The last few days on the island went by incredibly quickly. A lot of time was dedicated to finishing and rehearsing my final presentation, cleaning up the lab, and packing. I did have the chance to go on a few last hikes (and get startled by a coati one last time). It was an emotional experience to say goodbye to my favorite trails and my favorite spots around the labs and dorms. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was seeing it all for the first time.
Last Friday, we gave our final presentations at STRI's facilities in Panama City. It was really great to be able to hear about everyone's projects! We had a full day of presentations, followed by a last dinner in Panama City. The BCI students all spent the night in Gamboa, since we returned far too late to catch the last boat to the island. It was a good chance to say some last goodbyes to friends there. I had one last chance to wander around Gamboa in the morning, and then it was time to head to the airport. After an adventurous day of travel (featuring a traffic jam/road closure that forced us to go towards a city on the Atlantic side of Panama to get to an airport on the Pacific side, an almost-missed flight thanks to said road closure and traffic jam, two thunderstorms, and four flight delays and three gate changes in Miami) I got back to Philadelphia at 3:30 in the morning. After almost three months away, it was really great to get to see my family again.
It was such an incredible summer- I'll never forget the countless hours I spent in the jungle, the stunning wildlife that I saw, or the amazing people I met. Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey, and thank you for reading this blog!
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