The Galapagos is a place like no other, a mythical status for wildlife and adaptation – it is true to say that even being here three months similar to the penguins you can visit at Tintoretas, I have adapted. I have adapted to see the world through a much simpler lens – seeing everything for what it truly is rather than what you see on the internet or read in the paper. The life I have lived in the Galapagos has been raw stripped to the basics – something I love there are no complications – I’ve have learnt to love the small things in life from the beautiful sunsets to the evening walks on the beach in search of sea turtles hatching. I get excited over a reef shark siting rather than the latest celebrity gossip or TV Show. I have begun to live in the present and enjoy whats around me. When I am in London I walk through the streets from place to place barely taking the time to stop and look at my surroundings but on Isabela the whole town will stop so the iguana can cross the road or a you move aside so a sea lion can sit on the bench.

Time seems to have flown by and with the third lunar month about to pass it is time for me to pack my bags and say goodbye to the island I think of as home and return to England. Three months have passed by like a school of fish being frightened by a shark – when I arrived the days stretched ahead of me with endless talk of the things we needed to do and now I sit here and the number of days left I can count on one hand, but I have achieved so much. When I think I’ve been here for three months I have to stop and think on one hand it feels like I got here yesterday arriving of the boat jet-lagged and tired, anticipating the adventure ahead but and on the other hand I feel I have grown up here, like every grain of sand stuck to my sneakers this island has been imprinted in my memory for life.

One of my goals when I arrived was to try and see and do everything – I think I can say this has been completed. One of my favorite events on the island was the three day Isabela Day. Over the three days there are a range of events from horse racing to beach competitions. I particularly enjoyed the second day when basically the entire town gets on buses up to the highlands and watches cock-fighting, horse events and a mini-rodeo. Being up in the highlands we got to try lots of traditional Ecuadorian food like mechas and empanadas, although we headed up as a group of volunteers we soon realized how many people we all knew and began to mix with friends and host families. This was a moment for me when I suddenly realized that I had become part of the Isabela community.