Lately, I’ve been spending all my time doing botanical field work in the rainforest. We leave at 8:30am and we usually get back to the centre around 6pm. It’s a full day, and it’s exhausting. During my brief time in the Mabi, I’ve: (1) gotten stung by a stinging tree of death, (2) had my hands, face, and any other exposed body part torn apart by wait-a-whiles, (3) rolled my ankle on a rock, causing me to fall on a rotting log and hit my head on another rock, and, most recently, (4) developed an intense case of scrub itch (that would be scabbies).
Sounds wonderful, right? I bet you’re wishing you could hop on a plane right now and begin your own Mabi field work. But really, I kind of love it. Every time I start thinking “What in the HELL am I doing here?” I try to think about the fact that here I am, walking through the most beautiful forests, seeing flora and fauna that most people will never get to experience. I mean, how often do you get to take a picture of a Boyd’s Forest Dragon that’s right in your face? And then have it jump on you and climb up you because it thinks you’re a tree? Probably not very often. And yet that’s just what I experienced yesterday:
I’m constantly amazed by your ability to power through stuff that would send most of us packing. You truly understand the ‘once in a lifetime’ aspect of where you are and what you’re doing.
One word…amazible.
Dad
I LOVE your sense of humor! That must have been some experience to have one of those things climb up you like you are a tree!