Submitted by Jocelyn Juliano on the 2024 Winter CIEG program in Barbados…
So far, Barbados has been really nice. One of the best things that I have enjoyed here is the amount of time spent outdoors. In the winter at home, I feel like I waste a lot of my day because it is cold out and there isn’t much to do, and it is harder to wake up early in the morning and start my day. However, when the weather is nice, I love to wake up early and start my day. So far in Barbados, I have been waking up around 6am or 7am, and I go for a walk on the beach. Then, we have class from 9-12, and then after I go to the beach again. We also have a lot of excursions planned throughout the month that we are here, which includes a cave tour, a few island tours, and garden tours on the island. There is so much to do and I spend so much more time enjoying the day as opposed to when it is cold out. It is definitely a slower pace of life in Barbados compared to the United States, and it is a cool experience to see what it is like to live on an island. I definitely utilize the entire day when I am here, and I accomplish a lot when I start the day early and get outside. One of our classes is a coastal engineering class, so being in Barbados is the perfect setting that allows us to utilize our environment for the purpose of class. Yesterday, we made tools that allowed us to take measurements for the beach profile. We measured the elevation differences down the slope of the beach and into the water to be able to plot the beach profile and understand the beach we are on. It was really interesting and informative because we got to apply what we have learned in class to the environment we are living in for the month. I am definitely excited to continue to learn more about coastal engineering while we are in Barbados, and also excited to learn more about the environment and culture along the way.