Top Tens

TOP 10 FAVOURITE MOMENTS
1. The Fun Day at the school in Puerto Rico, where we threw wellies, had a tug of war, a multi legged race, water balloons, and a slip 'n' slide - Brilliant!
2. Seeing the parrots at the clay lick in Yasuni - it was incredible
3. Seeing the monkeys at Hector's island
4. Going to Baños and abseiling down the waterfalls with Cat, Kristen and Phil
5. The Superheroes night, and doing stupid challenges and forfeits!
6. Going to the waterhole with Max, Phil and Grant, and having running races and falling over in the sand
7. Seeing the rainbow boa under the staff cabin
8. The Cultural Exchange day, where Cristain's community came over and did a dance for us and i cooked up a banquest for 35 people
9. Going to the waterfall with Max, Bells and Jas and getting covered in clay
10. When Olly said there was a snake in the stream, and me and Max rfeaked out and ran out!



TOP 10 FAVOURITE ANIMALS I'VE SEEN
1. Orange-cheeked parrots
2. Other parrots
3. Rainbow boa
4. Toucans / araçaris
5. Other snakes, including the anaconda (even though it was dead)
6. Woolly monkeys
7. Saki monkeys
8. Agoutis
9. Blunt-headed treesnakes
10. Frogs (various)



TOP 10 FAVOURITE BIRD CALLS (yes I am that sad!)
1. Green oropendola (R2D2 on speed)
2. Russet-backed oropendola (trill-plop)
3. Great potoo (serial killer roar)
4. Bright-rumped attila (orgasm bird)
5. White-throated toucan (incessant yapping that reminded me of my dog barney)
6. Yellow-rumped cacique (R2D2 being conversational)
7. Southern nightingale-wren (mournful scales)
8. Plumbeous pigeon ("suck my balls")
9. Screaming piha (wolf whistler of the tropics)
10. Undulated tinamou (a bit boring but we heard it every day!)



TOP 10 THINGS I LOVED AND WILL MISS
1. Having good friends to hang out with all the time and never feeling lonely
2. Going on trips to places like Hector's and Yasuni
3. Seeing cool animals like parrots, monkeys and snakes
4. Designated Fun Time
5. Doing sound scientific research
6. Playing Yanif / Yaneesh / Ganeshe / Ganic / Garlic...
7. Spanglishing
8. Hammock time
9. Point counts
10. Mist netting - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush


TOP 10 THINGS I HATED AND WON'T MISS
1. Getting bitten by sand flies, bullet ants, other ants, wasps, sweat bees, proboscis flies, ticks, and mosquitoes; feeling itchy from bites
2. Feeling patronised, e.g. being told every day to be careful on the road and watch out for cars!
3. Annoying people being annoying, e.g. singing Disney Songs
4. Walking really fast and feeling knackered
5. Freezing cold showers
6. Porridge being the only breakfast option
7. Eating beans twice a day, every day
8. Having rat(s) living in our room, and I saw it crawling along my bed while I was in it
9. Falling over on crazy terrain
10. Sweating madly on surveys so I had permanent drips from my eyelashes, nose and chin



TOP 10 THINGS I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT ENGLAND
1. Being alone - I haven`t been alone in 6 months
2. Cold weather - I hear it's below 25'C there - brrrrrrrr!!!
3. Christmas shopping in towns heaving with people
4. Being away from nature, animals, and beautiful jungle
5. Going back to work and having to do the things other than teaching like writing reports, parents evenings, admin, progress tutoring, marking... I better not give too much of a list because I'll be back there soon!
6. Forgetting all the stuff I've learnt, like Spanish, survey techniques, and being able to identify loads of species of animal
7. Annoying, ignorant people, like chavs
8. Traffic, rush hour, grim concrete cities where forest was hacked down and paved over a long, long time ago
9. People commenting that I don´t have a tan, as if that is the most important thing in the world, and the only reason to leave England
10. Boredom, and staring at crap TV programmes because there is nothing else to do



TOP 10 THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT ENGLAND
1. Seeing family and friends, especially my nephews Lewis and Joseph, who are too young for me to have been able to keep in touch with
2. Seeing Barney - hope he remembers me and doesn´t bite me!
3. Re-telling everyone stories I´ve already emailed them about, and re-showing them photos they've already seen on Facebook!
4. Eating Cadbury's chocolate, veggie burgers, and junk food
5. Christmas with my family
6. Electricity, including lights!
7. Having warm showers
8. Not having rats living in my bedroom
9. The Great British countryside, with beautiful snowy hills
10. Being able to drink alcohol whenever I want, go out whenever I want, to wherever I want, with whoever I want, whyever I want. (Whyever whould be a word!)


So there you go!