“Don’t
Worry About a Thing”

(Note to readers: This blog can only
be read in a Jamaican accent and some stories are elaborated on a tad) So it’s
finally my turn to recap the events here in Discovery Bay.  Although we haven’t known each other for too
long, the friendships we have built will hopefully last a lifetime.  We have grown closer then any of us could
have imagined… one couple, Josh and Anna, have even decided to get married
because of this trip! [Ed: no, that occurred before they got here.] It has been a learning experience to be able to identify many
different species of marine organisms.  I
will never go to Robert Moses (a beach on the south shore of Long Island)
again without wondering what lies beneath…

Today we went with
Anthony (the dive instructor pictured driving the boat above) to Dairy Bull, a
place that the divers (DITS/NODS) have frequented but the snorkelers (SNITS
like me) had yet to experience.  The
waves were crashing on us pretty hard so to break it up I decided to make many furious
dives to depths that I was not able to go to in the shallower bay to stay below
water, and get a closer look at some of the coral and interesting species of
fish that have yet to be seen.  I even
punched a hammerhead shark in the nose because that’s what we were taught in
class to throw off his olfactory senses! [Ed: No sharks have been seen on this trip.] 
After being exhausted with that, I realized that my handy-dandy-neon-yellow
flotation device would keep me afloat, as long as there was enough air in it,
so for the remainder of the trip I stayed completely above water, looking down
at the new and interesting organisms below, and trying to avoid the chunks that
were floating near the boat from those who couldn’t take the waves.  We all got back on the boat, except for the
two we lost at sea [Ed: not “lost” just late returning to the boat.] and headed back to Discovery Bay. 

I’m currently rocking
it out to some cool jams and reflections of the daily events in the nightly
“pow wow” we have outside of my room upstairs. 
Everyone here brings an interesting story to the night until we fall
asleep from pure exhaustion.  Lately, it
has been a battle of the last wo/man standing and since there isn’t much more
time left here we don’t want to waste the nights sleeping.  We have learned a great deal from our ring
leader, Dan, about the world of marine organisms as well as the world of
politics and history and he is usually the last man standing.  We learn a lot from Allison (pictured to my
right below) about people from Minnesota
and about turkeys.  Carrie tells us many
things about Canadians and Alaska (especially
the fact that she can see Russia
from her house). There are always interesting quotes that Brian shares with us
to guess their origins; no one has perfected his guessing system quite yet.  He is also the *Catch Phrase* champion.  Kristin has perfected the bend and snap
method as well as being a crab hunter to wrestling with them for her experiment
and can make a mean map on paint.  Anna
will teach you a word from any language that you want to know and attempt to get
you to pronounce it correctly.  Josh just
knows everything, from music to life he is a great source of information.  Alina is the master of disaster, meaning she
always finds a way to get hurt, never seriously of course, but this has
transformed her to our stand in physician, taking care of us when we get hurt.  Raphey is just the master of getting in every
picture that has ever been taken here in Jamaica.  If he senses a flash going off he smells it a
mile away and makes a running leap into the picture (with a banana in hand of
course) it’s quite a talent.  Amy has
been on more study abroad trips then anyone here and brings an interesting
point of view to the table.  Lisa has so
much energy, that girl could run around the compound a thousand times and still
want to do a somersault and running leap in the middle of her presentation(this
actually happened tonight).  Will always
shares his random medical facts including how to tell the difference between a
female and a male’s wrist.  Cat is my
partner in crime, as well as my partner for our projects and we show the
seagrass who is boss together every day, while jamming to Bob Marley on Will’s
computer.  Brad is the karaoke champion
of the world, and Joe is the one he serenades every night. [Ed: There is no serenading.] Jamaica has been an unforgettable
experience and I will cherish these memories for life.

Common phrases heard throughout Jamaica:
No problem mon, Cool runnings, respec (usually following a pound of some sort),
lemmie braid your hair, would you like a taxi?, how about some beads? I have a
gift for you, now tip me!

Common phrases heard in Discovery Bay: Like literally… Carrie. So, basically…
Will/Tex. Don cha know?… Allison.  Where
are the bonanars?… Raphey. No, I’m really going to bed now… everyone. 

Hello to everyone in snowy NY from
sunny

Jamaica

!!

-Cassie (the paparazzi)