A Life Worth Living

      We have lived in Maryland for over a month now and I must say it is beginning to feel alot more like home! I have been doing research for 3 weeks, that means over 40 hours of primate behavior observations! My day at the zoo starts at 7:00 am and goes until 3:30 pm, everyday I do 3, 90 minute observations after 3 meals are fed. At 7:00 am my first 90 minute session begins while the gorillas are fed 100% of their chow . For those of you who don't know, Primate Chow is equivalent to a power bar for the apes, its a starchy dose of vitamins and other elements that a primate's body requires. All of their chow is being fed before any other meal items, in order to isolate this item and see if trends in regurgitation show anything significant.
        Other studies have shown that starchy foods, along with sweet foods have increased regurgitation but no one has offered a solution for how to fix this, other than an unrealistic all greens diet that all zoos aside from the North Carolina zoo have abandoned since initiating the diet change. Our focus is to not only isolate and define regurgitation factors, but to offer a solution to zoos across the U.S. so they may alter their diet in a more realistic manner. This project will most likely not be completed at the end of my 6 months here, but we will be that much closer to having a solution and that makes me very proud, excited, and passionate about the work that I am doing.

Furthermore, I recently took a "reliability observation test" with the Orangutans where I observed the most subtle regurger, a 39 year old female named Lucy- I passed and have gotten started with baseline data collection with the Orangutans this week as well!
             On a different note I am done training and now serving tables at Olive Garden. I am making great money and really enjoy this job because it is challenging, fast paced and allows me to go out of my way to meet, connect, and give love to strangers. Andrew got a job as well! He is training currently for a managing position at Pizza Hut, so proud of him- his hard work of relentless job searching resulted in a position better than we could have imagined.
             So between 3 days of research and 4 days of waiting tables my weeks are booked. I thankfully have one day off a week (Wednesdays...today hehe) and have found ways to do things I love. I have joined a church which I look forward all week to attending, they even have a group called "Creature Connections" that I am joining, it is focused on animal's rights and making a voice for those who do not have one. Tonight I am attending a group meditation that they have arranged, I am so thankful for this way to connect with myself, God and others in my community. Have a great month of June you all, stay cool and get yourself out to somewhere beautiful :)

Meet Kibibi aka Bebes was born at the Zoo on January 10, 2009. This little lady always finds a way to make me smile as she is the youngest and smallest member of the gorilla group aka she is the goofiest, most rambunctious and the biggest pest to the adults. Her name means “little lady” in Swahili. She loves to climb and play and spend time with her brother Kojo.