OFF THE BOAT!!!!

We made it back safe and sound (and a little sunburnt..)! After we unloaded all the equipment onto the shuttle boat, all the other science groups just watched while me, my boss, and the workers unpacked everrryyything off the boat. I had to climb back on the shuttle to help the one kid on the boat lift the heavy packages off the edge. Apparently lifting heavy packages is only for the workers because all the other scientists were too good to help - even if that meant they would miss their flight....Now we're back on land and finishing up the inventory and other work we could only do on land, and then I get to catch my flight back to the US TOMORROW!!! yayayyayayayaya Over all this cruise was a great success. We found some pretty cool results, I sang the alphabet to everyone on the boat at an end of cruise party, and I learn a lot about this culture. Definitely would do it again....even if it meant I needed to hang out with the cockroaches for another couple of weeks!

mobile station (cough cough) I mean standard station..

This is probably the last post I'm going to write for this cruise, because it's just too pain in the butt to print out my blog, have the captain read it, and expect my friend to post it. We are currently at a coastal station that the crew calls a mobile station. Apparently we aren't supposed to know we're only here because the crew wants to talk to their family, so the chief scientist (who hasn't even touched a drop of water since we've been here) has claimed we've come to this station to compare a standard to what we are seeing out in the ocean.

We've been working our butts off, but seem to be the only group to be doing so. The other people here my age do maybe half the work, and can't understand why I am working so hard. When the chief scientist made the schedule for when our sampling would take place, everything comes to a halt during breakfast and lunch. They actually plan their work days around the meals, instead of doing the science when it needs to happen....I filter over 50 liters off water in the morning, run samples through our flow through microscope, titrate oxygen samples, and run/extract chlorophyll when I have time. Needless to say, I haven't had a chance to read too many of the books I've downloaded for this cruise.

I didn't realize how much sanity I gain by talking to my friends on gchat, or just being able to send simple e-mails until it is taken away. This cruise is definitely one of the more difficult ones if for that reason only. We get back to land on the 22nd, and I get back to the states on the 25th, so I will be able to catch up with a semi-normal life sometime around then. Ok, enough time spent on the computer...time to go count some cells!

First Research Station

We are on our way to our first research station!! All our equipment is set up and we are ready to do some science (what else do you do on a boat?!). There are many things I've gotten use to over the past week, such as lime juice at 10:30 (really salty and limey that apparently keeps us from getting scurby), tea time at 15:30 (which they bring to our room with some cookies), and the fact that I can't understand what half the people on this ship are talking about (really heavy accents). Also, at any meal where fish and chicken are involved, everyone's face goes into focus mode as they take very small bites and chew very slowly in order to not chew on any fish/chicken bones. It's actually quite funny to watch the people from the U.S. eat, because their face just goes blank in concentration.. We haven't gotten into a normal routine yet, but we are expected to arrive to our station at 0:00 Monday morning (13:30 New England time). If you would like to email me (mom, I know you want to), the email address is master@sagarsampada.amosconnect.com and make the subject ATTN: KELLY KEEBLER ROOM 104. They print out the email and hand it to me once they get it.

I'M ON A BOAT...and it is not pretty!!

We finally got on the boat and it is very different from the ship I was on in Costa Rica. The main and worst difference is the cleanliness - eeewwwww! When there isn't anyone in a room for some time the beetles and ants come out and crawl all over the floor (especially in the mess hall and kitchen). I'd really take a picture of it for you, but I don't want to see it etched into my brain! Besides that small difference, my room is amazing. I'm basically in a hotel room with two beds and a table.

There are three different science groups on this ship, and the other two are only doing 2 different kinds of experiments - we are doing 6. Needless to say, our group worked our a$$e$ off today and we are the first group that is ready to go. The only problem is that the workers on this ship are part of a union, and feel that they haven't had enough time off the ship. So (the reason why I can write this post) we are still on the shore, and will be until they decide they want to start working again. Of course they have brilliant excuses like the air conditioner isn't working (maybe turn it on?) and our engine needs some oil (really?!), but until they feel like they had an adequate break we will stay on shore.....great..