Valley Girls in a Jamaican World

2009-03-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

The month went by so quickly! It is hard to believe we are really home. Our minds are still reeling with all the experiences and events of the month. We are so thankful for the opportunities we had and especially all who made it such a rich experience. We encountered such wonderful people and especially thank the faculty and staff at UWI for embracing us.

We already miss the sights, sounds, smells and of course taste of Jamaica. We miss the walks back to the Flat with beautiful flowers everywhere. We now hear the sounds of snow plows instead of the Dove and Crickets. We will have to shop around a bit to find Cho Cho, Bammy(still Christina’s favorite), Callaloo(Cindy’s favorite) and Curried Goat.- Yes, Reggie we tried the goat. It was pretty tasty.

Thank all of you who spent the month with us through the blog. We hope you enjoyed Jamaica through our eyes.

Memories from Jamaica:

Our first day at UWISON

Cindy writing her objectives for the day :-)

Trip to Ocho Rios

Skills Lab (Does this look like George Bush, or what?)

Christina in Hope Botanical Garden

Lovely fish supper with Joyette and daughter AnnaStudent Presenting Tutorial

UWISON staffBetty-Ann and Carren

Ms. Morris :>)

Thanks Joyce!
Good Byes to Lovely Students

Christina's 2nd year students on TMRU

Tania- Simulation Queen

Our very protective guard!!

Joyette and Cindy at Emancipation ParkDawn- Curriculum Guru

Dawn with her always effervescent smile & disposition
Cindy, Mrs. Bailey & Cerese
Jacinth, coordinator of the pathophysiology course for 2nd years

Mrs. Bailey and Christina

View From UWISON

Dr. Hewitt,

Christina and Cindy

Devon House Brick Oven

Yum, Yum Patties

The "wet" Foursome

Last Visit with Frank and Carmen

Last Visit to the Bee Hive

Leaving Lime Cay

The beautiful Jamaican flowers

Sunday evening walk

Last morning in Jamaica
Goodbye Juici! We will miss you :-)
Not even a flat tire will stop Mr. Graham.
Fastest tire change ever!

Goodbye Mr. Graham (proudly wearing his new Duke hat)

Aerial view as we leave Kingston

We arrive in North Carolina to snow and COLD 25 F

BURR...

The last weekend in Jamaica

2009-03-02T04:08:00.000-08:00

Our last day at UWI School of Nursing with Dr. Hewitt, Dean of the School of Nursing (center) and our mentors, Mrs. Bailey (left) and Mrs. Dawkins (right). We are so grateful to these three wonderful nurses and ALL of the UWISON staff for our incredible visit!

We cannot believe how quickly this weekend, much less this month, has flown by! Christina and Cindy were able to show Bobby & Ted around campus Friday followed by a relaxing evening at the flat. Saturday and Sunday we ventured to Port Royal and Lime Cay. We toured Port Royal, which was once Jamaica's capitol destroyed by an earthquake in the 1600s. Part of the original town and fort remains which we toured.

Fort Charles

Inside the Giddy House, built in the 1880s, survived the earthquake of 1907 (barely)

Cindy and Ted at Morgan's Harbor Marina & Hotel where we stayed

The coast of Lime Cay, which is an uninhabited island about 10 miles off the coast of Port Royal. We spent the day here being beach bums and enjoying the crystalline blue waters.

Robert shopping for his next toy at Morgan's Harbor!

That evening we went to UWI for a concert: The Art of Steel. Local composers and artists were featured at this event which showcased some calypso and nontraditional steel pan music. What a treat! Afterward, one of the artists was kind enough to show us the pans and talk to us about the art of pan music and how pans are made, tuned and played.

The husbands arrive

2009-02-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

We greeted Bobby & Ted at the airport Thursday afternoon. We decided to suprise them by having our driver hold a sign with their names on it while we waited adjacent to the lobby. The unsuspecting men were easy to detect coming out of the airport in their long sleeves!

Cindy & Christina staked out at the airport waiting...

YAY!!!

Ted & his first Jamaican patty :-)

Bobby approves too!!

We departed the airport and drove around downtown Kingston taking in the sites and sounds and smells! The husbands enjoyed patties, ting and cherry juice during the tour. That evening we went to Devon House, enjoying a lovely dinner on the terrace. Although their journey was long, our husbands stuck it out with us and shopped at the grocery store without falling asleep once! We are so glad to have them here and to be able to share with them what we have gained from our experience here in Jamaica and the University of the West Indies.

Last Week in Jamaica

2009-02-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

We are coming to the end of our Synthesis here in Jamaica with mixed emotions. We have met so many wonderful people and our experiences have been vast and unforgettable. Yet, we have missed our families and the familiarity of home. Our husbands arrive tomorrow and we look forward to them experiencing a taste of what we have been doing over the last month.

This has been a short week thus far; today is a National Holiday for Ash Wednesday. This has given us an opportunity to complete some of our work and ready ourselves to finalize our experience here. We will meet this week to debrief with our mentors.

Monday was Christina's last lecture day. She prepared and presented a lecture in Pathophysiology which focused on Cardiology. She also assisted in the tutorial with the 2nd year students. The students feel very comfortable with her and seem to line up to ask questions just as they do with their instructor. Just as we are feeling more comfortable, its time to go.

Cindy was in the clinical setting on Monday and visited many students with her preceptor. She especially enjoyed working one on one with a student as the student reviewed her plan of care for the patient and Cindy was able to teach and coach the student in new procedures. The joy on the students face as she realized she had successfully and independently completed a new task gave Cindy even more joy.

Tuesday brought another new adventure. We accompanied two of the instructors to a High School career fair in Christiana. Christiana is in the middle of the country near Knox Community College where we were a couple weeks ago. The drive to Christiana was beautiful as we road in the valley between two mountain chains prior to ascending up the mountain to Christiana. The valley would remind you somewhat of driving in the Shenandoah Valley except the palm, mango, cashew and banana trees made the landscape unique.

Downtown Christiana

For our farmer friends & family, The Jamaican Livestock Association,

complete with a Ford pickup infront

Christiana High School: home to 2000 (!) students grades 7-12

School choir singing The Lord is my Shepherd

The career fair commenced outside under a large tent with school staff and local business' sharing their visions and hopes for the students and a speaker spoke about the students' holding the key to their future. The students preformed drama and songs. Our favorite part was the steel drum selections that the students played. We wish you all could have experienced this with us.

We then proceeded into the school where the classrooms were set up as booths for each exhibitor. We had many students, grades 7-12 plus some persons investigating job changes, stopping by to voice their interest in nursing and we shared some of our experiences, the curriculum plan at UWI and our LOVE for nursing. WE had a fantastic time. It would be interesting to see where these students are in 5-10 years.

The future of nursing!

Students learning about careers in the culinary arts

We returned to Kingston and left the cool mountain air behind. The stories of the area were we traveled, Jamaican history and information on local plants and food were a pleasure to listen to on our drive to and from Christiana. The instructors we traveled with will have an after retirement career as tour guides awaiting them.

Christina & Mrs. Bailey, mentor, expert nurse, friend, flora/fauna guru, with traditional Jamaican headwrap on

Reggie, We continue to learn of local remedies and alternative medications. We will have to share more with you in April at school.

Kingston & Port Royal Weekend

2009-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a fun-filled day of seeing Kingston and Port Royal thanks to our WONDERFUL hosts (tour guides!) Tania & her husband Paul; and Frank & his wife Carmen. We are so lucky to know such friendly people who are so willing to show us around their country. We cannot wait to repay the favor!!

Tania (Mrs. Cuba) and Paul started our trip by taking us to the mountain tops so we could get a good aerial view of Kingston. What a treat! Kingston is a big, sprawling city surrounded by smaller communities such as Constant Spring, Cherry Gardens, Half Way Tree, etc etc. We could see everything from up there including the sea! The homes clung to the dirt mountainside and we were able to get a closer view of the fire damage from earlier in our trip. We winded down the mountain cautiously; some roads are in disrepair and the road makes sharp bends. We were able to see many of the neighborhoods and their respective shopping districts. It was interesting to hear the locals' view of their city and the direction it is heading. Much of downtown Kingston is abandoned and the shopping, businesses (money) have moved uptown. As we wound down towards the waterfront we were able to see what they meant. We did stop in Half Way Tree to go shopping for Jamaican goods prior to hitting the road again.

We were able to see the downtown waterfront where the park meets the sea. What beauty, and such potential! Paul showed us a beautiful revival style theatre his uncle was involved with years ago. He tried to bring shows and productions to Kingston, but eventually the poverty conditions in the area took over and the theatre faded out. Its structure is still there and is boarded up. There are many highly unique buildings in downtown with gorgeous architecture. We wrapped up our driving tour at Devon House and had a lovely lunch of chicken curry patties and ice cream. This time Christina sampled the coconut (heaven) while Cindy had the fruit basket!

Tania, our lovely hostess, with us at Devon House

View of Kingston, and beyond!

That evening we departed with Frank and Carmen to Port Royal. Port Royal is across the bay from Kingston and is situated at the end of a cape. At one time it was known notoriously as sin city, a dangerous place, because of all of the pirates who called it home. Port Royal was once the capitol of Jamaica prior to an earthquake in which part of the town was lost in the sea. Below is the entrance to the park at Port Royal.

A very old church in downtown Port Royal (~1600s)

Our lovely dinner hosts! We dined at a local fish restaurant where the tables were literally on the end of the pier overlooking the sea and Kingston!

Port Royal: Local fishermen's boats just returned from catching our dinner :-) We enjoyed the freshest fish stew. Cindy had brown fish stew and Christina had steamed snapper for dinner. The entire fish was served on the plate, head on of course! The meal was accompanied with festival (a fried dough), bammy and salad. The freshness of the fish was incredible!

The view of Kingston and the Blue Mountains from Port Royal
Relaxing Carribbean sunset

Cindy with Morgan's Harbor behind, and more Blue Mountains in the distance

Amazing

Frank made sure Christina & Cindy were well taken care of by sending them home with plenty of bammy and festival! Thanks!!!!

Thanks again to our gracious hosts for sharing an unforgettable Saturday with us!

After work fun!

2009-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Amidst our busy week, we always find some time to have more fun! This past Wednesday we had a meeting slated with the Nurses Association of Jamaica's President. We were looking forward to seeing what the this highly influential office and its members was all about. We later learned the meeting had to be cancelled due as the President's attention was required due to the King and Queen of Spain's arrival at the Spanish Town Hospital where a ward was being dedicated. We joked that we hear 'that line' all the time :-)

So, with all of our new 'free time' we decided to wrap-up some last minute details at the office and head to Devon House. Devon house is in Kingston, and was build by the first African American millionaire in Jamaica (and the western world). Today Devon house is a museum and its ground a public park for the people to enjoy. They also have many shops and restaurants on premise!

Beautiful Cindy & Devon House

Close-up!

A landmark within the Devon house grounds is their ice creamery. They use local fruits and ingredients to churn out fabulous flavors including: grapenut, fruit basket, cocount, pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, and their famous Devon Stout. Christina sampled the Devon Stout at Cindy's recommendation. It was divine!

On premise is The Brick Oven. They make patties, loaves and pastries in the oven you see pictured. The staff wear traditional Jamaican headwear. Their curry chicken patties are delicious-and spicy! After our culinary tour, we shopped around the local stores for all things Jamaican!

Thursday the Phillip Sherlock International Center hosted an International Craft and Food Fair. After our clinical and classroom engagements, we headed off to see what we could find. All of the booths hosted Jamaican arts and crafts from jewelery to handbags. There was also an assortment of tasty treats including saltfish fritters and cassava pudding.

Cindy shopping for handbags and earrings

Learning as a nurse educator

2009-02-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Despite all of the pictures of food and fun on this blog, we would be lying if we said we were not also learning the role of the nurse educator.From clinical, classrooms, visiting hospitals, clinics and schools of nursing we are learning so much about nursing education and healthcare in Jamaica!

Christina works with a pathophysiology tutorial group on Monday mornings where the students apply their classroom knowledge of physiology (how the body works) and pathologies of the body (what can go wrong) to clinical scenarios. Christina enjoys the aspect of guiding students through the critical thinking process and helping them use the nursing process in analyzing situations. She has learned the challenges faced in working with a large group of 120 students in tutorial from crowd control (noise), to speaking loudly and slow enough for students to understand better, and how to facilitate meaningful discussion in such a large group (moderator role). After this past Monday, Christina is not convinced such a large group is conducive to meeting the objective of having meaningful group discussion! This is one of many examples encountered thus far and Christina continues to work hard as she crafts lectures for this week and next as well as work with faculty to design a better mode to present the tutorials!

Cindy is working with the third year students who are studying Speciality Care such as ENT, Orthopedics and Neurology. Cindy has been in the classroom and clinical setting. She has been at both the University and Public Hospitals. She also spent a day in a local clinic. She especially enjoys working with students in the clinical setting and is learning more from the students than she is sharing with them. They are such bright students with so much potential.

Third Year Students-Smiling even when they are stressed out!

Always into something...

2009-02-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

Even Sundays in Jamaica are busy!! This is by choice of course as we are trying to see and do as much as we can during our visit here. Sunday morning we attended the Commemoration Service for the University at the UWI chapel. This week has been one of celebration for UWI in that it is Alumni Week. The church was the most packed we have seen it in the past three weeks and all five pastors who serve were present. After the service we met Dr. Chen who is a Nobel Laureate and Professor of Climatology here at UWI. He won the Nobel Prize with Al Gore for their work on global warming. After church we headed off for a walk around Mona Heights and Papine. A botanical garden is within walking distance to the campus and is said to be around 500 acres. Adjacent to the botanical garden is a small zoo which we paid an entrance fee ($1USd, $80JD). Cindy got to see her first mongoose and both of us really enjoyed the flamingos although none would pose on one leg for us.

A view of an archway in the gardens. A volunteer informed us that the garden does not have as much variety as they would like to see as funding is not a priority, thus much of the grounds is maintained as a greenspace. We still thought it was gorgeous!

On site there was an African vegetarian restaurant, this is Cindy inside of the dining area which was complete with a rock waterfall and bridge.

Christina with true Jamaican colors!

Cindy poses with what we called "pineapple plant"

On our walk home we passed the medical center and Christina posed with an ambulance. They are so eager and wanting to be in photos here. Christina was stunned when a person in the back wanted to be part of the photo op and stuck his head out

Powder Puff Tree

Finding our way around.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Friday evening came very quickly! We ended a productive week by shopping at the bookstore on campus, picking up our favorite UWI gear. The temperature dipped down to the chilly 60's thus we needed to bundle up!!! We finished the evening reading and logging the activities of the week.

The sky Saturday morning was crystal clear and blue; it is impossible to sleep in past 0730 here in Jamaica because it gets so warm and you feel like you might miss out on something! We did laundry and tidied up the flat prior to heading out for a day of shopping and discovering more of Liguanea. On the way to meet the bus we saw a wedding party posing for pictures at the famous UWI chapel. The bridal party had beautiful orange dresses that were complimented by orange umbrellas for shade. The bride strode effortlessly across the grass in her long gown despite the blazing hot sun! What a perfect day to get married and be in love :-)

After the bus ride to Liguanea, we shopped at the Post Mall which is a mall anchored by the Jamaican post office. There is an assortment of small shops inside including a men's clothing store, women's store, bookshop, pharmacy, chinese restaurant and salon. The pharmacies in Jamaica have just about everything you could want from snacks to shampoo to china. We picked up candies including peanut brittle, tamarind candy, plantain chips and pepper shrimps. Pepper shrimps are an equivalent to shrimp jerky! Adidas shoes sell for about $4500 and come in every color here, including green/black/yellow for Jamaicans!

Arguably our favorite part of the shopping trip was the Liguanea Drug and Garden Center. The Center is tucked away in the storefronts pictured above. Within the store there are multiple sections. The entire store was a combination of Micheal's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Hallmark, Wetsel's Seed, and CVS all under one happy roof. We spent at least an hour in this store! ESPN was on in the pharmacy waiting area, reminding us of home!

We checked out the local pastry store and bought snacks for later in the evening. We continued on to a Chinese Restaurant in the next shopping mall. Jamaica's motto is "of many, one people" which is so very true. There is a large Chinese contigent here on this small island, among many other nationalities. The Chinese restaurant is on the 3rd floor of the mall and is boasted by many Jamaicans as the best in the area. We are not disappointed as we arrive to a large dining room with a great view of the mountains and northwest St Andrew's parrish. We treat ourselves to Dim Sun, spring rolls, shrimp cane and beef satay. The Jamaicans are right, the restaurant makes delicious food. We most enjoyed the local flavor that presents itself in the scotch bonnet peppers in soy sauce and allspice (pimento) in the spring rolls. Cindy was most generous in tipping our waiter $600 JD :-)

Spring Rolls anyone?

Shrimp cane: Tempura fried shrimp with a sugar cane for a handle

We wish you faithful blog followers, especially our husbands-Happy Valentine's Day!

Where did the week go?

2009-02-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Good Eats, Jamacian Style!

Cindy cooking callaloo

This is really great!

Where did the week go? We have had an eventful, exhilarating and edifying week. We started out the week learning to do some of the basics of living in different surroundings. We did laundry including hanging our clothes out to dry. Although we don’t do this often anymore, we both have past experience and the only thing missing from the Valley was the smell of the “fresh country air”. We also prepared two meals with local ingredients and had leftovers for the week. Chicken, callaloo and mashed green bananas comprised one meal. Christina will assure you the green bananas need to be cooked not eaten raw. Mrs. Bailey taught us how to prepare them and use oil to avoid getting your hands black and sticky. The meal was tasty and full of nutrients. Our second meat was pork cooked with fresh pineapple, broccoli and rice; followed with fresh pineapple and pawpaw (papaya). Those who know us well are aware we won’t go hungry :>)

Yes, there are Mennonites in Jamaica

We both spent time in class preparation, presentations and clinical contact this week. We both are enjoying spending more time with the students. Christina is falling in love with all the precious children in the Pediatric ward. Her futball(soccer) skills came in handy as she played with one of the patients, yet, he taught her a new game “Mango Stomping”. That isn’t famous in the States yet.

Pathophysiology preparation

Cindy spent time on the Adult wards including Gynecology, Renal and Cardiology (finally something familiar). The standard nursing care is similar but the limited resources for staff and patients provide a very different treatment plan than patients in the States. Cindy also spent a day in the Community Health setting where patients arrive hours prior to the clinic opening even when they have an appointment. It was a special treat for Cindy to meet her mentor, Mrs. Dawkins, daughter who is a physician at the clinic.

Striping Ceremony

Knox campus

Third year student

Candle Lighting

Thursday, Christina and Cindy had a special treat as they accompanied Dr. Hewitt, director of the School of Nursing at the University of the West Indies (UWISON), to a Striping Ceremony at Knox Community College. Knox is a franchise of UWISON which is located about 2.5 hours away in the Jamaican countryside. The ceremony celebrated the advancement to the next level for the nursing students. This was signified by a stripe on the students’ uniform. What an exciting time for theses students! Dr. Hewitt spoke and Christina was surprised when called upon to assist with handing out awards, yet she rose to the challenge.

Christina presenting awards

Now we are off for another weekend. Where will our next adventure take us??

Thanks again for the prayers for rain, things are much greener.

Pawpaw Tree on Knox Campus

Weekend getaways

2009-02-09T11:50:00.001-08:00

Roadside fruit stand

Our sugar cane is in bags on the left

Dunn's River Falls hike

Cindy tasting fresh coconut water

Beautiful Ocho Rios

Where the falls meet the beach

Thank God for the weekend! We now understand what the rest of the 8-5 world means by TGIF! We awoke Saturday morning well rested and eager to embark on an excursion to Ocho Rios with our preceptors. Driving through Kingston we paid attention to all of the roadside stands selling every type of fresh fruit imaginable to the layout of each neighborhood. The ride from Kingston to Ocho Rios is about 85 kilometers and transverses the Blue Mountains, through valleys, rain forest like gullies and ends at the beach. Talk about changes in scenery! The rural areas of Jamaica are so captivating and are unique. The flora and fauna is unlike any other place and there is much diversity in the types of plant life around. We also passed by factories that extract the raw materials to make aluminum foil. Prior to environment regulations, the company would dump wastewater into the local lake that turned it a deep rust-red color and was toxic to the ecosystem. We also drove by areas where new highways were being carved into the mountainside and our mentors wondered about its effects not only on the promise for better transportation, but the ecological impact such a project would have on the floodplain in the area.

The mountain road had so many hairpins in it, and with each turn held a new view of the country. We passed through Walter’s Wood where the essence and life of Jamaican jerk continues to thrive. Onward we continued through Fern Gully which is a roadway that weaves through towering trees covered with moss, ferns and vines. The further in we drove, the darker it became as the sun was blocked out by the canopy. At the clearing we saw the sea displayed before us. The town of Ocho Rios was right in front of us. We stopped to pick up lunch in town and continued toward Dunn’s River Falls.

Dunn’s River Falls is a national park in Jamaica and is world famous. You can hike the falls with the assistance of a guide. Prior to hiking, we went for a swim in the sea. Cindy and Christina were happy to feel the ocean air and water, but their preceptors felt that the 75ish degree weather was too cold. We try to remind them where we come from is much colder and just had snow! After the short swim, we began our assent along the Dunn’s River Fall line. The falls move with such power through the forest and emerge directly on to the beach and into the sea. The rocks surprised us by the lack of slipperiness and we were able to move from rock to rock with the assistance of our guide. Between each fall line was a pool of crystal blue fresh water we could wade in. We stuck our heads under the fast moving falls and took in a freshwater shower! The water was crisp and took our breath away!

At the top of the falls we posed for a picture with the guide and continued to walk through the park. After our trip to the falls, we meandered back through the country and began the 2.5 hour ride back home. We stopped along the way at a local farm stand so our preceptors could buy the best, freshest country grown veggies. Each stand has its own specialties but most contain the same staple ingredients of sweet potatoes, yams, callalo (like our collard greens), and cabbage. A little further up the road we stopped for coconut water. The vendor literally takes the coconut in one hand and quickly yields a 2 foot long machete over its top to expose a hole into which a straw can be inserted. The coconut costs about $50 Jamaican, which is 60 cents US. The water is nutrient rich and is an important remedy in the rural areas for warding off dehydration. Inside the coconut you can scrape out the insides and eat coconut jelly, also nutrient rich. We also bought raw sugar cane from the vendor to snack on.

On the way home we stopped in Spanish Town which was the capital city from the 16-19th centuries. The historical area houses old churches, the King’s home (façade only), and other government buildings from its day. Outside Spanish town is the oldest bridge in the western hemisphere, which is not in operation anymore.

Back in Kingston we got to see another view of our city. The locals were gathering in the streets in many neighborhoods listening to the sound of reggae music and preparing for barbeques. The sounds and smells and sights are most interesting now!

Thanks for your prayers, we have had two brief rainfalls here in Kingston and the smoke around the mountains seems to be subsiding!

2009-02-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

IT Deparment is important everywhere!!

Helecopter delivering water to the mountain fire

Duke MSN student after a hard week of work!

Our Jamaican Dining Table

Finally Friday…
What a busy week we have had. We are both physically and mentally exhausted trying to take it all in. The sights, sounds, smells, experiences and essence of the week are rolling through our minds and we wish we could share everything more vividly.
It is hard to believe we have been here a week. Everyone has been so wonderful and we are very comfortable here. We are so thankful for this opportunity and look forward to more Duke Students following us.
Christina spent her first day on the wards today. She was at a local Children’s Hospital. Yes, pediatrics. She is definitely coloring our side the lines and truly enjoyed the children. The babies here are so beautiful. The hospital is located next to the local stadium where they are now playing Cricket. The local people are very excited about Cricket and being the sports fans that we are, we hope to learn more about it.
Cindy was on the ward at the local public hospital and enjoyed learning of the aspects of care in that area. Basic nursing care is very similar but these students have many more obstacles than we are accustomed to. It is very different to be in a hospital and feel the tropical breeze blowing through the windows. Thus, the first step in a dressing change must be to close the windows and turn off all fans.
We made our first visit to a local super market last evening yet, had to limit our purchases since we would be walking back to our Flat from the bus. We were progressing o.k. until we passed the fruits and “veggies”. We wanted to try one of everything. We actually purchased a Jamaican cookbook so we plan to try a few new dishes this weekend. We will let you know how that turns out.
The weather is still beautiful but it is extremely dry. As we were riding the bus back last evening we saw the fire on the mountainside and could smell the smoke even this morning. The helicopter flew overhead as we walked to campus this morning hauling water from the local reservoir to the fire. The mountain looks better this afternoon but please pray we get some rain soon. Yet as a wise sage has said “the Lord will provide it when we really need it”.
Have a good weekend.

Misty mornings

2009-02-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

Morning Walk Photos

"Trumpet tree"

Long Mountain Rd

Entering UWI Campus

Cindy's mystery meal

Wednesday was another eventful day. After falling asleep Tuesday night to the sound of steel drums we awoke to another cool, misty morning. We are enjoying our morning walks to campus; the area is beautiful and the people are very friendly. Our flat is nestled between Long Mountain and the beginnings of the Blue Mountain Range, which is very popular worldwide for its coffee.

The mountains shield us from the early morning sun and there is typically a light mist rolling off the tops of the Blue Mountains that is quite beautiful. Every morning the mountains look different as the sun hits them. The walks to and from campus are a nice time to absorb the surroundings, relax prior to starting the day and unwind at the end of a good day's work.

Our hosts are most generous! It seems drinking tea is very customary and we have gathered with many over a cup. Many Jamaicians put sweetened condensed milk in their teas; Christina (and her sweet tooth) has most enjoyed this and puts the sugary lsludge in coffee too.

We had the oppotunity to observe at the Sickle Cell Clinic on campus where residents are bused in from all over Jamaica whether it is for routine follow-ups, wound care, or crises. Jamaica is collecting cohort data starting from birth; we saw many patients from the first cohort (1980s) today. They were young men living with a complicated chronic disease with the threat of complications. The workers within the clinic possess a great wealth of knowledge on sickle cell disease; the overall prevalence rate in Jamaica is approximately 7-8%!

Lunchtime had surprises of its own; Cindy ordered a "vegetarian combo," of which we were not sure of the ingredients. Cindy later learned she had Jamaican style tofu!

Off and running...

2009-02-04T05:17:00.000-08:00

Cindy preparing a lecture

Morning pose with the ever-present security guards

Inside the addition at UWISON

Awaiting computer login and password

Scenery from a morning walk

Tuesday, February 3

Warm greetings! Although it has been two days since our last blog posting, so much has happened and we have had little time to post. There is so much to absorb from our surroundings (sights, smells, noises), faculty (personalities, dialects, recalling so many names and faces), students (again learning names and faces, teacher: student relationships), and many other things to elaborate on!

As we sit down to write this post we realize that we have not taken many pictures since the weekend! The UWISON is bustling with activity; they are in the process of completing a new addition to their facility which will add: tremendous teaching space with two lecture theatres seating approximately 200, a simulation lab complete with mannequins, Noelle, a yet to be connected virtual IV and the school is awaiting Sim Mans arrival. A multimedia lab is almost complete with desktop computer ready to burst out of their boxes. Offices for the faculty members are partially complete and the faculty is very patient with the process. We find it a unique time to be here amidst all of the changes occurring and observe the leadership such a large scale change requires.

Tuesday we took a tour of the medical center library and worked with courses. Cindy is working with the third year nursing students whose experiences are predominantly clinical based. Christina is working with the second year students who are taking a course load which includes: legal and ethical nursing, pharmacology, pathophysiology, skills lab, and a pediatric clinical rotation.

Christina had the opportunity to shadow the instructors in the classroom Tuesday morning and in the afternoon planned to revise and present unit objectives for medication administration. The lecture was to be supplemented with instructional DVDs that illustrated correct procedure in medication administration. Once in the brand new lecture theatre, we quickly realized the meaning of “technical difficulties.” The AV cable was missing thus the audio was missing from the presentation. Christina and her quick-thinking preceptor decided it would be best to make use of the time rather than postpone the content; and Christina proceeded in giving a two hour lecture on principles of medication administration. As Cindy stated “sometimes you just need to go for it!” The lecture went well and we were able to deliver the content through a different medium and it is something Christina won’t soon forget.

Cindy had the opportunity to prepare a one hour lecture on Inflammation of the Eye (yes the Eye). After volunteering late on Monday afternoon to teach, she spent Monday evening preparing with limited resources and the lights fading with the power surges. We are learning the value of being flexible as Educators :>)

We are truly jumping at every opportunity and enjoying it for all it is worth. And to our Husbands and Mothers—Yes we are being very cautious and safe!

The first weekend in Jamaica

2009-02-02T13:30:00.001-08:00

Our Home away from home!

The University of the West Indies, Mona

School of Nursing

new facility, almost complete!

Christina on campus at the fishpond, The University Chapel in the background

Cindy on one of our afternoon walks in our neighborhood

A view of the University Chapel and aqueduct in the background

Good day from Jamaica!

We arrived safely in Kingston Friday morning to a wonderful, sunny 80 degree day. We have spent our first weekend in Jamaica acclimating to the heat and exploring the gorgeous campus of The University of the West Indies and surrounding areas of Mona. Our hosts, the Nursing Faculty of UWISON have been most welcoming and gracious in making sure we could navigate campus, be “fed and watered,” and our comfort in our home away from home, The Long Mountain House.

Communication has been a little more of a challenge than we had planned. Internet is somewhat limited at our house but should be better on campus. Our phone service is good for incoming calls and text messages but we have had difficulty with out going calls.

Today, Sunday February 1st we attended church service on the UWI campus. The overall service taught progression (personal and professional) during a recession. The ministers and students alike were all happy to greet us and it seems everyone we meet is instantly excited when we tell them it is our first time to Jamaica.

One of the more baffling things about acclimating to Jamaica is the currency exchange rate. Currently the rate is $1 US to $80 Jamaican; we spent a staggering $3100 at the grocery yesterday! Other adventures have included tasting the local culture; highlights which included bamee, jerk chicken, tamarind juice and patties (meat stuffed, deep fried croissant-like crescents).

Tomorrow we will formally meet with the UWISON faculty and plan the details of our nurse educator synthesis experience. We are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the experienced nurse educators and students, as well as represent Duke University’s School of Nursing here.