Home Schooling Week 5

This homeschooling thing is no joke, but we're doing it.  We just made it through the first 2 weeks of real school work (we did 3 weeks on our own before that) I am very thankful my kids are not in the French school anymore though, I wouldn't be able to read their textbooks or anything. They are pretty self sufficient, but I wouldn't be able to help them at all.

It makes me think of other families where the kids go to school, but the parents don't speak the language very well. We were very fortunate when we lived in PEI that I had quite a few friends who were French speaking and could help translate the school newsletters for me and tell me what I needed to do.  Even not understanding one subject can be difficult for a parent thrown into this, but to not be able to understand any of the school work would be overwhelming!

I want to encourage you if you know anyone who may be struggling with the language barrier to check in on them, ask if there's any way you can help. FaceTime their kid and ask if they need anything explained.  While you're at it, tell them something you've struggled with during this time. We're all failing at something, but there's also something we can give to others. Maybe it's homework help, maybe it's encouragement, or a laugh!

Not Social Distancing

It's crazy times.  Who would have thought that we'd all be hunkering down at home not from a

natural disaster or some freak weather storm, but from an illness that came out of the blue.  I know

there are lots of people who are frightened about what the future holds, not just for during this time in

Quarantine, but after we come out of it. How many businesses will have to close?  How many jobs

won't exist anymore? How many of our loved ones will have become ill, or even died from the virus?

There's a lot of talk about physical health, but we need to also remember that our health is not just

based on if we have a fever or not. Health is a multi-faceted part of us.  We have to find a balance of

mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

I don't like the "Social Distancing" line that has been thrown around, because that makes it sound

like we should be antisocial. We should be Physically Distant, but now is the time to be there for

each other.  This is an unprecedented time, and everyone is struggling with it in some way or

another. There are lots of extroverts who may get depressed if they can't socialize with others,

which can also lead to health problems. There are many who are anxious with what the future will

hold, which leads to sleeplessness and burnout.  Hopefully this will lead to a new normal where

people are more in tune with their mental health and it won't be such a stigma to say "I'm struggling.

I need help.".

I have hope that this will lead to some positive changes in many ways. This could change the way

we interact in our communities. Maybe instead of driving into our garages and not talking to our

neighbours, we'll start to really care about one another and look after the needs around us.

I've seen on FaceBook quite a few homeschooling parents telling all the parents who have suddenly

been thrown into quarantine schooling, that this isn't even normal for homeschoolers.  It's new

territory for everyone (pulling together, reassuring). They have said not to expect 6 hours of work

from your kids, most students do between 2-3 depending on what they are working on. That's

COMMUNITY!

It's important to remember these guidelines for adults working from home as well.  There are many

parts of your normal workday that help break up the stress, that you are missing right now. It's

important to take into account the coffee breaks, drive time, etc. Locking yourself off from the world

to work for 8 hours isn't healthy in a stressful time like this. It's really important to take care of your

body and mind (emotional, physical, mental,& spiritual health). Maybe it means working until

lunchtime, eating with the family, playing some board games, and going for a walk in the afternoon.

I'm sure you know that you can't do your best work if you're stressed.  Two hours of good work is

better than 6 hours of stress an anxiety riddled work. Work yourself into more hours as you get used

to this new normal. Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your friends.

Remember, don't cut yourself off from everyone.  Social Distancing doesn't mean Social Isolation!

Call your friends, Play virtual poker, FaceTime that friend you haven't had time to connect with, Send

a message to say, "I was thinking about you... Remember when we went on that epic adventure?"

Ask how they are REALLY doing.  Let them know they are not alone. We're all in this together.

Cease and Desist

Today I was talking to Mr. G after church about transit engineers.  Now, to me, "Transit Engineer" could have 2 meanings... The first would be, "a person who plans & designs for transit", the second, "a person who drives transit, like a train driver". So I asked which type of engineer he was referring to, & he informed me that Transit Engineers are only the former, in Canada, & the latter is a "driver".  If a person who drives were to publish a paper, for instance, & call themselves an "engineer", they'd get a cease & desist letter.  It was an enlightening conversation!

Another friend, Miss K, walked up & handed me some cash for some vases I picked up at a thrift store for her, & we were discussing how many more they still needed for an upcoming event.  I told her, "I'll keep looking for them until you tell me to decease."  A moment later I realized I had messed up the 'cease & desist' phrase!

Georgia on My Mind

If you will recall, I always have an adventurous time when I fly (If you missed these tales, just peruse the posts labeled "Flying").  Last month I had a meeting in Grand Rapids, & this trip was no exception...

I have a friend, Beth, who lives near Chicago who also would be attending the meeting, so I decided to fly to Chicago, stay with her for a day, then we'd drive down together for the meeting.  Another member of our meeting squad, Alicia, recently moved to BC, & we encouraged her to join us for our mini road trip, but she couldn't make it work.

I flew out to Chicago  Monday afternoon.  A straight shot, one flight, no problem.  We spent the next morning thrift shopping, & enjoying some delicious donuts.  My friend Allison used to live in PEI & now lives within a few miles of Beth, so Beth & I decided to go visit her for coffee that afternoon.  While we were there Beth keep getting texts from a number she didn't recognize.  After we left Allison's, she checked the messages, & they were from Alicia.  Her flight was delayed, then cancelled, & the airline wanted to fly her through Chicago, have her stay in a hotel overnight, then fly down to Grand Rapids.  The three of us decided a better, & more fun course of action would be for us to pick her up in Chicago, & she could drive down with us the next day.  Sometimes flight problems end up better than planned!

After our meetings, it was time to head home.  My flight plan was Grand Rapids-Atlanta-Calgary-Vancouver. I decided since I was travelling alone that I'd offer to be bumped.  I figured with 3 flights my chances were pretty good.

The first bump in the day was the security line.  I have NEXUS, so I can go through the Trusted Traveller line in the airport, but I have had it twice now in Grand Rapids that they do not view NEXUS as the same as TSA Pre-check, so I had to go through the regular line.  (I have since discovered when you're checking in online you have to enter your NEXUS number as the "Known Flyer Number", then I can use the quick line.  It's like they try to make it difficult!)  Now, whenever I go to the States, I usually stock up on some of the candies & foods that I can't get in Canada.  I had to take all the food out of my bags.  Apparently I forgot to remove the box of Suzy-Qs from my suitcase, so they had to open the suitcase, open the box & check them.  Then I had the joy of repacking them all.

When I got to Atlanta I went to the counter for my flight to Calgary which was scheduled for 5pm. They were over booked but didn't seem all that concerned about it.  There were several people in line trying to get seats on the flight.  There was a couple that the man had a seat, but the woman didn't, there was a lady trying to get tot Calgary for a transplant, & a few others. So when I got to the ticket agent I said, "I'd be willing to give up my seat."

The agent said, "You're volunteering?"

Me: "Sure, I'm not in a rush."

Agent: "Would you need a hotel?"

Me: "I don't think so."  I figured I'd maybe get a morning flight, but it's a lot of hassle to leave the airport & try to get a morning shuttle back in time for the flight.  I could handle a night in the airport.

The boarded all the other passengers & the ticket agent said, "Ok, see you tomorrow!"

Me: "What is my new flight info?"

Agent: "Same time, same place."

Me: "Oh... could I get some food vouchers?"

Agent: "I should be able to get you some.  Hang on."

He got on the phone to whoever deems people worthy of food vouchers, & he keep saying, "She volunteered."  Apparently, since I had not used the word "Bumped", & the airline had not asked for people to be "Bumped" I was just a kind soul who bequeathed her seat to a lady so she could fly with her husband...  The airline deemed me unworthy of food for my troubles.

The agent took pity on me & said, "Come with me."

So, I followed him a short way down the hall, to an ATM, where he took $20 out of his own account & gave it to me.

So, I had 24 hours to wait in the airport, & $20 American dollars!

I wandered around a bit, decided to have dinner at TGI Fridays (why NOT have a long leisurely supper, it's not like I was rushed for time!), then found a Delta customer service desk & attempted to become their new best friend.  Since it was still more than 12 hours before my flight, I had not been given a boarding pass, & no one could print me one since there was not a WetJet desk inside the terminal.  If I wanted to talk to WestJet personnel, I could leave the security area & go to the main area of the terminal, but I didn't want to get stuck outside of the area where the amenities were, & have to deal with re-entry, especially since I had no boarding pass.  It looked like I'd have to take some lessons from Tom Hanks in the movie "The Terminal".

I spoke with a few Delta agents, & they told me that since the ticket was WestJet, they couldn't rebook me on any other flights, only a WestJet person could.  Since I have a Canadian cell phone, they let me use one of their phones & call the WestJet helpline.  I spoke with a very pleasant man who tried in vain to help me, but since my flight was booked through a travel agent, even WestJet couldn't release my ticket to another airline.  He could rebook me on other flights, but the only way from Atlanta to Vancouver involved more stops than the one I had in Calgary, therefore it would cost the airline more to transfer me, so he was powerless.

He asked me, "How did you get yourself into this position?"

I said, "Apparently I 'volunteered' to give up my seat instead of being asked to be 'bumped'."

Agent: "Oh I'm sorry to hear that.  You sound like a very nice person though!"

Me: "Thanks!  Would you like to reward my kindness bu getting me out of here sooner than tomorrow at 5pm?"

Agent: "I would like to, but there's unfortunately nothing I can do."

So I went back to talk to the Delta ladies& they kindly gave me a blanket, a travel kit with toiletries, & told me where the area with the comfortable chairs was.  I headed that direction, since it was now 10pm, & I wanted to get a good spot.  The area I'd been told about had big wide cushioned seats that were moveable & didn't have armrests.  I maneuvered 2 chairs so I had comfy couch I could stretch out on.  I had my laptop with me, so I found a movie to watch & settled in for the night.  I managed to sleep quite well, despite the location of my accomodations.  About halfway through the night another traveller left their little couch/bed, & left behind a blanket & a pillow.  I snuck over & claimed them.  When I awoke in the morning I was very confused trying to figure out what had happened to the extra blanket & the pillow... Turns out, that was just a dream, there was no extra blanket or pillow, but perhaps I slept better since I believed I was warm & comfortable!

In the morning I made my way to McDonalds for a delicious Egg McMuffin, the breakfast of champions!  I still had 7 hours until my flight, so I decided to look for souvenirs & see if anything really got my attention...

Did you know there's a train in the Atlanta airport?

Did you know there's a moving walkway in the basement of the Atlanta airport?

Did you know one section of the basement is made to look and SOUND like a jungle in the Atlanta airport?

Did you know there are 7 concourses in the Atlanta airport?

Do you know the Concourses are labeled T, A, B, C, D, E, F?

I made it to every concourse except T.  I decided to leave something for next time.

I rode the train from one end to the other, around the end of the line (where you are supposed to get off, but I didn't feel like it).

I walked over 12 km (7miles) in the 24 hours I was in the Atlanta airport.

I ate at PF Chang's for the first time in my life while I was in the Atlanta airport.

I was given a free glass of champagne at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I discovered I don't like champagne when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I discovered champagne is not improved by having Dr Pepper added to it when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I visited several souvenir shops, & found many different shirts...

Should I get a "Georgia" shirt?  No, I can't really say that I have seen much of Georgia.

Should I get an "Atlanta" shirt?  No, I haven't seen much of Atlanta either.

Then I found the souvenir I needed...

A hoodie, with the Atlanta airport code!

As I wandered around the airport I realized I had been in the airport too long.  I was beginning to get amused by the strangest things...

"No, YOU thart!"

Why did they choose to do the lettering colouring that way?  It made no sense to me...

It was getting closer to my departure time, so I headed off to my gate.  It was the same group of agents as the day before.  The $20 man said, "Are you finally going home?"

Me: "I'm going to try!"

Agent:" Well, the flight's pretty full, who knows, you could get another day here!"

Me: "Only if it's worth my while!"

Agent: "You should have waited about 10 minutes yesterday.  We would have asked people to be bumped & you could have been compensated."

Me: "NOW you tell me!"

Agent: "Yeah, when you volunteer you get nothing.  You got to be BUMPED!"

Amazingly they did not have more guests than seats, so I managed to make my way onto the flight.  I even got a window seat!

In Calgary we had to go through customs, & after that you exit into the main area of the terminal, & you have to go back through security to get your next flight.  I was in the "Trusted Travelers" line (I had read through all the rules during my stay in Atlanta, so I knew where to put int information in when I checked in).  I was waiting behind a mom with a crying toddler who was having some trouble getting all their stuff put on the table because of all the tears & sadness the child was bringing on her journey.  A man lined up behind me, & then a security agent came up with a woman in a wheelchair beside me, & the wheelchair lady's entourage.  The man behind me decided he had waited long enough, said, "excuse me," & pushed past until he was behind the crying toddler.

Now, remember, I had been in airports for about 30 hours at this point, so I may have been a little snippier than usual. I said, "We're all in line here."

Man: "Well, I was ahead of you."

Me: "No, you weren't, but by all means, go right ahead."

Man: "You came with the wheelchair."

Me: "No, I was here before them, waiting, but I'll go after you."

Man: "Oh, I thought you were with them."

Me: "I'm not."

Man: "Well, you can go ahead of me."

Me: "Thank you!"

After that I got through security, made it to my gate & on my flight without incident.  The only other issue with the flight was that apparently, everyone likes to take a carry-on suitcase now, since checked luggage costs money to take along.  However, there is not enough room for everyone's carry-ons, so they offer to check your luggage to your final destination at the gate, but it ends up on the carousel & you can't pick it up at the gate at the other end of your flight anymore.  I was very thankful to have not checked my luggage though while I was in Atlanta, since I could then change into clean clothes (I could have put my PJs on for the night, but I figured that was a step too far).  But in Calgary not enough people wanted their luggage gate checked, so the last 6 people's luggage didn't fit, & they had to take their suitcases all the way back to the agent for a tag to get checked, so our flight was about 20 minutes late.  The pilot even offered to give them "employee" tags so they could be picked up at the gate, & we could leave on time, but the agent wouldn't allow it.

So, I made it home, one day later than planned, but with lots of stories!  I still can't figure out why Chad is so averse to flying with me. It's always so exciting!

Homeward Bound

We arrived tired & hungry in Toronto around midnight. Wandered around & found Subway & had a snack. We had been told to go to a special area to sleep, & after going there we discovered there was a TV show filming there, so the area was closed, & the extra seating was also full. Eventually found a quiet spot with some heat vents to sleep on, & had a nap.

At 5 o'clock we parted ways with Luke & Tara so we could get through security & go to our gate for our 7 am departure. Boarded on time, & slept as best I could for most of the flight. Retrieved our luggage, & caught the shuttle to get our car.

Went home, dozed on the couch, got the lowdown from Mom & Dad about the week with the kids, made an easy supper, put the kids to bed, had a bath & early bedtime for us since we had essentially been up for 40 hours.

Overall it was a great trip, the people we met in Cuba were all wonderful. They were super friendly & the staff at the resort bent over backwards to help with whatever crazy request we had. It was great to spend time with Luke & Tara again, & for me to have a partner in crime as we went on our crazy adventures. I definitely want to go back to Cuba again at some point & experience more of the Cuban culture!

The Longest Day

Woke up & started packing things up. Met Luke & Tara on their way back from breakfast, they were going to pack, & we were going to eat! After breakfast we decided to check out of our rooms so we could get a jump on the rest of the crowd. Dropped off our bags by the front desk, & waited for Pablo the bellhop to put them in the locked room. Then Tara & I went to talk to Jorge at the towel stand to see if he had been able to find some Peso coins for me. In Cuba there are 2 currencies, the Tourist Pesos, & the Cuban Pesos. I had some of the Tourist Pesos, but I was trying to acquire a few of the Cuban Peso coins.

Jorge let me down! He totally forgot to look. Oh well, we stood & chatted to him for quite a while, & he managed to find a 1 Peso coin for me. He also showed us a ₱100 bill, & told us a lot of the history of Cuba revolutions, & who was pictured on the bills. He went to ask some other employees if they had any coins. Jorge gave me a ₱5 & ₱1 bill he had managed to find, & told me maybe I could get someone to trade with me.

We chatted a bit more & told him of my mistake telling Rollie about our candle, which Jorge thought was quite funny. I gave him a pack of Skittles for his troubles, & went in search of more cappuccinos.

At one point Ivan ran up to me with 2 more Peso coins for me, & a hug. I thanked him for finding them for me. We all 4 rotated between reading in the lobby, & wandering around the resort. The weather wasn't great again, so at least we weren't missing out on a good beach day, but it was not the most exciting day we have had here.

Tara & I asked at the front desk about some of the seeds we had founds on the trees.  She had found an odd shaped green seed & had even bit into it a bit, but we couldn't figure out what it was.  We were told it was an almond that wasn't ripe yet.  So I asked about the red seeds on the palm trees if they were the kind of seeds that were fed to pigs.  Immediately the desk clerk told us, "Don't eat them!"  I assured him, "I didn't eat them.  I only  tasted one a little bit, but it didn't taste very good, & I don't recommend it.".  He said, "Either you are ok, or you are a zombie!"

I ran into Pablo at one point & asked him about Peso coins, but all he had was a ₱20 bill. I offered to trade him for the ₱5 bill I had since I had 2, & he said that wasn't really a fair trade. He let me keep the ₱20 & the ₱5, & I gave him 2 decks of playing cards. He was pretty happy about that.

As it got later in the day closer to our departure time I decided it was time to get changed, so I asked Pablo if I could get my bag from the locked room. He let me in & I asked him about the 'hospitality room' to get changed in. He said, "Ask at the front desk... wait, do you need a shower, or just to change?" I said I was just going to change, so he offered to leave me locked in the room while he went to check on another room. So I quickly changed, & waited in the locked room. Chad thought that was a little strange, but it sure was convenient!

I had one last drink from my favourite bartender, & tipped him the few coins I had left telling him, "Lo siento, no tengo mas." He started singing, "No Tengo mas, no tengo mas!"

We got on the bus around 4:30, rode the hour to the airport, & waited to check in. At security I put my bag & phone onto the tray, & the man told me to take my watch off, so I did, then he said, "Look at me." I looked, & he said, "You have beautiful eyes!" I think that was a misuse of his authority, but I appreciated it!

We sat for 2 hours at the airport, but we did finally manage to find some nice shirts for the kids! Talked to a few of the vendor ladies, & traded the ₱5 bill for a ₱3 peso coin, two ₱1 coins, & a 20 cent. Another lady gave me a 20 cent, & a 5 cent. In the end I had ₱45.45 in Cuban Peso (which is only worth about $2US)!

We decided that on the plane the girls would sit together & the boys could sit together. I went to my seat to discover it was wet, so the stewardess told us to shift into the 2 seats next to us, since the flight wasn't full. Two older couples came to sit, & apparently we were in one of their seats, so we explained that the seat was wet & we had been told to move over. "That's not our problem!" one of them declared. We replied that we were happy to go wherever the stewardess wanted us.

One of the couples decided to move into the exit row, but the stewardess told them they had to sit in their assigned seats, & gave the exit row to Tara & I instead! The 2 of us chatted for awhile, then Tara went off to another row to sleep. The boys each had a whole row to themselves as well so we had lots of room to relax on the flight.

Horse Riding on The Beach

What a windy day! Had breakfast, then decided to get some chairs by the pool in the sun. Successfully got 4, but Luke had gotten 2 in another spot. Tara & I went to find out about horseback riding & we could go at 11.

It was perfect weather, not too hot, & not cold, just windy, but we didn't really notice on the horses.

Our horses were not best friends, & kept trying to beat each other so they could be in front, so that was fun. Rode along some paths by another resort, to the beach, & through the wetland area. It was fun, & only ₱10 for the hour! Tipped with a Wunder bar which they were very excited about.

After riding changed into swimsuit to sit by the pool some more & read. Got hot enough to swim through the water, & when I tried to get out on the side I successfully stood up, lost my balance, & fell right back in, and of course made a weird yelping noise as I fell! Chad thought it was quite hilarious, & Tara was sad to have missed it!

Went for a later lunch since dinner reservations at the Cuban restaurant were for 9pm. Then went back to the pool until around 4 when the sun wasn't out anymore. Changed to clothes & sat by the building in a less windy spot. Played scum for a few hours, then finally it was time for supper!

Went to the Cuba restaurant to discover it was closed. Not sure what happened with our reservation! We could have got to Italian, but it was at the pool in an open area, & we chose to go to the dining hall.
After dinner, checked onto our flight online, then off to bed.

Blustery Beach Day

Breakfast, then went to the lobby for awhile since it was a cooler day. Read & had cappuccino for awhile, then decided to all walk down to the next resort. Didn't see much different there in the shops, but Tara enjoyed the foliage.

Came back & changed, & found a sunny spot at the pool, so I read in the sun for awhile, then lunch! Asked Luke where Tara was at one point, & he said, "at the beach, el beacho!" I told him not to call her that. 😂

After lunch I went to the beach since all the pool chairs were taken, but it was too windy & cold, so didn't last long there. Came back to the room & changed, then went to the lobby to read again. Got tired despite 2 cappuccinos, so I went for a kip in the room.
Back to the lobby for more reading & cappuccino!

We had made late dinner reservations at the Mexico restaurant, so we went for a light supper at the dining hall first which was a mistake, because we were all quite full, but the food was good! Luke & I were debating whether I could eat all my food, & I thought he said, something bad, but what he actually said was, "betcha can't." 😂 We noticed the candle on our table was out, so I helpfully told my good friend Rollie, our waiter that our Candle was 'dead', in Spanish, & he had quite a shocked reaction to that, & asked, "why?" & I told him because it wasn't lit... I realized the next morning that instead of telling him our candle was 'dead', I told him our candle is 'poop'! Oops!
Then we went to a lip sync show which we enjoyed more than the Cuba dance we saw the other night.
Back to the lobby for drinks & chatting, & then bed!

Hanging Out At The Daiquiri

The day looked like a good beach day, so we dressed in swim suits & went to breakfast. There are always cats hanging out in front of the dining room.

Luke made friends with the pancake guy!

After breakfast we went to the beach & I sat in the sun while everyone else chose shade. Kept getting in the water since it was nice & hot. We all read our books,& it was very enjoyable. I found a big spider crab in the water, but couldn't get it since we had no mask. Stayed out there about 3 hours,& I got a little burned.

After lunch Tara & I got our massage & facial. It was a good deal since it was only ₱35 for the hour. Then it started getting really stormy, so we got changed into clothes & Chad & I went to the lobby while Luke & Tara stayed in their room for awhile. An Oma came & sat with us, then her family joined her. It ended up it was a family from Ontario who know some people who Chad worked with in PEI. Talked with them for a bit, then we were off to dinner. Chad made us sit on the wrong side of the dining hall. I didn't like it.

After dinner we went back to the lobby & played scum, then the boys went to bed & Tara & I played Dutch blitz & avoided the cockroaches that were coming out of the drain by us. I managed to trap one in a wine glass, then told the nice bartender when he walked by & he squished it for us, but it kept twitching! Yet another fun day. 

Road Tripping to Trinidad

Today is the day that my Spanish really got put to the test. I have not really used it in 22 years, so now we'll find out how good my memory is! We booked a taxi to take us to Trinidad, so we had to get up at 630 so we could get breakfast, before meeting in the lobby. Had a great driver named Sergio, which was good since the drive was 4 hours each way! I got to sit in the back in the middle the whole way.

Our first stop was a cigar shop, then we had lunch where Sergio recommended, which had really good fish & I had spaghetti.

After lunch we wandered around looking at souvenirs in the market, but I didn't find anything. One very pregnant lady said she loved my dress, & wanted to trade, but I told her she'd have to keep the baby, which she thought was funny. Then another lady offered to trade my dress for a t-shirt, but I said, "then I'd have no bottoms!" Which they also thought was funny.

The church in the town square

Bananas are in season, but there are no apples to be found in Cuba!

Went to the old doctor's house which is a museum now & climbed the tower to get a nice view of the city.

Setting up for a proper photo was taking too long!

Tara & were talking about the treasures we were finding in the cobblestones.  Unfortunately, no coins were found!

We stopped to have some ice cream, & it was super cheap, only ₱.80!

Tara bought a table runner while I translated for the lady. It was quite comical! At one point Tara asked how you say "blue" in Spanish, & the lady said "Blue" while I said, "Azul". The lady laughed & said, "For you, Azul, for your friend, Blue!"

We met up with Sergio again, & he brought us to a pottery place where we saw the guy make a few cups & things.

Before we left, we had a traditional Cuban drink called 'Canchanchara'

Then we began the long drive back to our resort, with a stop at the Pina Colada place!

Once we got back Luke went to bed, & we quickly went for supper since it was almost closed. Then Chad went to bed while Tara & I went to the lobby for drinks & a chat. It was a good day, but I'm ready to relax!

  Found this little guy hanging out by our room

Diving in Cuba

Went down for breakfast & eventually was joined by Luke, then Tara.

We had to be at the pool by 10 for a free diving lesson with Jaroy "Roy", so despite it not being overly hot, we were poolside!

Chad found some money on his go around the pool and had a little tussle with Roy for it! Diving seemed to go well, so we decided we'd all go for the dive at 1 o'clock.

Had lunch, then walked down the beach to the dive place. There were some people from Quebec who were also going diving.

We got on the boat, & the water was very choppy. I was glad to be at the front of the boat so I could see, so I didn't get too sick. Kept getting splashed though!

The dive was really fun. Saw some weird fish, some benches, &a turtle! That was really cool.

Chad got photobombed by a fish!

I'm loving my hair in this one!

Tara decided to relax in the tub for a bit

Once we got back to the hotel we all went our separate ways. I got a drink, then went to sit in the sun with my book by the pool since it was a cool day. Eventually Luke joined me & we hung out for a bit, catching up on the last few years. We all went to dinner, then went to the lobby to hang out until the evening show. It was a Cuban dance show. Tara & I enjoyed chatting about the costumes & the dancers like 2 old ladies. So far we are really enjoying our trip!