Two months are over. Really??? The last 10 weeks have probably passed faster than any other day ever before. But before speaking about the end, I’ll start with the beginning...:

My 30th birthday has been one of he most beautiful days of my life. Yes, the fact that trying to move a bench just one inch turned into two smashed toe bones wasn’t necessarily part of the joy but thanks to my mum who called the hospital so that I spent only 50 minutes from leaving the house to returning having had an X-ray, some shots and a beautiful new shoe that came with comfortable crutches and to my friends and family who helped me finish all preparations and made sure I would never run out of drinks nor food and that partied with me nonetheless in the beautiful garden of my brothers (who also grilled almost all night long so no one would be starving), decorated with perfect lighting and filled with all the ones I love, my clumsiness couldn’t affect the perfect memory created that night.

The next day however was a bit more chaotic...had to go to hospital again and then with almost no time left and pretty handicapped pack all my gifts and things for my next journey. Only with the help of my friends Miriam and Adrian as well as my mum I made it to the airport on time.

Flying with crutches is not the worst - everybody wanted to give me a hand, offered seats, even water and food, all my bags were carried for me and I was allowed to skip all lines :D

In Las Palmas my lovely boss Franzi picked me up and took me to my hostel: volver beach hostel in puerto de Mogan. The place looked like I would imagine an Indian hippie temple with the most colorful paintings and decorations and the perfect view over the port from the even more colorful roof terrace. The place felt more like a big shared flat than a hostel especially since most guests stayed for rather longer periods and was the perfect place to stay during my internship.

Every morning my colleagues and me would go on our company minibus to Taurito Bay, where our dive center was located. Listening to different music as loud as the car would allow us, laughing and chatting, those rides were a highlight almost every day. Since I started my trip on crutches I had the benefit of always being dropped/picked up right in front of the door.

Once at the dive center, we would prepare the day, getting paperwork in all languages ready for our customers, cleaning and changing and eventually welcoming our guests.

After all paperwork was done and everybody was fully equipped with wetsuits, fins, mask and snorkel, we would go snorkeling with our group for an hour so that they could get used to the water as well as breathing through their mouth and we could check out who’s comfortable in the water and who might need an extra hand for the afternoons diving.

For the diving part all customers were divided into groups of 2-3 customers per 1-2 instructors and would be diving at 1, 2, 3 or 4 pm. No need to mention what a fantastic job we had done everyday so that it is no surprise that our tips could be used for plenty of rum, coke and crackers which we would sit over together after having finished the most part of the cleaning and were waiting for the compressor or having staff meetings.

It was my first diving job so I don’t have any comparison but even the more experienced instructors agreed that we were extraordinarily lucky with our team and how enjoyable the summer had been, even though working hours have been quite tiring sometimes.

Whenever we found the time, I would do written exams, practice diving skills or do test like emergency scenarios, swimming, snorkeling or diving tests, mapping and guiding dives so that I was able to achieve various certifications up until dive master during my stay.

After work we would often sit together in the hostel, have dinner and a glass of wine and whenever possible enjoy the sunset before going to bed to prepare for the next day.

Our day off was Saturday and the first few Saturdays I had really needed to catch up with some sleep and rest my still broken and swollen foot.

Week five my mum, aunt and cousin arrived and we rented a beautiful apartment which was located just next door of the hostel. Perfect coincidence because this way we were able to still do something with the young crowd if wanted but have our private area within the family.

My cousin took her open water at Blue explorers which was great cause that way we could spend a lot of time together and even got the chance to do some of her dives together. 

On our days off we took a ride around the island. The roads are so narrow and curvy that even without the spectacular views the ride itself would already have been a highlight. Due to my still pretty swollen foot walking around wasn’t really an option so we just stopped here and there, I sat down with my little ice pack, enjoying the view while the others took a little walk before we eventually made our way to the next destination. Another highlight besides the roads themselves was the fish we had in Agaete, a little fisherman’s village in the north of the island.

It wasn’t long after my cousin had left, that she messaged me saying that one of the guys we had met in Puerto he invited us to go on a little sailing cruise with them. Quick chat to my boss and the ferry to Lanzarote was booked. My cousin and our new friend Sam picked me up at the port and we started one of the most amazing trips of my life. 

Back to the dive center my last few weeks had started and luckily my cousin decided to stay a bit longer, work with us in exchange for her advanced Open Water and we moved into an apartment together to have some more privacy than in the hostel.

Eline, a girl from the dive center moved in with us and the last few weeks passed almost even faster than the first.

Friday before I left Puerto I eventually finished my dive master and as part of the celebrations had to do my snorkel test. Snorkel test means some mean games that always include the victim (me) having to drink and others pouring their drinks into a big cup only so I could down the delicious mixture late that night wearing a snorkel and a mask. 

Not to give too many dirty details I will keep it to: after finishing the drink we decided to get a rinse in the ocean ;)

Couldn’t have asked for a more amusing last night of a very special two months.

Should I ever get the chance to go back to the canaries, blue explorers will for sure be my first stop.