Hi everyone,
The harsh tone of phone alarms woke us up at 4am on Friday morning. The waning gibbous moon was above us in the sky and the wind was blowing in from the sea as we took off our sheets and threw them into our sand-filled suitcases. We walked to the Dining Hall in the dark one last time and had our final bowls of cornflakes and Chex, with soy milk of course. We threw the luggage in the back of the vans and hopped onto the “laminated” seats and rode quietly through the gravelly streets of Eleuthera. Many of us slept or had headphones on, but the ride was different from most of the ones we had taken on the trip already; instead of looking forward to a new adventure or coming back from one, we were leaving all of the adventures behind and ending our experience. We arrived at the small airport in Rock Sound around 5:30 AM and began our day of waiting in lines. Sitting in the uncomfortable chairs that didn’t offer enough legroom across the rows, we had some final conversations with our Island School guides. When it was finally time to board the small plane to Nassau, we all didn’t take much time to walk through the “lax” security checkpoint that consisted of a metal detector and a security officer. We waved our final goodbyes to Stan, Whit, and Kaché and walked out to the new-looking Bahamasair prop plane that sat on the runway waiting for us. Along with some of the researchers we studied rays and turtles with, our class and other people affiliated with the Island School filled up most of the small plane along with some locals who were traveling to Nassau.
The short 20-minute flight over the Exuma Sound was very beautiful; the sun rose over the layered clouds and bright blue waters. We flew past the tall pink buildings of the Atlantis resort in Nassau and came down to a landing quickly. As soon as we walked in the airport doors, we immediately pulled out our phones and frantically tried to connect to the wifi to check the status of our college admissions and social media. Congratulations, compliments, and hugs went around. News from the past two weeks was read aloud and Snapchat stories were posted with temperature filters and Nassau geotags. However, we still had to get through customs, so Mr. Daly and Mrs. Becker had to get our attention away from our now-functioning smartphones to the more important task of getting home. The teachers shepherded us through long security lines and customs, reminding us to not pull out our phones and to say that we hadn’t been at any farms or were bringing back any produce. Interestingly, there is a small piece of American territory in the Nassau airport just for the customs because so many Americans go to the Bahamas. Once through, we ate some fast food and waited for our flight out of the tropical country. Finally, we boarded and said goodbye to the warm air and bright blue-green waters of the Lucayan Sea.
On the flight, many slept to catch up on the couple hours we had missed getting up very early. Overall, the flight went well. Upon arriving at the Atlanta airport, we felt like kids in a candy store as on our walk to our gate, we passed dozens of American food stops that we had been dreaming about for the previous weeks. Our layover in Atlanta was what you would call “tight,” but Mrs. Becker and Mr. Daly graciously granted us half an hour to purchase snacks (more than a few students opted for frozen yogurt and smoothies). Soon enough, we boarded our homeward bound flight to Cleveland (or as a couple students chanted as we boarded the plane, “the Land” or the “home of champions”). The flight went by quickly; it was about an hour shorter than the flight from Nassau to Atlanta. When we were able to see land through the dark gray clouds, many of us vocalized our excitement at the white plains below. Snow! We were almost home! After landing, we exited the plane and were greeted by a welcoming gust of frigid air of our homeland. Inside, we stopped for a quick, bittersweet final count-off and bathroom break, then a group hug with our amazing teachers who had made this whole trip possible. We hustled to baggage claim, where we were greeted by parents, loved ones, and coats that many had brought for us. Hugs and happy reunions ensued, as did goodbyes to friends. Yet, many of these included phrases like “see you soon” or “we have to hang out over break,” as many of us that did not know each other as well before had grown closer during the trip.
We made our way out through the automatic doors to a dark, snowy Cleveland evening. Some of us were happier to see snow than others, but a warm mood brought on by reunions presided despite the cold air. One by one, we were picked up as parents drove up to where we were gathered and helped us load our suitcases into their cars. We would make it home just in time for dinner!
-Dalia & Matt
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