The following blog was written by Caciques Blake and Adam from Sunday, July 17th.
The sun’s rays beamed onto my body as I stood with my peers together at dinner circle. The circle seemed perfect, reflecting how our student body has grown into an intricate community. While the sky turns orange around us, we await the new, approaching horizon in our 10 days we have left here. Ten days for Human Ecology projects. Ten days to complete our research projects. Ten days to continue the physical journey that will conclude with a challenging triathlon. As the community takes a moment of silence, my mind drifts away into how we spent our Sunday.
Our relaxing day began with some of us trickling through the dining hall for a casual granola and milk breakfast, or exploring the loop and having breakfast at the Marina coffee shop.
Others chose to sleep in and wake up for a special free diving session in the morning with founder Chris Maxey, while a few students ventured off to church in the local settlements. This time, we explored Cathedral, a common dive site reaching fifty feet in some places. The broad range of depths along the reef allowed everyone to have a great time: the more natural snorkelers could attempt to reach the sandy bottom, while others like myself were content exploring the top of the reef at a comfortable fifteen feet. Without our noisy SCUBA regulators and gear, we were able to swim within a few feet of any given fish.
After the noontime circle, we had an exemplary Sunday brunch with a wide array of delicious options such as scrambled eggs, bacon, pizza, toast, and pasta. After a hearty meal, students relaxed at Sunset Beach, discussing their experiences on the Down Island road trip as well as the solo on the Kayak trip. Some students participated in pick up basketball while others decided to get a head start on their “This I Believe” audio essays that expresses a belief that came from observations made during the Down Island trip.
As the moment of silence is suddenly broken, my mind turns back to our circle. All twenty four students and eleven faculty members can see each other, sharing a newly formed bond that has come from our daily challenges as well as relaxation time we all can afford on our Sundays off. As the circle physically breaks for dinner, I can only assume that this circle can never fully break in a place where the sun always seems to shine.