Nicaragua captured me in a way I never imagined

I was looking up at the steep, treacherous hill in a series of uphill ledges that lead us up to the waterfall, a tourist attraction on Ometepe, remembering how on the first day when we hiked up the same path to see the capuchins, I felt like crying and keeling over while simultaneously wondering what I had gotten myself into.

I was looking up at that same trail on my last day, wondering if I would be able to make it up all the way this time.

Spoiler alert: I did, and with an ease that still surprises me to this very moment. That trail is an extraordinary representation of this entire trip — I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but with perseverance and a little bit of hope, I found a stronger version of myself at the end of an incredible journey.

That was how we spent our last day on the island of Ometepe, hiking up to the waterfall that we were only able to make it half way up the trail on our first day. Earlier that morning, we presented the research of our final projects in the format of a 10 minute long presentation for the rest of the class. One thing I can honestly say I thank my undergrad experience at Bloomsburg for was the practice I've gained in giving presentations.

Last semester I had four presentations in a period of two weeks, and while I was wondering to myself how I could've possibly managed that type of luck as a second semester senior, I'm also thrilled to have been able to go through my findings with ease in a new setting.

I had mentioned previously that I was interested in the ecological role of the prehensile tail in mantled howler monkeys, or Alouatta palliata, if you're into taxonomy, and after collecting 25 hours worth of data for my final paper I was happy to say that I was able to support my hypothesis.

Out of all the behaviors the primates used their tails for, feeding/foraging was the highest percentage. It's definitely possible that their tails evolved due to high feeding competition, and in the future adding on to that 25 hours of data would help strengthen that hypothesis.

At the beginning of the course my professor, Dr. Bolt, said by the end of this experience we would all be skilled field workers in her eyes. I don't know how much credit I'm allowed to give myself here, but me and the field had some ups and downs for sure.

I've been bitten by mosquitoes to the point where I'm sure I was one, single itchy lump, been pelted with giant grasshoppers that fall out of the trees when the wind blows, nearly assassinated by a scorpion, ran into the barbed wire fence that surrounds the forest on multiple occasions, sweated through all my deodorant (didn't think that was humanly possible) sun burned close to the equator with no aloe vera (yikes) and after hiking six miles up hill everyday just to get to and from the forest, I was sure my calves were going to commit mutiny on me.

But I wouldn't take back a single second of it. This experience showed me everything I was capable of and more, because I think myself and every other student with me surpassed all of our expectations of how this trip would better us for the future.

Fast forward to my last day in the country of Nicaragua. One by one as we all began to dwindle to make our different flights, I watched each of my classmates leave with a big hug, and a pang of sadness in my chest. Just a few hours earlier we were all together, as we had been 24/7 for the past month, and I looked around the airport in Managua alone realizing I was right back where I started.

Physically speaking that is, because the person I was when I landed weeks before is nowhere close to the person I am now.

There was a moment I looked around and realized that I don't know what force brought me to this place, but there's a piece of my heart that will always be tucked away on the island of Ometepe.

So cliche right?

But it's cliche for a reason — it's true. Nicaragua has captured me in a way I never imagined, and as my first home away from home, I think I'll always have the urge to better the country in any way I can. I knew I'd probably enjoy my time abroad in Nicaragua, but I never expected to feel the strong sense of desire I have to return.

Thinking about going abroad? Do it. You'll never regret it, that much I can promise you. I hope anyone who took the time to read this takes away that much from me.

Sometimes in life places will call your name and you'll have no idea why, and memories and moments will capture your heart in a way you never imagined possible. It may be far from home, and it'll be scary, and so much will be unexpected up until the moment everything materializes. You'll be nervous and excited all at the same time, and you'll have to make the decision of whether or not you want to answer that call that's desperately trying to reach you.

From me to you, I sincerely hope you do. All the best,

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed

When they're not sleeping, they're eating ... a relatable mentality

The days have begun swiftly molding together as more and more time flies here on the island of Ometepe. Literally, by 6 p.m. it's dark.

Waking up at 4:30 a.m. is no longer as tiring, and sitting in a pile of dirt and leaves for hours whilst staring up and into the lives of our primate friends has become second nature.

Today, it rained on all of us as we attempted to go about our fieldwork, and we made the best of it like the good sports that we are.

As a group, we've become closer than I'd ever imagined, and I already know that these girls will be my friends for life. Our adventures as we explore both the island, as well as our academic pursuits within primatology, have become a truly unique experience all around.

One of the unique aspects of Ometepe is that it is home to ancient petroglyphs, symbolic rock carvings by the island natives which can be seen at various places around the island, one of them being the White Tree Forest. Also home to mantled howlers, the White Tree Forest is about an hour walk from the conservancy, so after a morning of observation we took a trip to see the petroglyphs.

It was a truly humbling experience to not only see, but touch with our own hands rock carvings that are around 3,000 years old. But first, we were able to witness the extraordinary sight of a group of around 25 howlers in one tree all interacting with one another. Between being enveloped in their booming howls and watching them hang, swing, grab, and fight one another, it was hard not to be overwhelmed.

But it was a truly breathtaking insight to what life is like for non-human primates. Throughout the course of our observations we begin to become more personal with the howlers, and although some of our references to them are jokingly anthropomorphic, a lot of what we observe does bear a true resemblance to aspects of human life.

We also got a chance to kayak out to a place called Monkey Island one morning, a home to habituated white-faced capuchin monkeys. It was important to see the behavioral and morphological differences between capuchins and howlers. Howlers are very sedentary and have a very specific behavioral pattern, and by that I mean they sleep, a lot, 65% of the time as a matter of fact.

Capuchins however are much more active and expressive. It was interesting to see the parallel from an evolutionary perspective, not to mention kayaking while throwing bread and fruit at the capuchins was pretty cool, too.

These past few days have consisted of us collecting data for our final projects which has been increasingly more rewarding - being able to employ everything we've learned thus far and conduct real scientific research in all its fulfillment. I can hardly believe how much my time here is quickly dwindling down, mostly because I never thought a unique, foreign place could begin to feel so much like home.

Who knew cold showers could be so refreshing?

I may never be able to look at rice, beans, or plantains the same way again, but that's a small price to pay for the extraordinary experiences I've been afforded by being here. Besides, the coffee is phenomenal. And so are the people, and the places, and primates, even the bugs. Okay, maybe not the bugs. Finding a scorpion in our room one evening wasn't a part of this trip I want to put on the highlight reel, but I could still gush about it forever.

I'm anticipating finishing my data collection over the next few days - my hypothesis for my research is whether or not the use of the prehensile tail in mantled howler monkeys is used primarily in foraging or not and whether it is more frequently used by adult males or females.

Since the presumption is that the evolution of the prehensile tail occurred due to competition and availability of food resources, I'm anxious to see the role it plays in the life of the howlers. When they're not sleeping, they're eating, and I think many people, myself included, can certainly relate to that mentality!

Until next time,

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed

Bewildering beauty surrounded by bellowing howls

I can hardly believe it's only been three days so far that I've been here on the truly engaging and mesmerizing island of Ometepe, because my first few days here have become entirely unforgettable already.

It was only a few days ago that I somewhat apprehensively boarded my first flight alone, and an international one at that, to begin my journey to Nicaragua. My advice coming out of that experience is to try your best to learn a basic understanding of the language of the places you're traveling to.

I was lucky to already have some understanding of Spanish, because I changed gates at an airport in Panama on my way here and all the signs were in Spanish and the people there spoke it fluently and almost exclusively.

It makes traveling and interacting with the people who live in the area to which you were traveling a little bit easier, although its not necessary. Once I actually made it to the airport in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, I was met by my other group members at a hotel nearby the airport where we spent the night, then boarded our ferry ride out to the island.

As we approached the view of the volcano in the distance all of our excitement grew about what the next few weeks would have in store for us. We shared stories of where we all came from, our schools, our majors, and came to the realization that without this experience none of us would have ever met in life.

Going abroad is an excellent way to not only continue your education in a foreign place, but meet new people who you never would have come across otherwise. After being together with these six other girls in my class for the past few days, I'm already incredibly humbled by them and all the aspects of their lives they've shared with me.

When we finally did arrive on the island and at the conservancy, we were all bewildered by how beautiful it all was, but we weren't allowed to revel in it for too long. Our first order of business was to hike up and see if we could get a view of the white faced capuchin monkeys that lived in a nearby forest.

Unfortunately, the capuchins are a little shy, so we didn't get a chance to see them but we did get to see the monkeys we are studying - mantled howler monkeys. I knew by their name they were vocal primates, but there is nothing like hearing that deep, menacing vocalization in person.

Male howler monkeys have an enlarged hyoid bone in their throats that allow them to make that noise, and it is truly inexplicable.

After getting a first glimpse at them our first day there, we woke up the next morning at 4:30 a.m. to walk out to the Coffee Forest, where we are primarily studying howlers, which is about 6 miles from where the conservancy is.

Nicaragua is close to the equator and therefore very warm, so we leave early in the morning to beat the heat as well as observe the howlers at a time of the day where they'll be active. Howler monkeys are sedentary and arboreal (tree dwelling) so it's important to pick a time where there's more observable behavior to study.

Seeing them in their natural habitat is undeniably fascinating, and our first few days we're being taught basic methods of primatological observation and what to look for as we're studying them. With our binoculars, waterproof notebooks and ambition it's been a tiring although entirely rewarding experience watching these incredible primates leap from tree to tree right in front of our own eyes.

So far we've been able to pick our their genders, approximate ages, some identifying features including scars, limb injuries and coat colorings. After our mornings out in the field, we come back for lunch and then lecture is usually sometime shortly after.

Today on our way back to the conservancy, we were able to see a group of howlers that made their way into one of the local mango trees, and as we looked around to see where their bellowing howl was coming from, watched as half eaten mangoes were being pelted from the trees.

It was not only humorous to see but being able to enjoy the fresh mangoes that fell from the tree was another added bonus. They're delicious, thank you howlers!

And as the sun sets another day on the island of Ometepe, I can only hope for more wonder and excitement as we delve into studying these fascinating primates. I've always been attracted to the idea of primatology because non-human primates are like us, and studying them is not only important to their species but provides us important insight about our own humanity. I hope to make more important observations about not only humankind as a whole, but myself as well as I let this wonderful experience further unfold.

Adios,

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed

Waking up to the howl of howler monkeys

Hey fellow Huskies,

It's pretty hard to believe that today (May 23) is my last full day in the USA for about a month, as tomorrow morning I board my first flight to the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua to finish my last few undergraduate credits at BU.

It seems completely surreal to me that I could be afforded an opportunity like this to finish my degree internationally, and I hope by detailing some of this experience for all of you, I encourage you to go out there in the big bad world and do the same!

First off, it would be in my best interest to explain what exactly I'm going to be doing in Central America that could possibly relate to our undergraduate career goals as Bloomsburg students.

I'm currently about to finish a B.A. in Anthropology, and through a program my professor and mentor Dr. Faith Warner recommended to me, I'll be studying for the next few weeks primate behavior and rainforest ecology through the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy.

Now, I recognize obviously that might not be everyone's cup of tea, so I'd like to mention that this program offers a variety of other classes including photography, sea turtle ecology, art, rainforest ecology, climate change, and botany classes which serve to benefit a wide range of majors.

In a nutshell, not only this program but many others out there can serve to benefit you and your career goals. Get to know your professors and your mentors, it seems obvious but their experience in the world and the workforce can be such a valuable resource to your future, because I know I wouldn't be going on this once in a lifetime trip without the guidance of my department.

If you think studying abroad might something you're interested in, get out there and ask, explore your options! There's a life changing experience out there waiting for everyone, you just have to be proactive about becoming the navigator of your life's adventures.

Over the next few weeks I'll be living and working on the island of Ometepe, settled in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central America. Myself and the other students in my group studying primate behavior will be observing and developing our own independent research projects about the two groups of monkeys living on the island, white faced capuchins and howler monkeys (who I've been told make an excellent alarm clock for us in the mornings.)

I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to share this experience with anyone who wants to follow me on my journey throughout the Nicaraguan rainforest, and I truly hope that this unique experience of mine encourages some of you to get out there and show the world just how intelligent and driven us Bloomsburg students are. I know I sure am!

Until next time ...

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed