by Hema and Anna
Our day began before daybreak, getting up at 5:30 to catch a flight out of Andros. We had planned to travel to the airport and say good-bye to our guide and good friend Rivean, but he never arrive (we later found out his car broke down) so it was a crazy morning. We made the flight and arrived in Nassau around 8, after a 10 minute flight.
After checking-in to the Towne Hotel, we went to the American Embassy for a presentation with the Public Affairs officials. We learned the role the embassy plays in the Bahamas and how the local and American government work together to create a safe community for both Bahamians and Americans. Though we were impressed by their initiatives for the Bahamian community (Read and Lead program and breast cancer research), we found that the officials did not seem to fully understand the Bahamian values and thought it may be helpful for them to spend more time learning from the community. We also compared AUTEC to the embassy and all agreed that there was a much different tone in each facility. AUTEC seemed very removed from the Bahamas, only employing locals as service staff and shipping in all supplies from America (as the Bahamians had requested to protect their economy) while the embassy was more active in the community, employing Bahamians in equivalent positions and seeing value in the local government's power.
We spent the rest of the day at the free beach and authentic straw market on Paradise Island, exploring the tourist side of the island.
For dinner, we went to Arawalk Cay, a local hang-out with lots of fish fry and Bahamian food. Everything was on island time, with slow and relaxed service.
During reflection, we discussed the highlights of the trip and recommendations for the future. We all hope to continue relations with the College of Bahamas and to find ways to strengthen the Maryland-Bahamas relationship.
Tomorrow, we're excited to meet with College of Bahamas students to see the effects of our last clean-up at South Beach (did the locals leave it clean?) and to work on further cleaning up the area.
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I would like to thank you and the group of students for the fine work you have done on Andros. The work done clearing the trails and in the schools is invaluable. We are inspired by your efforts to continue to work to preserve our environment and hope that you will return again.
ReplyDeleteGabrielle from the Andros Conservancy and Trust