Upon leaving my apartment in Arizona, I was frankly terrified to arrive here in Sint Maarten. Everything about this trip felt like a fantasy that wouldn't actually occur, even though I had planned it out and worked for it. I had- or, have, since I'll inevitably return to it- a routine that had been going on for years. Work, school, home, repeat. I've never been on a trip that I planned for, paid for, and attended all on my own, so this was all uncharted waters. Not to mention, I had no idea what to expect from the people I was going to meet since I do school remotely. Beyond those, there are probably fifty other reasons I was afraid to go on this trip, but I made it. And just based on this week alone, I'm so glad I went through with it.
Upon arriving, I felt so overwhelmed. Cat, the grad student here with us, was on the same flight as me, so we got to the resort together. My room wasn't ready when we got here, and when I asked what I should do in the meantime, Cat pretty much just told me, "Do whatever you want!" What I wanted to do was sit in my room and wait for other people to show me what was going on, but that wasn't an option at the moment. That instruction, though, or lack thereof, has been a recurring theme for our downtime, however, so I'm glad I jumped right into it. It's refreshing to just feel like I can say, "Today I want to _____," and be able to go through with it without complications due to obligations. Beyond all that, I was especially nervous that I'd feel like an outsider because I don't attend UA on-campus. Instead, everyone welcomed me with open arms, and friendships were absolutely made.
This week had a myriad of activities, so I'd say it's impossible to go into detail about all of them. There was karaoke, my first in-person college classes in 4 years, swimming in crystal clear ocean water, boating around the island, and various fun foods we tried together. Everything we've done so far- even including classes- has been generally so fun and relaxing. Even though it's only the first week, I already know that the ocean is my highlight for this trip. I've really only been to beaches in California, where the water is freezing cold, murky, and full of seaweed. These beaches are bright blue and clear enough to see when a fish roams by or that I won't be able to touch the ocean floor soon. Best of all, they are warm! I could honestly just stay in the ocean all day if it was logistically possible. I'll have to settle with going for a few hours.
Even though I don't understand all of the on-campus Bama culture others are involved in, I still feel like I've bonded with a good group that I genuinely enjoy being around. I think our differences are bringing us together, rather than tearing us apart. I'm so excited to experience what these next few weeks have in store!
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