San Jose Adventures.

After a long day of travelling yesterday, today was our first day in San Jose. To try and get the most out of our time here, by 11:45am we had already visited the Museo Nacionale, Mercado Central, and had an interesting cab ride with a taxi driver that thought we were going somewhere else. 

The Museo Nacionale (National Museum) has definitely been my favourite place in San Jose so far. It featured a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, an exhibit of the Costa Rican photographer, Francisco Coto as well as a native species and butterfly garden, located in what used to be Military Barracks.

One of the species exhibits at the Museo Nacionale

Indoor butterfly garden

Next to one of many stone spheres

One of Coto's pieces featured at the Museum

After visiting the national museum, we tried to be adventurous and travelled to the Mercado Central (Central Market). We didn’t end up buying anything but it featured a variety of local vendors who were selling anything from bouquets (sometimes spray painted in bright colours), to fish and meats, to pets stores. 


Finally, we arrived back at Gaudy’s Backpackers Hostel after being driven on an unexpected tour around town by a disoriented taxi driver. All of this happening before lunch.


Tomorrow we head to Tortuguero, which is our final destination for the trip. Once there, its turtle time! Until then, Adios!

En route.

My passion in life is conservation. Throughout my experiences in my studies, work and hobbies, everything has seemed to lead me back to wanting to allow myself to learn as much as I can about species conservation and the different issues surrounding the topic. 


Currently, I am in transit, on my way to a 90 day internship in Tortuguero, Costa Rica with The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC), which I received through York University's International Internship Program (YIIP).

Caño Palma Biological Station (Source: www.coterc.org) - Click here for more info about the History of Caño Palma!

I will be participating in a few conservation programs, however I will mostly be involved with the Marine Turtle Study and Large Mammal Monitoring Study in the Caño Palma region. I have been gathering some of my thoughts, and here is a glimpse into why I applied for this particular position, and what I am expecting over the next few months.


Why you applied:
I applied for this internship for many reasons. However, the main reason that I applied was because of my love for turtles and my passion for conservation. During my undergraduate degree and the summer after, I spent two years working for the Royal Botanical Gardens’ Conservation Department working specifically with species at risk. The majority of this work was on turtles, which I then translated into my Undergraduate Major Project. It was that experience that inspired me to dedicate my future and my continued education to the preservation of species at risk. When I saw the posting for this position I thought that it couldn’t be more perfect for what I want to do. Currently, I am completing my Masters in Environmental Studies focusing on biological conservation law and policy. From the work that I will do with COTERC, I am hoping to learn how conservation work for marine turtles in Costa Rica influences policies and laws to further protection for the species. 


What you are expecting:
With this internship I am expecting to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. By learning from COTERC, I will be able to expand my knowledge of conservation and conservation related policies to a more global level, and make comparisons between Costa Rican and Canadian conservation techniques and goals. I am looking forward to adapting to new situations in a diverse learning environment and getting to be a part of the COTERC team.