BARBADOS: Day 4 Harrison's Cave and island tour

Other than a few presentations from locals, today was devoted to tourism. We started at the Harrison Caves, which were cool, but would have been better if it was a hike. They had carved out a tunnel in the caves for a tour cart to go through and tunnels to run electric lines for lights in. They also had some unnatural pools in there...I guess that is what happens to natural wonders when turned into tourist sites.

Me in the caves....the spot on my shirt is from the drops of water that continuously fell on us.

The caves

After the caves we went to lunch at the Round House Inn which overlooked Bethsheba beach (or the Soup Bowl) on the East Coast. This is the hot surfing spot...and I could see why. I wish we could have stayed here for a whole day..sigh...

The view from the restaurant.

Look how clear the water is!

The Soup Bowl

Kat, Me, and Sam at the Soup Bowl

After lunch we went on a tour of the island...

East Coast...Breathe-taking

Me and some other fulbrighters: Lynn (Jamaica), Ben (Dominian Republic), Pearl (Jamaica), Tara (TnT), Ifna (Jamaica).

Road to St. Nicholas Abbey..also a sugar plantation.

St. Nicholas Abbey

Bridgetown...the capital of Barbados

After the tour, we got ready for a nice dinner at Pisces.

Kat and her fancy dessert.

Pisces

BARBADOS: Day 3 George Washington House and Bajan Roots and Rhythms show

Today there were more presentations and in the middle of the day we also went to the George Washington House. Bajan's are very proud that this is the only place GW went outside the country. He came when he was 19 with his brother, Lawrence, who had Tuberculosis and they thought the warm weather would cure him. At the time GW was a land mapper, but the Bajan's claim he went to see their fortifications which shaped his military career. He was only in Barbados for 4 weeks and during that time he also got small pox but recovered. His brother went onto the Bahamas without GW and then came home where he died. I thought it was funny that they thought us Americans would want to see the one American thing in Barbados. The intro video was also HILARIOUS with corny reenactments. I did learn that GW had red hair though...who knew.

At the end of the day a few of us went to the Bajan Roots and Rhythms dinner show. It was mediocre, but entertaining...esp the drunk girl from Montclair, NJ who kept going up on stage. sigh...i see why Americans get such a bad reputation.

Reena giving her presentation

the George Washington House

GW's bed...none of the furniture is original

GW's room

His desk

The dining room

His brother's room. Apparently this chair was part of his medication or something.

Our guide...he was so excited.

The kitchen

Me on the toilet!

Ifna with GW himself...he was reading from his journal to her.

Some of us at the beach after a long day of presentations and GW

Our hotel..so colorful

Sam at the Bajan Roots and Rhythms show with steel panners in the background (ahem that would be Trini roots as the steel pan originated in Trinidad)

Some stilts men

This looks like carnival

Rhianna is from Barbados, so of course they did a lil jazz number for 'Shut up and Drive'

More show...I think this is the African roots part

And of course the limbo! my knees hurt looking at that.

BARBADOS: Day 2

Tuesday was the first full day in Barbados...and it was a full day of presentations. I was second, so I got mine out of the way. It went ok. At lunch, we went to the U.S. Embassy to meet with some staff there and eat lunch. Everything is so much more orderly in Barbados, and the Embassy was no exception with all the procedure for going inside. we had to be escorted everywhere too. The roads are also a lot more orderly. some of the Fulbrighters got shushed for talking too loud in the immigration line at the airport haha. sheesh...we aren't in Trinidad anymore.
After the presentations we had just enough time for sunset at Accra/Rockley Beach which was right in front of our hotel.

I know you're jealous

Sun beginning to go down.

I thought this was cool.

going down

Breath-taking

BARBADOS: Day 1 a beach and UWI Cave Hill

The very next morning after the Summit, me, Tara, and Reena went to Barbados for the Fulbright Enrichment Seminar. Basically, all the Fulbright Students in the Caribbean got together and presented their research and experience and did some touristy things. Us Trinis got an early flight, so we had the whole day Monday before others arrived. Reena and I rode the bus to the Cave Hill area where she actually went to the archives to do some research and I went to the beach.

the beach on the West Coast where I chilled

ahhh the life

sand crab! There were soo many of them, but as soon as I moved they all hid in the sand.

When the archives closed, Reena and I met up to go see the UWI Cave Hill Campus...seriously it was more of a resort than a campus...I'd say it beats Richmond's campus too. UWI St Augustine is a joke comparatively.
oh I thought this was funny though...centre for 'Creative Imagination' is there any other kind of Imagination?? haha

The entrance to the Cricket Oval...you can major in Cricket studies at this campus.

LOOK they actually have maps around this campus...and everything is clearly labeled. UWI St Augustine once again not even in the same league as this campus.

Those are dorms. seriously. its a resort. The cricket oval in the foreground

They have actual designated look out spots on this campus.

I shoulda come here.

The library...and the court yard in the foreground...yes there are courtyards with flowers all over this campus. And loook at the pretty blue of the library...def not the cement slabs that make up the library at UWI St Augustine

AND fountains???

The Fifth Summit of the Americas

April 17-19 34 'democratic' countries' Heads of State in the Western Hemisphere came to Trinidad for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. Having connections with the US Embassy allowed me to have a great experience...more than I could have ever expected.

First, I helped the US Embassy by being a media escort. This involved riding with another USEmbassy worker (mine was the Public Affairs officer in Venezuela) in one of the buses that picked up the White House Press Corps. I was considered the 'Trini' so in case they had questions about Trinidad, I was there girl. Some of my journalists were busy being journalists, but a few were interested about trinidad...especially the food :) I felt important.

Hilary Clinton's entourage arrived at the same time.

So, after that little gig was over, we got 'delegate badges' which means we could get into the Hyatt area where everything was going down. This is in the back of the Hyatt. Trinidad brought in 2 cruise ships to help accommodate everyone.

This is the front of the Hyatt where we were waiting to try and get a peep of some heads of state with the rest of the press.

Reena and I with the press...before we realized that our 'delegate' badges could actually get us INSIDE the Hyatt (yes people..we had higher access than most of the press)

Harper of Canada just chillin in the lobby

We then went upstairs and waited around outside of the Opening Ceremonies. We were up there early, so no one was really around..EXCEPT OBAMA who decided to pop around the corner and go into the holding room. It was so unexpected..hence the blurry picture. We yelled OBAMA and he turned and smiled and then went inside the room. Inside that room is where he met Chavez for the first time.

As it was getting closer to the time for the Ceremonies to start and for the heads of state to process inside, a lot more people came. this is looking inside the Opening Ceremonies. I managed to see Golding (Jamaica), Kirchner (Argentina), Chavez (Venezuela), Lula (Brazil), and Manning (Trinidad)...but I couldn't get any good pics of them.

After all the Heads of State processed inside, we walked to go find some food. At this time I literally bumped into President Richards of Trinidad...this is me trying to get a shot of him after that.

Reena, me, and 2 of the Fulbright Scholars, Barbara and David

So that was all Friday. The next day, David and I decided to go back into the 'Red Zone' just b/c we could and to pretend that we were important. Walking from city gate to the Hyatt/Red Zone area we came across some protestors and some swat. We waited around awhile for a confrontation, but I think the swat were just there for intimidation because nothing went down. We also got these sweet bags for the 'delegates' so i got my souvenir ;)

Protesting the absence of Cuba

More protestors

AHHHHH YES! So even though I was within 4 feet of OBAMA on Friday, I came back that night to discover an email inviting me to a 'Meet and Greet' Thank you USEmbassy. So on Sunday, we went to the airport tarmac and waited for Mr. President to get there. We waited in the hot hot sun, crowded together, w/o having lunch for about 2 hours. I was 3 people back, so I didn't think I was going to get to shake his hand or anything. I'm shocked I didn't faint, probably b/c of the adrenaline. But, poor kid in front of me did! so he and his dad and brother left the holding area...hence I got right up to the rail! and FINALLY Obama arrives. Here he is.

The money shot...shaking hands

Yes I was this close...this is right before he took MY hand and looked me in the eye and said 'nice to meet you' and i said 'its realllly nice to meet you' haha He has very light brown eyes and his hands were a lot softer than I would have expected with all the hands he shakes...he must use some good lotion.

Just after he shook my hand.

Goodbye Mr. President!