Category: Caribbean

Submitted by Sara Somers on the 2015 winter session program in Trinidad and Tobago sponsored by the Department of Music…

Trinidad was not a country I had been familiar with before deciding to apply for the steel pan study abroad program. Even after online research, I did not have any strong preconceptions about Trinidad and Tobago. Soon after arriving, we began indulging in the life and culture of Trinidadians. Professor Harvey Price informed us of many slang terms, behaviors, and norms of the Trinidadians. We quickly learned that a meal for $40 TT was a good price, I should not pet all of the stray dogs, and that the small winding roads actually do fit two vehicles. In the first week of exploring Trinidad, I was also introduced to the importance of music in Trinidad. Specifically, Calypso, SoCa, and steel pans. Our group, made up of rookie steel pan players, only a few having a musical background, has already learned to play a song in steel pan class. In addition to the knowledge from class, we travel to pan yards on most nights to watch the competitive steel pan groups rehearse for Carnival season. I have never known of a culture that revolved around music for a season. Most Trinidadians are in a steel pan group from the time they are able to play until they cannot do so. The players see music as a priority, regardless of their quality of living. I have found great joy from watching our University of Delaware students learn an instrument from scratch without any previous musical knowledge. They are beginning to understand all that goes into music. My first week in Trinidad has opened my eyes to a very different culture, including the history and music of the country.

 

 

Submitted by Taurence Chisholm on the 2018 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

The first night I arrived in Martinique I was very nervous because I already knew that my comprehension of French, when spoken, was not that great. What made it even worse was that I met my house mother and she couldn’t even understand any English. So the drive from the airport was a lot of “pardon” and “comment-dit-on” followed by a slower, yet somehow even more unintelligible sentence or silence. I started to just say “oui” (yes) a lot even when I didn’t understand, but the first full day got better. We took a tour of the main city Fort de France, where Gustave talked to us about the history of the church and Martinique’s founding. He spoke mostly in French, which wasn’t that bad actually, then we ate at one of the many amazing restaurants.

We went to a part of the island with a beach called Trois Illets, where we hung out and “practiced French”. Which was just telling each other how little we understood. I think the best part of the week was realizing that everyone else was in the same boat and that this was a very new experience that could get awkward, frustrating and overwhelming. As we learned, it got easier.

Submitted by Evan Driscoll on the 2018 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography and Department of Applied Economics and Statistics…

After two weeks in Dominica, things have settled down a bit now that there is a somewhat established routine, though each day continues to be exciting and full of surprises. The day starts with breakfast at 8:00 AM, which has varied greatly. We’ve eaten eggs, toast, porridge (a Dominican dish similar to cream of wheat), zucchini accra (essentially zucchini fritters), corned beef, a double-decker bacon and egg sandwich, and more. We then have class from 9:00 AM until noon, and there is an excursion afterwards.

A highlight for me was Middleham Falls. We hiked through the rain on a steep and rocky trail. The precipitation really picked up towards the end of the hike, which worsened the condition of the already muddy trails. My clothes were wet and my were shoes covered in mud by the end. It was difficult to navigate, but I enjoyed the challenge, and it was all worth it when we reached the waterfall. Middleham Falls is a 175-foot waterfall that feeds into a small pool where you can swim in the cool waters. We climbed down the rocks to reach the water and spent around 45 minutes swimming. The water was very refreshing and it was a blast to swim in. We then began the return hike, which went faster than the first leg.

This Saturday, we had our “Ocean Experience” in which we snorkeled at Champagne Beach and then saw sperm whales and dolphins out at sea. The Champagne Beach got its name from the continuous stream of bubbles coming from the volcanic activity below the seafloor. There was a lot of colorful coral and sea life.

We also went whale watching, and saw sperm whales and learned a lot about the animals. An interesting fact is that sperm whales exhibit some of the greatest sexual dimorphism in nature, meaning that the males are nearly twice the size of females. While the whales were interesting to see, the highlight of the entire program for me so far was seeing the dolphins.

I was just about to doze off aboard the ship when I heard a commotion from the front of the boat. I looked to the right and saw dolphins jumping out of the water! I grabbed my camera and was able to snap a picture of a dolphin at the apex of its jump. The dolphins continued leaping into the air, putting on an amazing show. They also swam alongside us, jumping up and down right in front of the boat. It was incredible to watch.

The nature in Dominica is truly spectacular. It has a myriad of wildlife and different things to see. Hurricane Maria had a great impact on the island, but the animal and plant life persist. Such a vibrant island is definitely deserving of the title “The Nature Isle.”

 

Submitted by Taurence Chisholm on the 2018 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This week, I learned a little bit more about myself and how I manage stressful situations. After classes, we are able to go to the beach, which we did as we’ve been trying to all stay together and when we tried to get back home the buses wouldn’t come. It was difficult enough trying to understand the bus schedule, but this time there were no buses. So we had to walk back to the University, and coordinate with some of the other host families and our TA to contact everyone who needed to be contacted. It wasn’t until later that we found out that there was a bus strike.

Aside from small hiccups in transportation, everything continues to be good. I think I’m beginning to understand Madame Limer a little better. I think that talking to her and her granddaughter, who is an adorable six year old over dinner every night is helping. Speaking of dinner, the food is great. Madame Limer has cooked us fish, chicken, lentils, turkey, salad and even made bread for us to eat. The lunch at the university is definitely better than ours.

Something that was very difficult was understanding the money, and wrapping my head around the Euro to American dollar ratio, which makes it hard to keep track of money. I still haven’t figured it out, but I think I will.

Speaking of money, somethings here are dumb expensive, but the food is definitely worth it. We traveled to a little art village type thing called Josephine’s pottery house. There, we watched a man make pottery and I got a chance to buy my baby cousins T-shirts and practice French with the locals which I had actively avoided, and still sort of do. My comprehension is getting better, but I still have trouble responding. When the woman asked me a question, I knew what she asked, but I was dumb-founded. She looked at me and asked me if I spoke French and I said “a little” and she just said “ok”. Another man, after hearing me speak French, then leering at me for a little, asked if I was Canadian. All in all, my French is definitely improving and the classes are a good supplement as we go over commonly used phrases and words everyday.

Submitted by Aileen Kerrigan on the 2018 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography and the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics…

Sundays are weird in Dominica, and I was told they would be before I got here. Not much is open around the city, because the island is very religious, and Sundays are used for church, family and simply resting from the busy work week. I underestimated how empty the streets would be, but it was a good break from the constant hustle and bustle of people and vehicles.

On Monday, we all went on a short hike to see a Catholic monument. The original path up to the monument was not able to be used due to the hurricane, so we went a separate way, seeing a lot of different vegetation on the way. It was very informative, and the view when we got to the top was great.

Tuesday and Thursday were free days, so we all mostly slept and looked for souvenirs, as a break from all our hikes this week. Wednesday, we took a hike to Middleham Falls. The “trail” was rough; it was pouring rain on the way there, making the logs wet, the soil very muddy and rivers were flowing right where we needed to walk. It was all completely worth it when we got there though! The water was falling 150 feet into a little pool in which we all took a short and icy dip. The walk back was much easier after the water had all dried up.

Friday was a trip to the Emerald Pool, one of the most visited places on the island. Again, the trail is not ready to be hiked on, so we are just going in from the Visitor’s Center and going straight to the Pool. It was still amazing, and extremely green!

Saturday (my birthday!) we went on a whale and dolphin safari, and it was the best day of the program so far. We saw lots of whales, but when we came across a pod of dolphins, everyone was having the time of their lives. They jumped so high in the air it was unbelievable, and they were swimming at the front of the boat like it was a roller coaster ride. This will be a hard birthday to top in the future, and I’m so glad it was spent here.

Food is continuing to be an issue, since I’m a vegetarian, but every day we are all finding more options for me at different restaurants. When our hotel gives us dinners certain days a week, the chef prepares a separate dish for me, and it is always delicious. More stores in general are opening, which is a good sign for the community of recovering from the hurricane. I am so glad to be here after our debate about coming or not, because everyone is so grateful to see us walking down the street, and being able to contribute to their economy makes me feel like I’m spending my winter break very wisely.

Yes, we are learning too! The funniest thing about class was learning about “mountain chickens” last week, and only finding out this week that they are actually frogs! I am learning a lot about natural resources, and having it specifically about the island is such a great experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Kevin Silverstein on the 2018 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Geography…

Hello again! I have been enjoying my time on the island, it is continuously beautiful here. This week, we took a coastal field trip and observed the problem of Sargassum Seaweed.  The island is plagued by onsets of it consistently. The seaweed comes in from the surf and completely covers the beach. There has been various speculation on its source of origin. Some reports suggest it comes in from Mexico and others say it drifts in from Chinese waters. While it poses no threat to human health, the seaweed is considered a nuisance. Bajans have tried using it as fertilizer, as a repellent to invasive African Snails, and have even tried to make soup out it. No matter what is done with it, tons continue to drift in. It is posing a serious threat to the tourism industry of Barbados. Nobody wants to sit on a beach covered in stinky seaweed! Fortunately, there are numerous beaches still unaffected, buying the Bajan government more time to find a solution.

 

 

 

Submitted by Ashlee Autore on the 2018 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Geography…

After spending another week in Barbados, I think I should update the driving here: one of the buses we were all riding in, returning from exploring and learning about Bridgetown (the main city), was hit by another car. This car hit our front bumper and sped away. The locals all seemed to agree that this wasn’t the norm, at least not speeding away, but everyone seemed very relaxed and not really concerned. Of course, this leads me to believe it isn’t too rare of an occurrence. Other than that, I still appreciate how all drivers give friendly honks to each other.

During this past week, I’ve learned a lot about the culture here. Of course, the field trips with our guest speakers and field experts have been great, but what I enjoy the most is talking to strangers on the bus. The Bajans are all very easy to make conversation with (well, most of them), and they all seem really happy to have us here. I love learning about what they do here, for work and for fun, their family dynamics, their history, and anything else they’re willing to share. One man I met on the bus, Robert, told me about how he served in the U.S. Marines for 23 years, stationed in California. We were coming back from this weekly event called Oistin’s Fish Fry, where there are lots of shops set up along with restaurants and butchers. Of course, everything is based around fish. The most popular fish here is the flying fish. I’m sure there’s no menu on the island that does not have flying fish listed somewhere on it.

Considering we’re studying on an island, naturally, we get to see a lot of beaches and learn about how they’re different depending on where you are and the current projects supporting sand and coast preservation. During one of these field trips, it happened to be raining for most of the time. Although the island is technically supposed to be in a dry season right now, everyone has been commenting on how there’s an abnormal amount of rain falling lately. Almost every time it rains here, a rainbow can be found. We were lucky enough to find a double rainbow, right over the beautiful, blue water.

As an added bonus – one morning this week, I was finally able to see the native green monkey eating some fruit.

 

Submitted by Marissa Gropman on the 2018 winter session program in the Cayman Islands sponsored by the School of Marine Science and Policy…

I am blown away at how beautiful this remote island is. The dives here are unlike any other. Aside from having knowledgeable and experienced people leading the way, we have a lot of room to explore and see things we’ve never seen before. I’ve seen large pufferfish, a shark, some turtles and beautiful fish. Seeing species new to me has been exciting and the group talks about all of our findings afterwards. I have met kind locals who ask about the way I live and want to hear the differences, which I enjoy sharing. They tell me what I need to do and see and even offer to show us these places. There is one store on the island and we tend to turn our car rides there into a fun little trip. As much as I may miss my friends and family, I am constantly distracted by the natural beauty and learning new techniques. We have 11 logged dives since arriving about one week ago and I look forward to receiving my AAUS certification for scientific diving at the end of this program.

Submitted by Caroline Nee on the 2018 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Geography…

Yesterday we had the chance to go around the west and south coasts of the island and see the beach protection projects and mitigation efforts. Tourism has a huge impact on the infrastructure that gets built around the island. Since Barbados’ main attraction is its coastline, a lot of resorts, restaurants, etc., get built right on the beach causing them to erode and disrupt the natural sand movement of the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this rate, the majority of the beaches will be diminished. Part of their project includes building boardwalks all along the coast, which is allowing people to easily walk from beach to beach. Another big thing they are doing is building jetties throughout the water, which stops long shore drift. Engineers on the island build these very strategically to still allow for natural sand movement. In short, tourism is one of the main reasons for the diminishing beaches.

 

Submitted by Steve da Cunha on the 2018 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

Martinique is a small island that was a former colony of France. The island remains part of the country, but as a region instead of separate colony. This was not the case as recently as 1946 when activists successfully pushed for the country to become a formal part of France.

The country has an interesting history and, consequently, an interesting mingling of cultures. During its colonial period, Martinique’s main purpose was to grow sugar for the profit of the French empire. African slaves were used in mass after native Americans and other sources of labor delivered little profit. It was not only the French who were involved in the island however, as Jewish exiles from Spain, who went to Brazil via the Dutch, also went to the island to assist in cultivation techniques for sugar production. The legacy of this mingling of races is present in Martinique’s difficulty in crafting its identity.

Identity became a central theme in Martinique’s art and literature for several years, and it is still very much a force today. The balance of slavery, African roots, European ties, and global influence leave the people confused as to who they should be. A central example is the Creole language spoken by many on the island. There was debate as to whether Creole should be taught to children in schools. The portion of the island who was white, and thus had more European ties, typically supported integrating on a voluntary basis. Contrary to what might be expected, many of the black occupants of the island opposed this as they wished for their children to move away from the non-dominate culture and adapt to the globally dominate western style of being. This issue represents the difficulty of appreciating a unique culture and history while also moving forward into a western influenced world.