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.
No comments:
Post a Comment