I speed, I have an I-pass, and I drive a convertible... I'm a FIB.

Let me explain. First, "FIB" is a not-so-polite nickname for Illinoisans that come up to northern Wisconsin in the summer and zoom around with their Jetskis on our lakes. They're not all bad, but we like to stereotype them. So why did I suddenly turn into one of those annoying, gas-guzzling, horn-honking tourists? Well, I'm trying to get a Master's degree.


I'm in school in Duluth, and have just finished my first year of school. This summer is my field season. My advisor has two other students, and one of them, Lizzie, designed an urban ecology study looking at the effects of urbanization on migrating birds in Chicago. So I'm here helping her for the month of May, before I start my own research in June. We are staying with her parents in Glenview, Illinois.


I'll tell you more about her project in a future post. For now, I'll leave you with a couple pictures I've taken so far. My Uncle Tom, from Switzerland, happened to be in Chicago and I saw him yesterday. We went to Cantigny Park in Wheaton and saw some signs of spring! Can't find that in Duluth...

And also, for those of you who are worried -- I don't actually go more than 5 miles over the speed limit (even though the unposted rule around here is that you can drive whatever speed you want) and this is not actually my car, it's my Uncle Tom's car (long story) that I am posing for a picture in. Lizzie did get us I-passes, though. She's trying to make a city girl out of me. HA!!

Hannah