Andrew Treat ’18: Reflections from the Island School

Junior Andrew Treat has spent Term II at the Island School in Eleuthura, The Bahamas. At the Island School, high school sophomores and juniors from around the world learn outside the walls of a classroom how to live sustainably in the twenty-first century.

Andrew shares his reflection on the required solo experience.

“I was asked on the second day at The Island School “In what experience, in the future, do you think you will have felt the most outside of your comfort zone?” The first thing that popped into my mind was solo, for sure. 48 hours alone! That scared the bejeezus out of me. I love people. I see people everyday. Suddenly, I will be put in a position in which there will be no people. The thought made me anxious. Finally, after five days of sailing, we arrived at Kemp’s Creek. I was led to my solo spot, which turned out to be a little space wooded with casuarina pines overlooking a beautiful creek. I thought to myself: well, I guess this isn’t so bad. However, the minute my teacher left, I realized that solo had begun.

For an hour, I couldn’t figure out what to do with myself. Eventually, I began making a shelter out of sheer boredom. The first night and day was not a problem. It rained for most of the first day, but I thought nothing of it. That is, until sunset… At about 7:30 pm, and to my right was the most beautiful Bahamian sunset imaginable. To my left, however, were the blackest, angriest clouds I have ever seen. A bit worried, I made sure everything was under my tarp and strapped down for a storm. I hunkered down under the tarp as well and waited. As soon as night fell, it started to sprinkle, then rain, then pour. The wind began to pick up. Then the flashes began, soon followed the thunder. Early in the night, the gap between flash and thunder was about 30 seconds. Then 20 seconds, then 10, then five, then two, until every strike was flash-bang, with no time to even count. It was fine for the first half of the night. It was pouring, but my tarp was angled against the wind, so I was faring pretty well. Then the wind shifted. And when I say shifted, I mean 180° in the opposite direction.

My tarp went from a shelter to a parachute in negative two seconds. One moment I was dry, then the next I found myself sitting on the forest floor in nothing but a sleeping bag and a raincoat. The tarp was ripped off its bearings and was carried what seemed like as far as the Exumas. I scrambled to save my tarp as the lightening flashed like strobe lights. The wind picked up significantly, so much so that I was forced to compromise my shelter. I sacrificed my gear, which was already soaked, and burrito-ed myself into my tarp. For the rest of he night, I lay on the ground in the fetal position, cocooned in my tarp, cold and soggy as my sleeping bag transformed into a wet sack. The wind gusted 60mph that night. It seemed like 140mph. I persevered, though. Not once did I seek help or other people. I stayed alone for the whole storm, shivering but proving to myself I could be independent. I woke up the next morning and saw the sun pierce through the clouds and began laughing. Laughing because I had made it through the night. Laughing because it was over.”

Thank you, Andrew for sharing your thrilling adventure! We can’t wait to see you back on the Hill soon!

Learn more about the Island School here: http://www.islandschool.org/