Rainy Night on St. Kitts

It seems that it rarely rains on St. Kitts. When I am out and the skies turn grey I generally ask the locals if they think that it will rain. Usually I am told that the only thing we, kittians (kit-`tee-shuns), can guarantee is "no snow". When it rains on St. Kitts the ppl usually stand under the eaves or in the alleyways because generally they rain passes stops just as suddenly as it begins. Today, however, it seems that the rain is here for the evening. It has been grey and overcast all day and the rain has been coming waves as well as thunder and the occassional lightening bolt. It doesn't seem to stop the activities on the golf course or at the beaches. The tourist and others just continue their regularly scheduled program.

I should add that the rainy season, which coincides with the hurricane season -- August to October, is just about to begin and that in the rest of the year the rainy days are few. So the thunder, lightening and rain are a welcomed event when they occur.

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What to bring?

Everyone has the same questions before they get to the island. The most frequently asked and unclearly answered is "What should I bring". I can tell you what I brought and what I wish I had brought, but really it comes down to what you like and where you will be living.

If you will be living in the Royal St. Kitts then I recommend these items.

something that you cook with or on:

hot plate

griddle

toaster oven

fast boiler (I am not sure what the technical term is but this is like a little pot that you can plug in and it boils rapidly. I use mine to cook pasta, oatmeal, boil eggs, etc)

If you choose to bring a hot plate or griddle you will need:

pots and pans

spatulas

stirring spoons

Even if you think that you will mostly eat out and not eat in your room I reccommend these Kitchen type items:

plates (can be plastic disposable)

utensils (also can be disposable, but I prefer real utensils)

some kind of cups/glasses

coffee cup

plastic gladware

foil and plastic wrap

ice tray (even though there is an ice machine you might prefer to not have to go out to get ice. )

Items that you might not think to bring that you will probably want and definitely might need:

toilet paper

paper towels

good smelling candles/air freshner

cleaning supplies

laundry detergent sheets

laundry bag/hamper

toilet brush

Shaving/hair removal items

Food items that can be brought for nearly nothing but will you cost you a bunch on the island:

cereal

fast prep rice/pasta sides

chips

coffee

granola bars

snack foods in general

Other items that you might want to bring a lot of b/c they are way expensive:

shampoo/conditioner

body wash

hand soap

dish liquid

deodorant

sanitary napkins/tampons

sunscreen ( I bought mine at the dollar store for a buck a bottle)

tanning lotion

towels

bed linens (as most places don't supply those even the royal)

IRON ( I cannot tell you how many ppl didn't bring an iron and have needed one)

favorite perfume/lotions

face washes/ makeup remover

extra makeup (it seems very expensive here and I am not sure where you can buy it easily)

immodium/ibuprofen

midol

Scrubs

close toed shoes/athletic shoes

My suggestions for fitting this into two suitcases!

Pack up all that you can w/o going over the weight limit into your alotted number of bags and then bring your carryon that is as large as it can be and still be in the limits. Load up your backpack as full you can get it b/c it can be a carryon too and you likely won't have to weigh it.

Make sure that you opt for the supplies over clothing for the first semester. I had five bags total and only had to pay for two. None of them were over the limit! I cannot tell you how many ppl look great, but have no supplies and really wished they had brought less clothing and more food and supplies.

If you rent a house/apt most of the cooking stuff you can leave out, and on some occassions they will also provide you with towels.

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Blocks

Medical school in the carib consists of four semesters and each semester usually has four blocks (or exam days). By the time Block day comes you can tell it is on its way. As it gets closer like within two weeks the buses get very empty. More and more students stay on campus til 11pm so the 5 and 8 buses are nearly empty and the 11 oclock bus is completely full. On the friday before the exam you see students who are spending the night friday night and saturday night. On the day of blocks there is noone to be seen on campus before noon. At noon voices erupt in quick loud chatter and laughter. The block is over! The rest of the afternoon students discuss test questions and answers. They try to determine the correct answers and ask for others advice about how they should have answered certain questions. The following evening will be marked with celebratory parties and excursions to the various beaches. The library will be a quiet ghost town until the next block exam gets closer.

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Campus in the Morning!

Update on Campus life today!

Every morning I take bus to campus. The bus times are listed but they are the times that the bus leaves the pick up area. So, in the morning the bus leaves at 7:15. I generally leave my room around 7:10 to get to the pick up area in time for the bus to leave on time. The ride to campus is generally calm. There is some noise but not much. It is 7:15 in the morning afterall. On rare occassions there is a "talker", but generally they keep the conversation quiet. On most mornings you can find a few students trying to get an edge on studying for that 15 minutes. Which I can understand why you want to savor every moment to study in, but the bus ride is bumpy and curvy. Studying in any moving vehicle on a curvy bumpy road is not for me or anyone riding with me who wants to arrive clean to our destination. Funny thing is as the test day draws near more and more students are reading their notes on the bus. Until the very day of the tests and then the whole bus has their notes out reading away. If you are observant you can tell exactly when blocks are because all students will have thier notes out all the time.

We arrive at the campus around 7:30 am and the students disperse from the doors of the bus. Organized chaos insues as some students head to the student lounge to put away their excess luggage, and others head to the right toward the library and the campus convience store/cafeteria. The campus is alive with students who are hustling to study that last note just before the test that will make or break them.

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