Location: Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Hello everyone, it’s Sanaah! For breakfast, Chava and Logan made delicious pancakes, which we absolutely devoured. Afterward, the facilitators went to a meeting, leaving us all alone on the boat. Rather than burning it down, we made brownies, read books, and played cards. Upon their return, we embarked on a journey to HLSCC community college, where we learned about mangrove trees (there was a slight delay due to our taxi breaking down). We then split into groups and de-weeded, catching a few invasive frogs in the process (thanks Logan and Gary). Despite the lack of breeze and extreme heat, we managed to persevere until our lunch break, where we ate leftover pancakes and peanut butter and jelly bagels. Some of us, especially Gavin, bought snacks from the vending machine we found outside of the campus. After lunch, we put on wetsuits and climbed into a marshy part of the ocean to scrape off barnacles from growing mangroves. At around 3 pm, select individuals returned to the boat to retrieve their wallets so we could have free time on shore. Many of us bought snacks such as ice cream and cookies. Once we returned an hour later, we took ocean showers in the cooling water. Our amazing chefs made chili and rice, which was absolutely phenomenal. During cleanup, the crew played our beloved Spotify queue which we danced and sang to while watching the vibrant sunset. To settle down, we watched a heartfelt documentary about poverty, which taught us about the reality of charity. I hope everyone at home is well, as we miss you all dearly!

Much love,

Sanaah P.