Last day of class!

After presentations last night and yet another grilled cheese sandwich with ChaChi´s ¨Mystery Soup,´¨ everyone claimed an oar of their own to sand down. One of the local tribesmen on the reserve is going to paint whatever we like on it.  Sanding takes forever, and you feel like you are not getting anything accomplished. Everyone was pretty tired after this week, but this will be nothing compared to the week to come. 
Today we went back to the same place as yesterday (MET), and a pharmacy professor talked to us. Unfortunately I did not find his lecture very intriguing. He did not explain any mechanisms of action for the plants. Instead, he basically explained how thorough their research is and the variety of tests they run to classify the plants. The lecture got done early, so people are buying some last minute necessities before our big trek down the Amazon.

The entire group

Tonight and tomorrow, we will have a Shaman (the doctor of a local tribe) visit our reserve. She will be explaining her knowledge and use of plants. I think it will be interesting for the group.
We leave by boat early Saturday morning. Half our team will be rowing and half will be taking the motorized ¨peki-peki¨ boat. I assume you all can guess I will be taking the motorized boat. It is a 3 day trek, until our final destination and we will be visiting 3 tribes along the way. It is going to be HOT, with no breaks from the boat. 4 hours the first day, 6-8 hours (depending on the rowers) the next, and another 4 hours the following. We do not go on shore for anything which means if someone needs to use the restroom...it is going to be over the side of the little canoe. Siiick. Thankfully no one has gotten diarrhea yet (which is unheard of). We all hope it stays that way! This journey will last until Friday. This will be the part of the journey where teamwork and patience is key. I will not be back on the internet for the week so don´t be alarmed!