Lights, camera, action!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about a video?

Snorkeling

Carnival Parade

Home Run 1

Elderly lady dances in between baseball games. Age is only a number!

Home Run 2

Giant tree inside the Quill Crater

A taste of Irene (while I hide in my bed behind my mosquito net)

Statia Day: Dance Performance

(it's probably for the best that I don't have a video of when my friend Lexie and I volunteered to go up on stage and learn some dance moves that night!)

 A fun band playing at SuperBurger

Chased by donkeys on the way to work

Iguana mating ritual during our lunch break

Luis chasing a drunk pig (they get drunk off of fermented fruit and the roots of corallita)

Foxy's Welcome Home Greeting

Sunrise at the garden

Junior Rangers Lionfish Field Trip!

We recently took the junior rangers out on a field trip to learn about the invasive lionfish that are eating everything on the reefs, and what we do to try and control their populations (shoot them!).  I used scuba below while the kids snorkeled on the surface and watched me catch lionfish (well, only one small one that day).  We also saw lots of pretty corals, a nurse shark, and a sting ray!

Explaining how to use a hawaiian sling

Getting in the water!

Underwater Hi-Five

Bubbles! 

Checking out the catch of the day

Of course there is always time for flipping off the boat!

Love these kids!

For those of you wondering what a lionfish looks like.  This one was really tiny! Underwater they look much more beautiful (and bigger too!)

Dissection time! 

Future marine biologists in the making: "Can I look inside the mouth? Can I touch the heart? Can I hold it? Eeww! Coooool."  I was so proud! (and yes, we had already cut off the poisonous spines at this point)

The Canons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder

So I've been thinking it would be cool to show you glimpses of my Caribbean life through sets of photos with a theme... kinda like an art project I guess (minus the fact that I'm not a very skilled photographer).  I was recently looking through my pictures and noticed that there were a good amount involving a canon... not too many, but enough for me to notice the theme.  So without further ado, I unveil my favorites from "The Canon Collection":    :P

Me: St. Martin

St. Martin

Mom: St. Martin

Fort Oranjestad, Statia

Nat: Look What I found!

Unruly Boys, Stubborn Canon

Fort De Windt, Statia

Baby Turtles!

So we finally had some sea turtle hatchlings! We have had 2 nests with hatchlings emerging and heading out to sea. We were only able to watch the last two stragglers (one with a gimpy fin) of the first nest go, but we timed it right with the second nest, and were able to help a bunch of them out. We mostly let them do their thing, but we help dig out some of the ones who are struggling, and we make sure they all make it into the ocean safely.  It is so amazing to witness! 

Nest 1:

 

Me, Tice, Sam and Kat clearing a path through the sargassum seaweed for the two little guys.

Watching them go!

Video (hope it works, had some trouble uploading it):

Good Luck!

Nest 2:

Nest excavation: Me and Anna helping the stragglers out of the nest.

Babies in a bucket! (We held them in here until we were sure all of them were out of the nest, and then we released them all together so we could watch and make sure they all made it into the ocean)

Almost there!

 

<3  

The Hines Angels

So I mentioned in my Botan Clan post about my botanical family that my biological family was visiting me here on Statia, but I never got the chance to tell you about hanging with them. They were here for 10 wonderful days of adventuring and relaxing. I had such a great time with them here, and I’m not sure if they know how much I appreciated them coming. (Thanks guys! You’re the best!) 

When they landed at the tiny airport they were not expecting to see me because I had told them that I was working and wouldn’t be able to make it.  Little did they know I was on my way with a gaggle of kids to greet them.  We had just taken the summer club kids on a field trip to see what we could find in the tidepools and on our way back I told them we had to make a quick stop at the airport to meet my family and welcome them to Statia.  They were very excited about this idea.  I asked if they could all say, “welcome to Satia” when I gave them the signal, but they had an even better plan and decided to sing to my family instead!  We pulled up to the airport and I saw my family walking away about to get into a car with the woman we rented the house from, so we had to chase them down before they left.  I ran up to my family with 10 little kids running behind me singing “Welcome to Statia, yeah yeah, Beautiful Statia, yeah yeah”. I was so excited to see them I was jumping around giving them hugs like a madwoman. I think they were a bit surprised!  Later, Russ said, “that was so crazy! But at the same time it totally made sense.  I thought, ‘yeah, Coral would show up running down the street with a bunch of singing kids’”. I think it was a proper first impression of Statia.

We had planned on renting a car for the week, but there were no cars available on the island (probably because it was Carnival week) so we HAD to get 3 scooters.  A few hours later, after zipping around the island, we were all so happy there were no cars available.  The scooters were so much fun!  We started calling ourselves the Hines Angels.

After eating dinner and catching up a bit, I whisked my brothers away to a BBQ, even though they had been traveling all day and had only had a few hours of sleep the night before.  Troopers, those boys. They immediately fit right in with my friends here.  My boss was hosting the party and it wasn’t too long before she was saying “They are so much fun! Can we keep them?” :) 

Russ, being the outgoing individual that he is, made friends with people on the island very quickly.  We would even sometimes hear his name being called out as we drove by on the scooters. Dutch, our friend and a local here, told me recently that he talked to Russ on the phone! I haven’t even talked or emailed with him since they left! Tisk tisk, Bad sister.

Nat became basically famous for his dance moves.  One night when we were out at Superburger (burger joint by day, bar with dance floor by night) Nat stole the show and amazed everyone there with his INCREDIBLE Michael Jackson inspired dance moves.  He was so good he cleared the floor (Gill and I gave up and started bowing down to the master) and the DJ kept playing MJ song after MJ song to keep him going. Eventually he was covered in sweat and had to ask the DJ to stop playing MJ, because he literally couldn’t stop moving if those funky beats were still playing.  I don’t know if I have ever laughed so hard in my life.  I had no idea he was so good!

It was carnival week so the constant sound of a base thumping and people laughing became background music, blending in with the crickets and tree frogs. One night, after partying and swimming off the pier, Nat, Russ and I got home around 4 in the morning.  That morning the Juve Jump Up parade was beginning at 5 in the morning and I tried to convince them to go with me.  They said they would lay down for a bit and then I could wake them up when it was time to go.  Riiiight.  They wouldn’t budge.  But then my ever-faithful adventure companion, my Dad, woke up and decided to go with me.  My Dad and I always seem to be the hardcore experience-seekers during our family vacations. I think it goes all the way back to when I was about 8 years old and we were camping at the Grand Canyon. My dad and I would wake up super early to watch the sunrise while the others slept.  I remember so clearly (and I usually have a bad memory) sitting there drinking hot chocolate and watching the shadows move and transform on the red rocks as the sun came up.  In Yellowstone a couple years ago my Dad and I outlasted everyone (including a National Geographic photographer!) while watching a dead Bison carcass, waiting to see if a grizzly or wolf would come back to eat some more.  Anyway, thanks for the support Dad! Even if we only lasted at the parade for 20 minutes, we can say we went. :)

We all agreed that the week was a good balance of partying, adventuring, and relaxing.  I took them hiking up and down into the volcano, we went snorkeling, we walked on Zeelandia beach looking for turtle tracks, and my Dad and brothers got SCUBA certified! So then we all got to go diving together! It was great to dive with my Mom again, and so fun to watch the newbies experience the magic of the underwater world. After a dive Nat said “I had a moment down there where I thought ‘I have been underwater for half and hour and I’m still alive!’”. I was so happy to share my passion with them and show them what my life is all about here, and to see them enjoying it so much!

We spent a lot of time hanging out with Walter, the bartender down at the Gin House (he says Hi by the way!) drinking Presidente and Pina Coladas, going back and forth from swimming in the sea to sitting in the chairs sipping on drinks and chatting.  Many mornings were spent lazing about on the porch at the house they rented, drinking coffee, reading books, and enjoying the breeze. I was so excited to soak up the simple luxuries living in a house provides.  Such as showering with warm water, without wearing sandals and then coming out to clean, dry towels! Internet, a tv, a toaster, a cutting board, a coffee machine, a washing machine, no rats, no mice poop in my clothes in the morning, only a couple cockroaches and spiders....amazing!  To me it was a vacation spent in luxury!  It’s good to be reminded of all the little things you take for granted. Family included! You guys are all wonderful people. I love spending time with you! Thanks so much for coming down. It went by way too fast and I wish you were still here. I can’t wait till our next family vacation....where ever it may be! xoxo  

P.S. I wanted to share some pictures of the Hines Angels scooter gang, but once again I am having technical difficulties (aka I lost my charger and usb chord for my camera....oops!) 

Statia Stories

Chapter 1: Truck Talk

Before I tell you some Statia stories I think you need to know a bit about our trucks. The trucks always keep life interesting around here. The interns and volunteers have two trucks available for use, but it's very rare that both are functioning at once. We refer to them by their license plate numbers: the 401 and the 28. You'll usually hear them squeaking and bumping down the road before you see them, but, for a visual, once you do see them they are dark green with mostly worn off STENAPA logos on the side. They are full of dents and the rusted bumpers are basically non existent. They are often covered with dirt from the Botan road.  Nine times out of ten they will be carrying a motley crew of people sitting in the back of the truck. They will probably all smile and wave at you. :)

When I first arrived the doors on one side of the 401 were held on by a big yellow rope and they couldn't be opened so we would have to climb in and out the windows (truck monkeys!). Most of the windows don't go up so they get soaked inside when it rains and they smell nice and moldy. The radio only works in the 28 so no one wants to get stuck with the 401. We had old tires for a while that were always leaking air so we were constantly stopping to fill them with more air from a scuba tank we kept in the back. Nowadays we have to bump-start the trucks every morning to get them going. 

One time when we took the battery out of one truck to charge it up (even bump starting wasn't an option at that point) we discovered an old pair of shredded up underwear in the engine! Apparently they once found some steak bones in there too. And we wonder why they never work...So strange!

One time, around 7 o'clock in the morning, I was driving us to work and the horn started beeping on it's own. I was not touching it at all! I had no control over it and it was totally sporadic with short and long blasts like "Beep! BEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEP beepbeepbeeep....pause.....Beeeeeeep! Beepbeep!" Some people we passed waved or beeped back, some stared in confusion, others ran across the street to get out of the way. I was crying I was laughing so hard. 

Anyway, you get the idea. And now you know a bit about our friends the 401 and 28! I think that might help with understanding other Statia stories yet to be told. Stay tuned! 

The Botan Clan

I have spent the past couple months living in a botanical garden with 12 of the whackiest, funniest, most awesome, adventurous, interesting, unique, wonderful people I have ever met!  Sadly, more than half of them just left a few days ago.  Luckily for me, I have my biological family here visiting me at the moment, but I really miss my botan family.  So I would like create a post commemorating these cheeky buggers.  Meet the family!  The volunteers who just left us are (in alphabetical order--not picking favorites! haha)......

ANDY from England. A man of few words...but when he has something to say it is always cheeky and hilarious.  He wins the award for best smile.  Some of us ladies thought he would look really good wearing a batman mask (nice bone structure) hehe. We'll never forget the night we found him sleeping in the bed of the wrong truck outside the bar.  He'll probably have a hard time remembering it. ;) Keep on smiling Andy!

APRIL from Ireland. A wonderful lass who has done many interesting things with her life. Some of my favorite memories with April include sitting on the roof of the cottage around sunset and chatting, her teaching me how to swim like a pro (well, I'm not quite there yet coach), and one night at the garden, far away from the water April decided to put on all her snorkel gear and hike around... and then we proceeded to pour a beer down her snorkel while she funneled it. Bloody Brilliant. 

CALEB from New Zealand. Caleb has also done many interesting things with his life. He spends his winters way up in Canada breeding eskimo sled dogs (there are only 400 left in the world) and hanging out with Polar bears.  Then he spends his summers galavanting around the world and diving in tropical places.  Perhaps unfortunately for him, he is an excellent guitar player and singer and he became our personal musician.  At parties he would try and stop to hang out and socialize and everyone would beg him to keep playing. Play till your fingers bleed Caleb! :P    The garden is way too quiet without ya.

DAN the Man. From Portland, Maine. When he arrived he instantly became friends with everyone on the island. Even the dogs. Wait, make that especially the dogs. He gave these two beach dogs (whom he named Penelope and Roscoe) lots of love and they began following us around everywhere. The night before Dan left, Roscoe chased our truck all the way from the beach up through town. It was like he knew! Then they dropped me and my brothers off and Dan yelled "bye coral! that was our last friday night ever!" and so I joined Roscoe and started chasing the truck yelling "don't leave me guys!"...laughing, but fighting back tears. Pathetic? Yes, but I'm shameless. I'm totally going to miss these guys. Anyway, Dan was my New England buddy and we bonded by talking about things like playing ice hockey (go bruins!), being on boats in stormy weather, Sam Adams, you know... stuff like that. Hopefully, Dan, Gill and I are all going to meet up in Boston in November and have a good ol' New England time.

GILL from Canada. I am so bummed that Gill was only here for a month.  I feel like I was just getting to know her, and then off she goes!  (To go diving in the Galapagos with Caleb....LUCKY!) Gill was our Canadian wild child. Always oout and aboout, having a grand ol' time.  She is always up for an adventure...especially if it involves scuba diving or swimming late at night after many hours of dancing. She and I were always the last ones on the dance floor. Even at 4 in the morning they would have to peel us away.  We would keep saying "ok, we gotta stop" and then 2 seconds later we'd be right back out there making fools of ourselves again :)  Miss you lady!!!  But remember, big girls don't cry-ee-eye-ee-eye!  I'll see you in Bean town in a few months chica!

RAYMOND from England. The energizer bunny.  He is full of great energy and enthusiasm, as well as hilariously random questions like "if you were a (mythological creature, insect, dessert, fill in the blank) what would you be?".  One time a few of us were riding in the back of the truck on the way to the garden in the middle of a down pour. So not only is your ass killing you, but you're getting pelted in the face with rain.  We were all wearing raincoats except Raymond who forgot his, and I look around at everyone grimacing and looking rather uncomfortable, except Raymond who has the biggest smile on his face.  I will always remember him that way!

TRACY from Texas. She left a month ago, and wasn't able to meet some of these other volunteers (too bad--she woulda fit right in!).  She was the oldest of the group in years, but the youngest at heart. A free spirit with a passion for conservation efforts.  She totally kicked my butt one day when we had to do a really long surface swim back to the boat... she is a power house! Nadio's reaction: "She's too real, man! She's too real."  So true :)  ....Statia misses you! 

ZOE from England.  The clumsy one. The sweetheart.  She was always bumping into things and her legs were covered with bruises and scars. When I bumped into her (which I seemed to do a lot) she would always say "Sorry!" even if it was blatantly my fault.  She loves people and is always sincerely interested in what they have to say. She is very generous and was constantly offering everyone Pringles and other snacks. I have spent quite a few hours laughing uncontrollably with her and Hillary (another totally awesome volunteer who thankfully is still here for 3 more weeks!), but those are stories I'll share another time.  When it comes down to it, the three most important words I have for you Zoe are: Nutella and Bananas. :) 

So those are the members of the botan clan that just left us. I just tried to upload a few pictures of these beautiful people, but the internet just couldn't be bothered with that.  I'll work on it.

Anyway, what it all boils down to is these guys are the BEST! And I really REALLY miss them.  All of us who are still here do. Because of you guys I have had my cheeks hurt from laughing more times in these past couple of months than I have in my entire life. Thanks for that. My cheek muscles are looking great.  ;)

You are all IRREPLACEABLE!  You are my family, and I love you!  Please Don't be strangers.