Studying abroad in Bonaire has been the best thing to happen in my life. It opened many doors and other opportunities for my future; especially career wise. It also gave me a better insight on what I want to do with my life. The only way I could go on this trip was with the study abroad scholarship. I was unsure if I could take this amazing opportunity, but I had many people telling me to just go for it. Especially people who have already done gone on a study abroad trip. “If you are thinking about doing a trip, stop thinking and just go for it.” That is exactly what I had done. I just went for it, and it was worth it.

I got to learn about a bunch of different cultures while I was there. There were people from all over the world living on the small island. I was a slapped in the face with different cultures, but it was neat to learn about each one from them.

Exploring the highs and lows of the island was beautiful. Getting to see the old coral reef that the island is formed from was astonishing. Exploring the cave systems, and the underwater world was my favorite part. It was fascinating to learn about the diversity in these areas and the different ecosystems. What was surprising was that Bonaire has a desert climate. Cacti scattered the island with barely any rainfall. It was interesting because I had thought it would be more tropical, so that made the island unique.

If anyone ever tells me they are thinking about doing a study abroad program, I’m going to let them know that it is easier than they think. I did not think it would be easy until I just went for it, and applied for many scholarships.

Today was day one of our Bonaire Coral Restoration Project and it started with a morning dive at Windsock Beach. I did not get to dive. Unfortunately, I have a sinus infection which lead me to snorkel. Luckily, I still got to explore the reef and all the different organisms living in it. In the afternoon, we met in a room by the dive shop to go through a presentation by the Coral Restoration Foundation. They showed us how to tie the corals using the microfilament and then crimping it tight with some pliers to keep the coral in place. Then we paired up with our dive partners to place the coral onto the tree made of PVC and fiberglass.

After the presentation, we got geared up and went with our dive partner to our assigned instructor. The instructor took us to our assigned nursery and showed us how to place the staghorn coral onto the tree. Then we cleaned the algae off the trees using tools that were provided. They had green sponges to clean the microfilament that were holding the coral in place. The brushes were used to scrub the algae off the tree the coral were on. Then, the instructor guided us to the place where the corals were transplanted for reproduction. He showed us the snails, and blood worms which were the predators to the coral that had to be removed.

After the dives, there was a local who was filleting some lionfish on the dock that he had caught. He was feeding the remains to some giant tarpon that were swimming around the dock. In the evening, we had hit the town for dinner and to explore. Later on, we worked on our homework that that was assigned by the Coral Restoration Foundation to give us some prior knowledge for tomorrow morning’s class.

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To learn more about our Bonaire Coral Restoration Project continue following our blog.