So it's been a while! I've been falling behind on this blogging thing partly because I'm so busy here, and partly because when I'm not busy I'm exhausted from being so busy. Last week was packed because we were finishing up "dive boot camp." The dive program here is extremely thorough and intensive and it's been really helpful to review skills and learn new things. We did get to do a boat dive in Klein Bonaire, but I was shocked and sad to see the poor condition of the reef over there. The conditions were rough, and the visibility was poor, but the decline of the reef is still entirely too obvious. I never thought I would get sick of diving for school, but it was such a relief when the weekend came and we had some time off! On Friday we went out to dinner at "Pasa bon Pizza" (Have a Good Pizza in Papiamentu) which is the best (the only?) pizza place on the island. After that, we all hung out on the dock for a bit and then went out to one of the four or five bars in Kralendijk to celebrate a group member's 21st birthday. We seem to be some of the only young people in the area, and because of that, we stick out like sore thumbs. The other few young people here are obviously thrilled to have us, and because it's such a small island we see them everywhere and have become friends with a few of the locals.

On Sunday we took a field trip all around the island (which only took a few hours). First we went to the South end of the island to the renowned salt refinery and slave huts, and then to Lac Bay, where I've never been before. Lac Bay was beautiful! It's one of the only natural sandy beaches on Bonaire, and apparently it's one of the best places for windsurfing in the world. There were a ton of windsurfers in the water, and we plan on going back one day to take lessons. We then headed over to the North end of the island, where it's more "mountainous." We visited a few important sites, like "1,000 Steps" and Rincon (the other "city" in Bonaire). While Kralendijk has a lot of Dutch/ European influence, Rincon is primarily native Bonaireans, most of whom are descendants of slaves from the slave trade. It was great to experience that side of the island and the differences in culture and geography. Towards the end of the trip we stopped at a small bar in the middle of the desert that has indigenous Bonairean music and dancing every Sunday. We all got drinks and learned some native harvest dances. Afterwards, we went back home to watch the Superbowl, like any good Americans would. Although Bonaire is tiny (it probably takes 2-3 hours to drive around the entire perimeter of the island) it is full of diversity, which a lot of people don't realize. The director of the program, Dr. Peachy, took us on this "Cultural and Environmental" tour and seemed to know everything about the island. It was great to learn about things other than the ocean in Bonaire, however at every turn there seems to be a new environmental catastrophe occurring.

Closely aligned with that, we took an other field trip on Monday with our Marine Conservation Biology class. We got an extremely detailed tour through the mangrove marshes from one of the naturalists on the island. We learned more about birds than I ever wanted to know in my life. Nevertheless, it was quite informational and we got the chance to snorkel and have lunch in Cai (a separate part of Lac Bay). At the end of the day we watched the following video, which I'm posting in hopes that everyone will watch it and share it with others. It may be depressing, but it's so important to be aware of these things and spread the word!! (Our homework for this class is to come up with a "happy" environmental story, so if you know of any, please inform me).

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_jackson.html

Anyway, this post is getting lengthy and I am getting tired. But just a few more fun updates: I have been learning to skateboard, an octopus lives at the dock next to my house, we are learning how to do underwater videography, and I make sure to spend some quality time in a hammock every day :)