Submitted by Nicole Steplewski on the 2019 winter session program in Bermuda sponsored by the School of Marine Science & Policy…
The week of January 13th-January 20th has been incredibly exhausting. There has been a packed schedule every day, and I could not have asked for anything better. The cultural shock I mentioned from last week about driving on opposite sides of the road has slowly been becoming a more comfortable fact, but I still have not gotten used to it. There was one piece of information that I was told in the beginning of this program that I did not believe until today. I saw the same man today that I saw yesterday. Although this does not seem like an interesting fact, it proves just how small of an island Bermuda really is. Bermuda is only fourteen miles long! It is almost crazy that such a miniscule piece of land can be one of the most expensive places to live, and such a popular tourist attraction.
Speaking of tourism, Monday January 14th, I had a wonderful opportunity to experience something new. The group ventured off to kayak in and around Ferry Reach, which is the strip of water that our housing unit resides on. There, our tour guide taught the group sensitive information about mangroves, how essential they are for marine species (since many of them only find habitat in mangroves), and how they help preserve the integrity of the land to help prevent storm surges. I personally never knew how important mangroves can be for the environment, and with that whole day being dedicated to such an important habitat, I gained a new appreciation for them.
The group was introduced to an extremely respected scientist, whom we all call “Dready”. Dready took the group on another tour around the Walsingham Caves where we gained knowledge of his mission to help save and preserve mangroves, and the steps he has been, and will continue, to take as he re-creates and grows new mangroves.
The group also had the pleasure of running a workshop for local schools, with middle and high school aged students. This workshop took place for most of the day on January 17. Throughout the day, the University of Delaware students were split into multiple groups, and each group was responsible for creating a lesson on robotics and how useful and beneficial that can be to both marine science, and whatever fields those students could be interested in. Personally, I chose to teach students about arduinos, which is basically a miniature computer system that the user would use to create circuits, controlled by a programming language, to complete simple to complex tasks like turning on a light, making that light blink, etc. From the start, I had absolutely no idea what an arduino was. This was a challenge I was willing to take on, and eager to do so. I have to say it was a struggle to learn as much as I could about arduinos in less than 48 hours to be able to teach students, but it was an extremely rewarding experience.
From the start, I could not register that I was actually traveling to Bermuda. Now, with only six days left in the program, it feels strange to leave. I have become accustomed to seeing the water everyday, and I feel very much at home. However, my real home is calling. With six days left, I have no doubt that I will continue to grow.
