Today was a very busy but fun day! We started the morning with omlets, toast, and fruit before boarding onto 2 boats and making our way to the island of Bocas del Toro. While the whole archipelago is called Bocas del Toro there is one main island that shares the name while the others all have different names. Once on the island we boarded a bus and arrived at the Smithsonian research station. We saw the ponds, research stations and housing while learning about the different programs and research that are run out of the base. Many scientists at the center are studying the changes with marine life and monitoring local ocean conditions but others are working on studies about the land and its previous inhabitants.
Once we were done with the tour we were given freetime. Most of us went to a supermarket and were excited to find lots of sweets and food from home. Next was lunch at a local restaurant and then the Cristobal group went to their center and my group and I made our way back to Bastimentos. When we were almost back we saw a dolphin hunting on the reef near our hostel and stopped for a bit to watch him swim around! Today in the center we worked on having slightly more structure and helping the kids to become more creative and imaginative. As their school is a more traditional lecture style they can sometimes struggle to think on their own or do things creatively. One of our major goals is to try and give the kids a chance to express and grow their imaginations. After the center it started to rain! At home that wouldn’t be very exciting but here rain means that us and the other island inhabitants are able to take a shower and flush the toilets. For dinner we had pasta and then our nightly ice cream trip! I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and continuing to explore the islands.