It has been an inexcusably long stretch since my last post, which may require a very lengthy recap of the past two years ...
After returning from my second trip to Moorea, we prepared for the Hawaii coral spawning season. It was quite successful, yielding hundreds more samples. I would spend the better part of that Fall in the lab, processing samples from both Moorea and Hawaii. In January of 2012, I returned to Moorea, this time focusing only on coral spawning, as I had done on the first trip. While we did not have much spawning, we were able to get valuable samples with which to compare samples from the previous two trips.
From Moorea, I headed to Australia for a semester abroad at James Cook University in Townsville on the north east coast of Queensland, Australia. The opportunity to study marine biology at a university so well known for its coral reef research was incredible! Field trips to Orpheus Island in the Great Barrier Reef, rotting the head of a big-eye tuna in order to reconstruct the skull, and working with marine science students from all over the world were highlights of an incredible study period! However, living in a country that is so conducive to exploring the outdoors was definitely distracting! North Queensland is an incredible place, with an abundance of bugs, massive bats, and many wide open spaces! A four day backpacking trip on Hinchinbrook Island was beyond beautiful and was one of many epic excursions during those unforgettable months.
On my way back to the states, I made a pit stop in Fiji to volunteer at Naciriyawa Organic Farm for two weeks. Fiji was fascinating and the people on the farm were so genuine ... With no electricity, no refrigeration, and a rain storm that swamped all of our tents, even this short time gave me a chance to process my time abroad and to reconnect with the simpler things in life.
Hawaii welcomed me back with open arms. For my last semester in Fall of 2012, I continued helping with lab work on coral samples, was a part of the original Hiking Hawaii Cafe team (an amazing company, visit hikinghawaii808.com for more details!), and just enjoyed the island life. By November, graduation approaching, it was still uncertain as to what my next step would be. That is when I received an email that would open up a door that I could never have anticipated ... Within two weeks, I was booked as the Naturalist onboard four round trip luxury cruises from San Diego, CA to Hawaii, starting at the end of February, just six days after I was to return from a 25-day rafting trip down the Colorado River. Sound crazy? My family and closest friends might call it typical. Having to prepare nine hour-long slideshow presentations in the two weeks spanning between graduation and heading to the Grand Canyon, of course I was stressed beyond belief. But I knew (or at least everyone else believed) I could do it, and it would be worth it.
Thanks to my incredibly encouraging support system of people around me, was it ever!? The Grand Canyon experience was unreal and its wisdom continues to reveal itself more than seven months after coming off of the river. Those first cruises were an amazing learning experience and allowed me to fully realize my passion for teaching. To share with so many people the joy that I experience in so many natural features of Hawaii, CA, and the Eastern Pacific that lies between was so rewarding, it overwhelmed me.
As if the cruise ship position hadn't been enough of a chance happening, my job this summer was even more of a coincidence. After one of my talks about Humpback Whales on a ship in April, I was approached by a woman who was a retired ranger of the CA State Park system. Long story short, I would be the next intern in the interpretation program in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and that woman, I am now honored to call both a role model and a close friend. My summer in Big Sur was one of endless exploration, unconventional learning, and pure bliss. It reinforced my feeling that I want to continue on a career path of educating people of all ages from a variety of backgrounds through experiences with their natural surroundings. During the course of my internship, I was asked to return to the Hawaii cruises this Fall, as well as to work various other itineraries through the following September.
Two days from now, I will be flying to Hawaii for a few weeks to reorient with the islands before my next two months onboard ship. If I regret anything, it is that I did not document more during this series of events that feels like five years worth of experience, but has blown past as if it were only last week that I started my final year of college. I can't attempt to recreate what I felt during those many chapters that have lead up to this point, but can only commit to dedicating what I've learned into future (MUCH more frequent) reflections on the adventures that are surely to come. Oahu ... here I come!
