You Might Be an Earthwatch Volunteer IF:
... You know what gaiters are, and probably have some...someplace
... You think winter camping sounds like a good idea
... You know where to go if chased by an angry rhinoceros
... You can discourse knowledgeably on DEET percentages in various bug repellents
... Your passport is never out of date
... You get excited by finding moose bones
... You think rice and beans is the food of gods, and you must get the recipe from the camp cook to make at home
... You will gamely try sheep yogurt and warm fermented goat milk
... You can build a good campfire without kerosene or newspaper
... You always think you'll find something amazing when you dig in the dirt
... You would rather be outside in the rain than inside a windowless office
... You have been to the desert on a camel with no name
... You pick up trash you didn't drop
... You can fly for two days straight and still get up at dawn to look for butterflies
... Salespeople at your local outdoor store greet you by name
... You know more than three ways to refer to animal waste
... You don't mind handling bats, and secretly think they are cute
... You can pull leeches off your body and then race them, and hope that yours wins
... You know whether tetanus or yellow fever shots hurt more, and which kind of malaria medicine gives you weird dreams
... When you get back from an expedition, everyone's first question is where you're going next.
More Contributions From People Who've Been There:
... You feel at home in any part of the world. (Someone at Argentina People and Nature Organization)
... You begin to laugh at jokes that only 8 people understand. (Alyssa K.)
... You get excited about taking a cold shower because there's actually water. (Heidi L)
... Just the mention of Earthwatch makes you smile and feel good all over. (Rosemarie M.)
... When an Earthwatch publication arrives in your mail, you drop everything and read it from cover to cover. (Rosemarie M.)
... Your last Earthwatch expedition was 16 years ago, but you still talk about it as if you just got back. (Rosemarie M.)
... You suspend the 3-second rule for food dropped on the ground. (Jeff H.)
... You assume that crocodiles less than a meter long are not a problem. (Jeff K.)
... You dump your vacation clothes on the floor and your dog rolls in them. (Tim P.)
... After 20 years, when someone asks you "what's the best vacation you've ever had," you still promptly respond with the name of your Earthwatch trip. (Laurel R.)
... Your vacation photos frighten most of your friends. (Jeff K.)
... You find language guidebooks useless - all "coffee with milk," no "Run! Climb a tree!" (Jeff K.)
... You are on one expedition and already planning the next one. (Nicole P.)
... Packing everything for a five-week adventure into just carry-on luggage gives you a high. (Nina C.)
... You make a deal with your niece that if she keeps good grades in high school you'll take her on an Earthwatch expedition just so you have an excuse to go on another trip. (Danette B.)
... You vow, after 3 weeks in Olduvai Gorge, never, ever to eat another toasted cheese sandwich. (Frankie Z.)
... People say, "You what?!!" when you tell them how you spent your holiday. (Wanda H.)
... You don't leave your old grimy clothes at your current project because you know you'll need them on your next project. (Mary F.)
... You find being suspended 200 hundred feet above the ground on a metal platform (during an electrical storm) while monitoring the flight patterns of Macaws in the Peruvian Amazon ... exhilarating! (Lisa R.)
To add your own, email info@earthwatch.org