Aloha everyone, howzit going? I hope all is well!
The last few days have been amazing but draining, as we work from 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. or so, with a few short breaks and meals squeezed in-between! I've learned to drive an outboard motor boat, solo sail, operate a complicated fisheye camera (with 3 different on/off buttons, that's something to brag about!), and best of all, how to recognize a blattodae... also known as a cockroach to non-nerds ;-)
Everything I've learned and experienced has occurred in one of the most beautiful places I've visited. Today I saw 30+ black tip sharks in different locations, with 10 babies about a foot long congregated at the newest water mall, apparently rebelling against their parents. Furthermore, we ran into a coconut crab with claws the size of your face - We named him Mr. Grumpy.
I realized today it's hard to appreciate the beauty of Palmyra to its fullest, simply because there are absolutely no buildings or signs of human harm anywhere. As a result, there is nothing for you to constantly compare and contrast this astounding atoll with, so your mind weirdly accepts it as a normal setting that should occur worldwide... Unfortunately, as I'm sure we're all aware, that is not the case.
Nonetheless, we are here as a group of Stanford students, hoping to learn enough so we can work towards what we want our world to look like in the future. Until then, we'll be sitting here waiting for you.
