So I wish I could regale you all with amazing stories of the forest.  However, the last week and a half have involved me doing this experiment and then literally sitting in the classroom typing this paper, which by itself involved four straight days of labor.  Here is a copy of my paper, because I know you all have just been dying to read it.  Or not, but it did take a lot of work so here it is world!  ip-draft-2

    In other news, I believe that I have a bot fly.  Which are things that in America, horses get.  The description is delightful:  these flies lay an egg under skin.  It hatches and eats your blood or something; when it gets hungry, it flaps these wings and scratches the inside of your skin which makes you bleed.  This scratching, by the way, stings.  The stinging in my arm is why I am suspecting a bot fly invasion.  
I know mom, you definitely warned me.  To get it out, you can duct tape either a cap of vaseline or a piece of meat over the bite and the fly will come out.  Or of course you can let it fully develop and it will burst out naturally, but those things can get to to a half inch long and I do not approve of allowing something that large to eat its way out of my arm.  

    I’m in San Jose now!  We had oral placement exams for Spanish school, and mine was less articulate than Sarah Palin during a Katie Couric interview.  I’m nervous to meet my host family, especially since communication is going to be touch and go.  Wish me luck.
I don’t know if my host fam has internet, but the school does so I’ll be in contact.

A shout out to all my 3rd grades watching this for extra credit!