Vignette for Americanos

FINALLY UPDATING: Sorry it took so long, Americanos. Costa Rica is quite the time-demanding mistress.

Learning Opportunity: Everyone here pronounces my name “BrandOn.” As in, “Brand Own.” I could totally get used to it. For all you internet junkies, I’m thinking of changing the spelling to Brandwn. For everyone else, consider adopting the new pronunciation.

Breaking News: Your workweek can be divided into two days, Tie-Dye Tuesday and Days that Kind of Suck.

Webcomics: !

Classes: Are frustrating. So far, they seem pretty useless. I imagine that if we were tested on the things we have learned so far, (and the tests resembled the general class discussion and assigned reading) the questions would read somewhat like this:

1. Extreme poverty, good or bad?
a. Good!
b. Bad!

2. If we were to gather representatives from a bunch of different rich nations to have meetings, and call this group, say, the Amalgamated Countries, would they:
a. Get work done and change the world!
b. Tell everyone what to do but not how to do it!
c. Say a lot of lofty things, like, “Blah blah blah blah Gross National Product blah blah blah Child Mortality blah blah Millennium Development Goals, blah blah blah Human Development Index blah!”
d. Speak completely in generalities and avoid any semblance of specifics: “By the year 2015, Fun Times Had should double and Bad Hair Days should decrease by 3/4 frequency and 1/3 intensity. This will be measured in Smiles per Miles and Heel Clicks per Capita.”
e. All of the above, except a.

Student ID: !

Costa Rica: Has some beautiful beaches. This you already knew.

Saw: A Blue Morpho butterfly, very briefly while riding in the back of a speeding pickup truck. Now where have I seen one before?

New and Improved: the same turtle pictures you saw on Flickr, now with director commentary!

Background: Last weekend I went to Ostional to watch the Olive Ridley turtles lay their eggs, which they do a few times each year. Ostional is a small town on the Pacific coast, and is only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle. This might have something to do with the three unbridged rivers one must cross to get there.

I woke up at 4:30 to see the turtles, but had to wait for the sunrise to get any good pictures.

I was not the only one who came to watch the turtles lay their eggs.

The turtles came and went by the hundreds to lay their eggs.

Because it was early morning and most of the egg laying happens at night, more were going than coming.

The eggs were about the size of a ping-pong ball and each turtle can lay up to 120 eggs.

Sacks of eggs were collected by the locals to sell to the bars and restaurants. They are only allowed to collect eggs from 1% of the beaches, and they in turn have the responsibility to keep the entire beach in good condition, which they do quite well.

It was still tragic to watch them ctrl+z the turtle’s hard work.

Entire families or locals worked at egg-harvesting. For them, it was a time of celebration.

By 7:00, the trucks were loaded and the harvest was over.

Also: With a great stretch of imagination, I might call myself an Amateur (or even Recreational) Photographer. But to further stretch that already stretched imagination and call myself a Videographer would be total bull. That is why half of this video is sideways. Watch the prequel here.

That's all for now. Email (BrandonSchabes@gmail.com) or comment with questions or comments.

Off to more adventures!