Wild Studies

Greetings from paradise from Kay G., chaperone.  Although this is my first time to Eleuthera, this is the ninth trip for one of our family members.  I have finally gotten to experience what my family has always told me about.  Believe me words and pictures cannot explain the beauty, the colors, the animals, the island breezes.  Words and pictures cannot describe Eleuthra, but for you at home, I hope you are enjoying these blogs and take the time to really look at the pictures here on this website and what your students bring home.  Speaking of the students, being a chaperone has been a breeze.  You need to be extremely proud of your students.  They have always treated me with respect and courtesy.  The girls’ dorm has three rooms and I am in one of the connecting rooms by myself. The first night the girls came in and told me that they would make room for me so I “didn’t have to stay alone”.  How CUTE and THOUGHTFULL! But I still told them I was ok alone.

Today the students and their dive leaders went to the caves.  Please take time to read Morgan’s account.  The six of us chaperones went on a snorkel in Alabaster Bay. In case none of the kids have told you yet (although I am sure they have) snorkeling is a awesome experience. It is easier than I ever imagined.  The water clarity is fantastic and you simply forget you are in water and to quote a saying of the sixties “become one with the water”.  We saw tons of fish and actually found a small grouping of queen angelfish and swam with the angelfish – yep I am truly serious!!!!! Another highlight of our snorkel was a grouping of upside-down jelly fish.  Ask your kids how cool they look.  My favorite has become worms.  No, they are not like worms we put on a hook in Wisconsin to catch fish but are an ocean creature.  My favorite is the feather duster worms that come in purple coloring.  But the horseshoe worms are just as nice. Oh, I forgot yesterday my favorite was barrel sponges.  Just gliding above them and watching the water filter through them transfixes you.  Everyday what I decide is  “my favorite” sea creature changes.  It truly is a magical world and one we all need to learn to appreciate and protect.

We had lunch in Governors Harbor and a local seaside park.  Speaking of lunch – I know the students have told you about the food; but us mom’s (or who-ever does the cooking in your house) needs to step it up a notch.  Diane has done a fantastic job of providing us with excellent food, a good variety, presented well, and plenty of it.  She has accommodated my husband’s food allergy without a problem.  The entire staff here has made this experience fantastic for each of us.  Our dive leaders are great and I have really enjoyed my truck cab chats with Krispen as we go from here to there.  The kids have bonded with these young adults and have been provided with great role models.

After lunch we had a “snorkel” in Governors Harbor.  Some of the kids just played in the surf, but most of them went looking for treasure.  And we actually found some in the form of shells, sea glass, old pottery, and some artifacts that we actually dated from the 1800’s (no kidding).  Last night Jim Jordan had given all of us some of the history of this island which is fantastic from Columbus’s time to current.  It is an interesting walk through history and the changes that this island has gone through.  Much of this island is not what we see in Wisconsin – much more poverty, but also much more color in their housing.  It is an interesting island and I hope to learn much more of its history.  Tomorrow we go home and although most of us are ready to go back to family, it will be hard to leave this life of snorkeling, beach volleyball, and beauty.  Thank you to the staff for making a great week for us and thank you to each of your parents for encouraging you students to come here.  And thanks to my new friends Steve and Martha for fun conversations. But a special thanks to my good friends Jim and Ruth Ann for pushing me into coming here.

Kay G.

Clintonville, WI

The past 24 hours has been super fun!  Last night we were all informed of some of the history of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />....Bahamas.....  Jim Jordan spoke to us about the early people of the ....Bahamas.... and how their history played out.  He showed us all kinds of artifacts that he uncovered himself.  These artifacts, including bones, gold, and jewelry, told a story in themselves. It was surprising to learn that events that happened in the ..United States.. had a major effect on the ....Bahamas.... as well.

Today began with a couple hours of cave exploring.  We adventured through a series of underground caves called the ....Hatchet.. ..Bay.. ..Caves.....  When we first stepped into the caves, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous.  The bats hanging from the ceiling of the cave was too crazy for me.  But the caves ended up being so fun and so interesting!  As we walked deeper into the caves we saw the names of people who had been there before.  Some of the names dated back to the late 1800s.  Our instructors told us the history of the caves and about some of the names on the wall.  The best part was going into the "water room".  It was optional, but in my opinion those few who didn't go down there missed out.  We walked through a cavern in waist-deep water!  So creepy but so cool.  Overall, the cave adventures were super fun.

 After the caves, we drove down to Governor's Harbor.  We first ate lunch by the beach, and then we went snorkeling.  This time, we were actually looking for artifacts.  Jim Jordan had done some discovering there so we decided to give it a try.  Some of us found some pieces of pottery and old bottles.  In one of the uncovered bottles, we found an octopus!  It was so cool and probably one of the highlights of the trip!  So today ended up being pretty exciting.

This trip, overall, has been so overwhelming for me…but in a good way.  Until this trip I'd never left the ..Midwest.., I'd never been on a plane, and I'd never swam in the ocean.  It's been eventful right from the first day.  The first thing I saw through my goggles was a barracuda, so that got me pumped for all the rest of the dives.  From swimming with barracudas to walking through caves, this experience has been unforgettable.

Morgan

....Clintonville.., ..WI....

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

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Today on the seventh day of the seventh month, I was awoken at about seven by the conch shell, but then went back to sleep ‘till about seven thirty. And on this day it was my birthday so I was awoken by ‘happy birthdays’. I then ate breakfast and got the game plan for the day. I was then to the circle by eight thirty and we were off to the dive site. We stopped at the glass window bridge where the Atlantic and the Caribbean met. Pictures were taken and we also saw a sea turtle, which was pretty awesome. At about ten thirty we got to the dive site. Then, we dove and saw many schools of fish and a variety of inverts.  Then the group stopped for lunch and we ate ham’n’chez sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly, which were delicious. Then on the second dive, we fought the current but then it was really easy traveling back the way we came before. Again we saw lots of fish and a pin cushion starfish. Current Cut was a pretty cool site. At the end of our second dive the thunder was erupting all around us. We traveled on until the thunder and lightning came. So we rendezvoused with the trucks and got out of that spot as fast as we could. We drove and the rain was pelting us as we traveled down the road. We stopped at a gift shop where we bought gifts for us or for our loved ones. Then we traveled back to the Outpost to get some dinner, which was one of the best. It was chicken and mac and cheese, followed up with some banana pudding, which was THE best. Then it was to an intense game of volleyball and class later tonight.

Sincerely,

            “Grizzly” Matt

Clintonville, WI 

Today we went to Current Cut, for an amazing dive. On our drive to Current Cut, we stopped at the “glass window bridge”, a bridge that separates the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It was so weird to look one side and see rough dark blue water of the Atlantic, and calm light blue water of the Caribbean. When we got to Current Cut we got all of our dive stuff on and went on our way to getting into the current. It was a little work at first to actually get into the current but once we got into it, it was smooth, enjoyable adventure. We saw a 5 ½ foot wide Spotted Eagle Ray!! It was the biggest one that they have seen yet. Amazing!!! We also saw a 2 ½  foot nurse Shark. All the groups had the chance to get the company of a huge barracuda. Everyone was a little scared. There was also a huge Cushion Pin Sea Star sitting in a bizarre spot in the current.   Along with those three amazing spotting of the day, we also saw many other colorful beautiful fish. On our second dive through the current, we were disturbed by a thunderstorm that snuck up behind us. Everyone came out of the water when the thunder cracked over heads, and then we all high tailed back to shore immediately. On our way back from current cut, we got to stop Gregory Town and went to two souvenir shops and a ice cream shop. We all bought a bunch of cool souvenirs for everyone.  

Amber C.

Clintonville, WI

Fun in the Sun!!

so.... i started out the day getting up at 7:32 and 27 seconds as k-pen would say. ate some delicous breakfast and got ready to do the big snorkel expedition in the great ocean hole.. which was awesome! lots of fish and it was just cool all around to look at. We then came back to the camp and I crawled up to my 3rd row bunk and was looking for my money and decided to lay down.... bad decision... i woke up and everyone was leaving so i got my money and stuff and left. BBQ was great and awesome to sit by an ocean and eat. I lost my fork somewhere.... sorry. The trip to the cliffs was next and that was cool too it was a trecherous over looking cliff that screamed stay away from the edge! very jagged edges that made a toll on ur feet.. good thing kt didnt' join out there..  i forgot my camera which i am punching myself for but whatever.. shipwreck was our next adventure and i really wasn't in the mood for snorkeling so i just waded in the water and after we buried nate and made him well.... not so appropriate. took lots of pics and had lots of laughs. Dive logs were after that back at the shelter and like always finished it off with the finest cooking in the bahamas!! and well 12 pieces of german chocolate..

Ryan

Clintonville, Wisconsin

Today was awesome! First we ate breakfast of course. Then we went to this hole that was in the ocean and there were fish everywhere. And when we were snorkeling to the hole in the ocean Nate, Justin, Morgan, and I saw this fish that some of us thought was a Nurse shark but others beg to differ, it was like four to five feet long and I'm not going to lie I was scared, but overall it was a great experience. Then we went hiking up coral and it was a really super sweet! When you actually got to the top if you jumped it was like 50ft at least, and there was a cave that we went into which was pretty fun. After the hike we headed over to a shipwreck where you could actually see some of the boat sticking out of the water it was cool some of us snorkeled by the ship it was cool and unbelievable and there was also kids swimming, burying Nate and Nick in the sand good pictures for later, tanning on the beach, and just swimming for fun. When most of us where worn out we went back to the Outpost where we ate supper and now are just hanging out and talking about the day and all the fish we've seen. So far everyone is having fun and getting burnt.

Katlin

Bear Creek,WI

It was the second day here and we got to snorkel! This morning we learned how to put our gear on properly in the water and how we float better with the higher density in the ocean than with our regular fresh water lakes and such. After our first excursion at Alabaster Bay we came back to the Outpost. We looked at different kinds of trash scattered around the beach and all the places it came from. It was really interesting to see all the different areas because it was from so far away. After that, we got back out in the water for our second dive around the rocks. On this trip we were able to see angel fish, really pretty blue tangs, and many more. We saw lionfish which I learned aren’t really supposed to be in this ocean because they are Pacific fish. We saw jelly fish everywhere and it was awesome to watch bioluminescence that go throughout their body since I never knew you could really see that. We saw one in particular jelly that hasn’t been seen by the divers leaders, so we are researching that one. The ones we saw were alright for us to run into since their stinging cells aren’t able penetrate our skin. Since it was the fourth of July we had some delicious red, white, and blue cake. During our short free time, we went swimming and it was hilarious to watch everyone.

Off to Fish class tonight!

Emily Schley

Clintonville, WI

Hello to all and happy 4^th of July! Our first full day in the Bahamas is complete and we all had a blast.  I think I can speak for everyone in saying that the morning came too soon, but turned out to be a positive because it gave us tons of time to spend snorkeling. Before we began snorkeling we learned how to properly put on and use the gear in order to have the best time possible.  Both dives today were in Alabaster Bay and it was amazing!  We saw some awesome starfish and little jelly fish on our first dive.  We came back to Outpost to a delicious lunch of grilled cheese.  After lunch we went for a trash walk on the beach right in front of our homes.  It was really eye opening to how much trash there is and how badly the environment is doing. Our second dive followed and was even better than the first.  We were getting better at free diving and were in deeper water.  We saw tons more fish the second dive!  My personal favorite fish was the Lion fish, which is an invasive species to the Bahamas.  The dive was incredible.  W we went back to Outpost and played beach volleyball and swam in the ocean.  Dinner for tonight was enchiladas and rice, which was amazing.  After dinner I played a hardcore game of Opa with Nate and won of course. Opa is a simple game which involves trying to get a metal ring attached to a string to hook onto a hook on a pole.  It’s addicting to say the least.  We have class in just a bit and then off to bed and another fun day in the sun! 

Hope everything is all well and good back in Clintonville!

Kevin

Clintonville, WI

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

            The morning came quick, unfortunately, the night came quicker. Today was filled with non-stop activities. When I awoke this morning at my friend’s grandma’s house in Mayville, Wisconsin, it was a sprint to the mini-van. For me, since it was 3:00 in the morning, it was more like a sprint from my bed to another resting place. Before I knew it, I was being poked in the ribs and was told to wake up because we were at the airport.  The rest of the morning was a blur from one nap to another until I found myself boarding a plane to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Upon arrival, I was in search of somewhere to eat because it was 1:30 and I had nothing to eat yet for the entire day; however, in the rush between one pit stop to the next boarding dock it was a failed search.  We then boarded a very small two propeller plane that sat a mere 16 people. It had the job of getting me to my destination of where I hypothesized I would be having one of the best weeks of my life. Thus far, whether it be running on the beach, jumping waves or just swinging in the hammock under the palms; I have yet to be let down.

            Tomorrow I hope to have a great beach filled day with the majority of my waking hours resulting in floating on my belly watching various marine species do their thing. In other words I plan on snorkeling the day away only taking time off to swim and maybe engage in some beach volleyball. If this week lives up to what all the indications of today have pointed to, it will in fact be one of the best weeks of my life!

Max

Clintonville, WI

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

Final Day Extravaganza!

We were supposed to dive at Current Cut today but there was a storm system moving across the island so we didn't get the chance to go. I was kind of disappointed becasue this was supposed to be the sweetest dive of the week and I was really looking forward to it. However, it was nice to be able to chill and just enjoy the island. It's really beautiful here!
Instead of diving this morning we ended up making necklaces and watching Finding Nemo. We've been quoting this movie all week so when we found out that we got to watch it we were all prettyy stoked. We also watched this documentary about Alaskan salmon fisheries.It was pretty intense. After lunch we traveled 45 minutes to Pam's gift shop and the Glass Window Bridge. The shop had lots of cool little things and there was a shop with really good ice cream near by. We also got to see the narrow little bridge that's connecting the island at a very narrow point. It's craaaazy that this one little bridge is all that connects the island.
We got back mid after noon and played on the beach. We're leaving tomorrow and I'm really going to miss that beach. It's wonderful.
Jim is giving a talk tonight about how to be successful and do what you want with your life. I plan on spending a few more precious hours on the beach before getting ready for bed.
This whole week was really incredible and I learned a lot. I learned how to identify different kinds of fish, I'm pretty much an expect diver (no, not really but I am much better than when I came), and I learned a lot about why plastic in the ocean is so harmful. This was a very valuable experience and I enjoyed every moment of it! :D

Jenna

Johnston, IA

Here at Wildstudies Bahamas Blue we clasp our hands as if in prayer to remind ourselves that here, at Eleuthera, we live in the moment. There aren't any "whens" or "how longs" here at the outpost....Kpen and Katie make sure of it. Here it is a different way of life completely; a life that moves to the ebb and flow of the ocean. Today was an exceptional example of this very montra. Our day's agenda consisted of waking up, enjoying a hearty breakfast of pancakes and collecting our gear for our most difficult challenge yet...Current Cut.Little did we know that we were to join the mass of people who had not mounted such a difficult challenge. The weather had other plans and in the early morning the skies opened up as if in protest and let out a torrential downpour of rain that lasted early on into the morning. Kpen and Katie, quick thinkers that they are, popped in Finding Nemo and sat the crew down to enbark on the task of construing shell hemp necklaces that turned out to be marvelous in every way. After our picnic here at the outpost we ventured off to The Glass Bridge, a bridge that overlooks both the Carribean and Atlantic. Snapping a few group photos we loaded into the trucks again and enjoyed some shopping and ice cream at Pam's before returning to the outpost. Jim chated with many of us here on how to be successful and happy after we leave the outpost and begin to embark on the journey of our lives. I'm sure we'll learn some small pearl of wisdom that in later years will wink and say "Remember Me?" Tonight is also the last night before we return home whether it be to Colorado, Maryland or Iowa but each of us will be returning much more knowledgeable. For example, the plastic problem that we discussed here at the Outpost seems to be a rising epidemic that needs a cure and quickly. The 'History of Stuff' explained the use of toxins in our plastic and what we are doing to hurt not only corals or fish or the environment but what we are doing to essentially help these toxins along in their process of killing us as well. Maybe others knew about the rising plastic epidemic and if so they have at least learned to identify a specific fish or shark on their many snorkel adventures. It is virtually impossible to come here, an island untouched by materialism and American culture, and return to the states the same. We... I can take simple measures as taking a shorter shower or recycling my plastic to save one fish, one bird, one human from taking in harmful plastic, if I as a consumer make an effort to care and an even bigger effort to share with others. It's not about all of the plastic and garbage that is already polluting the corals and underwater wildlife, it's about sharing with others to help stop this rising epidemic of ignorance and promoting change.

Carlyann

Littleton, CO

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            Today was a pretty sweet day.  It started with the usual awakening to conches and the dogs barking.  I got up very slowly and proceeded to breakfast where we had bacon and eggs.  After that we had some free time and then hiked to a cliff.  The cliff was made of coral and was at least 50 feet off the ground.  There was also a bunch of red stuff everywhere which we learned was sand all the way from the Sahara Desert!  After this we went to swim at shipwreck bay, where, if you couldn’t guess there was a shipwreck.  We then hopped in the truck and went to a local barbecue place that had delicious chicken and rice.  I got 2 Bahamian dollars which was pretty awesome.  We then went back to the outpost, had some free time and went snorkeling.  We saw a couple of rays, a lobster, and a bunch of jelly fish swimming around that were too small to sting us.  Next we went back to the outpost for a quick dip and the most exciting thing of the day happened.  My friend Aaron was just staring out in the ocean when he saw a little shadow, and then I realized what it was and told him, “It’s a shark!” . We all crowded around the ocean and saw it.  One of the dive leaders Katie loves sharks so she ran down from the beach house like a mad woman to see it.  It was about 4 or 5 feet long and its fin stuck out of the water numerous times.  After this ordeal Katie couldn’t stop telling us fun facts about sharks. During her explanations we went to play some volleyball which my team dominated.  Next was dinner, which was delicious enchiladas and after that we are having a class about corals, so overall it was a pretty kickin’ day!

JT

Johnston, IA

Holy Man!  I cannot even begin to describe how beyond amazing this trip to the Bahamas has been!  The conch shells waking me up in the morning to the spectacular view is just the beginning of the amazing day ahead.  Next follows a delicious breakfast and a discussion of what everyone will be doing throughout the day.  Then, I need to get my gear together accordingly.   Today, the group went on a super exciting cliff climbing adventure!  Here we saw and learned about how the cliffs became, all about the tide pools, and climbed inside caves. It was super right on how the ground on top of the cliffs was made of fossilized coral!  Lunch at the town BBQ is tasty.  Then comes more fish talk and diving debriefing before our dive!  As usual, the dive is AMAZING and is definitely fish filled!  Love it!  After all of the scheduled out activities, a grrrreat game of volleyball on the beach is always fun.  However, it makes it even more fun and exciting when there’s a NURSE SHARK RIGHT OFF THE SHORE!!!  I’ve never seen one outside of aquariums and such so it was definitely one of the highlights of the day!  I really really hope I get to see another one out diving sometime this week if not tomorrow!  SOOOO EXCITED!!!!  Dinner is equally as delicious as the other meals.  Sometime after dinner, there’s a coral presentation.  I absolutely love learning about the ocean in every way because not only do you have the knowledge but you can use the information out on dives!  Lights out at 10:00 for a very well deserved night of rest.  I’ll definitely need if for the next day of totally beyond amazing adventures.  SUPER CANNOT WAIT!!!

Brielle

Centennial, CO

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Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

            I awoke early this morning to a wake up call in an original way of conch shells and howling dogs. We started out our first full day on Eleuthra.  After eating some pretty awesome chocolate chip pancakes and a briefing from our instructors, we all boarded our trucks for a dive introduction and a couple of dives in Alabaster Bay.  It was an intensely fun and intriguing experience. We stumbled across a lionfish, which we learned are invasive to this ocean, groupers, hogfish, parrotfish, several crab, and several yellow stingrays.  It was an awesome start to our days here and the Bahamas and I’m looking forward to what’s up ahead even thought we’re supposed to live in the moment. 

-Aaron M.

Johnston, Iowa

            Day one, today was our first official day at the Outpost in Eleuthra. Being my second time to this island I knew the routine I woke up fifteen minutes before the famous wake up call so that I could see everyone else’s initial reaction. I was ready to start the day because I knew we were going to snorkel, and I couldn’t wait to get into the water. Everyone got up a little slowly, and ate an amazing chocolate chip pancake breakfast. I still couldn’t wait to get into the water, but we had to check out our gear first, climb into the truck and drive there. Finally we reached Alabaster Bay, a great shallow place for first timers. After the amazing K-pen taught my group everything we needed to know, we were all experts. I was also excited to use my new underwater camera, with my new and improved snorkeling skills. After getting back to the Outpost later today I found I had some great underwater photos. But, back to snorkeling… So we finished at Alabaster and headed back to the Outpost to have some lunch and relax before we went back out. But, especially thanks to the two ladies that were making the documentary, we took about an hour to learn about trash. We walked about a quarter mile down the beach, and filled a page with a list of all the different kinds of trash we found. We found stuff ranging from plastic bottles to shell oil drums, and refrigerators. There was garbage from Singapore, Haiti, South America, Asia and America. It was pretty trashy. After that we returned to Alabaster and continued to snorkel, we saw a lot of cool stuff like stingrays and even the invasive lionfish, which I have a great picture of by the way. After about two hours we hopped back in the truck and headed back to the Outpost. I took a much needed 2 minute shower ate dinner, and now I’m sitting here writing this blog. So pretty much it was an awesome day, and a great way to start out trip to the Bahamas. K-pen, and Katie made it fun and also taught us a lot about what we needed to know to be wicked sweet snorkelers.

-Tom S.

Denver, Colorado

To see picture from this week please visit http://photos.wildstudies.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

Dear Diary

            My team and I headed out of Johnston, Iowa to fly to Memphis where The King himself was born and raised.  We were unable to meet him due to the fact that he is deceased.  After a lay over and some cribbage we were on our way to the state of Florida where we were met by friendly faces ready to take us to our hotel.  We made friends with the snails there and ate at Dave and Busters. The dudes rocked out the arcade while the ladies went to K-mart and the guys were denied entry.  Woke up the next morning to eat breakfast.  The waffles didn’t please my tummy.  After a ride to the airport we were weighed for the airplane.  We flew in a small plane that was a little bumpy but got us there safe and sound.  The Bahamian people were very nice and helped us with our luggage.  The ride from the airport was one I will never forget.  We drove on the wrong side of the road. But it was all good.  We got to the Out post where we are staying and were introduced to the staff who seem very nice.  We swam right away which was extremely fun.  After the other teams started to arrive we met everyone and ate pasta.  The food was delicious. After dinner we played ultimate Frisbee on the beach and swam.  I foresee a super fun time for everyone.  Love you Mom and Dad don’t miss me too much.

-Alex B.           Johnston, Iowa

June 26, 2008:

            The clocked ticked timidly and time passed slow and crippled as I stared at my watch counting down the seconds until I would leave for the island, Eleuthera . The music from my ipod played loudly, suppressing my hearing. In the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of my dad grabbing his car keys and putting his shoes on. I ripped off my headphones and bolted to the door, grabbing my luggage along the way.

            “Lets go!” my dad exclaimed. I was too enthralled and distracted, daydreaming about my upcoming adventure, to reply to my dad. We got in the car quickly, and began the slow drive down to DIA  (Denver International Airport). Talk of upcoming movies and anticipated vacations filled the car. The airport could be seen from miles away, the lights shining high and bright. The sound of thunder disguised the noise of the busy parking lot as my father and I quickly made our way from the car into the airport and down to the Delta gate.

            “What time is it!?” I asked impatiently. My dad looked at his phone and began to chuckle quietly to himself.

            “Its only 10:30, we’ve got half an hour until the rest of the crew is supposed to be here.”  It was both comforting and yet depressing to find out that we were the first ones to arrive. I paced the front of the airport waiting to find a familiar face. About 20 minutes later I spied Tory and Carlyanne approaching with smiles on their faces. Within another five minutes, the rest of our party had arrived.

            We said our good byes and headed down to the gate. After a long hour of waiting in the empty airport, our obnoxious group of six boarded our 12:55 (a.m.!!!!) flight to Atlanta. After situating ourselves on the plane Guillermo and I completed the crossword puzzle in the complimentary magazine, and fell asleep.

            After successfully getting off the plane we quickly made our way to the next gate (stopping to get coffee along the way, of course), and boarded our next flight to Ft. Lauderdale. We got on the plane and just shortly after departure; everyone in our row (from Dr. Carlson to Guillermo) had fallen fast asleep.