For a moment I felt like I was at home, as I breathed in the beautiful scent of the sea. Walking along the coast and seeing the sea sent feelings of tranquility and calmness throughout my whole body. Hearing the waves and water swaying made me feel so much joy. I felt like a part of Rhode Island was with me as I sailed through the water and learned about sea creatures, specifically mussels. As we slowly approached the dock, Simon let us off one by one. The sounds of the surrounding water were relaxing, and I was eager to learn about the habitat of mussels. The ocean is my happy place and the longer I stayed at the mussel farm, the more I never wanted to leave. While some people think of habitats specifically on the land, as a person who loves the ocean, I was drawn to creatures that live down under, specifically the mussels. The dock swayed back and forth but it did not even phase me, as I was sucked into learning about the home of mussels, the sea. Mussels live in freshwater and they can be found in multi-species communities called mussel beds. In order to survive, mussel’s need oxygen and food, which they receive from the water environment in which they live in. Simon’s passion for these sea creatures helped me see how beautiful these creatures are. Simon wakes up at 6 everyday and finishes his day at two. In the two years it takes for the mussels to be fully harvested, I can only imagine the beautiful unraveling of mussels that will be prepared as a delicious meal for people across Ireland, and even farther. It was a pleasant surprise to see how passionate the people on the mussel farm are about their sea creatures. As we sat and enjoyed the succulent, tasty mussels, I silently thanked the ocean for being the home to these creatures.
