Hello from sunny South Eleuthera! This is Robert and Silvie, your caciques for today, signing on. First off: a big thank you to Aadam and Zoe for handing off the cacique responsibilities to us. We are very excited to be the leaders of this fine day.

Hammers practice their SCUBA skills

Now down to what we all want to hear about….Yesterday: Thursday, June 30. We started the day off right with some stellar Bahama style french toast doused in honey (as a substitute for maple syrup, as a Vermonter this was strange for me to wrap my head around, but it was actually super tasty!) Then, the Hammers suited up and got in the water to continue our scuba learning. My group finished up a few lessons in the morning and then in the afternoon we went to “Something to see” and did our first open water dive. The current was pretty strong and we were all getting tossed around a bunch and we didn’t actually see much at “Something to see” but we all had a blast anyways. Then we all ate a hefty dinner and parted ways for our evening lessons. Hammers had our first night MarEco (Marine Eco) class where we learned about what we will be doing these next few weeks (it’s exciting so stay tuned!). After that a bunch of us hung around outside to admire the stars (which are amazing out here) and play with the kittens! On campus there are three kittens (and counting) plus a big skinny cat and a big, big, BIG, fat cat — Fritter. We all love them, unfortunately it’s not mutual.

Students explore the Rock Sound caves on their SERT

Yesterday the day started off early with a guided meditation led by our previous cacique, Aadam. The Tigers 2, which I am a proud member of, embarked on the SERT (South Eleuthera Road Trip). During our trip we headed down island and passed through the local settlement, Deep Creek. While in Deep Creek we visited a local grocery store and scoped out the most local item, which were fiery Eleuthera Hot Peppers. Also, we were able to find the item from farthest away: seaweed imported all the way from South Korea. After visiting the local shop we headed to a large and beautiful banyan tree, where we all reflected on the Danger of the Single Story in our place books. Next on our trip we visited a blue hole. If you’re wondering what blue holes actually are, they are massive craters filled with salt water that can stretch hundreds of fee† deep. While at the blue hole we were given an amazing opportunity to snorkel and explore the area. After we finished up swimming and exploring in the crater, we all sat at a nearby gazebo and ate some of the most amazing sandwiches around. Next on our trip we we visited deep caves and encountered some amazing wild life, including a few large banana spiders and bats that were resting above our heads.

The shade of a Banyan tree offers students space to reflect on their roots

We cannot wait for the adventures that tomorrow holds—diving, classes, and a tour of the sustainable systems of The Island School, CEI, and CSD. Thanks for reading! This is Silvie and Robert, your caciques, signing off.