Day 3 - Health Ministry

Day 3 (December 3rd) What a day! The owners of Summer’s Inn, the gorgeous place we are staying, drove us to the bus stop and taught us how to ride the bus into Castries (Castries is the capital city). The buses are white 12-passenger vans; it cost us $1 US to ride the bus into Castries. We rode the bus into Castries to the Health Ministry. We met with Lisa Hunt, chief nutritionist at the Ministry, and two of her staff, Mary Ann and Melva. We also got to visit with Natasha Lloyd Felix, department head of the Bureau Health Education, and Sharon, the chief medical officer. It is so interesting to discuss the island and its culture, and how those factors influence health. Everyone we talk to reminds us to enjoy the island and have a little fun while we’re here – Dr. Hansen keeps shhhing them! I will be specifically working with Lisa Hunt during my capstone project. While at the Ministry we planned our schedule – we get to travel to Soufriere with Lisa on Thursday. I think we are all looking forward to that! The island is beautiful – so glad we’re getting to experience different areas and travel. From the Ministry we went to lunch at Auberge Seraphine; we enjoyed cream of vegetable soup and homemade bread. We had fresh citrus juice, a blend of grapefruit, lime, lemon, and passion fruit – delicious! The entrée options were fish (tuna) or chicken. I dislike tuna and not a huge fan of chicken but I choose chicken and it was good. We had a tossed salad, plantains, steamed veggies, peas (Lisa enjoyed my peas), and sweet potato (it was white). As always, the food was fantastic. We had spiced rum ice cream and fruit cake for dessert. The spiced rum ice cream was very strong. I only had a few bites – it was a little much for me! After lunch we head back to the Ministry to fetch our belongings and then took a taxi back to our place. We had a break – some of the students needed to finish homework, I napped – and we are meeting as a group tonight to work on our projects. So glad I have time to post at night and my Wi-Fi works on my phone! I don’t want to forget anything about this trip. Peace, love, Saint Lucia. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • Dengue fever is very prevalent, as is the flu • Fruits that are in season: citrus fruits! Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes

Day 2 - Vieux Fort & Castries

Day 2 (December 2nd) Had a great night’s sleep! I was exhausted from traveling. We got up early and were taken to the St. Jude’s hospital in Vieux Fort. George Lee was our driver – he is great man; such wonderful people here. The hospital is currently located in a stadium; a portion of the hospital burnt down 4 years ago and the rebuilding is still under way due to financial issues. There are hopes to move back to the original hospital soon as the stadium will need to be used again in 2017. The hospital has done a wonderful job with the relocation; they have utilized what was available very efficiently. We toured the hospital and met many of its employees. We spoke with the Assistant Nursing Director and the Nutritionist. After the tour, George Lee drove us into Vieux Fort – we drove past the ocean and some schools (government owned). We went to a restaurant and sat on the patio overlooking the ocean. The view was GORGEOUS. We had fish fingers and garlic cheese bread for an appetizer; fresh grapefruit juice to drink. Delicious! So sweet, not bitter. I had the grilled Mahi Mahi, tossed salad (tomatoes, cucumbers & cabbage), mashed potatoes, and pasta salad. So, so, so good! After lunch, we headed back to our hotel (the guest house for the hospital) and packed the van for Castries, about an hour and a half drive. Our luggage is out of control and barely fit in the van. On our way to Castries, Cuthy stopped at Mandele Lookout. The view was fantastic. It overlooked the city of Dennery; beautiful coastline – colorful houses and a huge church! I took lots of pictures. Our house in Castries in amazing! Huge, yellow, and Amelia and I have our own deck! We were pretty excited. After arriving, we headed to a grocery store to buy food. Amelia and I made noodles and red sauce with corn for dinner. We bought rum from Saint Lucia – it’s a little strong! Tonight we are just hanging out in the room (unpacking, blogging, Skyping, etc.) Tomorrow we are going to the Health Ministry to meet with Lisa Hunt, she with be my co-capstone coordinator along with Dr. Hansen. Our internet is sketchy – coming in and out – hopefully I can upload these posts. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • People tie up there cows, horses, and goats wherever there is grass and let them feed • The exchange rate is $1 US to $2.67 Eastern Caribbean Currency • The ladies wear killer heels! Impressed with their shoe game.

Day 1 - Arrival

Arrival – Day 1 (December 1st) This trip is already something I will never forget – and it’s only day 1! I met another student, Amelia and Dr. Hansen at the airport in DSM. We departed DSM at 6 am (yuck) & arrived in Atlanta around 9 am; our flight departed for Saint Lucia at 9:50 am. The flight had already boarded when we arrived at the gate – thank goodness for plane trains! Once arriving in Saint Lucia, we waited and waited and waited in line at customs. After finally getting through all the lines, Amelia and I were waiting outside the airport for our other group members (Lekei & Ursula) – supposed to be finding our driver – when he found us by asking, “Are you girls from Iowa?” Two little white girls looking lost – yup we’re from Iowa. We loaded into the van and our driver, Cuthy, took us to our hotel, a gorgeous coral building, with traditional island character. We napped (go figure right) and showered before dinner. We were invited to Cuthy’s home to enjoy a delicious meal. Cuthy’s home, also called Cuthy’s Hideaway, was equipped with a bar and an Iowa Cubs flag and an Iowa Hawkeyes flag – I think I was meant to come here! We were all starved; the plane ran out of $10 turkey sandwiches, boooo. The food was authentic Caribbean cuisine – BBQ chicken, fish, lobster, mashed potatoes, rice & beans, plantains, breadfruit balls, dasheens, beans and carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, avocadoes (I’m obsessed now – so delicious). We had rum punch to drink, my new favorite. I love rum! Two glasses was plenty, any more and I’d be on the floor – sounds like a lot of my nights drinking ha! Strawberry ice cream and Jell-O was for dessert. During the meal we talked with the Taiwan medical students about their trip; they had been there for 2 weeks and were leaving Thursday. After the meal, Cuthy showed us how to dance. We danced and danced to calypso music; such fun! He is such a hard-working man; I don't know where he gets his energy. Cuthy is a runner; he has gold, silver, and bronze medals from running – 100, 200, 400 meters races. After a long day of traveling and enjoying ourselves at Cuthy’s Hideaway, we headed back to our hotel. Tomorrow’s plan is to go to the hospital and then to Castries, the capital city, where we will be spending the majority of our trip. Hope you enjoyed this – I cannot wait for the rest of the trip. It’s only just beginning. Peace, love, Saint Lucia. Things to know about Saint Lucia: • They drive on the opposite side of the road– the steering wheel is on the right (opposite) side of the car. • There are dogs EVERYWHERE – friendly, and the locals take care of them. • The people are very, very friendly & welcoming. • Sounds like a summer night – crickets chirping, dogs barking. • Hot & humid – no point in doing my hair, bun for weeks. • Do not drink the tap water!