Life in Mexico

Round 2

Yesterday Brandon and I traveled for almost 12 hours. One stop plane ride to Guadalajara. Taxi to Bus Station. Bus to Colima, our final destination. On the bus ride we drove around the enormous volcano which we will be studying and it was degassing a little bit! The volcano is 14,000 ft in elevation. We live with 3 other students; Katharine, Kristina, and Sebastian from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland respectively. Brandon and I share a room, two twin beds and a little bathroom. Brandon is feeling a bit out of place because he has never been outside of the U.S. or Canada. It reminds me a lot of Brazil.

Last night we dropped our bags off, got some dinner at some street cafe. I had a delicious gringa and a horchata. Afterwards, we went ice skating, yes ice skating. Despite the hot and humid weather, Mexicans celebrate the winter holidays along with all the festivities and activities.

Today we started our work and are starting to find our way around town. The other students all leave town this next week. And our advisor is at a conference in Costa Rica until the end of the month...So we have to learn how to run all the equipment, perform all the duties (which are many), learn the city and learn the language in a weeks time. Don't worry though, there is a Wal-Mart.

We do a lot of laboratory work and data analysis for Nick (our advisor). We also go on field trips once a week which usually last 2-5 days on the volcano. The data analysis consists of analyzing seismic data, thermal data, remote sensing data, and image data. There are seismic receivers all over the region and we have a few permanent cameras which take pictures of the volcano every 15 seconds. Once Nick returns we will be assigned a personal project, which I am most excited about.

Round 1

Tomorrow night I hope to find myself nestled in a little home with my fellow scientists sleeping in the shadow of the Colima Volcano in Mexico. To the locals, it is called Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). I am going with another student I know from BYU, Brandon Barth. We will be working independently on our own projects related to the volcano. Supposedly there are a few other international students already there. I do not know what my research project is yet, nor do I know much of anything about anything, but I am really excited.

I do know that Colima is on the Pacific coast. The beach is less than an hour from our house and it only costs about 15 pesos to catch a bus to the beach. I do know that there is a Starbucks in town with free wi-fi. I do know there is swimming pool close to our laboratories. I do know that a few women offer to wash our clothes for cheap once a week. I do know that Colima is a relatively peaceful place despite the mayhem that has overcome the rest of the country. I do know that the Volcano is a strata volcano and it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It last erupted explosively over 5 years ago and is currently in a lava dome building stage. Lava domes form when the lava is extruded slowly due to high viscosity. They do pose potential dangers and can cause pyroclastic (high-speed hot ash and gas) flows.

I do not know Spanish. I do know Portuguese.

SKI

Broken Ankle

Don't try this at home. Or anywhere.

The Jungle

Greg and his wife Heather, Luke and I went to Bryce Canyon National Park this weekend. On our way we stopped and did some rock climbing at a place called "The Jungle" which is located just north of Bryce. We then backpacked into a cool back country spot called Yokima Pass in Bryce Canyon National Park where we spent the night. I had some delicious kroger brand baked beans and some disgusting organic mac and cheese for dinner. It was a fun weekend.

Mountains

I have realized I like everything about mountains. I like what they are made of. I especially like them if they are volcanic. I like hiking them. I like climbing them. I like summiting them. I like camping on them. I like making fires on them. I like what I smell on them. I like learning about them. I like the Planet Earth episode about them. If someone asked me if I was a mountain or beach person, I would say mountain.

Colima, Mexico

I leave in January for Colima, Mexico. I have an internship at the University of Colima, where I will be working on projects related to the volcano that looms over the city. We will be doing a lot of field work and research on the volcano itself. I am kind of excited.

Triple L

Linger-longer-looker. They are everywhere on campus. Today I was the triple L.... I saw a kid with obvious bed head. But he still managed to paste his hair with gel and flip it in the front.

"Epic Road Trip to the Northwest"

The "epic road trip to the Northwest" was referenced briefly in my previous blog entry. The following pictures are highlights of some of the things we did. If you have seen the chair album on facebook, this might not be as satisfying, yet delightful nonetheless.