The following are two experiences written by Olivia and Julian, describing their experiences down island and kayaking last week, respectively. 

After a tiring but exciting three days of kayaking and road tripping, twenty four students arose from their peaceful sleeps to begin a new adventure for the next three days. After morning circle, each group started preparing for a new adventure.

The DIRT (Down Island Road Trip) Team set out for a vigorous run/swim to energize us for the day. After a nice breakfast, we set out for their adventure. First stopping at Princess Cays and learning about the cruise ship industry, we explored the resort and its beauty. Next up was Governor’s Harbor. There we explored the small shopping center asking locals questions about the food and where it came from. Some students ate some local burgers and conch from a stand on the beach. Piling into the van, we headed for the abandoned US navy base. There, while mesmerized by the crumbling building, we learned about how this base was used during the cold war. We learned that the old naval base church now housed meeting for Haitian voodoo and got to look at some of characters first hand. Extremely sweaty and hot, we changed and headed down to the navy beach where we got our first glimpse of the soft pink sand that we heard so much about. After splashing in the waves for some time, we changed and headed to James Cistern to eat at a local restaurant with great food. Tired and stomachs full we got into the van one last time for the night. After driving for a while we finally arrived at out camp site right outside of Preacher’s Cave. Flashlights in hand, we stepped into the engulfing cave and stared in awe at the structure of the site.  After a long day, we set up our tents and went to sleep, dreaming of the next day’s excitement.

KAYAK 2 woke up Thursday morning we knowing the challenges ahead of us. A three-day trip that would include a long kayak journey, camping on the beach, and the 24-hour solo that we have heard about so much. Packing all personal and group gear we were all on the water. Kayaking long and hard we reached our destination of Red Bay. Here we loaded all gear on the boat and split up in group focusing on certain jobs so our pasta dinner could be successfully made. Pasta on the beach was a success and certain questions and concerns were addressed during our briefing around the bonfire about the solo. Packing or essentials for our time alone was completed and we all headed to bed early enough to get sufficient sleep to wake up at 5:30 and commence our 24 hours. We were all spread across the beach 100 yards away from each other. Theses spots are where we had to stay and spend the night. Everyone’s night was long, rough, hot, buggy, and lonely. These moments were all shared and told when we were back at base camp eating breakfast and preparing for another kayak back to campus.

September 15, 2011 UPDATE:

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We last heard from Hannah before she left for China to study Chinese for 6 weeks through the NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) a program run by the US State Department. Now that she has returned to the United States, she has sent along these pictures and this reflection:

“I truly had an amazing experience there, and I had the opportunity to try new things and push my boundaries just like at Island School but in a slightly different way. Even while in China Island School was still in my heart. I wanted to send along 2 pictures of me that I thought may be nice for the Island School Blog. The first is of me on the Great Wall sporting an Island School t-shirt (I am small in the picture but I think you can still see the mutton snapper). The second is a picture of me in the Beijing Hanban Center which is an organization committed to making the Chinese language and culture teaching resources and services available to the world. There I am standing next to the beautiful Bahamian Flag.”

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The following cacique update was written by Miya and Henry as they reflected on their experience on the 3 day kayak/ solo trip. This week, the Island School campus (and blogosphere) is quiet as Summer Term is off on expedition.  Miya and Henry dropped off this post in between trips.

The silvery light dances along the water, gracing the gentle waves with its ethereal beams of lights. The sky around the almost perfectly round moon radiates a soft white glow. The wind gently whispers through the trees, accompanied by the calming chirping of more insects than I could count in a lifetime. Our solos varied greatly, some capturing a magical day that can never be forgotten, some a demanding challenge, and all of the places between. The past three days marks a number of firsts for me. I have never been away from people for an entire day. I have never slept away from my bed as long as our three-day kayak and solo trip.

Our escapade began with a lengthy kayak journey against the winds and currents to Red Bay with a brief stop at Broad creek for lunch – a preferential place for me, as it is one of our research sites for the Flats team. After arriving, we set up camp and cooked some delicious homemade pizzas, with Bazl’s onion, peppers, and cheese mountain of goodness taking home the first place prize in my humble opinion. The next day went by in a blur for me – the legendary solos. Twenty-four hours of time to put our tarps, food, sleeping bags, dromedaries, bug nets, and minds to good use. John Schatz collected us in the morning, bleary eyed and slightly mosquito bitten in some cases, and led a brief circle of reflection on our respective days. The remainder of our day involved a much easier and briefer paddle with the wind back past school (and a blue hole) to the picturesque white sand and turquoise water of the sandbars just offshore of campus, where we enjoyed a well earned lunch of PB&J Tacos. After a short trip back to school and a frenzy of unpacking, cleaning the boats, and showering, we reunited with the other half of the class that had returned from their Down Island Road Trip, which we leave for tomorrow morning.

[slideshow]Here’s another installment of “spot the mutton” sent to us by an IS Alum:

Brandon Gell (Island School Fall 2010) recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, with his sister and father. Brandon brought Island School stickers to place along the climb. The first picture is a sticker on a rescue hut at about 15,000 feet; the second picture is of Brandon with an Island School sticker in the background at Uhuru peak, 19,340 feet, the highest point in Africa!

For more information about Brandon’s experience, visit this site.

Congratulations Brandon!

Have you ever been face to face with one of the ocean’s top predators? They lie in wait, camouflaged spines from head to tail, eyeing  any oblivious fish that swims by so they can extend their protrusible jaws and feast. This striking fish has been spotted several times this week by the lionfish research group. Fortunately for us, these lionfish hover harmlessly over the patch reefs as we conduct our research.

Our project explores how currents affect the distribution of lionfish on the patch reefs in Rock Sound. Earlier this week, we took a boat out to a high-current location. The water was too strong for our flippered feet, and we had to bail, go back to campus, and practice using transects near the docks. Transects are like tape measures that we will be using to find the dimensions of patch reefs in Rock Sound.

The next few days were much more successful. In mid-strength current, it was much more enjoyable to snorkel and free dive around patch reefs. We measured seven randomly selected reefs and returned to the middle-sized reef on Thursday for more research.

CEI 83, the lucky patch reef, was invaded by divers, snorkelers, and forty-eight clod cards. Cinder blocks with the clod cards attached were placed around the reef to measure the speed of the current. After all our hard work, we surveyed the location for lionfish. After coming to a consensus of eight lionfish, our research group headed back to campus. There, we cleaned up our SCUBA gear and began preparing for tomorrow’s exciting day of research!

Best “fishes”!

The Lionfish Team:

Denali, Corey, Kate, Taylor, and Mackenzie

[slideshow]The following is a Cacique update written by Maggie and Bazl from Wednesday, July 6th. 

7:30 in the morning, the girls woke up and looked out the window to an unusual sight, especially for a Wednesday sleep in day. All the girls swarmed to the deck to cheer on (and laugh at) the boys as they pushed a 12-passenger van through the parking lot. This van wasn’t broken; this was just a small part of the intense disciplinary workout that had been taking place for the last half hour. This workout included running in the woods, climbing a sandy mountain, giving 100-200 pound guys piggy back rides, doing overhead lifts with 40 pound rock, and lots of other ‘fun’ stuff. As tough as this workout was, it left the guys full of energy and ready to face another day at the Island School.

After breakfast, we went on an exciting dive to Cathedral for Human Ecology class. Cathedral is a beautiful maze of reefs 55 feet below the water, with an incredible variety of gorgeous sea life. Swimming through and around these incredible sights was humbling. As we floated weightlessly through the water, we saw stingrays, heard Stoplight Parrotfish munching on coral, and watched Queen Angelfish swam majestically around us. As we ascended, flying fish greeted us at the surface, and everyone agreed that the dive ended all too soon.

After an awesome lunch, we headed out to our research groups for an equally enjoyable time. Though classes taking place in the water were ended early, due to a lightning storm, it was still an exciting time. Everyone cheered as the refreshing rain hit their faces; the perfect way to end a day.