yeah, living the dream.
Saturday a couple of us headed over to Brady's Beach and spent the afternoon lazing about. I went swimming in the ocean but my friends were too chicken to join me. I guess it's my norsk blood but that water just isn't as cold as everyone makes it out to be. We then laid in the sun, ate snacks and of course 'shuffled' on the beach. I would just like to say that I'm officially a pro at that dance. After the beach we walked the board walk on the west side. Again, SUPER friendly locals and good ice cream! It was such a fun afternoon! The evening was actually pretty chill. We were going to have a bonfire at Pachena Beach but everyone decided a night in would be a better idea. No big deal, I was exhausted from being in the sun all day.
Sunday was my Skype day. I talked to Jess and Reggie and my sibling (via the phone because she was too busy for Skype, I guess I'm just not that important to her). It was SO nice to hear from everyone and to see my friends faces again. I was a little homesick Sunday night but besides that it was a nice easy day.
Alright so finally we get to today and man there's a lot to say. You're in for the long haul here Reader. This morning at 8:00am half our class met up at the docks and the other half went to the lab. Our half of the class was going mud dredging first and we were going to switch with the other half after a couple hours. For those who don't know, by mud dredging I simply mean going out on a boat, lowering a net to about 80 metres and scooping up some mud. So John the Skipper took us out on the big boat (the Alta) and we went to Imperial Eagle (Eeeaaaggllee) Channel. There we dropped the net and began to scoop mud. When we hauled the net up I just couldn't believe my eyes! We dumped the mud in a basin and started digging through the goop to find invertebrates! Worms (of all kinds), heart urchins, Scaphapods (AMAZING molluscs that are not very common and very delicate), clams, shrimp, brittle stars, you name it! What a cool way to find rare inverts!
Unfortunately for the invertebrates, the humpback whales decided to interrupt us and steal the spot light from our spineless friends. I couldn't help but not care about our muddy friends when a huge humpback appeared on the horizon and Skipper John took us over. We watched for a good half an hour! They were incredible! Diving up and down, blowing water, flicking their tails and not afraid of the boat one bit! I'd never seen a wild whale before so I was indeed impressed! I wish we could've stayed all morning watching the whales but the other half of the class needed to do a dredge.
The rest of the day was spent in lecture and lab with our second prof who arrived last night, Dr. T. She will be teaching alongside Dr. M for the remainder of this week then she's taking over and Dr. M's leaving. So far Dr. T seems cool but I just LOVE Dr. M, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle her leaving. Oh well, it's still going to be an amazing four more weeks! As always I love and miss you all! Thanks for keeping up with my oceanic adventures! <3 (Ps: Madi, I was the turkey all along.)
So this weekend was mostly just chillin and trying to catch up on much needed sleep! Friday night (as I mentioned) was karaoke at the local pub (yes THE local pub as there is only one pub). It was lots of fun and believe it or not the locals were actually pretty friendly! I know what you're thinking Reader. 'Victorialune, you said in one of your posts on LiveJournal that locals hate outsiders and that they're always glaring and what not.' Yes Reader I did indeed say that but these locals must be different. They are SO friendly! I think it's probably because the Bamfield students keep their businesses running throughout the summer! Either way I sang 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey (a classic karaoke song) and a group of us sang some Back Street Boys. Oh yeah, living the dream.
Saturday a couple of us headed over to Brady's Beach and spent the afternoon lazing about. I went swimming in the ocean but my friends were too chicken to join me. I guess it's my norsk blood but that water just isn't as cold as everyone makes it out to be. We then laid in the sun, ate snacks and of course 'shuffled' on the beach. I would just like to say that I'm officially a pro at that dance. After the beach we walked the board walk on the west side. Again, SUPER friendly locals and good ice cream! It was such a fun afternoon! The evening was actually pretty chill. We were going to have a bonfire at Pachena Beach but everyone decided a night in would be a better idea. No big deal, I was exhausted from being in the sun all day.
Sunday was my Skype day. I talked to Jess and Reggie and my sibling (via the phone because she was too busy for Skype, I guess I'm just not that important to her). It was SO nice to hear from everyone and to see my friends faces again. I was a little homesick Sunday night but besides that it was a nice easy day.
Alright so finally we get to today and man there's a lot to say. You're in for the long haul here Reader. This morning at 8:00am half our class met up at the docks and the other half went to the lab. Our half of the class was going mud dredging first and we were going to switch with the other half after a couple hours. For those who don't know, by mud dredging I simply mean going out on a boat, lowering a net to about 80 metres and scooping up some mud. So John the Skipper took us out on the big boat (the Alta) and we went to Imperial Eagle (Eeeaaaggllee) Channel. There we dropped the net and began to scoop mud. When we hauled the net up I just couldn't believe my eyes! We dumped the mud in a basin and started digging through the goop to find invertebrates! Worms (of all kinds), heart urchins, Scaphapods (AMAZING molluscs that are not very common and very delicate), clams, shrimp, brittle stars, you name it! What a cool way to find rare inverts!
Unfortunately for the invertebrates, the humpback whales decided to interrupt us and steal the spot light from our spineless friends. I couldn't help but not care about our muddy friends when a huge humpback appeared on the horizon and Skipper John took us over. We watched for a good half an hour! They were incredible! Diving up and down, blowing water, flicking their tails and not afraid of the boat one bit! I'd never seen a wild whale before so I was indeed impressed! I wish we could've stayed all morning watching the whales but the other half of the class needed to do a dredge.
The rest of the day was spent in lecture and lab with our second prof who arrived last night, Dr. T. She will be teaching alongside Dr. M for the remainder of this week then she's taking over and Dr. M's leaving. So far Dr. T seems cool but I just LOVE Dr. M, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle her leaving. Oh well, it's still going to be an amazing four more weeks! As always I love and miss you all! Thanks for keeping up with my oceanic adventures! <3 (Ps: Madi, I was the turkey all along.)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Day 12: Whipped Cream Wars (Everyday I'm Shufflin')
Hey Reader! Today was a semi uneventful Friday but there were two things that brought it together. The whole day was spent in lab and in lecture listening to presentations, doing quizzes and drawing organisms but luckily there was stuff to break up the boredom. We were learning about worm body forms so of course Dr. M had something up her sleeve to make us remember the key concepts. We spent an hour filling medical gloves, condoms and balloons with water and whipped cream. We had to try and fill balloons with whipped cream without getting air in them... It was easier said than done. Needless to say there was a lot of whipped cream flying around (and being eaten), water balloons breaking on people and at the end we got to pop our whipped cream worms. It really was quite entertaining and hey what do ya know? I remember all the key worm body plans! It's funny how deliciousness can work!
The rest of the day was pretty boring since we weren't out on field trips. Luckily after supper our class had some pretty awesome plans. Reader I'm sure that by now you've heard 'Party Rock Anthem' by LMFAO and if you haven't you'll have to YouTube it. Either way Marine Invertebrate Zoology 2011 has decided to learn the entire 'Everyday I'm Shufflin'' dance. I honestly did not want to when I first heard about the plans but am I ever glad I went to practice! Not only did I pick up on the dance, it was quite the workout! Plus it was really fun to 'shuffle'. I was actually pretty impressed by everyone's progress! We learned the whole dance in about an hour and a half and it is not an easy dance to learn! I will definitely be posting a video of the class doing the dance on FaceBook once we have it completely perfect. It's going to be off da hook (as Buster would say).
As for this weekend, we are planning on going to the beach tomorrow (as long as it doesn't rain, fingers crossed). I personally can't wait to catch up on sleep and just chill with friends. We have lots of early mornings next week and I feel like this weekend will be prime time for letting my body take it easy. Tonight is karaoke night at the local pub and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there! Talk to you on Monday Reader! Have a safe and wonderful weekend and as always I love and miss you all.
The rest of the day was pretty boring since we weren't out on field trips. Luckily after supper our class had some pretty awesome plans. Reader I'm sure that by now you've heard 'Party Rock Anthem' by LMFAO and if you haven't you'll have to YouTube it. Either way Marine Invertebrate Zoology 2011 has decided to learn the entire 'Everyday I'm Shufflin'' dance. I honestly did not want to when I first heard about the plans but am I ever glad I went to practice! Not only did I pick up on the dance, it was quite the workout! Plus it was really fun to 'shuffle'. I was actually pretty impressed by everyone's progress! We learned the whole dance in about an hour and a half and it is not an easy dance to learn! I will definitely be posting a video of the class doing the dance on FaceBook once we have it completely perfect. It's going to be off da hook (as Buster would say).
As for this weekend, we are planning on going to the beach tomorrow (as long as it doesn't rain, fingers crossed). I personally can't wait to catch up on sleep and just chill with friends. We have lots of early mornings next week and I feel like this weekend will be prime time for letting my body take it easy. Tonight is karaoke night at the local pub and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there! Talk to you on Monday Reader! Have a safe and wonderful weekend and as always I love and miss you all.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Day 11: Nemertea vs Annelida (the epic saga)
Hey Reader! So I know you're used to me posting quite long entries but unfortunately today was not the most exciting of days! I could only think of one thing that was worth posting (aka that you all would find at least semi interesting). The rest of the day was filled with lectures, guest lecturers and a seminar on color vision in fish (which was WAY over my head). So I will tell you about the coolest worm battle I've ever seen and besides that I think we'll call it a day.
So yes today we began learning about the phylum Nemertea (as known in lamen's terms as 'ribbon worms'). Imagine an earth worm without ridges and imagine it way longer and way skinnier. There, you've got yourself a ribbon worm. Anyways these worms are amazingly talented predators (as we found out today in lab). They're so talented thanks to an eversible proboscis which they can basically launch at their prey. By the way for those non-zoo kids out there (Reggie I'm not counting you since you are the King of Bio), an eversible proboscis is kind of like a HUGE tongue tucked away inside the worm's body. They can flick it out to capture their prey and sometimes these 'tongues' have spikes or poison at the tips. They prey on just about anything that moves (and that is about their size) so Dr. M decided to show us how they feed. We took a nemertean worm and put it with an annelid worm (in lamen's terms a segmented worm not unlike an earth worm). Within seconds the nemertean had everted its proboscis and had attacked the segmented worm. It paralyzed the annelid and started consuming it on the spot! Who knew that worms could be so interesting! We were all stunned at how quick the creature reacted to the presence of its prey considering its eyes can only tell light from dark and it has no appendages to feel around with. (For a quick look at a nemertean and its proboscis check out the link below!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT2x9YuowqU
Sorry that there wasn't more to report Reader but today was just one of those uneventful days. We did however get to sleep in until 9:00am this morning! I couldn't believe it! My body was just ecstatic to get those extra couple of hours to relax. It's back to the normal routine tomorrow though! We aren't going out on a field trip but hopefully something interesting will happen! I mean it is Bamfield, how could something interesting not happen? By the way, we call August 'Fog-ust' out here because this is the time of year that the fog becomes intense. We couldn't see across the inlet today because it was so foggy! Hopefully this fog won't wreck any upcoming outings! Talk to you tomorrow Reader! As always, I love and miss you!
So yes today we began learning about the phylum Nemertea (as known in lamen's terms as 'ribbon worms'). Imagine an earth worm without ridges and imagine it way longer and way skinnier. There, you've got yourself a ribbon worm. Anyways these worms are amazingly talented predators (as we found out today in lab). They're so talented thanks to an eversible proboscis which they can basically launch at their prey. By the way for those non-zoo kids out there (Reggie I'm not counting you since you are the King of Bio), an eversible proboscis is kind of like a HUGE tongue tucked away inside the worm's body. They can flick it out to capture their prey and sometimes these 'tongues' have spikes or poison at the tips. They prey on just about anything that moves (and that is about their size) so Dr. M decided to show us how they feed. We took a nemertean worm and put it with an annelid worm (in lamen's terms a segmented worm not unlike an earth worm). Within seconds the nemertean had everted its proboscis and had attacked the segmented worm. It paralyzed the annelid and started consuming it on the spot! Who knew that worms could be so interesting! We were all stunned at how quick the creature reacted to the presence of its prey considering its eyes can only tell light from dark and it has no appendages to feel around with. (For a quick look at a nemertean and its proboscis check out the link below!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT2x9YuowqU
Sorry that there wasn't more to report Reader but today was just one of those uneventful days. We did however get to sleep in until 9:00am this morning! I couldn't believe it! My body was just ecstatic to get those extra couple of hours to relax. It's back to the normal routine tomorrow though! We aren't going out on a field trip but hopefully something interesting will happen! I mean it is Bamfield, how could something interesting not happen? By the way, we call August 'Fog-ust' out here because this is the time of year that the fog becomes intense. We couldn't see across the inlet today because it was so foggy! Hopefully this fog won't wreck any upcoming outings! Talk to you tomorrow Reader! As always, I love and miss you!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Day 10: Snorkelling & Snail Brains
It's Wednesday night and I haven't had a single chicken wing. What the heck is wrong with this picture?! I have to say that hearing about Karina and Reggie's night at wings has made me a smidge jealous so I will be trying my best to play up the day in an attempt to make them jealous in return. (As if anything could compare to an epic bug killing high five and cheap wings! Come on!) I will say that supper tonight was actually delicious (shrimp fettucini alfredo, YUM) so I wasn't too bummed about missing wings again.
Bright and early this fine foggy morning we gathered our ridiculous amounts of snorkelling equipment and headed down the Bamfield inlet to a small bay. We hopped out of the boats and spent the better part of half an hour donning our wetsuits. Once we were covered head to toe in 'penguin gear' as one of my classmates so rightly called it, we all got into the water and started exploring. It was such an amazing experience! I got to see so many things up close and personal! There were giant sea anemones, sponges, a sea cucumber that reminded me of Desmund (see my post from yesterday if you don't get that reference) and an angry crab defending his territory. The water was a little murky though and that kind of freaked me out. I didn't like not being able to tell what was going on around me. Also I will note that breathing only through your mouth while snorkelling takes some getting used to! I was freaking out at the start of the morning because I felt like I was hyperventilating. My body was basically freaking out because it thought I wasn't breathing normally. Either way I got used to it eventually and spent at least an hour and a half just swimming around (Reggie, that was for you).
We got out of the water and it took just as long (if not longer) to get the wetsuits off. It was indeed an effort but the wetsuits were removed and we made our way back to Bamfield. We had two hours off this morning (after the snorkelling excursion) which was so nice! I actually got to do my hair for the first time in about two weeks. Before I knew it though, we were back in lab. Today we had a guest professor come in to teach us about neurons in snails. It was a bit random (since we're no where close to molluscs yet) but it was SUPER interesting. We dissected a snail and found its 'brain' and removed said 'brain' from the animal. We then got to look at its actual neurons because they're so big that you can see them with the naked eye. It's so strange to think that organisms like snails can have such amazing structures! Who knew?!
Ah Reader, I can't begin to describe the way I'm feeling at the moment. We actually get to sleep in tomorrow until 8:00am! Can you believe it?! I'm so pumped to get some rest for a change! No field trips for tomorrow though which is sad but next week we're out and about again! I can't wait! As always, keep reading and keep thinking of me! I miss and love you all!
Bright and early this fine foggy morning we gathered our ridiculous amounts of snorkelling equipment and headed down the Bamfield inlet to a small bay. We hopped out of the boats and spent the better part of half an hour donning our wetsuits. Once we were covered head to toe in 'penguin gear' as one of my classmates so rightly called it, we all got into the water and started exploring. It was such an amazing experience! I got to see so many things up close and personal! There were giant sea anemones, sponges, a sea cucumber that reminded me of Desmund (see my post from yesterday if you don't get that reference) and an angry crab defending his territory. The water was a little murky though and that kind of freaked me out. I didn't like not being able to tell what was going on around me. Also I will note that breathing only through your mouth while snorkelling takes some getting used to! I was freaking out at the start of the morning because I felt like I was hyperventilating. My body was basically freaking out because it thought I wasn't breathing normally. Either way I got used to it eventually and spent at least an hour and a half just swimming around (Reggie, that was for you).
We got out of the water and it took just as long (if not longer) to get the wetsuits off. It was indeed an effort but the wetsuits were removed and we made our way back to Bamfield. We had two hours off this morning (after the snorkelling excursion) which was so nice! I actually got to do my hair for the first time in about two weeks. Before I knew it though, we were back in lab. Today we had a guest professor come in to teach us about neurons in snails. It was a bit random (since we're no where close to molluscs yet) but it was SUPER interesting. We dissected a snail and found its 'brain' and removed said 'brain' from the animal. We then got to look at its actual neurons because they're so big that you can see them with the naked eye. It's so strange to think that organisms like snails can have such amazing structures! Who knew?!
Ah Reader, I can't begin to describe the way I'm feeling at the moment. We actually get to sleep in tomorrow until 8:00am! Can you believe it?! I'm so pumped to get some rest for a change! No field trips for tomorrow though which is sad but next week we're out and about again! I can't wait! As always, keep reading and keep thinking of me! I miss and love you all!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Day 9: Oh! Seals! *Insert Desmund Voice Here*
Good evening Reader! I feel like I'm entering this post at a reasonable hour tonight (unlike yesterday). This is a good thing since I am EXHAUSTED! I mean after the rock climbing yesterday and the being outside basically all day I'm just super tired. We're up early again tomorrow morning so I'll be going to bed fairly shortly. But there was some pretty awesome stuff that happened today that I really need to post about and besides, if I didn't post an entry tonight I have a feeling I would receive several angry/disgruntled Facebook messages. (Jess, Karina, you know who you are.)
This morning we got up and left at 7:00am which was amazing because it was basically our version of sleeping in. We all got into the boat and headed out to Wizard Islet. Wizard is pretty much some rocks in the middle of the ocean but I guess that qualifies it as an islet. Either way as we were pulling up to beach the boat we noticed several amazingly adorable and oh so cuddly looking seals! I was so excited! One of my goals for this trip was to see some seals and there they were perched on the rocks. They were just way too cute for words! I immediately went into Desmund voice mode (which for those of you who know me is this odd kind of semi British semi baby talk type of voice). I obviously wanted to get as close as I could to the amazing creatures but there's a general rule around here that we can't go within 100 metres of marine mammals. I was a little disappointed by this but it turns out the seals hung around the rocks the whole time we were out at Wizard so I got to watch them all day! The cutest seal was the chubbiest one who couldn't seem to get back onto the rocks. It definitely reminded me of Desmund trying to get up onto the couch/bed and failing miserably. (For those who don't know, Desmund is one of my dogs back home.)
We hung out at Wizard until about noon. During this time we did more collections of inverts and we also learned how to measure the different intertidal zones. The beach at Wizard was just incredible! At high tide it basically looked like a beach you would find in Hawaii with white sand and clear beautiful waters! It rained for the first time today (I know right, it's only rained once since I've been out here) but it only lasted for about an hour. After that it was clear skies and warm warm sun!
Tomorrow is the first snorkelling excursion of the program and I'm getting pretty excited. To say that I'm not nervous would be lying but that doesn't mean I can't be pumped as well. We're going snorkelling inside the Bamfield inlet so I know there won't be anything crazy jumping out at me from the depths. Also my TA said that the water will be fairly shallow (so again nothing crazy will be jumping out at me from the depths). Cold water snorkelling is supposedly incredible so naturally I'm excited to go but I'm definitely not ready to deal with wet suits. Argh they are SUCH a pain.
As for my general well being, I feel good. I think I'm definitely getting back into shape (thank you rock climbing) and I'm making friends. More importantly I'm gaining such valuable experience that I could never gain back home! I'm seeing new animals and learning so many new things! I know I've already done this but I'd really like to give a shout out to my amazing prof and TA. They are incredibly knowledgeable and they obviously love what they do. This experience would not be the same without them. I would also like to thank my family who keep things in perspective for me whenever I feel the need to complain. Just having the chance to chat with my mom tonight på norsk was enough to lift my spirits! Thanks again everyone! I miss and love you all!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Day 8: Rock Climbing for Dummies
Hello Reader! Welcome back to my musings! Yes I know I've been away for a couple days and for that I apologize! You see I've decided that since we won't be in school on the weekends, I won't be blogging on the weekends. Although if something super cool should occur on said weekends (like it did this weekend) I will definitely bring it up in Monday's blog like I am about to do. So yes this Saturday was indeed the annual 'Salmon Derby Dance' at the local volunteer fire hall. Now to me a 'derby' sounds more like a race involving soap box cars and a steep hill but supposedly it's like the annual 'Fish Fry' in Estevan (a party like no other I might add). Basically who ever catches the biggest salmon wins the derby and the dance is like a celebration for the good catches. Who am I to complain? It was a chance to actually wear the dress I brought (I don't even know why I packed that thing)! We all went out to the dance and had a really fun time! There was about 70% Bamfield students, 10% volunteer fire people and 20% angry locals. But really Reader, what were you expecting? It's a small town, there's bound to be angry locals! Oh yes, the glaring was marvellous! I'm not trying to brag or anything but there was definitely a smoke machine and a light. Yes you read right, there was one light at this hall. Needless to say it was pretty much the best dance ever! No but seriously, it was super nice of the volunteer firehall to let us come to their party, despite the venue it actually was a real blast!
It's not all fun and games and Salmon Derbys out here Reader! Oh no! In fact today was one of the toughest (yet funnest) days I've had out here. We woke up for 6:00am (a real treat instead of the usual 5:00am) and we set out for Seppings Island which is about a twenty minute boat ride from Bamfield. We got to the isle and spent the better part of the next 6 hours climbing rocks. Now for those who don't know me that well, I'm not exactly what you'd call 'outdoorsy'. In fact some would call me 'indoorsy'. But today I think I proved everyone wrong! I climbed those sheer cliffs and rocky peaks and made it all the way around the island while only managing to fall once (and that was in a tide pool, not off the rocks). To make matters even crazier, we were rock climbing in rubber boots while wearing life jackets all the while carrying the amazing invertebrates we collected through out the day. I felt like a real mountain woman... Although these rocks were definitely not what one would call mountains. Either way, I felt pretty accomplished and let me just say that water had never tasted so good after a morning of intense climbing.
I would also like to quickly mention the cave we explored. It was incredible! It was very small but it cut across the island and at high tide it would've been completely filled with water. It was so beautiful inside the cave and the fact that I could always see the other side of the cave made the experience that much more enjoyable (I've seen too many scary cave movies, not to mention ManBearPig enjoys hiding in caves). We saw giant limpets and isopods as well as mountains of snails all piled together. There were little tide pools inside of the cave all swarming with invertebrate life!
After the six hours spent at Seppings, we made our way back to Bamfield for lunch and lecture. Nothing too exciting happened during the following few hours except I did an amazing diagram of a jellyfish. I don't know what's wrong with me Reader! First I'm becoming an 'outdoorsy' person and now I'm becoming an artist! Yikes! It must be something in the water! Well that's about it for me! It's off to bed because (as usual) it's up and at 'em bright and early tomorrow morning! As always I love and miss you all! Thanks again for reading! :)
It's not all fun and games and Salmon Derbys out here Reader! Oh no! In fact today was one of the toughest (yet funnest) days I've had out here. We woke up for 6:00am (a real treat instead of the usual 5:00am) and we set out for Seppings Island which is about a twenty minute boat ride from Bamfield. We got to the isle and spent the better part of the next 6 hours climbing rocks. Now for those who don't know me that well, I'm not exactly what you'd call 'outdoorsy'. In fact some would call me 'indoorsy'. But today I think I proved everyone wrong! I climbed those sheer cliffs and rocky peaks and made it all the way around the island while only managing to fall once (and that was in a tide pool, not off the rocks). To make matters even crazier, we were rock climbing in rubber boots while wearing life jackets all the while carrying the amazing invertebrates we collected through out the day. I felt like a real mountain woman... Although these rocks were definitely not what one would call mountains. Either way, I felt pretty accomplished and let me just say that water had never tasted so good after a morning of intense climbing.
I would also like to quickly mention the cave we explored. It was incredible! It was very small but it cut across the island and at high tide it would've been completely filled with water. It was so beautiful inside the cave and the fact that I could always see the other side of the cave made the experience that much more enjoyable (I've seen too many scary cave movies, not to mention ManBearPig enjoys hiding in caves). We saw giant limpets and isopods as well as mountains of snails all piled together. There were little tide pools inside of the cave all swarming with invertebrate life!
After the six hours spent at Seppings, we made our way back to Bamfield for lunch and lecture. Nothing too exciting happened during the following few hours except I did an amazing diagram of a jellyfish. I don't know what's wrong with me Reader! First I'm becoming an 'outdoorsy' person and now I'm becoming an artist! Yikes! It must be something in the water! Well that's about it for me! It's off to bed because (as usual) it's up and at 'em bright and early tomorrow morning! As always I love and miss you all! Thanks again for reading! :)
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