Getting Acquainted

Flashback to...April 2010

The other interns seem friendly and enthusiastic about being here with other young biologists.  We have been getting along well so far.  Most of them are Irish and British, and another woman is from Vancouver, Canada.  With this cultural exposure, I’m expecting to come home with a bit of an accent as well as some new terminology.  Apparently, not everyone is staying for the entire season, as some will be starting jobs and Master’s programs in the fall.  I’m wondering if I will end up having the place to myself for the last month or so.  Yet, we are still waiting on six more people to arrive, so that may not happen. 

There are seven sites on the island that will be surveyed monthly, and over one hundred annual sites, located Sherkin, on other islands, and along the coast of County Cork.  All of the work needs to be coordinated with the tides because we will be able to see the most shore and the greatest biodiversity at the lowest tides, which happen near the end of every month.  The tides are affected by the pull of the sun and the moon and the best alignment for the greatest pull happens after the full moon, and to a lesser extent, the new moon. 

I think it’s getting late now.  I’ve been using my alarm clock to check the time occasionally, but mostly I just ignore the concept of time.  At the moment, it’s rather irrelevant.