Sasha: Two and a half hours left till my 21st birthday and I couldn’t be spending it in any better way. While I may not be spending it with people I have known all my life, in these two short days, I would not want to be making these memories with another group. The peaceful breeze reminds me I am away from home, in a country where ethereal beauty that we witnessed at the picturesque Jaws Beach, with the sand that shone as nothing as I have seen, is as easy to find as heartbreaking poverty. Walking around the College of the Bahamas, a campus that resembles nothing of the University I have adapted to, enlightened me to the truth of this country. Students who want to learn, who want to make a difference are found universally. These students have a country to be proud of and something I am sure inspires them to support the environmental path I have chosen myself. Pollution, trash, and environmental degradation truly are global issues. While they are fighting, I will fight alongside of them from home. As the speaker from BREEF said today, which may resonate me for the rest of my life: “The ocean has no fences, the air has no walls.”
Nelson: Snorkeling through Jaws beach brought images of a 25' shark sneaking up behind me as I was wading in 4' deep, pristine, warm Caribbean water. The warmth and sunlight felt amazing considering I’m a day removed from below freezing temps… as I write this fireworks are bursting into the air. Word is rumbling the random fireworks are related to the 40th anniversary of the independence of the Bahamas. Hold on… this is awesome. Okay, besides lounging on a gorgeous beach, I learned a lot about the environmental and economic status of most Caribbean countries. Surprisingly the lectures/discussions were actually extremely intriguing and were more enjoyable than the beach! This being the second day of the trip, I am excited for the rest of this adventure to unfold.
Morgan: Today was a jam packed today! We quickly got some breakfast in our stomachs this morning before launching off to tour the campus of the College of Bahamas, which is in the middle of reinventing themselves to reach university status. I loved the series of trees wrapped in painted fabric to heighten the natural aesthetics, and the architecture of the new library (built in 2010) was breathtaking. The whole group learned a lot about the Bahamian tourism industry and the extensive coral reef/biodiversity with which the islands are blessed, from our two speakers this morning. Afterwards we drove to Jaws Beach and enjoyed the perfect sun, soft sand and beautiful water as we snorkeled around the shallow areas. Then we all went through the tight Embassy security (they made us drink our water bottles in front of them) to discuss Bahamas-US relations and the big problems both countries face. We ended our day with some delicious Chinese food and an excellent reflection, during which time we discussed the moments that really stood out to us throughout the day, what we learned and took away from the lectures, the Starfish story, and really drove home the idea (going into our beach cleanup tomorrow) that we may be one person but we can make small changes individually and big changes by working together.
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