I can't believe I have reached the halfway point of my internship and my time in Vieques. I have become so comfortable here with my new island life, and I absolutely cannot believe how much I've been learning.
A quick recap of this week: Monday Melissa, Mark and I went to do our usual weekly check of the water quality in the bioluminescent bay for the USGS and EPA study. Then Tuesday through Thursday, I spent most of my time (attempting) to compile and organize some videos that Mark has taken over the years into a DVD, along with some other general house-keeping at the Trust. Friday was Eco-Nautical day for our Manta Summer Program, and as always, it was an amazingly fun day! We paddle-boarded, sailed on the HOBIE boat, kayaked and performed a beach clean-up where we collected 3 huge bags of trash. So all in all, Eco-Nautical day was great as always.
Yesterday, we attempted lion-fish hunting, but returned empty handed. It's always a bummer to come back from a long snorkel with nothing to show for your work, but it's also a good sign that we're not finding loads of lion fish every time we go out snorkeling!
Everything will begin picking up from this point in my internship as I begin to tackle a few big projects here-- I am working on an article about the ease and convenience of composting and am planning on writing another one on the negative impacts of plastic bags. I also am hoping to finish my video project that I had mentioned above; however, I find myself struggling technologically at times!
Reaching the halfway mark of my internship has caused me to sit back and reflect on all of the wonderful things I've learned. My spanish is coming along nicely; there are some days that I feel more confident with my speaking skills than others, but overall it's a good work in progress. In the marine life exhibit, I have learned more about anemones, tropical fish, sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, shrimp and lobsters than I could ever have envisioned. I have seriously enjoyed working and playing with the kids in the summer Manta programs -- they have majorly helped me improve my spanish skills! Being here for 5 weeks makes me feel that I have gotten an idea of what Vieques, and the culture of Vieques, is all about. I love being a part of a program and a community that is looking for ways to preserve and cherish the natural beauty that surrounds them.
5 weeks down, and 5 weeks to go. I look forward to what lies ahead of me, but I want time to move as slowly as possible -- I'm sure I won't be ready to go home when the time comes!
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| It rained like crazy on Thursday, so the coquis (or local tree frogs) have been super super vocal! They have an amazingly beautiful croak/song. |
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