Yesterday, on Sunday, we finally got to the ValBio research center. The past week has been spent camping out in the woods and staying one night in a village inside of Malagasy homes. The camping trip was in the forest of Maromizaha, and we had the opportunity to take hikes each day in order to observe various species of lemurs and other animals. We pitched tents to sleep in, and our meals were prepared by Malagasy (native to Madagascar) cooks who also slept at our campground. In Madagascar, every meal has rice and vegetables, and meat, chicken, or fish is also included. Some of the students on the trip got sick about halfway through the week of camping, and they left the site to see a doctor over four hours away…I was fortunate enough to avoid whatever it was that affected them, and have been feeling healthy for the duration of the trip so far. All affected students have since recovered and rejoined our group. Now we’ll spend the rest of the trip at the research center except for a 10 day cross-country trip at some point. The landscape is amazing here and I’m excited to get out into the forest and explore!