This morning I woke up at my regularly scheduled 5AM, but instead of waking to the blare of my alarm I was delighted to hear a chorus of giggles from the cabin next door. My automatic instinct was to jump out of bed, head to yoga, rush to get ready and make my commute to work, but today, I brought my book to the deck to catch the sunrise and waited for the rest of the crew to rise.

After final wake up call at 7AM I did get to practice yoga with Ms. Nanna, Riley, Tati, and Lyla for our morning hour of wellness. We did some stretching and salutations in the salon before our oatmeal breakfast. On Whatever It Takes we share all our meals together. Each meal presents us with an opportunity to gather, review our schedule, and be present in our community. With our hearts full and only some of our bellies full (seasickness is alive and unwell) Captain Bailey and his apprentice Will led us through boat safety procedures. SAFETY is the most important part of being on a ship and part of a crew. Everyone was attentive and vigilant as we practiced fire, emergency, and man overboard protocols.

Then came the swim test... one full lap around our 100ft ship one way with the current and the other against... Just about the entire crew faced and conquered the challenge! The best part was we did it together with the entire crew motivating and cheering each other on. Once we finished lunch came time for our crew roles and responsibilities. All hands on deck helped to cook and meal prepped, clean the interior, exterior, and check all the tools and systems of the ship.

A few rain squalls rolled in throughout the afternoon, but we let it pass then hit the beach! We all really enjoyed our excursion to the floating water park (AND LAND) taking time to relax and soak up the Barbados sand and sun. After our fabulous spaghetti and meatball dinner prepped by Madison and Lyla, and our first meal with no leftovers, we all took time to reflect on our past, present, and ambitions writing letters to our future selves.

Day #2 takeaway... none of us were prepared and no one could prepare us for this once in a lifetime experience. I am so proud and impressed by how all our students and the entire team have come together to conquer fears, work hard, and have fun!

Aim high,

Ms. Sammy

This morning I woke up at my regularly scheduled 5AM, but instead of waking to the blare of my alarm I was delighted to hear a chorus of giggles from the cabin next door. My automatic instinct was to jump out of bed, head to yoga, rush to get ready and make my commute to work, but today, I brought my book to the deck to catch the sunrise and waited for the rest of the crew to rise.

After final wake up call at 7AM I did get to practice yoga with Ms. Nanna, Riley, Tati, and Lyla for our morning hour of wellness. We did some stretching and salutations in the salon before our oatmeal breakfast. On Whatever It Takes we share all our meals together. Each meal presents us with an opportunity to gather, review our schedule, and be present in our community. With our hearts full and only some of our bellies full (seasickness is alive and unwell) Captain Bailey and his apprentice Will led us through boat safety procedures. SAFETY is the most important part of being on a ship and part of a crew. Everyone was attentive and vigilant as we practiced fire, emergency, and man overboard protocols.

Then came the swim test... one full lap around our 100ft ship one way with the current and the other against... Just about the entire crew faced and conquered the challenge! The best part was we did it together with the entire crew motivating and cheering each other on. Once we finished lunch came time for our crew roles and responsibilities. All hands on deck helped to cook and meal prepped, clean the interior, exterior, and check all the tools and systems of the ship.

A few rain squalls rolled in throughout the afternoon, but we let it pass then hit the beach! We all really enjoyed our excursion to the floating water park (AND LAND) taking time to relax and soak up the Barbados sand and sun. After our fabulous spaghetti and meatball dinner prepped by Madison and Lyla, and our first meal with no leftovers, we all took time to reflect on our past, present, and ambitions writing letters to our future selves.

Day #2 takeaway... none of us were prepared and no one could prepare us for this once in a lifetime experience. I am so proud and impressed by how all our students and the entire team have come together to conquer fears, work hard, and have fun!

Aim high,

Ms. Sammy