Change of Plans

Managers of the team, some players, and several kids from the Miami Heat foundation have been wanting to get in on a shark trip for a long time. To make a long story short, they're coming on the 15th of March which is going to change our Tortugas trip formerly scheduled from the 13th-19th. We now have no plans for the 13th and 14th, will take the group from the Heat out on the 15th, then begin our trip on the 16th and return on the 20th. On one hand, we are going to miss out on a few days of catching sharks and I suddenly have no plans for my birthday (even if plans come about, I have to consider that I will wake up at 5:45 the next morning to get down south for the Heat group). On the other hand, we'll be catching sharks and I'll get to meet one or two of the benchwarmers for the soon-to-be NBA champions.

I met with a professor at RSMAS today (RSMAS is the name of the renowned marine school at the University of Miami). Not much was decided but it has become very likely that I will return to Miami at the end of the summer. She commented more than once on how much my networking over the past few months has impressed her which was a huge compliment. Needless to say, it is difficult to justify leaving the 3rd best marine science school in the country and cutting off the ties I've made to start over somewhere else from scratch.

Stay Tuned

I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures from the shark trip because there is going to be MUCH more where those came from. I am going to spend my spring break (13th-19th of March) on a boat in the Dry Tortugas with about 5-8 other researchers doing exactly what we do on the other trips. However, doing it so many times and without having students around, we will be able to work with optimal efficiency and catch sharks left and right. Furthermore, the Dry Tortugas National Park has heavy restrictions on fishing so we are expecting to catch many more than we do within 20 miles of Florida. [Image from http://www.tropical-adventure.com/travelguide/archives/dry-tortugas-key-west.shtml]

In addition to spring break and sharks, another post to look forward to is going to come even sooner. I'm meeting with a professor on Monday to talk to her about my academic plans. I will not give any further details because there is a good chance she could say there's nothing I can do.

The other thing out of the ordinary that I am personally anticipating is my birthday which is just around the corner! 3 years ago, I was in Cape Town on the day of my first dive of my life, 2 years ago I was home, last year it was spent in Sint Maarten on a day off work, and this year will be on a boat catching sharks. One week from Monday and I'll be 24 years old. Weird.

Before I go, I must ask to keep 2 people in thoughts and prayers. My uncle Rick, although not in the hospital anymore, is still not in full health. Also, my cousin Claibourne continues to have complications surrounding her pregnancy and is in and out of the hospital more than anyone would like her to be. Thanks a million!

Neglect

I must express sincere apologies to myself and those of you who used to read regularly. My good blogging habits have somehow fallen to the wayside like a stale cookie that's been sitting out for a week with some ants or dust accumulating on it. Let me assure you that is not what I want my blog to look like. In reality I do have good intentions to keep things fresh and exciting. Recently however, my life has not been exciting when compared to my previous travels. I haven't been racing in Hawaii, making plans to up and leave the country, diving in the Philippines, going to traditional Hindu ceremonies, fighting airlines, working on mega-yachts, or diving the Red Sea.

I have been enjoying life as much as ever, but the narrative simply is not riveting at all. “But Robbie, certainly you must be doing SOMETHING down in Miami that is interesting,” you might say. This is in fact true. However, what I've been doing is going to class, playing in the orchestra, going to church and bible study, watching the occasional film, and doing homework. To me, these are interesting activities to do but boring things to write about. Maybe I can write a post about how I slay a mighty dragon, go to Mars, save the world, or something else along those lines where I stretch the truth just enough to make you wonder whether or not I'm being entirely honest.

My time is running out to make up my mind about next semester. The ideas I have had include:

Working for gvi in the Seychelles

Working for Frontier in Madagascar or Tanzania

(both of which I found out about tonight so the probability I'll do one of them is next to nothing for the time being)

Move to French Polynesia and work as a dive instructor while working on fluency in French

Tap back into the yachting industry

Come back to UM and take more classes

The probability of returning as a student is the highest. The others are listed because I don't want to close doors. I'm not worried about what the next step in my life will be, nor am I dying to know. I am praying for guidance and trusting that I will be exactly where I need to be. Life is so much less stressful that way.

Getting Help

I did something out of the ordinary this weekend. I went to Fall Retreat with Campus Crusade, one of the Christian organizations on campus. The first of two most memorable moments was on the second night when all the guys separated from the girls (about 40 of us perhaps) and had some serious bonding time. The other moment I can't forget is the first night when everyone went out on the beach after the first session. There was a ton of socializing going on but at one point I decided to just get up and walk down the beach. Light pollution filled the sky and choked the stars but no amount of light could stop the cool refreshing breeze, warm sand beneath my feet, and soothing lapping of the waves. As I walked I started to pray, asking for help making up my mind about next year and beyond. It went something like this:

Lord, please allow me to find some sort of a research position with the University.

Well...as long as it's your will. Please let it be your will to have me find some sort of field work.

I mean, please let your will be to have me do something interesting in marine science. I mean, I am putting a lot of effort into it after all and it would be great to keep up with it and not have spent this semester in vain.

It was sometime around then that all of a sudden I nearly fell to my feet with an epiphany.

Do not worry about tomorrow.

I have never understood it to the level that I did that night. I had heard it before, I had said it before, and I even have it as a quote on my facebook profile (Matthew 6:31-34) but never before have I understood it so clearly. I expect you to see what I mean but don't imagine you'll “get it” as vividly as I did but that's okay. What it means is that I want God's will to be done. I'm not in control of my life: going to South Africa is a prime example. Because I'm not in control and because my main desire is to be used by God, there's not really much I can do in the way of stressing about my future. All of a sudden, my life became way easier and more fulfilling at the same time. The reason I can brag about this is that everyone can (and should) at least consider trying it out.  It's not a “hey look what I can do aren't I special?” but more of a “woah, this is awesome and you should totally try it!”

I'm still pursuing a variety of different options but my stress level is at exactly 0 and I'm loving it, not that it ever even reached 4 (unit-less and without a reference point just to keep you all guessing). Today while in the library I had the sudden urge to investigate research options online instead of working on a lab writeup or studying for tomorrow's test. I found some really cool projects that would benefit the environment, give me experience, and allow me to travel. What more could I want? It would be on a volunteer basis but as long as I'm paying for classes here, why not try to gain experience somewhere more fun and exotic? Some of the options include Alaska, Thailand, Belize, Antarctica, Thailand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, etc.

In other random news, I have my ticket to see the Dalai Lama, my camera is being fixed by Canon in VA right now for free (warranties are great), and unfortunately since I chose not to pay the athletic fee, I don't get to go to the U Miami and Florida State U game on Saturday unless I suddenly decide it's worth 200 bucks.  Yeah right.

Post-date

I threw a post up for the 26th of Feb. I know it's out of order but I forgot that I never wrote about it. I'm working on getting caught up:
Finding Blaskie
Playing for Money
Yacht Life (this probably won't come for at least a week since I'm not going to start working on a yacht until Monday)

The latest news on my life plans are this: try to get into University of Miami to take a semester of oceanography classes. If I decide it's awesome, I'll stay another semester and so on. If I don't like it, I'll get the STCW yachting certification and spend many months on a yacht while I figure out what I want to do with my life. If I don't get into U of Miami, maybe I'll just be a scuba instructor until Christmas time. Or apply somewhere else that's not as good.

3.14

Today marks the completion of 23 years of being alive. Hooray! I made it! I'm feeling a bit older but I still have the world at my fingertips.

I haven't yet told anyone it's my birthday b/c I'm sure that as soon as I do, people will start insisting that I go out and insisting on drinking drinks that they insist on buying for me. It is easier to just let it go and celebrate with people I know when I go home.

Work is going very well so far, exploring the island has not happened yet, I get my first paycheck on Monday, and I'm trying very hard to find a cheaper and better place to live.

As for post-summer plans, I don't have anything figured out yet. I am really considering taking a semester of oceanography courses and then 6 months or a year of working on a yacht to decide what I really love. Yes, it would postpone grad school (if I go - remember it has always been only a possibility, never a definite plan).

Until next time, keep checking back for more, take care, and live your life with a purpose.

Standard Life Crisis

This post is much more for my own immediate good than anything else. It not so much an update as it is me recognizing the necessity to put all of my possible plans down in writing. It is a perfect day to think about my life because it is very gloomy and rainy outside. The possibilities start with the simplest and go up to the most extreme.

At the end of the summer, I will continue with my original plan of being a basic scuba instructor somewhere (perhaps Red Sea or Great Barrier Reef) for about 3-4 months. Christmas will be spent at home (hopefully including a quick ski trip somewhere!) and then grad school would start in late February in New Zealand. After two years of obtaining a masters degree, I have no plans.

By the time late August rolls around, I will get on a plane to London Heathrow. During the final month of the racing season in England, my work is going to consist of cleaning boats (decks and hulls) while perhaps gaining experience sailing on any boat that offers me a position. The money and experience will be well worth the travel expenses. When the weather turns for the worst and the boats leave in search of warmer waters, I will move probably to the Red Sea and spend 2-3 months working as a dive instructor before going home for Christmas (hopefully including a quick ski trip somewhere!). Grad school would then start in late February in New Zealand. After the two years that it takes to receive a masters degree, I have no plans.

Immediately after Broadreach is over in late August, I will spend a semester taking university classes in oceanography and/or marine biology. The benefits here are that the subject matter is interesting, I will receive a proper introduction to marine sciences, the benefits of being a student would be back (discounts, clubs, organizations, many cool people my age, etc), health insurance would be covered under my parents' plan until I'm 25, and as long as the university is near water I could keep up with diving and boating. However, the downside is that I will be paying a lot of tuition, living in an expensive American apartment, I will have to deal with winter, and I won't be living somewhere exotic like the life I've been getting used to. After going home for Christmas (hopefully including a quick ski trip somewhere!), I will either move out to New Zealand in late February for a masters or decide that I like the school so much that I end up staying there for a degree. Two years after completing a masters, I have no plans.

My last option that I've given to myself is going to be the farthest from my original plan. Before training starts in May, I'm going to fly up to Florida to get what's called the STCW95, a basic qualification required by most boats in order to work even as a simple deckhand. Once I finish working with Broadreach in late August, I'm not sure where exactly I will go but what I will do is definite. With my degree in Physics, experience as a diving instructor, loose grasp of the French language, and the STCW95, I will find a long-term position on a yacht. While on this yacht, not only will I be building experience but I will be training as an engineer. Once leaving the yacht, I will be able to get my yachtmaster qualification and then do more training as an engineer. I'm not sure about the details but training off and on boats will continue for 5-6 years at which point I will be able to work as chief or second engineer on a large (150 ft) yacht of my choosing. The benefits are that my job consists of fixing things, I will be living on a yacht, my work by nature will consist of traveling to beautiful coastal areas, there is a very high demand for engineers that will only increase over the next 5-10 years, if I decide yachts aren't my thing, I'll have plenty of training that can be applied to a lot of other things, vacation time is long and frequent (sometimes 2 months on and two months off), and depending on the boat I could easily be making 6 figures before 2017. On the other hand, it's a huge commitment and I don't really know what the yachting life is like – I don't scare easily but making a decision like this would be the most frightening thing I've ever done.

I'm not an idiot – this fork in the road is not like a game show where I pick what's behind doors 1-4 and that's that. I of all people am well aware that things change. If I don't end up taking one of the four proposed paths or any combination thereof, other opportunities come up which can change everything. One thing is for certain though: whatever I end up doing before Christmas, it will affect (not necessarily determine) the rest of my life. Let me also say that I of all people understand the beauty of life as a full journey. I'm not looking at these options like “Oh no I have to pick one!!!!” but my attitude is more along the lines of “Alright, here are some of my top options. Which one will I most enjoy?” Ideas and input are always welcome but I think prayer is going to be my best bet.

Oh the Possibilities

One of my diving students is really cool. I've been hanging out with him a ton since he came in last week. He works on boats and we were talking last night about the jobs that are available for divers in the sailing/yachting industry. He told me that during the English racing season, work is easy to find cleaning boats or even working on the boats as part of the crew. Apparently it is very lucrative and he pretty much guaranteed that he could find me a job for a month after summer camp is over. I haven't made any plans post-summer camp and so working for a month in England for all the boats coming through sounds quite appealing. Certainly there's a lot to think about and many other ideas to consider. I'll keep the blog very up to date with any ideas that come my way.

Dawning of a New Age

For about a dozen years, I have looked at life through a particular metaphor. I've never been much of a surfer but I know how powerful and impressive waves can be. The way I have seen it is that you have a surf board and every obstacle in life is a wave. Either stand up and take a glorious ride or bob up and down watching all the excitement of life pass by. Of course in deciding to ride a wave, there is a serious inherent danger of falling off and being churned around and eaten up alive completely at the mercy of the raging waves.

I've been silent about many serious apprehensions about moving to St Maarten. My biggest worries have been seeded in lack of communication, not knowing where to stay, not knowing who to talk to upon arrival, and not knowing where to look for work. Unlike my preparations in moving to the Philippines and Indonesia that involved sending out about 50 emails each, I have only contacted one person in St Maarten, and he is currently on holiday in France. When I tried to phone the crew housing (budget housing geared toward any crew members working on the island) before leaving Sydney, none of the three numbers resulted in an answer. Going to Gili Trawangan, I was not worried about finding a place to live: the island is set up for backpackers and I found a place my first day for $100/month. From what I've heard about St Maarten and the other Caribbean islands, cheap hotels can go for $200/night. Needless to say, the lack of certainty was terribly daunting as I packed and geared up for my marathon flight.

Upon arrival to Hawaii, I stuck to my plan of immediately finding a phone to call St Maarten. After a 30 minute quest to find a phone, I was able to convince the crew at American Airlines to let me use their private staff room to make the calls. As if it was written, it wasn't until the third call (remember I was given only 3 numbers) that I got an answer, but boy what an answer it was. The woman on the other end of the phone informed me that her crew house was full but upon asking if there was another place I could stay, she offered to personally find me a place to stay and set me up with an address to give customs upon entry into the country when filling out the arrival paperwork. The plan was to call her upon arrival in St Maarten and find out where to go. I promptly got in touch with my cousin Meg (thanks again to the generosity of my new American Airlines friends) and organized to meet for lunch. Meg is the cousin I lived with for two months in Hawaii while her husband Conor was in Afghanistan. Thankfully, the three of us we were able to meet up for about 45 minutes for sushi near the airport.

I was so happy that I was practically dancing through the airport. Every detail is falling right into place. Boy did I ever catch that wave. I am riding one of the biggest meanest curling waves of my life with joy and excitement pumping through my veins as I stand on my board like a professional accepting all risk and embracing every bit of the exhilarating ride.

On Deck

Here's a sneak preview of what my upcoming posts are going to be about once I get back to Christchurch and have my laptop back.

Hitchhiker's Guide
-Hitching to Arthur's Pass and beyond


Table for One
-Ups and downs of traveling alone


Sea to Shining Sea
-Trip to Milford Sound (with pictures!)


As for right now, I've accepted that Australia is in low season for the next few months and have decided to go to the Caribbean instead (alas, I will not make it around the world). If anyone has suggestions where to go, please send them to me URGENTLY. I need to book the ticket by the end of the week. Some of my best choices so far are Cayman Islands, Bahamas, St Lucia, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos, Aruba, and Trinidad. I've ruled out Haiti and Jamaica. Alright, my internet is running low so I need to get running. Well, wandering off to bed. Thanks for reading!

Keeping Busy

Beautiful ferry ride

For your viewing pleasure, this is a picture from the ferry ride taken on my way into the south island. It was much nicer in real life - undoubtedly the best ferry ride of my life.

Anyway there are a ton of things that I have to think about, do, plan, and prepare for. Here's a list of what I can come up with off the top of my head of things I'm planning to do:

Get in touch with University of Otago
Organize transport to the university
Find accommodation for staying there
Send my computer battery to USA to be replaced
Decide on a track for the first hike for the next 3 days
Finish packing for the hike
Get a hold of a proper map and compass
Buy batteries, food, and trash bags for tomorrow
Call car rental agencies to ask about prices
Figure out transport to my second and longer hike
Determine transport back to Christchurch
Book a spot for black water rafting
Ship a bunch of things home

This is as much as I can remember. There are many more things I have to do but I can't think of them right now. All of these things to do are quite important but the most urgent plan (that I didn't even mention) is sleeping and I'm going to get working on that one pronto.

Thinking Ahead

I figured I would just give a brief “what's on the agenda” so you can all be completely up to date with what's to come.

Gili Trawangan:
I leave on the 21st for Auckland. Between now and then, I need to pack, pay my last 2 weeks of rent, buy a ticket out of New Zealand, say my goodbyes, sell my junky bike and dear guitar, and most of all, finish certifying the two divemaster candidates that I'm currently teaching. Quite a lot to do in just over a week, but I like being busy better than being idle. I am getting tired of the much needed rain though.

New Zealand:
The reason I am going there is to talk to the Marine Science programs at the University of Auckland and University of Otago. In case anyone was still left out on my plan, I am hoping to spend two years in New Zealand getting a masters in some sort of Marine Science such as Physical Oceanography. That makes two required errands that need to be completed within my planned 3 week stay. When not visiting schools, I will be rafting through caves, hiking, camping, taking trains and buses across the countryside, having at least one proper meal with lamb, and taking LOADS of pictures.

Next Step:
My New Zealand trip is going to end around the 15th of February at which point I need a place to go. It's looking very likely that it will be northern Australia since it's the option with the least amount of risk. If there is no work there, I only lose about $150 on the ticket there instead of the $1k+ I'd have spent going to the Seychelles or Mauritius. If Australia doesn't work out, who knows, maybe I'll end up in the Caribbean. Anything's possible.

Summer Camp:
I haven't officially announced that I will be working as a Broadreach leader this summer but let it be known that I will. Hooray! For more information refer to www.GoBroadreach.com. The reason I haven't said anything about it is that they haven't decided where to send me. As soon as I find out, it will be posted here.

Post-Summer:
Are you kidding? You expect me to plan this far in advance?! If anyone knows what dive destination is in high season from September until December, please let me know toute suite.

Checkup

Just wanted to say not much is different right now. I've been going about business as usual. Each day blends into the next and remembering the date or day of the week proves to be incredibly challenging.
Financially, I'm barely in the red. After two months here, I've had to take a couple hundred dollars out to cover housing, food, and visa renewal. I mention this because I got paid three days ago but the money is already pretty much spent and I have to go to the bank tomorrow.
I'm looking into flight options and may end up getting a Round the World ticket after all:
+Bali - Auckland (Spend about 3 weeks traveling around New Zealand seeing the country and interviewing at graduate schools)
+Auckland - Mauritius/Seychelles (Still can't decide where to go. I think Mauritius is cheaper so I might do that)
+Mauritius/Seychelles - Cape Town (Visit friends, bungee jump, eat naartchies, and go diving)
+Cape Town - Miami (I'll buy my own tickets around the Caribbean. I'll spend 6 months there, most likely split between two different locations)
+Miami - Cleveland (Home for about a month for Christmas)
+Cleveland - Chicago (Free stopover in Chicago just for kicks - maybe Brian Crush will be there?)
+Chicago - Queenstown (back to New Zealand for grad school if it is still on my agenda)

I've nearly made up my mind to go to the Gili Islands in Indonesia. Lombok is the island to the east of Bali, and the Gilis are 3 tiny islands next to Lombok, the largest spanning about 3km by 2km. It seems that transportation to and from the islands is frequent and if I ever get bored I can take a day to go visit Bali or Lombok. I would really love to visit Komodo at some point to see the dragons.

I'm off to get my laundry and maybe a bite to eat. It is going to be a very early night for me tonight because at only 5:30 I'm already tired. Believe it or not, diving (especially repetitive diving) really takes a lot out of you.