Bonaire lately, with pictures!

Well, here I am on my first off day in a while and it is very much needed. There's been quite a lot going on so strap yourselves in for a marathon blogpost, with pictures of course.

I'm now two weeks done with the Divemaster Internship program with Dive Friends Bonaire. This included completing all tests (relating to dive physics, physiology, how to teach, decompression theory, etc) as well as assisting around the shop. Speaking of the shop...
I've also still been doing quite a bit of work on the beach. And by work, I really mean taking people around snorkeling. Some days are better than others, but it's always nice to be out in the sun, and it's definitely busy. A group will come in and stay for two hours in which you have to constantly monitor them to not step on the coral, not swim too far, etc. etc. There is also a lot of schmoozing, because we work for tip. By far the best tippers are Americans/Canadia, followed by the Brits, Europeans (mostly Dutch/German/and a few French), and Latin Americans. Most days we don't get any tip from the Latin American ship, Enchantment of the Seas (which, oddly enough the Cheever family was on Thanksgiving 2004). But, occasionally we do pull off a coup and manage a little extra cash (I am sure there is a direct relationship between my schmoozing/flirting and tips... hey, American guy who can try and speak Spanish? Ok, maybe we'll give). Enchantment days are a bit tough as I am the only Spanish speaker on the beach and my vocab doesn't always translate to snorkel stuff, but something I need to work on. We've had a bit of staff turnover lately (more on this later) and I'm the only Spanish speaker left. Opportunity for a job? Maybe... But, enough typing, you want some more pictures. So, here it is, the beach (sans equipment)
Hmmm... more about work... I really do like the people I am working with and am getting closer with many of them with each passing week. For the most part everyone works hard (with a few exceptions) and is always willing to answer my questions here and there. Work could be more organized however as it sometimes takes a while to find forms or parts for equipment but it's not really my place to overhaul that and with time I'll learn where everything is. We recently had a bit of a shakeup. Our highest ranking instructor left for another resort (where her husband works) which is too bad. She was American and definitely went out of her way to help me at times which I am quite thankful for. Not to say that the rest of the instructors are helpful, they are, but I think Carolyn could empathize with me and my situation as she had been down that road somewhat. We also lost our general manager recently which is the subject of much speculation but really an understanding that while really good for business he had some drawbacks which I won't discuss. Gerrie was kind to me however and I think it is nearly unanimous that our business will suffer without him. He ran a tight ship, which kept everyone busy at all times and on their feet to keep doing better. How will things be without him? I don't quite know but will let you all know when we get there.

Let's change routes for a bit and talk about Bonaire. Two days ago, there were elections which I think drastically shaped Bonaire's future. Currently, Bonaire is an independent part of the Netherlands and as such receives quite a few benefits, namely in the way of aid in healthcare, education, economic trading laws, etc. A March referendum is in place to see if this will continue or whether Bonaire will become freely associated with the Netherlands. Now, the time leading up to these elections were quite the event. Nearly every night, fireworks would be the norm, and every time one boomed in the distance it would set off the Bonairian version of the "London bark". Within the past week, cars, all adorned with flags of the different parties would caravan around the island, honking and generally creating a scene (in addition to setting off the Bonairian bark, which can also be activated by walking in the road late at night, ah, island dogs). At any rate, here's the election in a few sentences: The Green Party (Christian party by name?) is in favor of Integration with the Netherlands, which keeps the status quo. The opposition was led by the Red Party which favors Free Association, or a much more independent state loosely affiliated like Australia/New Zealand/Canada are with England only the Netherlands more or less said kiss our ass goodbye if you go this route. The UN stepped in saying that more time was needed to have fair elections and gather information as well as make the ballot less confusing but this was largely ignored. And then there was the Blue party which more or less wanted to kick every foreigner off the island. End result? Green in a close one (over red), which is best for just about everyone here on the island in the long run via money from the Netherlands for education, healthcare, economic support, etc. So now that the Green party has won, looks like the March referendum may be canceled but who really knows, Bonaire is a third-world island nation and as such has third-world island politics.

Time for more pictures... here is Bonairian currency, the guilder, or expressed as Naf.



The food situation is very much the same here on the island... somewhat limited. But I suppose I got very jaded living in California and in Berkeley in particular. I've found tortillas here on the island which is a staple of mine. They are, after all, the best food delivery vehicle ever. Lots of sandwiches as well. I would kill for some good tomatoes. KILL! But no, they are all quite bland. I got quite excited to find avocado the other day (not the Californian kind) but it needs ripening so I've got to give it some time. If I do end up staying on Bonaire, I will start my own garden. It's a must.

I am making more and more friends here on the island which is definitely a good thing. It's nice to have a bit of a social group and get together outside work.

Other than that, the same stuff as always. I will leave you with some photos of the Hilma Hooker, a wreck here on Bonaire (it's story can be found here, quite a good one)

Some tarpon...

Underside (bow) of Hooker
Triggerfish!
Other half of Team California...So that's it for now. Time to enjoy my weekend.

Ah, Bonaire...

This isn't the greatest sunset we've had. It's actually on the lower end. But I just happened to have my camera with me and figured I at least needed to get one picture of a sunset up.

Picture taken from City Cafe, home to Bonaire's infamous 5:30-6:30 happy hour, a two for one deal.

In other news, got to assist on a DSD (Discover Scuba Diving) today and lead a guided dive in the afternoon. So yeah, things are good. The second dive was particularly amazing, going to depth ~20m up one outer reef then coming back ~12m or so on the inner reef. Probably my favorite dive yet.

It's the weekend now (Sunday-Monday my off days) so plenty of sleep with some studying thrown in.

Only real negative to report are the mosquitos. There are bites all over my body. And blood stains all over my bed. Yuck! But such is life in the tropics. Please keep your fingers crossed for me in that I don't get dengue!

Much love to all. And sending some warm Caribbean vibes your way.

Bonaire days 3-8 or so, more or less life on Bonaire so far...

Greetings all,

As you can well imagine, I've been quite busy.
What are you busy with?
Well I'll tell you.

My usual day:
-Wake between 6 to 7. Debate exercising but instead hit snooze because morning is one of the few times it is cool enough to be comfortable and sleep.
-7:08. Cold shower for 1 minute.
-7:10. Dress and make myself lunch, usually a PB&J. Yay America.
-7:15. Leave for work if I have to walk. 7-8 is Bonaire's "rush hour". Total cars seen on road? Maybe 50 tops.
-7:15. If I have my bike (big if, it's been working and not working since I got it) I sit around for a bit and collect my thoughts. Maybe make an omelet. If I can get the stove to work. Childproof = Mark-proof.
-7:45. Arrive at work to clean the shop with other slaves, I mean, uh, interns. Sweep floors, fill rinse baths, open doors, etc. etc.
-8:00. Briefing by Asko, #2 guy. Go over the plan for the day. Pet Kees, Asko's dog (pronounced "case").

Now, depending on what is happening, I can go one of several places...
-Beach: I, with other interns, head to Port Bonaire where we meet a retired American couple, Walt and Lynn, and then packup Hiluxes (Hilux: most convenient car/pickup ever, see right) with snorkel gear. Head to beach to set up and wait for tourists arriving from cruise ships. When tourists arrive, put on game face (smile and act the part of charming young man "livin' the dream"). After introduction, I'll take a group of more experience snorkelers out on the island's shittiest reef (although, amazing by comparison to most places in the world) and show them octopi, parrotfish, trumpetfish, trunkfish, eels, peacock flounder (saw one swimming at depth today, so much cooler at depth), and sometimes an Eagle ray or turtle. We'll get anywhere from 1 to 4 groups a day ranging from 13 people to as many as multiple groups of 36 at a time. After about two hours, Alex, the bus driver arrives in a converted school bus to take the daytrippers back to the bus. This corresponds with one of the Dutch girls working on the beach taking the tip box and ever so slightly holding it at just below chest level to get tips (the Dutch, for the most part, are, how shall we say it, raised in the land of milk and honey...). Then, a short break with a soda (coke, sprite will REAL sugar!) and then taking down the beach to store back at Port Bonaire.

-If there is no snorkeling to be had, I'm around the dive shop. Duties have included the following:
-wash and put away gear
-clean stuff around the shop
-move tanks
-fill tanks
-learn how to fix gear
-assist with Instructors/Divemasters doing their thing
-Running errands such as filling gas (the other day, me and Dutch guy Awald went to the gas station to fill up. Total bill? 697 guilders... or nearly $400 American. Most of this goes into big plastic rolling tanks or jugs in the back of a Hilux. And of course, guess who gets to stand in the back of the pickup truck, holding the jugs so they don't tip over the side, you guessed it, me. Came home that night smelling of diesel. Awesome.)
-Other errands such as retrieving tested tanks, helping out at various other locations (Dive Inn, Port Bonaire, Hamlet, etc.)
-Have also been on as a divemaster (in training) on a few dives which is the cool part. More of that to come.
-taking Divemaster tests, studying, or being tudored by Asko who I am learning from the first two weeks (Asko is an awesome guy and knows a hell of a lot, I'm lucky to have him teaching me the ropes to start out).

4:50. After a long day, and it is definitely long, the sun and heat/humidity wear on you big time, all staff still working collectively clean up the main location, "Yellow Submarine" and lock everything up. Some days we have a beer at the end.
5:10 or so: head home, perhaps stopping at grocery store or other store for some such need. Note on stores in a bit.
5:30. arrive home, start thinking about dinner. More about food in a bit...
6:00. eat and then putz around for a bit.
8:00. Start to study for Divemaster theoretical material but end up online. Get some study done.
10:00-11:30. Finally call it a night and get to bed.

So that's more or less it as far as life on the island goes.


Few random things about Bonaire:
-The shops here all close by 6, or most of them. So this gives a very small window with which to get stuff (food, SIM card for phone, bike repairs, whatnot). And when they say they close at 6, they really mean 5:30, or 5:00, or sometimes 4:00. It's just the way it is.
-Food here is not that great. There are a few grocery stores around. Cultimara is the one I have been going to but it isn't that great. "Supermarket" is decent, got a fair bit of groceries there the other day and apparently "Cash N' Carry" has good produce, who woulda thought... at any rate, at least it's too hot to really eat.
-I've been getting nailed by the mosquitos but it's a little bit less each night. So hopefully that will be gone soon.

It's getting late and I'm a bit beat, so gonna end this for now. Will definitely start taking photos soon.

Too tired...

I know I promised a post. But it's not coming... yet. Quite frankly, I'm really tired from working all day and to have Divemaster study stuff on top of that is no fun. So I'm going to bed.

But know that:
-I am quite red from the sun (even with sunblock)
-THE DIVING HERE IS AMAZING (puts the snorkeling to shame)
-I love my coworkers
-I think they think I am doing a good job? So will try to keep that up.
-There are mozzies everywhere and they have dengue on the island. Awesome.
-Tomorrow I officially begin my Divemaster Internship (ie, slave labor)

And most importantly, I'm having fun, and in good spirits, and feel life is going in a really good direction for me right now. And that's all I can really ask for, right?

Ayo (Papimiento for goodbye)

So I wish I could post more...

Ok, at some point I have to tell you the story of how my current bicycle turns out, it I survive it.

Until then, just know that tonight I think it my "initiation night" and fair to say I'll be sleeping in tomorrow. For the record, there is two-to-one happy hour from 5:30 to 6:30 on Bonaire and I tried to keep up.

Life is good, as always.

Much love from Bonaire.

Bonaire: Day 2

Woke up this morning and groggily crawled out of bed. The travel and heat accumulated from yesterday really wore me down. But, got up out of bed and mosied (yes, it's a word) my way on down to the medical center to have a dive physical. Now for most of you unaware with the dive process, a dive physical is a secret contract between the powers that be (PADI, Dive Shops) and doctors in which you wait much longer than is necessary to have a two minute consultation with a doctor where he reads over your personal history (which you have already filled out) then looks in your ears and listens to you breathe. And for this you pay a whopping $50. I am sure there is reciprocation towards the dive industry in some way for this procedure, like beers or some other form of dive instructor currency (we take cash, food, beer, and the occasional bit of promiscuity). Whatever it is, it's ridiculous to have to pay $50 for a doctor to tell me I am ok doing something I've been doing for over two years now.

With that over, I make my way to "work"(check to the side: view from Yellow Submarine site) but not before stopping at the local grocery store for some sort of Dutch pastry-hot dog creation (hot dog with ketchup inside pastry shell? Hell yes) and.... PEACHES! I have been craving peaches for so long. And granted, they said they were nectarines, but they weren't! They were most definitely peaches! Not good peaches however. Still appreciated, just not fantastic like I was hoping for.

Once at work, I changed over into my "uniform" (board shorts and Dive Friends Bonaire blue rash guard shirt, oh and my rainbow sandals) and jumped in the back of one of the Hilux's (four door Toyota pickup-perfect for island life) and we were off to the other dive office site (well, one of the other 4) to pick up snorkeling equipment. My partners in crime were two Dutch students, Anouk (my favorite Dutch name by far) and Christal (sp?) who are in Bonaire doing an internship/study abroad for school. Not a bad internship whatsoever. After loading up the truck, we were off to Windsock Beach to set up for the day (named Windsock as the planes fly in at really low altitude to the airport, right over the beach. Hearing the big KLM 747 coming in today was awesome). At the beach we met Walt and his wife Lynn, two former nurses who escape New Jersey to volunteer on Bonaire over the winter. Again, not such a bad deal. We set up all the masks and fins along with a tent, soda cooler, first aid, chairs, etc etc. It's sorta now that I really realize that while I actually have to work, I get to be on the water all day for my job. Yes...

The first batch of cruise-shippin' snorkelers arrive at 12:30 and after introductions (which I had mastered in Cal IM sports training clinics) I take a group right off the bat to show them around. Yes, I am a tour guide. Now, it's kinda weird cause I have no idea what a lot of the fish on Bonaire are called. But neither do the tourists, and that's the best part. I dive down to 8 feet or so to peek in a little cave of coral. What's there? An octopus. Can't see much of him, but he's there. And I be sure and ask everyone "Did you see it? Isn't it cool lookin'?" (then follow with head-nod semi wink expression to push the point on through). Sidenote: tourists love to see whatever. It doesn't matter to them. They really have no idea and that's great for me. I get to just show them some cool stuff. Like parrotfish. There are lots of them out there, but they are brightly colored and make a crunching sound when they eat. More or less parrotfish are the Fox News of the scuba world. Easily digestable (not literally), and little substance. But for the masses, they work just fine. I spent about 45 minutes at a time swimming around with the snorklin' folk. See that eel? Sweet. While not a guarantee every time, we in the dive industry (and yes, I will consider myself to be part of it now) work for tips, cause standard pay isn't that great. So everytime you can show someone an eel, or an octopus, or some little dinky fish that is brightly colored, the sounds of dropping guilders into our bucket start to go off in one's head (I may romantically use guilders, but in reality everyone uses dollars). I did this for a couple hours, occasionally chasing down the rogue group who swims out too far and in general trying to show everyone "good things" as one Brazilian mother put it today ("Can you show me good things underwater?" in very thick accent). In between finding good things, I ham it up with the guys and flirt with the women and girls (I have a theory that teens are a goldmine for tips, just gotta impress the parents that you are engaging their child and keeping them happy during the dreaded "family time"). We go through two groups and then take down our site, heading back to Port Bonaire (dive shop south of Kralendijk) and then to Dive Inn to help my neighbor Frederique and another dive instructor Beb to wash and put away their equipment from the day.

Eventually, we make our way back to Yellow Submarine which is the main site and hang around for a bit. There, I meet nearly the entire staff which was very overwhelming. I'm not great with names, but have been doing alright so far. Also happens to be another Californian (yes, I consider myself that now too) with DFB named Mary Lou who went to UCSD and happen to know some of the same people - small world. Anyways, we all have dinner together (chicken satay, mmmm...) and I try and get to know everyone a bit more. I've decided I'm going to try and learn dutch so we'll see how that goes. As the sun went down, we cleaned up and dispersed, off into the night.

Tomorrow: Must get a bike (will fix up one at the apartment). Also, will try and drive stick (this could be interesting). And, more snorkel cruise shippers with Walt in the morning. And a party tomorrow night with the "Young Folk" of the island.

From Bonaire, this is the luckiest guy in the world, signing off for now to go do some work. Divemaster studying. I love this kind of study. At any rate, I leave you with this, my "This is why I love life right now" thought of the day:

Riding in the back of pickup trucks on a tropical island might be the best form of transportation.

Bonaire: Day 1

Well, I'm in paradise... now what?

I don't start my dive internship until next week so I have some time to explore and whatnot in Bonaire before I take up a regular routine. After waking up, I took a shower (cold water only, yet not a problem at all, it's about 78 degrees by 8am) and gathered my scuba equipment to journey in to town and find the dive shop. Upon arrival I was given a tour by Gerrie, the general manager and a basic outline of what my duties would be (ie, what to clean, where to put stuff, etc). I met quite a few of the staff and went over my divemaster internship schedule. Everyone seems quite nice and friendly although I'll admit I do have trouble with some of the Dutch names, very hard to remember them when it's the first time you've ever heard anyone called that.

By 11 I was through with the initial activities at the dive shop and walked back from town to my place. Still feeling a bit tired from all the traveling the day before, as well as the massive heat that was now accumulating, I took a nice little nap. Waking up at 3, I decided to take a run and see some of the island. Juni called me crazy for it and let me know runners only went out in the mornings or at dusk. Being the 23-year-old that I am said that I would be fine and set off. I barely even made it 2 miles before getting absolutely shut down.

To be perfectly honest, I had a great pace going, no exaggeration at all. But then I began to be chased. By a goat. All around Bonaire in the countryside are goats, iguanas, and donkeys (although haven't seen those yet). I'd pass a few and they'd usually run away from me. But my attention was drawn then a car coming towards me stopped and stuck a camera out the window aimed in my general direction. What the hell?!? Confused, I looked behind me and sure enough was a young goat-completely black and barely two feet tall chasing me with all his might. I thought this funny at first and just ran faster to get away. But the goat kept up. And in the heat (no longer any shade where I was now) I just began to get really tired. I turned around and me and the goat were in a standoff, his weird marbley eyes against mine. I ran for a bit more. He kept up. Other cars passed by thought this was very funny. Ha ha, jokes on me, getting chased by a goat. I tried to scare him by raising my arms and shouting. Nothin'. He wouldn't move. So I kept running, and stopping, and staring him down. I was worried that A.) goat's owner turns the corner and sees me trying to scare off his baby goat-then I'm really screwed or B.) goat bites me, I get rabies and my uninsured ass dies. Either I felt was pretty unlikely, but there is a goat chasing me. What on earth do I do? Turns out all the goat wanted was to be friends. In Thailand, I had come to have island dogs chase me around, suppose in Bonaire the goats fill that role. I petted the goat, not really knowing how one pets a goat (like a dog maybe?) and continued to run while the little guy chased me right along. He eventually stopped underneath a tree and we had our sad goodbye moment, with him bleeting as I ran away. I felt very sad, I had grown quite accustomed to by little friend. Hopefully I'll find him on another run.

The rest of my run was much more of a walk as the sun got too hot to really do much (and of course, I am painfully out of shape ). I climbed through a short patch of mangroves to view the Atlantic side of Bonaire (actually Caribbean still, so the eastern shore) and then walked/jogged back.

Tonight has been rather relaxed with a burger dinner and a few "cervez"s. I was planning on doing some diving theory work so will get to that before I'm off to bed. This island is wonderful and tomorrow should show me a lot more. I have a dive physical in the morning and in the afternoon will be helping out the dive shop with a big group of cruise-liner snorkelers in the arvo.

More to come tomorrow...

Goodbye New York, Hello Bonaire.

My January 4th/5th is really one big long day all blurred together.

After sleeping in on Monday my sister and I spent most of the day running errands and getting things for my trip down here (also saw The Hurt Locker which was fantastic). After buying the necessary items (toiletries, medicine, and of course ping pong balls to play beirut/beer pong) I packed my stuff into two bags (best packing job of my life) and spent the rest of the night watching TV and movies with Emily. At around 3am, I went outside and hailed a cab to JFK airport and waited for my 7am flight.

I thought that it would be necessary to arrive at JFK early for an international flight due to increased security and all. Well, not really. Even my scuba regulators which I had in my carry-on (which have the look of many twisting hoses and metal parts, what I would think would clearly profile in an x-ray machine as a bomb) went unnoticed. The security guy was much busier looking the girl in front of me up and down, not even bothering to look at the security screen. Ah, TSA, keeping us safe. (side note: really, I don't think there is much of a purpose to the TSA besides making people "feel" safe. If terrorists really want to do something again, they will. But with that note, we shouldn't be afraid for chances are extremely unlikely and if we stop traveling, then they have "won").

At any rate, my flight from JFK to Aruba was uneventful and filled with sporadic naps here and there. I arrived in to Aruba around noon at which point I made my way outside and hopped on a bus, staying on for a "tour" of the island. Debated getting off in the downtown of the major city there, but it just looked like the same old touristy place. I much rather enjoyed staying on the bus and noticing the daily habits of locals and tourists alike. Conclusion? I don't think I'd care much for Aruba, it seems almost too clean and "ideal beach resort" for its own good. Seems to lack the character of other island nations not quite so developed. Although, all that being said, I am sure there are some great local places on the island untouched by cruise ship culture and time-sharing throngs of "Bahstawn-ites".

While waiting for my plane to board I stopped by a small outdoor cafe in Aruba's airport, having a Venezuelan Polar beer and a convection oven hot dog-extra ketchup mandatory. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal except I want to express how great it is to be in a foreign country where foreign languages are spoken. As I approached the counter to order, there was a Dutch family ordering some food. The lady behind the counter, a local, responded seamlessly and finished their order. The next group was a Spanish dad and his two boys who ordered in Spanish, again met with perfect response on the part of the woman working the cafe. And then I order in Spanglish. Well, first in Spanish (to which she responded... I love trying to be Spanish) but then eventually I slipped in English which was met by a sly smile from her. The best of all, however, was my first introduction to Papimiento. Now I had absolutely no idea what Papimiento was coming in but a friend of the Cafe lady showed up and they started speaking the weirdest dialect of Spanish I had ever heard. At first I got really excited about hearing a new form of Spanish but it was no longer Spanish, it sounded Dutch. Then English. Spanish again. Then something else who knows what. It really is a hybrid language and the odd thing is I could pick up a fair bit of it here and there although completely lost in others (probably the Dutch part)...
This little scene hit me in a major way though: one of the greatest joys about traveling I find is the language barrier. It just feels great. You are out of your comfort zone and in a foreign land and everything seems new. And here's just an odd thought I've been throwing around, but when everyone speaks the same language, it is almost as if there is a greater barrier as a more personal contact does not need to be made. When we speak English, we don't really bother to truly watch and listen for other things as we are mainly just concerned with the words/message. When hearing a foreign language, you are forced to see body language, eye contact, tones and delivery style. Even not understanding the conversation between the lady behind the counter and her friend, I felt I had somehow known more about what they were expressing that is so much more important than just the words. Is that a stretch? Maybe. I dunno.

I finished my Polar beer and then proceeded through security and into the waiting area to board my next plane. Ha! And what a plane it was. A 21 seat little island hopper with no aisle and no door between the cabin and the cockpit (see photo below: looks nice on the outside, but inside a bit more rustic). It was very interesting to see all the instruments and pilots actions throughout the flight, although the technology from the 1980's was a bit concerning, although exciting as well and truly the way one should fly from island to island. What's a plane ride in the Caribbean without a little adventure (and the slightest wind throwing the plane around like a ragdoll). The plane stopped in Curacao for refueling and then took off again for Bonaire where I arrived just after 8pm, still not having slept.
Once through customs, I was greeted by Monique (the woman I'm living with) and we drove home where I unpacked a bit. Despite being half-awake at this point, I was super excited to see the island, or just a bit thereof and so we went off to find Juni (Monique's husband) who was teaching salsa lessons near downtown. We stayed there for a bit, then off to find Juni's father who was in town for his birthday but upon arriving at Juni's sister's restaurant, found out that Juni's dad decided to go back to Curacao the day before.

The night ended with a bit of internet and a Caribbean soup of sorts: potato, pumpkin, corn on the cob, other veggies, and some tripe... yes, tripe. But it was quite good. After finishing unpacking, I was to bed. Bonaire as my home for the 10 weeks? Yeah, works just fine by me.

Well, here I am again and life is good.

Greetings from Bonaire!

You might find you asking yourself... where the hell is Bonaire? Well here's a map:


So what really am I doing here?
Well, after graduating from Cal, I couldn't stand the thought of an office job. And I wanted to travel. And I love diving. (as well as the following: beach, the tropics, foreign girls, foreign beer, and living someplace that isn't the states, which was sucking the life out of me every day I stayed there). So, naturally it all boiled down to becoming a dive instructor and travel the world teaching scuba diving as well as conservation practices.

Now this does involve a bit of work, believe it or not. Currently I am only a rescue diver (the third major rank up in PADI- Professional Association of Dive Instructors, you can read all about it here) and have thus gotten a Divemaster internship to advance my skillset. I work for 6 weeks for Dive Friends Bonaire in the dive shop/assisting with classes/etc and in return I get dive shop experience and trained for divemaster. You can see the program here.

For accommodation I'm staying in an apartment (two bedroom single story house) with a married couple who are incredibly nice. The husband is from Curacao and wife from Holland so naturally I am trying to pick up as much Papimiento/Dutch as possible, although they are quite proficient in English. My room is very simple with just a bed (queen size, thank goodness) fan, and closet but I don't really need much else. The place is about 15 minutes from down down Kralendijk, not a bad walk at all.

I'll be here till mid-March or so, hopefully finding an instructor development course after I complete my divemaster internship.

That's the basic deal so far. To keep these relatively short and readable I'll get on to the next post about my travel day getting to Bonaire.