This island is amazing.

The last few days have been absolutely amazing. Monday we took a bus, more like a giant pick up truck, on a tour around the island (in Tahiti, these are called "Le truck"). We stopped numerous times along the way, getting a taste of all the different ecosystems we could possibly work in -- coast, intertidal areas, swamp, etc. We did everything from torturing crabs and snapping shrimp to hunting down tiny snails that were once thought to be extinct. On the way home we stopped at a public beach and went snorkeling in some amazingly clear water and once again saw pretty amazing marine life.
Next day was the Marae Hike. We clambered into the class jeeps and the professors drove us to some amazing viewpoints from which we could see a large portion of the island. We then went into the Opunohu Valley and took a hike among the ruins of the marae, ancient Polynesian temples that one of our professors, Pat Kirch, had excavated. We got a pretty extensive and fascinating history lesson from the archaeologist himself, had a picnic in the forest, and then headed back at the station. In the late afternoon we took a trip into Maharepa, the closest good-sized town, about a fifteen minute drive away. I found myself a new job: class interpreter -- I helped a few people at the bank, post office, and other stores by translating French. Surprisingly few of the locals actually speak English; I think that a lot of the tourists that come here are French, so it is not necessary for them to speak English.
After a stop at the local supermarket, we went for an evening snorkel by the station, and then ate dinner and listened to a lecture about the "fun-tastic" world of fungi.
Today was probably the best day so far. We divided the class into three little boats and sped away to the motus, which are small islands that form around volcanic islands, built from calcium carbonate and sand. Along the way, we saw a gigantic marlin hopping in the waves, passed by a sea turtle, rode our boat through a pod of spinner dolphins, saw crazy flying fish that actually flew for huge distances, and then were lucky enough to spot a couple humpback whales. Then the real fun began. We stopped off at a part of the reef where dozens of sting rays swarm the area to be fed. This was pretty crazy -- these huge rays, with a wingspan of a couple of meters, swam right up to us for us to pet them. There were also quite a few reef sharks around. Next we went to the motus, where we got a short lesson on their formation, and then got to explore the beautiful little island. This was absolutely gorgeous - turquoise waters and reefs surrounded it, just like on the postcards. We boated over to another motu for lunch, and went on another snorkel, this time to see more colorful corals and fish. We met some interesting characters: a little tropical fish followed my buddy Stosh and me for at least 10 minutes, and these little brown fish kept trying to stare me down and scare me away by darting at me -- needless to say, they were quite unsucessful, considering they were about half the size of my hand.
Back at the station, we took another trip to Maharepa, where I again acted as interpreter, as well as bought some "jelly shoes," plastic shoes that the locals commonly wear in water, as well as a pareo. (I'm pretty sure I had a pair of jellies when I was little, except those were pink and sparkly.) It's great that we have jeeps available for us to use (although they have to be driven by older students), since our station is quite isolated. The nearest supermarket is about a 25 minute walk away, and there really isn't much civilization-wise on the island at all, besides a few tiny towns and many hotels. The people live quite simply, but they always look so happy: they seem to hang out a lot outdoors, and always wave when you pass by. Apparently everyone on the island knows who we are, since every year a fresh crop of young American students appears on the island. They are certainly very welcoming.
Then came the most challenging task of the day: making dinner for twenty-two people. My two cooking group buddies and I decided to make lasagna for everyone -- three hours, 7 blocks of cheese, 7 eggplants, 6 jars of tomato sauce, and 8 zucchini later, we finally had it on the table, and luckily it was a big success. One dinner down, eight more to go (each cooking group takes care of one meal a week).
Anyway, that's about it for now! Time to go to bed so I can enjoy more of this paradise tomorrow...