On my trip to Saint Croix over J-term in Internatural Communication (COM3065A). We did a variety of different things like working on a farm, botanical garden, sailing on the Denis Sullivan, walking around town, and going to the beach. I took so many photos.

Day 1: We went to Bradley airport at 3 a.m. and flew to Miami. Then we flew to Saint Croix and we saw some pretty nice views from the plane as we were flying over the island.

Day 2: We explored the neighborhood and what was around us and of course I took a ton of photos. I really loved all the colored houses and buildings. In the evening, the group went out to dinner and went swimming at a beach near the hotel. We saw really nice sunsets and I got to capture all of its beauty. I went swimming for 4 hours in the ocean one day and it was a great way to relax and just enjoy myself. We went kayaking on a bioluminescent lagoon, which was so cool how it glowed at night. One fact that I did not know about the lagoon was that it is handmade. There were a lot of different islands around the water, which I thought was really interesting.

Day 3: We went to a farm where we made calabash cups, worked in the fields, pulled weeds, and planted lettuce. We also got to see their dogs watching over all the trees and plants. It rained pretty much the whole day, but we still had a lot of fun. We got to learn how they take care of their plants and what they do with their water when it rains.

Day 4: We set off on a voyage on the Denis Sullivan with the World Ocean School. We did not have our phones for the whole three-day trip. It was a lot of fun. We had to do chores and learned how to sail a boat by pulling ropes to do different things.

Day 5: This day was a full-day sail. We woke up really early and went out to sea. We learned how to tie knots and sadly, I got seasick twice. I got to meet more of the crew that day and they are so nice. Of course, DJ Hoot was on the trip, too! We also started to do night watches. That is when you get up in the middle of the night and check to make sure everything is working correctly. My watch was from midnight-1 a.m. and it was really hard to wake up that early. Then when I was done with my hour shift, I went to wake up the next people before going back to sleep.

Day 6: We had to wake up at 6:45 a.m. the next day to go the nature conservancy. We also saw a bunch of puppies and learned how people in the community adopt the dogs at a cheaper price.

Day 7: We stayed in town for our last night in Saint Croix. The next morning, we ate breakfast and flew back home. My friend Owain and I recorded a podcast almost every night of the trip, where we basically reflected on how the day was and shared our personal thoughts. I feel like I bonded with people more than when we’re in Putney. The trip overall was a lot of fun.