Author: schnabee

Today was the last full day of the course! We started the day off at the Palau Aquarium, where we looked around at various exhibits, which had information about mangroves, reefs, invasive species, and more. We also saw even more sea creatures in the tanks.

Then Bruno, who works at the aquarium, taught us about giant clam propagation. Afterward, Cinzia discussed with us her experiments with coral propagation, density, and resilience. 

Next stop was the waste treatment plant, where recycling and repurposing is in full swing. The plastics collected around the state of Koror are used to produce biodiesel. This fuel is used to produce part of the electricity needed to run the rest of the facility. The plant also repurposes glass bottles by using them for glass blowing to create creating beautiful jewelry, dishes, sculptures, and, more. Mr. Fuji, the manager of the Solid Waste Management Office/Belau Eco-Glass Center, explained to us the processes of turning the things we throw away into something new. 

We headed back to PCC for lunch and a presentation by Jason Johnson about a fungus that is killing one of the local tree species. He explained the process he has gone through in figuring out what the fungus might be and how it is being spread around.

Next, some of us headed to the beach for one last dip. Meanwhile, Mica and Reid worked with those at the PCC dining hall (Gurney, Chermang, Sean, Didil, and Lee) to prepare the tapioca that they harvested on Monday.

We finished off the day with a group dinner at Drop Off Bar and Grill. Everyone had a fun time and ate great food!

Today’s blog post was written by Gary Esvelt and Emma Schnabel

A group of us woke up early this morning to paddle board and watch the sunrise from the dock. As it was our last morning at Ebiil Society, we wanted to make sure we got every last drop out of our time left. 

Most of our morning was spent cleaning the grounds of our gracious hosts. The fish we caught yesterday was smoked late at night and ready for lunch today. We enjoyed a delicious last lunch at Ebiil Society of the smoked fish, bbq chicken, coleslaw, rice, and potato salad. 

Next, we had a final group reflection of our time in Ollei. We each shared our takeaways from the week, such as the sense of community we felt and the knowledge that was shared with us. We are all very grateful to Ebiil Society for welcoming us into their space. This week has been impactful for us all as we learned about Palauan culture, native ecosystems, and the relationship between the two.

After we sadly said our goodbyes, we hopped on a bus with some long-awaited air conditioning. In the state of Ngaraard and town of Ngekeklau, we waded out to a traditional beng. A beng is a fish trap made from coral rubble, usually in the shape of an arrow, that lures fish in through a small opening and leads them to be trapped at low tide. Around 60 years ago, this technique was almost lost in their oral history, but recent efforts have begun to restore the traps and method. 

We safely made it back to Palau Community College and settled back in. A couple of groups headed out to local restaurants and had a lovely evening to finish off the day!

Today’s blog was written by: Emily Dye and Emma Schnabel