The first night involved little rest as we all were out of normal sleep schedules from the time zones. But alas, we all got together in the morning and went to another lecture on social activism for the lower class Azorean citizens by using photography. It was in the military museum which was amazing to explore. Lots of old buildings, architecture, supplies, and weapons were on display offering an interesting sight and opportunity to learn. Afterwards, we met our tour guides for San Miguel who were hilarious and very active. We went up to an old volcanic area littered with hot springs and the scent of sulfur. Offering endless sights for photos we got to swim in the hot springs which was a new experience for me that I have always wanted to do. Learned about how thin the Earth’s crust is there and how that affects the islands. We also had the opportunity to try eating food that was cooked and prepared being buried within a special pot in the ground where it was extremely hot.

At this point, I was developing my concept for my photo book and decided to use almost entirely film photography. I used some digital just to capture everything because the amount of film I had was limited to what I had brought from home.

Day 3 of the trip we woke up and went to the town hall of Ponta Delgada to meet with Teavish (Unsure of spelling) and discussed the growing tourism industry as well as how the islands coexist and function as a whole. From there we had a travel day that led us on a flight to Terceira for a local lunch that felt more like a feast. I tried exotic foods such as cow tongue, octopus (not fried) and sampled a variety of wine and other local treats. Seeing the plates of meats was an experience in its own right. I do not usually eat meat that much especially off the bone but tried it for the sake of the experience and adapting to the culture.  After lunch, we flew to Graciosa where we stayed for the next two days.