Service Visit Report: Thomas, Peter, and Samantha

Thomas, Peter and Samantha are all working in the community of Laguna de Apoyo, Thomas and Peter at a biological research/preservation station, and Sam at an elementary school. Thomas and Peter report that they have done “lots of bird netting, which involves setting up the nets, untangling the birds when they fly into the nets, and then identifying them and writing down data about each bird (i.e. What do they weigh, are they molting, how old they are, what sex they are, etc.).” They have also helped with other projects, such as “planting trees for reforestation, identifying butterflies and moths, and building birdhouses.”

At the elementary school, Sam says, “I visit each class (10 different classes) once a week for 45 minutes to teach them English. That means I might have 5th graders, 3rd graders and preschoolers all in one day! All of the classes started at level one English, because in this school they normally don’t start English classes until secondary (high school). Almost all of the students have been enthusiastic about learning English, which has been great. I also have some time during the morning to hang out with the kids between classes — always a fun time.” She has Fridays off as well as a week in July when all schools in the country are on vacation. During this time she has been helping Thomas and Peter at the Research Station, where she is identifying butterflies and repainting signs.

Note: Thomas, Peter and Sam have e-mailed us a number of photos of their work, which we are posting here in addition to the “official” photos we took while visiting them. Enjoy!