Aye ’25 and Izzy ’25, share their appreciation for new experiences.
After some dorm bonding between the girls, we had our first sleep at The Island School. Waking up, we were a bit sad to hear that we weren’t going to go on our morning bike ride due to the pouring rain (and thunder). Luckily, the counselors at the school quickly adapted to this unexpected situation. We ended up doing some yoga, and a quick workout at the boathouse. The following activities were even more exciting. We learned about an invasive species in the Bahamas, Lionfish, then got to dissect them! As the weather started to get better, we drove to a cove, waded out to the mangroves, then “alligator walked” with our snorkels, looking at all the fishes that live in the roots of mangroves. We returned back to the school, before embarking on our last journey of the day, biking on a 4 mile loop, but taking a quick stop at a cliff. When we completed the loop, there was a platform by Triangle Cove, where we were able to jump off into the water. We ended off our night learning about the history of Eleuthera, preparing us for our trip into town tomorrow.
Izzy ’25: Although it is hard to pick a favorite activity, I loved the dissection of the lionfish we did today. At first I was a bit nervous considering I have never touched a fish before. Even the ones that I had as a pet when I was younger. However, slowly exploring with my group and being taught about different parts of the fish was very exciting. I even found myself taking the lead in fileting the side to reveal the organs. While I was quite sad that we had to stop, we drove to the marina after and fed the lionfish remains to sharks, which was amazing to see. This was only one of the many new experiences I have had on this trip. Even the walks along the beach are very eye opening and calming. Everytime I see something new, today I even saw a stingray floating close to shore. I have learned to have more appreciation for everything around me, especially nature. In only two days I have seen that my curiosity is already growing and I am so excited to see what the rest of this trip will bring.
Aye ’25: Biking on the loop for me was definitely my favorite activity. The loop was not the smoothest path I’ve ever ridden on. There were moments of calmness, then suddenly there were puddles and rocks. Most people would probably say that’s not ideal, which is true, but this trip has taught me to be comfortable in uncomfortable scenarios. I found myself screaming like a kid and giggling with the other girls biking, simply having fun in nature. After already taking two navy showers, I had decided to just bike the loop with the group and not jump off the platform. Once biking for over 20 minutes and finally arriving at the water, sweaty and a bit tired, I started to rethink my previous decision. The warm blue water looked too enticing to miss out on. As I sat down on a few rocks, watching my friends jump into the cove, I thought about what I was going to do, for I had not worn a swimsuit there and had just taken a shower. As much as I love being in clean and dry clothes, I didn’t want to miss out on this experience. I was quite conflicted, so like any wise person would, I asked my best friend, Izzy, what to do. After her approval and a quick calm down due to my fear of heights, I pencil dove into the water. The feeling after jumping in was amazing. I feel like this little experience has also summed up my time so far at the island school. It’s important to buy into everything they have to offer, and sometimes do things you wouldn’t imagine yourself doing. Similar to Izzy, I am excited to see what else this trip has to offer, whether that be fun activities or life lessons.
