Stinging Swims

Scuba students finished up their theory this morning so they are now doing water work mostly. 

Snorkelers started with coral ID in the morning. We had a quiz in the evening. Kyle and sam had to help me out a little with the names, good thing I decided to take it as a group quiz...While snorkeling, the water started getting choppy as it is quite windy here. The chop tends to bring in stinging pieces of organisms and that is exactly what happened. Each of us was stung at least once today, nothing too bad, but annoying none the less. 

It was like swimming through a soup of little clear jellies (those jellies don't stingy).  We saw baby jelly polyps which looked just like "Squishy" from Nemo. Today we saw porcupine fish, scorpion fish, lion fish (which are an invasive species and a threat to this ecosystem) an octopus, a lizard fish and a juvenile angel fish!

Tonight we are learning about the different types of fish that we have been seeing and about the role fish play in the reef ecosystem. We are learning the difference between local fishing and commercial fishing and the impact that these activities can have on the reef as a whole.

I have to be honest that it difficult to stay awake through lectures after being in the sun and water all day; today we even had a short hike to our snorkeling site. But the information is so important and relevant to what the group is seeing every day so it is worth staying awake through it. I even heard from Sam that his shoulders were sore this morning from swimming all day yesterday! We should all come home is good shape!

Under the Sea

Today we all went into the water. SCUBA students learned theory in the morning first thing, they have been watching videos in their spare time up in the old officers quarters. Alex and Dean are prone to breaking into scuba training video speak at any given time..."if at any time you feel short of breath you should signal your partner"...or some such thing. I don't know why they can't repeat the information they hear from me verbatim after class!

We all have been attending evening lectures (2 each evening) and fortunately they are short, but they are jam packed full of info. Last night was an intro to the fort and to coral reef ecology. This morning, snorkel students learned about types of algae (pronounced with a hard "G" here due to all the folks from the UK) and then we went out to look for it. We went right into the harbor below the fort.

We saw most of the kinds of algae we learned about and many corals, fish and other organisms. Some highlights included a snake eel, 4 little squid that all swam in a row side by side, a squid, needle fish, sea cucumbers, and all kinds of bright little fish! We now have to go take a quiz on the different algae. I hope it is a partner quiz!

Meanwhile, the scuba students were taking a swim test and learning to use the equipment. They went out to do their shallow water dive in purple turtle cove. They have been working very hard!

It is nice to have all the students together, they are finding more and more common ground, I think. Last night there was a card game in the front entry of our barracks and Liam from VT joined in and even taught them another game ( they had been playing "poopy face" - a more appropriate name for a common card game). 

The mosquitoes here are pretty bad. I think it is because of the mangrove swamp located a half mile or so away. Students will be spraying their nets before bed tonight. They really like Charlotte and Alex!

Fort Shirley

We hopped on a bus this morning after our goodbyes. The bus took us through downtown Roseau and to the Dive Dominica HQ. From there we boarded a catamaran which took us 6 miles out from shore so we could look for whales and dolphins on our way to Cabrits National Park. It was a 4 hours journey (good thing it was not a three hour tour...you know our luck). Sadly the whales were elusive but we did see some sea turtles and a pod of dolphins. The dolphins swam with the boat for quite some time; it was a pod of moms and babies! Some of them jumped 5 or so feet out of the water! We also saw about a bazillion flying fish. About 4-5 inches long, they flew over the surface of the water for 10-15 feet or more. What a beautiful day for a boat ride!

Did you know that we are staying in a fort? It is like a child's (or any imaginative adult's) dream come true. We can see canons out the windows!! This fort was a ruin until 1986 when a local man pushed to rebuild some of the buildings. It is a national park and the renovated buildings are open as a hostel. We are staying in the troop barracks, but I am sure, they never had it this good! The dormitories are huge with plenty of beds on both the boy's and girl's sides. The bathrooms are cavernous and resemble a dungeon (much cleaner) with stone walls. We went for a hike with Sarah and Matthew (our site managers) and Sarah pulled an old musket ball out of the trail. She said there were many old trinkets around from the time when it was in use. There were also many hermit crabs of various sizes roaming the trails. Sarah mentioned that sometimes the land crabs (look like sea crabs, but live on land) climb up the stone walls and come in the windows at night...look before you step? We are taking our meals at a local restaurant at the bottom of the hill- the hill is really going to be in my "worst part" column.

The Best and Worst of Terrestrial Week

On this last morning at the Archibald Center, we came up with the best and the worst list at breakfast...The best and the worst:

Best:

Dean's burrito roll (Dean, and everyone else)

Catching and holding lizards (my favorite)

Getting luggage back (Alex)

Snorkeling at Champagne Reef (Kyle)

Crayfish hunting (Kyle)

Swimming in the pools while canyoning (Sam)

Volcano day (Charlotte)

Worst:

Being savagely eaten by bugs (Charlotte)

All sizes of biting ants (my least favorite)

Waking up and your mosquito net is mysteriously pulled up (Dean)

Not being able to stay awake for bats (because we were exhausted from travel) (Alex)

Remapping the weather stations (Kyle)

Having to be awake from 6-10 am (Sam)

The morning is bittersweet. We are saying goodbye to all of the scientists that have been with us since Tuesday, but are really looking forward to a week in the water. I will definitely miss other people making all the food and doing dishes for me as well as the mornings on the veranda eating breakfast!

Birding in the Afternoon

Our birding expedition to Emerald Pool this afternoon turned in to more of a swimming extravaganza. The group started out seriously (or not so seriously) looking for birds, but with all the foliage, they were difficult to see. 

We hiked through a beautiful forest to a tall waterfall and the kids swam at the bottom. We heard more birds than we saw, although we were treated to an amazing show by Black Swifts. A flock of them came into the falls area like the Blue Angels made three loops through the crowd missing us by a hair's breadth and flew away again!

Birding in the Morning

It seems as though our arrival in the Caribbean brought the rainy season. It rains multiple times during the day with bursts of sun between. We all just deal with it and get wet because it is usually too hot to put on rain gear. Often there is sun with rain and rainbows are common.

Alex finally got his luggage last night ! That is good because today is our last day at the Springfield Center. We will be moving to Cabritts tomorrow. It is probably a good thing as they will break the groups up into scuba group and snorkel group. The group dynamics between the four boys is getting a little strange. It was hard for them to stay focused on birding this morning!

We helped to catch and extract birds from mist nets this morning (which meant an early rise for all of us). We took data on age, wing size, beak and head size, and sex. This was really just for cataloging purposes as there have been few bird studies on Dominica and background knowledge is needed in order to do further types of studies. Each student helped to process at least one bird and then was able to release them; they usually did not fly back into the net! We ended up catching an Antillian Crested Hummingbird, amongst other things, and it was quite beautiful.

We will go out after lunch and hike to Emerald Lake to go birding. Currently there is a mean game of "President" going on.

The Lizard King

Today we traveled to the East side of the island to Sunview Farms in order to collect data on anolis. Anolis are small quick lizards which scurry around on trees eating insects. Of the two types we caught, only one is native; the other is exotic. It is definitely a toss up as to who is the real lizard king in our group, Alex definitely had the high score after catching 3 with the noose, but Dean actually caught one by hand which is a lot harder and takes quick reflexes. Either way, we were successful overall having caught, identified, measured and weighed 7 anoles in 2 hours! 

Mapping the location of the field stations proved to much more difficult as the trees they were attached to were on a very steep slope. So steep, in fact, Dean went rolling down after losing his balance and ended up looking like a burrito at the bottom. No harm done. 

Sam caught the first one!

Sam and Alex are measuring body length and leg length.

Marine Macro-invertebrate Day

Today we all drove to Champagne Reef to help with marine macro-invertebrate studies. In Champagne Reef, CO2 bubbles from the volcanic activity under Dominca come up through the water like the bubbles in champagne. It tickles when you swim through it! Scientists there are measuring how the pH levels change closer to where the CO2 bubbles come up and how this effects the communities of organisms that are able to live there. We found that as the proximity to the bubbles increased the water became more acidic. The community changed dramatically; there were no more sponges and corals near the bubbles, only algae. The relevance of this is that as more CO2 gets released into the atmosphere, more of it will get absorbed by the ocean. This causes the water to become more acidic and the coral and sponges to die. Using research like this helps build models for the ocean as a whole!

Lunch was at a local cafe we brought breadfruit mash sandwiches, mangoes, cocanut, and digestive biscuits from the center. 

Students then used a plastic square to measure quadrats and take pictures for later analysis of community change. They were shown how dye can be used to measure the metabolism of sponges. When dye is released into the water around the sponge, it sucks it in and shoots it out the top.

Later in the lab, students used the film of the dye and sponges to calculate the rate at which the sponge processes water for filter feeding. They created a spread sheet to analyze the data they obtained from the pictures.

Day of adventure

Yesterday was our fist full day and also Extreme Dominica Day! From all I hear, the canyoning trip was successful and all had fun. Charlotte and I took the volcanology hike option ( which I was relieved to find out was more of a tour with some hiking than a true full day hike) and learned about the geologic history of Domininca and the Caribbean in general. All of the islands are volcanic in nature due to the convergence of tech tonic plates in this area. I was really happy that Charlotte was able to really understand the information as she had had the basics in earth science and still remembered the important stuff - yay Charlotte!!

We hiked to some hot springs and had lunch and waded in the warm water, then went for a hike to a sulfur spring. The hike was a little arduous and made more so by the heat and humidity. Along the way, however, we saw mangoes and cashews growing wild in the woods. The ground beneath our feet got hot as we got close to the sulfur springs and we were warned not to touch certain  areas which would burn us. The water was bubbling out of pale gray and yellow rock at roughly 95 degrees Celsius (measured with a laser thermometer). The water near the source was black with Cyanobacteria and there were blacked tree trunks mixed in the substrate. The trees had all been knocked down and charred when that part of the mountain turned to. A slurry and slid down from heat, pressure and water. It started to rain when we were ther so we decided to vacate quickly as more water could cause another slide to happen!

It was really interesting to hear about the dynamic processes still happening here. It is one thing to drive around and admire the mountains and trees, but it really adds something when you understand how it all got here and how likely it will change in the near future. Volcanic eruption, earthquakes, and tsunamis are lurking somewhere in the flute of this island.

First Evening Revisited II

Tired as we all were, we sat through a lecture about bats, and then one about classification and biodiversity. Dinner was tasty; curried chicken, rice, beans, and salad. All made here in the kitchen by some local women.

We then had another lecture this time about volcanoes, specifically Sous Friere on Mont Serrat. This was interesting because we cover this specific volcanoes in Earth Science because it was so recent. The man who spoke about it has been doing research since the rumblings in 2009. He was the same volcanologist who took Charlotte and me out today on a tour of the volcanism on Dominica.

Another trip down the mountain to the river and we were studying bats. Each student was given a bat in a muslin bag which was hung from a cord around their neck ( the bat necklace). Things were said like, "hey could you hold my bat for a minute?" After a few minutes we all realized how funny it all sounded! 

First Evening Revisited

Not having much time this morning, I skimmed through our first few hours here. The Springfirld Center, as it is called locally, is located high above a valley through which flows a river. To access the river, we had to navigate a steep path with a series of log steps. Down, down, down we went until we got to a group of small pools in the river. Cormac, the macro invertebrate specialist took Alex and Sam to study aquatic insects (Not Alex's thing, by the way). Before leaving to go down stream, he instructed Charlotte, Dean, and Kyle to hunt for crayfish saying that the person who caught the largest one would "win". He then handed them each a small plastic dish and pointed out where to look. The three went to look and decided the small dishes were a joke as the crayfish were about a foot long! It was good practice with the masks and snorkels though and a cool break from travel. After, Alex and Sam looked for crayfish while Charlotte, Dean, And, Kyle went down stream. Sam and Alex were a little more timid and they both just stood together and bent over to look, they then bent over in unison, looked, stood back up, and looked at me a shook their heads no. They repeated this ritual at least five times. 

The trip back up the hill certainly dispelled any coolness from the swim. By the time we made it up to the top, we were all breathing heavily.

We Made it!

After a harrowing drive at what seemed like break-neck speed on the wrong side of the road through tiny alley-wide roads, we made it to the research center. How beautiful! Alex said "wow, I feel great now, it is so beautiful here". I think it was a just reward for the students after their travel ordeal. They put us to work in the river immediately so we cooled off in the water and learned about invertebrates. This was followed by a lecture on bats in preparation for some bat work which we did last night! We helped collect data from bats that one of the scientists caught and extracted from a mist net. Students were required to weight their bats in the bat bag (of course this hung from a bat necklace). We helped record the data and determine the species of bats. It was very exciting and we were all exhausted when we finished at 11:30! Today the boys are off canyoning and Charlotte and I are going on a volcanology tour. We are here with a school from Vermont and the kids are all getting along very well and having a great time!

Third Try

As Charlotte said "the third time is the charm". Everyone is remaining upbeat despite the obstacles that are being continuously put in our way. 

Yesterday, After 4 hours on Guadeloupe, we were brought back to San Juan because of flooding in Dominica. I don't think that is what they mean when they say three countries in three days...it felt like we were nomads flying around the Caribbean. The passangers (there are about 30 of us) of the original flight 4554 have stuck together and it is like being in a big tribe or family. We decided that we were like refugees for 4 hours as it was more than obvious that we were not really welcome there. They gave us tickets to enter security and they kept counting us! Also all the vending machines took Euros...no kidding! I really did not foresee that and so had none to use. The woman in the duty free shop had none to spare apparently so would not change any for me. Everyone is very impressed with our students and their adaptability...should I be filling out a rubric??

We are preparing for a 10 am departure and we are continuing to look for Alex's lost suitcase. We have been told that it is already in Dominica, although that response is a little suspect considering there has not been a flight to Dominica since we have arrived. As Alex said "if my suitcase was in Dominica, I would be in Dominica!"

The Sun is shining in San Juan and the weather looks good for travel to the Islands. I am continuously impressed by the resilience and positive attitude put forth by the students; we are putting our best foot forward!

48 Hours and Counting

I have decided we need to start making offerings to all the travel gods/goddesses we can think of. So far Charlotte and I can only think of Hermes....officially 48 hours into our journey and we are still not there. Maybe a boat? 

After leaving San Juan with the assurances that the three suitcases we were missing last night were actually on the plane we had a really nice flight. That is until we got to Dominica and ran into a huge thunderstorm. We were able to diverge and talk about physics and electricity when the plane was struck by lightening, you know Farraday and all (that is about the extent of my knowledge). That was certainly a first for me!

We were diverted to Guadaloupe where we deplaned and after going through customs (and having to throw away all of our water AGAIN) we are waiting in a strangely circular French modern type airport. Apparently the airport in Domina is underwater. Currency here is Euroes...

Kids are taking it well and we all laughed on the plane when the divergence was announced, however, it is getting a little old. Good news is that the luggage is still on the plane so we will not have to stay here all night???

Still Waiting

So this is turning out to be quite an adventure! 

We were originally worried that we might miss the connection to Dominica on Sunday, we needn't have. Our flight which was originally scheduled for 4:10 was bumped to 6:30. Apparently there was a plane with some mechanical problems and everything shifted. By the time they were organized to get us ready, the crew had been on duty too long. 

The fi

Light was changed to 7am today. We each got a food voucher and a hotel room as well as a free round trip ticket when we fly seaborne again (start planning parents). I was told this does not happen often,though I don't really believe it! 

We are now waiting for the fight they created especially for yesterday's plane load of people. They assured us last night it would leave at 7am. It is now 8am...

The people here have been extremely nice which has made the whole experience better and the students, while getting a little frazzled, are very upbeat. They have been. A pleasure to travel with so far! 

Boarding is starting now...

Waiting in Miami

Late leaving Boston; we arrived late in Miami. The last part of the trip was beautiful with the lights of Miami below, the sunset to the west, and a huge lightening storm off in the distance. Boys had Burger King for dinner...Charlotte and I passed. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and now are waiting to got to San Juan then on to Dominica. We all picked up extra sunscreen and some bug spray. Everyone is in good spirits and having a great time!

24 hours to go!

I am figuring out how to post from my iPad! There are 24 hours left before we leave. Car leaves at 1:30-please plan to be here at 1 pm so we can get all the luggage stowed. 

Don't forget a passport!!

Prepare for departure!

With ten days left before we leave, I am sure you are all very excited for your students! Hopefully, they have started packing. Here are some tips I have learned from traveling with my own children:

• Have them check off items as they collect them on a bed or table to pack - as a parent, double check that everything is there
• Be sure to let them pack for themselves so they know where everything is. you can certainly add suggestions to placement
• Weigh and measure the suitcase before you leave home.
• Put all the signed paperwork for snorkel, SCUBA, and Extreme Dominica in an envelope with the necessary payment if applicable.
• Make sure they have a water battle for their carry-on and that it is empty.
• Review the TSA guidelines for liquids/gels/powders

The car is leaving at 1:30 pm from the front parking lot of Nipmuc Saturday June 20th! DON"T BE LATE!!

I have luggage tags for each student and a printout of their e-ticket. I can't wait for the adventure to begin!