Aaron and I got about three hours of sleep last night and
woke up at 3 AM to get everything put in the car and say goodbye. We got to the airport at 4:30 AM where I met
Griffin, the other girl who is my age, and Dr. Hansen. We caught our flight out of Des Moines at 6
AM and made it to Atlanta with just enough time to catch our connecting flight
to Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia at about 3
PM. The airport was tiny, but very busy! We took about two hours just to get through
customs, find our luggage, and get to our hotel.
In the airport we met up with the other two ladies on the
trip, Ursula and Lekey. Then we met up
with our driver, Cuthy. He has worked
very closely with St. Jude’s Hospital in the past and Dr. Hansen has used him
as a driver before. Unfortunately, Cuthy
only drives a small van. Trying to fit 6
people and nearly 20 pieces of luggage into that van was like playing a giant
game of tetris. We all fit, but just
barely. I’m glad we had a driver though,
because the roads in Saint Lucia are very curvy, poorly lit, and I haven’t seen
a street sign since I got here. Also,
instead of stop signs (I’ve only seen one so far; and NO stop lights) they have
random speed bumps that pop up without warning.
Did I mention they drive on the left side of the street here? Yes, I’m very glad we had a local driving us
around.
Cuthy dropped us off at a nice little hotel named Aupic Paradise in the Aupicon area
of Vieux Fort. Once we arrived, Griffin
and I quickly settled into a room with two twin beds while the rest of the
group haggled to get the nicest single room.
I honestly think Griffin and I got the better deal. Our bathroom is HUGE and the room is half the
cost. After a quick shower and change
(guys, I brushed my teeth using the local water and then found out that my
professor suggests we use bottled water to brush our teeth. OOPS.
Hopefully I don’t die.) we all met in the parking lot and Cuthy picked us
back up and took us to his home.
There we met with about 15 Taiwanese medical students who
have also been volunteering with St. Jude.
Apparently Cuthy has a bar named “Cuthy’s Hideaway” that he runs out of
his home. This is where all the employees of the old hospital (before it burnt down) used to drink after work. So there was a large selection
of alcohol and some really amazing rum punch, which was just the ticket after a
long day of traveling. Cuthy’s wife,
Something-rita (both Griffin and I are completely failing at remembering her
name), made a HUGE table of food. I had
fried salmon, lobster, mashed potatoes, and barbeque chicken. I also tried plantains, dasheens, and bread
fruit balls. The meal was rounded off with some strawberry
jello topped with strawberry ice cream.
Finally, Cuthy gathered all of us and taught us how to dance to calypso. He kept saying all you needed to do was move your feet to the beat! If only everything in life was that simple.
Tonight was a wonderful introduction to Saint Lucia, but I
am exhausted! Tomorrow we are getting
picked up at 8 AM to get a tour of St. Jude’s hospital and heading to the bank
to get some local currency before repacking and making the hour and a half
drive through the mountains to Castries.
Apparently Griffin sometimes gets motion sickness, so that should be
interesting with all of stuffed into that tiny van. I hope we have time to relax and do homework
tomorrow because I still have an essay test to do for school! But for now, I will sleep.
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