Semester
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emerald toucanet Pygmy King Fisher Agami Heron Spectacled owls Quetzal Umbrella Bird While on the Costa Rica Avian Biology study abroad we saw many fantastic birds. It seemed that even the most common birds were more beautiful than the rarest at home. As we became more experienced birders we quickly learned that some of…
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Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! Who would have thought that while on an Avian Biology study abroad to Costa Rica I would learn so much about coffee. It isn’t hard to understand why it was so important to Costa Ricans to share their knowledge about coffee with us. We had coffee with every single meal and it…
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With the Viticulture and Enology group, we had the chance to visit Barone Ricasoli’s estate and The Fanti estate. The Ricasoli estate was in the Chianti Classico region of Italy while Fanti was in the Montalcino region. At Ricasoli we listened to their agronomist discuss their different soil types and how it affects the wine.…
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Going in to this trip I expected to learn a lot about avian species, other wildlife, and birdwatching, however, I did not expect to learn so much about sustainability. After 3 weeks in Costa Rica, I came back to the US with a different perspective on sustainability, and an increased drive to reduce my waste…
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My favorite place we visited while in Costa Rica was Hacienda La Ensenada. La Ensenada is a small lodge on a national wildlife refuge, located right on the Gulf of Nicoya in the province of Puntarenas. La Ensenada has so much to offer! On our way to La Ensenada, it started to pour down rain. …
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It was just a few weeks before I left for Costa Rica, and I had so many emotions going through my head. I was nervous, stressed, excited, and impatient all at once. On one hand, I could not wait to start an awesome adventure in a foreign country. On the other hand, I still had…
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During the trip to Spain we took a trip to Alcudia de Guadix where we made bread and cheese in cave houses. The first cave we went into we were able to make cheese from goat milk. We added renin extracted from a plant in order to separate the curds and whey in the milk.…
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Over halfway through our study abroad trip in Costa Rica we entered my favorite ecosystem I had seen so far: the cloud forest. We stayed at Monteverde, which aptly means Green Mountain. There fog is trapped among the canopy, and despite Costa Rica being a tropical country, the temperature didn’t leave the 60’s (F). This…
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I’ve hiked for three hours, I’m *almost* at the top of a mountain in the jungle, and I have enough beads of sweat on my forehead to make a necklace – heck, open a jewelry store. How did I get here? Well, I started my morning on a more pleasant note, horseback riding at Ensanada…
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A soon as I knew I was going on the Arts and Gardens Tour of Europe, I knew I had to take one of my free days to explore Edinburgh, Scotland to see all of the Harry Potter landmarks, especially after being in London and seeing local spots used for filming. I started my day…