Location: Underway to Christmas Island
The past few days have been a little rough. Since we left Bali, pretty much every soldier has fallen due to seasickness or a possible stomach bug. We’ve all been fighting the “demons” lately. However, by the end of today, most of us are feeling better and on the other side of the storm. It’s been nice to see how everyone works as a team and helps each other out when a comrade is down. For those of us who weren’t feeling our stomachs betraying us, feeling healthy and ”normal” felt like the biggest blessing in the world. I was just having this deep conversation on last night’s 8 to 12 watch. You truly don’t know what you have until you don’t. “Gratitude is the hardest practice,” as my friend Jackson would say. But that is the beauty of being on this boat. Everything is simplified. You learn to value every meal and to appreciate every moment. It is a team effort, and without each other, things wouldn’t run as smoothly as they do. Everyone has their daily job, which is just as important as anyone else’s. Today was also the deadline for the “Shark Essay,” and despite the health struggles, pretty much everyone got it in on time. We do most of the classes when we’re on passage, which is tough because of the sea movement, but it’s worth it because when we get to a destination, we can truly go out and explore. The classes are also really interesting. In Marine Bio, we’re learning about different ecosystems and food webs, but we get to see this directly when we go scuba diving or snorkeling. In Oceanography, we’re learning about the formation of the earth and the why behind how the earth is the way it is. In Seamanship, we’re starting to learn how to use a compass and how to figure out our route using the coordinates. My favorite class has been leadership. Lately, we’ve done some student-led presentations in which we’re split up into groups, and we have to ask ourselves some very thought-provoking questions. It has been a great experience to hear what everyone has to say and to see how people are willing to show vulnerability in their answers. I think we have all been able to connect on a much deeper level because of this. We’ve also learned a lot about ourselves because of this class. I think we have a really special group. Everyone is so different, but we are all getting along really well. There’s been a lot of really interesting conversations, and it feels like we’re all learning from one another and our different perspectives. We are all out of our comfort zone, but I can definitely say we’re all growing and evolving as people because of it. Every day after dinner, we all have to say one thing we’re grateful for. Today, mine was all of the “RAW” experiences we’ve been living. There’s no outside world to distract us. We are forced into the here and now, which is a beautiful thing we all need. Thank you to all the parents for giving us this amazing opportunity. It is pretty surreal for all of us to be on this boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I don’t think it will sink in for a while. Special thanks to my mom, Shayne, and my dad, Arturo. Love you, ma! Te Quiero Pa!