Category: Caribbean

Submitted by Samantha Green on the 2025 Winter program in the British Virgin Islands…

During my study abroad experience I was able to travel to Necker Island owned by Sir Richard Branson. On the island I met animals from all over the world, not just met, but was up close and personal. While walking around this private island pretty much by ourselves with some staff we even got to meet Sir Richard Branson! It was amazing to meet someone so famous while still being so humble! (Submitted January 30, 2025)

Submitted by Kate Wixson on the 2025 Winter program in Holetown, Barbados…

Submitted by Samantha Green on the 2025 Winter program in British Virgin Islands…

Today was January 2nd, 2025, the start of my study abroad journey! I woke up this morning feeling a bundle of nerves; excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and pure joy knowing I had so many new things in my near future! After taking a short four and a half hour flight, a taxi, a ferry, and another taxi I finally arrived at my hotel where the views could’ve been out of a movie. I am feeling so blessed and beyond grateful to be here and experiencing all the beauty this new country and culture has to offer! (Submitted on January 6, 2025)

Submitted by Arikah Campbell on the 2025 Winter program in Barbados…

Stepping off the plane and feeling the warm Caribbean breeze instantly made the reality of studying abroad in Barbados sink in. After months of preparation, anticipation, procrastination, and packing (probably too much clothes), I have finally arrived on this beautiful island for my winter session abroad. As soon as I got off the shuttle bus from the plane I was hit with the sounds of the steel pans beating. The many times I’ve been to Barbados or any other Caribbean island, this was the first time I’ve ever experienced being welcomed by music in an airport. Then once I got my bags, I was greeted with a rum punch (which was unfortunately not that good) and my sisters recording me with big smiles on their faces. Although I’m a daughter of a Bajan and have been to Barbados since a young child, I didn’t know the oldest rum distillery is in Barbados and it was coined in Barbados. I’m looking forward to going to Harrison Cave and experiencing the history of rum and going zip lining. I’m looking forward to meeting the teachers and students and learning how the school system works. This experience is about growing in my educational space and learning and stepping outside my comfort zone in a classroom. The island’s vibrant energy is contagious, and I can’t wait to experience this adventure ahead in Barbados. (Submitted on January 4, 2025)

Submitted by Taylor Donahue on the 2024 Winter CIEG program in Barbados…

The final week of Barbados was full of excursions around the island. Another trip to the west coast led us to Harrison’s cave and Andromeda Gardens. When I thought of Barbados before this trip, I didn’t expect a giant cave system to be underneath the tiny island. Giant stalagmites and stalactites surrounded our group in the cave. The Andromeda Garden had stunning flowers and plants, spanning 8 acres. Seeing both of these beautiful sites in one day made me appreciate the diverse the area is. 

Our group took a trip to a different part of the island to see a live band. The music is always great in Barbados and I’ll miss the energy back home. The band played in Spitestown right on the beach, so we were able to see a stunning sunset. Going to see musicians allowed our group to meet more locals and learn more about Barbados. Learning the bus system was challenging, but worth it in the end. We got to see so many different areas and appreciate them all during the month. 

This experience allowed me to grow a deeper appreciation for Barbados and their struggles. Our courses in coastal engineering allowed us to observe what issues they were having and brainstorm potential solutions. Our final lab was to create solutions for the area of Six Mens since they are experiencing serious erosion problems near their highway. I’m looking forward to bringing this passion back home and seeing what coastal processes I now notice. This experience was once in a lifetime and I;ll forever be grateful I got the opportunity to go. (February 4, 2024)

Submitted by Michael Rimbey on the 2024 Winter HDFS program in Barbados …

In my final week in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, we finished up our placements in the Primary schools and took a few more trips as a group to fully maximize our time in Barbados. In the last two days of placements, I led many more classes as a teacher and also spent more time with the rest of the students during recess after lunch. This was one of my favorite parts of the day because it allowed me to see all of the students and connect with them, doing things that different people enjoyed and wanted me to do with them. Some of these things included throwing American football, kicking around a soccer ball, playing netball, hide and seek, and running races against other students. This truly made me feel like a kid again, and it took me back to when I was younger playing games in Elementary school. I used my experiences in Elementary school to also teach the kids some games we used to play back then in class. It was very hard to say goodbye to the teachers and students I have worked with throughout January, and they thanked us by giving each of us a gift bag from the school which included a polo shirt, mug, and a pen. I had never thought I would meet these people just a few short months ago, but I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and did because I will remember them for the rest of my life. Some of the last trips that we took as a group included a catamaran tour around the South side of the island and also an inflatable waterpark day in Saint James. Both of these trips brought us even closer together as a group and gave us even more memories that we can take back home with us to the United States. Now that I have had the opportunity to reflect on this experience, I am so incredibly grateful for the time I have had and meeting new people from both UD and the island of Barbados. The community in Saint James, where we stayed, has been extremely welcoming and I am leaving the island feeling as though it is my home away from home. I feel I have grown both personally and professionally from this winter study abroad trip and I am leaving telling myself that I will most definitely be back one day. I want to thank everyone that has helped me in this journey abroad and will be officially saying farewell to this study abroad trip of 2024. It is not a goodbye, but a see you later. (Submitted February 2, 2024)

Submitted by Bianca Soutar on the 2024 Winter NURS program in the British Virgin Islands…

This past week in BVI my favorite thing that we did was go to the elementary school and led a discussion about the purple hands project. The purple hands project is meant to end abuse and violence in schools and communities. First of all it was very interesting to see the schools here and meet all the kids. Right when we walked in they all stood up and greeted us which I thought was really sweet. All the children and teachers were very polite and welcoming to us and seemed very engaged in the discussion. Also, this week we went to Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island. There was so much wildlife on this island, such as lemurs, flamingos, tortoises, and many types of birds. It was so cool to be able to see all the wildlife and also learn about Richard Branson and the history of the island. (Submitted on January 27, 2024)

Submitted by Caitlin Greeff on the 2024 Winter HDFS program in Barbados…

This week, the HDFS Barbados trip had an Art Culture Excursion. This day began by taking a trip to William’s Legacy, a family business where they make beautiful, intricate wooden items. We met Amander, the main woodworker, and her husband and youngest son and watched her make small trinket boxes. Seeing her amazing designs and hearing her speak about her culture made for a very memorable experience. Our next stop was to Earthworks Pottery where we were greeted with amazing views and beautiful pottery. We were able to see the pottery being made inside the shop which was an amazing experience. We stopped at Savvy on the Bay for lunch. Savvy on the Bay sits right on the water where different food trucks are available and live music is playing. The positive vibes and amazing food created a truly memorable experience. As our excursion came to an end, we made one last stop at Rihanna’s childhood home. Seeing her house was eye-opening and amazing to see how far she has come. Her home was refinished for tourists and lies on a street that is now called Rihanna Drive. The Art Culture Excursion taught me so much about Bajan culture that I will bring home with me and keep with me for years to come. (Submitted on January 27, 2024)

Submitted by Sarah D’Antonio on the 2024 Winter service-learning study abroad program in Barbados…

After two weeks into the Barbados service-learning abroad trip, I feel that I have really begun to immerse myself into the Bajan culture. I have learned and am still in the process of learning valuable traditions and cultural attitudes that I can take home with me and share with my own community. With only two weeks left, our professor Dr. Norma Gaines-Hanks recently asked us to reflect on what makes us hopeful about our experience working with the students in our assigned placements. I felt it would be perfect to answer this profound question in a blog post. 

What makes me hopeful about my involvement in this program is the motivation and excitement I feel every morning when I arrive at placement, get off the bus, and become immediately swarmed with hugs from students before I can even make it up their school’s driveway. There is also this sense of sadness that comes over me when the school day is over and I am again swarmed with hugs while I try to make my way out the door. However this sadness also makes me hopeful because it allows me to recognize how lucky I am to feel so appreciated but also be so grateful myself – and how lucky I am to have something that is so hard to say goodbye to. 

I told myself that if I can make just one child smile throughout my time here, then I have made a difference. Their hugs and appreciation remind me of why I am here and what drew me to do this service-learning trip in the first place– to make children feel cared for, seen, and loved. (Submitted on January 24, 2024)

Submitted by Eddie Sollazzo on the 2024 Winter CIEG program in Barbados …

This week we had the opportunity to ride on a glass bottom boat captained by a man named  Kenrick. Before meeting Kenrick and the boat, we met Marvin on the beach, and he was the person in contact with our captain Kenrick. Marvin was wearing a Minnesota Vikings jersey and a vibrant bathing suit. Marvin led us on a short walk down the beach to an area where our boat could pull up right to shore to board. It was time to go! 

While on the way to our first destination, Kenrick had told us that he has been living in Barbados and driving his turtle boat for 50 years. The boat was a medium-small watercraft with an upper deck, it fit our group of 18 just fine. What was special about the boat was the see through glass bottom panels. There were two plexy-glass panels that we could see through and sure enough just as we got to our first stop we spotted a turtle through the boat. Kenrick told us that many of the other glass bottom boat tours did not know of this spot and that it was a special secret. 

Kenrick fixed us all some snorkel gear and encouraged us to swim with the sea turtles. It was an amazing experience. I couldn’t help but think about the fun sea turtles in Finding Nemo, a favorite movie of mine.  

The group had a lot of fun taking pictures and jumping off the top deck. My second favorite part of this adventure aside from swimming with the turtles was learning facts about the estates located on the water. Kenrick told us stories of where Rihanna used to live and currently stays when she comes. It was crazy to imagine that the nearby town that we are staying in is where some of the rich and famous come to vacation.

Community day and East Coast!

This Friday was community day, and we got the opportunity to meet the children of the local St.  James Primary School. We were accompanying the kids for a tsunami drill where we marched up a hill and got to a higher elevation in the case of a tsunami. It is wild to imagine the threat of a tsunami while living on an island but of course it is important to be prepared. After the trip up the hill, we embarked on a 5-mile hike with the children of the school around the town and then back to the beach located near where we are staying. The children were so fun to hang out with. Some people in our group hit it off with the kids and ended the hike carrying their backpacks and holding their hands. It was adorable.  

I hung out with a boy named Sheldon Thomas who had me cracking up. Some of the kids told me that I looked like a YouTuber they watch, but I couldn’t make out the exact name. I am very grateful to have the experience of spending time with the kids and making some new friends. 

Saturday, we had a bus tour planned to explore some of the beaches on the east coast. The water was very interesting to see as the courses we are taking are related to coastal engineering. The east coast of Barbados is facing the Atlantic Ocean, and the waters are much more rough and violent in comparison to the west side which faces the Caribbean Sea. The views were amazing, and we got to take some great pictures. Descriptions would never do the landscape justice, so I’ve included some of my favorite pictures! (Submitted on January 23, 2024)