A bit of an update..... Wedding in Vegas/Philippines

Alongside the diving of the last two years or so, I also got married. After being proposed to in Mongolia, described in an earlier blog, it didn't take us long to decide where to get married. The Philippines was an easy choice. And staging it at Atmosphere was also obvious. After many months of planning, we had it all sorted. To make things easier for me, I hired a wedding planner recommended by one of my friends..... Not something I ever thought I would but money very well spent. With a week until the big day, 25th May 2011, an unfortunate event occurred. Unexpectedly, especially after having planned it so thoroughly, we were told we were not allowed to get married in Dauin. Now there are many marriages happening in the Philippines all the time, but because neither of us were resident and we had decided to do it in some sleepy backwater village, the relevant authorities didn't know what to do so did the only thing they know how and said no. Even though we had spent a long time talking to them prior to a week before the wedding, they had a sudden change of heart. So we did what we knew best, flew to Las Vegas for 22 hours total and did the deed at the Graceland Chapel. It was an epic adventure and one we will enjoy telling our grand kids. Yes, Elvis was there, and yes we happily gambled the rest of the time away.

Vegas baby yeah

Within three days of our return, family and friends were arriving for our "wedding". It was a brilliant week of fun and friends, and one of the best of my life. And now I have a beautiful husband whom I love dearly. Yippee!

Celebrating!

A bit of an update - Diving

My last post was quite a long time ago. Ultimately I reached what I thought was my final destination, the Philippines. I realise now, it was just the beginning. A lot has happened. Let's go back.

The Province of Negros Oriental is where I ended up at the end of 2010, smack bang in the middle of the Philippines. Knowing I wanted to train as a Diving Instructor, I chose this area because my boyfriend's (at the time) cousin and his wife built a beautiful resort, www.atmosphereresorts.com . His wife is a PADI Course Director - meaning for those of you who may not know, she can teach you to become a Diving Instructor. And that's what she did to me.

Yes, the cost of getting to this stage is high and some suggest PADI training, www.padi.com , in the early stages of diver qualifications misses out certain essential skills and other things. In my small opinion, whatever you think about PADI, the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and subsequent 2-day examination (IE) is the most grounding training experience you can undertake, aside maybe from training to be astronaut. Ok, a little exaggeration there but really. In this, PADI has done it right. It takes people from all walks of life, brings them together, breaks them down individually, builds them back up and spews out highly competent diving professionals (apart from a few rogues here and there). Lawyers, doctors, bankers, gardeners, students, artists, young, old, rich, poor, happy, sad - nowhere else can you meet such a mix of people who think they're ready, think they've experienced it all and know how to do it better. However much training you've had in whatever area of work, the IDC resets the wires, teaches you how to think and for some, well for most, breaks you. I have achieved quite a lot academically but nothing I have done prior to or subsequently compares to the moment when my examiner shook my hand and said, "Yes, you've done it - welcome to the club", leaving me weeping like a baby.  Yes, I spent 5 years of my life gaining a PhD and yes, I cried when I was awarded it, but that was just 5 years of misery spilling out in one go. This emotion was much, much more exciting. The course taught me so much, especially about myself, and gave me a skill and experience set that I will no doubt use for the rest of my life.

There is something about the IDC that brings you very close to your classmates. Once it's all over, the friends that you have made will be yours forever because what you've shared together leaves you with an intangible link. Only they can know how this experience can change you, forever. Every Instructor I've met has that same look in their eye. I'm not a fan of clubs but I am part of one nonetheless.

I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to work at Atmosphere as an Instructor, which I did full time for nearly 2 years and worked up to the level of being a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and for a brief time, Dive Centre Manager. Working in a resort as an Instructor is a hard job, both physically and mentally. Very few days off, and very little time to yourself. However, the people you meet, the experiences you have both in and out of the water I don't think you can get anywhere else. I love, seriously love, the team of Filipinos I worked with during this time. They made every day fun. Even on the hardest of days when you're so tired you can hardly speak. They made me smile and giggle, and they are why I love the Philippines.

Teaching people to dive is a fantastic and fulfilling experience, and I remember nearly every student I've ever had. Taking someone under the water for the first time who never thought they could do it is a special thing. It's not all rosey though...... heat exhaustion, vomit in the face, working 8 weeks straight, no Christmas Day and diving with an upset stomach to name a few but mostly it's awesome. The coast I worked along is very famous for macro diving, and it is AMAZING. If you ever want tips about dive sites along the Dauin coast, and even round the Philippines, I can certainly recommend a few incredible spots. I think later on I will write something about where to dive in the Philippines, as there is just so much special stuff to see here!