Cacique Update- July 17, 2010

This morning was especially exciting. Instead of our normal morning exercise, usually consisting of intense run-swims, we were surprised by a change in our schedule, dedicating the morning to a fantastic game of water polo. This is a favorite among many of the students, and is a much more enjoyable form of exercise. After a great game, we headed to the boathouse for a ritual six-minute abs workout and a series of curls, utilizing our abundance of conch shells as weights.

After breakfast and chores, we split up. Aquaponics and Aquaculture headed off to do research first, while Flats Ecology and Shark Team headed off to a Human Ecology class.  During today’s ecology class, we learned all about our campus’s food systems, basing our investigation off of our viewing of the documentary “Food Inc.” We all watched this video during night class, and afterwards the majority of us felt inspired to take a stand. Some of us harvested lettuce grown from Aquaponics while others replanted tamarind and cherry trees using a mixture of goat manure and soil as fertilizer. Later we explored the many wonders of compost, particularly Verna, which is the use of worm caseins to create rich soil. After this we hit the kitchen to trace all of the goods that have some sort of corn ingredients. The results were shockingly high.

That night we were pleased to find out that we were being treated to extra study hours and a movie night later in the evening. Almost everyone grabbed their sleeping bags and cushions and snuggled up on the floor of the projection room as they were given the time to enjoy a comedy in one another’s presence.

Love,

Tessa and Mia