Grenada first week

Grenada
the spice of the Caribbean

Outside the Anatomy Building.

The Fifth Week
Sept. 11 - Sept. 17, 2006

Heather was able to wrap up her work in the microbiology department this week. All of the students who completed this semester's Complementary Medicine selective are accounted for and their grades are recorded. Hooray! - And a big thank you to Dr. Stanley and Dr. Lennon and Grace for making it a great experience! A great deal of thought has already gone into making the selective and the registration process even better next semester. The completion of this project meant that Heather was able to spend some time this week getting to know other "SOs" better and contributing to the community in other ways.

I (Heather) went to my first "pool day" with the SOs on Thursday. Each Thursday, the SO organization arranges a pool day activity from 10 am to noon. It's a chance for the SOs and their children to get together and have some fun in the sun! In general, there are no pools accessible to students, so this is a nice opportunity for us SOs, especially those with children who get a break from having to clean up all that sand! These get-togethers are often at the University Club pool, but other pool days are scheduled at nearby resorts.

Both Heather and Peter spent most of Friday looking at automobiles to purchase, although Heather did get in a bit of afternoon drawing.

On Saturday, Heather helped out at Kid's Day to Play, another SO event. The SO organization held its first Parent's Day to Play, and in conjunction therewith, the first Kids Day to Play. The event was designed for parents to spend time with their spouses or with other SOs on a free hike to a one of Grenada's waterfalls ... knowing their children were well cared for in the hands of other SOs back at the Grand Anse campus. That's where I came in! Along with six other SOs, we cared for 16 children of all ages. The event coordinator, Bethany, did an amazing job in organizing the entire event and making certain that each child's needs were met appropriately. The rest of us followed the plan and did our best to keep everyone happy. Most of the kids didn't want to leave at the end of the day, so I guess it could be called a success! ( I won't even go into how much the kids tired the grownups out!!)

Heather spent all day Sunday baking and cleaning in preparation for Peter's birthday on Monday!

Peter's week was very busy in that he focused largely upon studying for his first exam which was scheduled on September 18 (his birthday!) The "Unified Exam" tests first term medical students in every subject of study: biochemistry, anatomy and embryology, histology and cell biology (for a total of 75 questions in two hours.) Wow! Peter was spotted studying in the wet lab, in the dry lab, in the student center, the library, classrooms, and at home. He came by to enjoy dinners, but other than that he was very well occupied. We even skipped the Friday morning snorkel this week due to study priorities.

Peter was also involved with student government this week and particularly busy getting up to speed on an administrative initiative to change the academic calendar ... and he did his part in planning a student government sponsored post-unified exam party on Monday night.

"Local News of Local Interest!"

An unexpected feature of life in Grenada has been found in local landscaping practices. Most homes have lawns around them, and many have gardens and food bearing trees. Very few "lawns" appear to be planted and managed grasses, rather, they are grasses, weeds, and other greens that get cut short. Due to the tropical climate, plants can grow rather quickly here. Machinery to manage such growth, however, is not as common as in the United States - it is imported and (like everything) quite expensive. Therefore, the local custom is that most lawns are cut with what we would call "weed whackers" in the US rather than lawn mowers, either by hired men or by the homeowners themselves. Due to the effort, it seems that growth is often allowed to progress for some time before it is cut back again. This practice, as you might imagine, means that it can take some time (and expense or effort) to tame the greenery on a single lot, and that it is not uncommon to hear the whine of a weed eater somewhere in earshot.

In addition to the difference in how grass is cut back is how landscape cuttings are managed. Shrubbery and trees tend to need cutting back quite often as well, leaving a hefty pile of wood and greens behind. Neighbors have said that the government is supposed to take care of the debris, but in practice they all seem to burn the limbs and weeds. It is common to experience the acrid smell of burning limbs and greenery. When it happens close to home in an unfavorable wind, the choking effect can drive one out of house and home! The pictures below depict landscape debris fires just outside our home, both the fires and sometime later of the same pyres still smoldering and smoking. Homeowners have one or more pyres on their property, often near the road, which are designated for landscape incineration.