I'm a strong swimmer, which I owe to our backyard pool when I was growing up. We were in that thing every day. But swimming pools and even lakes don't prepare you for what the ocean can do. I learned this little lesson in Hawaii, where I was seconds away from drowning in a very strong current when I was 19. All I can remember is this feeling of total desperation and horror--caught like a rag doll in a cycle of water where I had maybe two seconds to gulp in more air before the next wave shoved me back down. That's when I learned to be afraid of the ocean.
Despite this, when I watch giant waves crash violently against rocks, and my heart beats fast...caused by something in between fear and a kind of perverse thrill...I know that I love the ocean. The semester in college I spent becoming a certified diver, and the couple of dives I've been on in Mexico, opened up this whole amazing world. The creatures that live under the ocean are like fairy tale monsters in real life. It's really one of those things that mystifies me about the world.
Seriously, though...could you even dream up stuff like this?
So the other day, I went with a big group of friends who rented a giant sailboat to cruise the ocean. It was breathtaking. The sun was glittering on the luminous, blue water. The wind was a warm caress on the cheeks. We drove away from the island for maybe two hours.
Everyone stopped joking about the unusual amount of shark attacks on the island for a second and... (of course) jumped into the ocean. Me, on the other hand, I stayed on the boat. I like having both of my legs. However, after five minutes of (loving) catcalls "oh, it's because she's American!" Pride overruled Fear, and I felt like I had to jump into the ocean in the name of my country! So because I'm that kind of girl, not only did I jump into the ocean, but I jumped off the highest platform with all the boys. So there, Frenchies!! :)
After that I stopped being afraid and went back to being adventurous. I grabbed a snorkel mask and some fins and got back in the water with Yazid, Fred, and this really beautiful French girl whom I hadn't met before. She was perfectly tanned, althetic, and had a really pretty sing-song French voice. She didn't speak any English. She motioned for us to follow as she lead the way to the coral reef. After a few minutes of swimming, I turned around (okay, admittedly to kind of check for sharks...my back felt funny, like it was being hungrily eyed!) but I noticed Fred and Yazid were getting back on the boat. Later, we found out that they chickened out and were indeed too afraid of being eaten by a shark.
I looked at the girl. She smiled and grabbed my hand, and suddenly we were swimming towards the coral reef in a really graceful, surreal way. Her hair was waving back in stride with her fins and for a second I believed her to be part mermaid. The reef was incredible. Vibrant colors, beautiful fish....weird stuff I've never seen before...all moving with life. (I still checked my back every couple minutes. No sharks.) She tugged on my hand and pointed down below. There was a giant turtle, rising up just under us with two giant yellow fish friends who were almost his size. They took a right and we followed them. I laughed into my mask. How in the world did I end up here? Swimming with a mermaid in the ocean, following a giant turtle like he was the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?
We followed the trio until we heard whistles calling us back from the boat and we swam quickly to the ladders. My skin was sticky with salt water on the drive home and I smiled as I drank my coconut rum. Life here is really beautiful :-)
That night at dinner, for the third time since I've been here, I saw kangaroo on the menu. Usually I stare at my friends in fake disgust and say "You people eat Kangaroos!?!?!" (then they laugh and say "You people eat McDonalds?!?!") But after my afternoon on the boat, I was still feeling pretty adventurous. I ordered the kangaroo. Raw, as the waiter recommended.
It was incredible.
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