Science and Culture

Hola from Isla Santa Cruz!

Nugget of knowledge for the day – The Galapagos, early in its history, harbored its very own Robinson Crusoe. He was an Irishman by the name of Patrick Watkins. Thought to have been marooned in 1807 on Isla Floreana by his crewmembers, he spent the next two years on the island surviving, growing vegetables, and trading those vegetables to whalers for rum. In 1809, he hijacked a longboat from a whaling ship, and with 5 prisoners, set sail for the Ecuadorian mainland. Only Watkins reached the mainland alive.

A Hard, Digestive Experience

A great new sign for me on the bathroom
door, courtesy of the distinguished
scientist, Dr. Dale Denardo.

I’m sorry for the delay in updating this blog with a new post. For the past two days, I’ve spent more time in a particular room in our cabin than I have in quite some time, from which I am left exhausted, dehydrated, and frustrated. Today is the first day in which my progress in getting through this is actually visible; I’m taking full advantage of it by…staying here at the research center. My contributions to the research will be much more valuable on Wednesday, so I’m taking today off, spending the day doing all I can to rid myself of whatever microscopic invader is ailing me. Trying to look at the brighter side of things, I have had the great pleasure of watching birds, insects, lizards, and more visit my room throughout the day. In particular, I can happily say that worse things have woken me up than a Mockingbird watching me sleep while perched upon my bare foot. 

A sea lion sleeping,
which looks arguably, just like
me over these past few days.

In addition to catching up on my sleep, being confined to the science cabins at the Charles Darwin Fundacion has also allowed me to become more aware of my limited surroundings, which has, consequently, taught me that my surroundings are not as limited as I thought. As field researchers, we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on techniques, time, and potential for conflict as we progress through our project. Sitting here has opened my eyes to the idea that this space is much more than just a bedroom, but is also a temporary space for life that spans across different kingdoms, and I am merely a part of the party – now where did that gecko travel off to?

Navigating Culture is Essential to Navigating Science

Our field assistant, Erik. He goes to school
here and hopes to become a tour guide.
He has been invaluable in the field and with
helping us communicate with the park service.

When a group of scientists travels abroad for research, they may become immersed in a different and sometimes distinctive, new culture. Whether scientists are conducting that research inside or outside of their home country, chances are high that they will experience new people, new ways of thinking, and new ways of being. Time may be different than what they’re used to, as may be the sense of urgency. The food, hospitality, manners, language, customs, and values may be different. The environment, ecosystems, wildlife, plant life, and trends in biotic and abiotic factors may also be different. Even the final location for where you put your used toilet paper may be different! As guests and temporary residents in the Galapagos, we’ve experienced these differences and much more, all while adapting to, and learning about, the culture along the way. Be flexible and willing to compromise – this has been the mantra we’ve learned from the start. Trying to understand scientific relationships is virtually impossible without building relationships with locals and the powers that govern the area. For you as learning scientists and for us as researchers, this is a critical lesson to remember, especially since not everything will always go as smoothly as planned.

Locals – The Good, The Bad, and the Hilarious

Locals in front of a tienda
on Isla Isabela.

In addition to conducting field research, we’ve travelled from many locations on the island of Santa Cruz to different locations on several other islands in search of our field sites. We’ve had to go into local towns to get groceries, eat dinner, explore the countryside, and connect to the Internet. We’ve needed to acquire fresh water, do our laundry, ask, “donde esta el baño?” (a paramount question in any language) and get money to pay for most of the aforementioned. To succeed, we’ve had to speak with many of the locals in Spanish, a language that is not native or fluent to any of us. We’ve had to put a lot of time into learning how to speak Spanish more efficiently, and have all made progress in talking to the locals one-on-one in a language with which we’re not familiar. This is all part of traveling and conducting science in a foreign country!

Relocated field work.
Marine iguanas in our hostel room! 

Although we’ve had mostly positive experiences here, we’ve also had a select few negative experiences with local human and non-human populations. On the whole, most people here have been extraordinarily kind to us. However, while some treat us just as they do the locals, others have made sure to add an extra “tax” onto the price of our food and groceries. While some people have been very willing to pick us up in a cab, others have looked at us and sped off in the other direction. In some restaurants, we’ve been given delicious, filling dinners as cheap as $3.00, yet have also been immediately charged $9.00 for two accidentally broken containers of olives. And just as some people have supported our ability to conduct research, others weren’t fond of allowing us to be seen by tourists or locals, and required us to relocate quickly at the expense of our research. As guests here in the Galapagos, we must push to understand that, at its core, the differences in cultural normality from our own is driving these discrepancies, and we must accept and navigate those differences.

Dr. Susannah French, and one
of the many cabs we've taken
throughout our travels.

Just as certain people have been at odds with their acceptance of us, the local groups of wildlife have done just the same. We’ve interacted with sea lions as they’ve relaxed on the docks and swam in the water – cute and cuddly, they say! – yet, we’ve also met one particular adult male who adamantly chased members of our team across the beach away from his territory (a lesson learned to always have my camera ready…). We’ve had most of the marine iguanas go through the sampling process without any problems, while one may still be laughing with her friends about the chunk of skin she removed from my thumb. We’ve watched beautiful birds flying overhead and fluttering in front of us, while we’ve also narrowly dodged an attempted drive-by pooping by a local lava gull.

All in a day’s…what day is now?...work in field research.

Tiendas

Typical meal on the Galapagos.
Rice, meat (octopus shown here),
and a small selection of veggies. 

When travelling around to different towns, it’s difficult not to think about the United States and all the things we’ve become accustomed to. Each town supports different stores (tiendas), which are roughly the size of one large aisle in any major grocery store. Since the Galapagos is an archipelago 600 miles off the mainland, everything must be shipped in, grown locally, or caught locally; because of this, there isn’t a vast selection of goods from which we can choose. There are no Walmarts, there are no Targets, and there aren’t any malls. The population, however, continues to grow. With the surrounding area designated as a National Park, the increasing population on the islands will eventually conflict with a lack of space designated by the government for people to live. As a result, most of the tiendas we’ve seen look to be small, family owned shops and are no larger than the size of an average school classroom. 

Buenas noches from the Galapagos.

Most stores don’t sell bread, but instead, there is a bread shop for that (panaderia). Most stores don’t sell much fruit or vegetable products; you must head to the frutateria to find a decent selection. If you want seafood, walk no further than the heart of the port (puerto) to find fresh-caught local tuna, whitefish, and more. And if you want a homemade meal with soup (sopa), juice (jugo), meat (carne), and rice (arroz), walk a few paces farther to the kioskos that serve meriendas and cenas (different variations of homemade dinner) at very affordable prices. All these places with all this character seem to be very normal here, and we couldn’t be happier experiencing it. In addition to conducting our research, we are also living here for an extended period of time, and therefore must learn to navigate and acquire necessities and amenities that can sustain us throughout our trip, all in a culture that is vastly different from our own. Field research in a foreign country is an exciting component of science, yet it is still only a portion of the entire experience!

Final Words

I believe that science has a great capacity to change our existence for the better (as it has already done). Yet at the same time, we must be sensitive to other cultures and parts of the world who may value science differently than we do. What we may think is rational in thought, may be intrusive and culturally insensitive to others. For us to be successful patrons of better understanding our world, I believe we should support educational outreach, well-formed arguments and open conversation, as well as critical thinking and radical openness; these are all ingredients that compose great scientists. As learning scientists, challenge yourselves to really think about these points and push yourself to generate meaningful and rich explanations of what makes a good scientist in your eyes.

I hope you're all enjoying the week! As always, keep your insightful comments flowing!