Checking off a new continent

Hi blog friends! I am writing to you all the way from the Peruvian Amazon again. I hope everyone has had a great start to their 2025 year and done many things that bring them happiness! I can’t believe it’s already April, wow! As they say, time flies when you’re having fun haha.

Since returning from Vietnam at the end of January, I rested and tried to get back into a routine and on a normal sleep schedule. It took me like 2 weeks to feel like a normal human being, and I would fall asleep at 3am and wake up around 10am haha. After that I tried to devote as much time to family and friends knowing that I would be heading back to Peru sometime in April. Spending a lot of time seeing my nephew grow up is important and definitely when he is in that ‘babble’ stage learning words. No employer wants to hire you for 3 months to work, so I did some doordash driving and substitute teaching at my mom’s pre-K classroom to fill in the gaps until Peru. I also had a lot of time to reflect on what’s important around me and heal on some areas of my life I needed to focus on. There was a lot of uncertainty when it came to my job and career with all of the federal holds that our government had issued recently. I know a lot of people that are hurting in science and don’t know where things will be going over the next 4 years. It is a very difficult time to be living in the United States with the current administration we have. It makes you think of the people, places, and passions that really make you feel like you belong in this world. So my advice to others would be stick up for yourself and the earth that we live on. Changes don’t happen overnight nor happen alone. Lean into each other and fight for what you believe in.

My time in Vietnam went good! The people are some of the kindest I have ever met and there were a lot of stunning landscapes all around me. We were able to hike into the Annamite mountains and hammock at a small secluded basecamp 6 hours by foot from the closest town. Trekking the rivers every night and day on the search for many species of frog, snakes, and lizards. The program itself was very challenging but created some amazing friendships through it all. I was able to travel with my best friend, meet so many amazing researchers who are so passionate about what they do and what they stand for. This in itself was one of the most valuable lessons that I got from this experience. That tough times create a better version of yourself. You can do it. That you are stronger than you even know. To remember to look around you for your support system and ask for help when you need it. I would love to go back and experience so much more! There are so many cool species to observe in the rainforest there and while my time was short, I made a small video that you can see below.

As you picked up from before, I am back in Peru as of last week and will be here until mid-August. I am doing very similar stuff as I did last year. This year we only have 3 teams which are primates, bats, and medium mammals. There is going to be a lot of RA’s (research assistants) this year so I am both excited and nervous trying to navigate their well-being and support them throughout their 5 weeks here. But now it’s not my first time so I have experience to feel more confident about how I am as a mentor/leader. I know how important it is to have someone you can trust and enjoy being around that is also a good leader. Someone who pushes you but understands what it’s like to be in your own shoes. Those are the kinds of people that I have grown the most from. The RA’s aren’t arriving until the end of May so there is time to organize, bait, clean, and get prepared for the first group to arrive. I have some of my favorite co-workers returning this year and other great friends who live at the station year-round. People who make me laugh, feel loved, and understand how hard it is to be a scientist at a remote field station – all very important things to connect on. These people are not only your co-workers, but they are your best friends and family during your time at the field station.

On another really cool note… the documentary, called “The Americas“, I was a part of back in 2022 through BBC premiered in February. The episode is called “The Amazon” (episode #4) and is a part of a ten part series through NBC narrated by Tom Hanks! I was working with Emperor Tamarins and their twin babies as they grew up and developed their own lives while mom and the family took care of them.

And here are some recent pictures since I have arrived here in Peru, and then to Los Amigos Biological Station in the rainforest:

Being back in nature is such an incredible feeling. The way you lose track of what’s going on around you and just focus in on the ecosystem around you. The plants, the animals, the weather. How you feel when you step outside and just get lost. Where you don’t want to leave. That is feels like heaven on earth. The insert that I have below talks about how we aren’t made for the indoors. We have so much built into us that all comes back to nature and being connected with the world in our own ways. My favorite sunglasses brand, Sunski, wrote this really important email that describes perfectly as why we should be outside as much as possible, and when in times of doubt to turn to what has always been here… nature. Go take some moments outside to yourself and just soak up some sun wherever that might be for you. A phrase that I love to live by is “live a little“. I love it so much that I have it tattooed on me to remind me when I’m feeling down and need some inspiration.

Remember to always keep adventuring and I will talk to you guys soon!

All the best

Luke