Semester at The Island School - Marcus Murphy

 

 When I was a sophomore, I applied to The Island School in Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas. In the beginning I thought I was not going to get accepted because I had a few struggles that year. In fact, it was during my sophomore year that I strongly considered leaving SEED Public Charter School and I threw away my Island School application. However, I decided that SEED was the best place for me and as fate would have it, I completed and submitted the last remaining application.

Over the next few months, I nervously waited for a letter from The Island School to see if I got denied or accepted into their program. I kept telling myself that I was going and one week when I went home, there was a letter from The Island School waiting for me! Nervously, I opened the letter and it said, “Congratulations, you have been accepted to the Spring 2011 Semester program at the Island School!” I now had an opportunity to study abroad and see a different world outside of SEED and Washington, DC.

 For me, the Island School was an experience of a lifetime. I had never lived away from home for four months and had never traveled as far away as the Caribbean. My first day at The Island School was a little shaky because I arrived a day late and I thought I missed out on the entire experience. My mind was racing and I wondered if my classmates would like me or acknowledge that I was part of the semester program. All of those worries disappeared as soon as my roommate Aidan spoke to me and from that point forward, everyone spoke to me and treated me like I was part of the community.

 While I thought that life would be difficult after arriving to The Island School a day late, I felt even worse when I found out that I couldn’t swim as well as I thought I could. Sure enough, those feelings about not being a part of the community began to resurface. To my relief, The Island School community was extremely supportive of me learning how to swim and they practiced with me and showed me many techniques that I will always remember and cherish. Dave Burnham, my swim coach and friend believed in me so much during my half-marathon swim in May. I swam four miles and he swam with me. The half-marathon started off rough but I was able to finish in 3 hours and 45 minutes! Completing the half-marathon was definitely one of the greatest accomplishments of my semester.

 

I recommend The Island School not only because is it located in the Bahamas, but the atmosphere is so warm and welcoming and it is definitely paradise. I went to The Island School scared and afraid to leave DC but once I arrived, I took on the different challenges like running, swimming, scuba diving, being alone on the beach for 48 hours, and making new friends. All those components made my semester wonderful and I truly encourage people to apply to The Island School and experience the beautiful island and people for themselves.