Environmental Shifts and Hostel Madness.

Alrighty here's a brief update for all of you.

Yesterday while I was at work, we had 12 archeology students move into the hostel. Twelve. A dozen. 8 girls and 4 guys- plus an assortment of teacher's assistants, etc. So every bed in the girls' room is full, and I'm not completely sure how I feel about it yet. They're not very quiet in the mornings, so when I come back you may find me sleeping like a rock! On the plus side, most of them seem really nice- so hopefully that keeps up for the next 5 weeks. Also, the professor (Dr. Brown) said that we could eat with them at nights if we want to, which would be amazing. So there's no complaining on that end of the spectrum. It will be interesting to see how I deal with no longer having a place to be by myself though. However, our bedroom last night was like a tomb- everyone was on their laptops or reading and I felt terrified to even make a sniffling noise. We'll see how that goes.

Anyways, yesterday at work was awesome! The first part of the day went as normal, so a lot of cleaning and helping the trainers suit up guests, etc. I fed Challenger again. He's growing on me quite a bit. Soon I'll be able to do the turtle talk to guests- which is intimidating as all heck! But right at the end of the day myself and Chelsea and Annie (two other interns) were watching the trainers do a session and they told us to grab masks and come down to the docks. I was SO excited because I hadn't done a swim session with the dolphins yet. So we got to get in the water and swim to a wall to help Bailey and Marley practice their serpentine swim behavior. Basically that means guests swim forward and they serpentine in the water in front of the guests so that they can watch them swim. We did that across the pool 4 times, and that was awesome. Then after, they gated the dolphins out and we got to dive in again and swim around in the front pool. After we climbed out, the trainers asked us to do an environmental shift. Essentially what an environmental shift is changing how we act. We often use it to gate the animals in a different way. (Gate is shifting them from pool to pool through underwater gates.) So environmental shift requires us to run yelling like banshees up and down the docks. The dolphins get so excited and start fast swimming along with us and they get rewarded really well for it. It's also amusing for us and I'm sure it's really, er, funny to watch.

Anyways, Liz and I are going into Hamilton today to go grocery shopping, and then we'll be headed to the beach afterwards. I hope you all have a relaxing day! :)

Kels

Bermuda Day and Beach!

Hello all!

Sorry I haven't updated in a little while. I've been busy and relaxing all at the same time. So, since I last posted, I was on my weekend! (Meaning, Tuesday-Wednesday) Tuesday was Bermuda Day, so that was exciting. Basically Bermuda Day is the celebration of the end of the unrest in the 70's in Bermuda. They have a big parade in town and a lot of people spend the day out on their boats. It's fairly similar to the Fourth of July, minus the fireworks. Since I didn't know somebody with a boat, I headed into town to watch the parade. I must admit, the best parts about it were the soca music and the people watching. Before it started they had people dancing the Electric Slide in the streets. I was dancing on the sidelines because I didn't have anyone to watch my stuff, but it was still fun. Then the parade started and it was pretty similar to parades in the US.

Dancing to the Electric Slide

Playing soca music!

I didn't stay for all of it because it was really hot and I had spent 3 hours sitting in the sun. Got some awesome tanlines from that- not. So I caught the ferry back to Dockyard and watched some movies until my roommates got home. The next day I went to the beach and just relaxed. It was a great day, minus my amazing sunburn. I nearly fell asleep lying on my stomach and I'm paying for it. (Note: don't fall asleep or nearly fall asleep laying in the sun!)

So today was my first day back from my weekend, and I almost feel like I'm behind. I was the first one to have a full weekend off so I'm going to kick my butt these next couple of days to catch up to everyone. BUT I did learn A-to-B's today. (I'll just call them ABs from now on). So ABs are how we send a dolphin to another person and receive a dolphin from another person. To send a dolphin, you do a slow, deliberate point away from you, and the receiving individual slaps the surface of the water to call the dolphin to them. Sounds minor, but for us interns, it was really fun, and it's an important part of sessions. It allows us to effectively rotate animals and call them to different areas in different pools. Also, I fed Challenger again. He's growing on me. He doesn't have as much personality as the dolphins do, but I kind of like bonding with him. Except it gets really hot laying on the dock holding the lettuce for him so today I had to lay on a towel. I foresee 'dock hotness' becoming an issue this summer. Stay tuned for that.

Since we live in a private hostel, we have other students coming to live with us. A group of archeology students are moving in this weekend, and I may just go insane. A room. With 12 bunk beds. 4 DQ interns. 8 archeology girls. 4 archeology guys next door. Yeah, I'll probably go crazy. We think they're going to be here for 6 weeks. You'll probably get updates on my annoyance at that as well. Woo.

COCKROACH UPDATE: Had another epic battle last night. The door between the boys and girls' rooms was open, and one scurried in from there. Unfortunately, it took refuge under my bed. We came up with titles for this one. Liz is the sniper, Melissa is cockroach killer extraordinaire, I'm eyes in the sky, and Lindsey is support. So yeah. We scared it under a dresser and Liz got it with the swiffer, which is our designated cockroach killing tool. Nasty.

Anyways, I hope this is enough to satisfy you all until something really exciting happens. I'll try to update more regularly- I just get caught up in my new island life. :) So, if you see my dogs, hug them. I miss the buggers. Later days!

Turtle turtle turtle.

Here's a quick update for all y'all. :)

Today was great! I had so much fun. I got to feed Challenger the Green Sea Turtle with my fellow intern Annie. He's absolutely massive. He's 22, and he's just now mature. He is part of a research project to see if they can be raised in human care and then released into the wild. So his part of the DQB facilities is gated directly to the ocean. They haven't released him yet, and won't be doing so for a few years, but since he's now mature, they'll start looking at him in a few years! So exciting.

Anyways, feeding him. You need a bucket, tongs, lettuce, and turtle cookies. (Turtle cookies are a Mazuri turtle food. They look like big brown pellets. Appetizing, I know- but he loves them) So one thing they stress when feeding Challenger is that you don't get your hands anywhere near his face. His beak is super sharp and he could do some serious damage to your finger. So that's what the tongs are for. He got 2 pounds of lettuce, and .75 lbs of turtle cookies. Also, since his enclosure connects to the ocean via a gate, lots of little fishies live in there with him. They've figured out it's a safe place since predators can't get in. But the little buggers are so ANNOYING. They try to take the lettuce from us. I think I accidentally 'tonged' a few fish... oops. That's what they get- it's Challenger's food!!

Anyways so that'll be an intern duty. Which I don't mind at all because he's a really cool turtle. BIG. But cool. And the rest of the day was spent doing normal intern duties and sitting in on programs. EEP. So basically that means that if the trainers needed to practice a behavior they'd pull an intern, have us sit on the submerged platforms, and let us do a couple behaviors with the dolphins. Whether it was set up the animal for a photo op, or set them up for a rub down. It was really fun. But man, those docks are hot on your feet! We kept pouring water on them so we wouldn't burn the bottoms of our feet.

Also, last night, unloading their 23,000 pound fish shipment?! I hurt SO bad. My back does not like me right now. But alas, they only get a shipment like that twice a year. And it was kind of interesting to see how it was done. But can I say, I am NOT a fan of hauling 60 lb boxes of capelin around. Stupid fish...

Anywho, tomorrow is my day off, and I'm traveling to Hamilton to get a bus/ferry pass and see some of the island! Woohoo!

Cockroach Check: We had one by the door last night when we came in from the fish shipment, and Melissa (cockroach killer extraordinaire) got it right away. She's a pro. :) Nasty bugs. Sick.

FISH.

So today went pretty well, up until about 4 o'clock, when DQB received one of their twice-yearly fish shipments. Do you know how much fish a company like this goes through? Per day even? A lot. Each dolphin eats at least a few pounds, a couple eat over 10 lbs a day. Guess how much fish we unloaded. 23,000 pounds. Twenty-three THOUSAND pounds of fish. And let me tell you, those boxes are HEAVY. I have never felt grosser in my life. It was such hard work. But I really tried my best not to complain. It's part of the internship. The trainers were helping. If you want a job like this you have to put in the effort. That's what I had to keep reminding myself. It took 4 hours. What a task. Now, to bed. I don't think I'll be able to move very well tomorrow..

The first 2 days.

Alright, I have successfully survived the first two days of my new internship with Dolphin Quest Bermuda (DQB). And may I say, whoa.

With any new job or internship, the first days and weeks are going to be stressful, because you're learning everything. There is so much information thrown at you that it's hard to comprehend it all and I know that I for one, get overwhelmed. The first day at DQB was exactly that. So much information thrown at us. Who the dolphins and turtles are, what they eat, how much they eat, why they eat it that way, the husbandry (voluntary medical behaviors) behaviors, which pool is which, where to do laundry, where to do fish prep, how to do laundry and fish prep. The list goes on and on and on. And that's not even making a dent.

My place of work- DQB!

But let me start at the beginning. I woke up at 3:45 on Monday morning to catch my flight at 6 AM to Newark. Earlyyyy. I get on my flight and sit in my seat and a middle-aged man sits next to me. Fine fine jolly good. No. 5 minutes after we get into the air, I hear this grinding noise. My hopeful naive-ness thinks it's gears grinding from the landing gear or something. Wrong again. It's the dude. He's snoring. In my FACE. It was still so early that I was too tired to care. I just laughed at the story I would soon have to tell. But he didn't stop. This guy snored the ENTIRE FLIGHT. People within a 5 foot radius could hear him. And when the flight attendant came through with the drink cart, he just looked at me and laughed. Hysterically. Thanks bro. Fortunately I do have a sense of humor and saw how unfortunately funny it was.

Anyways, had a decent layover in Newark and then hopped on my flight to Bermuda. It was probably one of the most enjoyable landings I've had. The view is gorgeous, and the water is my favorite kind of blue color. You could see the whole island (it's only 21 square miles). Customs and immigration went easily, and off I went. My cab ride was pretty interesting. The roads are SO narrow and winding. They drive on the left here (it is a UK country), and they honk at everyone they know. Since the population of the entire island is the size of Eagan, they know quite a few people. But my driver stopped at Horseshoe Bay and let me take a look. I'll have to make a day trip there. It's a beautiful beach. Absolutely gorgeous.

This is Dockyard- place where ships dock and tourists flock!

My living accomodations are... interesting. I'm living in a hostel, inside an old military fort- that is now a museum. Ha. My room has 12 beds in it- there are 3 of us now, will be 4 this weekend, and in June, every bed will be full. (An archeology class is coming through... woo). Needless to say, it'll be an adventure.

The long white building in front is where I'm living, the large building in back is the Commissioner's House.

One of the views from my front yard. :)

Speaking of adventures. Let me tell you about our epic battle:

Liz, Melissa, Kelsey VS. THE COCKROACH. Nasty.

I was laying on my bed on my computer, and I noticed movement on the wall next to me. An enormous cockroach (close to 3 inches) was skittering up my wall. I freaked out and shot off my bed and pointed it out to Liz. I believe her exact words were, 'Oh no. No. No. No.' (Bear in mind, while I do love most animals, I do not like the creepy crawlies.) It reached the ceiling and started fluttering its gross little wings. So, we summoned Melissa in, and tried to come up with a plan. Our original plan was to kill it before it made it to the floor. Plan A failed. It made it to the floor, and we took to the high bunk beds. We amassed an assortment of weapons: Liz had the swiffer, Melissa had the umbrella, and I had the flashlight. We began moving furniture to find the thing, because we all knew that we wouldn't be able to sleep until it was dead.

Every time it scurried from under something we would all scream and run away. Not effective. Finally we got it under a dresser and when it came out Melissa went nuts and killed it with a shoe. It was admittedly impressive. I don't think I've laughed so hard in my life.

The cockroach killers- from left: Liz, Melissa, myself

And so back to DQB. First day, we got there and pretty much spent the entire time reviewing company policy and understanding our responsibilities, etc. After lunch we got our uniforms, and then we watched some sessions. Which were exciting. I definitely like the way they train there. The trainers and the animals have obvious relationships and there's a huge amount of trust there. The dolphins' names are: Cirrus, Caliban, Cavello, Cooper, Ely, Bailey, and Marly. Haha try to keep that straight. All girls except for little Cooper. :)

Then, after we reviewed some more policy information and basic duties, we got to go in the water!! (My thoughts: EEEP!) We all looked pretty snazzy in our matching swimsuits and rashguards I must say. (For those who don't know, rash guards are those shirts that surfers often wear to prevent getting a body rash from their surfboard.) So we got to sit on a platform and do some basic rubdowns with Cooper and Caliban. (I think it was Caliban) :) Then one by one we got into the water and got to do a special behavior with them. I got to play the piano on Caliban's rostrum and she did a great vocal. I loved it.

After that, it was more learning the basics. After work we all took the bus to the grocery store because we were living off the food we brought. I had had Chex Mix for breakfast that morning. Ha! Bermuda is expensive let me tell you! It's crazy! Something like $6 for 6 apples.

Then we got home, and the cockroach battle ensued, and then I went to bed very tired. Today was a little more interactive at work. We didn't get in the water, but we got to learn more about our basic duties and got our hands a little dirty with fish and such. It was a lot of watching programs and getting guests suited up in wetsuits and life jackets for their encounters.

All I can say is, it's been an adventure so far, and it is definitely an island lifestyle. Hopefully I'll get used to it soon. Hope you enjoyed!

Love, Kels

The first day!

Today is the first day! EEP!

I'll let you know how it goes! :)

In Bermuda, so quick update- I'm still unpacking!

I'm living in a military fort, and we have sheep in the front yard.

The water is the most gorgeous color.

The roads are scary.

I miss my cell phone.

DQB looks awesome!

EEP!

More later.

Here we go!

Alright alright, I guess it's time to dust this sucker off...

Here's an updated on my new adventures:

On Monday, I will be flying to Bermuda (yes, Bermuda, as in the triangle) for an internship with a company called Dolphin Quest. They are a fabulous company- they do interaction programs for guests where people can get in the water and get to know the dolphins close up. I will be working as a Marine Mammal Training Intern with them, so I'll be working with the dolphins and sea turtles. I'm extremely excited and very nervous. I feel like I've been out of touch with this sort of thing, but I know they'll whip me into shape ASAP.

I'll be in Bermuda for about 3 months, and I fly home the end of August. I'm home for almost a week, and then I turn right around and fly out to Vancouver for a Marine Mammal Training Internship with the Vancouver Aquarium. I don't have all my information about this internship yet, as it's so far in advance, but I could potentially be working with Beluga whales, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, fur seals, pacific white-sided dolphins, and sea otters. Any one of those. The only specie in that list I've worked with before was sea otters, so I'll be getting some wonderful new experience. I absolutely cannot wait. A friend of mine from the Minnesota Zoo now trains at the Vancouver Aquarium, so there'll be a friendly face.

Both institutions are absolutely outstanding, and do a lot of work towards conservation and awareness. I know Vancouver has a rescue/rehab program, and Dolphin Quest is known for their veterinary practices, so I'm going to be learning an incredible amount.

People ask me if I'm excited, and in truth, yes. But not yet. I'm currently more stressed than anything else. I'm trying to plan, pack, and prepare for everything. They're two completely different environmental situations. But I've been trying to just focus on Bermuda. I'll definitely update you all as soon as I can, but don't expect anything right away, since I'll be busy from the start!

My overall thoughts on this change: 'eeeep!!'