I made it to Barbuda!
That was the plane. There were perhaps eight of us. All of the luggage was just tossed in the back. Shortly before boarding the plane, I was standing in the Antigua departure lounge and a bunch of ants crawled up my leg. No matter what, we are always living in and among non-human populations. What differs is the level of acceptance and desire for management of these relationships.
The flight over was only 18 minutes and the pilot said we “hopefully” would reach 2,500 feet and that the plane “was loud and shaky because that is how the plane is designed.” The water below was clear enough to see what I suppose were the reefs.
The airport was equally tiny! Just a short strip with a small wooden building on the side.
We then went on a tour around to see a bunch of the local areas. Small small small.
Donkey, Horse, and Cattle populations roam freely along the streets.
The Barbuda Archeological Research Center is an amazing hub of activity, buzzing with scientists, students, and professors as they get ready for the Children and Adult museums opening friday.
We manage the endless bug population indoors at the BARC research center with these tennis racket zappers. You press a button as you swing it, swatting the bugs with a spark and they drop dead. It is great, much more satisfying than I thought. I hope to become a jedi with this by the end.
We took an interesting tour through the bush with a knowledgable fellow who told us all about the plants and the landscape. There are a lot of ecological challenges for Barbuda, not the least of which is the low lying elevation and the livestock running rampant eating up the vegetation.
The BARC group is doing fantastic work down here, really building infrastructure that is embedded in the community.
We finished the day with a group dinner and lecture on Informal Science Education by Jennifer Adams.
I have to find the writing rhythm here, but the schedule should slow down a bit after the Museum opens on Friday. So much to take in, in the meantime.
