Around the Barrio

The barrio looks ragged.  Tropical greens are overgrown and twisted together, like miniature rainforests in between houses that resemble squat, concrete boxes, barricaded by iron gates.  Some are tattered and run-down with possessions scattered around the front yards, while others are double-stacked boxes, manicured with fresh paint.  Trash lines the sidewalks and Latin music blares from the passing cars, just like back home.  Stray dogs wander the streets and take a rest on the side of the road, looking incredibly dejected.  Meanwhile, nearly every home seems to have resident dogs hurling themselves at the gates and fences to deter passers-by from setting foot on their turf. 

It was about a twenty minute walk to the bakery, where we struggled to order bread and pastries with butchered Spanish and fingers pointed to what we wanted.  The clerks seemed to be slightly amused by this, yet also, perhaps, jaded by the ignorant English speakers in a Hispanic province. 

I neglected to think about exactly how hot and humid Puerto Rico would be.  I was primarily focused on the prospect of whale research and the ocean.  However, a short walk was nearly unbearable, as if it were already the peak of summer, even though it’s still only March.  I also forgot about the bugs down south, but the mosquitoes aren’t nearly as ruthless as those that I’ve encountered in the woods of Vermont.  When I did trail work in Vermont a few years ago, the mosquitoes, assisted by black flies, ate rings around my legs, just above the edges of my wool socks. 

I’m analyzing, on average, a hundred spectrogram frames an hour.  I’m sure that will improve, as I become more confident in identifying sounds, or even just the visuals of the frequencies, instead of spending so much time hoping that sounds will become more recognizable with persistent back-to-back repetition.  I’m finding it challenging to spend the entire day staring at a computer screen, even though I was just doing exactly that at home.  It’s just as exhausting.  I still don’t understand how electronics’ screens drain one of so much energy.  But this is an important cause, a good purpose, and a useful learning experience.