Graduation UMAR Huatulco 2015: Superstars

Part One
Tourism administration.

I'd heard about the graduation ceremony on Friday and I wanted to be there to say goodbye to these people, many of whom I may never see again.  I showed up at 9AM because I didn't have my facts straight.  There wasn't a soul around.  The 9:00 ceremony was for Puerto Angel.  Oh well.  It got me out the door in the morning. I forgot to bring a tie on the first trip.

Here we are.  4 PM.  People.  Yay.

 With my little camera, I knew better than to try to capture people on stage. 

The best shots were to be had outdoors.  The men were looking sharp and the ladies were completely stunning.   I kept the camera clicking steadily but still didn't manage to get everybody.  People cleared out so quickly.  Some of the people I remember on stage were never seen again.  I'm sure they're alright.  There were dinner reservations and parties to prepare for.

There he is.  The first person I ran into outside the door.  Edwin.  Way to go, buddy.

Edelma and Guillermo.

Eduardo

 



Yvette

 

Brianda

 

Dulce

 

Jessica

Here's a power trio of positive energy and high achievement.

Brianda, Jessica, and Sarah.  Wait. Isn't somebody missing?

There she is, the missing member of the girl gang, looking like a total movie star, Aracely.

 

One of those blurry shots that is still too good to discard.  Eliomar (not confident about the spelling) and Anahi in the background.

 

Hilario and two proud supporters.

Sometimes I intrude on other people's moments like a walking photo bomb.

I clipped Allelly out of the group shot because her eyes were half closed.  Fortunately Isis had the presence of mind to remind me to take two shots.  Between the two, I got all three ladies. 

Top:  Allelly             Bottom:  Brenda and Isis 

Yay.  Margerite.  Some of her friends dropped out of school along the way but she kept on going and here she is. 

 

 

Gerardo

Another intrusion

Cecilia finished the English program two years ago.

Ana Luz.  There was another shot with the teacher but he looked so goofy, I had to delete it.

This rock star lost time due to a serious motorcycle accident but he got back on his feet and still graduated on time.  Unstoppable!

I met Adolpho way back in his first year

Yadira (spelling?)

 

Very sharp looking couple.   Feliciano and Anajely

Yay.  Yasmine or is it Jasmine? 

Monica

 

Ilce doesn't get her diploma for another two years but it's a forgone conclusion for this high achiever who has already passed all levels (with high grades) in the English program.

 

These are all such great people.  I hope they'll always consider themselves part of the UMAR community.  They won't be forgotten.  

 

I regret I didn't move fast enough through the crowd to capture everybody.

Shore to Shore: Santa Cruz to Playa Entrega

I struck another item off my to-do list yesterday, swimming all the way from Santa Cruz to Playa Entrega, something that local athletes do routinely and a lot faster.  I know a student who can make the return trip in 45 minutes or an hour but he's a tri-athlete in a completely different league from the rest of us mortals.  For me, this was completely epic.  I have never swum this kind of distance so far from shore.

Will and I had warmed up a few days earlier by swimming to the distant buoy and back.  He has this high tech waterproof watch that measures distances and confirmed that the buoy trip is the same length as Playa Chahue, about 800 meters return trip.

Will had the plan.  Several people had agreed to go as a group for safety.  None of us were triathlon type swimmers so a bunch of swimming buddies would allow us to stay in a comfort zone when we were way out there.  Will had even planned for a paddle board as a safety net for anyone who got too tired but when he went to pick it up, the young guy at the surf shop doubled the price he had quoted the week before.  So much for that.  Maybe they have different weekend rates.

We waited around for an hour for people who never showed up.  It was seriously early for the first Saturday morning after exams.

Our first resting point is the buoy.  At this point, I hadn't realized that two of our party of five had changed their minds.  I thought they had already left us behind.

Jasmine and Will explain how to find the upcoming video in Spanish to a man who joined us as far as the buoy.  Pen and paper are things no one thinks to bring for a big swim so hopefully he remembered.  I think he would have liked to join us for the whole trip but he had a job to do somewhere.

This is where Will and Jasmine turned back.  Jasmine had foot cramps and Will wanted to see her safely back to shore.   That's what sensible people do.

I experienced 4 foot cramps myself before I reached Entrega but they didn't impede my swimming. 
They hurt as my big toe and its nearest neighbor twisted together but I could still kick and they disappeared after a few strokes anyway.

There is nothing like being alone in open water to make you feel small.

None of the passing boaters returned my wave, which doesn't make them snobs.  They just didn't see me and that's something to keep in mind when you're out in their playground.  It also means they are watching straight ahead as they should so it isn't too bad. 

A lot of this traffic can be completely avoided if you leave early enough.   Later in the day, jet-skiers
will be out and, fueled with beer and adrenaline, they might not be as sharp-eyed as professional tour boat operators.

That's Entrega, closer now than Santa Cruz.
 

At this point, I wasn't suffering muscle fatigue but I felt depleted.  That peanut butter sandwich at 530 in the morning was only a memory.  I didn't like the idea of swimming back in a weakened state.   I'd anticipated we'd probably want snacks at Entrega so I had packed some pesos in a plastic bag with a rock to keep it from floating away.  I had cab fare.   Otherwise, the only other alternative to swimming would have been walking 40 minutes along the hot road without a shirt in bare feet.

 

 

 

 

Whoo-ee!  Playa Entrega!

 

 

 

It's still early in the morning.  I don't think Entrega restaurants open for breakfast.  But wait.  Who's that.  Will and Jasmine came around by land to make sure I arrived.  With water!

 

 

It's nice to know people who would actually call the coast guard instead of just wondering "Whatever happened...?"

 

That's the whole adventure.  Back to Santa Cruz the easy way.  The return trip can wait for another day.

 

 

 

 

Finally, the video shot with the Sony Action Cam.  I recommend full screen on Youtube.