It is crazy to believe, but I have been in Guam for almost two months now! WOW! I thought I would provide a life update now that I have started my life on island.
Since moving to Guam, I have joined an outrigger paddling team - Poksai. Outrigger paddling has always been something I wanted to try given my past experience with sailing and rowing. Watching my mom fall in love with the sport solidified my desire to give it a try! I reached out to the team and they were kind enough to invite me to practice. The rest is history! I love the community the team has given me. It is wonderful to have something to look forward to on weekends outside the University. During my second practice, we went out past the reef and saw not one, but FOUR manta rays and a pod of spinner dolphins. Not a bad way to have your first manta ray experience!
We have started a bit of a weekly tradition among students. We call it Tuesday Nudesday. Allow me to elaborate before your imagination runs wild. You must remember, we are a bunch of nerdy graduate students that love to dive… On Tuesday Nudesday, we go on a night dive specifically dedicated to looking for nudibranchs! You might be asking yourself, “What are nudibranchs? How do I even pronounce nudibranch?” Nudibranchs are practically the aliens of the sea. They are soft-bodied mollusks, part of the sea slug family. Imagine any shape and the wildest color combination on a sea slug. Have the image in your head? Great - there is probably a nudibranch that looks very similar to what you are imagining. However, to throw an additional challenge into Tuesday Nudesday - nudibranchs are actually quite small! They range in size from 0.25 inches to 12 inches. Just the other week, I saw the largest nudibranch I have ever seen. It was nearly a foot long! Most of the ones I see are less than an inch in length. I fell in love with nudibranchs when I was living in Saipan, and am so happy I found a group of people that get just as excited as I do about these colorful sea slugs.
Classes at the University of Guam are still online. I have one class that has small groups that rotate through to allow for some in person interactions. Despite being online, I am loving all of my classes. I leave every class with a smile on my face thinking of the possible applications of what I just learned. It is an amazing feeling. Gosh, I missed school!
With every passing week, I find another reason to love this beautiful island. I cannot wait to continue exploring all the hidden wonders and share my experience. Stay tuned for more updates!
