Looking back / En retrospección

October 13, 2014: Over two months after leaving Vieques, I'm still thinking about the island almost every day. But I promise this blog journal does not end on a sad note--there were some wonderful surprises when I returned home to New England. But first, that last week on the island in August, I said goodbye to...

Crashing waves at the pier (on the day that we saw the first big storm of that summer, Bertha) / Olas enormes en la muelle, el día de la tormenta "Bertha"

The iguanas / Las iguanas

The view from where I was staying / El mirador de mi casa

Mark's trusty white suburban that could clearly cross any terrain set before it / El guagua confiable de Mark

Sonde checks / Chequar el sonde

The bioluminscent bay / la bahía bioluminescente

The Trust and my awesome co-workers there / El Fideicomiso y la gente fenomenal que trabajan ayí

The sand, sun, and surf / La playa y el sol

Thankfully, it wasn't goodbye for long. Back home in Maine I met up for coffee with Mr. Dale Doucette, who serves on the Board of the Trust and interviewed me for the newsletter he is currently putting together for VCHT. I just submitted a short article about MANTA for the newsletter, which brought back all kinds of memories.

Then, a few weeks into the semester, my boss Mark passed through Boston on his well-deserved vacation. We made a little Vieques reunion out of it: Luís, a friend going to school in Boston who worked in Bilí last summer, and Kevin, one of Mark's first MANTA students now working in Boston, joined us in catching up and reminiscing about the island (and the sun, which is feeling ever more distant here in New England as winter approaches).

Finally, by some miracle all the pieces came together--I'll be back as a volunteer at the Trust this winter! I can hardly believe it, but at the same time I couldn't imagine not coming back as I was leaving last summer. So I guess that's the happy ending--for me anyway! Hope my co-workers at the Trust aren't already tired of me. :)

One thing is for sure--that nothing I did last summer or will do this winter could ever compare to what Vieques did for me. I learned what conservation looks like in real life from:
- the environmentally-conscious individuals and companies that run sustainable tourism in Vieques
- the people working through non-profits or the government to protect its natural resources
- the artists and historians who help us appreciate its beauty through written, spoke, and visual art
- the kids, who will decide the future of the island as the next generation of environmental stewards.

My internship with the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust also confirmed my interest in marine biology and conservation. It has inspired me to apply for SEA Semester in the spring and to pursue Marine Biology back at Wellesley (and hopefully well beyond!) Here's a photo from our  Marine Bio field trip down at Woods Hole out on Cape Cod. Believe it or not this is Kristin, the last intern Wellesley sent to Vieques! There are a total of three past Vieques interns in Wellesley's Marine Bio class this semester. Apparently I'm not the only one who was inspired!

By the way, Kristin's blog can be found at http://viequesinthewinter.blogspot.com/

Kristin and I hauling up water samples out on Cape Cod...well-trained from working in Vieques! / Kristin (la última interna del FCHV de Wellesley College!) tomando muestras de agua conmigo en Cape Cod para nuestra clase de biología marina.
Credits to our classmate, Priscilla Yu. / Credito a nuestra compañera de clase, Priscilla Yu.

Again, to Wellesley College, The Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust, and the generosity of the Littleford Family, muchas gracias por todo. I can't thank you enough. And to the next Wellesley intern and hopefully the many to come, ¡buena suerte!