Party on Dude!

Just one more thought for the night, dedicated to my good friend and inspiration, JoAnne.
Quote from Nature Magazine: On the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts, some vervet monkeys have developed an taste for tropical drinks. About one monkey in seven here prefers a spiked drink to pure fruit juice. Some researchers speculate that a taste for alcohol may give monkeys a survival advantage. The alcohol in slightly fermented fruit kills off disease organisms.



Photo taken from Nature website.

Don't worry JoAnne, the monkeys here are always working very hard to keep themselves free of diseases. I'll let you know if I catch one trying to swing home post-binder.

Some thoughts on my tiny grocery bag.

Forgot to mention before...I spent a grand total of $120EC at the grocery store the other day. While trying to stay awake during the very scintillating orientation lectures I did some converting with my phone, and here are some of the more interesting prices:

12pk of Cottonell Toilet Paper: 57.99 EC / 21.70 US
Generic IGA Cereal: 9.99 EC / 3.74 US
Pop Tarts (brand name): 14.99 EC / 5.61 US
Welch's Grape Jelly (brand): 11.46 EC / 4.29 US
Generic IGA Peanut Butter: 15.89 EC / 5.95 US
3# bag of long grain rice: 12.95 EC / 4.85 US
Hawiian Punch 128oz bottle: 13.49 EC / 5.05 US

I tried to buy generic when available, or if the cost difference was minimal then I would grab the brand name stuff. There are two main grocery stores, each with good prices on certain items (IGA is better for cereal, Ram's is better for drinks/snacks/pastas/household goods). Neither had a great selection of meats. Ram's has milk more often than IGA (I think they buy/stock more bottles), and you have to go Thursday or Friday to IGA for milk or else it will be gone for the week (delivery on Wed). Most kids eventually settle for boxed milk because it's available all the time (and a lot cheaper).

If I run into any new items that are super crazy prices, I'll make sure to get some pics!

Brimstone Hill

Today was our last day of orientation lectures. Ironically, of all the interesting facts about St. Kitts they shared with us in the last few days, they failed to mention any information about the customs displayed here (tipping for example; what is the customary amount, when to and when not to, who to tip and who not to) and nothing about public transportation. Considering I'm living on campus for the first semester without a car, it would be nice not to get scammed by the taxi drivers. Since transportation has been provided for us since we got here, no one knows the important things like how much taxis are allowed to charge (government regulated), is it customary to tip them, do you pay first or when you get off, and are there "fake" taxis that you should watch out for like in NY? Call me paranoid, but this is important stuff when you're on a budget in a foreign country!
The school nurses lectured about the health services on the island, what to do if you are injured, and how the insurance works. Basically, if we are injured beyond a bandaid, they fly us to Puerto Rico or Florida. Apparently it costs $15,000-20,000 just for emergency flight transfer, so good thing about requiring insurance! If we are admitted to the hospital, they will arrange for a private ward, and one of the nurses will be there with us all the time to facilitate speedy service. They could not stress enough that sports related injuries are not covered by the insurance. I wonder if that includes Beer Olympics?
I was really stunned by the statistic that over 25% of the islanders have HIV. Wow.
There was some chitter chatter from the security team, as well as the IT/library group. Then we were released to lunch held by the school (ie. FREE) at Brimstone Hill! This fort was built between the 1960s and the 1790s, and is around 750 feet above sea level. This makes for fantastic views. The fort was constructed during the years when the fate of St. Kitts lay between the French and the English. Since the island was a financial benefit to both (due to its fertile lands, and lots of sugar cane!), it was considered worth defending. Interesting blurb from the main website for the fort:


Brimstone Hill, so called because of the strong smell of sulphur emanating from underwater vents nearby, is a solid extrusion of cooled lava which emerged as a result of underlying volcanic activity from beneath the sea about 6,000 years ago. The limestone crust at the bottom of the ocean was ruptured by the emerging dome and displaced along its sides. Brimstone Hill therefore is a mass of hard volcanic andesite covered by limestone along much of its slope. Therein lies one explanation for the massive structures which were later built at the top and upper levels: the building materials are right there on site, from the stone from which the blocks were fashioned, to the limestone from which the mortar was produced to cement them together.

"The prominent Citadel is one of the earliest and finest surviving examples of a new style of fortification known as the 'polygonal system'."

Would have been a fabulous pic without the picnic table.

This is only the 4th cat we've seen since landing. Despite the feral notched ear, it was surprisingly sweet.

This is the Kittitian flag.

Christin #2 taking pics on top of the citadel.

The interior of the citadel.

Chris, Kristen #3, Christin #2, Me, Chris, Kristin #1, and Eve.

Feel free to comment all you like.

Christen #2. Unless you know her, so keep your comments clean please. :)



Kristin #1 was the only one brave enough to hang. I would have slipped off from the sweat.

Kelly and Matt, our beloved orientation leaders.

We wandered around for a few hours, taking some fabulous photos. Then I received a call from our orientation leader; it seems only myself and the three Kristin's found the fort interesting enough to actually tour it (and read the history). The others just wanted to head back for Beer Olympics. Nice.

Monkey Business.

Monday was a frantic day. We began with a trip to the local 'walmart', called TDC (Trading and Development Corporation). Significantly smaller, far less items for purchase, and way more expensive than our American version. But I was able to acquire a new bathmat (the ones provided were nasty) and a few odds & ends.
After TDC we headed over to the port for some shopping. There I met my new friends.

Total Glamor Shot.

We saw this guy with the monkey, and of course I could not help my excited outburst. I did not think a person could move that fast, but he had that monkey in his hands and dragged her over to us in ten seconds flat. He smiles and asks if I want to hold the monkey (who was holding her baby!). Again, of course, I cannot withhold my excitement. As Kristin starts to take my picture he says $10 for 5 pics. I turned straight to him and said no thanks, we won't pay for pictures (since I saw her flash happen already...). He then thrusts her onto my shoulder and says $5 then. At this point I am nervous of angering momma monkey and reenacting the various When Animals Attack programs I had always laughed at before. I gently prodded her off my shoulders and again declined to pay. He shrugged and ran off. Score one for the stupid tourist.

Pictures of the port. Not that exciting. Certainly not very telling as to any of the island's culture.

After wandering around the port for a while, we ran into Derek (another student in our group). Derek has been talking non-stop about the monkeys, so when I eagerly showed him my picture he flipped out and had to have one as well. As I pointed over to the tree where the man and his money maker hung out, the guy caught me and came running over again. I told him Derek just wanted to hold her for a moment. He gave her over, then offered the $5 thing again. I declined, as I simply would not pay this guy for being lucky enough to trap young monkeys for profit. Frustrated with the bitchy tourist, he grumbled assent for one quick free picture. All the while he was looking past us at his next marks.

Derek and his new friends.

On the way home from the port, we made a quick beer run to the local brewery. You can buy a 24 case of Carib (local beer, very yummy) for $21US. Pretty good deal, considering the beer is pretty strong. I've heard the rumor that the quality control is not a stringent as in the states, and you may get a variety of alcohol levels from bottle to bottle. I think some students are testing that theory as often as possible.

After all this, we returned to the dorms briefly and then left for a leisurely tour of the island. Our guide/driver Mr. Rogers was chuck full of information about the lush history of St. Kitts.

Mr. Rogers.

Once you leave the school, it is immediately apparent that islanders do not see animals in the same light as we do. That's not to be negative, just a big cultural difference that most students have trouble getting used to. For example, if I see a stray hit by a car my first instinct is to check if its alive/dead and move it out of the road. That is not acceptable here; most "strays" are actually owned and the owners do not take well at all to busybodies. Farm animals are also "strays", as they wander all over but are usually owned in some way. Lots of roaming cattle, goats, pigs. I have only seen 2 cats; it seems the mongoose population keeps the kitten population in check. And monkeys are all over, if you're lucky enough to catch sight of the little buggers before they scamper off.

Donkey hanging out.

Black Rocks, the only place on the island that gives proof of previous volcanic activity.

The rocks and that awful sulfur smell.

Now I'm sure all of you are thinking surely this is where the story ends! No one can possibly take all of that running around and still try to do something! But no. Ross hosted a burger and sandwich dinner at The Wedge (a little store they built in between two of the dorms). Since we were told 6:30pm, we showed up at 6:30pm. And were greeted with a huge line of people going into a room with no AC and a halt in production of burgers due to grill top size (they were intending to cook for 100+ people on one standard sized grill). To top it off, Kelly said when the orientation leaders arrived at 6, they were admonished by the two staff people who said "Don't they know about island time?". Thus, around 8pm, when our line had moved only slightly and they told us the grill was now out of gas or charcoal or something, we hopped on a bus and headed out to the Oasis for burgers and fries done right. And at 10% off, because we are VIPs. They even have mozzarella cheesesticks. I'm pumped.

Day Two. Hungover.

It seems all of the pent up frustration and stress I gradually accrued over the last few weeks decided to burst forth from behind my eyes at around 9am on Day Two. Or perhaps it was the after-effects of the beers.

Sunday our fearless orientation leaders, Matt and Kelly, took us to IGA grocery store. My eyes were immediately drawn to the bright neon orange bottles at the front of the store that were labeled Tide, however I simply could not understand how that could possibly be considering hanging in front of the little tiny bottles was a price sticker marked $39.99!!! I just stood amazed, thinking this is going to be a very difficult 2 years. Then as I walked along I slowly came to the realization (remember the reason for the fogginess...) that the prices were in Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollars. Whew! With the exchange rate somewhere around $2.70EC for every $1US, the Tide was more like $14.80. Which is still maddingly high, but with a little creativity and a lot of generic products I can manage.

After the grocery run, we were all so very exhausted so we jetted off to Shipwreck Beach for a little fun in the sun! This beach bar, while it looks like not much, serves some fantastic hot dogs and cheeseburgers. As well as a mean cup of Island Punch.

Shipwreck Bar & Grill on Shipwreck Beach.

This picture just screams Jaws 2! (or was it three?)

Postcard Perfect. My orientation leader Kelly volunteered to lay out so the picture would look more genuine.

After hours baking to a nice golden lobster color, we raced home to clean up and headed out to the Marriott for dinner and gambling. Dinner was nice, and surprisingly economical. I had the quesadillas, mmmmm. I was very excited for gambling, as I have never stepped foot into a casino (with the exception of that horrible Hard Rock in Tampa). It was fairly disappointing. Lots of slots, some roulette and blackjack, and a few poker tables. The boys immediately went to work trying to get free drinks, while we girls logically spent $5US on a drink at the bar. It was very amusing to see them scoff at our banality, and then proceed to spend upwards of $20US playing the slots just to get a server to come over to them. And when they were finally successful, the drinks were 1/2 the size and quite weak. Girls Rule, Boys Drool.

I won $0.10 at the $1 slots! Gambling sucks.

Ps - Five seconds after this photo was taken, the manager of the casino rounded the corner at full speed and very nicely informed us of the no photos policy. I think they started walking over before she even got the camera out of her bag. I think they heard us thinking picture in our little brains. It's a conspiracy.

Mr. X's Shiggedy Shack.

Our first real dinner experience on the island was at Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack on Shipwreck Beach. I had no idea what to expect...but I never expected cheeseburgers! Trying to remain dedicated to trying new things, I decided upon the Bastard Fish sandwich, which we say is named as such because it's made from whatever fish they happened to catch that day.

Yes, they have their own website. The menu is posted, feel free to puruse! http://www.mrxshiggidyshack.com/

This might come in handy during times of financial distress...

View from the beach.

After dinner the late night crew established themselves by going bar hopping along the beach after the others went home. We hit Ziggys, which is a nice sized bar where a lot of the students hang out and play beach volleyball. Nothing exciting though, so after a beer we moved on.....

View from the beach.

....to the Oasis (my personal fave). At the Oasis we were welcomed by Anthony, the owner, who was very excited to tell us about his VIP passes for Ross students (he's currently trying to compete with Ziggys). As we were still trying to get used to currency changes and off-hand customer service, we were very happy to hear from the bartender that a bucket of beers ($15US for 6) would be more economical than just buying individuals all night ($2US each). It wasn't until the next morning when our heads weren't so cloudy that we did the math and realized we were morons. But who cares.


Note to self: change over money to EC$, as all US$ transactions do not benefit me. See? I'm learning already and we haven't even started classes!

We're not in Kansas anymore.

The night before I left was one of good food and weighing bags. As expected, one came in at a slight 73#; needless to say I seem to have been spending the last two weeks taking things out of my bags before I even arrived at my destination!
Four am brought the big day forth. Trip to the airport was uneventful; and with a little more rearranging and removal of the last not absolutely necessary items, my bags were whisked away to that nothingness that exists behind the ticket counter.
Of course, I had to put everything super bulky in my carry-on bags...that included my textbooks, a week's worth of clothes, and some yarn. Forty-five pounds doesn't seem like much, but when you are trying to lift it over your head (and your fellow plane mate's heads) into a tiny bin with no room to maneuver - it's enormous. I hit my fellow classmate (Matt) up for help boosting the bag over my head, what a first impression that made. The best part of the flight was when the rather overweight family (they required extra straps to buckle their belts) sitting across the isle from me sneered at me and haughtily joked that I should check that bag. Like my bag was the reason the plane would encounter problems (not their collective 900+ pounds).
There was a drop towards the end of the flight when my heart leaped into my throat, but we arrived in one piece. We were herded off the plane onto a rickety metal stairway that lead to the blacktop (didn't think of THAT when we decided my carry-ons should be the heavy stuff) and a huge wave of humidity just blanketed us!! Crazy bad, and I'm born/raised in Florida.
Matt and I looked around at this jungle of an island and thought "what have we gotten ourselves into?" They ushered us into the immigration lines, where a nice gentleman glanced at my paperwork and sent me on my way.
Matt and I made our way downstairs to the baggage claim where it appeared some luggage monster had regurgitated a gazillion bags that were all black. After gathering our collective 10 bags we flagged down a baggage guy who loaded all ten (not joking) onto a mere hand cart and guided us through customs. Outside our bags were 'delicately' dropped in a corner on the curb to await the baggage truck for transport to the dorms. And by transport, I mean being overloaded onto a tiny pick-up truck and tied down with ropes.

The question is: do people loose more bags due to the airlines or the post-flight transport?

Meanwhile Matt and I were introduced to about 10 people in 2 minutes, ending with our orientation leader Kelly. She's a real character, very sweet and funny. Good match with our "brother" group run by Matt, who is also sweet but a bit more taciturn.
Once all of our group (and Matt's) arrived, we were loaded onto what can only be described as a mini-bus named "The Olympian" - complete with Olympic logo on the back window. It seems the public taxis here are all mini-buses, and it's similar to owning a boat - all are named, and decorated appropriately for the name. Kelly says you can live on this island for years and every once in a while you'll see one you never saw before. And to top it all off - our driver is named Mr. Rogers. Who can't be instantly soothed when they are met at the airport by a Kittian version of one of your childhood memories?

The Olympian. In all it's glory.

As we are getting ready to leave the airport, one of the baggage handlers comes running towards the bus, sticks his head in and starts yelling for the person who had all of the boxes (one of the couples had shipped their stuff early in about 8 large boxes). The husband stands up and comes forward, asks if there was something wrong with their things. The baggage handler states very simply that they had not received their tip. He hits this guy up for $15, as he has to pay the other guy who helped as well. Our student pulls out a $20US, asking for change (second mistake, first one being letting the guy make the decision on the amount of tip). A Ross leader comes over and begins to berate the luggage guy for scamming the students; meanwhile the luggage guy grabs the money and takes off as fast as he can. What a trip! Good thing my mother always made a good example on how to travel in a foreign country!