22.09.2021

Hello All,

Here is today’s quote:

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps“- Confucius

I’m going to break this post up into 3 sections: academics, community activities, and diving. So read it in whichever order you choose!

Academics:

Classes started last Monday (6/9/21) and we really hit the ground running. Unlike college where every class has a set time and schedule, there is lots of variation day by day. Some days there are 6-7 hours of lectures, other days it’s recreational diving and community service. Other days we only have a couple classes in the morning and spend the rest of the day (after lunch) out in the field. What I really love about this program is that you form such great connections with your professors and the interns. Our first quiz was an immersive experience… literally.  We went around Moxi Bush (a mangrove island) identifying species that the interns or professors pointed out, wrote those names on our slate (underwater note and pad), and turned that in! If you’re someone that needs to see it to believe it, I cannot think of a better place to learn than here. You can’t get more hands on than this!

There is only one classroom here so instead of switching classrooms, the professors rotate in and out. There is usually a break between each class which normally fall around snack time which are at 10am and 4pm; some of the best cuisine is served then :). Something to note is that because direct research starts around mid November the paces of these classes are really fast. They’ve got to fit a full semesters worth of info into about 10ish weeks. We are three weeks in and have already completed a research paper as well as an exam. Despite the fast pace of the courses, all the professors work together to make sure they aren’t all piling assignments on us at the same time. Each week (it seems) emphasizes one class specifically and they the switch.

Here is a picture of the classroom (comes equipped with an icy breeze curtesy of the AC unit) :

Computer room ( Take your late night reading into a sweat free zone thanks to AC):

The Commons (good wifi and good place to work or play games ):

Community Service:

Like I said in my last post, COVID has impacted our ability to interact with the community to some extent. Normally one of our biggest events is swim lessons for adults and kids. The idea of having a swim clinic with fully vaccinated adults is in the works. So far we have started a compost restoration project within SFS which entails restoring the former compost section and putting in freshly decaying matter every week. Last week there was a government (Turks and Caicos Ministry of Health) lead walk for health that students of SFS participated in. The walk focused on self care and health so the event started with some light stretching before taking to the streets!  One of the most recent community projects we did was a beach cleanup at the fishing docs.

 

Diving:

The location and academic focuses were all reasons that factored into my decision to study abroad here but the ultimate reason was the diving. I got certified right when the pandemic hit and ever since then I’ve wanted nothing more than to improve and become a more confident diver. This program has offered two dives a week (Wednesday and Saturday) which–over the course of 14-15ish weeks– is a TON of dives. Some of the dives are recreational, some are for for class/research. If you aren’t certified coming into the program and would like to dive they offer open water certification as well as advanced open water.

 

Here are some cool critters we spotted!

The great thing about this program is that if you aren’t inclined to dive, the water here is crystal clear and shallow and almost all opportunities for divers are accessible to snorkelers!

 

Have a fintastic day!

Natalie