We're off to see the lizard...

There's nothing quite like that, "Oh gosh, do I have everything?" feeling that comes over you before a big trip.  Here it is....  T minus...  hmmmm 8 hours, and I am so full of nervous energy that I am nowhere near sleep, despite my 3am taxi ride to logan airport.  

For those of you who don't know, I'm headed off to Belize for the summer.  My knees have been giving me a lot of trouble again this year, and it looks like I will soon have to go under the knife again, making travel impossible for a year or so. 

To mentally prepare for that, I decided to treat myself to a summer of bliss, spending time doing things I LOVE.  I will be swimming, drawing, reading, exploring, scuba diving, volunteering and helping protect the environment for 5 whole weeks.  What could be better than that?!  To make this even better, one of my favorite people in the WHOLE world, Irene, will be with me for the first week.  No doubt you will see her in the coming photos.

Plans for this trip have evolved numerous times as Irene's and my circumstances have changed.  We were determined to vacation together this summer, and plans changed as I decided how to best spend my 'last hurrah'. Ultimately, we decided on Belize because it is a country known for it's eco-tourism and forward-thinking environmental policies.  In fact, more than 1/3rd of their land is protected!  Though it's a small country, the protected land encapsulates a large area of rainforest and the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world, both ecosystems sheltering tremendous biodiversity.  Important stuff!

Once we settled on our destination, I decided that there's now way I could visit a place with such environmental resources and not find some way to contribute, so my search began to find volunteer opportunities.  After looking at volunteer programs and attempting to contact Belizean NGOs and non-profits directly, I decided to participate in a program through a company from the UK, called Blue Ventures.  They have a great reputation and seemed to be focused on research rather than touring, which was just what I was looking for.  So it was settled.  Irene and I would relax and see what we could of Belize, before she returned home, and I joined my 3 week volunteer program.

Once I applied to the program, finished the stack of paperwork, and paid the substantial bill (covering all my expenses for the duration of the program), my real work began.  I had to study.  The program is designed to instruct participants on indigenous flora and fauna, and equip us to collect meaningful data about this section of the barrier reef.  We were sent a pre-departure guide with information on the different families of fish, coral and invertebrates, and our task was to learn the fish identification groups before arrival on site in Belize.

So, for those of you reading who don't know me personally, I consider myself to be an "all in" personality.  Whatever I choose to do, I do it 110%, for better or worse.  What that means in this situation is that once the school part of my brain was shut down, and the classroom closed up for the summer, my mind was free to think of something else for a change.  All the vigor and effort I had previously put into teaching, no went into fish.  Like a good little student, I have spent hours every day reading, trying to understand as much as I can about reef ecosystems.  Between the Blue Ventures' orientation packet, marine field guides, and multiple trips to the New England Aquarium (which is amazing), I think I've got a good start.

I decided to approach this adventure with learning at the core.  Rather than a straight forward sketchbook, as in previous trips, this time I will be keeping a science notebook, which is the current best-practice for science instruction k-12.  A science notebook is a way of organizing one's scientific journey, so as to capture learnings and use of the scientific method.  It is, of course, my version of a science notebook.  Though it has the standards: a table of contents, headings, page numbers, and dated pages, I also added a few things of my own.  There is an index and a glossary in my notebook, and most importantly, there will be a lot of drawing.  As my trip progresses, I will share some of my entries with you.  For now, here is some of the work I have been doing.

Studying worms and crustaceans

Underwater plants, sponges, and some of the coolest organisms I could ever hope to see: comb jellies!

Studies of the fish in the Big Ocean Tank and the NEAQ

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Like any other adventure I have undergone, it was essential here that I bring all the right things.  I'm no stranger to balancing the needs of travel with the limited space in my backpack, so I was surprised at how easy it was to pack for this trip.  I was able to collect the clothes I would need quickly, packing them into their handy waterproof compression sack.  I cut as many corners as possible, bringing essentially one week's worth of clothing, including only one long sleeve shirt, one pair of long pants, and one dress.

All of my clothes for the trip, minus swimwear and a raincoat, not pictured here.

All those clothes were rolled and packed in this waterproof compression sack, and this is how small my bag would be if I were only bringing clothes! 

The biggest challenge to lightweight travel was my scuba gear.  Given that I will be doing a volunteer program where we would be diving every day, I am required to bring all the basic gear with me to Belize.  This is the dive kit I will be bringing with me: 3mm shortie, fins, goggles, snorkel, flashlight, signal, knife, booties, emergency buoy (safety sausage), slate, watch, and dive charts.

What self-respecting backpacker and outdoor enthusiast would travel without a thorough toiletry and first aid kit?  I think I have just about everything with me!  In addition to the basics of hairbrush, toothpaste, soap, and q-tips, I also have things some may not think to pack: allergy medicine, daily vitamins, antacids, moleskin, ear drops (swimmer's ear), malaria prophylaxis, isopropyl alcohol, biodegradable soap, tweezers and nail clippers.

Once the major items were taken care of, and the checked luggage packed, I could focus on my carry on.  There is a definite art to packing a carry on bag.  Though you want to have entertainment options, you also want to be sure that it can fit under the seat in front of you and be carried easily through long airport connections.  I like to give myself a range of activities, usually including music, reading, writing, drawing, and often, sudoku.  Also, as airline food options get fewer (and more expensive),  I also made sure to pack enough yummies to last me to Belize City.  Other goodies that are nice to have onboard?:  antiseptic wipes for anywhere germs lurk on the shared aircraft, chapstick, light shirt in case I get a chill and my own earphones.

 So now, it's T minus.... 6 hours, and my eyelids are definitely a little heavy.  I'm hoping to grab a few hours sleep before I leave, so this is where I will end tonight, but I have done everything I could think of to prepare for the 10 hour journey.  My bags are packed, I have plane snacks, the cab is ordered, details are set to meeting Irene in Belize, and my alarm is set...  I guess for now, it's good night!