Well, it has been awhile...but I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to share my experience in January!
Just before the beginning of second semester, I was able to go on my 2nd international service trip with Rockhurst. The first was to Honduras. This time, I was selected for the group going to the Bahamas. It was a little difficult sometimes trying to convince people we were going there for *service,* but I knew at the first informational meeting that that was the trip I wanted to be on.
We had a week out of the country, and we split our time between two islands--Nassau, the main tourist spot, and Andros, the largest island of the Bahamas. While Nassau was an interesting visit, it was impossible not to fall completely in love with Andros. I'm not an outdoorsy person, generally...but with consistent weather and an apparent immunity to all the allergens of the islands, I was more than happy to enjoy nature to its fullest.
Of our days on Andros, we spent two pulling up an invasive plant species (scaevola! evil!) and one cutting a new trail to a blue hole, a natural phenomenon that can be found in the Bahamas more numerously than anywhere else on the planet. It was tough work, but our group bonded like I didn't believe possible in the course of one week.
Coming back, what have I learned? I learned that it's never too late to make 9 new best friends. I truly saw and understood, for the first time, how environmental damage affects everything and everyone. And I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that no tourist resort, anywhere in the world, could possibly rival what no person built.
If I ever have the chance in my lifetime to return to Andros...I'm going. It and the people there are representative of the best in existence.
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