Submitted by Bianca Soutar on the 2024 Winter NURS program in the British Virgin Islands…
I am studying abroad in the British Virgin islands for nursing. During my first week here we have already done so much and I have learned so much about the culture here. One thing that has surprised me is how friendly everybody is in this area. Everybody says hello to us and starts a conversation to get to know us, which is very different from people in America. I think that was a big culture shock for me and I really love the atmosphere here because of how friendly the locals are to each other and us. Also, the area we are in is a very tight knit community and everybody seems to know each other which was very interesting and cool to me. I also was able to try some new foods here, one being Roti which is a very popular dish in BVI. I am a very picky eater as well and am forcing myself to branch out and try new foods and am really surprised by how much I like different foods. We also are doing clinicals at the hospital here, so it is very interesting to see the difference in the healthcare system in a new country. Today was our first day of clinicals, so we just met all the nurses and got shown around the hospital, but I am excited for tomorrow where we get to be more hands on with patients. All in all I had a great week in BVI and have already learned so much about the culture here and tried new things! (Submitted on January 8, 2024)