Day 10 - Meeting & sunshine!

Day 10 (December 10th, 2013) Last night, after I updated my post, we went to Dr. Hansen’s room to try the cake Mary Anna baked for us. It was delicious! Tasted like banana bread. Wanted to mention that before I forgot! Today was a work day for the other three students – their presentation is tomorrow afternoon. At 10 am, Dr. Hansen and I went to a preschool close to the house where we are staying. The preschool coordinator is well-known on the island as a child nutrition advocate. She does not tolerate junk food or sugar-sweetened beverages in her center. She has created a mascot, jingle, and video that promotes healthy eating. This lady is amazing. She gave me great advice for the educational tools I will be creating. After the meeting, we headed back to the house. Amelia and I had a picnic on the veranda. After lunch, I sat outside and listened to country music on my iPod. It was the perfect laying out weather – partly cloudy with a light breeze. I may have gotten a little sunburnt, but it was definitely worth it! Later this evening, we ate icicles (Mr. Freezie's) with Kijahna and Rianna on the veranda; the girls are 12 and 7 if I haven't mentioned their ages. I'm going to miss their cute little accents! Tomorrow we are heading to the Health Ministry; the presentation is at 3. We are going to the market after to pick up last minute souvenirs. I cannot believe my time in Saint Lucia is coming to an end, only 3 days left on the island. It has been such as amazing experience. So glad I was given the opportunity. Hope everyone is staying warm back home. Peace, love, Saint Lucia.

Day 9 - Health Clinics with Mary Anna

Day 9 (December 9th, 2013) Today was an early morning; we were picked up by our driver, Lucius, at 7:15. I did not sleep well the tonight before and wasn’t feeling the best. We arrived at the Health Ministry around 8 and separated into our groups; Amelia and I went with Mary Anna, while Lekei, Ursula, and Dr. Hansen went with Melva. Mary Anna’s husband drove us to the La Clery Health Clinic. He played Caribbean style Christmas music on the way to the clinic – we enjoyed the ride! Upon arrival at the clinic, we met the staff. Mondays are Ante-Natal clinics (pre-natal), so there were several pregnant women at the clinic. Mary Anna gave a presentation to the patients about breastfeeding, while they were awaiting their appointments. After the presentation, we awaited Mary Anna’s clients; she takes referrals from the doctor for nutrition assessments. None showed up; the weather was cloudy and rainy. Mary Anna explained that many people do not go out if it is raining. While we waited, we discussed what she does during her assessments and about the healthcare system in the United States. She knows so much about our country, and I knew so few about hers. I’ve already learned so much, but I am looking forward to researching more about Saint Lucia’s culture and history. We then went to the grocery store and bought lunch from the deli – turkey sub and side salad. We ate in Mary Anna’s office at the Castries Health Clinic. She made us each a banana cake – she is such a wonderful woman. At 2, Mary Anna had an appointment, a referral from the clinic. During her assessments, Mary Anna takes the clients height, weight, blood pressure and blood sugar. She calculates BMI from their height and weight and shows the client on the chart where they fall in terms of underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. She also asks their occupation, history of hypertension or diabetes, appetite, and allergies (I may be forgetting a few). She then has the client explain their food intake schedule – breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Mary Anna gives recommendations after the client has given her all the information she needs. I was going to become a nutritionist, but decided against it. Observing the nutrition assessment made me reconsider my decision a bit – but I am NOT going back to school! After the client, Amelia and I were picked up by our driver and the rest of the group and headed back to our rental. Rianna, the owner’s daughter, brought us a plate of fried chicken, green banana salad, rice surprise, mac n cheese, and twice baked potato. They must have had leftovers from their dinner. Amelia and I shared the home-cooked meal – as always, it was delicious. I am hoping to relax more tonight and get a good night’s rest. I am feeling better. Peace, love, Saint Lucia.

Pictures from the beach & Pigeon Island!

Day 8 - Rodney Bay Mall, Beach & Pigeon Island

Day 8 (December 8, 2013) Best night’s sleep yet! I was exhausted from the previous night. I woke up well rested and ready for the beach! Ursula and Dr. Hansen went to Catholic Mass at 10:30, and Emily and I went to Rodney Bay Mall, while Lekei and Amelia stayed to work on homework. Emily is a resident from Indianapolis we met in Vieux Fort; she is working at St. Jude’s hospital during her three week stay. She had the weekend off so she decided to stay with us in Castries. She was with us last night when we went to Marigot Bay and Dennery as well – forgot to mention in my last post – I’m always tired when I write these posts. Emily & I went to Piranha Joe’s and bought more souvenirs. The store was playing Lady Antebellum's cd - we were both signing along! I have definitely missed country music! We went into a wine and spirits store where we bought local spiced rum – $8 a bottle! Super cheap. We sat and chatted outside for a while until our ride came and took us back to the house. We then got ready and headed to the beach! Lekei stayed back to work on a paper – today is the last day of fall semester at DMU. Thankfully, I finished all my homework before coming to Saint Lucia. We went to the beach by Pigeon Island. We got beach chairs and umbrellas. Amelia and I, along with Rianna and Kijahna (host’s children), headed for the water! It was so warm and refreshing. We swam and jumped waves. Janna (host/owner of the house we are staying) made us lunch – salad with cucumbers, avocado, green banana & salt fish. After lunch, we buried Rianna and made her a mermaid tail from the sand. We then went back to the water! I love the ocean. Around 4, we went on a hike at Pigeon Island; we climbed the smaller hill as the bigger is tougher and we didn’t have much time. The view from the top was amazing. You could see both the Atlantic and Caribbean sides of the island. On top of the hill, there are remnants of cannons used by the French and British, as well as a retaining wall and a shelter. We climbed down into the shelter which was used to spy; there were windows that were used to view the water to look for incoming ships. I took lots and lots of pictures. The climb wasn’t too bad, but a little steep. We couldn’t stay long as the park was closing. We enjoyed our day at the beach and enjoying the history of the island. After the beach, we had icicles (Mr. Freezie's) with Rianna; she specifically asked for them. I can’t believe we’ve already been here 8 days. Peace, love, Saint Lucia. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • The island was owned by the British and the French, seven times each – ownership just went back and forth between the two countries • The French built with black stones, while the British built with brick – some buildings have black stone foundations and brick walls as they were started by the French and finished by the British

Picture of Marigot Bay

Day 7 - Marigot Bay & Dennery

Day 7 (December 7, 2013) Another day sleeping in – yes! So thankful it’s the weekend, however, internet isn’t working which is very stressful for the students trying to complete their papers and presentations. The other three students I am with are enrolled in the Cultural Applications course which studies the culture, geography, and healthcare system of Saint Lucia prior to coming to the island. While the students are here they are assigned a paper and then will present to the Health Ministry; their topic is childhood obesity. So, the internet is essential for them to complete their assignment. It has been working fairly decent the past few days. Anyway, we met to discuss their sections and I lent them some of my papers resources in case the internet is sketchy. After our meeting, we went to our rooms (I relaxed, while Amelia worked on her paper). At 4:00 pm, our driver Lucius picked us up to take us to Marigot Bay. On the way, Lucius drove us through the Community College campus. Some of the buildings were built by the French & some by the British, some buildings were started by one country during ownership & finished by the other. You can tell which buildings were built by which countries because of the materials used. The French built with black stone, while the British built with brick. The oldest building on the island was also located on the campus. The building was used to store ammunition. After touring the college we continued on our way to Marigot Bay. Before driving down to the bay, we went to a store that overlooked the bay – beautiful, beautiful view. I bought local coconut rum; we sampled coconut candy & spiced rum. Cannot wait to have a taste! We took a worn, bumpy, steep road down to the bay. We walked through mangrove trees to the restaurant where we took a ferry boat (small pontoon) across the bay. There is no road so a boat is a necessity to reach the restaurants on the point of the bay. The original Dr. Dolittle was filmed on Marigot Bay; there is a restaurant named Dr. Dolittle’s. We arrived at sunset and the view was fabulous! I didn’t want to leave. Since we were all starving, we didn’t stay long and headed to Dennery to the fish fry. On the way we drove through a banana plantation. When we arrived in Dennery, there were booths set up on the beach selling various fish and lobster, as well as beverages. I got Mahi Mahi and a coconut rum & juice. The fish was so good. There were still bones so I had to be very careful eating it. Amelia and I shared fried bread, white rice, and salad. We also tried the local Piton beer, named after the Pitons. It tasted like Corona. During our meal, we enjoyed the music played by a DJ. He gave a shout out to us over the speaker. The locals are so nice and welcoming. After dinner, we drove back to Castries. We got home around 10 and were all exhausted. Another wonderful day on the Island. Peace, love, Saint Lucia. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • There is no speed limit, you drive at your own risk • There is rarely a street sign, stop sign, or stop light

Day 6 - Market & Lisa's presentation

Day 6 (December 6th, 2013) We got to sleep in this morning! It was much needed even though I still woke up at 7 am. About 9:30 am, we left our residence and drove into Castries to the market. The market is only a few blocks from the Health Ministry. On the right side of the road is the Arcade and on the left is the Market. We went to the Arcade first to find Owanna, a woman Lisa Hunt knew. There were many stands in the Arcade, more touristy items like t-shirts, postcards, scarves, hats, shot glasses, necklaces, etc. I bought a few t-shirts and some bracelets. They had beautiful scarves so I may have to go back! After the Arcade we crossed the street to the Market; the market had more crafty, homemade items. You have to be very careful when crossing the road, especially since Saint Lucians drive on the opposite side of the road than we’re used to. The locals are good about helping us cross. Anyways, the Market had wonderful items, homemade paintings of the items, woven baskets, spices, soaps, sculptures, etc. We all went a little crazy in the Market – definitely contributing to the GDP. I bought a woven bag, two small paintings, bracelets, kissing sculpture, wooden elephant (my favorite animal, maybe second favorite after giraffes), turtle made from malachite (stone), kissing fish sculpture, shot glass with the Saint Lucian flag, more bracelets, cocoa stick (real cocoa to make hot chocolate), and homemade soaps (aloe vera, black, & cocoa butter). This list is ridiculous ha! Definitely bought too much, but most are Christmas gifts  The locals gave very fair prices, and you could even bargain with them to get a deal. After the Market we were supposed to go somewhere local for lunch but did not have time. Amelia and I had Burger King, Dr. Hansen has Subway, and Ursula & Lekei had Patty Shack. It was nice to have a taste from home, even though the local food here is amazing. We took our lunches to go and rode with Lisa to her presentation. Her presentation was at a primary school (ages 5 to 12) outside of Castries about 15-20 minutes. Her presentation was given to teachers regarding childhood obesity prevention. It was a very informative presentation and the teachers were eager to implement some of the ideas/tips Lisa had given them (food day, fruit a week, health fair, recipes, etc.). After the presentation we head back to Castries to the Health Ministry and then to our residence. When we returned, we met in Amelia and mine’s room to show each other our purchases, while enjoying rum & coke with lime. Everyone got such great stuff! Dr. Hansen returns to the same vendors to buy handmade masks for her grandchildren. She also bought he son (he collects elephants) a carving of an elephant from a tusk; it as beautiful. Ursula bought colorful printed outfits/dresses for her sister, niece, and herself. Lekei bought a beautiful serving tray and bowl set carved from wood. Amelia bought gifts for her friends and family, including a piggy bank made from a coconut. After our drinks, we had some downtime to relax before dinner. We met Lisa Hunt for dinner at the Spice of India in Rodney Bay. The restaurant was beautiful; we were seated outside and had such great service. I had never had Indian food before so this was an experience. Lekei’s husband is Indian, so she described the meals to us; it was very nice to have an experienced person to guide us. We had veggie kabobs and samosas as appetizers. I had a blue lagoon to drink; delicious! I ordered vegetable korma – veggies in a creamy sauce with cashews. The meals came with white rice and naan (traditional Indian bread). The others ordered chicken korma, goat, lamb and shrimp. We all tried each other’s meals; the lamb was delicious. I did not try the goat because Ursula ordered it HOT – I do not like spicy, hot foods. For desert I had sapphron cheesecake. It was amazing – I love cheesecake! Kheer, fried chocolate cake, and an Indian donut were also ordered. During the meal, we had the best conversations. We told Lisa about the Iowa State Fair and all the fried food, being a nutritionist she was appalled ha! Lekie told us how she met her Indian husband and their small wedding of 300 people – outrageous. It is crazy to think none of us knew each other before this trip; we all just clicked. Our dinner lasted 2 to 2.5 hours, we just laughed and ate and talked and laughed and ate and laughed; very fun night. After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Lisa and headed back to our residence. We get to sleep in tomorrow as well! We are just going to hang out so the other students have time to work on their paper and presentation. At 4, Lucius (our driver) is going to pick us up and take us to a rum distillery and a fish fry in Dennery. Emily, the medical student we met in Vieux Fort, is joining us for the weekend in Castries. I’m looking forward to a fun weekend – it’s been work, work, work so it’ll be nice to relax and enjoy the island. Missing all my friends and family back home, but enjoying this experience. Until next time – peace, love, Saint Lucia. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • Popular sports include futbol (soccer) and cricket • The bananas are wrapped in blue plastic bags while still on the trees to prevent infection