Turtles, Goodbye Parties, and AOW, Oh My!

So I'm getting progressively worse at blogging as this semester goes on. I would apologize, but that implies that I'm going to fix the problem...which is unlikely. We're just so busy! All the time! So you guys will just have to wait and be content stalking the Facebook pictures I get tagged in.

All of that boring stuff aside, I got to go TURTLING last Saturday night! This is exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of us went for a night snorkel to catch turtles with our Resource Management professor and one of the interns. This is easier said than done: you only get one chance to catch a turtle. They're pretty sleepy at night, so if you sneak up on them you can pretty much just pick them up as they float lazily along the bottom. If, however, they figure out that you are trying to catch them (which is what happened to me the first couple of times), they will dart away with surprising speed. Turtles are tricky little buggers. However, my buddy and I were very successful and each managed to catch a turtle. He caught a mid sized green who was swimming along, and I pulled a sleeping hawksbill from under a rock. So my catch was not very impressive, but I was pretty psyched all the same. In total we got four turtles, two of each species, including one HUGE green. Two were tagged already, so we took down their numbers and measurements, and two were not tagged. So they got little metal things punched into them (it doesn't hurt them, don't worry!) and were measured as well. In a week or so the turtle research project will start in ernest, and more data will be collected, but for now we're just trying to get some basic stuff. And, since I know this is what you guys really want to see, here are some turtle pictures:

THIS IS MY TURTLE. I CAUGHT HIM. WE ARE FRIENDS.

Getting measured

For some reason I can't rotate this, but here's Charlie with his giant turtle

Yesterday was our last day in the local schools, and since they were having a party anyway before their two week break for Easter (so unfair), we thought we'd join them. So we brought cupcakes and face paint and it was general pandemonium. You may remember by description of the behavior of these kids, and while they are hilarious and I love them they are also completely insane. Telling them to not push each other in the face paint line was like telling fish to climb trees. But they are actually wonderful, and were so happy to see us, and were endlessly fascinated by our cameras.

Two of my girls from the kindergarten

He only looks adorable and innocent...troublemaker level 1000

Aurora being a good sport and doing face paint

Another one of my girls, such a cutie

In addition to all of this, I've been getting Advanced Open Water certified! This means that I can dive deeper, longer, do drift dives, night dives, and all sorts of fun stuff. Plus it's another step along the way to becoming a Master Diver, which is sweet. We've done peak performance buoyancy, navigation, night, and drift, and just have a deep water dive left on Saturday. Pretty fun stuff. On our last dive we saw two HUGE southern stingrays. Like, as big as me huge. It was awesome. 

And on top of all of THAT we have like fifty final projects and finals and presentations and papers and basically my brain is going to explode. So this blog post is really just a glorified study break...sorry guys. Also I've decided that I'm going WWOOFing someday. Spring break next year anyone?

Home Again, Home Again

Back home on the Big South! Hooray! After a ridiculously cramped (but still very fun) ferry ride, we finally arrived back at our wonderful CMRS just in time for dinner on Monday. Luckily I wasn't on the boat that ran out of gas, they were a little late...

You would not believe how psyched we are to be back in the world of no TV, no freshwater showers, no air conditioning, and no grocery stores. Provo just started to feel exhausting and so over the top, South is a welcome change. And it really does feel like home! I probably got one of the best sleeps of my LIFE that first night back in my bunk. Seriously. I slept for 10.5 hours.

But Spring Break was wonderful, and a much needed break from school work. Papa Raker came down, bringing with him many fun birthday presents as well as biodegradable shampoo (YES!). We then proceeded to go swimming or snorkeling every single day and eat lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We found many fun and cheap places to eat, befriended all the gift shop owners, and even visited the famous Potcake Place! But the stars of the trip were the fish, obviously.

In front of one of a the hotels, about an hour walk from where we were staying, was a little snorkel park. I was skeptical at first, being rather spoiled by South, but it was great! Lots of parrotfish everywhere, which is always fun, and very curious yellow tailed snappers who followed us around everywhere. Since I got a camera with some underwater housing for my birthday (woohoo!), here are some (rather blurry) pictures:

Stoplight Parrotfish

Blue-striped grunt hanging out by some fan coral

Flounder! Can you see him? 

Grunt sitting on a plaque that's so nicely fixed up by TCReef

Southern Stingray! 

So lots of fun critters. Plus, we went on an actual official snorkel with Dive Provo, which was fabulous. I even saw a reef shark, which is always fun. So all in all a successful trip, and I only got slightly sunburned!

Civilization?

Yesterday we arrived in Provo, and all immediately walked around like deer in headlights. On the way down to South a month and a half ago, the Provo airport seemed tiny. But arriving in it yesterday, after flying out of the (safe) shack that is the South Caicos airport, we felt like we were in Disneyland. I don't think I have every been more fascinated by cars and buildings in my life.

We established ourselves in the Comfort Suites, which is a beautiful hotel that most importantly has AIR CONDITIONING and FRESH WATER SHOWERS. Those two things make you feel so clean and refreshed you have no idea. Also, we have a TV, which sort of feels like space technology. Yesterday afternoon we went to the grocery store across the street to check it out, and probably looked like we'd never seen one before. So in case I haven't made it clear enough, reverse culture shock is a very real thing people.

Today we set out for our field trip, and traveled by ferry to North Caicos, and then by yellow school bus over an almost completely washed out causeway to Middle Caicos and an amazing series of caves. And I love caves. Stalactites, stalagmites, and lots of bats. Some people got bat pee in the face (no joke), but luckily I was not one of them.

100-year-old graffiti

Lots 'o caves

So that was awesome. Then we boarded the bus again, and headed off to the Middle Caicos Co-op, where local artisans sell traditional crafts. Hand-woven baskets, hats, mats, as well as bowls made from conchs and seagrass jewelry were all on display. After purchasing our crafts, we got back on the bus and prepared to leave. But as we started up, one of the wheels went off the road and the bus got stuck! We thought we were going to tip over. So we all got out, and some of the store owners came out to help us push, and we got the bus back on the real road. After that little adventure, we were all ready for lunch and a break.

Which brings us to The Most Beautiful Beach in the World. I will not tell you where it is, because it is a secret and we all selfishly want to keep it that way. So we all sat down to the most scenic picnic lunch I have ever had. Since I have no hope of ever describing this place, here are some pics: 

Oh yeah. We can do this.

Did Disney come here when planning The Little Mermaid?

Waterfall created by waves

Giant picnic cave

Is this real life???

Who's having the best day ever? This kid.

Sadly, we eventually had to leave, so we climbed back aboard our bus and headed back across the causeway to North Caicos. On North our guide (who was brilliant, by the way), took us to the farm he works on. And there were goats! Obviously, I was super excited. Finally they tore us away from the goats, and moved us on to the greenhouse. Our guide is working on a project to reestablish a native pine tree, as well as cultivate many other native plants. Which is cooler than it sounds, I swear. 

Baby goat! I want to bring it home!

Poor pine tree, get well soon!

Pretty flower, no idea what it is

Tiny baby cactus

Finally we took the ferry back to Provo, napped along the way, and went out to dinner when we got back. We were all ready to fall in our beds, but surprise! Guest speaker! Actually it was really cool, and a guy came to talk to us about turtle conservation on South. He's going to come visit later in the semester, when he'll be able to give us his whole presentation and show us his documentary. 

But now we are going TO BED because we are falling over. Tomorrow we're interviewing tourists, visiting a conch farm (no joke), and finally starting SPRING BREAK!!!!! 

Long Time, No Post

Well I'm sure you're all sitting at your computers anxiously awaiting my next adventure...or you're, you know, off living your own lives, which I guess is cool too.

My only response to any questions about why I haven't been posting/what I've been up to is simply this: FINALS! Yes, finals. Of a sort. Our curriculum for the semester (the classroom portion of it at least) is divided into two case studies, and last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we had our finals for Case Study I. In case you were wondering, these were three hour long tests that turned my brain to jelly. We spent the whole week leading up to them figuratively locked in our own little study caves, trying not to be distracted by the ocean outside. Which was difficult.

Seriously. You try studying with this outside. 

Also, snorkeling followed by an intense game of Blokus is the best de-stress after tests ever. Now we're on to Case Study II, which focuses on marine protected areas. Did you know that there are over 6,000 MPAs in the world? Just a fun fact for you guys.

Yesterday we found out, by lottery, our Directed Research projects that we will be working on for the last month of the semester. Out of 36 students, I was number...36. Yup, dead last. So I got my last choice, which was Permaculture. Needless to say, I was not excited about spending the last month of my marine science program growing tomatoes in a greenhouse. But we all had similar feelings, and now the project is focusing on the status of mangrove ecosystems and the associated water quality. So actual science that has to do with the actual ocean! Hooray! Plus we get to help with lionfish hunts, turtle catching, and eagle ray surveys. So some real marine biology will get in there somewhere.

This weekend I went gecko hunting with a couple other people, which I swear is more fun than it sounds. We went out so some of the hurricane-demolished houses by one of the beaches (accompanied by one of the dogs, of course) at around 9 pm, and started turning over rocks and looking under things with flashlights. Personally I did not find one, but I did help catch the ones we did find, and I was very helpful in holding the headlamp while our resident nature photography Ryan took the actual pictures.

They're very small. Notice the expert lighting.

Today we got all our information about getting Advanced Open Water certified for SCUBA, and we'll start our course after spring break. Which is coming up in about a week! And Papa Raker is coming down for the five nights that we have off on Provo, so if you are in the area watch for two very pale snorkelers. 

Also, cross your fingers for no wind in TCI on Thursday night so we can go on our first night dive! 

P.S: Photos by Ryan, not me. Obviously. 

One Month(ish)-iversary

Exactly four weeks ago I arrived at the Center for Marine Resource Studies on South Caicos. WOW. On the one hand, I feel like there's no way a whole month has gone by. On the other hand, Colby/Home/the U.S. of A. seems almost like something I made up. Like, snow? What is that? What do you mean normal people don't snorkel around collecting conch for class? Doesn't everybody have random stray dogs follow them around everywhere? And what is this "mainland" that you speak of?

But seriously, this past month has been incredible. I'm finally getting to do what I've always been wanting and aiming to do, and I sort of don't know how to handle it. Like, what do you do when you finally get to do the things you've always dreamed about doing? Explode?

So just to recap, in the past week I have:
-SCUBA dived with a shark (it swam right under me aaah!!!)
-snorkeled with eagle rays
-had a bonfire/camp-out on a beach
-saw multiple shooting stars at said beach
-recorded data from a beach clean-up (much more fun than it sounds, I promise)
-bonded with people over my love of Singin' in the Rain and Bill and Ted
-gone to bed by 11 every night
-swam next to a southern stingray that was almost as big as I was
-listened to whales sing from under the water

Can we just look at that list for a second? I'm pretty sure I've at a "serious face" level of happiness most of the time. You know, when you're so happy that you've moved past the smiling stage and just sort of sit there in shock. For the record, the other things that have made me this happy are on a pretty short list.

That's not to say that there hasn't been some adjustment. Never really being inside, as trivial as it sounds, takes some getting used to. I love it, but it disoriented me for the first week or so. And I miss fresh veggies! Thankfully the food boat is coming from Miami tomorrow, because right now we are STRUGGLING with food diversity. Probably the biggest thing has been getting used to is being with the same people, all the time. Don't get me wrong, they are all fabulous, it's just sort of weird to realize that no one else will be cycling through. Ever. Not like at camp, where you're working/living with the same people but the campers switch every week: there is no change. And I actually really like it! I enjoy being in a community this small, where you really get to know people, and are forced to rely on each other. And I enjoy the consistency. It's calming somehow (which is probably good, since I'm so psyched about everything all the time!).

People keep saying that you change while you're abroad. The staff at the center say that we've all changed since the first day we got here. I'm not so sure. I mean, we've all clearly gotten more comfortable and gotten to know each other better, but I'm not sure if we've changed. I think I'm still me, I'm just me getting to finally live and study in the environment that I want to. But I guess you all will have to tell me if I'm different when I get home! Because I can barely even tell if I'm getting more freckles.

WHEW that was less news filled than normal. And so retrospective. Well, I promise I won't do THAT again until at least another month goes by! So never fear, my usual spazzy posts will be back soon, and you can go back to laughing at my enthusiasm for all things marine.

The whole group! Plus some of the dogs.

Puppy Adventures

I'm sure many of you are wondering what is up with this puppy I keep posting about on Facebook. Well lucky you, because here is the whole story! First, a little background:

In TCI there are a lot of stray/feral dogs. They are called "potcakes," and they are their own special breed of mutt. We see them all over the island, and there are four who hang out by the center and walk with us through town (which can sometimes be a problem, because they try to protect us from everyone we see!). Obviously the stray dogs lead to stray puppies, who either just grow up in the "wild" or are taken to a shelter and adopted by families outside of TCI.

On Saturday night one of the girls on my trip found a puppy. She came home and told us all about it, but we all figured no one would ever see it again. A couple people went back the next morning to look for her, and she was still there! They asked around, and determined no one owned her. After playing with her for about an hour, she "followed them home" (or at least, that's the story we told the center director!). Christened "Nugget," the 6-8 week old puppy took up residence outside our front gate, with the strict rule that she would not be allowed inside. Here she is:

Unsurprisingly, we all started spending all of our time on the front steps so we could play with Nugget. Because she is the cutest puppy I have ever seen in my life. We gave her a big cardboard box with a towel inside, some water, and some dinner, and then left her outside for the night. Where she promptly howled and cried, keeping everyone awake and eventually escaping her box and sneaking inside. Did I mention that potcakes are wicked smart?

It was determined that we could move her box inside the center, since she's so little and the other dogs were harassing her. So we gave her a bath (which she HATED) and brought her inside. We knew we couldn't keep her, due to center rules and the fact that no one is around consistently enough to actually take care of a puppy, so one of the staff contacted Potcake Place, a potcake adoption center on Provo. So we'll send her to Provo where she'll get all her shots, and then she'll stay there a month until she's old enough to be adopted.

After a long Facebook campaign, it was determined that my family actually already HAS a dog and a cat, and we could not take in a stray potcake. Luckily, one of the other girls on the program sent the info to her parents, since they were already looking for a new dog. They Skyped last night (Nugget was present as well, obviously), and they said yes! So Nuggs is going to live a wonderful life in upstate New York, and we are all so happy!

Nugget will have to leave us tomorrow, and the center will seem very lonely without a small puppy running around our feet and sleeping in hammocks with us all the time. But she's going to get nice and healthy, and have a much better life than she would have here. We'll miss you Nuggs!

Lists of Little Things

Wow I'm posting so frequently...is that a good thing or a bad thing? Whatever. Well, I know you've all been anxiously waiting my next update for the last three days, so here it is:

I've decided that there are a lot of wonderful things about this trip that I have neglected to mention, because they are not flashy enough to warrant a post all to themselves. Which seems unfair to them, since I enjoy these little things nearly every day. So I decided to list them here, and hopefully you will all get a better idea of what day to day life at the Center for Marine Resource Studies is like:


THE LIST:
1. Honey Nut Cheerios at breakfast. I love those things.
2. I can go to class barefoot
3. I can give group presentations barefoot
4. I can go to meals barefoot
5. BAREFOOT ALL THE TIME!
6. There are four dogs that live around the center and follow us around, and they are wonderful
7. My mosquito net makes me feel like I'm sleeping the canopy bed 9-year-old me always wanted
8. Foosball table
9. Egyptian Ratscrew (except no red 10s, so I look like I have a twitch every time one is played)
10. People play dominos at the local bars
11. Dominos is awesome
12. The sea wall is lined with conch shells
13. There are two cannons next to the pool
14. HAMMOCK NAPS
15. Perfect sunsets every night
16. Lots of hemp for cool sea glass necklaces
17. Everyone here likes Mumford & Sons
18. Comfortable breeze pretty much all day
19. I haven't gotten sunburned!
20. Murals on the walls
21. The houses in town are often painted bright colors
22. Everyone says hi to each other, whether you know them or not
23. I can do homework while staring at the ocean
24. My lab practicals are snorkeling trips
25. Delicious baked good for snack every day at 4


I think that covers it for now, I may start keeping a running list in my journal if I think of any more. Also I'm going to take more pictures soon, and hopefully post them. Or I'll just steal pictures from other people because they have better cameras than me...