Hello! and welcome to....Liz's Journal!

This is where I will be documenting all the fun stuff I've done and interesting stuff I've learned during Earthwatch. And of course all the random discussions we've had and stuff like that (though a lot of that is just going to be copied from what Hannah has because she's doing us all the favor of writing it all down for us! Thanks Hannah!)

Okay. so starting from day...-1. You see, it all started the day I got here, which was really the day before I got here, because as far as my body is aware there was no break between the night before and that da since I got precisely zero hours of sleep... (Actually, this will prove to be a very important point to keep in mind as we progress thoughout these next few days, as it is requisite to explain such happenings as my always being asleep and never getiting up on time.)

So... Saturday. Finally started packing, and tried to finish homework during the day. Then after my really fun and really amazing play I was in, which unfortunately included running off between scenes to finish my 3 sculpture projects... and then not finishing anyway (aaah!), oh, and bugging people for help with Chem HW due 3 months ago during the play (how dare I?...cannot accept others being happy while I have to suffer through the pain of finishing old homework assignments that I have left until the last minute. I am such an evil person... why do I insist on ruining other people's lives just because I am dissatisfied with aspects of mine?...)

Anyway, I got home around 11, and worked on my art projecs till 3 and finally finished...a big weight lifted off me.. I feel so liberated...I feel so free - BUT WAIT - oh no, I still didn't finish Chem, extra credit for Chorus, and Calc HWs, as I would later discover ... so my life is still a mess - but - no time to worry about that right now. Time to leave to catch the airplane - a 6 AM flight an hour away - and I'm still not done packing! So, as one could guess, the follong dialogue ensued:

"Dad, where's your reggae book I was going to bring to read?"

"Mom, where did you move all my stuff! You always move my stuff. All you ever do is move things from where I need them to where I cannot find them. Is this your function in life? To take people's stuff away from them so they have to go find it and put it back? Huh? Alittle nonsensical? Move stuff away so it can be moved back?" (Anyway, she actually didn't move any of my stuff really just then and she has actually been being really helpful sending me stuff I forgot and stuff, like my photo ID which I left in the case of the calculator I brought to the SATs a couple of weeks ago, and the homework to finish that I accidentally left at home, so I guess I really shouldn't complain too much. oh and telling me the phone number to cancel my AP grades, whoch I ended up not calling on time anyway because the stupid AP poeple decided to change their hours to some crazy idea like summmer hours?! and be only open till 4 45. And so when I called them Wednesday, the last day to cancel grades, they were already closed. And when I talked to them today they said it was too late to cancel - even though I tried to cancel them the day they said to - they were the ones who changed their hours.)

"Where's the binoculars? Where's my backpack? Where's..."

Anyway, by this time it's day 1, the wee hours of the morning of the day I travelled here. I finally was on my way to the airport, we left around 3:30. On the way the moon was coming up low in the horizon which looked amazing it was really big and bright...just a hint of what I 'd soon be seeng of the sky. Got to the airport at 4:30, checked in and realized I didn't have my photo ID but they were OK with just a birth certificate, and I got on the plane around 5:30.

Flight from Albany to Atlanta: It was really cold on the plane and I was really overtired and it was hard to sleep on the plane, but it was really a good flight. The real reason I didn't sleep was because (yay!) I got a window seat and was enjoying the views from thousands of feet up. I always find being able to look out the airplane so amazing. Ever since we would fly when I was little I was always desperate to get window seat and finally in March on my trip to JA and there was a thunderstorm and cool clouds and an amazing sunset... But anyway, back to this trip. It was really exciting because I was able to look down and follow the Hudson River all the way down to NYC, and then I followed our path along the coast most of the way to GA. (aerial photos) A few hours later we got to Atlanta where I met Juanama, who I immediately learned was this crazily smart person. You see, I hadn't sent in my bio or my picture to earthwatch; all she knew of me was my email address. But she was able to deduce from my email addresss yanksno1alltime and my wearing a Yankees hat who I was!

We boarded the plane to Albuquerque, but we had to wait forever to take off because everything had been backed up due to bad weather earlier. So we taxiid around for awhile. Anyway, here's the scary part: you see, my seat was right above one of the wheels, so I could hear every little working of the wheels. And then this terrible grinding noise started - what did this mean? Would the wheels fall off during takeoff and we wouldn't be able to land? Would the plane be stuck in the air? Were we all going to die? So, as you can see, I was just getting a little nervous - OK, I was freaking out - I mean, what Iif we all were really going to die? I mean. then I would have never been able to come here to Los Alamos and learn great truths like, as Chad said "I believe that life is inanimate." So anyway, then I got thinking, and I decided..."aah, I'm too young to die..." so I decided I must inform someone of this imminent danger hazard (in the later words of Chad). But fate had placed me in a lose-lose situation - that is, there was no one around me I could alert! The woman next to me was asleep, as were everyone else nearby. Finally I noticed a man behind me who was awake! (thank God) so I turned around and hissed to him "What's that noise?" Only after I had made my move did I realize it was a mistake. He immediately lifted his gun (I thought those weren't allowed on planes...ooh, a security breach!) for bothering him and shot me! So I ended up dying enyway! And after all that! No, seriously, though. When I looked at him I could tell his weak reply ("I dunno") as he shook his heaand somewhat forced smile holding his toddler in his arms were a reflection of the fact that his only thoughts at the moment had really been falling in "please fall asleep, please fall asleep, please fall asleep...". You know, that feeling that if only you could accomplish this one feat, if only this one thing you were deperately praying for worked out, your life would be complete. Everything was perfevt. All was good. You were happy, you were satisfied, you were fufillesd. Anyway, I felt really sorry for bothering him because I completely understood with that "I'm exhausted" feeling trying to rock a baby off to sleep after hours of effort. I've ecperianced it with my now 31/2-year-old brother. It's that tired new parent look. So anyway, as I said, I was sorry I had bothered him. After that, with all possibilities (of someone to ask about the terrifying grinding) exhausted, I resorted to once again looking out the window, and soon we took off - without any wheels falling off (...relief!). The land was really interesting as we approaches NM, there were more jagged mountains and desert-type areas. (aerial photos) But mostly I tried to sleep, though. It wasn't like I could really identify landmarks like I could on my previous flight, and I was really ready to give in to my body's never-ending plea for sleep.

The explanation of the weird sound: At the end of the flight I was passing by the pilot so I decided to at least stop and ask about the sound that had been terrifying me. It ended up that it had a simple explanation and there had been nothing to worry about. It was simply the result of the absence of the use of one of the engines, since during our long period of taxiing only one was required. A different part of the other engine had to kick in though, creating the apparent grinding noise.

We arrived at the airport. Jaunama and I got off tha plane, wondered where to go, found bathrooms in the meantime, wondered where to go again. Saw the sign for where baggage claim was, headed that way. Were met by a large group of people holding signs labelled Earthwatch and signs with our names on it. Flurried around us, took pictures of us - a little overwhelming after being asleep about five seconds before, but that's ok. We were the last to arrive, except for Hannah, whose plane had been delayed. We got our luggage, I worried about my pineapples spoiling - I brought a whole bag just filled with food so I could continue to live off a completely organic diet (see my page of explanations of organics and what that is and how I've come to decide on a purely organic (at least I try...as much as I can) lifestyle) - went outside, took a group photo at the airport.

So we were soon introduced to ...the van. You see, well, I mean, there was nothing really sgnificant about the van, except that upon being introduced to it it brought up the fond - or not so fond (j/k) - memory of the van back at WDS. I could go on forever about it...it was probably one of the dirtiest, most digusting spaces I've ever been forced to spend time in...we found a half-eaten hamburger in it that had been sitting there rotting since the year before! Oh, such fond memories of our times back at WDS...

We drove to and ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant, La Placita.

We took the van to a nearby shopping/tourist? area. The parking lot had funny slot things to put the money in instead of a regular parking meter, which we apparently got a kick out of. We followed around a couple of buildings - New Mexico style design and New Mexico climate, by the way, so just getting my first taste of a somewhat distant area and culture - and passed some street vendors selling jewelry and stuff and arrived at the restaurant La Placita, Spanish for "little place" to have lunch.

Lunch was good, we were all just meeting each other. We talked just about basic stuff like differences in where we came from like our schools APs andmusic theory, musical instruments we played, um, a bunch of that kind of stuff, don't remember exactly. Basically, though, it was just our first chance to get to talk to and get to know each other, on the way in the van and at the retaurant. I felt like I was tired, everybody was loud and talkative but not necessarily about much? Cracking jokes, teasing each other loudly like things like Juanama making a big deal abt "Georgia" and stuff like that. Early conversations often seemed somewhat rushed and, I don't know, beside hte point? Not like regular conversations, just loudness and stuff. So I was a little turned off, also b/c I was really tired b/c of no sleep, and b/c it was somewhat difficult to adjust to a new grp of ppl when I had just left home and was missing people there. But I was still having fun and despite what just felt like loudness and overbearingness everyone still seemed really cool. At lunch people at the table I was at were...

Galen, his wife Susan, his daughter Ellie

Galen seems really nice right off the bat, also really friendly, but not overbearing in any way. Susan and Ellie are also both really nice. Ellie is very friendly/outgoing, great laugh, really nice. She and a bunch of us get into a talk abt music theory exam, her chorus teacher who is really great and teached them a lot about music; other APs, I learn she sings and acts, and others who do music / acting. I find out that Ned acts, which will continue to show as a major part of him throughout our 2 weeks...SEE QUOTES as they come up...he's really funny, everyone is really funny and interesting and nice, more after a few days on everyone...we'll see w/ quotes from them and all the funny stuff they've said etc.

Anyway, then Hannah came in! Yay! I felt like she brought in a really positive energy w/ her...excited and friendly and she seems really nice, too.

After lunch we drove towards Los Alamos.

After -.we're done eating, back in the van and on our way out of Albuquerque...During our drive we observe the landcape?/terrain?...okay, not sure what word...anyway, it's really different, so as of my first day, my first impression, never experienced before, it's feeling like stepping into another world? I asked a couple of questions abt the landscape, asked things like what trees they were . actually soe reminded me a litle of JA, the drier parts, of course, near Mandeville. Definitely had that same experience there of newness too, like stepping into a completely different word - b/t the climate nad the culture/way people were, it was really really amazingly different, a whole different/new life....

Otherwise, during the ride, mostly just little comments on things out the window or something that popped into my mind, that kind of thing.

Stopped at Soda Dam

The ride was pretty long, at least an hour or so. Then we stopped. Soda Dam. It is a little spot, has a river and hot springs. Climbing, the cave w/ springs; across the road the hot spring was really hot , also cool colors; Ellie, Frank and Derek? did some climbing on the other side of the road; everyone took lots of pictures, except those of us, like me, sans cameras.

On to Fenton Hill.

Stopped at a little store at the corner of the road up to Fenton hill to get us some water. Then continued up the road to Fenton Hill. Got to see Fenton Hill, th obsevatory, andall the telescopes and stuff up there in the daylight; they said in past years the students never really saw the place except at night and didn't realize what it looked like during the day until the end. We were introduced to the building, to the many telescopes, and walked up to Milagro, a big pool filled w/ water to detect cosmic rays - this will soon become a major theme - detecting electromagnetic radiation not only in the visible light portion, as in optical telescopes, but all along the electromagnetic spectrum. Walking up there, I finally felt like I saw some green! otherwise everything had been seeming pretty brown and gray...really dry, almost desert. But htere were ...what kind) of trees, shimmering in the breeze. Felt nice. I was really exhausted the whole time though, from not sleeping nad the trip, so although it was nice to go see stuff, it was like and endurance test all too much, and hard to pay attention/focus on what we were being taught b/c of the persistant thought repeatedly popping into my brain ..."I want sleep!"

Finally, ready to go. We went back down the mountain finally, to the hotel. collapse. everyone else went out to get pizza or something but I opted out in favor of sleep, and no regrets for that. I wouldn't have eaten there anyway due to my whole vegetarian/organic thing. I really needed that sleep and am glad I got it b/c I haven't really had very much time since I've been here when I haven't wished that I couldn't just have a little more sleep...Clled my parents to say I got here. Went to bed.