Week 2: 8/15-8/21

Week two is complete and with that, I have a full week of classes under my belt.

With each passing day, I'm starting to understand how real island time is. A lot of my classes were cancelled, pushed back, changed to an online format when they were initially in person or had to be changed all together. At first, I thought I was just unlucky, but after talking to some of my classmates, I found comfort in the fact that I wasn't the only one who was dealing with a hectic first week of classes. Regardless, I still enjoyed my courses and course work so far.

I've found a nice private comfort spot in the library to study and that's usually my favorite part of the day next to going to Brewers Bay Beach on campus.

As for fun activities, I had a pretty jam-packed weekend. On Thursday, some friends and I took a boat out to water island, which was nice to see. The water was so clear and there was a cute little bar right on the beach where you dock, and we grabbed some drinks and snacks from there. Apparently, it's the only bar on Water Island! I heard that there were some abandoned bunkers on the island from World War I so I definitely want to look for those next time I'm there. We also checked out this restaurant in Charlotte Amalie called Taco Chelles - who would've thought I'd have the best taco of my life in St. Thomas! On top of being absolutely delicious, they were literally the size of my head.

On Friday, we went on an Ocean Surfari charter boat and got to stop at a few snorkeling spots where we saw starfish, turtles, lots of fish and coral, stingrays, barracudas, and my favorite find, an underwater shipwreck. Afterwards, we got pizza on the boat and had a dance party, and of course, took advantage of the boats open bar. Now that I think about it, we may have been the only ones dancing..

As for the rest of the weekend, I celebrated one of my friend's birthdays on the beach and went out to the bars at night. Sunday I was in full relaxation mode. I also got some laundry done and was surprised at the efficiency of the machines, but at $5 a load, my expectations were set high.

As fun as the weekends are, I enjoy the weekdays where I can stay on track with the gym and school. I absolutely love the gym here, there's so much natural, open light, a cardio and weightlifting room and a yoga and ab room.

This week, I'd like to immerse myself in some of the volunteer opportunities on the island and maybe on St. John at the national parks, which actually comprises 80% of the entire island. I would also like to continue getting up early and one day head down to Brewers to watch the sunrise, meditate, journal and do some yoga.

I'll check back in next week to let you guys know how my goals for the week panned out. Until then, have a lovely week everyone!

P.S. - the sandflies finally got me :( they're awful at the beach at night. I will never forget my bug spray again. Lesson learned.