What my days are like.
Often folks ask me … 'What is your typical day?' 'How do you spend your days?' To be honest, I don't really have a 'typical day'. While in the field,, I try to get on the water as often as possible … unless I am too exhausted to even put on my wet suit or grab by array. When in the lab … late fall to early Spring, usually … then my day is different because I am working mostly on analysis and report write-ups. But for now, I am in the field. So, the mornings begin early. I am a morning person and love to see the sunrises. Unfortunately, I don't quite make it out here. The sun, when it is out, rises at about 4:30 AM … I usually wake at about 5:30 AM. ('hayai asa okita' = I wake in early morning.) The island is just beginning to stir and I have a nice walk down to the park and look out to sea. I usually see one or two older islanders and exchange pleasantries. I love watching the sea … the surface is everchanging yet always seems to be in one place. Hard to explain. I coordinate with Kogi-san by 7 AM as to when and with which boat we might be able to go out on during the day. There are 6 fune (=boat) that we can ride from Mikura. The rest of the day is flexible depending on when we go out to observe dolphins. There is gear preparation, video tape analysis and photo-identification records to make. The days are quite full and seem to go by very quickly. … and now I must prepare for a trip … we ride the boat today at about 3 PM … wish us luck. Cheers for now. Kathleen