Here are some random tidbits of info that have no single overarching theme.
Market day is on Wednesday. I'm extremely excited to visit this market!!!!! Even cooler- it's not gonna be closed for Christmas! That means we get to go there as a Christmas special occasion.
We have to ask our "housekeeper" guy to pick up food items for us in town on most days because we are in the forrest for 11 hours of daylight... Loaves of bread cost 25 cent. If I bring that receipt to Walmart, will they pay me the difference? Just curious.
All of the people that were here for the workshop conference are now gone as of yesterday morning. Thanks be to Lord Santa because there were just TOO MANY people. PLUS- I get my own room now! What am I gonna do with a whole queen-size bed to myself!? I also got to unpack all my items and set them up all organized on a nice shelf. This was so fun. I really like having all my things spread out and organized. Routine <3.
I have heard there are comments below... But I can't use my limited internet to load them! Please feel free to comment only blogs though! I really can't wait to read what you think!!!
Today I will be testing out my first draft data collection sheets! I feel cool... I did this junk all by myself. Lol and the chimps are going to be so aggravated with me because I moved away all their favorite stones and gave them awful ones instead! Sorry not sorry.
This Beyonce album is more than just a few collaborations. These are SERIOUS. The collab with Drake isn't just a verse feature... It's a deep musical collaboration with Drake and his team. That's Sampha's voice in there. That's a mutual shoutout to one of the biggest themes in "Nothing was the Same." I can't wait to dig deeper into this album.
I may have already told you this, but stressing this point couldn't hurt. The villagers don't harm the chimpanzees in this area because they believe the chimps are reincarnations of their ancestors. This is a rare case of perfectly stable coexistence between humans and chimps. In addition, the relationship that Matsuzawa and his project has made with the village is exceptional. The project has built schools, provided medical care, created stable income opportunities for villagers, and installed toilets in the homes of many to improve sanitation. This is how you do it. Having a stable relationship with the local community is a KEY to conservation!
One cool thing about every place that I've ever been to is how important SOCCER is! Playing soccer is so important. All you need is a ball! In between our research station and the village is a huge, square, semi-flat plot of land set aside for this purpose alone! Every single day the young boys of the village get out in the dirt to play the world's sport. The beautiful game. The makeshift goal posts here are constructed slightly differently than those I saw in rural Brazil. Woooooohoooooo!!!! I wanna play....!
Yesterday as we walked into the observation area as the chimps left, Cat said, "Ahhh :-) I love the smell of chimps." I was totally shocked when I heard this, "Oh! That's what this smell is?!" I had smelled it here before... But I never realized it was coming from the chimpanzees. I kinda liked the smell too! It's funny, I always compare the 7 year old chimp, Flanle, to my little brothers... But I'll tell ya- Flanle doesn't smell as bad! (Moment of silence in remembrance of when all our little brothers hit puberty. #ThisTooShallPass)
ProTip: When visiting areas of the world where people eat rice and beans a LOT, be prepared for this steady diet by bringing from home packets of fajita/taco seasoning powder! (The things you learn by hanging out with people older than you: Priceless.)
There is a bird here that sounds a little like the Hogwarts theme song... Miss you, Olivia! Don't forget- Orbit and Ag Hill will take you to and from biology!!!!
We are in the woods now waiting for the chimpy babies to arrive. I think Matsuzawa is asleep by that tree trunk... But I can't see. I just know he hasn't said a word in an hour.
Oh, last night was pretty cool because it was only me, Cat, and Matsuzawa eating dinner. We got to talk with him and hear some personal stories about when he first met his famous chimps in Kyoto. In the woods yesterday I asked if Santa Clause came to Guinea. Lol he really thought that was funny. I was being dead serious though because I need presents.
OMG, I almost forgot to tell y'all about the frog soup. Have you ever been cooking a plain, boring vegetarian soup? While cooking that soup, did you ever step outside for a breath of fresh air? Maybe while you were freshly breathing outside you spot out the corner of your eye a cute frog hopping. Did you then decide, hey- I should catch that, cut all its limbs off, and toss all the body parts into my cooking soup!!!
(I woulda just ran over to take the frog's picture for Instagram.)
#SoupWildlife
Don't even ask me if I ate it or not. Just make an educated guess.
Merry Christmas Eve, sugars!! I wish I were playing with my sisters and family and eating cookies and hanging stockings. Miss y'all.
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