Katie, Hallie and I are concluding our second week in China; and the differences from life in the western world are vast and fascinating. With very limited language skills, the three of us have navigated the large City of Chengdu rather successfully. We found our way from the bustling airport, to our lovely AirB&B, with only minimal missteps. Negotiated with taxis for rides to and from the city center; and even managed to eat several meals in various restaurants and cafes. Fortunately, the three of us welcome adventure…so eating strange new foods and communicating with hand gestures, has been a thrilling challenge.

Adjusting to the time change and recovering from jetlag has come easier to some of us than others. But arriving in our new ‘home away from home’ has eased the transition considerably. Unpacking and moving into our bedrooms at the apartment in Ya’an, has created a sense of belonging. We have had the pleasure of meeting friends and acquaintances of Meghan, Nate and previous interns. We are learning the way around our new neighborhood and in general, we are all beginning to adapt to our new lives here. The Chinese people have been nothing but warm and helpful, throughout all our struggles with communication. Needless to say, we are working hard to pick up basic mandarin as quickly as we can! Arriving at the panda base at Bifengxia has been a highlight for all of us. We spent our first day touring around various enclosures, familiarizing ourselves with specific bears, meeting the staff and learning the ropes of our research tools. We got broken in to our animal behavior app at the breeding center, where breeding bears are housed away from public display areas. We have already begun collecting Maternal Care and Stereotype data on several bears, collecting bear fecal samples and learning to run the offices’ Lyophilizer (freeze drying our fecal samples for hormone analysis). Our work is incredibly stimulating, and I know we all look forward to the contributions we will be able to make to this amazing project. The conservation of Giant Pandas begins with understanding them; and that is a trail that we are all too ready and willing to help blaze!

______________________________________________________________

Katelin Van Raden, our fall giant panda intern, will be in China until November, studying giant panda behaviors. She would enjoy hearing from you if you have any questions. PDXWildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. As such, all donations are 100% tax-deductible.