Firsts

I’m back from my trip and am experiencing a bit of a lull from the high of it all. Something I think is really fun about my trip is that there were a lot of new experiences for me. Some were things I’ve been wanting to check off my “I’ve done that!” list, some were things I hope I never take for granted, and some were things I hope that maybe one day I will take for granted. Here are these firsts:

1.   Simply taking the trip. I’ve never truly traveled on my own and it’s something I knew I needed. I’m so very grateful to have insisted on this despite a lot of well-intentioned reactions from people who love me. I hope I never take my alone time for granted and don’t know that I ever could. I’m a different person because of this trip and know this trip doesn’t end with stepping off the plane. The ripple effects and realizations from this time are sure to keep coming. 

My first view of the ocean coming into Grand Cayman.

One of the many lovely courtyards where I was staying.

2.     Going scuba diving. This was on my list of things I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. Despite being a terrible swimmer and having a completely irrational fear of putting my face underwater, I thought I’d get hooked. Not so much. At all. Once in the water for the training portion, I began visibly shaking. I went from feeling very cool and confident to quickly reverting to a very unbrave version of myself. I stayed in the water because I have an intensely stubborn determination to face my fears. In an attempt to feel better, I began quizzing the scuba instructor on how long he’d been taking people diving, how long he himself has been diving, and whether or not he’d ever had any problems with a newbie. He assured me of his experience and asked me to please not be his first trouble student. Poor guy. Once we dove, I kept my hand pressing the breathing device tightly against my face. I was terrified that somehow I’d drop it from my mouth so I kept my teeth clenched so tightly I made my jaw sore.  I also felt the odd need to hang on to my scuba instructor’s hand throughout the dive. I would grab onto it only to have him remove it from my grip and as he’d swim away, I’d grab onto his leg. He’d turn, ask if I was ok, I’d give my ok signal and on it went. I really felt the need for human contact to help me feel more comfortable. Pretty funny. 

I did it!

3.     Horseriding on the beach. Like most little girls, I grew up wanting to ride horses. The desire never went away so my parents relented and in high school I started riding. I’ve always wanted to ride on the beach so in Grand Cayman, I took my own intimate sunset ride with a pair of newlyweds. We even took our horses swimming in the ocean. It was phenomenally beautiful, relaxing, and either number 2 or 3 of my favorite experiences from this trip. I want to do it again. 

4.     Relying solely on my feet, public transportation, and hitchhiking to get around. I would bet good money I’m the first person ever to take a bus to the Ritz Carlton. I walked countless miles and spent a lot of time both marveling and detesting the bus system. I got yelled at on the buses. And hit on. And I nodded my head a lot pretending to understand English with an accent I’d never heard. I sprinted after buses and begged drivers to take me off-route. It was all part of the magic for me. I hope I never take either of these things for granted. I want cars to be a luxury for me even when a part of my daily life. 

From my first bus ride.

5.     Comparing myself to an African lady carrying a jug of water on my head. Do these women have any musculoskeletal imbalances?! Why would I compare myself to an African women carrying a jug of water on my head? In my multiple trips to gas stations to purchase water and lug heavy bags of bottled water home, I was reminded of women carrying water jugs on their head. I love walking because of how connected I feel and carrying water made me feel connected to these women around the world who throughout history have walked miles to bring water home.  It felt really historically beautiful to me. Perhaps one day I’ll visit a country where they carry things on their heads and learn from the best. Bucket list item noted. 

I want to learn from her.

6.     Rode in a submarine.

Yes, I rode in a REAL submarine! I took a night submarine dive and went about 120 feet underwater. We saw a lot of different types of fish, coral, crabs. It was pretty surreal.

The entrance to the sub.

Waiting to go down.

On my way down into the submarine!

Photos didn't take well but I did my best.

Coral

Cool shot of the inside of the sub.

Watching the sub go below water.

There it goes!

And, gone.

7.     Swam with stingrays, fed them, and even kissed them!

So, technically I’ve done this before but I was much younger and don’t remember it. I’m including this in my firsts list because the hour I spent with the stingrays has got to be one of my favorite hours in my life. I adore all animals but there was something really incredible about having these large creatures rub up against you, kiss you, and hug you in their little stingray way. I loved the way they vacuum suck food out of your hand.  Two of the stingrays I held were pregnant and I was able to feel the baby stingrays moving inside of them. It truly was magical. It was also interesting to learn that stingrays don’t sting as absentmindedly as I had previously thought. They only have one stinger and when they sting something, it falls out and takes about a year to grow back.

They were really sweet, affectionate animals and I’d like to go back to Grand Cayman to do that again.

On our way out to Stingray City. My first ride on a sailboat!

Frisbee. Beautiful pregnant, tailless stingray.

I could play with them forever.

Giving Frisbee one of many kisses! mmmwwuaH!

I’m home now and it feels strange. Sad even. Everything I left is the same but I am unquestionably different. The trip was perfect. It was phenomenal, it was eye-opening, it was hard, it was fun. I fought with myself and I embraced myself. I learned more about what I like and what I’m made of. I connected with ME more. I really believe that the best and hardest and most rewarding places on this planet are the one’s where there’s no hiding spot - there's nowhere to hide when it's just you.

And to quote the last line from my favorite book, “How wild it was to let it be”.