My name is Heather, and I'm the newest member of our UCME staff. I am here on a Directed Field Study, as part of my Degree in Applied Nonprofit Studies from Mount Royal in Calgary Alberta.
My trip to Utila included a plane to Houston where I spent the night followed by a day of travel that included two planes, a van and a ferry. When I arrived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, I was happy that I speak some Spanish as it does help when coming through customs and making travel arrangements. After a bit of a wait, I then caught a smaller plane to the town of La Ceiba where I had to make a mad dash in a taxi to the ferry terminal where I barely made it on to the boat that brought me here!
Upon my arrival to the island I was taken by the Executive Director (ED), Dr Steve Box and Logistical Operations Manager, Steve Canty, to the house where I would be staying. We spent the next day going around town and learning where all the shops and services were, taking note which businesses our organization worked with. My job is going to be to handle all of the administrative operations while assisting the organization through the process of receiving their charitable status.
We spent all of the first week going over what my responsibilities would be and I was impressed by how much information had been prepared for my benefit about the organization and the community. I was briefed on the politics of the island; the demographics; and the socio-economic breakdown of the various cultures on the island. There are English speaking Utilians, some of whom are the descendants of pirates and explorers; the Garifuna population who came to the area as freed slaves in the 1700s; the Spanish speaking mainlanders; and the international community of divers, sailors, investors and travellers from around the world. With fewer than 5000 people living on the island, this makes for a diverse mix of cultures, customs, values and ideals.
I was introduced to the staff and volunteers and shown around the office on my first day there.The Logistical Operations Manager and the Executive Director and his wife are long time friends of mine from when we all lived on Roatan, another one of the Bay Islands, in 2003 and 2004. Because of our past history, it was very easy to fall into place in the office. The other staff members are all really nice scientists with a passion for our mission. Each staff member covers a different area of research, be it whales and dolphins, coral reefs, sea grass, mangroves, or fisheries. Its been really great getting to know everyone so far.
First thing I had to do was get myself a bicycle! The island is small enough that its really all you need to get around as there are not too many cars. Most vehicles are either golf carts, mopeds, motor bikes or ATVs! On the weekends I have been exploring the island and checking out the beach. Its only been a few weeks so far but it already feels like home!
