Week 0 – Getting our feet wet

Sept 11, 2019

By Tessa

We have been given this amazing opportunity to introduce the Mariposas (6th, 7th and 8th graders) and Maripositas (5th graders) to the ocean. For some of them, it will be the first opportunity to step foot in salt water. For others, it will be a chance to gain confidence in their abilities to swim, paddle and snorkel.

Aside from classroom lessons at the Mariposa Center for Girls, each week we will have field trips and travel to the estuary where the Yasica River meets the Atlantic Ocean, to the coral reef in Sosua Bay or to the lagoon in Cabarete.

The instructors (Tony, Ryan, Diego and myself) met for a test run on the stand up paddle boards. We also brought Cameron and Makena, who served as our students for the day. As we headed out past the reef at Sosua Bay and on to Playa Alicia we chatted about how lucky we were to have this job. It was hot and sunny, the water crystal clear. There was nothing to stress about. The kids were smiling, taking in the scenery and commenting about how pretty it was. It was just how I imagined class would be in the coming weeks…

Of course that was before the wind and waves picked up. Paddling together on one board, as was the plan for the upcoming classes, was a major challenge for the girls. Both were having a difficult time balancing with the other on the board, and were completely exhausted. They lost focus on the scenery and those big smiles disappeared quickly. We ended up having to put them on our boards and tow them all the way back.

However, once back to the calm waters of the Bay, we took a moment to float over the reef. Distracted by the bright colors of the zig zagging fish, the girls slowly started to perk up and we all took a deep breath. Survival is goal number one, but smiles are a close second.

Lesson learned:

Test run. Always.

Plan B. Always.

Plan C. Even better.