by Emily Rand

[slideshow]

Only 12 days left! As we start to near the end of our 6-week experience here at the Island School, we are beginning to realize that sadly this will mean leaving each other and the memories we have made here. Yesterday we said goodbye to half of our group as they embarked on their second kayak trip, though slightly longer—a three day journey instead of two. Unfortunately it rained and thundered nearly all day, pausing only for a couple hours, so the 12 of us who stayed back are hoping our fellow kayakers are alive and well. Yesterday, after bidding farewell to the group, the rest of us stayed back and began work on our Legacy project—a tradition of The Island School; essentially a project that we do towards the end of our experience that incorporates the work and creativity of each of us. Aaron, from CEI, has been working on creating a channel that carries the waste from the fish being researched in CEI to the ocean. This waterway, joining the mangroves and ocean together, is crucial for filtering out the excrement of the fish while simultaneously carrying in fresh salt water to hydrate the mangrove trees. The channel, however, is not in ideal condition, with nearly all of its wall buried in the sand. Together, we uncovered the rock-encrusted wall, and took turns loading conch shells from the midden pile on Girls Dorm Beach onto the sides, so as to prevent the sand from caving in. Although it was pouring rain, it actually turned out to be a lot of fun, and we felt really accomplished with what we had done. However because we did not want to steal all of the fun away from the rest of the group, half of the wall is still awaiting the toils of the other 12 who will be returning tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, we have a sleep in yay (and no morning exercise)!! Well got to go but that’s it for now!!