Islands of Paradise

When I was young in Argentina we used to go to the beach for our holidays. The beaches were on the Atlantic Ocean. They were golden, sunny, fine sand beaches. I loved jumping and playing in the water; sometimes there were big waves crashing over our heads. In the evenings I loved walking along the sea listening to the murmur of the waters.

I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in Chile. I was attending a Summer School in a location opposite the coast. You couldn't swim there - it was very rocky, and the waves really came crashing down. It was impressive, and I loved watching the crashing waves.

For many years my experience of the two oceans were similar, looking at them from places like California or Cuba. I always loved listening to the sound of the ocean, loud or soft.

But then one day we travelled to the Seychelles, tiny islands in the Indian Ocean. They were beautiful. They have fine sandy beaches and the ocean is calm and you can swim in it. I thought of them as the Islands of Paradise.

Recently I've been watching a programme on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, and the tiny islands dotted in its immensity. A huge variety of them! I'd love to visit some of them some time. For the time being, I dwell on imaginary ones.

Alicia Merrett, V-9/5 Challenge 4, Oceans