Sand Lab - What's an ooid anyway?	Medical Scenarios

This week was a plethora of new beginnings for the entire community. Emotions ran high and strong, between learning to live in new living situations and homesickness every one has been living on the mood roller coaster. We have lived here for less than two weeks but we have heard countless times that it feels like we have been here forever. Every day begins with something new for all of us: new classes, new teachers, new roommates, and new experiences new everything. It's exciting and a challenge. We are becoming more of a community daily; every experience we conquer together strengthens us as a whole. We truly feel that after three months here we am going to have made some of the most significant ties of our lives. We are already in love with the people and the place we now call home.

The week started on a vibrant "note." On Sunday morning the entire community piled into The Island School fleet of automobiles for a trip into the nearest settlement to go to church. With our seat belts firmly fastened, we took off for Deep Creek, decked out in our finest garb. This was an experience none of us will ever forget. Why didn't they warn us? We walked blindly in to a room full of people singing, clapping and dancing. Some highlights include when Jenny dropped the collection plate, spreading change all over the floor and causing a disturbance. The music was an experience in itself; the huge explosion of sound touched us all and brought us to our feet, voices sounding and hands clapping. We left with a new experience under our belts, smiling and in complete culture shock. Everyone shook everyone else's hands and thanked the locals for their hospitality. There was nothing to say on the returning trip but "WOW! That was amazing"!!

Classes begin

Monday acted as a return to the real world, classes started and the reality of academia set in. It is one thing to sit in a classroom when it's snowing and thirty degrees outside, but when the ocean is calling your name and the beach is right outside your door it puts a whole new meaning to the word "homework".

Morning exercise continues to challenge us at 6:30 every morning. On Tuesday we went snorkeling and free dived for algae to study in our classes later that day. We are all really excited about starting our science projects and finding out who is in our research groups. These projects, for a lot of us, are the highlight of the semester. The projects allow us to make a difference in this community.

Community Outreach was another new beginning for the community. It was something that challenged us all in different ways. We were put in charge of the education of forty seventh-graders for a few hours on Wednesday. We made lesson plans and did research on various marine related topics. The goal is to have the students from Preston H. Albury High School in Rock Sound write a book on marine conservation for their science fair. We all ran around campus on a scavenger hunt for an hour and then started to work on our books. It was a fun and challenging experience and gave us all a newfound respect for what our teachers do.

Morning exercise

This week has been great so far and we look forward to becoming more accustomed to our surroundings, more comfortable with each other, and more tightly woven as a community. Everyday there are a surprises and every minute we see something new. We are constantly encouraged to change and grow. There is little that goes on here that is not a learning experience for everyone involved. This experience will challenge us and create in each and every one of us a more confident, interesting, and capable person. So here is to the next eighty-six days! We welcome you with open arms, excited and armed with nothing but our minds, our teachers and each other.