Adventures Abroad: Resources

The study abroad program is one that involves a lot of diving. Whether it is in class or just recreational diving, it is SCUBA that is the main incentive for students to come down here and enjoy Bonaire's "diver's paradise." But what happens when you can't dive because you aren't given the resources to do so? Ever so slowly, we have been getting our resources pulled away from us. Even as a snorkeler, I can feel the pain of all the scuba divers. First, it was moving to Hamlet instead of living in the residence hall. Second, it was transportation to and from places; we aren't allowed to use the regular trucks to go to and from places besides the two trips between Hamlet and the research station each day, we cannot rent cars or scooters, and we only have road bikes to transport all of our gear from place to place (including heavy dive gear!). Third, the SCUBA divers aren't allowed to get recreational tanks from the program any longer; instead, they have to go to a dive shop, which can cost double the price of the tanks from the program. How crazy is that? Not only is it now more difficult to get tanks to dive, but it is more expensive as well. And there is no way to get around the island to explore the wonderful reefs the island has to offer either. It's as if the administration is purposefully making it difficult to experience what Bonaire has to offer. If it were Palma and I were going through this, I would be fine--at least Palma has a transportation system to take me across the island easily. Yet here, there is no such thing--its either walking, biking, scootering, or driving. Everyone in the program is complaining, and its such an unfortunate situation. It almost makes me happy that I decided not to get my SCUBA certification here--because I just snorkel, I don't have to worry about carrying heavy and delicate dive equipment around the island, nor do I have to worry about getting a tank; I can bring my snorkel gear wherever I want, and just hop in the water at my own convenience. It's great. But that doesn't mean I don't feel the repercussions of these new restrictions either. We have two weeks left. The general vibe of this program is that everyone wants to get of the program and just explore on their own. We'll see how the next few weeks treat us.

On Friday, we had a small talk on bystander awareness in the morning, and then the rest of the day free to do whatever we wanted. So, as per usual with free time, I went snorkeling while some friends of mine went diving--I fulfilled the role of "surface support." Apparently there were some upwelling events in the area recently bringing nutrient-rich, cold water up to the surface which meant that the visibility was pretty poor. I wasn't able to keep tabs on the divers for most of the snorkel but I was able to see some pretty awesome marine life. I borrowed someone's gopro for the trip so hopefully pictures will be going up soon so I can take them! After the snorkel I headed back home to shower and change, before heading out to a volleyball tournament against the high school students also attending the program. It was somewhat awkward interacting with them--very different maturity levels, and different senses of humor but it was nice getting to meet and play volleyball with them. We hung out for a few hours cracking coconuts and playing volleyball, and then headed out to dinner at Pasa Bon Pizza near the research station which was probably one of the best pizzas I have had so far. In Bonaire of all places! It was definitely some good food, and good conversations.

(Drying off on the hammock after snorkeling)

(View from the roof of the research station)

(Breadsticks from Pasa Bon Pizza!)

(Awesome pizza here!)

(The sign out front--I would definitely say Bonaire's best)

Saturday for July 4th, we began the day with a tour of the south island. Right out of the gate however, we got a rock stuck between the two back wheels so we had to return to the research station and exchange trucks...after that though, the tour ran pretty smoothly--it was really cool to see a different part of the small island. We started off with visiting the salt production plant, which had expansive, pink evaporation pools and large white salt mounds right next to the ocean. The pools have a pink coloration because of an archaebacteria that creates that particular color, which is neat. We then followed a the road all the way along the southern tip of the island, visiting a couple of obelisks and slave huts for the salt production plant, and some picturesque points along the road. Our last stop was Sorobon on the tip of Lac Bay, famous for its windsurfing. Fortunately for us, there was a windsurfing competition going on that day and we had a chance to watch some world class windsurfing happening (see the pictures below!). There were some talented people of all ages competing out there! We left after a few short moments of watching the competition, and headed back to Hamlet where I lounged around and hung out with some friends before heading out to the water to enjoy the sunset and wait for fireworks. For some odd reason, Bonaire has 4th of July fireworks even though it is a Dutch colony--something I will never understand, but certainly not a complaint! We got to watch fireworks out across the water, and it was probably the closest I had ever gotten to the launch site of fireworks. Unfortunately, I only have a video from the whole thing--my phone doesn't take good pictures of fireworks, so I had to be content with a video. We sat and chatted for a little longer over the water, before I returned home to get cracking on my dental application supplements.