adventures in china

My girlfriend suggested I start a blog while in China this summer. What a good idea! Please, don’t hesitate to comment on anything, it will help me stay sane here.

Below is the abstract of my project, but there are also others I’m working on as a field assistant.

Abstract
Political and socio-economic policies have accelerated the rate of land use change in the frog diversity hotspot Xishuangbanna, China. Little is known about the habitat requirements of the frog species of Xishuangbanna, making it difficult to predict how they will fare against this habitat alteration. Studies of frog habitat requirements, such as breeding habitat, are badly needed here. Frog species that breed in temporary pools of water should favor breeding sites that present a low risk to offspring. Competition presents a threat to tadpoles by reducing their growth. My research will investigate the strength of competition within and between three common tadpole species. I will couple information gained from these experiments with field survey results to determine how the strength of competition within and between tadpole species affects where adults choose to breed.

Hong Kong airport is what US filmmakers in the 1980’s envisioned 2009 to be like. The architecture is curved at grotesque angles, the floors move people around, hideous modern styles on everything and everyone, machines talk to you waiting for you to talk back. And people wear doctor’s masks in public to reduce the risk of getting infected by the swine flu. Or something. I feel like I should wear one since 80% of everyone here is. Perhaps there is some new ultra-infectious SARS going around that I don’t know about, maybe I missed the handout and free doctors masks on the plane ride in while asleep. Or is it just the new HK trend, to wear doctors masks in public? It does look kind of cool. This airport does strange things to you. I’ve had dreams that have taken place here, the ones where you feel sideways and nothing makes sense. I just didn’t realize it until I landed.

What to do with food that you don’t want to eat is a dilemma that faces only a small portion of the human population. I’m fortunate enough to be one of them, but I try to be conscious about what I do with it.

Some people throw undesirable food in a plastic bag with other things and then have a man drive it away from their house in a big truck so it can be buried in the ground. Others give it to the dog, and a few even throw it outside into a big bin so it can eventually be recycled and turned into more food. But, I rarely need to employ any of these tactics for discarding disgusting foods; my roommates are stoners. They have gladly accepted over-frosted M&M brownies, burnt cookies, endless buckets of Thanksgiving stuffing, and even an occasional curry gone wrong.

Two days ago I tested their appetite with a pie – A French silk pie, handmade by Madison-based LMNO-Pies. On my first bite I determined the filling to be sugar, whipped butter, and hot chocolate powder. There was nothing silky about it. The pie filling had a consistency similar to a mix of Crisco and sand, while the taste was like that of Swiss Mix made by a six year old – sweet enough to soar your throat upon reaching your lips. “Perhaps my roommates will enjoy it?” I thought. But as soon as they took their first gritty bite I understood that this just was a really bad pie.

Sometimes I find myself ignoring common sense, doing the opposite of what I know to be responsible. Like buying a bunch of monkey frogs (Phyllomedusa tomopterna) only weeks before going to China for 4 months. They arrived on Tuesday, in a box marked “Live Perishable Tropical Fish”. The FedEx carrier handed me the package sideways, with the red arrow pointing towards her instead of up. The frogs were okay though, slightly jostled, ready to leave their deli cups. When I return in October they won’t look so delicate, but for now these nickel-sized froglets appear frail, walking on angel hair legs. They don’t jump or hop, but creep, cautiously gripping vines with their fingers like miniature drugged lemurs.