YEP, Turtle Tagging, and Iguanas!

Author: Eva S.
Location: Anegada
6:30am the alarm goes off, 6:32am the chefs are up, 6:35am the rest of the shipmates reluctantly drag themselves up out of bed - today was defiantly an early start. However, when the four YEP (Youth Empowerment Project) boys and two of the YEP program staff members joined us for some fun games, all of the early morning reluctance was immediately erased and a wonderful sensation of new friendship and fun overwhelmed all of us. We then split up in to four evenly proportioned (between YEP and Lifeworks) groups: two of which went to the iguanas while the other two went to tag turtles. While at the iguana rehabilitation center (protects the young iguanas form being preyed on by house cats and other small animals) we cut up a variety of vegetables, cleaned the iguanas' feeding bowls, refilled their water, and fed them. We learned many interesting facts about the 99% vegetarian iguanas who were tolerant of the lizards who casually inhibited their cages hunting for insects. The Lifeworks and the YEP boys enjoyed a lovely game of football while waiting for word to come on the turtle tagging progress. All four groups joined together on the dock for a well deserved lunch of PBandJ. With full stomachs, those who spent the first part of the day with the iguanas stayed on the dock and those who had been turtling went to feed and water the older iguanas. One of the two groups who remained at the dock travelled out into the clear waters of Anegada island in a small shallow boat driven by an extremely talented man named Alex (he was able to spot the speedy dark spots under the surface of the water, also known as turtles, as though they stood out like a white dot on a black piece of paper). Upon the return to the dock, the group waiting when out to search for more turtles with Alex. Upon the days completion, we had recorded their information and had tagged the fifteen turtles we caught, made 6 new friends who were interesting, helpful, hilarious, smart, and eager, and helped feed iguanas. Eight hours later, its almost dinner time and we are all exhausted. Today has been an amazingly eventful day!!

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