Ironically, my eyes were glued to the shoulder-high branches for unusually bright-green coils that strike in a blur from above. “Holy crap Hannah, watch out!!”, Jess yelled from behind me, as I was unknowingly planting my foot on the tail of a juvenile hognose viper. An enraged streak of black and brown slammed into my calf then bounced off and was gone. “Glad you decided to wear those rubber boots now, aren’t you”, Luis said nonchalantly. Luis was our rainforest expert from La Selva, a Costa Rican biological station. The remainder of our time in Costa Rica was thrilling. Jess and I hiked the active volcano, Areal, and got close enough to her lava flow to feel sudden sweat drench our bodies. Before leaving for the coast we cleaned ourselves in her natural hot springs. After a six-hour boat ride with crocodiles at our sides we reached Tourtugero, a small island off the east coast. The islanders welcomed us with a game of football followed by a campfire. Buddy, the village sage, told us tales of leopards that used to roam the island and attack pregnant women. When we asked about a bathroom we were instructed to journey down the main trail in search of a home that had toilet paper. We still tell friends about the unusual hospitality of the Tourtugeran islanders. Our fondest memories in traveling are talking with and getting to know interesting people. While in the countryside of La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, we drank coffee that came from the fields behind an old bachelor’s home and ate juicy chinola (passion fruit) cut from his vines. A family of Haitians gave us handfuls of thick, wet sugarcane to chew on while they complained about the economic corruption of the voodoo doctor. The kindness of the Dominicans made us feel integrated into their culture. Jess and I have been best friends since first grade. We share two passions in life; traveling, and meeting new people. We’re itching to experience the Australian people and environment. We’re biology majors, so the reefs and rainforests are especially interesting to us. We’ll be armed with open minds and impeccable memories in order to record our experiences and captivate all our friends with stories from Oz. I’m sure everyone we know will be begging us to take them. We are the perfect pair of students for Connections to send to Australia! Pura Vida!