Programs Blog

November 30, 2024 

Location: Washington, DC 

Weather: 40˚ F and overcast 

Hi everyone, 

It’s me, Claire. Back again, one last time for our final blog post for the Coral Reef Conservation: Caribbean program. Thank you to everyone who has made this program possible, especially our professors Dr. Heather Page, Dr. Craig Marin, and Dr. Richard King, and the staff, Sydney and Sukanya. Also massive thanks to all of our partners on each of the islands that made us feel so welcomed and helped us learn so much. As I wrap this blog up, I want to reflect on this half of the semester, the one that we spent on the islands. 

First off, it was so short. Not in reality. I mean, perhaps anything can seem short once it’s over because the time has passed and all that remains are souvenirs and memories (funny, because souvenir is French for memory). Anyways, I more so mean that since our time was so split between each island, and no individual island felt very long, the island portion of the whole trip seemed to zip by. I wish we had more time on each island to just hang around, learn about the island’s history or ecology, or just goof off and explore on our own. We did get several of these opportunities, of course, but ten days apiece with four islands always cut out for snorkel recons and surveys and a travel day on top, it often felt rushed. Take notes, program directors. 

I don’t want to dwell long on any individual island since they’ve been covered in past blog entries anyways, but I will note, even though I’m wrapping it all up as one trip, each island was substantially unique from the others, and our experiences were incredibly different island to island, varying in culture, size, topography, ecological makeup, population, history, and pretty much everything else. Although I said each island felt fast, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have enough time to learn incredible things about each one, and form wholly unique memories with each one.  

So here is my favorite memory from each island as a little tribute. St. Croix, on the pier snorkels we saw so many sea turtles; it was beautiful, especially since it was some of my first times snorkeling in the ocean. In Anguilla, another snorkeling one, in the bay by our apartment (Crocus Bay, I believe) was the best snorkeling from the whole trip. We saw the most biodiversity of fish, invertebrates, and benthic cover, and it being on a free day unconstrained by research made it even better. In Dominica, I have to say my favorite memory was hanging out with Richie, a dog who lived on the street we walked down to get to the beach, and he was so fun to play with and walk with, and we would see him almost every day. In Barbados, my favorite memory probably has to be the presentation night, where everyone got to show off what we’d been working on this whole semester. It was a fun night and a cathartic end to a stressful week of work. 

I’m going to miss my classmates who went on this program with me. I was worried going into the program with only seven of us that we might get sick of each other, or we might have too much work for everything to run smoothly, but I had the time of my life. Thank you so much Sara, Katie, Cayla, Leandro, Jeremy, and Keegan. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to spend my study away semester with, and I’m so glad I got to meet each of you. I love this group and although I’m sad to see it end, I’m much happier that it ever happened. 

Signing out for one last time, 

Claire 😉