“Finally, the Sun”

October 5, 2010

By Caciques Brigid Carr and Charlie Fichtner

            Today we were finally able to see the sun after three days of rain. As the weather got better so did everyone’s mood. We were able to enjoy a very productive community meeting in which we split into four pods and discussed the state of our campus community. There were many constructive plans made that are going to help the community. We discussed improving time management to help deal with homework stress. There was also a discussion of our strengths, of which we decided our extensive student and faculty support system was a key one. Boys’ dorm also got to enjoy our new pet,

Jemmanuel, the Bahamian Boa, who lives in a terrarium on our south deck. Captured and brought to us by Justin Symington, he is about 6 feet long, and a few different shades of gray. He provides us with entertainment as we take care of him and observe his mannerisms. After dinner there was an optional presentation by one of the worlds leading experts on Lionfish, an invasive species that are becoming a large problem in the Bahamas because of their fast reproductive rate and lack of natural predators as well as the wide variety and amount of fish they eat. Many of us attended the presentation and even though we couldn’t all stay the whole time, it was interesting and informative.

*editor’s note: Jemmanuel is a safe and harmless pet.  He provides our students with camaraderie, as well as the opportunity to interact first hand with the Bahamian ecosystem.  Just yesterday, students were thrilled to have witnessed him capturing, eating, and digesting an entire live bird.  Now that is experiential learning!*