Final Reflections

I can't believe that it's already been two weeks since I left Ecuador. Everything has been so busy since then.

I actually haven't had reverse culture shock as badly as I feared. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that I simply feel like I'm on vacation and haven't settled into a routine. However, the Houston airport was quite an experience. It was odd to be able to drink from water fountains and not to have to carry my own toilet paper (or buy any). Also, what's this about toilet paper going into the toilet and not the trash? I must say that I was even used to the C on a faucet indicating hot instead of cold. And while I knew that Ecuador's prices were low and airport prices were high, I could not figure out how anyone could charge $5.00 for a smoothie.

The weirdest thing was probably walking into a bookstore in the Houston terminal. I had heard about Sarah Palin's book, so that didn't really surprise me. However, I recognized almost none of the NY Times bestsellers. That was odd. And then, I walked over to the YA section and noticed a new book by Eoin Colfer. Before I even pulled it off the shelf, I realized what it was, but I was still astounded to the final Hitchhikers' Guide book in print. I had read that Colfer was to be the author, since Douglas Adams died before he got around to writing it but had no clue on when it was going to be published. I must admit that I still haven't decided whether I want to read it or leave the "trilogy" only to Adams.

I have noticed a few more changes as I've adjusted back to the US. For one, I shower a lot more here. In Ecuador, I showered about once every three days, partially due to the nature of my program and partially due to Ecuador's drought which is causing power and water cuts. Similarly, washing machines make cleaning clothes much easier, though I know that they waste water. Also, I miss the markets with the fresh fruits and vegetables and ladies in their traditional brightly colored, pleated skirts.

Additionally, there are changes in just the scenery. Since I was within 3 degrees of the equator, the length of the day barely changed between the equinox and solstice. The sun rose about 5:45 each morning and set about 6:15 each night. The regularity made it quite easy to base my internal clock on the sun. Also, Ecuador has one of the highest diversities of birds, so while I enjoyed watching robins today, it wasn't quite the same as seeing multiple species of hummingbirds flitting around.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with my decision to study abroad this term. I saw some incredible orchids, became acclimated to hiking above 3,000 m, practiced Spanish, and learned plenty about alpacas. Though while I enjoyed the term, I did learn that I was right. I'm not really interested in biology. Partly because I really like math, but partly because I feel that conservation biology treats the symptoms and not the causes of climate change and that there is more important work to be done. It was fun to explore the field for one term, but now, as a new year and term begin, I'm ready to turn back to physics.