Round 1

Tomorrow night I hope to find myself nestled in a little home with my fellow scientists sleeping in the shadow of the Colima Volcano in Mexico. To the locals, it is called Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). I am going with another student I know from BYU, Brandon Barth. We will be working independently on our own projects related to the volcano. Supposedly there are a few other international students already there. I do not know what my research project is yet, nor do I know much of anything about anything, but I am really excited.

I do know that Colima is on the Pacific coast. The beach is less than an hour from our house and it only costs about 15 pesos to catch a bus to the beach. I do know that there is a Starbucks in town with free wi-fi. I do know there is swimming pool close to our laboratories. I do know that a few women offer to wash our clothes for cheap once a week. I do know that Colima is a relatively peaceful place despite the mayhem that has overcome the rest of the country. I do know that the Volcano is a strata volcano and it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It last erupted explosively over 5 years ago and is currently in a lava dome building stage. Lava domes form when the lava is extruded slowly due to high viscosity. They do pose potential dangers and can cause pyroclastic (high-speed hot ash and gas) flows.

I do not know Spanish. I do know Portuguese.