Today marks one week since we left the Gerace Center behind, and it already feels much longer than that. This trip has been the unique experience I was thinking it would be in so many different ways. To start I am overall greatly appreciative of the opportunity this study abroad gave me to not just learn about marine biology but, also about myself. I have had the opportunity to step outside of my comfort and, make lasting connections during this trip that I will cherish greatly. Normally choosing to go to an island with 20 strangers and 2 professors I hardly know would not be my first, second, or third choice of spending my time but, I don’t regret it a single bit. Being in that situation helped me branch out and make connections I’d normally never make as well as do things I’d normally never do. As I mentioned in my introduction post, I have a very cautious curiosity about the ocean, and being in the water every day was very new for me as someone who would barely go to my hips in the ocean in most circumstances.
The first day and the boat day were the worst of it ocean-wise but, being surrounded by people who were sweet and encouraging has helped me find the comfort and joy in something I was so nervous for pre-study abroad. I think my personal growth was something I had hoped for on this trip and, something that was accomplished. When I chose this study abroad I had hoped to push myself out of my comfort and experience new things which I can say I have accomplished ten-fold on this trip.
My experiences in San Salvador weren’t just days of snorkeling and learning about marine biology but, also about the people of San Salvador. I am very to have had someone on this trip to give an insight into the cultural knowledge of San Salvador. I learned about the funeral practices on the island and that there are more than 10 different churches on the island which is crazy to think about when taking into consideration the population of the island being just south of 1,000 people. The people of San Salvador are greatly religious but, also have a respect for religious tolerance which was a pleasant surprise. Looking back on it I had an unrepeatable experience by getting to visit the sole physician on the island. It was a bit of a shock when learning there was only one doctor on the island and, I had to fill in my religion on the check-in form which led me to be filled with different questions about the medical practices in San Salvador.
When traveling to the doctor on this island our guide told me about how many of the different specialists including the dentist, gynecologist, surgeon, and other specialties were not offered in San Salvador but, once a week when one of the physicians would fly from Nassau or another bordering island to work for the day. This was undoubtedly a shock to hear as someone who has a doctor quite literally at my fingertips whenever I need them, but Sandy explained to me about emergency treatments that can and do happen on the island if someone has an accident. She told me about how the news travels fast on the island and, the population acts as a big family unit in many circumstances including helping the sick, with support or bush medicine to use traditional plants and herbs as methods of healing.
Learning in this way is something I am going to miss greatly moving forward into my summer courses as well as my classes approaching in the fall. Being able to have first-hand experience with the exact things you are learning about is on a different level of learning than I ever had before. One of the things that we learned about that stuck with me is the destruction of the coral reefs and surrounding organisms, not just in the Caribbean but around the globe. The first day getting in the water it was amazing to see everything in bewilderment but, as we continued to look and learn it became clear that many of the corals we were swimming among had expired with algae already growing on many parts.
Every day in the water was still gorgeous and teeming with life but, as we learned more about the reef systems it made the realization that a year from now even more of what we were seeing could be gone. It gave me a sense of appreciation for being able to enjoy the reef as it is now but, also sadness that the destruction we cause to the planet is directly killing these organisms at rates they may never recover from. The conch is another example of the impact we have on the ocean. I easily saw 10 times more conch shells on the shore than I did in the ocean while I was here and, many of which were harvested long before they were supposed. The overfishing and greed of people are wiping out the conch population in the Caribbean much like it has already been decimated in the Keys of Florida.
This study abroad has been a very eye-opening experience for me and, I am so grateful to have had this experience. I hope to use what I have learned during this study abroad and apply it in my classes and life moving forward. Also at some point we ran out of storage so, some of these pictures are borrowed from other students since I can not add all of my own. : )
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