salt water, a cure

I do not yet know another cure like salt water

Chloe Borich

This post was written in 2017 as a draft in my draft list. It's about time I publish it anyways :)

Being a marine science student, I can write so many things about the sea, firstly from it's physical, chemical and biological characteristics, its relation between the climate, the ecological matters, the laws of the sea that protects and organise the ocean, the fish stocks, anomalies, and a whole lot other. But I'm here to talk about the sea and how it makes me feel.

Here is a paper I wrote as my personal statement for an internship I applied for:

When I was younger, I had always been interested in animal-environment matters. Some of them included deforestation, global warming, pollution and animal abuse. I understood that humans are responsible for making a healthy Earth, and that kindness doesn’t only work on humans but all kinds of living things. That’s when my love for the environment and animals grew. 

Since I was young, my dad would take my siblings and I to the pool almost every week. I have always been very fond of water activities. During long weekends, my family and I would go to the beach that’s 2 – 3 hours away from home. We would bury ourselves in the sand, or put our goggles on and explore below the ocean surface. That’s when my love for the ocean started to grow.
A few months after my high school national exam, I watched an episode of Shane Untamed on National Geographic Channel, where he swam with whale sharks in Djibouti. I fell in love with the idea of interacting with delicate and beautiful marine creatures. That’s when I decided to study Marine Sciences for college.
Seeing my interests and passion as I grow older, I can say that I specifically want to learn more about ocean pollution and the marine life. I understand how humans play a big role in contributing pollution, and how it can (and already have) harm the systems of the ocean. I personally believe that we’re capable to not pollute the ocean in order to live.
After graduating as a Bachelor of Marine Science, I would like to achieve more experience by working in an environment-based organization. While working, I’m planning to find a postgraduate scholarship abroad, hopefully in Australia, Japan or Netherlands, majoring in either conservation biology or environmental science. After obtaining a more advanced knowledge, I will go back to my homeland and do researches that can make the Indonesian waters and its inhabitants healthy and safe.
Knowing the lack of understanding and self-awareness of the people in Indonesia on ocean conservation, I would also like to create a program to educate and remind people of ocean conservation. I imagine going to schools giving small presentations, having ocean-based activities with several institutions, seminars, TED talks, and the list goes on.
Aside from that, I have always been interested in magazines. After graduating, with a background of marine sciences and conservation, I would want to share the knowledge I have received with others. And to do that, I am determined to publish an updated and nicely designed magazine on ocean sciences and conservation.
As people know what ocean conservation is and why the ocean needs to be taken care of, they will grow a sense of caring. Quoting Sylvia Earle, ‘It is about knowing. It’s about exploration. Most of the ocean is unknown still, so with knowing comes caring. You can know and not care, but you can’t care if you don’t know. It’s the key to the human future.’

My mama told me I started swimming when I was 5 months old. As I grew, my dad taught my siblings and I how to swim in deep waters. We went to the public pool about 30 minutes from my place almost every weekend, and we would swim short distances, sometimes in the shallow area, sometimes to the deep area. We weren't afraid of drowning, so we jumped from the swimming blocks to at least get our feet touch the pool floor. We started pretending to be mermaids, trying to hold our breaths as long as we could, playing games underwater. We would always swim in hotels, villas and houses that has a pool, no matter how cold the water is or how hot the sun was being. People who didn't know us were afraid we might drown or something, so they usually tell us to go back to the shallow waters.

Ever since I felt the grains of the sand and tasted the saltiness of sea water, I knew I was more of a beach person rather than a mountain person. Oh don't get me wrong, I love the mountains and its coolness. However, being immersed in sea water, especially when the sun is shining brightly, makes me more calm and serene than anything else can. I guess I just love how we are able to do activities in a different medium than air, and how there are plenty of creatures beneath, doing its own thing. 

I remember how easily I can relate with Sophie from the book The Wanderer by Sharon Creech. I read it in the sixth grade and oh how I love Sophie's trip across the ocean! Sharon Creech makes the ocean like music with its very own characteristics. Forte for an angry, loud, raging sea. Pianissimo for a calm, soft sea. Allegro for an ocean with fast currents, as if it's chasing something. Cantabile for the way the ocean waves crashes into each other and how the currents move against each other making the world's best music. Her words would transport you to where Sophie is and see just how the ocean is alive in its own ways. It really is, though, alive.

The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled, and rolled, and called to me. Come in, it said, come in.