If you like it, you can order a copy directly from the printer:
South Caicos Island by Brett Matulis & Jessica Moyer
Showing posts with label close. Show all posts
Showing posts with label close. Show all posts
26 September 2010
Blog Book
Now that Jessee's posted her last post, I've put the finishing touches on the "blog book." And so, with this, we're officially bringing the blog to a close. I've uploaded the book to blurb.com, and it's now available for printing. It's quite expensive (sorry!), but the price isn't up to us. It's determined by the size of the book. And we reached the maximum allowable length of 440 pages! The book itself is supposed to be quite nice though, with fully professional printing and binding. It should be a proper coffee table book with many large, full color pictures. Preview the content below:
If you like it, you can order a copy directly from the printer:
South Caicos Island by Brett Matulis & Jessica Moyer
If you like it, you can order a copy directly from the printer:
South Caicos Island by Brett Matulis & Jessica Moyer
06 June 2010
Closing Time
My time on the island has come to an end.
As I noted before, it probably seems quite sudden that I left. But it has been in the works for months. It was February when I first began to realize I needed to leave. There's no place for "partners of staff" at the SFS center in TCI. As more and more restrictions on how I could be involved were placed on me (and the others in my same position), it became apparent that I'd be better off some place else.
Despite how some characterized it, I never felt entitled to free reign over the school's resources or expected to be entertained by those who worked there. Quite the opposite, when I came I was more than happy pitch in where I could - to work for free! On numerous occasions I offered to be part of the staff-of-the-day rotation, monitor the radio, serve boat duty, or lead groups. I came with the attitude that I needed to "earn my keep." I would bear no burden on others and do everything I could to make the lives of those around me easier. That was what I could offer in exchange for the extraordinary opportunity of being allowed to live there.
No matter what, though, some were determined to resent the fact that I was there in no official capacity. There's nothing quite as infuriating as being told, "you don't seem to understand that this is a school," when it was so far from the truth. (I must add, though, if you judge by the way this person conducted his course, it's understandable why someone might forget).
But there's no need to dwell on the things that made life on South Caicos difficult. In the sincerest way I can possibly put it, I wouldn't trade the last year for anything. Despite the challenges, I've had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I'll never forget (especially since they're quite well documented in this blog). I logged over 170 dives, swam with dolphins, whales, sharks, eagle rays, and loads of tropical fishes. I've become an underwater photographer and gained an advanced knowledge of diving. I captured sea turtles and freed iguanas. It's been quite an adventure. And I couldn't be more thankful for it.
We'll have to count on Jessee to keep this blog going through the summer. I won't be writing regularly anymore (though I may post once or twice more, for instance, when I finish the book). It's a sad feeling bringing things to a close. This blog has been pretty central to my life for an entire year. But all good things must come to an end.
Farewell South Caicos!
As I noted before, it probably seems quite sudden that I left. But it has been in the works for months. It was February when I first began to realize I needed to leave. There's no place for "partners of staff" at the SFS center in TCI. As more and more restrictions on how I could be involved were placed on me (and the others in my same position), it became apparent that I'd be better off some place else.
Despite how some characterized it, I never felt entitled to free reign over the school's resources or expected to be entertained by those who worked there. Quite the opposite, when I came I was more than happy pitch in where I could - to work for free! On numerous occasions I offered to be part of the staff-of-the-day rotation, monitor the radio, serve boat duty, or lead groups. I came with the attitude that I needed to "earn my keep." I would bear no burden on others and do everything I could to make the lives of those around me easier. That was what I could offer in exchange for the extraordinary opportunity of being allowed to live there.
No matter what, though, some were determined to resent the fact that I was there in no official capacity. There's nothing quite as infuriating as being told, "you don't seem to understand that this is a school," when it was so far from the truth. (I must add, though, if you judge by the way this person conducted his course, it's understandable why someone might forget).
But there's no need to dwell on the things that made life on South Caicos difficult. In the sincerest way I can possibly put it, I wouldn't trade the last year for anything. Despite the challenges, I've had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I'll never forget (especially since they're quite well documented in this blog). I logged over 170 dives, swam with dolphins, whales, sharks, eagle rays, and loads of tropical fishes. I've become an underwater photographer and gained an advanced knowledge of diving. I captured sea turtles and freed iguanas. It's been quite an adventure. And I couldn't be more thankful for it.
We'll have to count on Jessee to keep this blog going through the summer. I won't be writing regularly anymore (though I may post once or twice more, for instance, when I finish the book). It's a sad feeling bringing things to a close. This blog has been pretty central to my life for an entire year. But all good things must come to an end.
Farewell South Caicos!
10 December 2009
Wrapping Up
Another semester comes to a close. Jessee was up early this morning (before 5am) to do the final room checks and accompany the students to Providenciales. Like usual, she stayed there for the day until all the students made their international connections and returned to South Caicos in the evening. I spent the day here helping the other staff with the various post-departure chores.
I'm sure Jessee will have more to say about it, but in all the semester went well. For me there were ups and downs between active and enjoyable times (like when the Smithsonian group was here) and down-right boring times (such as during the directed research projects when everybody else was very busy). Other than the short days, it doesn't feel like winter at all (it will be a complete shock to our systems when we return to the States next week). It was sunny and 85°F today.
The fact that it gets dark so early these days has meant a significant reduction in diving due to not having time to go after work hours. Although, since the directed research projects ended, I've managed to get out there quite a bit. I have more than 90 logged dives since arriving on South Caicos, and hopefully I'll hit the landmark 100 dives before break.
So what happens now? We'll have a few days of chores and work to do around the center, and then people will start leaving for the holidays. Actually, many are leaving for good, moving on to bigger and better things (we're really looking forward to 5 new staff members and at least 1 new non-staff "significant other" like me). We leave here on 17 December and return on 2 January, when we have tentative plans to visit Middle Caicos.
I'm sure Jessee will have more to say about it, but in all the semester went well. For me there were ups and downs between active and enjoyable times (like when the Smithsonian group was here) and down-right boring times (such as during the directed research projects when everybody else was very busy). Other than the short days, it doesn't feel like winter at all (it will be a complete shock to our systems when we return to the States next week). It was sunny and 85°F today.
The fact that it gets dark so early these days has meant a significant reduction in diving due to not having time to go after work hours. Although, since the directed research projects ended, I've managed to get out there quite a bit. I have more than 90 logged dives since arriving on South Caicos, and hopefully I'll hit the landmark 100 dives before break.
So what happens now? We'll have a few days of chores and work to do around the center, and then people will start leaving for the holidays. Actually, many are leaving for good, moving on to bigger and better things (we're really looking forward to 5 new staff members and at least 1 new non-staff "significant other" like me). We leave here on 17 December and return on 2 January, when we have tentative plans to visit Middle Caicos.
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