The Nerves and Excitement Before the Trip!

I am so excited to leave for the trip tomorrow! The thing that I am most excited for is just being out of the country and getting to explore, since I have only been out of the country once. I am also very excited that I get the opportunity to dedicate these next two weeks fully to science, exploring, and learning even more about marine organisms and ecosystems. There are so many other parts of the trip that I am looking forward to as well, such as building friendships with my peers and professors, and experiencing the “summer-camp” feel of the research station.

Although I am very excited for this opportunity, there are a few things that I am still a little nervous about. I have never been on a plane before and neither have my parents, so that has made preparing for the trip a little challenging. Luckily my sister has more experience with planes and airports, so she did her best to explain how they work. Aside from the airport and plane ride, I am also a little nervous just to meet everyone and build connections, although I am excited for that part as well. All my nerves are more of a nervous-excited :).

There are many things that I hope to gain during this trip. The most important thing to me is gaining experience conducting science out in the field. I need to try to get as much out of this trip as I can, and maybe it will help guide me on the right path career-wise. I also hope to gain connections and friendships with students and professors along the way. I hope to learn even more about marine organisms and how they interact with their environment in the Bahamas.

I do expect to face some challenges during this trip. The first will be navigating the airport and plane successfully. Aside from that, one of the main challenges I expect to face is dealing with heat since there is no air conditioning in our dorms. This will just be an adjustment, but it is nothing I can’t handle. Similarly to this, I also expect to face a lot of mosquitoes and other bugs, which could be challenging for me. Luckily, I am bringing a lot of bug repellant that will hopefully keep the bug bites to a minimum. Despite all of the nerves and potential challenges that could come from this trip, I am extremely excited to get started tomorrow!