Spotted Eagle Rays at Current Cut

On the “Down Island” faculty trip, a group of four set off to explore Eleuthera.  Led by Remo, we drove up to Spanish Wells, a group of two islands off the northern tip of the island.  A seven dollar ferry ride got us through the narrow channel and over to St. George’s Cay; the hub of Spanish Wells.  A Saturday morning brunch beckoned and we slipped into a harbor-side diner called The Anchor Shack. 

For the first time in three weeks, I had a hearty, American-style meal.  I ordered the Super Breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, hash browns, crispy bacon, toast, and the puffiest pancakes I have ever seen.  This meal more than made up for the mistake of an order I had at The Beach House restaurant near Governor’s Harbor the night before.  Though succulent, the braised duck was smaller than my fist and I consumed it in only two bites. 

The community of Spanish Wells, as it was described to us, is predominantly white but thoroughly Bahamian.  The original settlers from the west came south from Bermuda during the 1700s.  A huge economic boost is that the community has an almost exclusive contract with the restaurant chain Red Lobster.  Roughly 80% of all the lobster on the plates of a Red Lobster come from the waters surrounding Spanish Wells and North Eleuthera.

At the Current Cut, the western point on Eleuthera, a swift race of water slices through the porous limestone at close to 10 knots.  Starting on the Atlantic side, we jumped off a 8 foot ledge and quickly were whisked downstream towards the Exuma Sound.  It took me a few moments to gather myself and adjust to the speed.  Focusing in on the bottom, I began seeing shapes sluicing below.  Finding my breath, I began a free dive down towards the bottom.  Wearing swimming goggles as opposed to a snorkel and mask limited my depth, but I could still make out snapper.

Seemingly as soon as we had jumped in and gotten into the heavy current towards the middle of the channel we had to fight our way back to shore where a back eddy brought us safely into a small sandy beach.  Such a quick ride did not whet my appetite for exploration and we scurried out of the water and back up the path.  Luckily for us, this extra trip down the current was well worth it.

Upon re-entering the water, we stayed closer to shore.  A local fisherman had given up and his hand line was no longer a hazard.  By staying closer to the rocks, we found a back eddy.  I practiced my free diving, having traded my goggles for a mask.  Although leaking, I was able to get into the 25-30 foot range comfortably.  At this depth, I needed four arm pulls and coinciding dolphin-kicks to reach the surface.

While working my way down, I spotted a large shape in the distance, flapping majestically.  I pulled out of the dive and went horizontally towards the shape.  Before swimming up to the surface, I noticed white spots on the back along with an enormous tail barb.  Reaching the surface, I started yelling towards my swim partners imploring them to look down.  With the horizontal motion of my dive, I had exited the back eddy and starting moving again.  With my head below the water, I began counting spotted eagle rays.  6 in one pod and 7 in another.  13 spotted eagle rays in one trip down the Current Cut! What a day.

DCMS 10-Year Celebration

In conjunction with the DCMS 10-year anniversary, all of Cape Eleuthera Foundation was invited to a fundraising ball at InGraham’s Beach Inn down in Tarpum Bay.  Many alumni and former teachers returned to the island to support the cause.  Starting with a school bus ride from the Cape all the way out to Tarpum Bay, the night was filled with revelry.  There were multiple coolers packed with ice and refreshments which were consumed on the hour long ride to the event. 

Once the bus arrived at the school, we were treated with a wonderful live band called The Rum Runners, a cash bar, and a buffet table that stretched seemingly for miles.  On the menu was conch, salad, peas and rice, jerk chicken, and mac and cheese.  The guavaduff for dessert really hit the spot.  This local delicacy is made with dough, guava, and lots of sugar.  Once the guava is kneaded into the dough, it is boiled and a nice sugary glaze is drizzled on top of it. 

Once the plates were cleared, a dance party kicked off.  Awards were given out for best dancer, best dance move, and best dressed.  Although the injured ankle was still problematic, at that point in the night the pain had subsided and I proceeded to dance alongside colleagues from the Island School and CEI. 

Saturday morning came earlier than expected.  I had previously volunteered to be a support station for the 5 mile Run/Walk from campus to Deep Creek and could not back out of that commitment.  I set up my station with Jonny at the S-curve, about halfway down the course.  A trickle of runners came through, for which we were prepared to support with cups of water and orange slices.  Once the larger pack of joggers and walkers came through the station, we struggled to keep up with the demand. 

Our stations had strategically been placed about a mile apart from each other.  At this distance walkers could fill up their bottles at each station if necessary, while runners could alternate between drinking or splashing some on their face and continuing down the road.  My favorite moment of the morning came as a young Bahamian, possibly a DCMS alum, came through.  We offered him water, but he kept going saying, “No water. It’ll only slow me down.”  Only 15 seconds or so later, Gabe came through and it looked as though he was determined on passing the guy in front of him and moving into first place.

Jonny and I packed up once all of the participants had passed through.  The support van picked us up and we motored down to the finish line to cheer on all the participants as they came into the finish area.  This area was the “Street Fair” and looked like a carnival.  Food and craft vendors occupied stalls on a makeshift midway, with a large stage at one end.  Most of the food was similar to what I have become acquainted with as typical Bahamian fare, however later in the evening there was a lionfish cook-off.  These fish were caught during a lionfish reef cleanup and by all accounts are a tasty alternative to the endangered groupers. 

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force Band played popular local music as well as reggae covers of classic American songs.  The party did not stop until after 10 PM, having started at the completion of the walk nearly 11 hours earlier.  Street Fair, and the entire weekend celebration, served as a wonderful tribute to the achievements that DCMS has made in its first 10 years of existence.  Hopefully this school can continue towards its goal of providing an intermediate transitional point between primary and secondary school, and will develop environmentally conscious leaders for the future of the nation.

Busted Ankle: 48 Hours

Wow.  I never thought that busting an ankle could be so excruciating.  In all of my years playing sports, running up and down the field, I was fortunate to never have a serious foot injury.  Immediately after falling to the basketball court in Deep Creek in excruciating pain, I knew that something was wrong.  I heard a pop and couldn't put any pressure on that foot at all.  Swelling started up and within 5 minutes I had a nice double ankle on my left foot.

At the 24 hour mark, the swelling had increased to a point where I no longer had a double ankle, but rather an ankle twice the size it normally should be.  Bruising began to set in.  The entire foot took on a greenish-bluish hue that reminds me of the ocean outside my back deck.  Although mobility began recovering as it was propped up on the couch, the swelling and subsequent pain prohibited me from making any attempts at walking.

Common sense required the RICE method.  Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  I did my best to participate in all of the activities on the schedule, but morning exercise was off-limits.  Participation did include putting my feet on the table during semester prep meetings.  I iced for 20 minutes and then took a break, lowering my foot so that it didn't fall asleep, and then returning the leg to an elevated position many times throughout the meeting.  I also used a towel to stretch so that it would not become stiff.

This morning, after spending the entire night with the foot perched on top of a suitcase (a suggestion from Ron the Divemaster) I felt comfortable enough to take short steps without the crutches to get out of the bedroom.  The swelling has not noticeably dissipated, however by feeling stronger, less tender, and with greater range of motion, I feel like the situation is improving reasonably well.

After breakfast, Rachel and I went up to Rock Sound to see Doc Smith, the South Eleuthera doctor.  He was making house calls when we arrived at 9:15.  Rachel took out her Mac and started on a Sudoku puzzle, while I attempted a crossword from those 100 puzzle books you get at the airport.  Once we finished our respective puzzles, we switched and began anew.  By this time, word had reached the waiting room that the doctor would not be in until 11:30.

We set out for the market and ran errands to pass the time, but upon our return more people had shown up.  Assuming that because our name was on the list as second to arrive and thus second to be seen, all of the other people would respect that order.  Unfortunately, that order was not realized, and we continued sitting in the waiting area.  Luckily, the television was set to the Bahamian public news station.

Finally, after nearly 4 hours on the move, mostly in the hurry up and wait approach, I got in to see Doc Smith.  A quick observation and a few prudent pokes and prods yielded this diagnosis.  Based on the description of the incident (basketball with a twist and pop) and the concurrent swelling and bruising, I may have a fracture of the talus and torn ligaments.  It is definitely a Grade III sprain.

The next course of action will be to keep up the RICE treatment.  Hopefully the swelling will diminish.  Additionally, the two treatments that I was prescribed (a pill for inflammation and a gel/cream) will help this cause.  If continued improvement is halted or reversed, then it may be necessary to fly to Nassau for appropriate X-ray or MRI tests.  However, if all goes well and the treatment is successful, it may be possible for me to begin rehabilitation exercises by the weekend.

Pictures of the injury are coming, especially of the myriad of colors that are, and will be, present in the foot.

DCMS Basketball

Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) is the site of the pick-up basketball game that Island School and CEI staff participate in.  Although not overly competitive, there is still a serious tone to the game and bragging rights for the winners.  I found myself in the middle of a 3-on-3 game and just tried to feel my way around the court and get used to the motions of a game I had not played since grade school.

Although we lost that first game, I found that moving, passing, dribbling, etc. all came back quickly.  I was feeling comfortable despite my rust and did my best to stay out of the way and to avoid contact.  In the process of avoiding contact and cutting to an open area of the court, I took a bad step and rolled my ankle.  Not only was there the intense searing pain from the roll, but I heard an additional pop that worried my greatly.

Immediately the game paused and the other players rushed in to help the best they could.  Sam ran down to his house and grabbed a cooler filled with frozen packs and some ice.  Ian got a towel to provide a soft place to rest the foot as I was still lying on the court clutching my lower leg.  Matt, my colleague in the math department, aided in getting me over to the picnic table at the side of the court.  Jake and Avery helped out with wrapping the ankle and getting me in a comfortable position.

Going into the dining hall with a busted ankle isn't much fun.  First, there are the 3 steps to climb before actually entering the facility.  Secondly, all eyes immediately turn to the crippled kid.  "What happened?" they all asked, and I proceeded to recount the details I could remember.  I showed off what looked like a third ankle bone, on the outside of the foot; below the ankle, but farther forward.  On a positive note, the most common response was, "Ouch, looks like it hurts, but I've seen worse."  This makes me feel good, but it's clearly a serious injury that will take time to heal properly.

Overall, it was a team effort.  I am grateful to everyone who helped out, and it is obvious that this is a community that takes care of their own under any circumstance.

Sea Turtle Rescue

Thursday began with a typical morning exercise routine that involved a 4 mile run, with a glorious jump off of High Rock to interrupt the tedious pounding of running.  Since this day was designed by David and Remo to be an exploratory trip through South Eleuthera, we needed to get on the road soon after breakfast.

In the van, we made a decision to spend some time exploring a blue hole.  This is a place where the limestone eroded away when the sea level was much lower and as the water level rose, they became underwater caves.  The ancient Lucayans believed that these were holy entrances into a different world.  In recent dive explorations, they have found ceremonial remains of Lucayans.  Additionally, the modern Bahamians have begun creating cemeteries on land closest to a blue hole in honor of the ancient traditions.

This hole was located about 300 yards off the beach and the entrance was 15 feet deep.  Jonny and Lyssa free dove down to the cave entrance and then explored a little deeper.  I got a few tips on free diving from Peter, who has experience working in the islands of the Pacific in addition to working in the Virgin Islands.  I could not get the hang of the breathing and recalibration of equilibrium at any depth, so my maximum depth was only 8 feet and I couldn't explore that area like I wanted to.

We continued "down island" which is actually moving north through Eleuthera.  We stopped at a cave where I spotted a 4 foot Bahamian boa constrictor.  I told Jonny, who in turn yelled at Remo to come have a look.  Remo grabbed the boa and as it began to wrap around his forearm, he launched into a speech on how when boas become scared or agitated they tend to urinate or defecate on the aggressor.  Well, that's exactly what happened moments later.

Exiting the cave system gave us the opportunity to have lunch at a place called Ocean Hole in Rock Sound.  I would compare this formation to an open pit quarry that was filled in, but it is actually the same as a blue hole, except the entrance is above ground.  Within the hole, Tiffany saw a green sea turtle.  According to the sign, local legend says that there is a hole which creatures swim in from the ocean.  Clearly there is a link between this hole and the ocean, because the water is brackish, however the likely explanation is that fishermen have brought in these animals and used it as a holding tank.

Tiffany, with her experience working in Fiji and Australia, was very comfortable handling the turtle.  Doing some additional research post-incident on the reputable website Wikipedia, gave me insight into the delicate relationship between green sea turtles and humans.  Local culture has considerable elements of turtle use, from soups to eating of the eggs, and using them in ceremonies like weddings or funerals.  Minor nesting spots have been found in the Bahamas and on Eleuthera but the expansion of tourism has caused stress on the local habitat and increased the possibility of accidentally treading on a nesting site.

Usually turtles will squirm and avoid being handled, but this guy was very placid.  It was assumed that the turtle had swallowed or chewed on some plastic detritus that fell into the Ocean Hole.  Because there is no natural vegetation in the hole, the turtles have a short life expectancy in that brackish water anyway, and the possibility to chewing on plastic makes the situation much more dire.

In a matter of two minutes, the lunch spread on the picnic table was put back into the van, and we were off to the races.  Remo drove and David gave directions, leading us to an amazing beach that from the road was obscured by a bluff.  Luckily, the turtle could survive for up to an hour on land and this trip only took minutes.  As Tiffany went out to guide the turtle into the water and toward a patch of seagrass, things did not look good.  Speculation ensued on whether the turtle was in a state of shock, or distress, or on the last breaths of life.  Once Tiffany had reached the patch, she released the turtle into the wild.  After moments of extreme trepidation, the turtle began swimming on its own and breathing.  Although clearly not strong enough to swim at great vigor, it had enough power to fight the current and at least maintain it's position laterally along the shore and at a distance equal to the shore.

Thoughtful reflection and discussion on the situation that led up to a trapped turtle and the need for a rescue keep us engrossed in conversation for long enough to lose sight of the green sea turtle.  It is assumed optimistically that this creature was just in shock and was playing dead for as long as it took for the humans to leave him alone.  No matter what the outcome, this individual turtle is now in a much better place and one that is more suitable for survival than what he was in when we found him.

New Faculty Orientation

The Island School and the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) brought in eight new faculty or staff for this semester.  Outside of the four fellows, there is Ron the Divemaster and new head of the boathouse; Lissa, who is transitioning from CEI over to IS in the field of Human Ecology; Tiffany, who will run Visiting Programs through CEI; and Peter the new Marine Ecology teacher.

Starting on Monday morning with a rigorous snorkel exercise, this group has been together for all the daylight hours.  Currently, we are being guided by Remo, David, and Justin and eased into the way of life at the Cape Eleuthera campus.  A basic day entails a 630 morning exercise, followed by breakfast.  We then move into meetings which range in topic from risk management to how to reuse "resources" i.e. our garbage collection.  After lunch, we have been going on excursions which gradually expose us to the wider network of Eleuthera.  Finally, dinner has been in various spots around South Eleuthera and is then followed  by personal time.

Our morning exercise has been snorkeling, completing a run-swim, going for a run on the inner loop, and on Thursday a demanding run out to High Rock and back to campus.  For terminology sake, the inner loop is the interior of a golf course which was only operational for twenty years, and has since been reclaimed by nature.  The original cart paths and some fairways are intact and provide excellent running opportunities.  High Rock is a cliff overlooking Exuma Sound.  The limestone has been beaten away by years of wave action and rain erosion, creating a 15-20 foot (depending on the tide) cliff from which we can jump into the azure waters.

A run-swim is an exercise which begins at the girls dorm cut and goes in a straight line towards the marina, wraps back around and returns to the flagpole in the center of campus.  Every time a person comes to a change in terrain during their straight line movement, they are either swimming or running.  On the way back, there is a section of road running, followed by a cliff jump of about 8 feet, leading into a swim and return to the flagpole.

Over the course of our various exercises, I have found Tiffany to be an admirable training partner.  She was former swimmer, who like me, hates to run.  This leads to a perfect pairing on both land and in the water.  At this point, I would consider myself to be among the top swimmers, but the runners are by far superior to my current abilities.  The great thing is that we all know that we will improve on our weaknesses and have each other to give or receive needed support and encouragement.

I once again have to comment on the fabulous food that is being served in the dining hall.  Based on the limited  in season fruits and vegetables, these women are making wonderful dishes that provide the nutrition that we need so we can maintain active lifestyles in the heat of the Bahamas.  Our off-campus dining experiences were at Sherril's, in Deep Creek settlement, and Coco's in Rock Sound.  Both places specialize in conch, much like every other restaurant on the island.  Conch salad, conch fritters, conch burgers, it's all good.

Flying In

This is the mostly true story of 4 strangers, picked to live in an apartment, to work together and have their lives blogged, to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start being real.  The Real World: Eleuthera.

Welcome all to the blog of my experience at The Island School (IS) and in South Eleuthera as a whole.  If you want to figure out where in the world this place is, type in Eleuthera Island, Freetown, The Bahamas, and work your way back towards Florida.  Look for the symbol that says "Powell Point" and an Airplane.  Even though there is no working airport in the area, this is a good homing beacon towards the IS campus.

There are four Teaching Fellows in this apartment.  Jason Harris, from Needham, Mass and teaching in the Histories; Vanessa Emery, of Nantucket, Mass and a Human Ecology fellow; Ellie Moore, originally from Menlo Park, CA and working in the Literature department.  Then there is me, Dave Burnham, from Wilton, CT and a Math Fellow.

Flying from Nassau to Rock Sound was definitely an interesting experience.  First off, the plane was nowhere near on time for departure.  This clearly was the definition of "island time".  Things will get done when they are done, and there is no use in getting stressed by the delay.  Once on the plane, it felt like sitting inside a sauna.  No air flow, no ventilation, and a grumpy and distressed French-Canadian couple sitting directly behind me.  Additionally, we had an incident where a passenger went into diabetic shock and we had to return to the terminal so that they could receive medical attention.

Finally, nearly an hour late on arrival, the plane landed in Rock Sound.  Rock Sound is the closest working airport and also has the best market for groceries and supplies.  There is a branch of ScotiaBank on the corner of the plaza, with a hardware store, liquor store, and auto repair center occupying the other locations.  Rock Sound to IS takes approximately 30 minutes by car.  Pulling into campus at 6 gave me enough time to at least put my luggage into the apartment, fill up the water bottle and head over to dinner.

All of the meals on campus, except Sunday and Wednesday mornings, are prepared by a wonderful dining staff, headed up by Tiff.  She manages the food resources and looks to buy locally whenever she can in order to promote sustainability and to help the local economy.

In subsequent posts I will detail chronologically some of the highlights of new faculty orientation week.  Going forward, I hope that the blog can be updated weekly, but there are no guarantees so check back frequently for news and information on the intrepid four.