the island experience

so my first island adventure began when i stepped board the ferry boat. i was so excited...it was new...i would be experiencing a lifestyle i'd never seen before. within 20 minutes of being on the boat, i realized it wasn't such a joyous occasion that i had day-dreamed about. let's just call it the barf boat. no kidding! now....i've never gotten sea sick before this. then again, i was told the water that particular day was unusually rough. i found myself on the back of the barf boat, looking out at the horizon, tring to get the repulsive feeling out of my stomach and head. pretty soon, there was a whole row of people along the back of the boat...all huntched over the railing. i will say though, that it was the coolest throw-up experience that i have ever had! i'd rather puke off the back of the boat into the ocean anyday over having my head in a toilet. so anyway...it was rather comical.

the island was absolutely beautiful! i kept feeling like i was on vacation...then i remembered that this is my reality, this is my job! the camp sits on the north eastern side of catalina, with nothing else around. it's about 6 miles to the nearest town...and it's on the opposite side from avalon, which is the touristy town. i didn't have to teach any classes while i was there...so i pretty much shadowed a few of the sea classes.

i ended up breaking a fear that i never even know that i had! it showed itself during my first attempt at snorkeling. it sounded so great! i mean, how could it not...checking out the life under the sea! well....once i had the wet suit on (the water was ridiculously cold, by the way), had my flippers and mask, i thought i was all set to go! the struggle came when i actually had to put my face in the water and breathe through the tube. i felt like no matter what i did, i just couldn't get any air. it was awful. it was suffocating. but here i was...on staff, amidst all these campers...doing it for the first time...and realizing that it made me panic a bit! i kept trying...but it was the same feeling every time. i flippered my way up to the guy who was teaching...and told him i was really struggling. he was more than kind and had me swim out with some girls that were shivering uncontrollably. i was a bit bummed because i felt like a quitter. but i knew i'd have a second chance. that second chance came the next day. i was told i didn't have to go...but i needed to. i wanted to. i didn't want to be afraid of snorkeling. after all, "breaking your fears" is plastered all over the MSA staff shirts i wear...so i was determined to do this. i am so thrilled to say that the next time was 100 times better! wow!! after spending a few minutes practicing the breathing, it was like i didn't even want to lift my head from the water! the fish...the kelp...things swaying with the waves, all an amazing indication of our Creator. i was captivated by it! i was so excited. now...it's not to say that i'm some superstar snorkeler, but i sure want to do it again! i don't think i'll look at an ocean the same again...there's so much going on under the surface that we just don't see.

other than that, i kayaked, hiked, slept in an a-frame(basically it's in the shape of a tent, but it's made out of wood with a door...small, but it does it's job). i saw a whale and hundreds of dolphins...it was brilliant!

i made a new friend, too...her name is lorena, and she's from venezuela. (i love friends from other countries!) it's kinda random how she ended up coming to the island...but she knows someone who knows someone....and she just came out to practice english. so we had fun trying to communicate and understand each other. she made my time on the island even more fun.

and, i'll have ya'l know...i held my lunch down on the boat ride back :)