Kayaking Adventures and A Discotheque

Let's see...where did I leave off? Oh yes, we are up through Tuesday. Well, Tuesday after school I reminded the students to drink lots of water that night and the next day and to wear LOTS of sunscreen since we were kayaking. We arrived at the school by 8:30 and had a kayak lesson before going out. Our guides told us the route we would take to get to the island and when we were supposed to go in single file. Our biggest hurdle was making it over the breaking waves - not all of us were successful, myself included. We went in pairs except for Julio who was special and since he was strong, got a single kayak. Once we made it past the breakers, we had to wait for all the kayaks to arrive. This proved to be a problem for some. We had a few kids get seasick on the way over, but got them some Dramamine as soon as we got to the island. It was a tough half hour of kayaking with the sea a bit rough but we made it. Once on the island, we got to relax, explore, sun bathe, swim...and snorkel! About half of us went snorkeling. We didn't see much because the sea was rough (apparently the worst day in a long time) but our guides did find a spider starfish, blue starfish, and a puffer fish for us to look at and tough if we were brave enough. After snorkeling we got fresh pineapple and watermelon and juice to replenish our tired bodies. After a little more exploring and resting and picture taking, we were on our way back. Thankfully we only had to kayak to the close beach, about 6km from where we had started. Unfortunately, we waited there for a long time as there was some miscommunication as to when the trucks were coming to pick us up to go back to school. By the time we got back to school, we were late to classes and still hasn't eaten lunch. Some people had snacks in their backpacks and others bought snacks during our break. After school was done, many of us went to the near by ice cream shop for a quick snack before supper. It was rainy all afternoon, so many people went home after ice cream or to Pali (supermarket/Walmart store for basics) for snacks. On Thursday, we had morning classes again, but we had a nice big break for lunch - 2 hours instead of one! However, since we all ate at a tiny restaurant, we needed the extra time since they weren't used to big groups like ours. It took quite a while for everyone to get their food and all the accompaniments that went with it. After lunch, many went out souvenir hunting and even bought some things. I'm just looking for know but will buy on Saturday. At 2 we headed back to school to catch a bus to CREAR - a non-profit organization that provides supplemental education for the children in and around Samara and the neighboring villages. It has grown quite a bit since the last time we were here! Now, instead of just after school activities, they also run a day camp for the kids when they are on vacation, which they were this week (2 week mid winter break). Thursday was there last day of camp, so we helped with the party. We helped set up the relay race and run it, play ice breakers, painted faces, filled water balloons, prepared and passed out soda floats, played soccer and overall just had fun with the kids. It was a lot of fun! After CREAR, we either explored, rested or went back home to get ready to go our on the town and dance! It was discotheque night and we met later that night to go "clubbing". We went to Tabanucos which was just down the beach from the school. It was a bit slow at first, but once they loosened up and the music got faster, they had a lot of fun. We saw a lot of crazy dance moves ;) Curfew came too quickly, but better to end on a high note than a low one, right? The bartenders were great and served some delicious juices and even changed the music for us so the kids could dance. Now it's off to bed to get ready for school, graduation, and a hike through the forest to a hidden beach!