Getting Settled in San Cristóbal

Two weeks ago, I arrived in San Cristóbal Island! I’ll be living here in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (only town on the island ~6,000 people) for the rest of the semester. My program is unique in that we split our semester in two: half in Quito and half in the Galápagos. Ecuador is an incredibly diverse country in terms of ecology, so this structure allows us to experience many different zones (I’m an environmental science major).

I’ve never lived on an island, in a small town, or near the beach, so I’m truly thrilled to be here. Here are some takeaways I have after my first 14 days here:

1. So many sea lions. Hundreds. On all the beaches, in the street, in front of the university, on benches… They’re so playful, the males are loud (their barks and groans are quite memorable). So far, I’ve witnessed many chases and many fights. I don’t think this will grow old!
2. The weather can change in an instant. I feel like people say this about so many different towns/areas all around the world, but in the Galápagos it is so true. Today, in a 20 minute timespan while I was at the beach, it went from full sun, to full clouds and raining, back to full sun without a cloud in sight. The weather app says cloudy every day but that is simply a lie! We get so much sun here, but it is definitely intermittent and can be fleeting. As for temperature-it’s really consistent. Between 68-74 ºF every day, which is perfect in my book!
3. Snorkeling should be a daily activity if you like swimming and/or are interested in marine life. I don’t have a mask of my own, but we’ve gone three days already with my class and I’ve borrowed masks (huge thank you to my friend’s host family who has an extra that I’ve been using). I’ve seen: many sea turtles; schools of bright blue, pink and orange fish; puffer fish; eels; stingrays; black and white reef sharks; hammerhead sharks & more!!!
4. In general, prepare for so much outside time (ideally). The environment here is such an important part of daily life. Locals recognize the importance of protecting the ecosystem that they get to live by and it’s clear! The town is clean, almost entirely plastic-free, and people spend much time outside.

I have eight more weeks here and plenty more to learn, so stay tuned!