Sunday June 9th 2019 - Day 1
For weeks I have been looking forward to this day, it is the beginning of a three week course at Bamfield Marine Science Center called Research Methods in Coastal Marine Wildlife. The science center provides a truly amazing opportunity for undergraduates to experience field research in a renowned institution. The marine center is also located in a breathtaking location, on the west side of Vancouver Island it is surrounded by pristine marine environment and there is almost no one around for miles.
Despite all this, the remote location does make for quite the journey to get there. For me, the day started in the small port city of Nanaimo on the east side of the island, known for its marinas, island culture, and famous nanaimo bars. From there I was to take a shuttle bus from the ferry terminal to the marine center. The ferry from Vancouver docked at around midday and amongst the monotonous blur of commuters, vacationing families and tourists dressed for the warm weather were a handful of conspicuous Bamfield students. Packed to the nines with huge bulging suitcases, weighed down with smaller bags, and wearing a random assortment of gear they were hard to miss. There had been a daunting packing list that would prepare us to live at the remote center and do field work in all conditions. Slowly we all congregated in a small group at the bus station, and hesitantly began to get to know one another. Many students had funny travel stories which broke the ice and I added mine about walking through LAX in my rain gear (including bright red gumboots) to the entertainment of the other travelers. The bus showed up a little late and was already packed with students from the Victoria and Duke point ferries. We threw our luggage in the back compartment (a.k.a. the dust storm generator as we discovered later) and split up into the few remaining seats.
The drive to Bamfield began as a scenic trip through lush green forests and the bus was full of excited talk and laughter. After we turned onto the logging road however the bus turned into a mixer on wheels with the bus driver taking the potholes/pot-craters at full speed. His little accordion seat hitting the floor with every bump before springing him high into the air. There were many times when another car would round a corner and we would narrowly pass it before speeding ahead through the thick dust that had been kicked up completely obscuring the road ahead. I was mildly terrified. Despite this we arrived safe and sound and collected out luggage (now colourless thanks to the thick coating of dust).
We received our room assignments and I was to room with not one but two girls named Madi (and Maddie) which soon led to me picking up the nickname not-Maddie. We dropped out stuff in our rooms, claimed a bunk bed and headed to dinner. The cafeteria was a highlight of the whole trip. The food was always amazing and the desserts were to die for. Not only that some of the cooks were super funny and would always laugh and joke while you were waiting in line. We got our food and sat out on the back patio which looked over Barkley sound. It was incredibly beautiful, and I couldn't believe this was to be our campus for the next three weeks.
