Swordfish, sea bass, otters (No one has to go to med-school)

Today started with waking up in Monterey to fresh coffee cake and hot coffee. Talk about perfect right?! My expectations for today were that it would be just a normal aquarium experience, but I was wrong. We were greeted at the aquarium by the enthusiastic employees who introduced us to the aquarium and then let us go explore. I liked how it was not like most aquariums I have been to in that it was mostly focused on animals that are native to Monterey Bay. I thought this was extremely cool because it shows that the staff and directors care about informing the public about creatures that are around them. My favorite exhibit was the jellyfish section. Watching the jellyfish flow around was mesmerizing in a way. We later learned in our behind the scenes tour that to keep the jellies close to the glass, the tanks are only about 1 foot in width. Who knew? After our exploring time, we headed over to the offices to eat lunch with researchers Andre, Sal, and Kyle. The three explained their areas of research and how they ended up studying what they do. I enjoyed the hours they spent with us because of their insight about truly finding what you are passionate about and turning that passion into a career path. Growing up in the south, you are supposed to go to college and become a lawyer or doctor, or stay at home and raise children. I knew neither of these paths were for me, but lately I have been struggling finding what I could potentially do with my Biology degree. Listening to these researchers tell us about their passions was truly inspiring and opened my mind to new possibilities. "No one has to go to med school," is a quote from one of the researchers that really resonated with me and made me think about my options for the rest of the day. The night ended with a meal at a seafood restaurant on the bay. Yum! See you tomorrow, xoxo.

Saving a Monarch Butterfly from rain

Tank of Clownfish