What an experience

First let me thank everyone for an experience of a lifetime. It was definitely an example of discovery at it's best. My trip to Punta Cana held a dual purpose for me. The first was to experience something new and the second was to experience an unmolested environment. I consider myself an accidental environmentalist. I was given this class to teach and had only a rudimentary knowledge of all things natural, however I found I was passionate when discussing mother earth. I have to admit I was an awe of all of you. You were all well-traveled and had been passionate about nature and were ready for an adventure. I knew I was in good company. I enjoyed the vibe of the group. Every one had a good sense of humor and were so intelligent in their discourse. It was new for me and I have to say I studied each of you and wondered what made this group of teachers different from any other staff development I had taken part in. I hypothesized it was your education. Each one of you were educated by your experiences, not necessarily in the classroom. Each one of you had experienced life outside of the US. Living in America can spoil you for the simple things life has to offer. The excesses we are used to make us a little jaded. MY group was filled with people who took pleasure in observing a beetle, or a lizard, or some crabs. We had a great professor whom always had an answer for my simple questions. She was always a wealth of information and humorous and engaging. Dan was an excellent TA. He allowed us to explore and was non-invasive in our discovery. I feel as though I was well modeled into an environmentalist and my classmates had enriched my experience. I snorkeled over a coral reef, swam in a natural spring lagoon, and hiked through the jungle. A great experience for a girl from the rough side of Brooklyn, NY. An even better experience for a veteran teacher from Queens. I'm including some pictures that made me feel as though I discovered DISCOVERY.