Day 8: Bartolome Island...if I hadn't been sick!

I spent today sick in the hotel. I missed an excursion to Bartolome Island, where Master and Commander was filmed years ago. From what I heard, there wasn’t much wildlife there—just lava rock, climbing, and lots of sun. It, too, was over two hours away from Santa Cruz.

On Wednesday’s boat ride back from Isabella, I started to feel sad and homesick. The ride was also extremely choppy, so I was extremely unhappy. By the time we reached the hotel, the amount of sun we’d gotten was really bothering me. I had very little appetite at dinner—for those who know me, you know exactly how strange this is!

Since I can’t say much about Bartolome, I thought I’d take this opportunity to write a little bit about the supportiveness of our group of travelers. We have each other’s back with most things. I’ve shared my notes with other teachers, and we’ve shared snacks, travel medicines, tissues, towels, Band Aids, and more with each other. On Tuesday, as we flew to Galapagos, one teacher was sick in the bathroom of the plane; watching others care for her, particularly Mr. Norton of Center School, demonstrated how caring the other individuals on the trip are toward other people. On Wednesday, one of the teachers got pretty sick and even briefly went to the hospital. We all tried to help her as much as possible—before, during, and after the hospital. (She’s ok now!)

So, when my turn came to be sick, the others took good care of me. On the boat ride returning from Isabella, everyone could tell I wasn’t feeling well (and I wasn’t the only one). Lynne, a guidance counselor from Medway, distracted me from my discomfort by striking up a good conversation, and Toby, a special educator from Middleboro, gave me her water to drink. I could tell that Janine, an elementary school teacher from Medway, wished she were sitting next to me so she could make me feel better; we spent the morning boat ride getting to know each other, sharing details about our lives and forming what I hope will be a lasting bond. After the group returned from Bartolome on Thursday, my fabulous roommate Jo brought me soda, bread, water, and Gatorade. No fewer than 10 people from our group of 22 visited me on Thursday evening to check on how I was feeling. As Dr. DeMello said recently, from looking at our group, nobody would know who was from which district, since we’ve all helped each other in times of need.

It stinks to be sick on this type of a trip, especially since we’ve been traveling and moving NON-STOP since we arrived. But knowing that there are nearly two dozen people who have shown that they care about me has definitely helped me feel better. Several people on the trip have been dealing with issues in their personal lives, and others have gotten sick. The support of the group has been instrumental for each person dealing with his or her challenge.

The lesson to be learned here is simple: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We get so wrapped up sometimes in our individual lives that we forget that we need each other. I hope each of you can take this experience as a reminder to be kind, warm, and generous in spirit, even if you don’t have to be—especially if you don’t have to be.