Day 2: July 19, 2011

    Sleeping in a place without air conditioning and bugs biting one every few seconds is unbearable. I have never been so thankful for air conditioning in my life. Even though I was unbearably tired last night, I still couldn't sleep. I woke up multiple times in a hot sweat, my sheets drenched and no longer comfortable. I couldn't fall asleep at 4:00a.m., but of course when the alarm went off in the morning I was exhausted. Regardless, I began my day on the island.

    Breakfast was another meal I didn't quite like, so I ended up with toast – grits isn't my thing. After breakfast we went on a tour of campus. Everything, I mean everything, on campus is recycled. To the point that there isn't even a garbage can available. This really made me think about my lifestyle. If people can live perfectly fine lives without having garbage, maybe my lifestyle isn't as sustainable as I had always thought. Leftover foot is fed to the animals on campus that are eventually slaughtered for food. Human waste fertilizes the plants, where basic vegetables come from to eat. The whole situation is really quite unique.

Next we went into the "Octagon", our local classroom on campus, to learn about measuring fish while doing reef surveys. Then we headed to a lunch of egg salad sandwiches, which were actually really good. I had dish crew, and to my surprise it was enjoyable. Whoever knew making a race of mopping the floor would make the time go by faster? Sure enough, Kyle and I mopped the floor within 10 minutes.

Once done with lunch we headed out to our first snorkel of the trip, what I was a little concerned about. As expected, my mask leaked, but at least I was aware for the next snorkel. This was a practice snorkel from the beach off campus out to a small ship wreck. Near the wreck there were fake fish to work on our measuring skills. I barely got by with my leaky mask. I saw the first fish of the trip. Lots of silversides and grunts surrounded the wreck. After our quick data collection on our waterproof notebooks, we headed back to shore.

After grabbing a new mask, we loaded up the van to our next destination, Four Hole. Here, we snorkeled out between two rocks where many fish resided. The fish were very broad in species and sizes. All of them, however, were ones I had encountered from last summer. Janneke, came across an eel, which I had never before seen while snorkeling. It was small, and multi-colored, but very cool, hidden in the coral. For some reason the rocking of the ocean gets to me even when I am snorkeling and I began to feel sick. This happened today, but I think if I don't wear my rash guard tomorrow the situation will go better.

When trying to leave our second snorkel destination the van got stuck in the sand. I didn't attempt to help get the van out as there were already a wide array of people helping and I felt I would only get in the way. After digging up the tires and placing rocks beneath them (and a little push from my lucky hands), the van began to go. When returning to campus I took my first shower of the trip. Since all water comes from rain water, water conservation is a big thing and I don't think I'll be taking another shower any time soon. The outdoor shower felt divine, however.

At dinner, we ate mashed potatoes and corn. I really enjoyed the meal and met some new people who are at the Institute working on a lion fish project. Most of them were from Canada, and I found their work to be very interesting. I hope someday I can come back here and keep doing research.

We resumed our positions in the Octagon after dinner, where we learned the importance of the research we are doing. To summarize, we are trying to decide the best habitats for fish so that if there can only be certain marine protected areas, we can chose the right one. After playing a tiring game of Apples to Apples we went back to our dorm, to find the pleasant surprise of roaches in our bags. Although they are harmless, I can't get over their size, and they still scare me. I killed two for the group, but there are a lot still roaming, even as I close this computer and try to get some sleep.

 

Highlight: seeing an eel in the coral

Day 1: July 18, 2011

    My eyes gaze down on the world and new world below me. The water is never this clear on the coasts, but in the Bahamas everything is different. But let's take a step back and start at the beginning.

    I woke up at 2:00a.m. this morning to catch my 6:00a.m. flight from Moline, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia. I never seem to get stopped at security, but today was different. Packing 2 weeks worth of clothes in a small carryon suitcase was a bad idea. Not only did I get chosen for the random check, but I also had my suitcase checked out. Unpacking the tightly packed suitcase was kind of a disaster for the security guard. With a happy smile, however, he let me pass through smoothly. The first flight was dedicated to sleeping. Having gotten only two hours the night before, sleep was imperative. Upon arriving in Atlanta, I thought for sure I was going to miss my flight to Nassau. As I rushed to the international terminal, I was relieved to find that not only my plane was still there, but another Earthwatch volunteer was there also. After meeting Betsy and getting to know her some, we boarded the plane to meet up again when we reached the Bahamas. This flight was also spent sleeping.

    Arriving in the Bahamas was a little scary. I walked off the plane to find the bright sun shining in my face. I walked back into the building utterly confused about where I was supposed to catch my connection to the final island. As I followed the crowd, I ended up in a sketchy situation. The airport had some remodeling going on and many of the walkways looked highly dangerous. Immigration was also confusing, but the green Earthwatch shirts led my way. The immigration officer was pretty scary as well. He didn't smile and I was concerned I wouldn't be admitted into the country. With a few short questions I was in.

    Outside immigration, I met up with more Earthwatch people. We introduced ourselves, grabbed a bite to eat at Wendy's, and headed to our next flight where the troubles began. We were in line for about thirty minutes to get our boarding passes and had moved nowhere. Our departure time was quickly approaching and people kept going in front of us in the line. I got my pass and went through security with part of the group. As we listened to the last call for boarding we ran down the terminal. When one of us realized half the group was still in line, someone ran back to ask if we could board without them. The lady at the gate would not let us wait. One of the group members talked to the flight attendant to tell her more were coming. She was quite helpful, and we were relieved to hear her say we could wait a few minutes. I sat next to a native of Eleuthera and listened as he told me about his chickens. When the rest boarded, the plane started moving, but lightening lit up the sky. We were then told the plane wouldn't take off for a while. From there I drifted off to sleep until the roaring engine awoke me to take off.

    The plane rose into the clouds. This plane, unlike the rest, was quite small with propellers and all. The jolting of the storm took us in its hands as the clear water appeared below. The view was breathtaking. Here came my first realization; I am in the Bahamas, a place many only dream of coming to. When the plane landed we were at an extremely small and run down airport. Literally, there was only one room crowded with people without air conditioning. Just imagine.

    Annabelle and Danni, the researchers we will be spending our time with, met us. Then we loaded up the vans and were off. Driving through the townships, I once again came to sense with how lucky I am to live in a nice house with a basic kitchen. I don't have to worry about safety or education, things many of us take for granted.

    When we arrived at the institute, we rushed to dinner, as we were late. The food was interesting, and unfortunately I ruined my salad with a super spicy dressing, so I didn't end up eating very much. After dinner we were briefed on a few things. The institute runs solely on wind and solar energy. The water used is collected rainwater. As you may have imagined, rooms were filled with bunks without air conditioning. Roaches and lizards run wild. But isn't that all part of the fun. The view is amazing. I feel like a real researcher. I walk outside and see a beach leading to the endless ocean and where I will be spending my time in the coming weeks. I haven't fully understood where I am or how much of a dream this really is. Regardless, this is where I want to spend my life. This is why I work so hard in school. To spend days without air conditioning in blistering weather and stare out at an ocean full of so many mysteries.

 

Highlight: seeing the crystal, clear water from above

The Story of a New Chapter

    A few weeks ago this summer, I had an incredible experience in the Bahamas doing research on an Earthwatch team. Each night I wrote about my journey and experiences to post as a blog, however, I had no access to the internet. Now that I have returned, I've decided to post my blog entries here, as I realized traveling is what opens me up to new people throughout the world.

It's Over

This past weekend, was filled with many goodbyes. As a junior with a lot of senior friends it was often sad to know that none of them would walk the same halls as me next year. The girl I have been friends with the longest graduated. Another one of my friends left to bike across the country, and I will probably only see her for a week before she leaves for college, many miles away. To say the least, there were a lot of tears shed and heartfelt goodbyes. My two best friends also spoke at graduation, almost bringing me to tears. I know they will be gone next year, but I know I will stay in touch with them, as we are that close. It is the others who I’ve seen and said hi to daily, which I probably won’t see again. The students in which I have cordial conversations with, who have probably influenced by decisions and in some cases my life, but with them, it is goodbye forever. So thanks, seniors, for being role models for me to look up to and be inspired by.
As I wrap up this assigned blog and reflect on what I have written, my blog will not be a final goodbye. Blogging has helped me track the people I have met. Without blogging I probably wouldn’t remember the little things in life. Those people who come and go in a day, but make you think anyways. I will no longer blog three a week. However, I will blog whenever I meet someone I need to remember. As I continue to travel, I hope my blog follows. Maybe I will even make a new blog for traveling purposes only. Whatever I decide to do, I hope you follow. Because maybe my slight insight into the world will lead you to a better understanding of life.

Let the Leaders Lead

    As school elections are coming up and people begin signing up for positions there is something nagging at me. Some students throughout my high school have worked incredibly hard to have a good reputation and help improve the school. These students are the ones who have wanted leadership positions all four of their years and for their senior year this is their final chance. Then there are other students who have held leadership roles and continue to work hard in those roles to maintain their position. These students have every right to hold their spot if they are accomplishing the tasks given to them. Finally, there are the students who party all weekend and have just realized they need to improve their grades for college and have some sort of leadership role. Unfortunately, they have realized all of this way too late. Colleges aren't oblivious when a student becomes involved in twenty clubs their senior year; it is obvious for the show. But these are the students who end up taking over the leadership positions. Since they have partied with everyone in the school, these students are quite popular. When people vote, they vote for their friends, not the best one fit for the job. In other words, the leadership positions end up in the hands of those who don't care and have it to just put it on their resume. Really?

    Whenever students do this, I am extremely frustrated. As someone who has worked hard, I realize what it takes and am willing to give everything my all. To be completely honest, I don't really care about my resume. I am confident I will get into college for doing the things I love to do. These positions should not go to the slackers. So a bigger question arises. Should the democratic process be applied in schools? Should there be some sort of application process instead, or will "teachers' pets" get all the positions? I think if we want the school led correctly and a representative organization in the hands of the students, it should be the best ones. No more of this "resume building" shenanigans; let the leaders lead.

Being Myself

    A few summers ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C. for a leadership conference. I find that at all of these conferences I attend, people are so unique. There are those who like to brag about all they have accomplished and those who one wonders how exactly they ended up at a leadership conference. Then, there are the people I find who are a lot like myself - people who have been very fortunate for everything they are blessed with, but don't like to tell others about those things.

    I feel I have this innate sense. It is a sense that when meeting someone I can tell who I will be friends with. Maybe this is just the over confidence effect, but I truly think I can just tell. When traveling to this specific conference, I had one goal in mind, to meet as many people as I could and be extremely outgoing. While waiting for others in the airport I talked to the students around me. There was one girl who I knew I was going to be friends with. She was extremely talkative, but also very friendly. This girl (B we will call her for the purposes of my blog) exposed herself to the world and didn't have a care what other people believed. She was the type of person I've always wanted to be.

    B was from a wealthy family in New Orleans, however B never bragged about her wealth. She knew she was wealthy and it was clear based on the name brand clothes she wore among other things, but she had so much compassion for others, her clothing didn't matter. B was also incredibly outgoing. In a sense, I believe she kind of helped me become a more outgoing person. I distinctly remember one day we danced around her hotel room without a care in the world. I was quite self conscious at the time, and this became a completely new side of me. I realized how much fun it was just to be myself. There were days when visiting monuments that B and I would make new friends. We would talk to other people in line with us, learning their stories as they learned ours. To say the least, it was great.

    During this particular conference, my grandfather passed away. This was especially hard for me as I never was able to say goodbye. From the time I heard the news, I was a wreck. But then B stepped in. The empathy B showed for me was true. Many people can tell me they are sorry for my loss. But are they really?

    People like B are those who seem to come into ones life, change it, and then disappear. With the distance between us, we no longer talk. But I am so glad I met B, who showed me the true meaning of being myself.

Growin’ Up Way Too Fast

    The world is quickly changing around us. I am aware of the cell phones improving and computers having the ability to do unthinkable tasks, however when do we put an age limit on when children can have access to the booming technology and just be kids before then. My younger sister is currently a 5^th grader. All of her friends have cell phones and are constantly calling one another. My sister doesn't have this luxury, not because we can't afford one, but because she doesn't need one. My parents have put their foot down. We just stopped getting cable, so all we have are the "boring channels." I don't have unlimited texting, and very rarely do I spend time watching television, but I seem to be a minority.

    The internet is a crazy place. A simple leakage of one mistake could ruin someone's life and identity. Facebook is no longer needed for staying connected. Facebook has gone to the extreme and created an afternoon hobby called creeping. Yes, I am aware everyone does this, but is this ethical? Should people have access to everything about me? Should they be able to see the pictures I took with my friends over the weekend when we were just goofing around? Well, that is why Facebook has security settings. I try my best to monitor what others can see or who I choose to be friends with, and I'm pretty sure I'm successful at this, but do children really know the implications of what they are doing on the internet.

    My sister's friend (a 5^th grader) just requested to be my friend on Facebook. Wasn't Facebook supposed to be an only high school and older site? Weren't there rules for a reason? Social skills are lacking. People no longer know how to communicate in person. Everything is done through e-mails or texting, but no expression is then being shown. People cannot convey their emotions. Relationships having lasted years are now being broken over a simple message. Where is the emotion? Children are getting fatter; I hate to be mean but this is the reality. Whatever happened to playing outside when returning home from school instead of playing on the internet? Whatever happened to letting one's imagination run wild, instead of cartoons making an imagination for children?

    The fact is, kids are growing up way too fast. As I prepare myself to enter the adult stages of my life, I have realized everything I miss. I miss those nights where laying in bed day dreaming was okay. I miss those nights where I wasn't required to read a certain book but got to choose my own. I miss those days when any long book was considered a chapter book. I don't even think I know how to read books without chapters any more. I miss being a kid. Within society we are encouraging kids to grow up faster. Society needs to slow this process, because these are the days that will create brilliant minds. Don't worry, children will eventually learn how to run the technology. I truly hope our world realizes this and someday I can meet all of the "kids". But for now, let kids be kids.