We met with Morgan Cottle, Trip Coordinator

    Through email with the coordinator of this wonderful trip Morgan Cottle, all four of us met with her on May 16 at the new Ocean Springs High School.  Robin is the botany teacher there.  Her sweet husband made and brought us dinner that evening.  The meeting lasted about three hours.  Morgan showed us a video of the Eco Classroom at Costa Rica and gave us details on our schedules and exactly what we will be doing while we are there.  We will be extremely busy every day that we are there for the two weeks.  Wake up is at 6 am and bedtime is at 9 pm at the earliest.  All of my friends and co-workers know that I HATE to get up early.  Five days a week are torture for me.  I look forward to Saturdays so I can sleep later.  Can you imagine me getting up at 6 am for 14 days in a row!!!!!  It will be worth it through. 
      The three ladies and myself will not be roughing it during the two weeks as far as residential facilities are concerned.  We will be staying at La Selva Research Facility.  It is a rain forest research facility about three hours from the capital San Jose.  There are dorms and cabins for us to stay for the two weeks.  We will be staying in a cabin that sleeps two people.  I am not sure who my room mate will be among the four of us.  It does not matter because I love everyone in our group. We will have clean running water that is safe to drink.  There is also a laundry mat there so we can wash our clothes.   
     We also got a list of supplies we will need for the trip.  A must are rain boots so we can walk on the wet ground of the rain forest.  It rains a lot in the tropical rain forest but believe it or not we will be there during the raining season.  Yes, there is the dry or drier season, but still rains a lot.  Can you imagine how much rain we will have during the raining season.  Well, I went to Academy Sports and got the cutest black and white rain boots.  I cant wait to wear them.  An umbrella and rain coat are a necessity but it gets extremely hot under the rain coat so I am not sure if I will actually wear one for long periods of time. The average temperature is around 85 degrees year around but with the high precipitation and  humidity it will feel like it is 100 degrees outside.  It is like the summers here on the coast except it does not rain as much here.  
     As most of my friends, coworkers, and family know, I have been a RN for 22 years.  It is a natural almost an unconscious thing for me to focus on the possible diseases like malaria, typhoid fever which is caused by a bacteria in the food and water, in that area.  Naturally I am going to get preventative antibiotics to take before and while I am there.  I am also packing a first aid kit for the four of us just in case we need it.  You never know what is going to happen with the snakes and crocodiles.