Today, we started off the morning with a breakfast containing scrambled eggs and pinto rice. Then we embarked on our day full of science. We first started out by collecting an ant fungus garden along with the queen and the workers, it is crucial to extract the queen for the longevity of the fungus garden. Then, after that we started filling out our book on microbes and deadly diseases. Following the booklet, we did a crossword puzzle about an article on pathogens, antigens, microbes, and antibodies. Later, we went and executed our experimental design we created, containing a question, hypothesis, prediction, and procedure for the lab. Since our group finished first we were able to go to the market after lunch to buy local beverages and snacks. It was one and a half mile walk, OOFTA!! The purchasing process was difficult because of language barrier, but luckily most of us took a few years of Spanish. We left the store probably being ripped off, but we were glad we were able to experience it. On the the strenuous hike back we found a local ice cream "shop"(Some random ladies house). Again the language barrier was THICC, we had to translate everything, they spoke NO English. We wrote a handy sign for the next English speaking tourists "two bags of ice-cream are $1"(its like semi-frozen milk in a bag). The flavors were lost in translation, the yellow "ice-cream" was NOT pineapple. When we came back from our adventure we started our final research project which will take us multiple days to finish. We received a lecture on how to form a strong topic that connects all of the elements of the scientific method. Then we were assigned groups based on our interests on what to research. We worked for three hours on developing the experiment and making a presentation to share with our peers and professors. We ate dinner which was very tasty then cleaned up our presentations and presented to everyone. It took forever and everyone was asked long and hard questions about their project. It is very late and everyone is tired and excited to go to their dorms with no shower curtains and virtually no bathroom walls.
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| the poperia (village store) |
Sounds like a great time! Can’t wait to hear about your experience. How do you know it’s a Queen Ant?
ReplyDelete"OOFTA" :) - A very full day! Loved reading about your encounters -with the ants and the local people!
ReplyDeleteSounds like some pretty long days! Imagine having to walk a mile anytime you wanted "ice cream" - by the way, what flavor was the yellow ice cream???
ReplyDelete