Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to let my dad know that I love him and say, "Happy Father's Day!"
















There is a spot here to my left just in case you want to visit while I am here for three more days:)

Quite possibly my last dive in the Cayman Islands:(

My last dive in the Caribbean Sea~ It was a nice dusk dive in the North Shore and quite a peaceful one at that. It was one of those times where I felt incredibly blessed at this time in my life~ the end of an incredible journey& at the very beginning of something different.

I felt like an adult until...

So putting on the academic regalia tonight made me feel like I was apart of something big. It was the first time I stood with the faculty and actually felt like I had a responsibility that goes beyond just teaching. Let's just say that the big picture became even a little more clear tonight. I not only want to make them strong students academically, but I want them to know how to stand on their own two feet and develop character that makes them stand apart from the world. It was hard to applaud the students and not wonder where they might end up and then question whether or not I am doing what I can to help my fifth graders this year. After all of this reflection, I have to admit that I did goof off throughout the ceremony b/c it was BORING!!!! You know, trying to get people to laugh, tying robes together, trying to fly with my arm wings, etc. I can only be expected to act like an adult for about an hour, after that, anything goes.

Almost at the end!

For teachers, the last couple of weeks tends to bring out the crazy in all of us~we tend to let loose a little each day.





































How I really feel vs. How I wish I could feel.

Ghost Mountain

Another beautiful dive, another great opportunity to meet some interesting people who do incredible things. A friend from my bible study hooked us up with a cheap dive ( on a great boat w/ great dive masters) in the north shore. Before we got in the water we noticed that some of the divers were getting ready w/out gear. After a short conversation we learned that a group of men came down this week from Canada to participate in a freediving competition. Apparently on the boat with us was the number one coach in the world and it was a treat to go diving with these guys. The coach was able to hold his breath for 23 minutes (while the team is up to 6 minutes) and dive to depths of 230 feet the other day. It was quite fun diving with them and seeing what they were capable of doing without gear- quite impressive.














I was also proud of going through a swim through at a depth of 125 feet, not bad for a day in the ocean!

Grocery Shopping

After hitting the beach, we all decided to stock up on food. It is always fun shopping in a different country, no matter where the store is. I have learned to accept the sticker shock of the food here and just go with the flow. We did have fun in line though, hence the pictures that had to be placed online. Cristin and I loaded up our cart, chose a line and was in that line for 25 minutes. We chose to entertain ourselves during those 25 minutes by playing with whatever was in the aisle. We did see that the person in front of us had a full cart, but what we didn't know was that our cashier was walking around talking to people that she knew in another line:) Fun times... I am pretty sure people were thinking we were in the sun too much today.


*by the way, we always play the price is right in line. The customers in line tend to get a kick out of it.

Beach Day!

It was the last free afternoon that we will have for awhile. There were four ships in today and thankfully we were able to find a spot away from the craziness. It was an amazingly beautiful day!

On Vacation in the Caribbean

I have to say that it is rather funny that my roomies and I are "vacationing" in the Caribbean since we live here, but there are a lot of tourist traps that I have yet to visit...the most important being StingRay City. Normally everyone on island has been there ten times over, but I never had the time and now I do:)

Most people travel there by boat and when I take my students next week, that is what I will do. BUT I am a tourist with residence and therefore things go my way. We all decided to head out on wave runners. What an incredible experience! Now I decided to try it out on my own and unfortunately I couldn't run it b/c of where the handle was, but I feel I was blessed b/c I was able to once again ride with our guide and he took me for a ride!!! (Not only that, but I paid 1/3 the price) It was beautiful and clear...45 min. to Stingray, then Rum Point for smoothies, then 45 back. So we took off on the wave runners and arrived at the sand bar. I didn't see anything and the guide said jump off and so I did. ( On a side note, my friends told me I would scream the first time I would see a stingray and I said, "No way, I always see them on dives, it's all good." Well here is my first picture.....













And then I saw them...the HUGE flying machines below the surface with long tails.....I froze instantly! I did scream..I will be honest about that part. They swim around looking for the squid in your hand and they know when it's gone. If a new crowd pulls in, they leave for the newbies. Here are some pics of the afternoon. If you come here, you must try this, it's amazing!!!

Tea at the Ritz

Sometimes I feel like I am becoming like my awesome Nana when I get together with my Kiwi friends. They all have to have their afternoon tea and it is something that I am still not use to (even though Starbucks is always on my mind!) . I am beginning to enjoy it simply because there is nothing like sitting down to a cup of tea in a pretty cup surrounded by my favorite- carbs!!!!

So, for a friends birthday we headed to the Ritz to have Afternoon Tea. It isn't something I'd do everyday, or more than once a year, but it was a treat.

Thought this was strange!

So today during our staff meeting it was announced that the school that I teach at was, up until last year, called a play group. THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! My first reaction was WHAT? Doesn't that sort of thing stop once a child becomes, I don't know, like 5? Nope, not here. That seriously explains why I have had so much trouble this year with parents. I did speak out once that piece of info was shared with us and stated that I have no problem with that, as long as I get paid as well as a babysitter....

19 kids x 5.00 an hour ( the economy) 4.5 hours a day =427.50

I'd be down with that!

Following that, we were then told that we were to celebrate with the graduating class of seniors. How do we do that? Well, we cheer them on during an assembly ( which I am all for) , return to our rooms and each class has a party--in our own rooms, in the middle of May, to celebrate with the seniors, but not really, because we are in our own rooms. Does that sound normal? I think we have taken island living to a new level.

9 weird things about me

Here are 9 weird things about me:

1. I hate paper towels and walking barefoot on carpet. There is something about the sound that I hear when I come in contact with either one of those things that makes my skin crawl. That is one thing that I love about Cayman- absolutely no carpet!

2. I have been in two international car accidents. I will NOT be getting a vehicle for Northern Africa. I don't believe that the third time is a charm.

3. If I could purchase a new pair of flip flops everyday I would. I like that they are light on the foot and cheap, and because they are cheap ( well, most of them) I tell myself that it's okay to buy a pair whenever.

4. I don't speak Italian, but like to say thank you by saying Grazie.

5. I love plain silver rings...that's all I will put on my fingers or toes. No decorations, stones, or gold. I think gold looks too matronly on me.

6. I have a blanket that goes with me wherever I go- a comfort thing.

7. I always crave fountain soda. I don’t like soda in 20 oz. plastic bottles, but I love it in glass bottles!


8. I am happiest when I am in a coffee shop and having a good in depth conversation with a friend.

9. I have a bad habit of biting my lips. It’s a terrible habit. My lips are constantly chapped. The dry skin bothers me. I’m trying to get used to wearing chapstick so that I can kick the habit.

We get to play with what??!!!

Another weekend at CCMI and it was time well spent with the Coral Reef Specialist among other incredibly smart people. This weekend we were out and about an awful and it was incredible fun. The highlights???? Well, an amazing dive at the Bloody Bay Wall....a world famous dive site. There was soooo much marine life, and the visibility- impeccable. The only downfall was that my dive buddy had to stay onshore 5 minutes before we swam out and I was quite bummed as well as she. BUT----I got to buddy up with the Coral Reef Specialist. Now that is an experience b/c she was able to share and show so much that I came out of that dive with a lot of new insight into the reef system. Now, I am not so sure that I impressed her with my skills since I kept my snorkel in my mouth as I descended 60 feet down. It wasn't until I took my first breath that I realized that my regulator was not in my mouth which caused my buddy to laugh- me, not so much since I was inhaling a mouth full of salt water. A little about Bloody Bay Wall...

At Bloody Bay Wall, on the north shore of Little Cayman Island, the sea floor ends abruptly at a depth of only 18 - 25 feet, dropping off into a 6,000 foot vertical cliff. Many types of hard and soft coral grow along its craggy face. Sharing living space with the corals are vivid yellow tube sponges, red rope sponges and wondrous sea fans. Thousands of mobile creatures inhabit the wall as well, some seeking the wall's excellent protection from predators, and others searching its shelters for prey. Tiny shrimp, brittle stars, Christmas tree worms, lobsters, sea cucumbers, moray eels, and countless varieties of small brilliantly colored fish coexist in timeless balance. Turtles, stingrays, eagle rays, barracudas, groupers and sharks are often found swimming nearby.

When I came over the end of the reef and saw that vertical drop, my heart started beating fast. It was like coming to the beginning of a steep slope and getting ready to descend on my board. I saw grouper fish fight, a grouper at a cleaning station, a turtle napping, and a myriad of other things. My favorite though was a huge stingray under the sand with a bar jack floating above it. I didn't realize it was there until I was five feet above it and I saw its eyes and the end of its stinger. Next time I am hoping to see a shark! What a thrill that would be.


What else? We collected dead coral pieces and saw the effects of acid rain....quite interesting. I believe that my students will be using coke instead of acid. We took a look at a predator that was introduced to the Cayman Islands...the Lion Fish. I thought that they looked interesting, didn't know that they were poisonous- now I know. Last but not least, we were able to kayak out to Owen Island and take a look at the different strata of the island and the trees that are fully capable of being surrounded by salt water and surviving- Mangroves. I didn't know that a tree could survive off of salt water.

There are some pictures, but the dive/kayak ones will arrive by email sometime in the next few weeks. For now, it's the Lion Fish and me dropping acid-lol....enjoy!
All of the fish listed on the clipboard is what we saw and more!