Right, so this was my ultimate survivor summer, but I wasn't any more remote than the urban jungles of the South Bronx. What did I learn? A lot of Spanish phrases and a fair bit about sunblock.
Throughout the receint months, I have been in an unusual situation for a New York dweller. I have been outdoors more than indoors. I have experienced all kinds of weather, but rain and extreme heat seemed to compete for my attention. Just yesterday, a calm cloudy early autumn day registered163 degrees on the roof where I worked with my crew. I felt relieved that we didn't bring the heat gun device in the midst of August, because some details you just don't want to know.
So what did I learn, well, I learned that after testing 8 types of sunblock, NO AD brand reigned supreme. Yup, the cheap one that i first encountered as an eight year old while tearing up Wet-n-Wild in Orlando, Florida. My Mom dipped me in the stuff long ago, and now I can buy it in mass quantities at any corner shop in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx. It is sold in nearly liter quantities that you can transfer to smaller reclaimed bottles so to save your back.
I had a horrible reaction to the fancy organic indulgence sunblock, an event that alarmed me of the possible reactions to mineral based sunblock. I also spent two afternoons administering first aid to three crew members that had Coppertone Sport reactions when it got near their eyes. Not fun for any of us.
The biggest lesson I learned was to just cover up the exposed skin and alternate shorts with long pants, short sleeves with long. Not exactly earth shattering news to report, but sometimes simple solutions are the best.
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