My first morning in Manuel Antonio I woke up to the sound of a loud crashing noise outside my window. After getting out of bed to investigate, it didn’t take long to recognize the source of the sound. The local troop of white-faced monkeys was making its rounds, swinging from branches onto my neighbors metal roof, occasionally pausing to use a particularly loose roofing panel as a makeshift trampoline. That morning set the Stage for my first day in Manuel Antonio. It was fun, exciting, new, educational, and a day I will always remember.
Thus far, I am 5 days into my IDC, and every day of it has been as enjoyable as my first day here. I started the course with a pretty heavy case of the “butterflies” ( you will too!), but after a couple of days those nerves faded. Day 1 was Pretty Mellow. its an Orientation to the course and a Quick lesson which gives you a feel for the flow of classroom sessions. Nerves are high on day 1, so a mellow intro was Quite welcome. Day 2 starts with your first lessons, and a heavy load of studying and preparing for the next day. Day 2 is the first day of Prepping for presentations, which was a little nerve racking. Ill be honest, day 2 was a little overwhelming… On very few occasions have I drank as much coffee as I did that afternoon ( see day 3), but Manuel Antonio isn’t the worst place to go on a coffee fueled study rampage. Café Milagro at the top of the hill makes a pretty mean cup. Day 3 has by far been the most stressful day of the IDC. It was the first day with presentations, and the last day to study before the dreaded theory exam, which resulted in a coffee binge worthy of an award. After completing the class and pool session for day three, I felt a huge weight slip off my shoulders. Anything with a new format will at first seem daunting and impossible, but after your first go, it all starts to feel more natural and fluid. Day 4 was over in a blink of an eye, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with how the day turned out. At this point I was feeling more relaxed and prepared during presentations, and the flow of the course was becoming less foreign, and More enjoyable. After day 4 I realised how well of a job our course director-Georgia, was doing of over preparing us for our IE. Georgia and our other instructor J.T, have been very thorough, and haven given us plenty of challenges to improve our skills as instructors. Day 5 was a relaxing and fun day. The gears have been greased, and the days are flowing with ease at this point. Today was similar to the last few days, but with open water Presentations coming up, the Weekend will be sure to present plenty of new challenges to tackle.
So far the IDC has been awesome. The first few days were a little Crazy, but really fun at the same time. I cant wait for the next week to unfold, and to be that much closer to taking my IE! Ocean dives and EFRI are on the horizon. Ill write another entry in a week to share my experiences. Until then, Pura vida! – Troy