As we go on we remember..All the times we had together

This morning I woke up in a confused daze, for a split second I didn’t know where I was. This wasn’t the comfy hotel room I spent the past week in. Not to mention it was way past 12 o’clock in the afternoon and not the usually early morning that we had become accustomed to. I had also woken up to an empty house, where were my friends? No adventures to new places today, just unpacking and settling back to reality (oh, there goes gravity). As happy as I am to be home, I'm starting to miss that good ol' Florida weather (the humidity..not so much). As I sit in my bed writing this and nursing my self back to health (I've caught the airplane plague), I'd like to reflect on this past week.

This trip was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve done! I got to meet and befriend people that I’ve seen and had classes with but now feel closer to. I got to see a new side of my advisor/professor and have fun outside of a classroom setting! I got explore an area that I had never been to before and instantly fell in love with it. From the Everglades to Key West, Florida is a magical place full of gorgeous landscapes and incredible animals. Scuba diving, kayaking and shark tagging were some of my favorite activities we did this week! I got to dive on four different reefs, completing five more dives on my certification. Seeing the fish, plants and invertebrates we learned about in class, in real life was truly breath taking. Kayaking in the ocean was something I'd never done before and it was so cool! Swimming in the crystal clear waters and the time we spent our own little island was relaxing and refreshing. I never thought that I would get to work with sharks face to face. It was so surreal seeing three different species of shark in person. I also can't believe that I was brave enough to stick my hand in the mouth of a shark (for DNA retrieval purposes of course)! I also cannot believe that I got to see an alligator in real life! I'm just so happy that I was able to go on this trip, I love marine science and this experience definitely made me feel more confident about going into this field.

A few people I’d like to thank:

If you look close enough you can see the tears in our eyes

The friends I’ve made: Thank you guys for making this trip so much fun! We all got along pretty well and shared some great memories together #blessed! We have to get together again soon! Florida Keys Part 2 anyone? :P

To Dr. Z: Thank you for being a great professor and planning such an awesome trip and giving us the opportunity to do some great activities that we may never get the chance to do again such as the shark tagging! Thank you for taking us to a place that you love and sharing its beauty with us. And for supporting great local restaurants and not taking us to any chains!

To T.A. Stefan: Thank you for helping us and dealing with our craziness and eating all of our leftovers!

yes that is the taj mahal photoshopped in the background

And lastly to my parents (and other family members): Thank you for allowing me to go on this trip and helping pay for it! I don’t know what I would do without you two! You've always been there for me and telling me to get out there and try something new! And thank you for supporting my dreams and pushing me in pursuing what I love!

P.S. I'd also like to thank the creator of key lime pie 10/10 would recommend

To learn more about the keys and book a trip of your own click here

If anyone else is sick here are some remedies!