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Only 12 days left! As we start to near the end of our 6-week experience here at the Island School, we are beginning to realize that sadly this will mean leaving each other and the memories we have made here. Yesterday we said goodbye to half of our group as they embarked on their second kayak trip, though slightly longer—a three day journey instead of two. Unfortunately it rained and thundered nearly all day, pausing only for a couple hours, so the 12 of us who stayed back are hoping our fellow kayakers are alive and well. Yesterday, after bidding farewell to the group, the rest of us stayed back and began work on our Legacy project—a tradition of The Island School; essentially a project that we do towards the end of our experience that incorporates the work and creativity of each of us. Aaron, from CEI, has been working on creating a channel that carries the waste from the fish being researched in CEI to the ocean. This waterway, joining the mangroves and ocean together, is crucial for filtering out the excrement of the fish while simultaneously carrying in fresh salt water to hydrate the mangrove trees. The channel, however, is not in ideal condition, with nearly all of its wall buried in the sand. Together, we uncovered the rock-encrusted wall, and took turns loading conch shells from the midden pile on Girls Dorm Beach onto the sides, so as to prevent the sand from caving in. Although it was pouring rain, it actually turned out to be a lot of fun, and we felt really accomplished with what we had done. However because we did not want to steal all of the fun away from the rest of the group, half of the wall is still awaiting the toils of the other 12 who will be returning tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, we have a sleep in yay (and no morning exercise)!! Well got to go but that’s it for now!!

From Caciques Isaac and Tristan

With the conclusion of the final academic week we have begun preparing for the Monster Run-Swim that will take place in a little over a week. Two days ago we were driven out to High Rock where we jumped into the ocean and swam a half mile to a beach where we climbed out and ran to No-Name harbor. We continued running and swimming all the way back to The Island School for a total of about five miles. On Friday night everyone was invited to a party at the Maxeys’ house. We were fed incredible food and had a chance to hang out and given a break from work. When we returned to The Island School we had a dance party in the boathouse for at least an hour and a half. It was so much fun but also exhausting. Today the first of two groups of kayakers will leave campus for a two night trip. The second night of the trip they will have their 24 hour solo to get to know themselves a little better. When they return on Tuesday the second trip will head out the next day.

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“…Working under the effulgent Bahamian sun, swimming alongside a four-eyed butterfly fish, mucking through mangroves, and eating conch with a local Bahamian fisherman leaves residual emotions connected with a place that can never be attained from the pages in a textbook. To obtain an ecological understanding of South Eleuthera, I had to slow down and sense the cadence of the land and ocean. SCUBA diving forced me into a world in which all that could be heard was my own breath, giving me an opportunity to experience the marine ecosystems without human interruption. Smelling the sulfurous stench as we slogged through two adjacent mangrove swamps, diverged by a single road, heightened my understanding of not only the ecological services that mangroves provide, but also how devastating human infrastructure can be on an environment. Free diving for conch with a local Bahamian spear fisherman proved the deep understanding of the environment that is needed to live well in a place. An ecological understanding is not limited to the scientific edge of fact based knowledge; Nehemiah may not know the scientific name of every fish he encounters, but he has an intrinsic knowledge of them that cannot be quantified. Having respect for an ecosystem and understanding the role that humans are supposed to play in it is crucial for the extended, sustained livelihood of an area.

I have travelled thousands of miles from my home, but throughout the week I have applied what I learned from the South Eleutheran environment to the ecology of my local area. The Island School was built on the foundation of sustainable design, but as I think about returning home, how will my view change when I reenter a society that prides itself on wasteful tactics? Layers and layers of packaging encase stores of imported goods from around the world. How, in such an industrialized and populated nation, can we find a sense of home with our natural surroundings? In the present day, it is not easy to recognize which plants are native and which are invasive to an area because ecosystems are no longer governed by the laws of nature, but now are subject more to the whim of humans. Trekking out beyond the human stained developments of my hometown, I have found niches of unperturbed wildlife flourishing. To understand the fundamental personality of an ecosystem requires one to relinquish the petty luxuries that society has deemed necessary for survival and explore the place anew. After exploring the nuances of the South Eleutheran environment, will I now see more life in the ecosystems of my local area? Ecosystems are inherently different, but the same explorative instinct applies to the discovery of any place. Living well at home will take a rediscovery of my local area and a heightened sense of belonging in a system greater than my individual circumstance…”

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From your local Caciques Tristan and Bethlehem