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Brookie teaches snorkeling |
Greetings from a busy South Eleuthera! For the past few weeks we have been heavily involved in our schoolwork and our research projects. We have, however, been able to do plenty of scuba diving on the side. Last Friday and Saturday, we went out on a scuba outing to a giant coral head also known as Tunnel Rock. We were shuttled out in boats and then dove down to about 35 feet to explore the reef and hone our diving skills. While we were under water we were able to see a variety of marine life and many different types of corals. Although we were only under the water for a brief amount of time we gained a new appreciation for the reefs and marine life that we are surrounded by. Scuba diving is an amazing experience!
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Colin practicing the |
We also had a big week of morning exercise. We did a run/swim on Monday morning. Then Sarah and Skylar led a psycho on Friday morning for some of us while the other half went scuba diving at Tunnel Rock. The most relaxing morning exercise yet was the run this morning. We ran off campus together and when we hit a certain point we picked a spot on the beach. We had about a half hour of alone time to reflect on our first month here before heading back for chores.
During community outreach on Wednesday, some of us introduced our main project for the year. We are teaching students about a research project related to one of our sustainable systems. Our system is the waste treatment garden, where our waste is converted into nutrients for plants. The experience is very rewarding and a lot of fun. It is amazing to see the almost instant impact we have on the students’ lives. They are always so excited to see us and incredibly eager to learn!
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Laura and her buddy study the critters |
After a few short hours of free time Saturday afternoon, we came together at 4:00 for a lesson in Junkanoo dancing. Some of the Bahamian staff there at the Island School taught us the moves as we danced to some Junkanoo music. We are preparing for a huge Junkanoo event during Parents’ Weekend; we have the dance down and soon we will be making colorful costumes for the final event. Junkanoo is an important Bahamian tradition, occurring the day after Christmas and rooted in African tradition. The night was topped off when Jacob’s parents, who were down on a visit, bought us eight gallons of ice cream for dessert after our pasta dinner (and yes, we ate it all…)! A bonfire on the beach followed the ice cream for several hours. It was nice to chill by the water before and just hang out before the boys and girls separated and the girls shared a Girl’s Night with facials, nails, and a screening of Austin Powers.
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Tom shows off his junkanoo moves |
With midterms bearing down on us, we have a busy week coming up. Then it’s off on our kayak trips! But, before then, MIDTERMS! Wish us luck!
Tom Sterling- To Mom, Dad, Peter, James and Henry- I miss you guys To all my friends- I heard about the Junior Celtics, well done.
Ashley: Miss you Mom, Dad, Liz, Conrad, Valerie, Randy, Gram, Gram & Pop –keep writing. Hi to Laur, Megg, Kayte, Randi, Becca, Chrissy, Katie & rest of my favorite Taft girls. See you soon!
Eric Einstein- Mom, Dad, Ben and Julie- miss you. Boys in NJ- Mike, Hoover, Randy, Stein, Ben, Dave, Rajiv. Girls- Jamie, Nikki, Ashley, Kristina, Sam, Krysten (sorry if I forgot) Laura: Mom, Dad and Lou I love you and miss you. Helen you rock! Kate, Kia and Lara: Write me letters. I miss you all.