The last few days, as half of the new fall semester was out exploring south Eleuthera on their 3-Day Kayak Trips, the other half of students remained on campus to become SCUBA certified, a big Island School first. Last night, students were asked to reflect on the many first experiences they have already had in their one short, but seemingly unending first week at Island School. In the coming days, enjoy a series of student-written reflections on the many new things they are learning and doing in this very new place.
Carly Shea:
The first day here a teacher told us to pick up a handful of sand and then made everyone talk to it. I seriously thought it was the weirdest thing ever. Never before have I seen teachers so enthusiastic about teaching us to understand where we live. I learned it’s impossible to ask enough questions. I have experienced more firsts in a week at the Island School than I have in my entire life. I ate lionfish for the first time, went for a week without a cell phone in my pocket, and woke up to see the sunrise every single day. I have set a new personal record for most amount of time with salty hair and sandy toes. I have never had legs covered in so many bug bites or swam with a shark. I persevered through my first run swim, cleaned a boat and did dishes for an entire community all before breakfast one morning. I’ve lived away from home before, SCUBA dived, and even been stung by a jellyfish but I have never come across anything like the Island School.
Inayah Bashir:
Arising each morning at 6:10 a.m. to the beep of my wristwatch, I sit in bed contemplating what made me want to come here. There hasn’t been a morning when I didn’t have a shared excitement and fear of what was to happen in the day ahead, but the morning of scuba diving I woke up more pumped to begin my day than any other. As I walked to the boathouse and learned to set up my gear, it definitely decreased my level of excitement and was then replaced with the nervous feeling that has become quite recurrent in my Island School experience, perhaps too recurrent for my liking. Everything began immediately; I was submersed in waves with fish and STING RAYS. I took my first UNDERWATER breath and all I could think was Allah bless me, I want to be able to stand on land again and breathe in city air with my family by my side. It was an experience that took a lot of adjustment and made me question why I decided to be here, and not at home with my beautiful family and heated showers. This is a question that I continuously ask myself and I am gradually coming to understand that I am here to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Gray Murray Hill:
Our second workout at The Island School was a run-swim exercise. We started at the center of the compound in a circle around the flagpole and sang the Bahamian National Anthem. We then ran around a circle a few times led by the head of school, John Schatz. Leaving campus, we ran along the fingers of land reaching out into the crystal clear waters of this humid tropical place. After running over one finger, we would reach a cut of ocean between us and the next finger. Encouraged to complete the run to swim transition without hesitation, we would plunge into the waters and fight towards the other side. Feeling for the land ahead, we would push up and attempt another transition. On the last cut, a wall around five feet above the water line loomed over us. Challenged to get over the wall, most of us accomplished the task and proceeded to run to the Current Cut. Jumping into the swiftly moving stream sans floatation, we guided ourselves with hands and feet, exited and ran to a cliff towards school. After the ten foot drop, we swam to the nearest finger and reversed the exercise back to camp. Feeling awake and ready to move on, we weren’t done until we had touched the flag pole where we started.
Chase Haylon:
The only thing more foreign to me than being awake at 6:30 AM is exercising at 6:30 AM, while that is difficult, I somehow managed to wake up on time for this morning’s run-swim.
