Category: Caribbean

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

The Historical Island Tour our group took shared a lot about Bajan culture. This experience has heightened our time on the island and has taught us more than I could have ever imagined. The tour started at Harrison’s Cave where we did a tour of the cave with the stalagmites. It is a big tourist location, which is Barbados’ main industry. Each of the different spots in the cave had a different name and a story behind it. Driving through Barbados and seeing all of the sugar cane fields showed how important it is here. I learned about Crop Over and how it celebrates the end of the sugar cane season. While passing the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, I learned that the wind-driven mill crushed the sugar mill to produce juice. This is an aspect of sugar mills that I did not previously know. I also learned that every parish in Barbados has an Anglican Church. There was a lot of interesting and valuable information that I learned throughout the Historical Island Tour. I am looking forward to the next two weeks where I will have the opportunity to learning more about about Bajan culture. (Submitted on January 20, 2024)

Submitted by Travis Johnson on the 2024 Winter HDFS program in Barbados…

The second week in Barbados marked the beginning of our teaching placements in four
of the local primary schools. I got the opportunity to complete my teaching placements with
three other students from our group at the Welches Primary School. The morning of the first
day of placements was filled with plenty of excitement, and some nervousness that was quickly
erased once we arrived at our schools. From the moment we stepped off the bus at Welches
Primary School, the students overjoyed to welcome us, with sharing a similar excitement to
meet them. The first portion of the day primarily consisted of us meeting all of the teachers and
staff, and getting assigned to a classroom. I was paired with Class 2, which has 7-8-year-old
students. I spent the first half of the day observing the teacher and how the classroom works.
During the morning break/snack time, some students offered me their favorite chips and
candies as a warm welcome to their school. The students were excited for me to join them for
recess after lunchtime, where I asked them to teach me how to play their favorite sport, cricket.
Although it took me some time to fully get the hang of the rules, the students were patient with
me and I really enjoyed learning a new sport and being able to build a connection with those
students on the first day. For the second half of the day, I worked with the teacher to get the
hang of grading classwork and working with students to make corrections. At the end of the
day, there was some downtime where I had a chance to have more laid back conversations with
the students about our hobbies and cultures. Many students asked if I played Fortnite, some
asked where I have I traveled in the past and what foods do I enjoy. One student asked about
American Football, which prompted me to bring my football to school on the second day. When
I pulled the football out of my bag for recess on the second day, all of the students were very
excited to play with it. At the end of recess, they asked if I could bring it again the next day. I
quickly realized I will be leaving the football behind when I return home. After lunch, I had the
opportunity to lead a math class, where we worked on a set of multiplication problems to wrap
up the day.

In addition to beginning teaching placements during the second week, the group also
had the opportunity to visit some prominent natural and historical sites on the island. We
explored Harrison’s Cave on an underground tram ride through the cave system with
opportunities to get off the tram and take pictures with the impressive underground waterfalls
and geological structures that have been forming for millennia. Our next stop on the tour was
Cherry Tree Hill, which offered breathtaking views of the east coast of the island and the rough
waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, we enjoyed a large lunch on the rocky shoreline of the
Atlantic consisting of fried chicken, rice, and my personal favorite, macaroni pie. The second
week in Barbados was an exciting week filled with countless learning experiences in the
classroom, and opportunities to experience the natural beauty of the island. (Submitted on January 21, 2024)

Submitted by Alexis Hess on the 2024 Winter NURS program in British Virgin Islands…

This past weekend we took an excursion to the island of Jost Van Dyke, Little Jost, and Sandy Spit. Jost is a small island with a population of only 300. We can see Jost across the water from the town we are staying in so it was exciting to be able to see what we’ve been admiring this whole time. While at the island we took a hike to the “Bubbly Pools,” enjoyed the beach, and had a paddle board relay race. Sandy Spit, a tiny sandbar, which was an additional highlight that we swam to.

While we did have a lot of fun this past week on our excursion and at the beach, it was also our first week working in the hospital alongside nurses. We were split into different speciality units of our interest, including the ICU, ER, NICU, women’s health, med surg, and the behavioral health unit. This experience provided invaluable learning opportunities, allowing us to apply our clinical knowledge to a diverse patient population. Beyond deepening our understanding of the nursing profession, it exposed us to various lifestyles and their impacts on health. Our time at the hospital also allowed us to identify differences between the American healthcare system and that of the BVI. Looking forward to the coming weeks, I am eager for more enriching experiences, both within the hospital and on the island in general. (Submitted on January 18, 2024)

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

Week 3 in Barbados has allowed our group to see all of the west coast. We observed how beaches change and if they have different coastal engineering structures. At the end of our west coast tour, we met with a fisheries officer. He described the changes he has noticed over the years due to climate change and other environmental factors. Fishing here is an essential way of life, so the locals notice when there are changes to the water. To continue with this outreach, our group traveled to a local school. We were able to go on a hike with the class and talk about how much they enjoy growing up in Barbados. Having these opportunities to connect with the local community has made me appreciate my time in Barbados much more than before. My friends and I were also able to rent some surfboards and try them out. The waves are small on the east side, but we were still able to surf them. Surfing and snorkeling have been two of my favorite activities during my time here. There is so much to appreciate in the water, and I never get tired of seeing the fish. (Submitted on January 18, 2024)

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

This week in Barbados, we had the opportunity to have four more placements in our assigned primary schools and do other activities around the island. In the placements I got to know the kids and teachers more and learned their different teaching styles to help the kids understand the information being presented. In our PE classes, we worked on long jumps and I had the opportunity to lead multiple classes out in the sandpit while the teacher was doing something else. In this role, I taught them first how to turn away from the pit and take between nine and twelve steps to get a proper running start when they were eventually going to run towards the pit. I then instructed them to turn 90 degrees towards the fence and place their cone down with their name on it so they had a marker of where to start. When their name was called, they were to come off of the fence and take their marks to get ready to run. Finally, I had taught them how to approach the board and hit it with one foot, jump as high and as far as possible, and land with both feet in the sand. This was all to get the children to understand the basics because they have a competition against other schools towards the end of January and early February. Some other activities we got to do this past week included going to Oistens on Friday night and Harbour Lights on Wednesday night. In both of these locations they had live music, native dancing, gift shops, and places for food and drink. This has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far because it allowed me to experience their culture even more and make me feel like part of the community. I am looking forward to experiencing more things like this these next two weeks and still am incredibly grateful to be able to spend my winter break here. (Submitted on January 19, 2024)

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

This is my second week studying abroad in the British Virgin Islands for nursing. This past week we have done so much and I’m learning so much more about the culture in the BVI. On Friday, we visited some other islands called Jost Van Dyke, Sandy Spit, and Sandy Cay, which were all very beautiful. We also visited the Old Government House which taught us a lot about the royal visits, one being Queen Elizabeth. By touring the house we also learned a lot about the government and history here in the BVI. We have spent a lot of time the past week in Peebles Hospital so it is very interesting to be able to compare healthcare here versus back in the United States. I am in the labor and delivery unit and got to see a cesarean which was a really cool experience. We also are reading a book called Island Queen which has been very insightful about the slavery in the Colonial West Indies. I am loving it here and am very excited for the next two weeks! (Submitted on January 17, 2024)

Submitted by Ashley Tedesco on the 2024 Winter EDUC program in Barcelona…

My first week abroad has officially come and gone, and my time during this month-long adventure in Barcelona is certainly flying by! It feels as though only yesterday all of my fellow elementary education students were arriving at our apartments and enjoying each other’s company at our welcome dinner at El Glop. Since then, I have taken full advantage of the opportunity to learn about the culture here in the Catalonia region of Spain, and have met a fair few challenges. One of the most significant is the fact that in Catalonia, the primary language is Catalan, rather than Spanish, and it is a major source of pride for the people living in this region; this encouraged me to take some time learning common Catalan phrases to help me navigate conversations with native speakers when the opportunity presents itself!

Additionally, my first night here during the welcome dinner was a source of culture shock for me. For dinner, I had ordered the fish option, not expecting what I would find being placed in front of me when the main courses arrived; on my plate was an entire baked fish – head and all! While initially I was surprised, and unsure how to go about eating my dinner, once I got past the initial discomfort and how to properly eat the fish (particularly avoiding the bones!) I found that the meal was delicious and was glad that I gave it a chance.

One of my favorite excursions I have participated in thus far has been the day trip that our whole group went on to Montserrat Monastery. This mountainous destination, located about an hour outside of Barcelona was a majestic reminder of the natural beauty that exists all around us. As someone who is minorly fearful of heights, hiking up a mountain was certainly something that made me nervous, but once I started I was overwhelmingly grateful that I pushed myself to climb higher. The views were breathtaking and I knew it was one of those experiences I will never forget. As I head into the coming weeks of my program, I am looking forward to more once-in-a-lifetime experiences, especially those that come with my participation in St. Peter’s School as part of the ETE program! (Submitted on January 17, 2024)

Submitted by Olivia Sheetz on the 2024 Winter NURS program in British Virgin Islands…

During my second week in the BVI, my peers and I attending our clinical rotation at Peebles Hospital in Tortola. We each were assigned to different units and paired with a nurse preceptor. It has been enlightening to see the differences between the healthcare system in the BVI versus the United States. I have already learned so much from my preceptor and look forward to learning more as we continue our clinical experience. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to see healthcare in a new light and learn from those around me. (Submitted on January 16, 2024)

Submitted by Annabelle Dorsett on the 2024 Winter CIEG program in Barbados…

For the second week in Barbados we traveled Bridgetown and other recommended areas. We arrived at Bridgetown via the bus which was very packed. We walked miles through the town and visited the harbor and various different monuments. The city was so colorful but it was pretty quiet when we got there. Eventually we arrived at a restaurant on the beach and I got a curry chicken salad. It was delicious and the crowd at the bar was so welcoming, a great day in the city! We walked through the town for a while looking for a bus and some locals guided us to the bus area. The next morning we ran a few miles around the town. The next few days were still busy with classes but we made sure to venture around. We also had a guest speaker who was a local and discussed the impact of climate change on his coastal engineering work. We watched the sunset almost every night and they were breathtaking over the water. Finally, we saw a family of monkeys multiple times over the week as they continued to visit us. (Submitted on January 15, 2024)

Submitted by Annabelle Dorsett on the 2024 Winter CIEG program in Barbados…

For the first week in Barbados we traveled all over the island to different recommended areas. The first night we got there, the group went to a local kitchen across the street for karaoke night. We got the recommended chicken stew over rice dish, attached is a picture. It was delicious and the crowd at the bar was so welcoming, a great way to start our trip. The next morning we
walked a few miles around the beach and in the town and were greeted by endless friendly locals. The beach was beautiful and the water was so blue and crystal clear. The next few days were busy with classes but we made sure to venture around. We went snorkeling at the beach by the place we were staying and the fish and coral were breathtaking. To finish off the week we took the bus to the Fish market in Oistin’s which was heavily recommended by most people we talked to. It was lively and loud with lots of food and drinks with people from all over the world and from Barbados. We got some dolphin fish and shrimp platters and it was phenomenal. (Submitted on January 15, 2024)