where the f*** is the bus
I’ve been in class for five weeks now, and I figured it was time to update everyone on how my master’s program is going!
Since the first semester of the program is designed to get everyone on the same page (a good number of students come into this program without a marine biology background), the classes have mostly felt like review to me so far. It’s been a good refresher of everything I learned during my bachelor’s degree, while also giving me time to settle back into the school and study mindset.
That said, I’ve really been enjoying diving deeper into the ecology and oceanography unique to this region of the world. From the estuary and lagoons surrounding Faro, to the Atlantic Ocean and the broader European continent, it’s been interesting to compare these systems to those that I studied back home. Naturally, my bachelors degree focused on the ecology and biology specific to the Pacific Ocean and ecosystems that are part of Vancouver island, so revisiting these concepts through a new lens has been a great way to expand my knowledge of marine ecosystems on a global scale.
After a month and half of lengthy lectures we finally got out in the field this week to experience the Ria Formosa lagoon hands-on. We used various sampling techniques to observe the biodiversity of fish present in vegetated (eelgrass) and unvegitated (muddy bottom) areas. We also marked (with elastomer tags) some larger species of pipefish. This is a common practice used to mark individuals with a distinct visual tag so that they can be recognized if they are recaptured again during additional sampling.
Aside from pipefish, we also found some juvenile cuttlefish, crabs, and few other fish species (see below!).
We also travelled 2 hours up the west coast of Portugal to Vila nova de milfontes to collect some data on the rocky shoreline. We arrived in the morning during low tide and were lucky enough to spot some amazing invertebrates in the tide pools. In the afternoon we took a boat up the estuary and deployed an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to check the health of seagrasses that were planted by hand two years ago (they were well established and growing). Our boat driver was very knowledgable about the local flora and fauna and took us on a detour to view some resident ospreys and nesting peregrine falcons.
Two common octopuses (Octopus vulgaris) in a tide pool at Vila nova de milfontes. Video by Kailey Ramsing
Aside from the fieldwork, my favourite class this semester has (surprisingly) been statistics. As any modern biologist knows, coding skills are essential, and unless you're one of the rare few who enjoys teaching yourself how to code in R, you've probably struggled with it like I have. After five years of school and over three years of working in research, it feels great to finally be building a solid foundation in R!
On top of that, another important lesson I’m learning this semester is. . . patience.
And just going with the flow.
As you can probably imagine, taking part in a masters program that involves studying, travelling to, and living in a new country every 2-4 months is a bit of a logistical nightmare. There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, and every student follows a different mobility, comes from a different country, and will be studying different topics in different universities. I was forewarned by a friend who graduated from the program this past July that it would be logistically challenging (but highly rewarding). I decided at the beginning to trust the process and try not to get too stressed out by all of the various visa issues, paperwork, and miscommunications that would inevitably occur on top of the all of the other issues and stresses that are common to any student or traveller.
Something I didn’t anticipate, however, was the complete unpredictability of the bus schedule. It’s almost always late, (or is it early?), sometimes just doesn’t show up, or it just drives right by the stop because it’s completely full. If I can get on, it’s often so packed that it’s hard to find a place to hold on (and holding on here is. . . essential). I cant count the amount of times I’ve stumbled into another student, and just last week my friend practically fell right into a guys lap after we slammed on the brakes.
So, I’ve taken to walking the 7 km from my place to campus and bussing back home in the evenings after class. The walk is long and I usually have to leave while it’s still dark outside, but who can complain about walking to campus when your morning view is the sun rising over a lagoon filled with flamingoes?
I’m writing this post as I wait in line at the local migration office to try and figure out how I’m supposed to extend my student visa. The Algarve might be beautiful, but like many other sunny & relaxed areas of the world, bureaucracy is slow!
And through it all, I'm realizing that unpredictability is part of what makes this journey so rewarding. This semester isn’t just about the science — it’s about embracing change, adapting, and finding joy (or humour) in the process.