2. Rainforest Survival Journals Paige Cianciolo & Tatum Marino

3. Paige’s Entry 1 Day 1 As we descended to the wet ground of New Guinea, I noticed how hot and stuffy it was in the helicopter. We looked out over the edge of the opened helicopter door, and saw an amazing sight. Some things I noticed were Nile Crocodiles, a Doria’s Tree Kangaroo, and an Aye Aye, which is really amazing because they are endangered. Then, I leaned too far and fell out! I accidently tripped Tatum, as she fell, she hit her knee on the emergency box, and me, Tatum, and it were plummeting down to earth from about 20 ft. We landed on the cold, hard, but wet ground of New Guinea and as I whimpered in pain, I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”

4. Tatum’s Entry 1 day 1 I just got off the helicopter and acquired a few bruises along the way. Mrs. Dudek waved goodbye as the helicopter lifted off the ground. Paige had spotted a Katydid, and we followed it in search of a camp spot. Paige and I were starving. We finally found the perfect spot for camp. I couldn’t keep track of time, so I don’t know how long it took. We found a nice open area and a river was close by. We figured we could catch some fish for food. I spotted an animal print in the mud. I thought the tracks were from a Bearded Pig, but Paige reminded me it was extinct. Then I heard a bird squawking. I thought it was an ant bird, so Paige and I looked down to see if we spotted a bird eating ants but there, crawling across the bottom of a Rattan Palm was army ants. I backed up into a tree with a katydid on it and it bolted off. Paige found a banana tree and we each ate one and gathered a few for later. It started getting late, so we made a shelter with large sticks and our rain ponchos. We crawled under the shelter and laid down in a pile of leaves that we collected earlier. It was the perfect temperature, 76 degrees. As I lie there, getting very sleepy, I could hear the rustling of branches probably caused by a sugar glider. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

5. Paige’s Entry 2 Day 2 We; Tatum and I, were so tired. We have been walking for 3 hours. When we found a Giant Rafflesia Flower, that was huge and bright pink, we sat down, BIG MISTAKE! “Awww!” We held our noses and ran away to find our camp. When we came to the messy, wet camp, we literally, JUMPED into our makeshift tent made of a rain poncho, sticks and moss we found on a dirty rock. We giggled at the thought of the stinky flower. Tatum wished she could bring one back to Connecticut and put it under her brother’s pillow. I started feeling rather sleepy, I yawned, then Tatum, then me again. This yawning is quite contagious. Then we fell asleep in a wink of an eye. TIP TIME WITH PAIGE Giant Rafflesia’s smell like rotten meat.

6. Tatum’s Day- 2 Entry 2 It’s early morning, and Paige was lying on the extra rain poncho and a log. I decided to build a fire. I got dry pine needle-like twigs and wood to start the fire. I used a piece of flint that my brother gave to me before I left. I struck the spark side with a rock. When the fire caught on I started blowing on it gently. But shortly afterwards it started pouring! Even though it always rains here, it was horrible. I couldn’t move Paige so I just tried to cover her with the poncho...

7. Paige’s Entry 3 Day 3 Tatum and I were starving so we decided to go looking for food. First we made a spear from a stick. We sharpened one end of the stick by rubbing it against a pointed rock. After we finished our spear, we found, A Tropical Pitcher Plant! We haven’t drank for what seemed like forever! We chopped at the stem of the plant with our spear. The scent of them attracts insects so after we pulled the bugs out of the bottom, we boiled the water on a fire that we made from dead Liana branches and Giant Coconut Leaves. After it cooled we FINALLY got to drink it!!!!! It tasted so good knowing we haven’t drank anything since who knows when! Later in the day we fried bananas for dinner. We cut them out of a Banana Tree, placed a stick through the skin and held them out over the flames of our fire. Roasted bananas, what a GREAT rainforest dinner.

8. Tatum’s entry 3 day 3 This morning our fire went out so we collected the pine needle -like twigs, dead grass, and got out our Swiss army knife that had flint in it. I accidently sparked Paige with it though, and now she’s crowding our “tent.” The fire is still blazing but the fish we got from the stream, aren’t cooking. I left Paige at camp while I looked for more wood. I spotted Stink Horn Fungi that looked like plastic six pack soda can holders. I smelled it! It reeked of rotten garbage! GROSS! I got back to camp, and on my way, I spotted a Postman Butterfly and a shield bug. And the butterfly landed on my wood. I hurried back to make sure Paige didn’t do too much, and she did. She ate some fish and left mine burning. I worked so hard on it and she let mine burn. That’s the last time I leave her alone with our food. The rest of the day we just hung around our campsite munching on bananas. Paige kept trying to talk to me but I really wasn’t interested. I was still mad at her for burning what would have been, delicious fish. I passed the time thinking about going home, sleeping in my bed, and eating pasta at my family’s restaurant.

9. Paige’s Entry 4 Day 4 For breakfast today, we stole some bananas from a Howler Monkey while he was resting. So he shattered our eardrums! I learned how a Howler Monkey got it’s name! Bananas were good because we hadn’t had food for hours! We began to fry them on the fire we made from Lianas and coconut leaves, but then it started pouring rain. We lied down with our mouths opened to catch all the water we could. The raindrops tasted like a bottle of spring water, amazingly refreshing after feeling parched the last few hours.

10. Tatum’s Entry 4 Day 4 Today all we had left was Passion Fruit and Taro. Paige and I started to climb a tree, and we met a Vine snake. It scared Paige and she screamed and it bit her. She thought it was poisonous and used all of the anti-venin. (After she fell out of the tree!) I helped Paige back to camp. She cried the whole way back. I felt so bad for her, the bite was beginning to swell. She finally fell asleep so I set off to find a sturdy leaf to use to hold water. I went down to the river and scooped water into it. I walked quickly back to camp without spilling a single drop of water. I poured it on Paige’s bite, and on her head to cool her off. And then I fell asleep, soon after I was awoken by Paige screaming! I thought she was in pain from the snake bite but actually she was frightened of the colorful Macaw walking next to her. The only good thing was that it laid an egg so we had a scrumptious breakfast. The bird never returned for its egg either!

11. Paige’s Entry 5 Day 5 Tatum needed to go to the bathroom, so we left camp and found a strangler fig, and she went behind it. While I was waiting a Flying Gecko startled me by leaping through the air past my head. We headed back to camp and when we arrived there was a baby three- toed sloth hanging from a clothes rack I made from sticks and vine. As we carried the baby sloth to a Kapok tree, it reached out a three- clawed hand and made a HUGE gash on my arm! But not before it screeched, “AHEEEEEEEEE!” We set down the sloth and ran back to the wet camp. Tatum then threw the lid of the emergency box and started to anxiously wrap my arm in gauze. I sucked up some blood hopping It would go back into my body, but it was too late, I fainted.

12. Tatum’s Entry 5 Day 5 It’s early morning and Paige got injured by a 3 clawed sloth that we spotted from Paige’s make- shift clothes drying rack. With its 3 claws it gashed into Paige’s shoulder. We rushed to the emergency kit, without the sloth. I grabbed the disinfectant and gauze. But I was to late, Paige fainted. I wrapped the gauze around the wound while Paige slept on the ground. I decided to build a fire with dry pine needle like twigs, and our flint from the Swiss army knife.

13. Paige’s Entry 6 Day 5 afternoon Our stomach’s felt emptier than mars, we hungrier than a grizzly bear in hibernation, our stomachs groaned louder than a Howler Monkey can screech! We were sharing a passion fruit that we found next to a banana tree… weird, huh? The weather had to be around 97 degrees, and we had sweat literally Dripping down our faces. We were spotting cool animals like, an Iguana, Toco Toucan, Emperor Tamarin. Even a Philippine’s monkey eater Eagle carrying of a Marmoset Monkey, witch was the size of a squirrel. We heard a buzz noise and the noise of chopping branches. A cool gust of wind hit us and it felt SO amazing! We looked up and saw a HELICOPTER! We were relived. “DOWN HERE!” I shouted and Tatum shushed me. We watched the beloved helicopter descend to the ground to save us. When it landed I jumped on so fast that I fell on the pilot. When Tatum boarded the helicopter, The pilot made sure to lock the door. I had a montage of feelings. I felt proud of myself, overwhelmed in all the excitment, the list goes on and on.

14. Tatum’s entry 6 day 5 afternoon All we had left was Passion Fruit and a few banana’s. The helicopter took forever to come! Our bamboo supply was gone! Just as I started to feel helpless, the helicopter FINALLY came! Right before we got on the helicopter, I noticed that Postman Butterfly once again. Mrs. Dudek helped us in and she was so exited to see us, She hugged Paige and I like crazy and asked us all about our adventure. (And that’s my trip to the Tropical Rainforest! )

15. Poems from Paige and Tatum Rain Forest Rain falls on wet ground. Strange animals gather food They bring it back home. Tropical Rainforest Can’t you see, how tough life could be, if We lived With nature, In The Tropical Rainforest? No more TV, Just canopy, And all of the many Trees? If the Katydids can, Why can’t we? No more bed, Just leaves And creatures High and low?