The conditions here are are a little more intense than I am used to. The climate for one is still oppressive, I am just not used to soaking my sheets with sweat past midnight while I am trying to go to sleep. There is no natural fresh water source here, consequently I can only take one fresh water shower a week. All our fresh water is rain water collected in a cistern. Electricity comes from a diesel generator, and it costs 4 times as much as it does back in the United States. Plenty of the buildings here are in terrible condition after the a hurricane hit the island a few years ago. This hurricane season is the supposed to be the strongest in a while, so we'll see how that goes. There are poisonous spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. The plants here are rather hostile as well. There are Acacia bushes with thorns the length of my pinky finger. There are grasses that tear up your feet, and this nasty thing called a Pencil Tree that has some sort of toxic chemical coating.
The water has plenty of things that bite, sting, and stab. Local residents include Lemon Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Barracuda, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, Sea Wasps, Portuguese Man of War, Fire Worms, Fire Coral, an assortment of stinging Hydroids, Spiny Sea Urchins, Stingrays, Moray Eels, all sorts of things that I am going to try to avoid contact with.
With that being said, I love it here. I mean, I'm definitely still in culture shock, coming from a private school in the silicon valley where we use flat screen TVs as posters on the walls, and ending up on this place where fresh water isn't taken for granted. Also the lifestyle is completely different, I don't miss the bay area rush and busyness at all. The atmosphere here is just the most chill thing ever. I went out and visited a couple local bars last night. I went to Trench Town, and then Chicken Bar. I ended up playing dominoes at Chicken Bar, which appears to be quite the popular local game. As I was standing up from losing, I made eye contact with this local man in the corner of the bar. He was sitting on a stool and smoking a blunt, he looked around 50, and had short dreads. First words out of his mouth:
"You smoke the reefer?"
An awesome conversation ensued, he explained to me that he would free dive 50 feet and could stay at the bottom for a minute to catch lobster and conch for a living. Then he told me that he smokes weed in the morning before work. I guess I really am in the caribbean. He was really chill, a common theme here, and I'm sure I'll see him around on an island this small.
Oh and the water is amazing. I've been snorkeling three times today, twice off the dock by the center and my third trip was to a patch reef, Admiral's Aquarium. It was my first time swimming in a reef and there was SO much to see. If it wasn't for the current I would have been perfectly content to sit in one spot for an hour, there was so much life and things happening. There are so many fish I do not recognize. I need to start hitting up some of the field guides. While we were out there a Nurse Shark, a Lionfish, and a Barracuda all made an appearance. Can not believe its only my second full day here. It is such a good feeling to be doing what you want to do, and be in the perfect place to do it.
No pictures yet, still don't have internet on my computer. I should be doing homework right now, so I'm going to get on that.
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