Hi folks! Welcome to my first blog about my internship at Blue Explorers!

Let me start at the beginning of this tale. It all came to reality when I left for Einhoven Airport on the 10th of november, 2018. It was here that it dawned on me that I would not see my mother, brother, father or close friends for quite some time. For some reason, this didn't come to mind much beforehand. I just wanted to get out here and soak up all the experience I possibly could. But at the moment I had to say goodbye to my family, it was a heavier burden than I had expected. I knew this was one of the moments in life that you need to grit your teeth and get through it. After all, learning comes from the corners outside of out comfort zone. Therefore, I knew I could not ever get cold feet: I had to go on. And so I did.

After a calm 5 hour flight, I landed in Tenerife South. Here I was instantly picked up by my supervisor: Cindy. A very warm welcome awaited me and some words of reassurance as to the place I would be living for in the next 4,5 months. After a 20 minute drive from the airport I arrived at my house, a cosy little home in the quiet village of Abades. Here I met my roommate and made first social encounters.

Sunday was a calm day, checking out the surroundings and unpacking some of my stuff. It was here that I had first thoughts of boredom, as there was not much to do around my village. Two tiny shops selling limited items of food, a couple of bars and that was it. I knew it would take some time for me to find my place here, but I admit I was a little startled by the little amount of activity surround me. This did take a fortunate turn of events later in the week.

Monday and tuesday were the days I met the business itself and the coworkers. Ricky, Galia and Yanou. Dutch, Bulgarian and British; a nice social mix where English was the common language between all. I received an open welcome from them and on monday they showed me around the diving school and what we do here. They want me to get experience in snorkeling and diving before I go in to sales, because I will be more educated and will prove to be a better salesman after this.

An unfortunate turn of events meant that Cindy had to return to the Netherlands for a funeral. This meant we couldn't discuss the tasks school gave me and we decided to postpone this 'till the second week. More information regarding agreements made will be shared in the second blog.

So in further light of the first week, it has all been about me getting to know procedures, locations of tools, the system and socialising. Yanou and I proved to have an instant bond between us, seeing as we are both the same age and share similar interests. She has been here for a while and introduced me to friends she had already made here, as well as an introduction to some locals. Fair to say, this has made my first week a very pleasant stay!

I look forward to getting more experience in the second week, I am intrigued as to how I will reflect upon this.