Garrett Celestin

1. The most important life lesson I learnt from Mike was …

Mike Horn has taught me a ton! It is hard for me to say just one thing he has taught me. One thing I have learned is that I can make my dreams come true. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true! Who would have ever thought that a 15-year-old boy from California would be sailing on PANGAEA in Malaysia with other kids from all over the planet and world-famous explorer Mike Horn? If I try hard enough, I can do anything! If I give 100% in the future, I have a lot to look forward to in my life!

2. What will change in your life after this experience?

When I go home, I will be a leader. I feel more confident in myself and I know that I can lead people in the right direction. I will voice my opinions all of the time because I have learned that I have a lot of ideas that I need to communicate. I will dream big and do everything I possibly can to make my dreams come true. Finally, I will never give up. Hard work and determination have great consequences.

3. The best part of this adventure was …

We have had an amazing expedition, and we have done really different things. I have been impressed with everything I have seen here, especially the underwater world! We did an incredible dive in Sipadan. We started in a cave – I have never been diving in a cave and it was really cool! It feels like complete zero gravity when you are swimming in a cave, as you can swim from the bottom to the top. It was also really cool because you saw the air bubbles on the top, and it was like puddles in the sky! Afterwards, I got really close to a turtle for a picture. I also saw a few sharks – which is always a big treat. All the sea life was amazing!

4. The worst part was …

Our two days of travelling to the Mulu Caves. The first day we wandered around trying to get our passports. We got on the boat and went to a hotel that was rated “-5 stars” (Dongkyun). There were bugs under the beds, squashed bugs on the walls, and the pillows were black. It was horrible. For breakfast, we had eggs and rice. I ate two eggs and later on the boat I threw them both up. I got sick twice – not much fun!

5. What will you miss the most?

I will miss the people most. The staff members are all very nice, and of course the YEPs are all incredible! We have become a big family and I love every one of my fellow YEPs. I would be REALLY sad if I never saw my family again – so I really hope we will meet again!

6. What did you learn from:

• Kerstin has taught me the importance of a kind friend. She is compassionate and sympathetic. Whenever I was not feeling good, she was there to comfort me. She has also taught me to be passionate about what I do. She is extremely passionate about what she does. She puts her whole self into what she loves. I have had discussions with her where passion radiates from her.She also taught me the importance of motivation. If I was ever struggling, she had some encouraging words!
• Michelle taught me to never give up. She finishes everything she does – no matter how challenging! She taught me to smile and to laugh. She is always happy and always looks at the bright side of things, because there is nothing we do that is so bad that we can’t smile. Finally, she taught me to really enjoy what I do. She loves playing volleyball and diving, and I loved watching her light up when she did these things. It was really fun to share the love of diving with her.
• Eugénie has taught me to laugh at everything. Even when things were bad, she made a joke out of the situation. If we were in a taxi that was possibly going to kill us, she would just laugh about how crazy the driver was. Whenever I was looking sad, she would come up to me and cheer me up with a joke. She showed me the power of a friend, who can make you happy anytime and anywhere.
• Daniel K taught me to be kind to everyone. Even if one of us was upset or grumpy due to lack of sleep, he was nice to us. He was also very kind to everyone, regardless of age. I am five years younger than he is, but he was always patient with me and nice to me. Finally, I learned to never give up. When things got difficult and we were tired, he never complained, he just kept going.
• Dongkyun taught me to always smile and always laugh. He was always happy and optimistic. It seems like he ALWAYS smiles – which is an easy way to cheer other people up. In addition, he was always there to give me a pat on the back. If I was struggling with something he was there to tell me to keep going. He was a great motivator!
• Rodrigo taught me the importance of a friend. We did a lot together and we talked a lot and laughed a lot. He fooled around a lot and had a laugh that could make you smile in any circumstance. Whenever anything funny happened, he would look at me and just laugh, which always made me laugh in turn.
• Simon taught me to be passionate about what I love. He loves reptiles, so every reptile we saw he would point out to us and try to catch it to let us all see it. He knew a lot about animals and could always tell us information about the animals we saw. This came in handy, especially when we saw a snake and he could tell us if it was poisonous or not.
• Daniel V taught me about a lot of things. He is a wealth of information. He answered all my questions, about sailing, about whatever. In addition, he always laughed. When one of us did something stupid, he would laugh and say “AY POPPY”. He always made me feel better. He is also very smart and passionate. He always spoke his mind and his opinions were very interesting!

7. As a Pangaea ambassador, I would like to …

As a PANGAEA ambassador, I would like to help spread Mike’s words and dreams and the message of PANGAEA. I would like to show and tell people about the beauty of our planet and our need to conserve it. I would like to tell them that there is a lot we can do to help, and the consequences of our work are incredible. I would also like to help lead the youth of my country in the right direction and to get the US more involved in conservation.

8. What is your life philosophy?

Have big dreams and do everything you possibly can to reach them, because you will be surprised by your power to make your dreams come true.

9. The most useful thing I brought with me on expedition was …

My diary, because I never want to forget this trip. By reading my diary, I will be reminded of every detail, and I will always have this expedition in my memories.

10. This is what made me laugh the most …

On the second to last dive, we all messed around with each other. I purged peoples regulators and filled their BCs with a little bit of air to make them lose their buoyancy. I did flips and we all did fake fights. One time, Rodrigo tried to do a flip. When he was up-side-down he hit his head against the coral – not really hard, it just surprised him. I couldn’t stop laughing!

11. This is what got me through the expedition:

We had a ton of inside jokes that were guaranteed to make us laugh, such as “100 bar for you!”. We danced to the PANGAEA theme song – “Kaptein Span Die Seile” and made up a song while we were alone on the boat. Everything we did together for fun made the expedition even more enjoyable.

12. The five words that describe me are …

Fun, passionate, friendly, comical and hard-working.