Staff Training

Well. I've been here on Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick for three full days now. Can that be right? We have done so much in these past few days and I've learned so many new things that it feels like a week atleast. The kids come tomorrow afternoon so then the real fun starts--but here's what I've done so far!

Wednesday night I finally arrived around 11pm after a 6 hour red-eye flight, 7 hour drive, and 1.5 hour ferry. Kindof surprised I made it, actually. Anyways, I stopped into the office and met two of our staff trainers who welcomed me and directed me to the staff house. When I walked in I found all of the staff (all 6 of them) waiting up to meet me, which was really sweet. They were all really excited to meet me and helped me get all my stuff into the house. The 5 environmental science instructors (ESIs) live in the staff house, which is basically this cute little old cottage that's kindof leaning to one side. Its very cozy and filled to the brim with books on marine mammals, insects, birds, plants, and any other natural thing you can find on the island. The two dorm instructors (ORDs) live in the girls and boys dorm buildings right next door. SOOO after getting in, I unpacked a little bit and fell asleep.

Each day that I hadn't been at staff training, the instructors had been taking turns giving full lesson plans to the rest of us (who played the role of campers). Today, two ESIs were teaching us about the bog environment, so after breakfast we piled in one of the three 15-passenger vans and drove to the bog. I learned so much I never knew about bogs--like how the tannins from the roots of the plants leach out and make the water in them acidic, which doesn't allow for decomposition. Layers just keep piling on top of the old plants and this is how the bog grows. Dead bodies from thousands of years ago that had been sacrificed to the bogs in Europe (for spiritual / mythical reasons) had actually been preserved by the acidic environment and found recently. Pretty crazy. Also saw some cool carnivorous plants like the pitcher plant and sundew. Who knew bogs were actually interesting?

After that lesson, we did a geology lesson at Flock of Sheep where, long story short, we saw some really cool columnar basalt, learned how the island was formed, and brushed up on our knowledge of the rock cycle. YEAH GEOLOGY.

columnar basalt. woah.

That night we all watched a horror movie called Bleeders...filmed and set in Grand Manan about flesh-eating inbreds that inhabit underground tunnels on the island. Actually more like a comedy. It was awesome.

Friday we set out on the ferry to White Head Island (named for its sparkling quartz cliffs), about a 30 minute ferry ride from GMI. We did a forest lesson to start off, ate lunch at Pebble Beach (where I found some really cool conglomerate rocks and seaglass) and headed to the Indiana Jones hike!! It was a really neat hike between canyon-like rock formations. Beautiful plants everywhere and a very fun hike (which is saying something. I don't hike.) To end the day, we watched the sunset at Southwest Head lighthouse. It was most beautiful place I had seen yet...the cliffs were breathtaking and we were having fun taking pictures. There's a jumping picture of all of us that I need to get my hands on...

Indiana Jones hike on White Head.

View from Southwest Head.

Anyways, today we were basically just prepping for the kids to come tomorrow. I have so much left to learn and feel a little unprepared, but I think it'll be fine. MY FIRST WHALE WATCH IS MONDAY MORNING. I am so excited. Bring on the humpbacks baby.