Final Days at EcoQuest

It wasn't long ago that I first described my new home at EcoQuest. I sit, now, at my favorite spot for computer correspondence, having a few moments to write a few final words from this chair. If you're paying attention, this means I have handed in my final report, which will go to the first 100 lucky people who follow this link (or a week, whichever comes first). Beware: the page size is set for A4 not US Letter!!!

By the time you read this I will be in Auckland at the city's Botanical Gardens presenting our findings to the world, or at least the people who have positively responded to our invitation to attend. It will be my last academic endeavor as an EcoQuest student. Our final moments have already begun, as we sat on the beach with Sally this afternoon, who took us there during our first days here. She asked us to reflect on what we have learned in New Zealand and write a post card to ourselves to be mailed at an undisclosed later date. I am certainly ready to be done with school for a while, not that being at EcoQuest ever really felt like school. I will definitely miss the people I met here, but I am ready to move on with my life and face my next adventure in Ann Arbor, Michigan (summer research and graduation semester). I have done so many things in New Zealand that have changed me forever. I will come back a vegetarian and a spiritual man for starters. I have helped discover a new species of beetle in the Ptilodactylidae family and gotten interested in pseudoscorpians (photos below). I look forward to coming home soon to share my stories and newly acquired thoughts, if you are willing to listen of course. As I mentioned, this is probably my last post for a while, probably not the last one about New Zealand, but most likely the last one while in New Zealand. Thanks for reading and being interested. I hope I have helped flavor the passing of a few bits of time that would have otherwise lapsed meaninglessly. Stayed tuned in for the final chapter of New Zealand between Southland and Auckland with my sister, Fran, and for the telling of future adventures. I anticipate there being many more to come.


P.S. Aren't they the cutest things you've ever seen???