Snorkeling with kids from the Summer Camp
It was time for the preschoolers from the Summer Camp from the Asociación Educativa pro Desarrollo Humano de Culebra to enjoy the beautiful and calm waters of Muellecito while learning the basics of snorkeling. Together with the team at CORALations we help the kids learn how to securely fix their snorkeling equipment and how to use it to look under the water. The kids were already pretty good swimmers and were able to take advantage of the assisted snorkeling on the shallows around the old military shark tank of Muellecito.
Playing with the kids from the Summer Camp
I vested the rest of the week on interviewing the locals. There is some resistance to “outsiders” asking questions and many shut down the interview. Many others, understanding the value of sustainable development for Culebra, kindly offered their time to share their knowledge, experiences, opinions and hopes. Mercedes from the small Arts and Craft booth in the middle of downtown has been a resident of Culebra for 51 years. She lived through the years when Culebra struggled due to the activities of the US Navy in the island until operations ceased in 1975. Since then she has also witnessed with sadness a community struggling to reach sustainable progress. Jorge from Arte Fango has been a resident of Culebra for about 15 years. With his whimsical Art Shop filled with colors and soul filling sounds he shared with me how he dreams of the children of Culebra growing to enjoy a healthy and sustainable Island in the future. He was very knowledgeable of today’s sustainable practices and was able to share with me how Culebra could benefit from some of them. Most interesting was my interview with the current Mayor of Culebra, Honorable Ricardo Lopez. He seemed to have great plans and expectations in regards the development of Culebra. He seems to aim most municipal efforts towards development into structural projects that may be good for attracting more tourism and create work opportunities, but does not promote as much the protection and conservation of the natural resources of the island.
Arte Fango
Picture o my visit to the "Alcaldia" (City Hall) andf interview with Mayor Honorable Ricardo Lopez.