Today wasn’t as exciting as all the other days because of the lack of diving, but it was maybe the most important. We woke up early and made our way to the marina to participate in some community service. It was good to finally give back to the people that have sacrificed so much of their time and energy just for us. We helped clean out the boat house that belonged to the staff of the VISAR team. It was actually the emergency rescue team’s boathouse. We pulled out all the equipment in the shed, so that we could scrub down the boat and the inside of shed. Some of us also painted the outside of the VISAR shack and cleaned down the different water suits. Then, we watched one of the Dive staff teach how to do CPR and other safety procedures. We each got a chance to participate in one of the procedures. After our community service, we went back to the beach near our houses to eat lunch and lay out. Gabe, Brody, Nick, and I hung out on the beach and got some sun. We also went on a little snorkel adventure around the little cove that we were at. We had plenty of time after lunch, so I made my way to the WIFI room at the Guavaberry Resort to hang out and watch tv. Around 5:00 we went to church to get our God in for the trip. The ceremony was really nice because we got to choose the songs we sang, and we all participated in the mass. The priest that said Mass was a very nice Phillipino man, who was full of spunk and funny sayings. Then we headed to dinner at the Mine Shaft. The dinner was amazing. It was a spectacular buffet dinner, with maybe one of the greatest Cesar Salads I have ever eaten. We also got a chance to say goodbye to the BVI Staff. They showed us. Slideshow of all the pictures that they had taken during the trip. Some of the pictures really made me crack up. Mostly the pictures including Hayden and Brody. Then Gabe stood up and made a nice little speech to the staff thanking them for everything that they had provided for us. We also got to see the Atlantis space shuttle fly over us during dinner. It’s the last space shuttle ever to go out into space, so it was truly amazing to see this phenomenon. After our desserts, we got to say another little “thank you”, and we all took a group picture on the steps. Then we came back to the resort, and now we are starting Transformers 3. This is my final sign off. The trip and class have been amazing, and I’m so grateful that I got the chance to participate in this once in a lifetime experience. Thank you Doc, Mr. Kirby, all of the BVI staff, and most importantly…my parents. You guys are the best and I love you so much.
