Story Time: Round 2

Friends,

A lot has happened since my last post! I have left my dearest Casa ITA and my family within to finish my internship with 12 days at the Inkaterra Pueble Hotel. 

My last day in Puerto Maldonado, a friend and I rented a motorcycle to see the whole town. It was all so beautiful, and I wouldn't be able to forget it if I didn't burn my leg on the exhaust pipe getting off. It got a little infected for a while, but is doing much better now! Here is the best picture of it! 

Hahaha sorry about showing you that.. I'll make it up to you by showing some of the beautiful street art that is all around Puerto. 

One special thanks to my best friend at Casa ITA and my guide, Yasmani. 

Before I made it to the hotel I had a couple days in Cusco to do some exploring. I met up with my great friend Katie, one of the volunteers from Casa ITA, the day of her flight back to the states. 

Then when I was solo I wandered the markets, visited the beautiful cathedrals, and did other touristy stuff. One day all I had for breakfast and lunch was the delicious tamales that old women sold on the street corners. 

I also made the mistake of eating this ceviche from the market. Not sure what I was thinking, but I woke up that night puking and you know what else. I didn't fully recover until after a few days at the hotel. 

Cusco is a charming city that I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit. 

I didn't expect all of the wonderful people and things that awaited me at the Inkaterra Pueblo Hotel. I had the honor of working with a very intelligent and beautiful biologist there, Carmen Rosa Soto Vargas. Her and her team became very close to my heart. 

I also encountered another new fungus! It produces a beautiful turquoise color (my favorite)! 

Besides from all of my work there, I also found a bunch of friends. The workers in the Eco Center spoke very good English and were able to help me with my spanish. I grew very close to them, and it was another difficult goodbye to say. I will always remember these funny, sweet, and smart people. 

My dearest Carmen couldn't be in the picture, so here is a separate picture to show this very special lady. 

And then another friend that didn't work in the Eco Center, Raul! 

I had the honor of participating in a special ritual to give offerings to the Mother Earth. One experience I will never forget. 

 

Oh yeah, and I saw the breathtaking Machu Picchu! 

I took a bus to Cusco and then left the next morning for Puno! 6hrs later of a bus ride through beautiful landscape like this:

I had finally arrived! I met a friend of Carmens who hooked me up with a great hotel and a cheap tour of Lake Titicaca, the Uros Islands, and Taquille Island. It was all very impressive. They are tons of communities living on floating reed islands in the middle of the lake!

We had the privilege of eating a delicious lunch of quinoa soup and filleted fish wish this astounding view of the lake. 

Last night after my market bought dinner of bread, avocado, tomato, and the best fresh cheese I stumble upon two young boys performing a comedy skit in the road. They had an impressive crowd of people and from my picture you can see how funny they are. 

In about an hour and a half I will be off to Arequipa. I'm excited to see what awaits me there! 

Thanks for finishing this LONG post. 

Auna 

Story Time

I know, I know.... I'm very late on my posts! Honestly, I really don't like being on my computer when I'm here. My time here has already gone by so fast, so I want to soak it all in while I'm here. If I tried to fill you guys in on EVERYTHING then this blog post would be a few pages long. I thought it may be funner to have story time instead! I'm just going to post some pictures, and then .. you know.. tell a story about it.

Here we go....

This is me and a monkey! After working at Gamitana, a fruit farm down the river, we visited this little guy and other animals. There were macaws, parakeets, many snakes, pigs, and others! This little guy, Cappuccino, was SO adorable! He would swing on our arms, jump on us from trees, and try to crawl inside of our shirts! He had a previous owner that couldn't take care of him anymore, so Inkaterra took him in. 

Don Pedro is a sweet man that I also met at Gamitana. Let me tell you somethin', this many knows how to clear ground with a machete. We spent a lot morning cutting down small trees and jungle brush with machetes for a new crop. He approached me by asking my name and telling me how beautiful I was. Then my heart had melted in a puddle beneath my feet. 

I thought I wouldn't ever see this gentleman again after we left Gamitana, but he had come to the station I'm staying at to get some wood! I was so excited when I saw him. Then this picture was taken. 

These two pictures go together! We went to a different farm to build a nursery, plant, and clear more ground. The water was so low that we couldn't get the boat to the port, so we had to carry around 250 plants and various tools through a long trek of mud. I think I fell about 5 times. Me and the other girls all fell in together when trying to help another up, and we almost lost several boots in the mud. Our hard work was later paid off by a very generous family we were working with a cooler full of beers. 

I've been waking up at 5:30AM to set up bird banding nets. This is one of the birds we caught. Once we catch them we take various measurements and then release them! 

I 

I love all of the buttress roots here! That was one of the things I was most excited to see. I just think they are beautiful. This is also where me and the other girls had a "photo shoot." We wore nothing but leaves and paint from a plant I got when we visited the native community. I would have posted on of those, but I'm trying to keep this PG. It was loads of fun, even as the mosquitoes feasted on our bodies!

Oh yeah..my birthday happened. I had a very relaxing day! In the morning I did get two eggs smashed on my head, because traditions says that's what needs to happen. haha And that beautful cake the beautiful senoras baked for me was later smashed in my face, because that needs to happen too! The beautiful necklaces I am wearing were gifts! The shorter one was made by my guide, Yasmani. It's so beautiful. The long one was also handmade by my favorite girls. They actually made three, so we can all have one. I also was given a lovely card signed by the volunteers and workers. We celebrated the night before, that night, and then again on the weekend in the nearest town! I couldn't have asked for more. 

This was another gift on my birthday! Coming back from the field, Yasmani and were walking along until I hear him yell "BUSHMASTER!" The Bushmaster is one of the most poisonous snakes in the Amazon.. thankfully it wasn't really a bushmaster! Anyway, Yas went running into the forest chasing after this snake! Around 10 minutes later he comes walking out holding this huge snake! He said it was a surprise for my birthday, because I've been wanting to see a snake for a couple weeks now! This is just another thing that makes me feel even more safe by having Yas as my guide. 

Almost every single meal here contains rice, potatoes, and meat. I'm not complaining, but I've got to do some sort of extra physical activity if I don't want to gain 20 pounds while I'm here! My favorite place to run is the canopy trail and then I climb the 155 steps up to the bridges. I am so thank to be living in such a beautiful place! I also had to take a selfie to represent OSU in Peru! Go Beavs!

These are the other two girls that are staying at the field station. This picture was taken right after I got the egg smashed on my head by Katy (blue shirt.) Then there is Anna on the right. I can't imagine what my trip would be like if I hadn't of met these girls. I've never grown so close to two people in such a short amount of time. I've have only opened up to a few other people as much as I have with these ladies. We have all learned so much from each other, and have helped us grow in so many ways. This weekend we had to see Anna off, and it was one the hardest things I've had to do. Katy and I left the bus station sobbing, but then laughing about how ridiculous we probably look to everyone else inside. We each bought matching bracelets earlier that day to have another thing to remember each other by. But next summer we are going to meet up again in Michigan to drive to Oregon! Matching tattoos are also in the itinerary. I don't know how I've lived my life without knowing you guys before. With that, I'm signing off.

Good night, friends.

One Week That Went By Way Too Fast

Just finished the first week of my internship! I had planned to go out into the field today with my guide, Yasmani, but it has been storming like no other. The rain starts out as a drizzle, but then quickly turns into a high-pressure washer from the heavens. There is thunder and lightening on and off through the day. It beautiful here no matter the weather, though.

Today is the 4th of July, so me and the other volunteers are going to celebrate appropriately tonight! Happy Independence Day, America. Even the new volunteer from Switzerland, Edward, has the American spirit.

In other news, I got my first tick yesterday. At first I thought it was a scab from my many mosquito bites all over, but then I realized what it was! I'm not sure how it got on the back of my thigh, but I noticed it when I was showering after doing field work. I had to take a picture of the ugly little pest.

I'm sure that I would have already had many more bites (snake, spider, tangarana ant, etc.) if it wasn't for Yasmani. He has already taught me so much about the forest here and the plants and animals inside of it. I've seen a lot of freaky things. Like this spider!

After a long morning spent macheteing through rotten wood and finding beautiful colors like this...  

...we always go to this lime tree, sit on the river bank, and enjoy the view. 

And to put a face to the words, here is my brave leader, Yas. 

I am really enjoying my time here despite waking up every morning scratching my whole body, constantly wearing clothes, and being deprived of chocolate and peanut butter. My spanish has improved a lot, and my card shuffling skills! I can now do the bridge! 

When you guys are enjoying the luxury of a warm shower, please think of me... or maybe not.

Hasta luego,

Auna 

Life In The Jungle

The first thing I should say about life in the jungle is that there is not much internet! I enjoy cutting myself off from society, but sometimes business needs to get taken care of. The internet here is very limited, so my posts may not be so frequent.

I am not quite sure what to talk about next, because so much has happened! The two week program (Tropical Woods and Fungi Who Love Them) has already kicked my ass, grabbed some lunch, and then came back to kick my ass again. It was a very difficult class, mainly because it's a graduate level class, but I have survived! I would not have been able to do it if it wasn't for the other people struggling right next to me. Everyone was always so willing to help each other out whether they were working on something else or not. Thanks Amy, Sonya, Leon, Amanda, and Conner!

 I also have to thank my amazing professor and empathetic TA, Seri, I couldn't have asked for any better professor to take me on this adventure. You are an incredible teacher, and I think me and all of my classmates can agree that we have never learned so much in such a short time before. Sarath, I know deep down inside you love my hugs, despite your cringe. You taught me well,, I know how ID a crap ton of Peruvian hardwoods and I know to always cautiously approach you, so you don't shove me into a tangarana tree.

Anyway, let's get back to life in the jungle! I would have definitely already been dead if it wasn't for my amazing guide, Yasmani. He knows these forests better than anyone could imagine. He has a sharp eye that is perfect for spotting fungi 10 yards away, beautiful birds in the canopy, and any other living organism in a 100 ft. radius.

Some things we do in the jungle include:
-Fishing for piranhas (and Seri catches a huge electric eel)
-Swimming in the same water we just fished in
-Macheteing through rotten wood as far as the eye can see
-Waking up at 5AM to go watch birds on the canopy bridges
-Visiting native communities and supporting their art crafts
-Taking a boat to get to any other place besides the field station
-Taking night walks to see glow worms, fireflies, and other magical creatures
-Much more...

My battery is starting to die, so I'm afraid I must wrap this up.

I am now here on my own, and everyone from Oregon is now gone. I am very comfortable with all of the staff here and feel at home!

Another blog post will be sooner than this last one!

Salutations from the jungle!

Goodbye Lima.. 'Til We Meet Again

Hola! I am sorry I have not been posting that frequently or giving very many updates, but I have been very busy here! A lot has happened since my last post, so let me back up. 

We are now with everyone else for the class which is Sonya, Conner, Leon, Sarath, and Seri. We have been spending our days at the National Agrarian University in the Molina district of Lima, Peru. Their campus was beautiful with a lot of live stock like cows, alpacas, guinea pigs, and more. The university sells a lot of produce, dairy, plants, and other things that are created there. Unfortunately, their well has been out of water for two months, so none of the toilets could flush. I know that it's important to stay hydrated, but I really didn't want to go into the bathrooms. It was such a struggle every time we had to go, because then we had to go find someone with a key! It really wasn't that bad though. 

Everyone at the university was so kind and very welcoming. We did get labeled as the stinky Americans, though. Sarath told us there were some odor complaints about our group, so we had to make sure we were clean! Being smelly is very rude in the Peruvian culture. 

Another big thing in the Peruvian culture is food! They have won the best food out of all countries two years in a row, so I knew this was the place for me! They eat a lot of meat and potatoes, but it has never tasted better. I ate the hind legs of one of the guinea pigs we ordered, but I'm not sure if it compared to their special roasted chicken. I typically don't like cheese sauces, but they have created a magical spicy cheese sauce that goes perfectly on everything. It has been two out of three nights now that wherever we end  up going to dinner we are the only ones in the whike entire restaurant. It could be our smell..

Peruvians are very laid back and flexible with schedules, so I was never really sure what exactly I was going to do once I reached the field station. I will primarily be focusing on searching, mapping., and others for new fungi. So far in the classroom we have learned how to take slides on three different planes of wood and identify them by their microscopic characteristics. Keep in mind that this is a graduate level class, so it can be pretty difficult. Today was spent IDing wood using a hand lens, and about tropical hardwoods. The tropical hardwoods are much different than our temperate coniferous forests. For example, most species have adapted to having more parenchyma inside to be used for defense. I am very grateful that the university and all of the students we met with there we so friendly and helpful. 

I should probably get to bed considering it is almost 2 AM and we have to leave our hotel before 6 AM to fly to Puerto Maldonado. After we arrive in Puerto, then we have an hour long boat ride (the size of a canoe) to the field station. We will have to walk 1k to get there, but it seems difficult when carrying all of our luggage through the forest with us! That is when our rainforest adventure begins! I should have waited till tomorrow to write this, but I can't. There internet access at the NGO Inkaterra Research field station will have very limited internet access, if none at all. This will likely be my last blog post for quite some time now. 

Don't worry, I am keeping a personal journal for my short term memory and family! There are already many hilarious stories to tell later, I mustn't forget! 

I wish you all a warm and happy summer. You will hear from me again, so be on the lookout! Please excuse any bad grammar, spelling, and structure because I am literally falling asleep as I type this. I will be back to Lima after we finish up this trip, so that is exciting! "til my next post, good night.

XOXO Auna

We are here! We are here! We are here!

Well, I'm sure my mom is happy I have made it to Lima safely! The plane rides took forever, and every single one was delayed. I didn't get more than two hours of sleep the whole journey, and when I did it was in some ridiculously uncomfortable position!

It just feels great to be on solid ground and HERE! It's still unbelievable, but now we have already spent our first night in Lima! We arrived late last night, thanks to our very nice Taxi driver (Luis). We are staying at Pariwana Hostel and it is so great! The people here are so nice, and there's a cool rooftop area where everyone was dancing, drinking, and partying.

I met some cool guy from New Zealand that backpacked El Camino de Santiago last year, the first backpacking and international trip I had taken. We went to bed after getting some late night food, because we were exhausted. On our way to get food we had to cross a park that was full of stray cats! We call it Parque de Gato now. haha

Amy and I woke up at 7:30 to get some free bread and butter and to go explore the city! We ran across a cute street market, some cool parks, and then found the ocean!

We have walked back now for Amanda to join us for lunch. She is the other person from OSU that traveled with us. There hasn't been much in the way of culture shock, probably because it is such a big city. Of course, we are near McDonalds', Burger King, and the other crap foods. I really wanted a tamal today from the market, but I only had big bills to pay with. It's been exciting to practice my Spanish, but also stressful!

I'm getting pretty hungry, and frankly I would rather not be on a computer right now. I thought I should just give an update! Hopefully these will get more exciting. Send me messages via Facebook if you'd like to chat or add me on Viber. When I have internet connection (which should be frequent the first week) I will reply! Adios!

Auna

Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos!

Hello everyone!

This will be my blog that I will be using to share stories, experiences, and pictures from my 10 week adventure in Peru. First I will give a little bit of information about myself, Auna Godinez.

I am finishing my second year at Oregon State University majoring in Renewable Materials: Art & Design. I have two minors, Business & Entrepreneurship and Recreation & Resource Management. I was born on the Oregon coast, but grew up in Springfield Oregon. I have two sisters that are my world, Emily and Jamie that are 11 years old and 4 years old. They are a lot of my motivation to keep going, as well as my parents. I love to be outdoors hiking, fishing, and  camping. Cooking is another favorite thing of mine!

This will not be my first experience abroad. During the summer of 2011 I traveled to Europe to visit London, Paris, and Spain. I backpacked El Camino de Santiago from S. France all across N. Spain till I reached the coast (560 miles.) That experience shaped me and taught me so many things I will hold onto forever. I am sad it has taken me this long to arrange my next international adventure!

Even though I am leaving Thursday night to catch my red eye flight to Chicago, I am still figuring out my itinerary. I am going to plan very loosly and do most of my traveling schedules a week or so in advance, but I do have a general idea of what this is all going to look like. I will arrive in Lima  a day or so early to travel. We will be staying there for about a week at the University studying and participating in a class. I will be getting 6 OSU credits for this! Then we will travel to the ITA Inka Terra Association facility in Puerto Maldonado to do field work and research. All together, it is a two week program. I will continue to stay at the research facility for 6 more weeks for an internships. This work will be a lot of searching for new fungi, bird banding, measuring orchids, and community outreach. The next two weeks I will spend traveling around Peru! The for sure thing is my flight itinerary that I will copying to end of this blog.

This blog is mainly for worried family and curious friends, but I hope whoever reaches it will enjoy it. I will probably have a scheduled day for when I post blogs. It will likely be once a week or more often if a lot is happening each day!

Here we go,

Auna Godinez

UA1587		12:24 a.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 Portland, OR (PDX)	6:22 a.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 Chicago, IL (ORD - O'Hare)	Boeing 737-800 Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: 1 No Special Meal Offered.	Flight Time: 3 hr 58 mn
	UA1601		7:32 a.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 Chicago, IL (ORD - O'Hare)	10:42 a.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 New York/Newark, NJ (EWR - Liberty)	Boeing 737-900 Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: 1 No Special Meal Offered.	Flight Time: 2 hr 10 mn
	UA1095		2:10 p.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 New York/Newark, NJ (EWR - Liberty)	9:05 p.m. Fri., Jun. 12, 2015 Lima, Peru (LIM)	Boeing 757-200 Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: None	Flight Time: 7 hr 55 mn
	UA855		12:35 a.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Lima, Peru (LIM)	7:10 a.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)	Boeing 767-300 Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: 1	Flight Time: 6 hr 35 mn
	UA1126		9:00 a.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Houston, TX (IAH - Intercontinental)	10:31 a.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Denver, CO (DEN)	Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: None	Flight Time: 2 hr 31 mn
	UA1962		3:15 p.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Denver, CO (DEN)	4:58 p.m. Mon., Aug. 31, 2015 Portland, OR (PDX)	Boeing 737-900 Fare Class: United Economy (S) Meals: None	Flight Time: 2 hr 43 mn