Las Cruces, pt. 10: El Fin!

Thursday, February 10 was our last day in Las Cruces! It was hard to believe that our time there was already over, especially since two weeks is just long enough to really start feeling settled in. In the morning we had our plant practical, which was basically a test of our ability to identify the 20 plant families we had learned about while we were there. It took about 45 minutes, and then we had free time for most of the day. Our bug identifications were also due that afternoon, but I had finished them a few days before so I had lots of time to do whatever I wanted. I spent the day sitting out on the porches near the dining hall and catching up on some of the assigned readings that I was behind on. I also did some of the next readings in advance so I wouldn't have to worry about homework at Cuerici. It was a really peaceful day and I enjoyed spending some quiet time by myself and appreciating how gorgeous Las Cruces is before we had to leave. Some of my sights from the last day: 

Lots of birds on the deck!

My reader and some tea under the porch during a little rainstorm

We had one final lecture that night, given by a former undergraduate OTS student who's now working on his PhD in Las Cruces. He studies bats and gave us a really interesting lecture about their role in forest regeneration in Costa Rica. Afterward, a few other students and I walked out with him to look for some bats in an abandoned research shack where they nest. We saw a few, but since we were a larger group I think we scared most of them away before we even arrived.The coolest part of the whole thing was hanging out with someone who started out in the same program that we're in now, and seeing the interesting research he's doing now and how much fun he's having.

The rest of the night was spent packing up and getting ready to leave. It was a little sad because Las Cruces was so lovely, but I was definitely excited to explore somewhere new!