Adventures Abroad: Bonding Experiences

There's something magical about a bonding experiences that brings people together. Whether it's as small as a shared story, or as large as a swim out to a small island off a beach--there's a lot to be said about the community that is forming here in Palma. Every interaction, every word spoken amongst individuals is an opportunity to learn more, to enter into another person's point of view and share that with them. And that is not something to be taken lightly. Every experience, every step taken with someone else becomes a memory, an inside joke that only those that went can truly re-live. And everything that we are doing is drawing us closer together, tighter as a community that has studied abroad in Palma. It's crazy to think that all of us were complete strangers three days ago. It's blows my mind to think that my host family and I are basically real family after only two days. The bonding experiences, the memories that have been shared are already countless. And it hasn't even been a week yet! I'm really curious and excited to see where the next few weeks take all of us.

It would be remiss if I were to simply reflect on my experiences and not give a summary of what has been going on so far. Yesterday we visited a local Mallorcan beach called Cala Comtesa. ¡Fue una experiencia increible! Not only was the sand pristine and soft, but there was barely anyone around to share the beach with. To be sure, this has been one of the nicest beaches I have been to to date. Let the pictures speak for themselves. We also had the first day of classes. My class, Mediterranean Marine Environments is very biology based and is taught in English. The cool thing about this class is that we get to do a lot of field work. And I mean A LOT. Snorkeling, dissection, field visits--it's all included in our course and we start getting out there next week. Granted there are some lectures to provide a background to what we are experiencing in the field, but a lot of the course is done as hands-on learning which is so cool. And what better place to do that than in Palma? I also had my first sangria after class--it was really quite good, given that we didn't stir it well enough and ended up with a puddle of sugar at the bottom of our pitcher. It is fruity, with a hint of carbonation and blood oranges to top it all off. The only downside? It was quite strong--I was out after one glass.

(Cala Comtesa)

(One powerful sangria)

Today, we took a bus out of Palma to Soller, then took a boat to Sa Calobra. Again, an amazing place. The 2+ hour journey and the slight motion sickness was SO worth it. Words cannot describe the natural beauty that I saw today. First, the water. You know how sometimes malls put blue dye in their fountains to make it turn blue? Well all of the water we saw today was that bright blue. And clear. It was the most beautiful natural water I have ever seen. Second, the landscape. Surrounded on all sides at Sa Calobra was jagged rocks as high as the eye could see. Well, maybe a little shorter than that but still. The result of water erosion to be sure. The entrance to the beach was a small opening between two gigantic rocks to the sea, a beach full of pebbles. But instead of going towards the beach, I went hiking with some of the guys out the other way towards the rocks. And what an adventure it was--talk about taking the road less travelled. We were exploring paths up and down rocks, jumping between large boulders, and squeezing between trees. It was an outdoor lover's dream. We even saw a couple of goats (and unfortunately, some dead ones too). AMAZING. So amazing. I wish I could bring it all back with me.