My first month back on Utila has FLOWN; though it's no surprise to me considering how fast 4 whole years went by. Sometimes I'm convinced that time is warped here. After a week on this little island you feel like the place been a part of your life forever, yet the months and years seem to fly past you.
Now that I'm back living my island routine, the universe feels right again. Waking up with the sunrise, spending my days in the ocean, seeing my bronzed skin and blonde tips return, and passing out in bed whilst only half way through eating my dinner at 8pm. I'm exhausted and at times stressed, but so incredibly content.
Asa and I can't deny it: we're happy here.
I was nervous to get back into work. It's been 19 months away from teaching and diving. Would I remember everything? The admin side of things, the internship presentations, identifying the corals in latin... how to dive? (Kinda joking, kinda not.)
Well, all I can say is how confronting I've found just how easy it's been. My hands remember the practical tasks without my brain telling them what to do and my mouth rattles off presentations & briefings as if my internal hard-drive is uploading them as I speak. It's as if my conscience has stored all of this Utila-software 'just in case'.
When I arrived back on Utila 5 weeks ago I hit the ground running, and I haven't stopped since. Our September Marine Conservation Internship (MCI) was incredible and extremely rewarding. As staff we were blessed with the most enthusiastic and curious group of interns, injecting laughter and energy into every day - I couldn't have asked for a better group. It may sound a little silly but it's nice to feel needed again in my work. After an unexpected year working as a barista in The Canadian Rockies, it's a dream to have purpose once again. Not that I really needed reminding, but pursuing a career in diving and conservation is paramount for me to be happy in life.
Just in the past month I must have completed around 50 dives, gave baby Hawksbill Turtles a helping hand from their nest to a new ocean home, I've been escorted home by dolphins, dived with eagle rays, cleaned plastic debris off our local beaches, removed invasive species off the reef, hired a wonderful new staff member, conducted reef health surveys, monitored Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease volunteering with BICA, and spent evenings reunited with my island dive family over good food and in even better company.
That's just a quick update from me - I'm off to teach an invasive species workshop now!
Until next time I wish you:
Happy dreaming & safe diving.
A.
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