Clarifying

I wanted to finish what I was saying last night before falling asleep.  The reason I brought up the symphony is not to try showing off about how I'm in this great group.  I re-read the post from last night and that's what it sounds like.  On the contrary, I was trying to make a point that they're much more serious than I have ever been and ever anticipate being.  The intention was to point out the fact that my hobby of music is beginning to interfere with the research I came to Miami to do.  The trouble is that while I can't bear to give up viola, it's quite nearly impossible to join a research team and be in the symphony at the same time.  It's not a matter of having enough time but rather about conflicting schedules.

Dr. Glynn is apparently a big name in the marine science world, particularly as being one of the key founders of the idea of El Niño.  He's my Marine Biology professor and he has volunteering opportunities open in his lab.  I understand and accept that in order to work up a ladder you have to start from the bottom.  Thanks to this understanding, I'm happy and even excited to be doing grunt work.  It does sound like it could be fun; I'm not doing what I love, but I don't know what I love so I can't think of a better alternative.

I had lab in the Miami Seaquarium today which consisted of observing dolphin behavior and then running around the exhibits like a kid after finishing the lab.  It was fun.

One of the benefits of being a student is that you get a lot of free stuff and get to do a lot of cool things.  I got a shirt tonight for the marine science club, played volleyball in an incredible fitness center, went to the Seaquarium, and saw Toy Story 3 today all at no additional cost.  I'm going to miss the student life once I am actually too old to pass as an undergrad.

Top 25

For the past 2 and a half months, I've been playing in the Frost Symphony Orchestra, the University of Miami's one and only esteemed symphonic group.  We meet 6 hours a week plus I'm in a quintet that meets at least 2 hours a week, not to mention the optional (for me) viola class and string forum that are each one hour/week.  It's much more intense than I had anticipated but for the work I'm putting in, I think I'm making my way back to the level I was sometime about 3-5 years ago.  It's been a longer battle than I was expecting but it must be paying off.  Again I am glad that I'm not majoring in music because as much as it is wonderful, the amount of dedication by all the music majors is not what I'm willing to put in.

My first concert with Frost Symphony Orch. Photo: Lu Yan

Several people have been quite seriously surprised when I tell them I'm in the symphony because apparently the Frost School of Music is very good and quite selective.  I knew this to be true and I could tell from day 1 of playing with them that the symphony was mind-blowing but I didn't really find out until tonight that they are ranked between 13 and 25 in the country for music schools.  I just wanted a group to play with.  Little did I know that it was going to be one of the top university orchestras in the nation.

I had a few realizations tonight.  First of all, research is more important than class.  I am going to email the lab that might hire me and tell them I'll skip class to do research in the field.




...that's where I fell asleep on top of my computer last night.

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.

Down the Only Road I've Ever Known

Moving back into college life has been a funny transition. I'm mixed in with tons of people who are as much as 5 years younger than I am. It's not really so much an issue except considering where I've been, what I've seen, the things I've done, and experiences I've had, the differences between me and a recent high school graduate are pretty huge. I don't consider myself high and mighty at all; I'm just trying to point out one of the ways college life is different for me now than it was during my 4 years at Denison. A friend of mine shared some words of wisdom with me recently, reminding me that this shouldn't be like Denison; there's no point in comparing the two because there is something unique to be taken away from both. If Miami was the same as Denison, what would I be getting out of it? There are great people here and I continue to make friends.

The only “complaint” that I have at the moment is that I'm not busy enough. I am very involved in the Christian scene on and off campus, have a lot of time invested into music, am taking 3 full Marine Science classes, going to ultimate frisbee when possible, and still manage to spend hours on the internet every night. I am still pursuing research/volunteer/lab/field/work opportunities for professors at the Marine Science campus and will keep posted what comes of that.

As for this weekend, I'm headed off to Campus Crusade's Fall Retreat. I'm not sure what the schedule looks like while we're there or what we'll be doing but I hope to come away cleansed and refreshed from the inside out.

Life has been having clear ups and downs but overall I still believe I'm where I need to be doing what I need to be doing.

Facelift

For those of you who've been keeping up with the blog, you probably notice a couple obvious differences. I've not only put up a travel map to give a better idea of where I've been but I changed the entire design template of the blog entirely. I think the new look is a little more sophisticated and the colors are more pleasing to the eyes. Feedback is always welcome!

I'm having mixed feelings about Miami. For some reason, I can't seem to stop juxtaposing it with Hawaii and the only ways Miami has a clear win over our 50th state is that it has a school that I like much more and I can drive more than an hour in the same direction without going into the ocean. The most important thing is that I'm going to the right school. I know I'm in the right place even if it's taking me a little time to warm up to living in a big city. The next couple months might also improve my relationship with the location as everyone back home is covered with frost, snow, and ice and I'm still going to the beach. Then again, not the most important thing.

West Palm Beach bike ride in June

I've been looking into options for internships, jobs, careers, unpaid temporary experience-based positions, and more school. The theme of the next 2-3 weeks is going to be figuring out my next move. I don't promise to have a post-December plan by then, but I will hopefully be a little closer to knowing what I'll do.

Living room at Rafael's house - the setup constantly changes

In the mean time, I'll keep making friends (which is going very well – I often surprise people when they discover I've only been in the state for less than a month), continue the school work, looking ahead, and updating the blog with pictures such as this one of the main living space in the house. On second thought, it turns out my computer will not read my card so you'll have to settle for this old picture from when I went bike riding in West Palm Beach (a couple hours north of Miami) in June.  Aha!  I finally got the picture to come through.  I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which.

Make Yourself at Home

I'm finally settling into life here in the farthest Southeastern corner of our grand country. I'm getting a feel for the area, becoming acquainted with classes, slowly making friends, working my way into the nearby dive shop's staff, and really getting into a groove. The University of Miami is a great place to be.

The big question still remains: will I stay here beyond December? At this point, I cannot answer. As I've said, everything is going well, but there are little things that I do notice. I often equate my time here to the 2 months I spent in Hawaii. The school here is a far better fit for me, hands down. However, the city has little on Oahu (I say Oahu instead of Honolulu b/c Miami is about the size of the whole island). It took me until 23 years of age to determine that island life is indeed different than anywhere else. Everyone is very high-strung here in Miami whereas island life is completely worry-free. It's still early, but my instincts tell me that I belong on an island.

Everything still seems to be going my way so I have no real complaints. I'm having serious struggles in the very high-caliber orchestra which is having its first concert this weekend. It comes not three weeks after classes began but it is going to be the highest quality performance I've ever been a part of.

Ultimately I guess my time in Miami is going to teach me how to be a real-world adult. I have an unofficial part-time job, I'm essentially a full-time student (living off campus and not being a real undergrad makes it nothing like my time at Denison), and I am completely responsible for myself. Those things alone aren't much of a big deal, but combine them and throw them into downtown Miami and it feels like the most "real-world" life I've ever lived.

Big City Life

Since moving out of the house back in high school, I've been to and lived in a wide variety of places. Each location is unique in specific ways. My very first impression of Miami was back in June when I came for a quick visit. I was blown away by how vast the city spread and by how gorgeous the UM campus was. It wasn't until I drove down from Ohio that I realized how utterly crazy the driving is here: it is absolute madness. The average speed limit is at least 10mph over what the posted sign says, with some cars swerving into small openings at about 90. That would be fair enough, but then you get the old people who insist on driving under the speed limit in any lane they choose and it breaks up the flow entirely.  It's not simply the speed variations that makes driving overwhelmingly stressful, but it's also the sheer number of cars on the road. It appears as if every hour is rush hour and I have a mild panic attack every time I try to change lanes because I'm certain that someone will be swooping into my new lane from the other side or maybe a car will shoot in out of nowhere.  What's more is that Miamians rarely use turn signals here so you never know where anyone is going to go.  It's been too long since I drove through the Bronx to be able to compare NYC to Miami, but all I can say is that trying to drive, attempting to find parking, and navigating the streets (even with gps) is one of the most stressful things I've ever done in my life. If I don't get used to the aggressive and non-courteous drivers, I'm going to go nuts.

Over the course of the week that I've been here, I have been extremely productive and everything really has gone my way. Here is my entire to-do list copied right from my notebook (with necessary elaborations since “Joe” wouldn't make much sense to anyone for instance). Everything here is what has already been completed:

-Find the library to use internet
-Talk to the viola professor about schedule
-Find where to get a parking permit
-Call Rafael about housing
-Call Taylor (high school connection now living in Miami) to touch base
-Choose a bank to open an account with
-Email Dr. DiResta about changing lab time
-Find marine student frosh orientation and sit in on the introduction
-Figure out health insurance
-Find an ASE certified mechanic
-Talk to UM about housing options both temporary and long-term
-Call King Automotive and schedule a time to leave car
-Open Bank of America bank account
-Email Dr. McNeill about adding geology
-Call dive shop for potential employment
-Call Taylor to meet up
-Email Joe who I met in St. Maarten and lives in southern Florida
-Figure out a meal plan
-Put money on student ID card
-Schedule a meeting with marine science secretary
-Turn in tutoring application
-Email Dr. Olson about working in his lab
-Pick up parking permit
-Figure out something for temporary housing until I can move in with Rafael
-Formally add the geology class
-Find classrooms for each class
-Call UPS about package delivery
-Call Andrew about package delivery

Many of these tasks involved a lot of driving or walking thus it took me a few days to get all of this done. That being said, sometimes I could take care of several things in one place. Anyway, for anyone interested, that's what I've been doing here.

In terms of the university, I'm in love. Granted I've only gone to 2 classes, but by and large this place is spectacular. The campus is stunning with very clean, new, and modern facilities, the orchestra sounds professional not to mention it has 12 violas, a gorgeous pond surrounded by palm trees, incredibly friendly and helpful faculty and staff, gardens scattered across campus (I have a thing for tropical flora), and school spirit is at a whole new level. If I leave after one semester (which is still a possibility), it is going to be for something truly incredible. The only thing I have to watch out for is not to be razzle-dazzled by the things listed above; I'm here to check out the school for marine science, not gardens and ponds.

I feel as if I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Sure I have obstacles like housing. Sure I can only laugh about being in classes where everyone's age is 5 less than mine. Sure I get super stressed out every time I get behind the wheel. However, I really believe I'm right where God wants me to be. This was the only school I applied to and the only doors that have closed in my face have been nothing more than sliding doors with motion sensors. I have the strong feeling that I am exactly where I need to be and the amount of comfort that it gives me is astounding.

Synopsis of Egypt

I have now spent nearly 8 weeks without leaving the boundaries of Egypt and I consider that a fair amount of time to have a reasonable opinion about the places I've been, food I've sampled, and people I've met.
I spent over 2 weeks in Marsa Alam, about 2 weeks in Sinai, over 2 weeks in and around the waters off Sharm el Sheikh, at least a week in Cairo, and several days in Alexandria, so I can only speak for these places.

Locations:
Egypt is a desert. There are few clouds, endless stretches of sand, hot sun, cool windy nights, and very very little humidity. I did not see a single drop of rain during the course of my entire stay and nearly experienced dehydration while drinking several liters of water daily. The thing that never ceased to amaze me about the country's flora and fauna is that while it is entirely desolate on land with scarcely enough brush to imitate greenery, the underwater world of the Red Sea is home to one of the most vibrant marine ecosystems I've ever laid eyes upon.
Marsa Alam is the best example of the contrast between the vast desert and booming reefs. It is a sparsely populated desert with scorching temperatures and no shade. The marine environment on the other hand is pumping with life (see last post about the awesome pinnacle dive).

Crystal clear water, crowded with fish

While Sharm el Sheikh boasts some of the world's best diving, the shoreline has been built up as a tourist haven. Large hotels, casinos, fast food chains, European restaurants, and large plots of grass that look completely out of place litter the coast and prices are often advertized in Euros or US Dollars, a sure sign of tourist price inflation.
From what I saw of the inner Sinai peninsula, I've determined it is an expansive mountainous desert region. Here in the highlands the bitter cold at night can be very fierce while the sun during the day is relentless. It is a beautiful area scattered with large valleys between gorgeous mountain ranges and cinematic-quality sand dunes sprinkled in the mix. Do not be fooled by the beauty of the region though: it is a very harsh and unforgiving terrain with very few usable resources.
Alexandria is Egypt's prime port city on the Mediterranean coast. It is very full of life and incredibly rich with a very long and elaborate history. Transportation is quite cheap and relatively straight forward for a savvy traveler. Although efforts are made, the city is not competent with litter control and the drivers do not know how to use the lanes drawn so well on the roads. While some streets are presentable, other backstreets regularly flood from the ground up and reek of dead animals but these streets are almost never visited by typical visitors to the city. The highlight of this city is the Biblioteca Alexandria which is without question, the best, largest, most extensive, cleanest, well-designed, impressive library I have ever seen. If you go, do me a huge favor: go to the "aquarium" or "underwater museum" at the Citadel, pay the fee to bring a camera in, take pictures of every sign/caption, and send them to me. Not doing this is my only regret of being in Alexandria and perhaps the biggest regret of my life.
Alexandria was a nice break from Cairo which is easily the dirtiest city I've ever stepped foot in (soundly beating out even prime contenders such as Nairobi, Kenya; Manila, Philippines; New Orleans, LA months after Katrina; and even Maputo, Mozambique, the former title holder). That being said, it is one of the safest cities I've ever been to. I did not feel threatened being out on the streets at any hour day or night whether in company or alone. It is very rich in Egyptian history, housing the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphynx, and the Egyptian museum. The museum indisputably holds the most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts on the planet, incidentally presented in more of a warehouse fashion than a standard museum (no cameras are allowed, and if you have the money then get a tour guide because there are no informational pamphlets). Litter along the streets is abundant, condensation from air conditioning units drip along every sidewalk, and the entire city's color scheme is brown (a combination of the building materials and the layer of dirt covering everything). The city's natural soundtrack of incessant car horns is so persistent that the only respite can be found in the short time between about 4 and 5am although many shops are still open and streets are not empty at any hour. The city is English-friendly and the people are incredibly outgoing and welcome foreigners with open arms, but more about that later.

Food:
The Egyptians have a wonderful array of traditional foods with a collection of original recipes as well as dishes influenced by the surrounding Middle East and Southeastern Europe. Pitas, rice, various pastas, chicken, fish, beef (kofta), and vegetables (primarily cucumber and tomato) make up the main diet. Those are all complemented with chick peas, lentils, eggplant (babaganoush), okra, hummus, fried onions, marvelous sauces, and best of all very fresh and very sweet fruits from the lush Nile region. For quick meals, shewermas and felafels make excellent lunches. I lack the skills of a food critic to be any good at describing what these foods taste like, but they are indeed marvelous. I had the unfortunate experience of becoming tired of it briefly after having it 3 meals a day for 7 straight weeks, but upon leaving the country I still regard Egyptian cuisine as one that is absolutely worth trying.

People:
Egyptians are the most outgoing group of individuals I've ever come across, always intent to say hi, introduce themselves, welcome you to Egypt, ask where you come from, invite you for tea, etc. From the relationships I formed throughout my time in the country, most of this friendliness is entirely genuine. On the other hand, they have led me to consider where the line is drawn between being friendly and overbearing. Apparently within the Egyptian culture, it is very unusual for anyone to be alone; it generally means something is wrong. This tidbit of information finally allowed me to understand the fact that it is impossible to walk around Cairo for 10 minutes without being stopped. Please note however that there is a difference between understanding something and accepting it. Being outwardly friendly myself, I do not object to saying hi or stopping for a brief moment to chat, even to a stranger. However being as independent as I am, I find it annoying to be stopped by 30 people along the streets asking me the same questions, half of them insisting on walking with me as we talk, several bringing me into their shop to “give me a business card” and try to sell me something. The overly assertive description I've provided is primarily exclusive to the Capital city but can easily be found throughout the country.

Overall:

Typical scene during the desert safari

It's a fantastic place to visit with the understanding that a long stay in Cairo is avoided or if you have financial means to stay in a hotel and book private tours to all attractions (again, only for long stays). That being said, if you are looking for cheap housing, then check out Dahab Hostel. Do however make sure to spend a day walking around downtown regardless of your traveling style. Experiencing downtown Cairo firsthand outside the confines of the tourist bubble is WELL worth it and you will not experience Cairo unless you do it this way. I became tired after several days of it, but it's the kind of thing that really should be experienced once as long as you're there. If you are a diver, you must not miss out on the opportunity to dive here. If pushed for time, Ras Muhamed National Park around Sharm is the place to go but try to get south to Marsa Alam where the amount of divers is reduced by about 90%. Egypt is definitely family friendly and can accommodate many languages and nationalities so don't let language deter you.
Will I go back? Honestly, no time soon. I'm very pleased and grateful that I had the opportunity to go and I feel very blessed that I was able to see and do what I did. However there are dozens of places I want to go that I've never been, and even within of the list of countries I've visited, there are others I would rather return to before going back to Egypt (Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa, etc).

Bottom Line:
Egypt is a wonderful place to see once and check it off the list.

Paradise at the Base of Desolation

In the sweltering heat, the boat set off from the pier filled with 8 divers, a captain, and a bursting sense of enthusiasm. All smiles, we moved away from the barren desolate desert of Egypt that is made up of little more than sand and rocks. It was the final dive of the day and we were all worn out from a long skill session for the rescue course. A very short thirty minutes of laughter brought us to the location of the dive and after a quick backward roll entry we found ourselves in the water. As much excitement as there was to be found, no one knew what wonders were awaiting us beneath the surface.

The descent brought the group down to the base of a large pinnacle – a monumental cone protruding proudly from the ocean floor towering like a giant above the soft sand below. The pinnacle itself though made of stone was covered with a dense and diverse range of soft and hard corals and the entire surface was alive and moving with a multitude of fish. Imagine what New York City must look like to a giant alien – glowing, bustling, flourishing, flashing, and alive in every way. Circling the pinnacle left me utterly awestruck and the dive so far had only gone on for 15 minutes. Ready to go around again, I was upset when our guide motioned us to head away from this marine wonderland.

A minute's swim led the group to a jaw-dropping sight. Another pinnacle more vibrant and spectacular than the one before. Starting at the base, we made our way around the peak in utter bewilderment. The small orange reef fish were so abundant that they looked fake. There were groupers and soldierfish lurking under every crevice. Unicornfish with their distinctive long spike on their heads kept their eyes on us as we passed as if they had never before seen a diver. Anemones swayed in the steady current and their orange and white inhabitants watched us with a defensive stare. Parrotfish with their vivid color schemes maneuvered around the corals with their smiling beaks finding an abundance of food in the environment around them. Colors on the gargantuan pinnacle spanned the entire spectrum with every shade and tint of every color being utilized.

At the top of the peak, the aquatic scene opened up to a trevally feeding frenzy. The slender bait fish stayed in a tight school near the corals seeking refuge in numbers while the trevally swooped in from the blue to catch one of them off guard. Hovering 5 meters below the surface in a swarm of reef fish watching large trevally chasing the immense amounts of small schooling fish was the cherry on top of the sundae. Not only the amount of fish themselves but the number of different types of fish was beyond measure. It was more crowded than you will ever find in a healthy aquarium. I could have easily hovered there below the surface watching the frenzy for hours but being the responsible diver that I am, the group needed to surface. I have no pictures from this particular dive but the memory will be with me for ages to come because it was one of the top 5 dives of my life. Welcome to Egypt!

Training

After the WFR course was finished, a good friend of mine from Denison drove out to meet me for lunch: Brynn. She spent a year in Tanzania, we lived in the same dorm freshman year, we traveled to Italy together with the music department, and she's really cool. Although from Colorado, she moved to North Carolina recently and that's how she was able to come meet up with me. We had a great time reminiscing about Denison, talking about the past year, and discussing the future. Good times.

Training has been a lot of fun. It was located at a Christian retreat/camp in Oxford, North Carolina which ended up being a great setting. We played a lot of games but between them there was a lot of learning that took place. This afternoon we came back to NC State's campus where we finish off our last two days of training.

Just as a head's up... I'm not allowed to say anything specifically about work so my posts for the next couple months will be very highly censored, including this one.