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| 3 generations together atop Leapers Hill |
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| View from The Aquarium |
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| Tour of Belmont Estate Cocoa Plantation. |
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| Green Beer from our St Pattys Day celebration. Erin Go Braugh!! |
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| Old church atop leapers hill |
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Pictures of Recent Adventures
Why Hello Again
Didn't you miss me?? I have returned from the midterm hiatus and family fun week no worse for the wear. Midterms were...well horrible, but my grades were good. We had 6 midterms over the course of the week, some consisted of a lab and lecture portion while others were simply lecture. All exams are online which is a bit strange. Its like going through airport security to take the darn tests. You have to show your ID to enter the room in which 6 or so proctors are mulling around and watching you. You are not allowed to bring anything but your computer, charger and a clear water bottle without any writing or opacity. Apparently people started writing things on the inside of the paper slips around the bottles. You also cant wear a watch...maybe they think you can program in answers or write something on the band? Girls must tie up their hair and you are not allowed to have a jacket anywhere but on your arms or on the chair. Then they give you a whiteboard and marker to use as scratch paper but if you leave writing on it for too long they make you erase it. All part of the experience eh?
We spent many hours in the study hall going over slides and various practice tests and luckily it seemed to have paid off. The weekend after finals was spent at the beach....all day...and at various restaurants getting our fill of some unhealthy foods. Some of my classmates chartered a catamaran for a day which supplied them with unlimited alcohol. For me the ocean already makes my stomach churn a bit, so add alcohol to it and watch out! Just as my sister about our experience in St. John. Long story short she may have seen more of my lunch than anyone wanted to. Sorry Sis!! Monday a group of us went to a local bar called Umbrella's for a St. Patty's day celebration. I was very sad to not be dining upon corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes, but we had pitchers of green beer and Irish carbombs instead! Erin Go Braugh!
I anxiously awaited the arrival of my mom, sister, grandma and grammy for the rest of the weekend/week. They arrived on Wednesday (19th) and I met them at the airport. Lucky for me they brought a duffle bag full of various goodies; nutella (a must), sour candy, chocolate and cookie galore, and other foods back from the states. Lets just say I'll be needing to amp up my time at the gym (HAH!). We caught a ride back to where they were staying, a really nice place called Lance Aux Epines cottages. They had their own little cottage with a screened in porch looking out onto the grounds and the beach. It was a really beautiful place and in my opinion much better than the big resort hotels. The next morning we hired a driver to show us around other parts of the island. We drove up the west coast of the island through the city of St. George and along the coastline. We traveled up toward the fishing village of Gouyave, known for its weekly fish fry on Fridays. We stopped at one of the many waterfalls of Grenada to take a look and of course look at some of the local vendors. Its amazing to see the change in environment going from the low coastline up to the lush forests of the highlands. From the falls we visited a historical site known as leapers hill. It is home to one of the oldest cemeteries of Grenada but more notable it is said to be the cliff where the Caribs jumped from after being taken over. However you will here many different stories from the locals about what really happened. We cruised over towards the east coast and the cocoa plantation Belmont Estates. Here we had the most amazing lunch consisting of a 3 course meal. You got callaloo or papaya soup, a buffet consisting of bbq chicken, stewed beef, creole fish, salads, and various side dishes. For dessert you could choose chocolate or mint ice cream or chocolate cake. Suffice to say we were rolling out of that place. Afterwards we took a short tour of the plantation and saw the process of harvesting the cocoa and its transformation into the product that is sent to the factory to become the famous Grenadian chocolate bar. Grenadian chocolate is dark and ranges in various levels of cocoa. From 60% (slightly bitter) to 100% which will knock you right off your chair. Ironically many Grenadians don't like dark chocolate and therefor most of it is exported or sold to visitors. After Belmont we traveled down the center of the island back to Lance Aux Epines.
The second day my family spent lounging on the beach while I attended classes. I met them over at the cottage where their cleaning lady Eva had made an amazing dinner. This was by far the best food I have had on the island and consisted of many local dishes. We had fried breadfruit balls, callaloo soup, bbq chicken, fresh vegetables, creole fish, plantains and a coconut pudding for desert. Once again we could barely move after eating so much. Saturday my mom booked a trip on a Tamaran (like a catamaran but it has 3 edges instead of two) through a company called Carib Cats. It was nice because it was just the 5 of us, 2 other people (one was actually a term 2 vet student) and the 4 crew members. It was a beautiful day for being on the water and with the help of some Dramamine I did just fine. We headed out into the open ocean destined for some reefs a few bays over. We spent about and hour out at the first reef looking at the colorful fish, a group of little squid, sea urchins and whatever else we could spot. Our next dive location was the famous sculpture garden. For those of you that havent heard of it, it is the result of Hurricane Ivan destroying a part of the reef back in 2004. The government hired a local artist to create stone sculptures that would be lowered into the water to promote coral growth and rejuvenate the reef. The sculptures all had different names and were scattered over the ocean floor. Some of them included the circle of friendship, Ricardo, guy on a bike, naked beach, mermaid, Jesus Christ, guy on a bike, the valley of faces and holy ground. I definitely suggest any futures visitors take the time to head out to this spot for some diving.
Sunday was another relaxing day. My mom was nice enough to cook breakfast for a few of my friends. The school hosted a huge beach party known as Sandblast the night before so I was skeptical anyone would wake up. Regardless breakfast was delicious and a real taste of home....the way mama makes it. Sunday evening I took the family to a restaurant called Aquarium that hosts a Sunday BBQ. The restaurant is beautiful and situated right on a beach. The style is very much tropical with open air dining areas and dense tropical foliage draping the walls. The food was also very good. Among us we had swordfish, shrimp, and various side dishes along with a coconut cake and apple crumble for desert. You wont go hungry on this island.
Monday and Tuesday I had to go to class all day but the family continued their adventures. Monday they hired our same driver to take them to a nutmeg processing plant and to the Grande Anse craft and art market. That night I went over for dinner where Eva had made the national dish, oil down for us to try. I had only had it once before but it was the families first time. It was very good and the leftovers fed my hall for the next night. Tuesday they went on a kayaking trip through the same company I used, conservation kayak. They did the shorter Woburn Bay trip but said they had a great time and learned alot from the awesome guides. That night the family came to a local joint right outside of campus where me and some of my friends were waiting. It consists of 4 or 5 little huts that cook different style foods. It was a short visit but our last goodbye as they were leaving the next morning. It is amazing how much seeing your family/friends can rejuvenate your spirits (even if I may have slipped on some studies...it was worth it). I had a blast showing them around and I think they had an equally enjoyable time.
Now its back to the grind as we only have 50 or so days left....our next round of tests in 2 weeks and finals in about 6....YIKES!!! Hope everyone is doing well and hasnt given up on this blog :)
Wishing you the Best.
We spent many hours in the study hall going over slides and various practice tests and luckily it seemed to have paid off. The weekend after finals was spent at the beach....all day...and at various restaurants getting our fill of some unhealthy foods. Some of my classmates chartered a catamaran for a day which supplied them with unlimited alcohol. For me the ocean already makes my stomach churn a bit, so add alcohol to it and watch out! Just as my sister about our experience in St. John. Long story short she may have seen more of my lunch than anyone wanted to. Sorry Sis!! Monday a group of us went to a local bar called Umbrella's for a St. Patty's day celebration. I was very sad to not be dining upon corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes, but we had pitchers of green beer and Irish carbombs instead! Erin Go Braugh!
I anxiously awaited the arrival of my mom, sister, grandma and grammy for the rest of the weekend/week. They arrived on Wednesday (19th) and I met them at the airport. Lucky for me they brought a duffle bag full of various goodies; nutella (a must), sour candy, chocolate and cookie galore, and other foods back from the states. Lets just say I'll be needing to amp up my time at the gym (HAH!). We caught a ride back to where they were staying, a really nice place called Lance Aux Epines cottages. They had their own little cottage with a screened in porch looking out onto the grounds and the beach. It was a really beautiful place and in my opinion much better than the big resort hotels. The next morning we hired a driver to show us around other parts of the island. We drove up the west coast of the island through the city of St. George and along the coastline. We traveled up toward the fishing village of Gouyave, known for its weekly fish fry on Fridays. We stopped at one of the many waterfalls of Grenada to take a look and of course look at some of the local vendors. Its amazing to see the change in environment going from the low coastline up to the lush forests of the highlands. From the falls we visited a historical site known as leapers hill. It is home to one of the oldest cemeteries of Grenada but more notable it is said to be the cliff where the Caribs jumped from after being taken over. However you will here many different stories from the locals about what really happened. We cruised over towards the east coast and the cocoa plantation Belmont Estates. Here we had the most amazing lunch consisting of a 3 course meal. You got callaloo or papaya soup, a buffet consisting of bbq chicken, stewed beef, creole fish, salads, and various side dishes. For dessert you could choose chocolate or mint ice cream or chocolate cake. Suffice to say we were rolling out of that place. Afterwards we took a short tour of the plantation and saw the process of harvesting the cocoa and its transformation into the product that is sent to the factory to become the famous Grenadian chocolate bar. Grenadian chocolate is dark and ranges in various levels of cocoa. From 60% (slightly bitter) to 100% which will knock you right off your chair. Ironically many Grenadians don't like dark chocolate and therefor most of it is exported or sold to visitors. After Belmont we traveled down the center of the island back to Lance Aux Epines.
The second day my family spent lounging on the beach while I attended classes. I met them over at the cottage where their cleaning lady Eva had made an amazing dinner. This was by far the best food I have had on the island and consisted of many local dishes. We had fried breadfruit balls, callaloo soup, bbq chicken, fresh vegetables, creole fish, plantains and a coconut pudding for desert. Once again we could barely move after eating so much. Saturday my mom booked a trip on a Tamaran (like a catamaran but it has 3 edges instead of two) through a company called Carib Cats. It was nice because it was just the 5 of us, 2 other people (one was actually a term 2 vet student) and the 4 crew members. It was a beautiful day for being on the water and with the help of some Dramamine I did just fine. We headed out into the open ocean destined for some reefs a few bays over. We spent about and hour out at the first reef looking at the colorful fish, a group of little squid, sea urchins and whatever else we could spot. Our next dive location was the famous sculpture garden. For those of you that havent heard of it, it is the result of Hurricane Ivan destroying a part of the reef back in 2004. The government hired a local artist to create stone sculptures that would be lowered into the water to promote coral growth and rejuvenate the reef. The sculptures all had different names and were scattered over the ocean floor. Some of them included the circle of friendship, Ricardo, guy on a bike, naked beach, mermaid, Jesus Christ, guy on a bike, the valley of faces and holy ground. I definitely suggest any futures visitors take the time to head out to this spot for some diving.
Sunday was another relaxing day. My mom was nice enough to cook breakfast for a few of my friends. The school hosted a huge beach party known as Sandblast the night before so I was skeptical anyone would wake up. Regardless breakfast was delicious and a real taste of home....the way mama makes it. Sunday evening I took the family to a restaurant called Aquarium that hosts a Sunday BBQ. The restaurant is beautiful and situated right on a beach. The style is very much tropical with open air dining areas and dense tropical foliage draping the walls. The food was also very good. Among us we had swordfish, shrimp, and various side dishes along with a coconut cake and apple crumble for desert. You wont go hungry on this island.
Monday and Tuesday I had to go to class all day but the family continued their adventures. Monday they hired our same driver to take them to a nutmeg processing plant and to the Grande Anse craft and art market. That night I went over for dinner where Eva had made the national dish, oil down for us to try. I had only had it once before but it was the families first time. It was very good and the leftovers fed my hall for the next night. Tuesday they went on a kayaking trip through the same company I used, conservation kayak. They did the shorter Woburn Bay trip but said they had a great time and learned alot from the awesome guides. That night the family came to a local joint right outside of campus where me and some of my friends were waiting. It consists of 4 or 5 little huts that cook different style foods. It was a short visit but our last goodbye as they were leaving the next morning. It is amazing how much seeing your family/friends can rejuvenate your spirits (even if I may have slipped on some studies...it was worth it). I had a blast showing them around and I think they had an equally enjoyable time.
Now its back to the grind as we only have 50 or so days left....our next round of tests in 2 weeks and finals in about 6....YIKES!!! Hope everyone is doing well and hasnt given up on this blog :)
Wishing you the Best.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Conservation Kayak Photos
As promised here are just a few of the many pictures from our weekend excursion with Conservation Kayak. I would highly recommend this company for anyone visiting Grenada or for any of my fellow students. I will be taking a short hiatus from posting after this as midterms are next week and I should really start studying (.....just kidding mom I've been studying very hard). The next time I post will probably be after my mom, sister, and two grandmothers come to visit. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am to see them. They keep us pretty busy so you don't realize how much you miss your family and friends from back home. Its quite the change from being able to drive 4 hours up 81 to get home....now its a 900$ plane ticket and a day of flight time. Anyway back to the books. See you all in a few weeks.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Library or Secluded Island? The Choice is Yours
Hello again faithful followers....I hope everyone on the east coast is enjoying one of the most brutal winters in awhile. I know reading this blog makes you feel much better about it all right? Well if it makes you feel any better I've been locked away in the study hall for the past 2 weeks preparing for tests and midterms. Usually I am not one for libraries and study halls (I get distracted by other people studying and usually just stare at them) but I sucked it up and went. Not too bad with the new addition of my noise canceling headphones. I just plug in and tune out to whats going on around me. Surprisingly, the study hall is equipped with TV's that you can hook up your computers to for group study sessions. My hall mates used this alot to run through practice questions and look at various slides.
But what were we studying for you might ask? Our first "hell week" of tests and assignments of course! This past Monday we had our first big histology test followed by a nutrition test Thursday as well as a physiology and nutrition paper due in the middle. Lets just say I wont be failing out just yet....There is always room for improvement but I am happy with my performance on this first challenge. A classmate of mine jokingly (but in all seriousness) reminded me of this fact: What do they call the person who graduates with the lowest standing?....Doctor! True words to keep in mind when the going gets tough. Mid terms are just a week away so the studying continues. It seems impossible that they will be able to condense all the material into "simple" 75 question tests. Did I also mention that it is March?? Where has the time gone! It feels as though I have been here forever and it has flown by already.
After this week we all decided that this weekend would be one to take advantage of (maybe to our downfall, but hey you have to live life too). Friday we went to a local joint for dinner which consisted of 2 beers, a philly cheese steak (one to rival many Ive had in the states), crispy seasoned fries and to settle my stomach a scoop of coffee ice cream. Now that is the way to start off a night, am I right? Afterwards we went to a bonfire on the beach with some friends. The sky was pitch black and the stars were incredibly bright. You forget how beautiful the night sky is when you live in a metropolitan area spewing out light pollution. I could have laid there for hours.
Saturday I booked a kayak tour around part of the island through a company called Conservation Kayak. Its run by an awesome couple who really cares about the land and the ocean. The trip started in an area called Woburn Bay where we learned some basic kayak technique etc etc. We paddled out into the bay exploring the various mangrove forrests that lined the coast. They are a vital part of the ecosystem and if damaged have a subsequent effect on the reefs. We then crossed a channel and headed out into open ocean to round the point of Hog Island. There we set up a pit stop on a small beach where we had an amazing lunch from a local shop. After having our fill of food, sand and the ocean we headed out back into open water, circumnavigating the island and heading back to the bay along more mangroves. It was an absolutely amazing trip. Its both beautiful and sad how much there is to the island and how little we see while plastered to our books. I am really trying to make a point to do one adventurous thing a month to help get a true understanding of this island, its people, and its ecosystem. Pictures of the trip will be coming soon! We were given waterproof cameras to use and the owners are going to compile the shots and send them to us...So look out for those, unfortunately this post didn't contain many pictures.
But what were we studying for you might ask? Our first "hell week" of tests and assignments of course! This past Monday we had our first big histology test followed by a nutrition test Thursday as well as a physiology and nutrition paper due in the middle. Lets just say I wont be failing out just yet....There is always room for improvement but I am happy with my performance on this first challenge. A classmate of mine jokingly (but in all seriousness) reminded me of this fact: What do they call the person who graduates with the lowest standing?....Doctor! True words to keep in mind when the going gets tough. Mid terms are just a week away so the studying continues. It seems impossible that they will be able to condense all the material into "simple" 75 question tests. Did I also mention that it is March?? Where has the time gone! It feels as though I have been here forever and it has flown by already.
After this week we all decided that this weekend would be one to take advantage of (maybe to our downfall, but hey you have to live life too). Friday we went to a local joint for dinner which consisted of 2 beers, a philly cheese steak (one to rival many Ive had in the states), crispy seasoned fries and to settle my stomach a scoop of coffee ice cream. Now that is the way to start off a night, am I right? Afterwards we went to a bonfire on the beach with some friends. The sky was pitch black and the stars were incredibly bright. You forget how beautiful the night sky is when you live in a metropolitan area spewing out light pollution. I could have laid there for hours.
Saturday I booked a kayak tour around part of the island through a company called Conservation Kayak. Its run by an awesome couple who really cares about the land and the ocean. The trip started in an area called Woburn Bay where we learned some basic kayak technique etc etc. We paddled out into the bay exploring the various mangrove forrests that lined the coast. They are a vital part of the ecosystem and if damaged have a subsequent effect on the reefs. We then crossed a channel and headed out into open ocean to round the point of Hog Island. There we set up a pit stop on a small beach where we had an amazing lunch from a local shop. After having our fill of food, sand and the ocean we headed out back into open water, circumnavigating the island and heading back to the bay along more mangroves. It was an absolutely amazing trip. Its both beautiful and sad how much there is to the island and how little we see while plastered to our books. I am really trying to make a point to do one adventurous thing a month to help get a true understanding of this island, its people, and its ecosystem. Pictures of the trip will be coming soon! We were given waterproof cameras to use and the owners are going to compile the shots and send them to us...So look out for those, unfortunately this post didn't contain many pictures.
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| Bri and Sam after a long day on the water |
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| View of Woburn Bay from Whisper Cove Marina |
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