My Dive into a New World

by Brittany Baker (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown Bonaire

The summer of my freshman year I had the most incredible study abroad experience, however, it truly was a leap into the unknown. New experiences were had before I even left the United States due to the nature of this endeavor. One of the main components of this experience was a Principles of Scuba Diving course, which would provide me with four diving certifications; however, before I left the country, I had to take an open water scuba diving course and perform pool training as a prerequisite. Next, I had to learn different Caribbean marine organisms which were completely foreign to me as a Michigander. My next noteworthy experience was something I had never anticipated to be a problem as I have a passion for travel and have never had a fear of flying. The first plane I took departed from a small airport in Midland, Michigan. The plane was tiny, perhaps fitting 50-100 people and only about half full this flight. The plane ride was only about half an hour, but everything began to set in and for the first time I was nervous about my choice. Once we landed in Detroit, I began to calm down and feel more confident about my decision again. I took another plane to Atlanta and finally one more to arrive in the small Caribbean island of Bonaire the next day. After arriving in Bonaire and heading to the villa with the rest of the students, the first thing we did was jump off a pier together and swim along the shoreline. This was perhaps my first literal leap into the unknown on my journey and very fitting as the first significant thing we did as a group. Diving commenced very shortly after arriving and truly opened my eyes to a new world. I know I want to pursue and incorporate diving in my future, but this experience was not always easy due to the intensity of this short program. Between meeting deadlines for our science coursework, conducting research, preparing scientific papers, and diving four time a day, we were busy from sun-up to sun-down. It was an incredible experience despite working hard and I had countless new opportunities. Many of these unbelievable opportunities took place around the island in locations I would have never had the chance to see otherwise. Remote places that had something unique about them were my favorite and Lac Bay, in my opinion, was the best place on the entire island. All the students went there to learn how to windsurf which was both challenging and something I had never experienced before, so true of our study abroad as a whole. My group performed our research there, providing us the opportunity to see it as few others have before. The Milky Way and shooting stars were clearly visible and one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Some of the new things I experienced were not so far from our villa though, one of the first nights we ate fresh coconut from a tree in our yard. I experienced my first night dive, where I saw the wonders of ostracods, bioluminescence, tarpons, and sea turtles. Other marine organisms new to me were seen at different locations of our research. We, as a group, also had experiences on land such as: riding horses in the ocean, climbing the tallest mountain on the island, and encountering slave huts, the island lighthouse, cactus, osprey, donkeys, and the culture of the island. We saw changes even in the short amount of time we were there such as the creation of an ocean mural on the side of a building depicting the beautiful ocean life which was an integral part of our lives every day. Finally, the experience furthered my future plans as a scientist. In retrospect after graduation, the learning I received in Bonaire is some of the most valuable education I received as an undergraduate. It gave me the first opportunity to present research to the community, which is something I truly enjoy. Making even the slightest difference in this world is what motivates me to perform research and present my hard work for the addition of knowledge.