One week down, eleven to go :)

Many palm trees and sunsets later, I’m becoming every so slightly accustomed to this routine.  While itching to explore more of the country, patience has helped me to appreciate what is already in front of me.  Still doing my best to embrace the quiet mornings as some meditative solitude, having beach time daily and seeing the sun for a full twelve hours has been soothing in itself.  Following a sad departure of an incredible Spanish professor, we have a week of independent online study until our history professor scoops us up for our country-wide tour.

Also, as if salt water did not already run through my viens, I’ve latched onto yet another reason to love the sea.  After some tedious pool diving (that I came to thank later), we had our first ocean scuba diving experience today.  Like toddlers at the Disney World gates, we fell into the aquamarine playground wide-eyed and astonished.  Though I was in awe of the coral structures and small fish, what gave  me the most excitement was just knowing how this little exposure is only a taste of infinite underwater discoveries.  With an incredible appreciation and wonder toward the scuba apparatus itself, I cannot believe how much we have at our disposal, this semester alone.  Blue ocean as our backyard, scuba instructors as our closest friends, and three months still to go, we’re able to see this semester what some divers wait a lifetime  to experience. Gratitude by my side, I’m elated once again to have these incredible opportunities right outside my bedroom.

With our first assignment now completed, our History of the Caribbean class has commenced and I’m excited that I’m this excited for class.  I have not had to write thus far in college, and (I may regret this later) but I’m ready to rebuff some stale skills.  As if experiencing living history is not powerful enough, we’ll be getting first hand knowledge from a Caribbean professor.  Every time I make these written accounts, I shock myself with realizations of what incredible experiences I’m truly getting.  Though I have little doubt, I only hope the next eleven weeks can progress as smoothly and powerfully.  Thinking about you all,

shan

(ps, my camera has been forgotten on several excursions, but for your visual pleasure I’ve snagged some pics from other students and posted them here:)

would you expect anything less from me?

yes. just yes.

the bunch on Nancy’s last day

 

night on the town :)