We visited the island of Brac for one night and I think it is safe to say we all wish we had more time at this particular hotel (The BlueSun)!! May 31st marked our last hike of the trip. We hiked to a Monastery in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. No, scratch that- it was in the dead center of nowhere. The only way to get to the Monastery is by foot- up, down, and around a canyon surrounding the Monastery. We learned that the the villages were built deep into canyons because pirates would come and plunder the villages if they were close to the sea. The "church" was built in 1757 and was considered to be the cultural, spiritual, and educational center of the island. 
The school portion was designated for four basic grades of education for children. After this level of schooling, kids of the area went to other villages on the island for more education. The school in the Monastery was operative until 1962, with a class size of 15 students. Everyday the students would bring a log for the fire, that was used for heat and cooking.
While touring the Monastery, we saw various sizes of original weights in the hall that were used by the monks.
We also saw the original kitchen of the Monastery, which is over 400 years old. The kitchen was a central place of the monk's lives.
While touring the Monastery, we saw various sizes of original weights in the hall that were used by the monks.We also saw the original kitchen of the Monastery, which is over 400 years old. The kitchen was a central place of the monk's lives.
The monks utilized the land to their benefit by producing goods for bartering. There was never any money exchanged for goods, just a barter system of different goods from foods to wool to furniture. Wheat and corn were ground to produce flour; if a person ground all day, they could produce 10 kilos of flour. There were 3000 olive trees available to the Monastery and this would produce 60,000 gallons of olive oil per year. We also saw a schematic of a beehive layout of the island. Three tons of honey were produced each year from the 237 beehives.
Outside in the courtyard of the Monastery, we learned of the bathroom mechanisms and burial methods for the Monastery. The bathroom was a pretty ingenious idea: there was what was like an outhouse to the side of the courtyard that utilized gravity for flushing. There are no pipes and no running water and the waste is naturally pulled down and away from the "bathroom".
The ancient burial processes for this island are much different from what we think of as burial processes. The dead were buried in a vertical position to make room for others in such a small and confined place. The bodies were wrapped in sheets, then placed in the ground. Once the bodies deteriorated, the bones would fall together in a pile and allow for more room in the burial pit. We learned that where we were standing former priests and residents were buried, totaling about 70 people buried in the courtyard.
Water is a major issue on an island. We learned that the monks would use cisterns to collect rain water and store it in jugs and pots for later use. The island of Brac is used to having many, many sunny days in the year, so rain was very precious. The water to the Monastery and the rest of the island now comes from pipes from the mainland.
There are five things to consider about water: quality (free of sediments, algae, parasites, and clean); cost (has to be affordable); proximity (must be within 1km of person); quantity (minimum amount needed for hygiene and cooking/drinking; 5L/person/day); and reliability (water must be available and there when one needs it). Water should be considered a basic human right, because an individual can only live without water for about a week. Water that is contaminated must be boiled to kill anything harmful (this is one of the reasons the students had to bring logs to school, to ensure a way to boil the water to clean it for drinking and cooking). Storage of the water is a part of proximity and reliability. The mechanisms used to store the water must not contain any cracks and must be easily transported. Storage of the water must also be close enough for the people to access if they are going to cook or clean. We learned that people who have reliable water sources have improved health.
We were also informed about trash being an important issue to consider on an island. There is already limited space on the island, so the trash produced by humans must either be incinerated or transported to a landfill, as to not waste space of the island. We learned that trash from Brac was picked up by barges on a regular basis and transported to a landfill on the mainland.
Mental health is the last issue we learned about that is important to island life. Recent data shows that Croats living on the islands scored higher in better physical conditions compared to those not living on an island. These people did score as having feelings of isolation, but it should be noted that they want an isolated life. This is the reason why they moved away to the island. They feel more vital and not restrained as they do on the mainland. Generally those who are sick or have underlying health problems do not stay on the island because of the limited access to health care. Island people are more likely to endure pain than their non island counterparts. There was also a significant decrease in gastric/pancreatic cancers of the Croatian island people compared to non-islanders.
This last hike was by far one of the hardest, but really interesting to participate in.
-Rachel
Outside in the courtyard of the Monastery, we learned of the bathroom mechanisms and burial methods for the Monastery. The bathroom was a pretty ingenious idea: there was what was like an outhouse to the side of the courtyard that utilized gravity for flushing. There are no pipes and no running water and the waste is naturally pulled down and away from the "bathroom".
The ancient burial processes for this island are much different from what we think of as burial processes. The dead were buried in a vertical position to make room for others in such a small and confined place. The bodies were wrapped in sheets, then placed in the ground. Once the bodies deteriorated, the bones would fall together in a pile and allow for more room in the burial pit. We learned that where we were standing former priests and residents were buried, totaling about 70 people buried in the courtyard.
Water is a major issue on an island. We learned that the monks would use cisterns to collect rain water and store it in jugs and pots for later use. The island of Brac is used to having many, many sunny days in the year, so rain was very precious. The water to the Monastery and the rest of the island now comes from pipes from the mainland.
There are five things to consider about water: quality (free of sediments, algae, parasites, and clean); cost (has to be affordable); proximity (must be within 1km of person); quantity (minimum amount needed for hygiene and cooking/drinking; 5L/person/day); and reliability (water must be available and there when one needs it). Water should be considered a basic human right, because an individual can only live without water for about a week. Water that is contaminated must be boiled to kill anything harmful (this is one of the reasons the students had to bring logs to school, to ensure a way to boil the water to clean it for drinking and cooking). Storage of the water is a part of proximity and reliability. The mechanisms used to store the water must not contain any cracks and must be easily transported. Storage of the water must also be close enough for the people to access if they are going to cook or clean. We learned that people who have reliable water sources have improved health.
We were also informed about trash being an important issue to consider on an island. There is already limited space on the island, so the trash produced by humans must either be incinerated or transported to a landfill, as to not waste space of the island. We learned that trash from Brac was picked up by barges on a regular basis and transported to a landfill on the mainland.
Mental health is the last issue we learned about that is important to island life. Recent data shows that Croats living on the islands scored higher in better physical conditions compared to those not living on an island. These people did score as having feelings of isolation, but it should be noted that they want an isolated life. This is the reason why they moved away to the island. They feel more vital and not restrained as they do on the mainland. Generally those who are sick or have underlying health problems do not stay on the island because of the limited access to health care. Island people are more likely to endure pain than their non island counterparts. There was also a significant decrease in gastric/pancreatic cancers of the Croatian island people compared to non-islanders.
This last hike was by far one of the hardest, but really interesting to participate in.
-Rachel
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