Day Five: Meeting Our Community Partners!

Today we had the privilege of visiting other organizations on the Bahamas that are working to protect our world and teach others about the natural beauty of the world to inspire others to work towards environmental conservation. ForFar conducts marine biology research on Andros. In addition to enjoying their beach and taking a tour of the native plants, we jumped off a bridge! It took a lot of courage to get over the railing, but the thrill of the jump and the snorkeling in the water made it all worth it. Afterwards, we visited Green Force, which is a non-profit organization from England that surveys the coral reef. Meeting with all of these dedicated individuals has strengthened our resolve to protect our environment. If we all work together, conservation is easily obtainable.

So far, I would still describe myself as a tourist on this trip. We have not started any service, and have spent the past few days touring the islands and learning from different conservation agencies. I can personally connect to many of the conservation issues in the Bahamas since I grew up on the beach in New Jersey. I have seen the impact that trash can have on shore areas and the local marine life, thus making the work of ForFar and Green Force more relatable to me. Green Force was a very interesting organization to me, and is something that I will seriously consider partaking in in the future. One of the biggest lessons that I have pulled from the trip so far is that we should never take things for granted. After seeing the living conditions and infrastructure on Nassau and the more extreme conditions of Andros, I have learned to appreciate what I have in the US more and will attempt to rid my life of the excess and unnecessary commodities.

Today during reflection we all had the opportunity to reflect individually on our day and our experience thus far. It was an interesting twist to our usual circle conversation, and it helped to truly reflect on our own personal experience. We also had the opportunity to share how one person in our group influenced us personally, which showed how close and comfortable with one another we have become. It was interesting to see how one small action someone made had changed someone else’s view on a topic or idea. As a group, we are not only culturally diverse, but our interests vary as well. We all benefit one another differently and it was really comforting to see how familiar with one another we have become.