Guys always want to drive the boat

Day 1- step 1 explore every inch of the boat then claim rooms! Every room was only big enough to fit a bunk bed and be able to barely open the door. But t was ok because we knew we were not going to be spending much time there. The bathrooms were equally as small and we soon found not very reliable. None of this mattered because we were on vacation and when we sat down to lunch we forgot about it completely. As you can tell we get excited about food and I should probably clear something up. The food in Ecuador is great. I like almost everything I eat, the only problem is we eat a lot of the same things ( rice, beans and fish or chicken) So when we get on the boat and we have tons of fruit, spaghetti, VEGGIES, SALAD, WARM BREAD, PARMESAN CHEESE! All buffet style we can’t help but be overjoyed. Meals maintained the level of deliciousness for the whole trip. Our meals always had color and sometimes we were surprised with birthday cake or pina coladas. They even served us snacks of fruit, yucca fries(amazing) and empanadas. Fresh fruit juice was served at every meal (this is true for most of Ecuador) and milk and tea were available 24hrs.
Enough about food back to day one. After we met our guide we were told our first destination was the Galapaguera on Santa Cruz. This would have been our third time looking at turtles which honestly don’t do much. At all! We thought of just boy cotting it but in the end we decided to talk to our guide. He understood our frustration and suggested we go cliff jumping ( I must mention the week prior to this I kept expressing my want to jump off something high and the highest we could find was the local pier) We were all a tad nervous but much more excited on our hike to these said cliffs. When we finally arrive they are a bit more intimidating than expected. So I popped a squat at the bottom and decided to mentally prepare. I was able to work the nerve up to jump from the point that was about two stories high, maybe slightly higher and I even climbed back up to do it again. Having the time to think about yourself falling was exhilarating and a bit unbelievable. And I loved the group we were with because no matter what height you jumped from we always supported them. Some faced fears from 10ft and others enjoyed 3stories but the support was always the same! We spent our evening exploring the city of Santa Cruz. Listening to live music, visiting a bakery, teaching locals to hula hoop( we have a girl nick named hula hula because it never is more than 20ft from her). Buying $2 movies (and of course the ones in pure Spanish are the ones English speakers bought) and going to internet cafes. At 12 we stared our cruise to Genovesa. We slumbered sprawled out about the boat decks because sleeping in our rooms was all too logical for this once in a life time experience.

Vacation

Our one week vacation started on a small boat which took twenty three of us to Isabella Island. This ride took four hours and it happened to be a miserable ride. Five of us were sharing the backseat-the only place with a bit of fresh air and the view of the horizon. The rest were scattered about the floor and benches. It’s a good thing we are a close group. When we finally arrived we met up with the five politics students who were already there. We ate lunch and then the activities began.
The first day we were taken to the Galapaguera (turtle breeding station) and to see the flamingos. Isabella is one of the only islands where flamingos can be found. Most afternoons we had free to spend on the beach (white, soft, sandy beaches that went on forever) play soccer or volleyball, have music/snuggle/movie parties in the hotel.
Day two was spent walking over volcanic rock to the crater. Our guide was allergic to people and kept trying to rush us on. Several time we actually asked if we couldn’t make new friends and eventually got it out of that he wanted us to himself. After that we made a point to enjoy the hike and take our time. After lunch we went snorkeling in a little cove and saw all the nifty fish and a few seahorses.
Day three we took a water taxi out to some smaller islands. One where we found penguins and on the other we found marine iguanas galore and white tip sharks. This whole week there was a common theme of being boggled by the shear amount of animals. When we saw an animal it almost never was one but rather 7 sharks, school of fish, and harem of sea lions, 100’s of iguanas, 45+ boobies, and entire islands of birds. If I was just a tourist there is no way I would know that the majority of these animals are at risk. After the islands we jumped off the taxis and went snorkeling (this vacation was full of snorkeling, sorry for lack of variety. But every time was different for me) we saw things from Moorish idols, eels, sharks, turtles, sea lions, pencil fish, scar from the movie finding memo!
For those of you who are not aware, we are now ending one of the biggest la ninas in who knows when. This makes water extremely cold and land very dry. Two characteristics extremely opposite of the tropics. I just love my luck ;) but one of the good things is that the cold water makes the ocean very productive! More fish! More SHARKS 
None the less Isabella was amazing. It is exactly what I imagined the Galapagos to be. Warm. Two main streets. Sandy roads. Arrive by boat. Small town. Nature everywhere. long sandy beaches (where you could find cool tide pools, jelly fish, blow fish, iguanas and sea shells) clear water. If you are planning on visiting the islands this is a must see place!!!!
The night before we left Isabella the power went out throughout the whole town(a first in Isabella history). Two of my friends happened to be showering before dinner and you could hear them simultaneously yell NOOOOOO because they were both in the dark, soapy and without water. My hotel happened to be three stories with an open roof so we headed up there and enjoyed the fabulous stars. Even the two in their towels  after about twenty minutes they decided they couldn’t wait any longer and went to the grocery store to buy three bottles of water. It looked very scandalous the two of them dressed in towels walking trough crowded streets to buy water and one beer. We had to take a picture. We fell asleep that night with four twin beds pushed together, ten people huddled close, and watching toy story three on a lap top. GREAT NIGHTS <3
On the fourth day we woke up and got spoiled with another fantastic breakfast. This hotel fed us real bread and fruit. Plus warm milk for good tea and coffee. Heaven! And then we were off for a two hour boat ride to Santa Cruz (the big city of the archipelago) I made sure to take some meds before this one! This time we were split into two smaller faster boats. The drivers were playing/racing and then we stop in the middle of the ocean and the captain comes down and says ‘bano?’ a slight giggle fills the boat. We made it to Santa Cruz with just enough time to find COOKIES before boarding the cruise ships. These weren’t just any cookies. No, they were chocolate chip! Homemade! Warm! The most similar to American since the US! Big! Delicious! With happy tummies and excited minds we boarded our respective cruise ships and awaited adventure.

sometimes we all need to feel small

The ocean has enough water to dilute any problem upon which my boat sails
Even if every piece of salt was an obstacle to cross, sailing here I know that each one is very small and each one can be dissolved.
The magnificent waves crash upon the worried rocks which harbor my islands of dreams
Sandy beaches, the dreams within reach, await my wet landing
With time I will learn how to mount my dreams that lay upon islands with daunting cliffs
I lay out on the deck which has been weathered by the salt of the sea
My eye on the horizon where the sun slowly begins to tuck itself in, leaving us with skies painted pink and orange
A peaceful caress before it leaves us for the night.
While the sun is at bay the starlit sky leads me to new lands
A shooting star reminds me to expect the unexpected
I slowly drift off to a land of dreams with the steady motion of the give and take
With the sunrise’s kiss I open my eyes to find that although I was at rest everything continued in motion.
Some fear this sense of insignificance but it brings me comfort
If I am only a small part of this picture the things that make up who I am are even smaller.
My fears, wants, failures…….all just a tiny tiny speck of a stunning image.

that tone of voice

Yesterday I experienced a feeling which I have watched my parents express often but never really understood why they had a depressed tone of voice. I work in an English school here and have formed a significant bond with my students. There was one in particular I had a hard time with in the beginning. He refused to do work and when I asked a question I would get the shoulder shrug everytime. He sat in the desk right next to the door, half in his seat and half out the door. Over time have been taking notice on what interests him and what catches his attention. Right before vacation I was able to get him to participate in class and when we took a field trip I cohersed some one on one time with him. And I saw his desire to learn. His desire to succeeed. After seeing this I felt like I needed to do everything in my time here to open him up in the classroom and to help him succeed. After being gone for a week I arrived back on the island with a desire to get back to my students. Monday afternoon I was walking home before class and I saw this student sitting at the concha. And I heard myself say in a very depressed tone-he is going to end up just like his parents- now f you are not from san cristobal you probably see no problem with the child sitting there. But the majority ( or at least those he was with) are not very cleanly, some are unemployed or have low paying jobs, middle aged men who make nasty remarks at young women, and some I have seen walking the streets drunk late at night. At that moment I realized why I had always heard the statement the way I did. I also realized why my parents worked so hard to be good role models. Because although someone has the potential to do great things, to become something more, why would they if all they have known their whole life is something less. But if this something less seems to be working why would one put in more effort?
For this reason I would like to thank my parents for putting in the effort and teaching me that anything is possible with work and sometimes a little help.
I would also like to sent out a general thank you to the teachers who are able to inspire students to man an effort. For those students who have no other positive influence and those who need a friendly reminder. Have encountered several teachers throughout my life which had the ability to inspire me in different ways ( Mrs.Atkinson, Mr. Fischer, Mr. Green, Mrs. Sievert, Mrs. Burk) and I hope that one day I may be able to inspire others.

the sound of music

Lately I have found myself listening to one song on repeat all day. Sometimes for more than one day and they are not normal super catchy songs. I catch myself not realizing what mood I am in until I stop and take notice of what I am listening to. Today I discovered the power of music. Its ability to embrace me, my mood and its ability to comfort me in different ways.
Choir music- I first realized the choir music’s impeccable way of embracing me in its arms my senior year of high school. It doesn’t attempt to cover up my fears but rather it helps me face them. Shows me that my fears and I can coexist. It lets me cry. Lets me get lost in long held notes, but lifts me up. Senior year after the car accident choir was my only place of escape. The whole school ached to be of help but there was not much we could do. But we could sing every song like a simple prayer. Ave Mara and Omnia Sol held our hands and helped us overcome this helplessness. Forty people sitting in a circle, all bodies in contact. Singing from the soul. Tears running down sweet cheeks. We all inhale together stabilizing each other from the inside out. Our sound swirls around us and its echo lifts us up to the skies. So why am I listening to it now? Here in this place of paradise? During this experience of a life time?
Two reasons- 1. I miss people 2. I know pain is coming soon.
I put this music on and close my eyes. I can feel the sounds caress. Inhale with forty people and am lifted to the sky.
Salsa music- It has a way of reaching parts of myself I do not reveal to many. The canción puede ser feliz o una triste, no importa, siempre llegara a mi alma. El otro día un amigo me dijo ‘para bailar salsa con una persona que sabe bailar y también entiende las palabras es algo mágico. Ya sentí esa mágico unos veces pero nunca sabía exactamente que fue. Lo pude sentir la diferencia, no sentí el mágico cada vez que baile con una persona aquí. Ahora mismo puedo pensar en unos pares de chicos con quien sentí el mágico. Es algo bien distinto. No estás bailando sino estas sintiendo la persona. Dos cuerpos moviendo juntos. Cuando el otro siente dolor tú también lo sientes. Tienes que leer los sígnales del cuerpo (un mano que sube suavemente, una cara que toca la tuya, un abrazo que se pone más fuerte) entender los palabras que no están dichos y los que están. Responder a los sígnales, los palabras y la música con tu cuerpo y con todo tu alma. Juntos pueden perderles en salsa. Estar perdido con una persona por tres minutes si es algo lindo. Algo mágico
A song can be happy or sad, it doesnt matter, it always finds its way to my soul. The other day a friend told me ‘to dance salsa with someone who knows how to dance but also understands the words s magical’ I have already felt this magic several times but never knew exactly what t was. I could feel the difference, I didnt feel the magic everytime I danced with somone here. Right now i can think of a few guys with who i felt this ‘magic’ Its a distinct feeling. You are not dancing but rather you are feeling the person. Everyone can relate to the lyrics of salsa but we all relate in dfferent ways and discovering that is somthing special.
Two bodies moving together. When one feels pain you too feel it. You have to read the body signals (a hand that slowly moves up, a face that touches yours, a hug that tightens its grip) understand the words which are not said and the ones that are, respond to the signals, the words and the music with your body and your soul. Together you can get lost in salsa. To be lost with a person for three minutes is something beautiful. Something magical.
All music has its own power, most of the time we just don’t take the time to stop and think about it.