I have arrived...

not in a Kemp's Ridley fashion - but none the less I have made it to South Padre Island.

I have had very limited internet access just due to technical difficulties. I will be posting pictures very shortly but for now I'll give you a quick run down.

For those who don't know, I am working at Sea Turtle Inc. - a hospital, an education center and a conservation response team - all crammed into a one story open air building. 

I arrived last Thursday and was picked up by a fellow intern by the name of Anthony. He arrived in a white "Sea Turtle Patrol" jeep...lookout Baywatch! 

Before my trip I was very apprehensive about leaving behind my climbing world - 5 months of flat dry landscape makes my skin crawl. Luckily within the first 5 minutes I found Anthony climbs and fully intends to make a trip up to Austin for either a gym or an outdoor bouldering site :D  *whew*

The past few days have been a whirlwind. We (me and 5 other interns) have had a crash course in getting to know the staff, learning about all the residents found in the hospital (we have 7 non-releasable turtles) and educating visitors about the species that can be found in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today has been my first day off and I've promised to go on a run with two other interns so I'm going to leave this entry hanging and I hope to post tomorrow.

No pictures yet - but don't worry - lots will come soon.

have i packed yet?

...to put it simply...no

I'm trying to wrap up everything in my New Hope life. I want a simple turtle filled lifestyle with no "Hey mum, can you do this, and that, oh and this, oh and that?" Tax garbage, insurance crap, cell phones, laundry, snowboards, scrubbing holds at DRG...haha - it's amazing that this will mean so little to me in a three days - heck even one.

I also what to give a facade that I'm WAY more organized and prepared than I once was...which is a daunting task. Especially when packing for the "unknown". More on that later this week.

FACT #3

Sea Turtle Inc. was founded by Ila Loetscher in 1977. It's a non-profit organization (501-C3) that educates the public and rehabilitates sea turtle junkies which are then prepped for eating. (...i lie - any turtle that washes up on shore is treated with intent to release)

...going to pack - I'd like to manage one more evening of climbing at the gym. Consider it inspiration : D

Getting ready

...but not even. I'm actually trying to remove large quantities of unnecessary clutter from the past that's living in my closet to make room for my current clutter that will probably be the same thing in 5 years.

I'm going through my subject binders from highschool.

Biology - I'm keeping this, I was a budding biologist - how cute. Oh look, a johnny depp photo - *sigh* he's dreamy

Chemistry - Still foreign to me. Ha! Look a johnny depp photo - He really is quite good looking

World Cultures - Wow I was more globally aware when I was a teeny bopping turd and learning how to drive. Look, another johnny depp photo - this is kind of sad...but he still looks good

French - Literally another language...but I still long to learn. Another johnny depp photo - seriously?...pathetic

What I've learned about me? I thought I was a hard working (mostly) straight-A student...turns out I half-assed everything I did, my writing samples bring tears of pain to my eyes (how did my teachers grade this garbage?), and I had a seriously sad obsession...that I had denied for many years.

FACT # 2

Kemp Ridleys are considered the world's smallest marine turtle. Adults are about 65cm long and average 45kg. 

Hatchlings are about 3.8cm and weigh in at a whopping 14g...

D'AWWWWWWWW

I may be too weak-willed for this...

...I'm at least going to try.

Because my friends have inspired me to.

But to be honest - they share such beautiful photos, innovative lifestyle choices, inspirational ramblings, and seriously poetic descriptions - that I'm not sure I can contribute more...maybe if I post enough sea turtle hatchling photos - I can contribute some "oooo's" and "ahhhhh's"

So I will share some "Kemp Ridley & more" fun facts with you as a countdown before I leave for the big bad state of texassssss (emphasize the last 7 letters).

Fact # 1

Arribada nesting is a unique phenomenon of the the genus Lepidochelys (commonly known as the Ridleys). Arribada, meaning arrival, describes the mass gathering of female ridleys on shore during nesting season.



...I'm feeling so accomplished...

off to Rojo's :)

P.s. I could have some seriously wrong facts on here - but I intend not to...