Salt-Soaked and Sun-Sprayed

It’s beginning to feel a lot like school here!  I may be getting too used to paradise.  It seems natural now that some of my classes are held in the ocean and all of my classmates are also my roommates and friends.  This island is also feeling a lot smaller.  First, I’ve realized recently that this is the 40-odd people I will be spending the next two months with, and I know how to get to the three stores and four bars on the island with my eyes closed.  That said, I’m going to spend the next two months with an incredible group of people and three stores and four bars is more than enough. 

What’s more amazing is that we do only have two months left, essentially.  It’s almost October.  How is that possible?  It’s still in the high eighties here and I’ve begun to miss fall.  And then I go for a swim and lay out in the bright sunlight for a moment and all of that drifts away…

We’ve started our community engagement here, which adds welcome variety to our circle of acquaintances!  On Wednesday we go out to the school.  I’m working with a first grade class on arts and crafts and creative writing.  It’s about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.  They’re all really sweet and it’s a small and well-behaved class, so we have it much easier than many of the other students.  We’ve had one Saturday session as well where I also did crafts.  We made hand animals and put them on sticks.  It was surprisingly popular!  The center is blissfully quiet after all of the kids leave, which definitely increases my appreciation of being surrounded by people my own age and older!  High energy in an entirely different way!

 The water activities have continued to be amazing.  We’re in the water every day, either snorkeling or scuba diving.  It’s pretty special that our ecology class takes place on the reefs.  I FINALLY saw spotted eagle rays.   Three.    

First one was while taking a salt water shower, one other girl, Jenna, and I saw an eagle ray jump across the water four times, flinging its entire body out of the water.  It was the most amazing sight I have ever seen.  Then, during one of our coral ID sessions, we saw two eagle rays swim by.  Coral is great and all, but we just shot after the rays.  They are so in concert with their surroundings.  They are at home in the water in a way that other marine organisms don’t seem to be able to reach.  The analogy of flight doesn’t even cover it. 

Well, back to the sun and sand and salt and corals!