Week 3:
Baruch Institute for Marine & Coastal Sciences

June 3, 2013

As I lay on my bed gazing out my window I suddenly realized that the third week had already passed me by. The time has passed more quickly than I had expected; more quickly than I had hoped. The humidity continues to wear on my nerves, and the bugs even more so. I continue to ponder why the human race hasn’t made every effort to eliminate mosquitoes from the planet. I’m also less than fond of the sand-gnats that care nothing for whether or not I sprayed on repellent. As it turns out, I have a fairly severe allergy to horseflies. My right arm almost doubled in size due to the swelling (it actually got a lot worse after the photo below was taken).

I wish, however, to temper my statements with some positivity; aside from environmental factors, everything else is enjoyable here at the coast. I’m kept busy on a daily basis, and the proverbial gatherings ‘round the water-cooler are enjoyable. We work hard during the weekdays, and the weekends have been peaceful. Were I to summarize, I’d say that life here is fulfilling, beneficial, and far from stressful.

At the beginning of this week, Tracy taught me a lot about using Excel; a necessary thing as I started inputting and sorting the data I’ve collected. I’ve used Excel before but never in the depth that I’m having to use it now. When Tracy was showing me some of the complexities of Excel, I had nothing but a deep respect for her. I am truly appreciative of Excel now, as studying the data I’ve collected – and will collect – would otherwise be an incredibly daunting task.

I had a very surreal dream about my time here. In the dream, I was copy-pasting data from one spreadsheet to the other and, suddenly, the computer screen began spouting water as if it held the ocean on the other side. It washed me out of my workspace and into the office and, as I frantically grasped for something to hold on to, I heard Tracy say “Annie, let me know if you need any help.” I promptly woke up. My data has, quite literally, become an ocean. The task can seem insurmountable at times. In addition to the work of collecting data, I continue to use the centrifuge to remove the water from the sample and test for the organic/inorganic ratio and the inauguration of the sediments. At the end of the week I spent a day and a half at Clemson University processing 2.5 sets of data. The particle analyzer, as I mentioned in my last blog, threw some of her tantrums again. The obscuration, which should be 0% before loading a sample, gradually increased to 23%. It’s not so bad, though; I only had to run the rinsing program eight times to return the obscuration to 0%.

There were two other noteworthy events. The first was that on a day that I felt sick and woozy, Tracy sent me back to the cottage and forced me to stay there and rest. Then, around 5 p.m., she and Karen went out and collected my tiles for me. The other thing worth mentioning is that Jan, the head of residence life here at USC, gave me a bunch of clothes from the lost and found that hadn’t been claimed in over a year. Tracy even washed them for me. The kindness of those around me makes my love for this place grow stronger. I absentmindedly muttered “why are people so nice here?” as Tracy and I were heading to Georgetown for our Saturday lunch. She replied: “Well, this world is full of nasty things. If people aren’t nice to each other, then what are we living for?” I smiled. My wish is for that thought to carry on in the hearts of man. Because she’s right; if we don’t love others, then what is life’s purpose?