Scuba Steve Training

Hey All... I decided to get my SCUBA certification this weekend!! Yep, I did it in Malaysia. My friend Joanna previously told me, "Zach, there are some things in life you just don't bargain for. Your SCUBA certification is one of them!" That's when she was thinking of coming to Malaysia to visit me and get her own. So I bargained away and did it here! :)

All weekend I was submerged in a pool learning the ins and outs of SCUBA equipment. My body was covered in a wet suit, which is a whole lot of fun to wear!, and now my hands, feet, and neck are fried because they were the only parts exposed! I used sunscreen, but the sun is intensified at a few meters depth. Anyway, it was awesome! It was me and a few others, including one girl named Fiona who is from England but is also teaching at a school in Kuala Berang like myself. At first I was a little nervous to do it here because the certification is from Scuba School International, SSI. Most people I know have the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification. The only other one I've ever heard of is the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). So, as an American brand whore, I was a little unsure of getting SSI or not. I decided to in the end. The program was totally legitimate and it's based in Colorado. If anyone has any feelings otherwise on the SSI certification, please let me know.

My certification is not complete. I had 2 days of in-pool training and now I will be going to Pulau Redang next month to complete my certification by doing 5 different dives. One might even be a night dive which would be really freaky but cool also. I'm hoping to see turtles, tons of Nemos, reef sharks if I'm really lucky, and coral. Sharks are rare here because they are harvested for their fins to make Shark Fin soup. Regardless, Redang is going to be like paradise and I'm so excited that my first ever SCUBA attempt will be off the coast of an exotic island in Asia and not some slimy, freezing cold, lifeless quary in backwoods Ohio.

On a final and sad/terrible/horrific note, I might be suffering from post-traumatic stress. When I was coming home from Kuala Terengganu after my SCUBA classes, the driver yelled "Mati." That means "dead" in Malay and I was thinking, "Is he going to kill us??" But no, he said "mati" because as we were driving there was a dead body lying in the middle of the road. A motorbike driver had fallen from his bike and killed himself a few minutes before we drove up. There was blood in the street and his body was covered with newspapers while waiting for the squad. As soon as I realized what was happening it was too late. The damage was done. I saw the image and it is forever seared into my brain. I am totally overreacting but I have never seen a dead body like that. I felt sick to my stomach and I wanted to cry. I know it's the reality of life, but it was way too real. Motorbike deaths are the number 1 killer in Malaysia, so I have heard of it happening a lot, but to actually witness it was disturbing. Sorry to depress everyone with that spiel, but I was/am upset by it and I needed to comfort myself by talking about it. Life is fragile, so in case you didn't know and in case something awful might happen, I love you all!! (KNOCK ON WOOD A THOUSAND TIMES THAT NOTHING EVER WILL!!)