IS THIS REAL LIFE???

BUT SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS. THIS IS INSANE.

First, the airplanes: Yesterday I woke up at 3 am and headed to Logan airport. Six other TCI students and I flew from Boston to Miami, and then 16 of us flew from Miami to Provo (one of the bigger islands). Eventually all 36 of us arrived in Provo, and we flew to South Caicos.

And then...oh my goodness. We arrived at the center. The main part of the complex is open to the air, with tile floors and flags and paintings on the walls and buoys hanging from the ceiling. There's a classroom, a computer lab (which is air conditioned), a kitchen, and a pool. We live (usually) four to a room, in bunk beds and under mosquito net tents. As I'm reading this I'm realizing that this description makes this all sound a lot more civilized than it actually is, but I can't post pictures yet (slow internet, and besides, I haven't taken any!). If you want more evidence that I'm basically camping, a moth just pooped on my computer screen. Not a figure of speech, actual poop.

BUT THE VIEW. AND THE LOCATION. AND THE OCEAN. In case you have never been to the Caribbean  the water actually is that blue. And that clear. And that amazing. The center has a gorgeous view of the ocean and a couple of small keys, and we can hear the waves from our rooms. We all eat meals together in the outdoor "dining room," and hang out on hammocks hanging from the edge of the roof. Needless to say, last night I slept like a rock (which may have had something to do with the intense game of volleyball that we played until it got dark).

This morning we went on a tour of the island. I love this island. It's so small and wonderful. The customs building is a shack, and the post office and the bank are the same small house. The bank is only open from 11-2 on Wednesdays. There are small grocery stores, houses, an outdoor basketball court, a library, and a bar that serves buckets of grilled chicken and hot sauce every week for a dollar. When we finished our tour we tried fried conch, which was actually delicious.

After lunch we learned all about waterfront safety (and there are four waterfront interns, and a whaler, which sort of makes me feel like I'm at Saranac...), and then took our swim test. Treading water in an ocean this salty is a joke. Then we went over snorkeling skills in the pool, and were set loose. So we all went snorkeling. In our backyard. AND IT WAS AWESOME. Tropical fish, coral, sea grass, life conchs, everything. In our backyard. We can go snorkeling in the water in front of the center whenever we have free time as long as we have a buddy...!!!!!

We finished the evening by playing an interactive game of Clue that involved running all over the center, and culminated in eating ice cream. Now we're just hanging out, playing guitar, playing Bananagrams, and making friendship bracelets. So if there was any doubt, this is definitely the perfect abroad program. So all of you other abroad people, you were wrong. This one is the best.