On the ride to Chewonki last Sunday, more than 2,000 miles from home, I realized with a pit in my stomach that I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Unfamiliarity isn’t a bad thing at all; adventure is an integral part of the Chewonki experience. At the same time, I want to assure all future Maine Coast Semester students that there are good things to come. Please enjoy this somewhat random collection of all the little things I’ve enjoyed during the first week of Semester 74.
Each morning around 6:30, an orchestra of alarms interrupts the sleepy silence of Gillies Cabin. My cabinmates stay in bed, relishing the warmth of their blankets as I wobble across the room to grab an armful of wood, kindling, newspaper, and matches. I settle cross-legged before the wood-burning stove and begin the morning ritual of lighting the fire. Reviving the fire, which my cabin has deemed Gilbert, has become a cozy way to start the day.
Early mornings at Chewonki are a small price to pay for exhilarating Polar Bear Dips every Saturday. While the activity is completely optional, I want to take full advantage of every opportunity and adventure at MCS. Within twenty-four hours of my arrival, I found myself shivering in a bathing suit alongside eight of my classmates. We watched as the first shades of pink from the sunrise washed over the sky while a faculty member attempted to break through the ice with a two-by-four. After a small hole was excavated, we took turns hesitantly wading into the water. Thoroughly awake for the first time that morning, we hurried back to the Hilton for a warm shower before breakfast.
The barn on Chewonki’s farm is home to a multitude of animals: Poppy the cow, Ruby Moon the barn cat, two pigs, and a whole crowd of chickens and sheep. But the most underappreciated and little-known guests on the farm are the sparrows. Every one of the barn animals is so sweet, but the cheerful calls of the sparrows bring the magic of spring to every moment we spend on the farm.
In Environmental Issues, Maine Coast Semester students explore our communities’ relationships with the natural world and discuss solutions to some of today’s most pressing problems. The course itself is a gem; it remains hopeful and empowering, even when we tackle difficult topics. Thanks to the classroom’s proximity to the Traveling Natural History Program, we share our space with dozens of sea stars, urchins, and hermit crabs from the touch tank. Most importantly, the class has featured a special guest appearance from Ozzy the owl.
At the beginning of the semester, homework accumulates like the many inches of snow that have fallen in the past week. While I was dreading the return of academic responsibility, I have found that Maine Coast Semester homework is different from typical worksheets and study guides. So far, study hours have been productive but also packed with laughter, weaving, and arguments in French about which Spider-Man movie is the best.
Shae Spear, Semester 74
Shae is attending from Steamboat Springs High School, Steamboard Spring Colorado
