It's Midterm Time!!!

 Hi everyone! 

Sorry for the long-awaited update.  I have been super busy the last few weeks. 

September 7th - 11th: 

September 7th: Today was a pretty chill day I went to my classes. My exam for Marketing got moved back due to technical issues with Blackboard and in my Resort class, my presentation went well. 

September 8th: Reagan and I decided to go to the beach (Brewers) in the evening to watch the sunset. The water was clear in some areas but in others, it felt like I was walking in black orange juice with extra pulp. The sunset was so beautiful. After taking pictures I noticed this weird hotdog thing in the surf and I kicked it out of the extremely small waves. I soon realized it was moving and definitely not a hotdog. I used Google lens to identify it and it said it was a sea sausage. We went back to our dorm and got changed for dinner. Maddie (she lives on the island and we met through Reagan because they have a class together) took Reagan and me to Tap & Still. We played hangman on the back of a menu while we waited for a server to take our order.  Overall it was a 10/10 day. 

September 9th: I did homework and went to class. I went to be kinda early because we were having our first NSE excursion the next day. 

September 10th: Today we went to Water Island with the NSE group. This experience was amazing. We took a ferry from Crown Bay to Water Island. Once we got to Water Island we started walking up the main road. We were greeted by Robyn (owner) and 2 others that work at 4 Elements Culinary and Wellness Center. As we walked to the center they taught us about local species and some of the history of the island. As we walked up a path in the wooded area Robyn found a caterpillar. It was so cute. As we continued up the path there were bright colorful buildings and stone lined paths. Next to the path taking us to an outdoor living area there were all of these hermit crabs. They were all so cute and much better than I expected them to be. 

 

We then got tours of all the rooms/cottages they have that people can stay in. I definitely think I would stay here in the future because everyone was so nice and the rooms were the cutest. They use all reclaimed materials so they are very eco friendly. They are also very knowledgeable about herbal medicine and healthy food substitutes. 

While there they split us into groups and had one group start cooking the curry and the other paint rocks and leaves. I had fun doing it and it was really relaxing. They also has a cat on the property and it was really cute and friendly. 

After painting we swapped "stations" and we got to cook. We made coconut milk and put it in the curry. We also made flat bread which was super fun and it made me realize I want a gas stove in my future house or an outdoor kitchen with a gas stove like they had.  We also made powerballs which were a super good and filling snack (I highly recommend). 

After we finished eating we said our goodbyes and headed for the beach. The beach was lot of fun. We floated on a plastic float they have out in the water. I also found 2 Cushion Starfish and my friends took photos with them. Around 4pm we returned to campus. 

I relaxed, showered, and got ready for the full moon party at Sapphire Beach. The full moon party is always a fun time. We arrived early so we got to see a performance the dancers and stiltman were doing. 

September 11th: I went to Magen's Bay with Maddy, Candace and Maddy's two siblings. It was a nice day and we didn’t have to pay to enter because Maddy works there. There were some waves, but the beach was fairly empty. Tony (met him at the full moon party, but he is friends with Maddy) ended up joining us and he bought us pizza.  Once home I spent the rest of the day finishing up my notes for my Invert exam.

September 12th - 18th:

September 12th: I spent the day working on my notes for my Invert exam. I went to my classes. In my marketing class we watched a movie which was nice.

September 13th: Today I finished my notes and went to my lab and we snorkeled. There were 2 kittens on the beach. I also died my hair red, but it is temporary and already fading.

September 14th: Today I had my first Invert exam. It wasn't terrible but I didn't do as well as I thought it would. We kept watching the movie in my marketing class and my presentation for my resort class went well. We also found out that tropical storm Fiona was heading towards us.

September 15th: Lab felt like it would never end today. We went out to dinner with Maddy and Candace. There was a huge taranchula on the path to our dorm.

September 16th: Today was pretty boring. Reagan and I deep cleaned our room and we prepared for the hurricane. I went to a game night at my friends' room.

September 17th: Today was a boring day because I stayed inside because Fiona was supposed to hit us at 2pm. Reagan and I walked to get food from the cafeteria and we made some funny videos in the wind. I also started to figure out my plan post graduation. In the evening I went to my friends' room and we painted. Fiona did not "hit" us until early Sunday morning.

September 18th: Today we were hit with wind and rain. Luckily Fiona was south of us so we did not experience terrible weather. Reagan and I did was to walk through the rain to get our brunch since they only serve food 2 times on Sunday. I worked on homework today and relaxed.

September 19th - 25th:

This week I realized I didn't have that much time left on the island so I made it a priority to do things I want to do.

September 19th: Not much happened today. I went to my class and did homework.

September 20th: Before my lab today I decided to get coffee with Bella, Maddie, and Savanah. The coffee shop was cute. I got an iced latte, but it tasted like the milk went bad. We walked around Charlotte Amalie and found another cute cafe. I then went to my lab, and worked on school work for the rest of the day.

September 21st: Today was a beautiful day and I have Poppop to thank for that. He passed away 3 years ago on this day. I spent my morning down at the beach and off my phone so I wouldn't stay sad. I was one of the only people on the beach which made it feel even more relaxing. I saw a few small fish and a baby octopus. I took some pictures and went to my class. I thought my swimsuit would be almost dry by the time my class started. It was not. I showered after class. I can't remember what I did for the rest of the day.

My hair is not this red anymore. It is pretty much back to normal. 

September 22nd: Today Reagan, Candace, and I went to Lindbergh Bay. I chilled on the beach and in the water while they rented jet skis. I met this really nice lady named Jessica and she was super cool. We chatted for a while and she was telling me about things to do on the island. We then started playing fetch with someones dog and that was a serotonin boost I needed. I went to my lab at 2. This lab was probably my favorite so far because we learned about coral restoration and got to see the coral tanks. The staff was really friendly and we were allowed to feed the corals. We learned about the different species they have and about the diseases that affect them. We also fragmented a coral and got to glue it to a plug.

Septmeber 23rd: Today was a pretty boring day. I went to class and worked on homework. I did get to see the kittens when I was leaving dinner.

September 24th: Today was a very eventful day! I woke up at 7am and got ready to go to Coki Beach for a cleanup. Around 8am Candace and I tried to catch a safari but after 10 minutes of waiting we decided to start walking towards the town. After walking for about 20 minutes, I saw a safari that was parked and I asked the driver if he was driving and if he could take us to Coki. He happily agreed and we started our journey to Coki. We got to Coki around 9am after having to walk down a road for 10 minutes. I was super excited because I was getting to dive for the clean up. My last dive was in the Galapagos sos I was super excited to be back under the water. Candace did the land cleanup with students from the Conservation club. She found $200 in the sand. A bunch of us then got lunch at a food truck on the beach. Someone from one of my classes works at Coral World and was willing to give us a tour of the facilities. It was really cool because they were closed for maintenance so it felt like a private tour. After that Candace and I went swimming. The water was so refreshing. We got a taxi ride home and he heard us talking about Candace's birthday plans and he stopped at a store so she could buy a cupcake. We then made it back to dorm. I showered and took a nap. We went out to Havensight to celebrate Candace's birthday and then went to Red Hook. Overall this was one of the best days on the island.

September 25th: Today was a relaxing day and I did homework, looked at grad schools, and watched Netflix.

September 26th - 30th:

September 26th: Today I went to a presentation with the Breakers Resort. They talked about their resort and the internships and job opportunities they have. They also spoke about their new partnership with UVI. When it was over I picked up lunch and walked back to my dorm. I only had 10 minutes to eat and change because I had to walk to my class at 1. After my class, I started working on my presentation for my resort class. I went to my marketing class and then presented my project in my resort class.

September 27th: For my invert lab we went into the laboratory first and then went down to the marine lab. The marine lab is currently under construction, but that is where the boats and dock are. We went snorkeling to collect molluscs. I found some fire worms but we weren't looking to collect those. I also found an octopus and I went to grab it and it inked on my hand. I also found a group of small squid but has no way to catch them.

September 28th: This morning I worked on my notes for my Invert class because we had a quiz today. I think the quiz went well. My marketing class got cancelled because there were technical issues again when he tried to post the exam. I didn't have to do anything for my resort class because the other students were presenting today. I colored a page in my coloring book tonight.

September 29th: Today we did an oyster discection in my Invert lab. It was pretty fun, but I'm not the biggest fan of having to draw everything. I am good at drawing but not when I have to try to copy everything with detail especially when I could take a picture and label the picture. I relaxed and colored for the rest of the day.

September 30th: Today I had a call with the SCUBA Club to talk about future events and planning. It was nice to see them all again. The weather today is not very nice. It is rainy and humid. I went to my Invert class and we talked about mollusca.

I will post an update from this past weekend soon!