Seasons are changing and making me realize how limited my time here really is, and I want more time on the islands. I want to accomplish something while I’m here aside from my own exploration in Darwin’s Paradise. I want to feel like I’ve been a part of the Galápagos rather than just a visitor because I know that the experience they have gifted to me will be a large part of who I am for years to come.
And yet, a part of me is comforted to know that I’ll be home in roughly three weeks.
Before too long, I’ll have a two week stretch of lazy mornings with hot tea, fuzzy socks, a fluffy blanket, and a book to guard against chilly rain until venturing out for an afternoon wintry redwood stroll and evenings of baking yummies and eating them next to a glittery Christmas tree. Oh, and of course spending time with my family. I appreciate the incredible hospitality of my host family here, but I want my own parents and sibling back.
And of course, I’m starting to really really REALLY crave food from home. Not that I don’t like the food here, of course. Salty and sugary treats are a daily occurrence simply because fresh snacks aren't really a concept here. Fried langosta (lobster) or camarones (shrimp) is a regular dinner item, as is the surprisingly delicious scorpionfish known as brujo. Menestras (a soupy lentil side) are still one of my favorite parts of almuerzos. I can get an avocado-pineapple or chocolate-banana-mora batido (kind of like a smoothie) for less than a coffee in the states. I’ve had a fresh mango or avocado or a frozen chocolate banana almost daily and there seems to be a never ending supply naranjas and bananas from the highlands. For living on an isolated and agriculturally limited archipelago, food here is great. Still, I never really cook or bake for myself, and the actual percentage of my diet consisting of veggies is minuscule compared to my life back home. Pumpkins and fall were never a thing here, so I missed out on some of my favorite seasonal meals. Pinterest has become my vessel for procrastination via food nostalgia for the remainder of my stay here.
Luckily, most of the other students have been feeling the same, and we ended up coming together with the university’s staff to hold a HUMONGOUS Thanksgiving potluck yesterday. There was turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce and everything, even a huge variety of delicious veggie dishes. We devoured it ALL after a toast of sangria, and washed it down with pumpkin spiced coffee that one student received in a care package from home. After our proper thanksgiving feast, we watched the island sunset with Christmas music blasting in the background. And for the first time in two weeks, I felt pretty ok with the holiday season bearing down on us so quickly, even though it brings the end of our stay with it.
1) I was lucky enough to share the last couple of weeks with some new friends I met through another student here, Colleen. She's a good friend of mine, and happened to be indirectly connected to some people visiting from the states. One group were guys our age from Berkeley, California, and the other was a couple of surfers from New York. We had several fun days of snorkeling, evenings of cooking good food, some nights out, and even shared waves at Puerto Chino with some local friends as well. (Photos courtesy of Dane Riva and my most favorite Colleen Henn).
3) I’m officially PADI Advanced Diver certified! I’ve collected 19 dives so far, 15 of which have been here in the Galápagos, and I have another 6 or so (at least) to enjoy before leaving. I’m officially hooked. Last weekend I returned to kicker rock for some underwater adventure and caught some fantastic footage of over one hundred Galápagos and Black-tip sharks that have been cruising the area:
5) A sea lion decided to try out classes with us the other day.
“As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.”
-Bob Dylan