In the evenings we've been hanging out with some local students. A few nights ago we had a going away party for Jamie, a Scottish PhD student who was studying the volcano for his dissertation, on our friend Armando's roof in downtown Colima. The city is so beautiful at night.
Upon leaving, Jamie left some very sound advice:
I’ve been hanging out with my wonderful roommate Sherizada
and her friends the last two nights. She’s been showing me around Colima and
introducing me to her friends. Even though half the time I have trouble
following conversations in Spanish, I’m having a lot of fun. I can tell I’ve
improved in even only one week. Last night I went and saw her friends’ reggae
band in the center of town.
We went to the field on Thursday to sample a spring near the
volcano and collect some soil CO2 data. All five volunteers piled into the tiny
truck (to the best of our abilities) and drove through the sweet little town of
Comala and the dense forest.
Even though it was too foggy to see
the volcano when we got to the spring, the view on the way was lovely.
We had to park the truck farther away from the site because
the roads were ruined. This total jackass followed up around and tried to keep
us from walking down the road, belting his screeching battle cry.
I had never been in a tropical forest before. It was dark,
with leaves bigger than my head shielding us from the sun. I’m not sure if I’ve
ever been anywhere so green.
The spring was hidden, and we spent over two hours searching
for it along the face of a cliff. Hundreds of butterflies were sitting on a
stream leading up to the spring, and they flooded the air as we walked by.
Time to head to the lab! Yes…even on a Saturday
