Colombia - A stressful start and a big box

For my master in biology, I had to do two practical works of three months each.

As I always was very interested in tropical ecosystems, I really wanted to do these works outside from CH, in a region near to the equator.

For my first work, I had the possibility to go to Colombia to study pesticide drift into the environment. I was so exited and full of hopes for a great work.

Well, I can just give you an advice at this point: before you accept a work, always check that the people you'll work with are good people, and not some slave-driver...

In fact, as this was my first practical work of this kind, I had no clue what role a Ph.D-student has. Now I know that a Ph.D-student (and supervisor) should follow his student and not let him do his own work for free. It should be a collaboration, as these small projects the students have to do, are parts of the doctor's research.

However, at that time I really felt like a little slave. I tried to explain to my supervisor that it was far too much work for the small amount of time I had at disposal. But it was impossible to talk to her.

Then, she also had the great idea that I had to transport from Zurich to Colombia a box full of fog collectors. As there were already 3 fog collectors in Colombia, I asked her if they were really necessary, as the box was very big (104x55x60 cm !!) and I was all alone, without a car to transport all that stuff. She said yes.

Fortunately, the guy who made these fog collectors was so kind to give me a ride with his car, so that I could transport the box to my home and my parents finally gave me a ride to the airport.

After some troubles at the check-in because the box was too big to transport it, so that we had to buy a new bag and shrink the box in the airport, I could go in the plane.

18 hours of travelling later, I finally reached Bogotá with my two big hand baggages, a big bag, the new smaller bag and my nice box with the fog collectors.

Now imagine, a girl with all that stuff, trying to put everything on a single luggage trolley, unsuccessfully, and trying to pass unnoticed through the customs.. I think the guys at the customs had pity on me. They wanted to scan the box, but as it was too big to pass thought the scan, they just let me go. I probably was really looking exauhsted! :-)

Fortunately I hadn't to take a bus (all this stuff would never ever had place on the small buses that are circulating there)!  Pablo, a student who had to pick me up at the airport, arrived with his small and already filled car to take me and all my things. It was a tight ride, but this guy gave me the best welcome present in the world: he let me feel at home right away!