Looking back at Bermuda 2010 ..

Sitting in the airport on our last day of Bermuda there's a bunch of things to look back at and ask yourself, "Wow, did that really happen?” The experience itself is still surreal to me. Previous students who have had the privilege of visiting beautiful Bermuda have all called it a seemingly life-changing experience. For me, when I think "life-changing" it's always big picture; a college decision, a huge scholarship or even death would all fall into that category for me. So, arriving at BIOS I knew only a part of what I was in for. First day off the bus we ate lunch, packed our gear and headed off to Whalebone, a snorkeling area. Little did we know we'd be walking the 2 mile trail to get there then spending two hours in the water searching for whatever interesting creatures we could find. Usually when people think of Bermuda they think of that song you know, "Bermuda, Jamaica, oo I wanna take ya", and it sounds like a very nice, relaxing island where you just lay back and enjoy the beach. That song doesn't mention the amazing things you would see if you didn't sit back, got up and jumped in the water for a while. Now, believe me, I am a firm believer in enjoying pink-sand beaches and only submerging in the water when it's a bit too hot but, my perspective on that has changed a bit, actually a lot. My curiosity has flown off the wall, on the night dive (which I was absolutely petrified of in the beginning) I was one of the people to keep going and push on until I got to see a 4 foot spiny lobster or a camouflaged octopus. Now for those who know me, when I first started working with seahorses I was afraid to pick one up, and those are tiny, super nice creatures! So, this trip has definitely broadened my horizons. I've never been an extremely inquisitive person about the open sea or what might be swimming below me as I enjoyed it but, for some reason, on this trip I found myself diving down 15 feet to follow three beautiful hog fish or to get a better look at some of the amazing colors on a puddingwife. Most of the places we went and the things we saw never would of been believed by my friends and family back home, or even myself for that matter, if I hadn't had the pictures to prove it. I feel as though I am forever indebted to those who made this trip possible and allowed me to finally face my fears of cliff jumping and deep waters, spike my curiosity and provide me with a truly different life-changing experience!