COUNTRY: Maldives
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Swimming Coaching
WRITTEN BY: Jessica Moyes
Week two began with a sleep in on Friday morning. I for one, appreciated this immensely. However this was offset by a four hour group lunch as there were some minor language barriers with ordering lunch, availability, payment and meal preparation time. Asad, our in-country partner, suggested that we order as much of the same thing as possible rather than personal orders. We now understand why.
Saturday began with another welcome sleep in before lunch at a different and far more prompt cafe. We then caught a boat to an uninhabited island nearby. From the boat we made our way to the beach by paddling a paddle boat four at a time. We snorkeled for a few hours, took plenty of photos, attempted group photos and saw some great fish despite the overcast and rainy weather. A few of us experienced a 'Maldivian shower'. This was a bucket tied to a stick which you dipped into a well. Simple but effective...until a spider crawled up the stick while Jenna and I were using it. Needless to say we quickly threw the sticks and bailed.
Iku had packed an esky with drinks and Oreos which were a fantastic treat when we all emerged from the water and were a little chilly. Would you believe we were cold in the Maldives?! We were also supposed to fish that night but due to poor weather we decided to postpone this activity.
Sunday is a school day here, but due to the election and vote counting, school for the day was cancelled. Some of us began a mural, others did some errands and we all found time for a nap.
Monday and Tuesday were spent at the Robinson Resort. Words can't describe the beauty that we saw. The most exciting feature, surprisingly, was the buffet meals. The other guests stared as we returned for multiple plates of varying foods and deserts. Many of us booked in for massages and relaxing treatments and we all spent some time in the sun. We also made sure to try the open air bathroom, with a shower and tub in the sun. Quite exotic.
It was tiring to return on Tuesday afternoon to 60 young, enthusiastic children for our first day of swimming, which was chaotic to say the least. But we all had a lot of fun and I slept like a log! We learnt from this and the second and third swimming sessions were far more organised as we had a series of activities and smaller groups of children.
Our week ended with a trip to the nearby uninhabited island called Hoadigalaa for an overnight stay. This was an unreal experience. We snorkeled until dusk and then went deep sea and reef fishing. We watched an amazing sunset from the boat too. I personally enjoyed this more than the resort because we spent more of the time as a whole group doing activities like volleyball (Aussies vs Maldivians) and soccer. Asad and his friends also set up a sound system, flood lights and a disco light and we danced, sang and made fools of ourselves. A bonfire on the beach also added to the experience.
At around 11:30 we set up a tarp under a coconut tree and slept under the stars with the sound of the rolling ocean. It was pure bliss.
We woke to the rising sun at 6:00am, ate breakfast and within a few hours we were all in togs soaking up the sun. We watched as small pods of dolphins swam by. Iku cut down coconuts and we sat on the beach drinking the freshest coconut juice available, 30 seconds from the tree to my belly!
A last minute snorkel was the most wonderful part, I swam out with a couple of the girls and we saw a turtle. It surfaced for air and then dove back down into the deep, dark water. We didn't want to ever leave this magical place.
But despite our chant, "heck no, we won't go", we made our way in the dingy back to our boat and back to Thinadoo.
Another big week ahead with Australia Day, school and swimming, a rubbish cleanup project and more. Stay tuned!
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