The Aquarium

Maybe this is no news to you, but I love the ocean.  When Colter and I were thinking about leaving California I had one itsy bitsy tiny small requirement: I had to live near the ocean.  Perhaps a blessing in disguise, this definitely narrowed down the list of potential homes.  Imagine then my surprise when I learned that Baltimore housed not just any ol'aquarium, but(trumpets announce) the National Aquarium.  That's obviously a big title to carry.  

Back in California, I think my favorite place to visit was Monterey.  I could have lived in the Monterey Bay Aquarium and been just fine.  Once, while waiting for my cousin Patrick to pick me up for breakfast, I walked down to the beach where I saw a pod of Pacific Bottle Nose Dolphins shooting down the waves toward the beach over and over, hunting for their breakfast.  Shortly thereafter a sea otter casually swam by, carrying a sea urchin on its chest (no doubt his breakfast).  I always dreamt of living in Monterey, and volunteering at the MBA, feeding fish or sweeping floors or whatever, it really wouldn't have mattered as long as I was near these fabulous creatures.  It became a secret and very personal goal to someday be near them. 

While attending Jr. college in Redding I took an Oceanography class. We took field trips to Humboldt and measured the salinity of the ocean compared to inland rivers and discussed the habitats which exist in the spots where rivers meet the ocean.  We caught and studied crustaceans, and played basketball with a Pacific Octopus.  We found and studied fossils.  The experience was how I would imagine heaven to be.  

During my first visit to the NA, I felt my eyes could not contain my pupils because they were so large.  Surely my eyes were going to pop out of my head and roll right into the bay.  I must have looked like I was running on a quad-shot espresso.  To top it off, we went to the dolphin show.  That was when I totally lost my composure and turned into well, let me be frank: a giddy, absolutely ecstatic and twitterpated mess.  A childhood dream was awakened in me.

Online, I read about their volunteer program and sent a pipe dream email to one of the coordinators of the program.  To my great surprise, I learned of an unadvertised program where volunteers assist the dolphin trainers.  To qualify, volunteers must first put in 120 hours or a full year of volunteering, whichever comes first.  I was told that sometimes there are even paid jobs that open up in the program.  Of course my wheels were spinning, imagining myself working with the dolphins.  The catch (there's always a catch, isn't there): it is highly competitive.  The aquarium boasts over 500 volunteers in their various volunteer programs, and of the numerous volunteer positions the aquarium offers, only 7 positions exist working with the dolphins.  And by golly, who doesn't want to be a dolphin trainer? 

Obviously this is starting to require some strategy.  So here is the plan: first, six weeks of training and studying about species and memorizing names, stories, activities to become an exhibit guide (I am really excited about this).  Step two: get scuba certified.  Step three: learn all I can about marine mammals and get experience whenever or wherever I can in working with them or observing them...Bahamas anyone?  Step four: after completing a year I will continue to be an exhibit guide.  Additionally I will hope, wish, pray that there would be an opening and that I would be chosen to fill it.  My degree is in a behavioral science (Psych), so this should give me an edge, "I've studied the training of humans, so why not dolphins?"  

If this doesn't work out and it very well may not, I will still be happy.  I love my time at the aquarium and the people and the inner harbor.  I will still do my best as an exhibit guide and will offer my assistance in beach clean-ups and special programs including education, marine rescue & rehabilitation, and whatever else I can do to be close to marine life.  Any time that the aquarium is open, I can go to the dolphin exhibit and watch them glide and play and bring joy to countless visitors and myself.  

I love the ocean and I am elated to finally have the great opportunity to fulfill this "Craving" if you will, to learn about and be with marine life.  If I ever have the great pleasure of working with the dolphins, it will be a pleasant surprise in addition to all the other wonderful things happening at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  

http://www.aqua.org