Hey. I hope you’re doing well. I’m Antonina. I just came home from US, Florida. It was my first experience abroad, and I decided to set off right from the place I was dreaming of the most. I wanna share my adventure to you all.
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Achy Breaky Dolphin
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In 2017 I watched a movie with my sister. It was Dolphin Tale, a movie about injured creature with prosthetic tale. Poor thing lost its tail somewhere in the ocean. Good samaritans saved the dolphin and named her Winter by the month she was rescued. Winter was taken by a science center in US, Florida in small town named Clearwater. I'd recommend you to watch that movie, it’s awesome.
I was so excited by the story, so I discovered everything about it. And guess what? The dolphin in the movie is real. It’s not chromakey, and the basic story is real, too. And even more… the science center actually exist in Florida and sales tickets to everyone, who wants to see Winter in her new home. For me it was like.. you watch a movie and found out the characters not realy characters but real people, and everything on the screen is true. And you can meet them if you want. Just imagine that.
You probably guessed what happened to me next, ha-ha. I decided to travel to US and meet Winter. I've been saving scholarship money for almost two years. In 2019 I got enough for three-day trip. And that was it. A 20 years old girl, who have never been abroad before, was going alone to US to meet a dolphin.
Departure
The flight was a torture. After take off I was killing time as much as I could. I slept. And then I ate. And then I slept. Those became my routine for next 20 hours. But I think I survived easily. Some passengers felt the need to smoke just after one hour, and with every hour the need became stronger. After long 10 hours I frequently woke up because of loud complaints spotted in the back seats. Maybe it’s true that they say you become irritated if you’re a long time smoker and then just stop. I’m glad I don’t smoke, ha-ha.
Florida Is So Hot And Snakey
If you ask me the first thing come to my mind of that place — it’s snakes. There's a ton of them!! Snakes are a part of Florida like beer on oktoberfest. I saw snakes sneaking bushes, crossing roads. On the way to Clearwater I saw snake curled up inside a car, so driver had to stick it out. I bet they like the weather. Florida is southernmost state of US, and surrounded by oceans. There are so hot and humid that my shirt get completely wet after 10 minutes outside.
You know, I think locals feel the heat, too. They can’t get used to it. That’s why there are few people on the streets. They prefer to drive with air conditioning, and not to go on foot. Unlucky cheeks and dudes, who can’t drive for some reasons, gotta check stores frequently to feel some fresh air. Every store I checked got an air conditioner.
Oh, and I’d highly recommend not to swim in random pools and ponds as a way to cool your body. Snakes reeealy like hiding there. Just so you’re prepared =)
The Clearwater
I get out from my rental car and stood on the parking lot beside green and yellow headquarter. I was already surrounded by crowds full of visitors like me. I actually didn’t think there would be many odds as I, who also want to see the dolphin. All of them seemed to be locals.
I was really excited, so I get a dolphin and animal care assistance ticket for $400. The ticket allowed me to get close to animals and even touch them. But it’s not like in dolphinarium. Before that happened, the care team instruct me necessities. I had to take an antiseptic shower and wear their swimsuit. As I’ve been told, the dolphins have much different biotic, so the antiseptic protect their bodies from human bacterias.
Clean and dressed I joined the group, and we are headed right to Winter. The area she’s living was huge. It’s not just a pool but several pulls all connected to each other. And the pools were not at the disposal of one dolphin. One more were swimming there. Her name was Hope, and she was also rescued in the ocean.
When the crowd got smaller, I was allowed to come to feeding zone, where Winter and Hope were resting. Winter was exactly the same as on the screen. She was doing whistles, squeak, and twits as to welcome my approach, or I want to think that was for me. Hope was much smaller and quieter but still an adorable little creature.
Unfortunately, I was not allowed to jump in the pool. If I had I would probably hyperventilate from the excitement. But experience was great anyway. The care team gave me rubber ball. Winter swam for it like a shooting star, splashing water in my face. She had no prosthetic tale though. I guess she can’t wear in constantly. I cared her every time she bring the toy back, and I threw it again and again. I had played with dolphins for 20 minutes, and I’ve never been happier.
The rest of my time I suffered the heat, explored the Clearwater surroundings, played tennis in a court near the Hotel, ate and drank as much as I could. Did you know coke in US has completely different taste? It's much more sweet and fizzy.
On The Way Back
I was flying away full of happiness and feel of success. I spent my savings just to watch the dolphin, and I regret nothing. We waste money on useless stuff every day and those stuff didn’t make us happy. I’m pretty sure good memories is more valuable than money.
Thanks for reading my mixed-up story. I hope you liked it. You can also see how Winter and Hope are doing. Follow Aquarium Live Webcams
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