Now that the semester course has transitioned out of the orientation period, we begin a more rhythmic academic schedule. For the rest of the semester, look for Daily Updates about the Island School experience. Every two weeks a different student will be in charge of Daily Updates and he or she will use chore time to write and publish these. Look for updates all “chore days” including Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For the next two weeks, student Eric Witte will be giving you his personal, thoughtful, detailed descriptions of the Island School Journey. First, enjoy a thoughtful reflection he wrote last week about his shifting perspective. Later today, look for his very first Daily Update…

Erik Witte: Arriving at the Island School has pushed me to make a lot of changes in my habits.  Some aspects of this new life, like snorkeling, were no push at all.  I eagerly and unconcernedly hopped into the water.  I think of these as thoughtless changes; they required very little reflection and were not big steps for me to take.  But other changes in my habits required more thought: maximize the efficiency of my water usage and be more responsible for my waste.  These more challenging changes have caused me to reflect on why I have been asked to make them and what I did before.  The Island School has made me a more thoughtful person. Rather than turning on my faucet and being able to use a seemingly infinite amount of water, I am limited by what falls as rain; the trash no longer disappears into the belly of a garbage truck.  It is easy not to think about such things as trash and water in an environment where these things can be shipped in and out.  But here, I see where our resources come from and where our trash goes.  This state of being more aware has even asked me to reflect on my time at home in Connecticut.  It now seems silly that we don’t compost our excess food and that we rely on natural oils for our power.  Being here has made me more thoughtful.  I think more and more about how my actions affect the world around me.