The summer before my senior year of high school, I lived on a boat for 3 weeks. Specifically this boat:

She was called Boss Lady II. A 46-foot catamaran serving as home to me, my cousin Maddie, and 14 other people. It was one of the most incredible times of my life, and a hardcore learning experience. These are 11 of the things Boss Lady II taught me.

Bikinis are comfy as heck!!!

Let me say it again for the people in the back. Bikinis are comfy as heck!!! Okay, okay, not all people love bikinis and that’s fine. What I’m trying to get across here is that swimsuits are freeing, and when it’s socially acceptable, I will always choose a swimsuit over clothing. I realized that swimsuits are functional, fun, and freeing, so I might as well wear one all the time.

Mirrors are non-essential.

There was one small mirror that I could access on the boat. It was just big enough for me to look into while I brushed my teeth over the sink, but that’s about it. For nearly a month I didn’t see my body. It wasn’t until we got back to land that I realized just how much muscle I’d gained, and it took me a whole plane flight home to realize I was quite a few shades tanner than I’d left home.

I took this mirror selfie the first time I had a full-length mirror available in three weeks! So I guess mirrors are sometimes essential, for selfie-taking purposes only.

I really like my thigh fat.

I was constantly exercising on this trip. Tugging lines to make the sails go up is not as easy as the movies make it seem, and dragging dive gear around a moving boat takes dedication. We were constantly in and out of the water, my main mode of transportation was my legs, and as much as I was eating I was still burning more calories than I could put away. The thing is, I wasn’t happy with the weight loss. I missed looking down to see my thighs jiggle. It freaked me out that I was all muscle. Looking in the mirror back home, I felt uncomfortably thin, and I know my mom was concerned. When I walked down the street a month later and noticed my thighs jiggling I was so excited! It’s kind of a fun feeling.

Staph infection won’t kill me.

Sickness and injuries have never freaked me out, but the idea of persistent sickness and eventual infection...yeah, I don’t like that so much. Infections aren’t fun. Fighting one is draining. I was tired constantly. The first doctor I went to didn’t believe there was anything wrong with me, so things only got worse. When I found out it was staphylococcus, I made the mistake of looking it up on the internet, and the horror stories I found had me in tears. But the thing is, we all have staph on our skin constantly. At the moment I just had way too much. It was an easy fix! Antibiotics healed me right up. Life lessons learned: only go to doctors you trust, make sure your doctor is listening to you, take care of yourself, and don’t trust the internet.

I’m not gonna put a picture here. Staph is gross ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Culture shock is a real thing.

I lived in India for a month the summer before last. People told me to prepare for culture shock coming home from that trip, but the only thing that really shocked me was how much water we waste. No, the real surprise came a year later when I stepped onto land and found my head swimming with landsickness. The real shock came when I had to actually put on clothes, because most people don’t wear swimsuits to the supermarket. The real shock came when I realized I’d forgotten how to walk up stairs. I didn’t even know that kind of coordination loss was possible!

Alone time is golden.

Especially when you’re pretty much alone on an island. I am most definitely an introvert. It runs in the family. My grandpa often tells me that there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely, and I wholeheartedly subscribe to that belief. Living in a confined space with 16 other people was a scary concept for me, but in the moment I didn’t mind at all. It made the snatches of time I could find alone more precious. The absolute best was when we visited the island of Anegada. The island was quiet, small enough I could’ve walked around it multiple times in one day, and so flat I wasn’t entirely sure how the water hadn’t covered it up. I took a walk all by myself and felt like the only person on Earth. It was my Robinson Crusoe dream come true! Later, because commercialization is a thing and I don’t always mind it, I bought an Anegada tank top to commemorate the occasion.

Sometimes nicknames just happen.

Our first night on the boat, one of our instructors was dubbed Birdman simply because a kid looked at him and thought “Birdman.” That same night, I became Vegan Cookie (I’ve never been vegan, but I do love cookies). Maddie became Lobster (ironically, the nickname was given by a kid who would soon forget to put on sunscreen and resemble a lobster himself). I’d always wanted a cool nickname. Vegan Cookie wasn’t quite what I was going for, but I embraced it. I ate a vegan chocolate chip cookie upon my return home, and it felt right.

Discoveries are happening everyday.

On one of our dives, Birdman waved me down to where he was floating in front of a cluster of rocks. He pointed inside, at a creature that looked like a pale horseshoe crab, but way too big to actually be a horseshoe crab. It had glowy antennae and little fine hairs and I couldn’t tell where it’s eyes were...overall the thing was freaky. When we came up I asked him what it was and he said, “I was hoping you might know.” Suffice to say, I didn’t, and none of my research found an answer. I knew logically that scientists hadn’t found every animal on the planet, but it never occurred to me that I could potentially find something new. Anything is possible if you keep your eyes open and keep at it.

Cliff diving is not for me.

Turns out, I really really hate it. The first time I tried it took me a long time to force myself into the air, and once I'd done it I had water up my nose. The second time water did not go up my nose, but I also did not have any more fun. I did it a third time because I was determined to achieve a picture as awesome as this one of Maddie:

Mine isn’t quite as graceful:

But it’s still pretty cool! I didn’t enjoy the jump, but I’m glad I can say I did it.

I am strong and capable!

I have been thrown around by stormy waves, clinging onto a rope as I tried to grapple my way back to the boat. I have been seasick (like, so seasick, holy moly). I have been trapped in the roiling waters of a cave and swam my way out. I can cook and clean, make friends with complete strangers, fix my own dive equipment, and captain a 46-foot catamaran. My shoulders are strong enough to bear the weight of a friend when it’s time for a chicken fight, and they’re strong enough to bear the weight of my homesickness. My mind is more powerful than my fear, so I can cliff dive if I want to. It’s al part of living the boat life!

There is so much wonder in the world.

There are a thousand things to see in a day. I found this to be especially true when I didn’t have a thousand screens to distract me. I love my technology, but there was something grounding in having to look around me for entertainment. I found that reefs always seem bright and all the fish are colorful and so are their little homes in the coral. Sharks are pretty chill when it comes down to it. The sky can turn pink, or grey, or blue, all in one day. Birds wheeling overhead are majestic and clouds are masterpieces. I’ve been making a conscious effort to look around and sense the world ever since. It’s always worth it.