Oh what a day, finished the last two dives for our Coral Reef Restoration certification in the morning and early afternoon. The staff at Buddy Dive and Coral Reef are some of the most genuinely happy and caring people you will encounter. But the rest of the island is just as friendly and caring about the environment and coral. Later that night we attended a seminar about sea turtles on Bonaire and what Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire is doing about certain threats to protect sea turtles. From an environmental sciences major point of view this trip is refreshing and (as cheesy as this may sound) inspiring to experience and further learn about the problems we hear about in the news and in our everyday lives while being emerged in such a hands on environment. To really see the effects that global warming has on coral reefs and it’s ecosystem, including sea turtles, is completely different than what a text book can teach you. To be with people who care about environment, pollution, corals, and government policies as much as you, and who are passionate about talking about it with you is a really great feeling that I can’t put in a single blog post. Whenever we see something like the sea turtle or the Caribbean squid I have a moment where I’m overwhelmed with excitement and amazement that all I can think is “wow”. Having the opportunity to study abroad at SPC has been one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve meet so many people whom I will be friends with for years and years. Also for this program we needed to be scuba certified, and now I have dive buddies that are also some of my closest friends. I get to go diving everyday, see once in a life time things, make friends with people from a different country that share the same passions, earn college credit, eat food that I don’t know the name of, and have the time of my life with people that I love. Finally, the island of Bonaire has people just as special as their biology. To observe and interact with people of another culture and to see how they live their lives is very interesting. I feel quite at home and didn’t feel very much culture shock when we first arrived and explored downtown on our half day off. Island life is very laid back and less stressful than what we see in the states.

To learn how to participate in the Coral Reef Restoration project in Bonaire through SPC Study Abroad click here.