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Published: August 24th 2010
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Another amazing day. One that will probably change me forever. It makes me emotional just thinking about what to write. We went snorkeling in the morning. It took us a while to get organized, but we eventually made it on the dhows (we took 2). Val had everyone who hadn't gone before get in the boat with me and asked me to give them a tutorial on what to do and what to expect. So I did that and they were awesome. They followed instructions and asked questions. Once Lia got in the water she was having issues with gear and was really scared. It took me a few minutes to get her squared away...I had to put her fins on her, then he snorkel was broken so I had to switch mine and hers, then her mask came off so I had to get that on her...all while she was holding me in a death grip and without any sort of floatation device. It was exhausting. Once she was okay with her gear, she calmed down and really enjoyed herself (she never did let go of my hand).
When we got back on the boat all the newbies were raving
about how amazing it was. It was so awesome to be a part of. They kept thanking me for my help. I was so proud of them! I felt like a parent who had just seem her kid graduate. Even for me it was a spectacular snorkel. There were thousands of sea urchins, 1-2 feet in diameter, clown fish, sea anenomes the size of Sukuman and the biggest coral heads I have ever seen. The diversity and sheer number of fish was out of this world. Pure awesomeness! We went on a second snorkel and Lia did so much better! She got in the water and put her fins on all by herself and there was even a time or two when she loosened her grip on my hand a little. I felt like a proud Mama!
After snorkeling we went to a village where the women harvest oysters and make jewelry from their shells and pearls. They get to earn a little bit of money, but they have to have their husband's support. This has become a little easier, especially after one woman was able to buy her husband a fishing boat. I bought some more jewelry!
Just before
dinner we had a little going away ceremony and we each got a certificate of completing the course. Then we went to dinner at a fancy resort on the beach. It was so beautiful. Tables in the sand on the water, candlelight, and a small, quiet band. Marcella, Thalita, and I ordered a bottle of False Bay Rose which I picked because its where I did shark research. I kept the bottles 😊
As dinner was winding down we took about a million pictures and some people started the crying 😞 It was very bitter sweet. Vincent and I had to say good bye early because we were leaving before them in the morning. We went to the bar we had gone to the other night after dinner and I stayed until about 1, but I finally had to give all my hugs because I still needed to pack. It was hard to walk away and I cried 😞
These are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I had so much fun getting to know everyone. I hope I had at least a fraction of the impact of them that they have had on me. I'm
going to miss them...
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