Chance Brown - Spring 2004
From Murray State College: Chance, Stephanie, Jason, Jennifer, Lindsey, Anna, Tammy, Bruce, Laura
From Mississippi State University: Paul, Matt, David, Amy, Andy, Gelyn, Chris, Kathrine
From Ball State University: Mark
From Emporia State University: Seth, Amy Shaw, Travis, Cliff, Theresa, Areal, Ursula, Daphne, Lesley, Dwight
When we reached San Blas our instructors put us it to working groups. These would be our family while we were in San Blas. We ate, slept, and drank with these people.
· In group A (my group): Me (MSC), Seth Vernon (ESU), Amy Shaw (ESU), Lindsey Hays (MSC), Gelyn Kline (MSU), Monica Vanesa (Mexico), Fernando Soley (Costa Rica), Lugie Cruz (Belize), Eleonor Aizprua (Panama), Ramona Clemente (Mexico), y Bruno
· In group B: Randall Antonio, Georgina Ivonne, Haydelly Quiroz, Pedro Suarez, Veimisol Azucena, Ariel Tatum, Lesley Hayward, Travis Wright, Paul Fernandes, Stephanie Barnett, Jennifer Pope
· In group C: Edith Benitez Luis Garbriel, Victor Hugo, Rodrigo Enrique, Elena Ruiz Prieto, Clifford Davis, Daphne Jones, Amy Wallace, Andy Sanderson, Tammy Carnell, Jason Bement
· In group D: Gregorio Alejo, Darlenis Cedeno, Cristian Cornejo, Cesar Ivan Flores, Eliut Hurtado, Theresa Holderbach, Ursula Davis, David Coleman, Matt Leavell, Ana Delozier, Mark Pryon
Bustamante Canyon, Estado de Nuevo Leon
Villaldama, Estado de Nuevo Leon
San Blas, Estado de Nayarit
Real de Catorce, Estado de San Luis Potosi
· March 15th – 9pm we leave Tish. to meet Kansas in Ardmore drive all night through Texas
· 16th – in the morning we cross the Mexican border, that we reach Bustamante
· 17th – leave Bustamente in the morning, stay day in Villaldama, leave that night for San Blas
· 18th -“I wake up in a town that I don’t know the name of. We are driving across Mexico on our way to the Pacific Coast today we will drive through the mountains.”(From field notes) Reaching San Blas in the afternoon. Start mammals that night.
· 19th – finish mammals start herps
· 20th – finish herps, get the afternoon off
· 21st – study & collect fresh and saltwater fish
· 22nd – study birds, get afternoon off
· 23rd – leave San Blas head for Real
· 24th – reach Real spend day and night
· 25th – leave Real drive back through Villaldama, then drive all day and night
· 26th – reach Oklahoma
At 9pm we leave Tishomingo, OK and head for Ardmore & wait for Kansas. Who was late b/c their van was hit from behind while a student was getting on I-35. After everyone had eaten at the Prairie Kitchen or “prairie chicken” we start our midnight drive to the Mexican border. In the morning we reach and cross in to Mexico, which is easier to get in to then out of. We then drive all day & stay the night in Bustamente Canyon. The next morning we drive into Bustamente and report the things that were stolen in the night. We are then escorted to Villaldama’s police station where we stay the day. At 7pm we start our all night & day drive to San Blas.
We reach San Blas that afternoon and start work that night. After 4 days of the fun work I’ve ever done we say goodbye to more then half our new friends and head out for an all night drive to Real de Catorce were we stay the day and night in Humberto’s very nice hotel the Real. Which is where we ate the best food on the whole trip. In the morning we leave Real & Humberto with a promise to return which I fully intend to keep.
Then we drive to Villaldama to retrieve the stuff that had been stolen. The police had worked quickly and it was all retrieved. After a couple hour layover we start for the border. Reaching it after dark. Having no problems on the Mexican side Murray encounters our first problem on the trip at the American border we are searched. The border guard finds a volcanic rock in the back of our van and we must pull to the side for questioning. The two gentlemen were very nice to us and let us leave with out a complete cavity search. We say good-bye to Mississippi and find a Denny’s for some American food. Then drive the rest of the night back to Oklahoma.
While in San Blas we studied Birds, Mammals, Fish, and Reptiles/amphibians. The following paragraphs give some examples of what I did in each group.
Birds:
on the day my group studied birds we set out the morning into the mountains
in the van. When we stepped out of the van it was like stepping into the set of
Jurassic Park it was really creepy being that the is a bird, the Rufous –
bellied Chachalaca, who’s call sounds a lot like the raptures in the movie
did. They then split us up into smaller groups with an instructor each. My Group
consisted of Fernando our instructor, Amy Shaw, Ramona, and myself. Fernando
taught us how to setup mist nets for birds and how to identify ten birds by
their call. We then went on a hike into the mountains to look at birds.
Mammals: During the night we set up small animal
traps and then caught bats using mist nets. We then measured the bats and
released most of them. Keep 3 to preserve. The next morning we collected the
traps and recorded the numbers and species that we had caught keeping one of
each species to preserve.
Fish:
In the morning we went to the river to collect freshwater fish. Mr. Stewart also
taught us how to take readings of water speed, depth, ph, and oxygen levels.
That afternoon we went in to the ocean with the large san to collect saltwater
fish that is a lot harder to do then most people would think. We collected 3
tubs of fish, and then returned to camp to key them out. I know now how to key
out fish in Spanish.
Herpetology (Reptiles & Amphibians): By far my favorite day. The instructors spoke very little English but somehow we all knew what he was talking about. Especially when he told jokes. On the night trip we walked along the ocean and in to town were we walked in and along the river-collecting specimen. Standing in a river up to my knees in the dark in Mexico is an experience I’ll never forget. When we returned to camp we took measurements of the specimens we caught and keyed them out. In the morning we went back down to the beach where Elizabeth taught use how to caught lizards with a rubber band. We then went back to the river to release what we had caught, and then we walk along the river and into the mountains to catch more reptiles. I caught a blind snake, which escaped the bag before we got back to camp. But we found it the next morning in Ramona’s purse. Boy was she surprised when she found him.
The life and culture in Mexico is truly different then our
own. There are some similarities but the way they handle them is the main
difference. In Real de Catorce you could feel the culture not just see or hear
it. There was a overpowering presence there everyone was happy, and the art was
some of the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. One silver artisan told
us that if we had an idea for something that he could make it for us. I could
help but be happy in this town. I believe that the town itself wouldn’t allow
you to get upset about anything.
The
Experience and The Memories
I will remember this trip and the people I meet while on it for the rest of my life it is defiantly a life altering experience. From the beauty of San Blas to the spirital presence you can feal in Real. I loved the fieldwork. It is also amazing the difference in people the people of Mexico don’t get in a hurry. They don’t get upset when we couldn’t speak to them in Spanish as a lot of Americans do when they don’t understand someone. It’s like a whole other world instead of a different country. It is truly hard to describe in words the entire experience.
Contact me at: cckbrown@brightok.net