Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Instructor Amanda


So I passed my Instructor Exam with flying colors. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. As one of my instructor friends told me "You already know that you passed. Now just relax and do it." I relaxed, had a ton of fun with Mario and JT and we all came through with really good scores.

Now everything is changing around here. Greg left this morning, Nathan and Rachel will be gone this week. Tracy is leaving on Thursday, I think. And WORSE, JT and Mario are leaving for Acapulco on Thursday morning. They want me to come with them but I don't want to leave Loren again, especially not as his IDC is getting so close. It is going to really suck having my friends go though. I am going to be bored and lonely since Loren's focus is going to be elsewhere.

I did talk to Jorge today and I will start teaching next week. We have a big new crop of interns coming in, so I will be able to get my feet wet (so to speak.) I guess I will spend the time after my boys leave preparing my lesson plans and tutoring Red as she gets ready for her DM exams.

We have spent the last couple of days just hanging out by the pool, taking dumb pictures and listening to music. I am going to miss my guys a lot but I know that we will stay in touch and I know that we will all see each other again. I guess this is part of the world traveling thing...making friends but having to say goodbye as we all spread out to our little corner of the world.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

This is how I would sum up the Instructor Development Course...

Freezing in my wetsuit
Peeing in my wetsuit
Freezing even more in my wetsuit
Rinse and Repeat

(Rinse REALLY well)

IDC started on Tuesday of last week. We had orientation (not bad), the EFR Instructor Course (not bad) and then the Assistant Instructor Course started ( OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS AND WHY WASN'T I WARNED ABOUT IT?)

Four hours in the pool in the morning, an hour to shower and eat, and between 6 and to 10 hours of class in the evening, plus homework. I have spent more money on coffee than I have on food. It's been insane and a ton of fun.

I have found that a lot of the instruction that I got at Neptune's has really prepared me for what I am doing in the IDC. I have gotten 3 perfect scores out of four presentations in the classroom and I have gotten three perfect scores out of six in the skills presentations in the water. You can definitely see the difference between the interns that have been here for months versus the students that just came in the for the IDC. We are kicking ass.

I have actually been so busy that I don't think about Loren every second of the day. I have his picture in my workbook so I can look at him and every time something good or bad happens, I can't wait to tell him when we talk at night. I am so exhausted that I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. IDC is definitely help me not be so sad all the time.

We had a couple of people come to Manzanillo just to do IDC. JT, who is Belgian, and Mario, who is Swiss. These guys are some of the sweetest and nicest guys that I have met. English is their second language and they work really hard to do all of their presentations in English. They make me laugh and keep me company and make sure that I eat! It's nice to have someone to check on me when I am shivering in the cold water or give me hugs when I am tired or sad. I don't think I would have made it through this endurance test without Loren for support if it hadn't have been for my two guys. One of the reasons that I came here was to make lifelong friends with people from all over the world and I think I have accomplished that with these two. :)

So now all of our instructor presentations are over for the Open Water Instructor certification and tomorrow we have some more casual presentations for our Specialty Instructor rating. We'll have our practice exams tomorrow afternoon and have Friday morning off. Friday afternoon, the Instructor Examiner from PADI shows up and the IE starts that night with exams.

I am feeling really confident right now and happy.

PLUSSSSSS, LOREN COMES HOME ON SATURDAY!! I can't wait to see my babyluv and give him hugs and kisses and everything nice. It will be wonderful to have him home again and just before the end of the IE so he will be here to congratulate me in person if everything goes according to plan.

Time to go prepare my specialty presentation (Fish ID...fun!)

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Crushed

ery day living and working with your significant other, you definitely start to get on each others nerves. You argue over little things and sometimes you just wish you had a little time to yourself.

That all changes when you get bad news from home and your significant other is gone 24 hours later and now you don't know what to do with yourself.

I don't know what to do with myself.

He's only been gone for 10 hours and I already feel like I have this huge piece missing from my heart.

I feel helpless here. I don't feel like I can give comfort from here, to him or to the family. Loren thought it would be best if I stayed and finished what I have been working towards but I am so adrift right now in feelings of guilt, sadness and loss that I am not sure we made the right decision.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. The few better acquaintances that I have here have banded together to make sure that my mind is occupied so I am not thinking so much. I have a ton of homework to do and a ton of diving to do still before the hectic two weeks of IDC start.

He is my shelter from the storm, my rock, my love and my best friend. I miss him.

If I feel this way knowing that he will only be gone for two weeks or so, I can't even imagine how his mom is feeling, watching her husband slip away.

Please pray (if you pray or send good vibes if you don't) for Loren's stepdad, Frank. He is a loving husband and father and has helped shape Loren into the loving and wonderful man that he is. His battle has been tremendous but it's over now and he is fading fast. Please pray for a gentle passing for Frank and for comfort and love for his wife, Kelly and his children, Carrie, Loren, Paul, Alyssa and Cami.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Okay, so details...

I was supposed to take my Divemaster exams last week but I didn't feel ready so my wonderful instructor, Cheryl, let me delay them until Monday. I passed all of my practical exams (skills, leading clients, stamina, etc.) and all I needed to do was take my written exams. I studied, studied, studied over the weekend and took my exams on Monday. I hadn't been nervous while studying or while taking the exams but while I was waiting for Cheryl to grade them, I was a freaking wreck!!

But I passed. And I am happy. :)

We also got taken out on the boat on Tuesday to do a watermanship test that Jorge requires of us because he has met too many "professionals" who are scared to be in the water. He had us do a "bailout" which is a Neptunes requirement for becoming a professional. Basically, he took us to 12-15 feet of water. We had to jump in the water holding all of our equipment with the air turned off and the regulators purged. Once we hit the bottom, we could turn on our air and breathe and then we had to put on all of our equipment without losing control of any of it. In order to sink effectively, you can't inhale and hold your breath because your lungs keep you buoyant. So you have to EXHALE (which is totally against instinct) and then jump in.

I asked Jorge how many people do this on the first time and he said "None."

Oh, how I love a challenge ( and a bet!! He bet us dinner...)

So Mac went first but his feet broke the surface so he failed. Then Greg went and we watched as his bubbles came up, which meant he was breathing, then Jorge gave us the play by play from the surface. Weights on, fins on, SCUBA unit on, and he did it!! Woot!

So SOMEONE did it. This meant that I could do it too.

I jump in with my kit in my arms and hit the bottom about two seconds later. I have the lung capacity of a gnat so I was hurting already. I was yelling at my carbon dioxide levels in my brain "YOU DO NOT NEED TO BREATHE YET!!" I almost bailed but then I got my air turned on and found my reg. Okay, the hard part is over...

I wasn't trained with a weight belt so I am not that smooth with one but after I got it on and got my fins on, I realized that I was going to do this! BCD goes on and VOILA! I DID IT!!! Wooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo!

Doing the bail out on the first try was better than passing my exams. I don't have a fear of water, per se, but my asthma is always a big consideration when doing things like this and I really think I conquered it.

Besides, Jorge owes me dinner now. :)