Ishigaki Island Adventure

The rowdiest OkiJETs assembled for my last vacation.

Photo: Tristan Salvenera

I'm sure you know by now that Okinawa is a tiny Japanese island located fairly close to Taiwan. I currently live on Okinawa's main island, Okinawa Honto, but I recently had the opportunity to visit Okinawa's southern-most island, Ishigaki.

Sixteen of us met up at Naha International Airport to board an hour-long flight to Ishigaki. From there, we separated into three groups and dined by ourselves until we met up the following morning for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Cami, an Ishigaki OkiJET, organized the snorkeling and scuba diving! Thanks girlie! The snorkeling spots were absolutely amazing. I'm not the best swimmer (or so I like to tell myself), but I enjoyed floating about and checking out the sea life. Scuba diving was also a lot of fun, but I would have liked more freedom to move around. I also become a bit seasick coming out of the water so once I put my gear away, I hoped back into the water in my wet suit and relaxed for a bit.

Later, we were dropped off a Paniri Island, a privately owned island where we ate lunch, got in trouble, and jumped off the peer. Paniri Island had the most beautiful water I've ever seen! I should know, I've swam in the Caribbean. Trust me when I say that the Pacific Ocean is where it's at. Sorry, not sorry Atlantic.

Our night was eventful; one of my favorite parts was watching the boys go completely HAM during a Taylor Swift song at karaoke.

On second day we all took a 15-minute ferry ride to Taketomi Island. This island is known for their traditional Okinawan architecture, Shisa, star sand beaches, and water buffalo cart rides. We rented bicycles and rode to Kondoi Beach, a shallow yet absolutely gorgeous beach, where we lazed about and then moved to Kaiji Beach to find some star sand. Star sand isn't actually sand, it's the remains of tiny star-shaped crustaceans. It takes some effort to search through the sand in order to find them, but a small shop near the beach sells small bottles of star sand for \300. It's great omiyage!

That night, we ate, drank, and spent way too much money at an izakaya. Later, we migrated to a bar for more drinks as well as pool and darts.

It was truly a wonderful vacation with only a tiny bit of drama. ;)


Want to know more about Ishigaki? Click the picture below!

Happy New Year, Vietnam!

At this moment, I wonder what compelled me to travel to three countries in nine days.

My trip itinerary:

• December 28^th: Fly to  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• December 29^th–30^th: Explore Ho Chi Minh and await the arrival of Mike.
• December 31^st: Visit various points of interest in Ho Chi Minh
• January 1^st, 2015: Leave Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap, Cambodia
• January 2^nd: Tour Angkor Wat
• January 3^rd: Leave Siem Reap for Bangkok, Thailand
• January 4^th–6^th: Visit various points of interest in Bangkok
• January 7^th: Fly back to Okinawa

If you have just read my itinerary and wondered if I needed a vacation from that vacation, the answer is "Oh my God, yes!"

On the 28th, I left my tiny apartment and I made my way to the highway bus terminal in order to catch the 111 bus to Naha International Airport.  At the airport, I checked into China Airlines and boarded a short flight to Taiwan and then another relatively short flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Waiting for the bus

 This was where things got a little crazy.

A travel visa is required for American citizens to enter Vietnam, which meant that I needed to apply online for an acceptance letter into the country. I also needed to fill out an application where they would review my information and issue a visa. The application process was around $42 and  I was previously warned by a friend to pay in U.S. dollars because they supposedly increase the price if you pay in another country's currency - even their own!

Off to places unknown

The entire process took a little over an hour, but I received the visa and passed through customs. Because I was asked to check-in my carry-on in Okinawa, I proceeded downstairs where I failed to locate the conveyor with my luggage. I talked to Lost and Found and, luckily, they quickly found my luggage. Crisis Avoided!

With my luggage in tow, I walked outside to the bus stop in order to catch the 125 bus to my hotel. On my way there, I was approached (and borderline harassed) by men asking me if I wanted to take a private car or taxi to my hotel. No thank you!

When I was a few yards away from the bus, I saw what I assumed was the bus driver and another  woman. Upon spotting me, they boarded the bus and closed the doors. Then, the women opened the door for a moment, said that they were done for the day, and ordered me to "go away."

Daaaaaammmnnn

I was a bit taken aback by her rudeness, but I walked back to the taxi solicitors, found the cutest Vietnamese guy, and negotiated the price of a private car to my hotel. It seemed a little sketch, but I had no other option. To be frank, it was the scariest 30-minute car ride of my life! Sure, I could have possibly been kidnapped and sold into sex slavery - exaggerated I know - but it was their driving that had me praying to ALL the saints. It was bat shit crazy! Thousands of cars and scooters shared the road where traffic lights, lanes, and turn signals did not exist! I wasn't in Okinawa anymore!

That traffic though!

The following morning, I decided to venture further into the city via bus. This was a huge mistake! I boarded the correct bus, but people hailed the bus as though it was a taxi, so I couldn't tell if the bus had stopped at an actual stop. I spoke to the conductor (not the driver) and told him my stop hoping he would help me find my way but after a while, I was asked to leave. The reason? I had missed my stop and couldn't travel any further. You've got to me kidding me! I was officially-mcticially lost in Ho Chi Minh City and I had no phone to help me navigate back, so I hailed a taxi and paid a ridiculous amount of money to return to the hotel. I was scammed for sure.

After a nap, I explored the vicinity near my hotel using various stores as bread crumbs back to the hotel. I found amazing cafes, beautiful historical sites, interesting communist propaganda, and some of my favorite Korean make-up stores. I also found this gorgeous park in the middle of the city, where I struck up a conversation with traveling manicurist. She did my nails for $2 and told me stories about the war.

Let's fast forward! I was eventually joined by my then boyfriend, Mike, and on his first, full day we went to the War Remnants Museum.

Letting the pictures do the talking, it was interesting to see Vietnam's view of the war.

Vietnam and Cuba alliance during the war

Like good Catholics, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral where I feel in love with a statue of the Virgin Mary.

So, if you were wondering about the drama that occurred on this trip, it happened this night. I had to decide whether to continue the trip or fly back to Okinawa. I thought to myself, "What would make the future me happy? More importantly, what would Beyoncé do?" I knew that I would eventually regret canceling a trip of a lifetime over a guy, so I continued the trip yet ended the relationship.

 The next day, I visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist temple with an interesting walkway and a small pond filled with turtles.

Dopey shisa

So many Nappi-poos! (My turtle back at home is named Napoleon lol)

Since there was no urge to celebrate the New Year, I quietly watched a firework show from my hotel window and replied to New Year's messages from my family and friends.

Happy New Year, Vietnam!

3,776 Meters Above the Sea Level

Having lived my life at sea level, what would compel me to climb Japan's highest and most revered mountain? 

I'm "delightfully delusional"

As a sacred site, a source of inspiration, and the symbol of Japan, Mount Fuji has welcomed over 300,000 visitors per year and was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although it's common to hear of JETs attempting to climb this "active" volcano, I planned to climb unassisted, unescorted, unaccompanied, companionless and, in other words, alone. All my coworkers thought I was crazy. The look on their faces, as they spat their tea after they heard my plans, made me wonder if I was crazy. The one person who I thought would worry to death, my mother, said I could climb Mount Fuji alone because she knew I was crazy.

Do you even squat?

The plan was to climb Mount Fuji during the morning, and stay most of the evening and part of the night at a mountain hut and then continue to the summit and watch the sunrise. Due to limited availability, I reserved the mountain hut before I purchased the flight. Then, I reserved a hostel near Shinjuku and a round-trip bus ticket to Mount Fuji's 5th Station. After the logistics, I devised a strict workout regiment, which consisted of daily 5ks with a squat challenge in order to build up my endurance. 

#FaithinHumanityRestored

In late July, I flew to Tokyo a day before my expected climb and toured the city. The next day, I awoke at the ungodly hours of the morning and made my way to the bus terminal, stopping briefly at a combini. The bus terminal was packed with Mount Fuji climbers who were 'turnt' in their professional hiking gear, while I stood there in my Uniqlo cargo pants and shirt from Forever 21 - fashionable, but probably not efficient. As I took my seat on the bus, I was in disbelief that I was on my way to Mount Fuji. My excitement eventually waned, and I napped for the remainder of the trip. When I arrived at the 5th station and exited the bus, I almost collided with another Westerner who carried several wooden walking/stamping sticks. He asked if I needed one but when I inquired about the price, he told me it was free and to "have a nice day."

Mount Fuji 5th Station was Disney-esque with its crowded stores that sold souvenirs and hiking gear. I quickly purchased a kawaii Mount Fuji towel and a can of oxygen, just in case, and made my way to the Yoshida Trail. I started to climb around 9:30am and watched the exhausted faces of the people who passed me in order to descend. I wondered if I too would look like that during my descent, but I pushed the thoughts away as I began the first portion of the climb. I slowly ascended and silently thanked the 5k/squat gods for the strength in my legs.

No love for that bug

The Yoshida Trail was recommended for first-time climbers due to its abundance in huts and first-aid stations. The Yoshida Trail zigzagged up the mountain and, although the trail was mostly gravel, there were parts of the trail that resembled rock climbing. Since I was climbing on a Thursday, the hordes of climbers I was forewarned about were absent; so I enjoyed the perfect weather and peace while I climbed at my own pace. For the majority of the trip, I put away my iPod and just listened to the lava rocks crunch underneath my feet. My serendipity was cut short around the 6th station because I was harassed by a bug. I couldn't tell if it was a fly or a bee, but it was attracted to my pink iPhone case (most likely a bee). It annoyingly buzzed around me for four frickin' hours! It didn't end well for the bee though, because I stomped it to death around the 8th station.

From 1 to Mordor, how hot was it?

After seven hours of climbing, I reached the mountain hut where I felt the dull pain of an oncoming headache. After check-in, a staff member showed me to the sleeping quarters. Actually, the "bedroom" was one large room full of bunk beds. The room was divided by gender, and I was expected to sleep, shoulder to shoulder, in between two elderly Japanese women. Although I was unhappy about the sleeping arrangements, I quickly slathered Vicks Vapor Rub on my forehead and laid down to rest.

A couple hours later I was called to dinner, but my headache had worsened. Shortly after dinner, the staff announced that they would shut off the lights until 2am. I settled into the genie-lamp-sized bed once more, but this time I was accompanied by the two Japanese women. The combined body heat due to the close proximity felt like Mordor, and I felt nauseous (nauseated; for you grammar nazis). I grabbed my can of oxygen and moved into the cool air of the main room. As I inhaled pure oxygen, I noticed that there were a few empty futons. I sneaked into bed and continued to inhale oxygen until a staff member approached and quietly asked me if I was ok. The futons were reserved for late comers, but I explained that I felt ill. He asked me to wait while he set up a separate futon inside the main room where I could sleep in peace. I slept until 2am and awoke without a migraine.

Land of the Rising Sun, indeed

The night portion of the climb meant that I needed to don warm clothes and a headlamp. I continued up the mountain until I saw what looked like two large lion-dog statues in front of a torii gate. Was this the end? I couldn't tell, but I kept walking until I saw another hut that served ramen. I continued past the gate and up the hill to look around. I scared myself half to death when I looked down into Mount Fuji's crater. I frickin' made it!

I had about 45 minutes until sunrise, so I doubled back to the hut in order to keep warm and eat breakfast. The summit was packed with climbers facing the east and at around 4:30am I set up my camera and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. It felt like forever. In my mind, I saw perfect image of the sun peaking from behind the horizon - like a backwards sunset - but what I didn't expect was a tiny red ball emerging from a sea of clouds.

The trek down the mountain was the worst part. My boots had no traction and I slid the entire way down. My thighs were overworked from trying to keep balance but luckily I never fell. Once I reached the 5th station, I waited for the bus to my hotel, where I showered, dressed and left to the Ghibli Museum. Yep, after climbing up and down Mt. Fuji, I visited the Ghibli Museum. #NoRagrets ;)

If you're wondering, the next day I had the hardest time walking down stairs. My thighs were so sore. Overall, it was a great experience. Would I do it again? With the weather I had before, sure!

TL;DR? Check out the video!

Be sure to turn on the subtitles, because I was uncharacteristically soft spoken!

Frozen in Hokkaido

I heard the white snow crunch underneath my feet and I felt a sharp pain in my hands. I wondered, what the hell I had gotten myself into.

In October, it was decided that I and a few fellow OkiJETs would take the tour to Japan’s most well-known yuki matsuri or snow festival, the Sapporo Snow Festival. Sapporo is the capital city of Hokkaido, the Japan’s most northern prefecture and island. The snow festival, held between February (insert day), displays an exhibition of snow and ice sculptures at Sapporo’s Odori Park. With my suitcase full of thermals and Frozen’s “Do you want to build a snowman” stuck in my head, I boarded the plane for the coldest weather I have felt in my life.

Upon arriving in Sapporo, we stowed our belongings in a locker and made our way to the snow festival. Sapporo station was immense! It contained an underground shopping mall and those underground walkways found in most cities where the cold is unbearable.

At the snow festival, I first encountered enormous snow structures in support of Japanese athletes in the Sochi Winter Olympics and the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The snow festival spanned several blocks and each block represented a certain theme. I paid less attention to the themes and scouted for some of my favorite Japanese characters such as Hello Kitty and Totoro. Aside from the more typical structures, I noticed that some snowmen were of company mascots, and assumed the companies paid hundreds of thousands of yen to create and display their frozen mascots, sort of like snowy Super Bowl commercials. 

Kitty-chan <3

Tots <33

Ice sculptures were displayed on a main street in Sapporo that reminded me of Tokyo’s Shibuya ward due to the amount of jumbotrons. The ice sculptures were beautiful, but my favorites were those that contained real fish and crabs within the ice. It seemed a bit cruel, but they stood out from the rest because of it. 

The food at the snow festival was delicious! I’m not a big eater, but the seafood was amazing! Moreover, they have plenty of hot food, like ramen, crab leg soup, and corn on the cob to warm your innards.

Vegetarian Nabe was so delish!

Well, technically I'm pescatarian ;)

Although the Sapporo Snow Festival and onsens were the highlight of my trip, I also took  a personal day and explored town near Niseko, which was overrun by foreigners on their annual skiing trip. I relaxed, ate at a café, and discovered the one mountain that may rival Mt. Fuji (although Mt. Fuji is technically a volcano). As I walked back to the hotel, I could only hear the snow crunching under my feet. I paused for a moment to listen and I heard nothing. It was eiry but the scenery coupled with the silence brought about a peace that could only come from the stillness of cold.

Those are clouds!

I was happy to experience the snow, but I was also grateful that I didn’t live in it. As a Venezuelan girl who was raised in Miami and is currently living in Okinawa, I was not built for long periods of cold. Maybe I’ll visit Sapporo again, but during the summer. Maybe ね? 

So peaceful (much lens flare!)

South Korea, the Seoul of Asia

After I picked up my boyfriend from the airport, we spent a week in Okinawa visiting the tourist sites before heading to what has easily become my favorite city in East Asia, Seoul, South Korea. I could also be slightly biased towards South Korea because I have an affinity of Korean music, dramas, and makeup. However, in general, Seoul is a fabulous city that creates the perfect balance of internationalization while retaining it's culture. 

DMZ Tour

In the past, friends have expressed their concern over my decisions to live in Japan, a nation fairly close to North Korea. Therefore, I was unfazed when my boyfriend's friends and family also expressed their concern that I had booked a tour to the DMZ (the boarder between North and South Korea), knowing that last year Kim Jeoung Un threaten the U.S. Unless you visit South Korea or the DMZ you'll never gain first-hand knowledge of the situation in South Korea and see how people in Seoul are unfazed to the craziness that goes on up North. 

We woke up early and walked to the Lotte Hotel, to check in for the tour. Although this was the same tour company from my trip last year, they included an additional trip to the War Memorial of Korea. The memorial/museum was immense, but we only had an hour to explore. Therefore, my boyfriend and I quickly separated from the tour group, ran around the museum and back outside to see the display of airplanes, ships, tanks, and helicopters that were used during the Korean War. 

After the museum, we traveled north to eat lunch. During our trip up, our tour guide (the same one I had before), spoke about the war and several defenses that South Korea has in place to prevent invasions. The most interesting were the tank walls, which are walls that are stratigically placed on various roads to block tanks invading from the North. 

This is a tank wall. The legs blast away, dropping this ridiculously thick wall down

Lunch was held at a quaint little restaurant where I was served bipimbap (veggie options FTW) and my boyfriend was served a bulgogi stew. After lunch, we had a short stop at Imjingak Park. The park has many statues and monuments regarding the Korean War. There is also a Popeye's (I know, the heck?), an observation deck, a pool in the shape of the Korean peninsula, and even a mini amusement park. This might have been my favorite part of the tour as snow beautifully blanketed the park. I had not seen snow since I was 18, so this was very exciting for me. 

Once inside the DMZ, we watched a brief history of the Joint Security Area and signed waivers. We were guided by U.S. (United Nations) soldiers to visit the boarder between North Korea and South Korea. I don't want to go into too much detail, but we were fortunate to see North Korean soldiers as well as visit the JSA building and figuratively cross into North Korea. On a loca note, I personally got a lot of joy while waving goodbye to the U.S. and South Korean soldiers. Our bus would stop by a check point, and as we passed I would smile and wave goodbye to the soldiers. They would look slightly surprised for a moment, smile and wave back. When you have a stressful job, wouldn't you like a smile and wave from an attractive member of the opposite sex? 

They say traveling is like knowledge; the more you see, the more you know you haven't seen. Also, that you shouldn't break in new shoes when traveling. Unfortunately, there are those who have no interest in seeing the world outside of their comfort zone and will never know the terrible mistake of breaking in shoes while traveling. Don't be that person. Here are some more pictures of my trip to inspire you to get out there and see the world!

Shopping in Myeongdong

N Seoul Tower

Padlock Love Wall

Temple in Seoul

Taiwan: The Heart of Asia

After experiencing the Okinawan island life for some time, I felt an itch to leave and start my international travels. Taking advantage of a three-day weekend, and requesting a day off of work, two fellow OkiJETs and I set out sights to Taiwan, Okinawa's closest country.

The night before my departure, I picked up Tka in Okinawa City and we spent the night at Alley's in Nishihara. The next morning, we headed out ridiculously early to beat the traffic to Naha Airport. The traffic was horrendous and, what's worse, Google Maps decided to guide us to a frickin' golf course (Thanks Obama)! We had to call out to a pedestrian and ask for directions but fortunately we were not far off.

We made it to the airport just in time to check in and pass the security checkpoint. No one had breakfast that morning and we were expecting to get food at the terminal but since Peach Airlines does not taxi at a terminal, the terminal only sold boxed souvenir food. We met up with some other OkiJETs, who were also headed to Taiwan, and they gave us an apple to split between the three of us. Best apple of my life! We also met with Wendy a Singaporean OkiJET who was off to visit family in Taiwan. She marked our subway map for the best hot spots in Taipei and offered to guide us to Taipei's main subway station since we were all headed there anyway.

The flight was ridiculously short, but I spent the entire hour yawning and attempting to pop my ears since scuba diving temporarily damaged my inner ear. Once we reached Taipei, our main priority was to eat. We walked about a block or two until we found a small cafe that had an menu in English and food that would satisfy everyone, especially me with my food particularities. Afterwards, we headed to our hotel.

Lovely Travel Ladies

A hour passed and we still had not found our hotel. The map that Tka brought was not detailed enough but we  knew the street and were headed in the right direction. I used every bit of Mandarin Chinese that I knew to ask about location of our hotel. Every question was met with people pointing for us to go further down. We even stopped at a convenience store to ask for directions. At one point, we were so frustrated because one person would tell us to go further down and another person would tell us to come back the way we came. Finally, we walked into what we thought was our hotel. It wasn't, but the women working the front desk personally walked us to our hotel. We were so grateful!

As I was moving my suitcase to my corner of the room, I hear Alley laughing and telling us to check out the bed. When I sat on the bed, it felt as though I sat on concrete. This was the hardest bed on God's green Earth! I picked up the pillow assuming that would be just as terrible but, to my relief, it was fairly soft. I looked to Alley who was still laughing now on her hand and knees saying "It's like basement sex!" That's when I lost it, because I could imagine that on a terribly hard and uneven floor. The joy surged through me as I realized I would be spending a few days on the concrete bed (sarcasm). After we settled, we headed out into Taipei.

Taipei at night reminded me a little of New York with its crazy traffic and slightly dirty atmosphere. The only difference was the abundance of scooters. Aside from my ear problems, I also had a terrible cough and the exhaust fumes from the hundreds of thousands of scooters forced me to purchase cough drops at a convenience store. 

The night markets in Taipei were like Jesus, in that they were perfect. Japanese clothes are cute, but sometimes they can get pretty funky with their prints, "Engrish," frills, and fabrics. The clothes at the night markets were surprisingly of good quality, ridiculously cheap, and stuff that I'd actually wear. More importantly, at every corner there were people selling yummy fruits and pastries, along with the nauseating Stinky Tofu. I got the most use of my Chinese while shopping because I could ask for the prince and bargain by saying it was too pricy. 

Taiwan: The Land of Scooters

The next couple of days involved some sightseeing at Longshan Temple, Taipei 101, and trips to more night markets.

Longshan Temple is a reconstructed Buddhist/Taoist temple in the Wuhua district of Taipei. Although situated on a busy street, Longshan Temple created a peaceful atmosphere with a gorgeous waterfall and a large dragon statue at the enterence. Once inside the temple, there were hundreds of people praying and giving food and flower offerings. 

Taipei 101 is the second largest building in the world with the world's elevator (my ears did not appreciate this). The first two floors consisted of a high-end mall with recognizable brands that I could never afford. At the top, we had an spectacular view of the city as well as a view of the damper ball, which balances the building during storms or earthquakes.

Leaving Taipei, we had a some trouble finding the bus terminals, and we also ran into some trouble or shall I say caught some attitude with the airline personal regarding the weight of our carry-on bags during our check-in. 

I definitely want to go back to Taiwan for a longer weekend and continue shopping sightseeing.

Dying of laughter at Longshan Temple

The Finest Wilderness is Beneath the Waves (Part 2)

The weekend of the ocean dives occured a couple days before a typhoon slammed into Okinawa. However, we were given the green light to dive and I once again met with Jan and my dive-mates. This time, I was given a full-body wetsuit, since I almost froze in the pool during the contained dive, and, to my relief, a significantly smaller thank. Jan made a passing comment that anyone under 50 kg. ( or 110 lb.) required a smaller tank and elaborated that he had never met an American under 50 kg. (I withheld the tidbit that I am ethnically Hispanic, teehee).

Once we placed the gear in the boat and arrived at the dive spot called, I was geared up and pushed into the water. I mean that quite literally because Jan literally pushed me into the water. It was actually just a small nudge, but I found it hilarious. Nevertheless, my mirth was cut short as a series of issues began to unravel. I misjudged the circumference of my waist as my weight belt (which also adds weight for controlled buoyancy) began to slide down my hips and around my thighs making it difficult to tred water. Because of this issue, I removed my repirator to inform Jan that I was in trouble. This was a huge mistake! The waves slammed into me in all directions as I shouted, causing me to inhale water. I became exhausted in my struggle to tread and quickly lost my breath. Jan instructed me to swim to the boat and hold on to a side rope while he readjusted my weight belt. With the regulator back in my mouth, I was able to slow down my breathing and catch my breath. In retrospect, I should have dived down, hunched over and adjusted it myself, but whatever. Once that dilemma was over, it was time to dive down and check out the the underwater forest.

Okinawa has an amazing array of sea life from the ugly and harmless to the beautiful and deadly. During my descent, I watched a sea snake pass above me as I tried to hug shoo'ed fish that invaded my personal space. Within the first 10 minutes, I encountered the venomous Lion fish (a.k.a. scorpion fish; a.k.a. that fish with zebra stripes)! I learned from multiple aquarium visits to keep away, but it was fascinating to see the fish up close (as little as 10 feet) in its natural habitat. I also played with a large sea cucumber and and felt the underside of an extremely large starfish. Moreover, Jan guided us to the illustrious Blue Cave located in Maeda Point, where we performed our dive skills

Fact: 99.9% of monsters found in animes are based on real animals (source: Me) 

Even with my life hack jotted down into the deepest portions of my mind, I was unsure if my abilities as I begrudgingly looked up to check the distance to the surface; just in case. When it came to my turn, I slowly let water into my mask, closed my eyes to protect my contacts, and breathed to calm my nerves. Then, I took in a large breath and used my life hack to blow out the air through my nose. I opened my eyes slightly and realized that I cleared about half the mask. It was working! I took in another breath and cleared the rest. Suc-f&*%ing-cess! In another dive, it was required that I remove my mask, return it, and clear the mask. For this skill, I closed my eyes and began to remove my mask. This should have been effortless, but my mask snagged on to my hair making it difficult to remove. As I floated with my eye closed breathing into the regulator, I felt a hand on my leg. I opened by eyes in surprise, but closed them a split second later as I mentally cursed in the realization that I may have ruined my contacts. In my efforts to detangle my mask, I kicked causing me to slowly ascend. Jan brought me back down and I continued to detangle my mask. Once it was free, I place it back on my face and cleared my mask without realization. Bam! Later, I would perform other skills such as the Tired Diver's Tow, Controlled Emergency Ascend, Buddy Breathing, Regulator Recovery and compass skills, as well as a written test to complete my Open Water Diver certification.

<3