Rachel McLellan '20

We left the School for Field Studies research center, our home on South Caicos for the last 100 days, at 7:30 am. We had to clean our rooms down to the last grain of sand we had carried in after our final dives and snorkels. We packed our essentials and donated the rest. We cleaned out the classroom, the new location for an animal care clinic the following week. The leaves were swept up, and the refridgerator cleaned out. The 34 students worked together to thank our new home for the most beautiful experience.

Thanking the faculty and the most amazing interns came next. That’s when the tears started! By 8:00 am, nearly everyone had cried. As for me, I was sobbing. How can you say truly tell someone you may never see again how much they meant to you in the minutes before you board your flight? These professors helped us grow in so many ways, exceeding the bounds of a classroom. The interns were absolutely some of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met, and they were with us for every step of our journey. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them, but now it was time to say our final goodbyes as they returned to their rooms on South Caicos or traveled back home across the world.

The student flights began at around 10:00 am, and they were staggered until about 3:30 pm. Each time a new group of students had to leave, everyone was a total mess. There was a refusal to believe it was finally happening, our last goodbyes. I think about 10 students asked me what “that feeling in their chest” was. That anxious pain, almost like you were experiencing a trauma? Saying goodbye to the most beautiful place and people was one of the saddest feelings I’ve ever come across.

One can’t forget that there is so much to be thankful for in this sadness. To have this physical pain to say goodbye to your new best friends, new love, or new friend you shared so many experiences with.  In that moment, you leave behind so much, and the fact that it hurt, meant there was something so beautiful and meaningful to make leaving so challenging.

Writing letters to each other to read on the plane was a true gift. We had the opportunity to tell the true story of our appreciation for each other beyond the days of scrambling to pack and rushing to catch a flight. Happy to have a best friend to sit next to on the plane to cry it out with – thank you for everything, Rob. At least our “see you later” is much, much shorter!

After finishing our Resource Management, Marine Ecology, and Environmental Policy courses, we have a few weeks set aside to focus completely on our directed research projects. The 34 of us divide up into several groups, all focusing on different scientific questions relevant to South Caicos. Some groups are focusing on coral, others on fish. New coral diseases and other parasites are even being seen and classified for the first time here. I have the pleasure of conducting a unique project with queen conch, Lobatus gigas.

Queen conch are a commonly fished mollusk on South Caicos, making them an important export and essential aspect of the country’s economy. Understanding how queen conch react to the historical fishing habits of the locals is a challenge surrounded by superstitions and various myths. Our project, titled “The midden myth: The behavioral response of queen conch (Lobatus gigas) to shell middens,” addresses one of these myths. When fishermen catch the conch, they typically “knock” them, removing the meat from the shell to ease the shipment process on their small boats. Typically, the shells are discarded in piles on the ocean floor, which are called “middens.” We hypothesize that queen conch actively move away from the presence of a freshly knocked midden pile. Would you want to sleep in a graveyard? The literature indicates that olfactory cues and stress signals may be involved.

To debunk the myth, we all SCUBA dive to conduct visual surveys at specific sea grass bed sites in the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve. Unlike any other project, we also spend hours interviewing local fishermen about their thoughts on the midden myth. Combining the experiment and social science aspects really produces an interesting and well-rounded result. Updates to come!

It’s the final stretch of my time abroad, and I’ve realized I’ve come across some important lessons along the way…

Try to put yourself in my position! Imagine going to a place where you leave all of the common thing you identify with behind. You don’t have access to both the big and small defining characteristics of your day to day. From getting lunch with your best friends, driving your own car, or walking across a campus to the small things, like smelling your favorite shampoo, listening to city traffic, or ordering an iced coffee. Everything is different. You’re left with just your physical self, none of your favorite clothes, favorite people, or favorite classes. Being sunburned, barefaced, salty, and sweaty are the only consistent features your peers see. The “things” you’ve truly brought to identify with are your physical self and your idea of who you are. More importantly, your deep down sense of self… but who are you, really?

Of course, we’re all told that we are much more than our material things, but how do you proceed from there? I know that my desire to have the latest IPhone or computer can be a strange, modern social pressure, but now what?

When it’s just you with no material or physical distractions, how you present yourself and interact with others is the most telling of who you actually are. Especially in a small community of 34 students, you can’t just run away from the people you have differences with. You are forced to confront, forgive (hopefully), and reflect. When you make a mistake, do you forgive yourself and accept consequences or lie to protect your ego? When someone else makes a mistake, do you genuinely forgive them or hold a grudge, only going through the motions of a successful apology? You can’t hide in your room when there are corals to go observe, reports to write, or children to entertain. You can’t skip dinner when you have a strict community meal time or have to clean all the dishes. You can’t avoid someone when your living space is one open room. You have to approach new situations and conversations that may make you feel vulnerable. How you handles these interactions and your willingness to grow can help you understand who you truly are.

To even further this idea of self-discovery, you are much more than your ideas of who you are or who you should be. Everyone is told to never lie and to learn to forgive, but when are you ever so blatantly forced into those painful situations?

This study abroad opportunity has allowed me to let my beliefs and priorities be reflected in how I treat myself and others. My advice on a bench, my conversations at breakfast, and my unconditional acceptance of others. How I act, learn, work, or speak paints who I am. I am much more than a girl removed from her “normal” college student identify for 3 months. I am a whole person ready to love, grow, forgive, learn, and reflect with wisdom and eternal appreciation.

Thank you, South Caicos. You’ve shown me who I am now and where I want to grow. 

After about six weeks on South Caicos, we finally made it to our mid-semester break in North Caicos, Middle Caicos, and Providenciales! One of my favorite places we visited was Mudjin Harbor, Middle Caicos. After camping with 1,000,000 mosquitoes, this hike, swim, and view made it all worth it.

Our Furry Friends

Of course, we focus on marine science, ecosystems, and animals, but we have the honor of hanging out with these cute puppies every day. Three dogs live with us (Fluffy, Louie, and Stanley), but if you just walk out the front door, you’ll bump into many more.

Just a few weeks ago, two different dogs had puppies! They’re just big enough to be held now. Will I take one home? Definitely maybe.

If you’re interested in adopting a dog, I’d be happy to act as a carrier for you! Check out http://www.potcakeplace.com/ for more information about a very popular adoption agency that works with all of the islands.

Our Friends with Flippers

Of course, we extend our animal encounters to shore lines and deep seas. Here are a few pictures of different animals we’ve recently come across. These pictures were all taken by students and interns on the program within the past few weeks.

Never a dull moment!