Hello All!

Today, despite being a community divided, was a fantastic day. The Land Crabs and Sea Turtles awoke at a bright and shiny (in reality sunless due to Daylight Savings time) 5:30 to explore the Mailboat, while Avifauna and Reef Fish exercised on the beach before we started our day. Said day consisted mainly of either Querencia time or Bio-Diesel time. Having personally participated in Querencia time, I will be delving into that topic currently.

“Querencia” is a term that I associate with both Lopez’s “The Rediscovery of North America” and the Island School’s mission statement. For Lopez it was important that all people find a Querencia, a place where they connect with the earth on a very personal level and feel safe, to spark a drive and determination to protect our world and resources. For me and my Querencia, that’s a work in progress. For the Island School, however, it is also about Sense of Place; we students in particular are encouraged to connect with the land, learn the land, and find our place within that landscape and ecosystem. It can range from a visual interpretation, to geography, to an emotional map of Eleuthera and beyond. Island School students are lucky enough to have designated times for finding our Querencia, where we explore beyond what we know of our island and ourselves. We set off to explore Powell Pointe, encouraged to bring only our own thoughts and the means by which we can express them (for me that involved my placebook and pen, some watercolors and brushes, and a matzo PB & J [because how can one truly feed the spirit without feeding the mind? Just Kidding, I'm not that bombastic yet].) This is a vital part of the Island School experience for me, because not only do we get to learn about ourselves, but we get to learn about ourselves in the context of a place. It feels far more real, and far more relevant to inciting action. What’s more useful than that?

-Rennie