“You can shake the sand 
from your shoes, but it 
will never leave your soul.” 
Nelson Mandela

Just one year. Just one brief year of our lives. Just one brief year of our lives that changed the course of our futures irrevocably. Two kids — Dan Pasini and I were 20 years old at the time — were invited to spend one year teaching in a Catholic high school in Nassau, Bahamas. How could we possibly turn down an invitation like that? We couldn’t, and we didn’t. 

Yesterday around noon time, Dan and I arrived at Nassau International Airport. I’ve been back to the island several times since the end of our teaching experience at Saint Augustine’s College in 1975, but this is Dan’s first visit in 50 years. It didn’t take long for us to feel very much at home.

After exiting the airport terminal and walking across the street toward the car rental center, a Bahamian gentleman asked if we needed a taxi ride. I thanked him and told him that we needed a rental car, as we planned to drive around the island, including a visit to the SAC campus. I mentioned that we had taught there 50 years ago. He said, “Then you must know Derek Rutherford and Lydia Isaacs.” I assured him that I do remember them, as I taught them both. He pulled out his cell phone and immediately called Lydia, then handed the phone to me. I’m not sure who was more shocked. Lydia and I had a brief conversation and made plans to meet-up with several of her classmates in the bar here at the hotel on the weekend.

This morning, Dan and I stopped by the office of another former student, Sangena McClain. When I was here in April, she took good care of me after I fell from an unusually high curb and landed face-down on the pavement in a busy intersection after dark. Her cousin works in an optometry office, so she took me there to have my classes repaired. I intentionally had not informed Sangena that I would be in Nassau this week, so when I arrived at her workplace this morning, her coworker allowed me to walk right up behind her desk. To say that Sangena was surprised would be an understatement. She’s going to stop by this weekend, too, and bring a number of her former classmates with her.

Dan and I took a walk along the promenade at Junkanoo Beach, which is located directly across the street from our hotel. Despite the 80% humidity, it was a comfortable morning. At one point, we walked out onto a concrete pier with the intention of taking a few photos. We were pleasantly surprised to meet a woman from one of the cruise ships in harbor today who was taking some selfie photos after doing a bit of snorkeling. When we approached her, I asked if she would like me to take a photo of her with Paradise Island in the background. She enthusiastically accepted my offer. Dan and I ended up talking with her for about an hour. Jacque, a native of Brazil, owns a global awareness consulting firm that specializes in intercultural coaching, training, and consulting. The conversation was delightful. We ended up meeting up with her for lunch later in the day.

Tomorrow Dan and I will visit the Saint Augustine’s College campus. The principal, Mrs. Marici Thompson, is one of Dan’s former students. We are looking forward to touring the campus, including a walk up the hill to the former monastery (now closed) where Dan and I lived in guest rooms for the duration of the 1974-75 academic year. While the faces we see on campus, of faculty and students, may have changed, our memories of our former colleagues and students will be with us throughout the morning as we roam the campus. 

So grateful for this opportunity.