St.+Vincent


 * Past PO Participants write about St. Vincent:**
 * S. Fairbairn (2000)** - [[file:projectoverseas/S. Fairbairn St. Vincent.pdf|S. Fairbairn St. Vincent.pdf]]
 * M. Epoch (2008)** - [[file:projectoverseas/Epoch St. Vincent.pdf|Epoch St. Vincent.pdf]]
 * C. Douris (2009)** - [[file:projectoverseas/C. Douris St. Vincent.pdf|C. Douris St. Vincent.pdf]]
 * O. Creary-Satchell (2009)** - [[file:projectoverseas/O. Creary-Satchell 2009.pdf|O. Creary-Satchell 2009.pdf]]
 * K. Prescott (2010)** - [[file:projectoverseas/K. Prescott St. Vincent.pdf|K. Prescott St. Vincent.pdf]] (page 10 and 11)
 * T. van Koeverden (2011) - [[file:projectoverseas/St. Vincent 2011.pdf|St. Vincent 2011.pdf]]**
 * D. Armstrong (2011) - [[file:projectoverseas/DArmstrong2011.pdf|DArmstrong2011.pdf]] and [[file:projectoverseas/D. Armstrong (St. V and the Grenadines).pdf|D. Armstrong (St. V and the Grenadines).pdf]]**
 * D. Neron-Baril (2012) - [[file:D. Néron-Baril.pdf|D. Néron-Baril.pdf]]**
 * M. de Fatima Gomes (2014) - [[file:M. de Fatima Gomes.pdf|St. Vincent]]**

> West Indian fare; curries, rice, provision. There is a Kentucky Fried Chicken as well as some other “North American” options such as pizza. Fruit and vegetables are plentiful in the market and if you mention that you like mango…students will see you are in a constant supply. You can purchase everything you need in the local grocery stores.
 * Tips from D. McKie (2010) and updates from D. Armstrong (2011) :**
 * **Temperature -** July is the rainy season in the Caribbean. The rain often comes quickly and hard but usually it doesn’t last very long during the day. With the temperature around 28-30°C and humid, the rain can be a cool and welcoming break from the sun. At night, rainstorms can bring howling winds and the rain can last for several hours. Cotton or linen, loose teaching attire is the most comfortable. Packing an umbrella is a good idea as wearing a rain jacket is hot and sticky!
 * **Money**- The currency in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, which is approximately 2.5 per 1 Canadian dollar. You will need US dollars or Barbadian dollars (1.9 per US dollar) in the Barbados airport enroute to and from St Vincent and the Grenadines. When you are in St Vincent, downtown is a short walk from the Secondary Girls School. Downtown has shops and 24/7 ATM machines. ATM’s dispense local EC currency. Grocery stores and some boutiques take VISA but it is a good idea to use cash for transactions as cash is accepted everywhere.
 * **Accommodations**– We were very fortunate to have accommodations at Ken Isles Apartments on Queen’s Drive. It was spacious with two full baths and three bedrooms with five available beds. The balcony overlooked the city and the view was showcased the beauty of St Vincent. It was also equipped with a kitchen and washing machine for tenant use. Police patrol and guard dogs kept the premise safe and comfortable. The apartment does not have air conditioning but a few fans are available and there is a nice cross breeze if you open the windows. Some windows have screens others not but the geckos, the altitude and the fact that we were not close to the water seemed to take care of the mosquitos.
 * The Landlord is an internationally acclaimed steel drum artist! He is friendly and accommodating.
 * **Electricity**- The current is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, except for the island Petit St Vincent which uses 110 volt, 60 cycles. The standard electrical plug has three rectangular pins in UK style, so you may well need an adapter.We found when sharing a house that it was a good idea to bring a couple of adapters for use in the kitchen and for hairdryers in the bathroom. Computers, Ipods and phones can be charged in the outlets if you have an adapter.
 * **Standard of living**– Housing prices are dependant on location and the property. There are vast differences in housing, from large estates and resorts to low income housing. Besides locally grown fruits and vegetables, food and other goods are mostly imported, which means the cost of groceries, clothing, electronics and vehicles are comparable to and in some cases more expensive than Canada. Most salaries in St Vincent and the Grenadines make it difficult for individuals to purchase high end real estate and expensive imported goods.
 * **Taxis**– Local buses are mini-vans with a pre-set fare. This is the main transportation for locals to get around as very few own cars. The prices are affordable and thus the public transportation can be extremely crowded. To catch a bus you can flag it down, like you would a taxi. Some buses have a route but if you tell the driver where you need to go they may drop you off at your destination enroute. The other option is to hire a driver or taxicab. We hired a driver that the SVGTU used for the team in 2010 and negotiated a price for the day.
 * **Entertainment**– Ken Isles will entertain you with his steel drum playing and stories of concerts and travels. Otherwise downtown shops close at 4-5pm and closed on Sundays. There are restaurants that are open later and on the weekends that have good food and an island atmosphere. If you like hiking then you need to climb Soufriere (volcano) and visit the Falls. Bequia and Young Island are close to visit for the day and there are BBQ parties in some of the parks. There are many churches in St Vincent on both Saturday and Sunday. If you love nature and want to see where medicinal plants and spices come from you can tour the Montreal and Botanical Gardens. Of course there are beaches to relax on but in July they can be fairly crowded.
 * **Food**- At the school, lunches included curried meat and fish (pickled or salted) with rice and beans and greens. Also roti, macaroni pie, spiced pumpkin and plantain were wonderful delicacies. Ginger beer and fruit juices were staples to every meal. One local Caribbean dish is callaloo, a stew made with spinach or dasheen leaves and coconut milk. Fruits and vegetables are plentiful-we ate plumrose, pineapple, avacado, starfruit, mango, watermelon, breadfruit,  cassava, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, papayas and passion fruit. When you return home you will find that the fruits and vegetables don’t taste as sweet and flavourful so take advantage of it while you can!
 * The local teachers are proud of their local produce and want you to experience new cuisine so they will bring you gifts to eat.
 * **Etiquette**– There is a more formal etiquette to meetings than we are used to. Greetings are formalized and a protocol of greeting is established for ceremonies. Although it is hot and humid, professional dress does not include shorts and tank tops for men or women. Union and school events are formal in attire and protocol. Like in Canada, teachers are referred to formally by Mr, Mrs, Miss and the surname (Miss Armstrong).
 * **Teaching** - Teachers this year received 2000 laptops in their upper primary classrooms and it was remarkable to see the dedication to learning this new technology for the benefit of their classrooms. The union was proactive and changed my session from IT to ICT in order to rotate all teachers through the computer lab to learn how to utilize the laptops within their lessons. My team and I were proud to be part of this historical initiative for St Vincent and the Grenadines. The union and teachers expressed the need for more teachers trained in Science, Math and Technology in St Vincent and the Grenadines.


 * **Other -** **Powerpoint presentation** about the St. Vincent experience (D. McKie, 2010) - [[file:projectoverseas/St. Vincent powerpoint slides.pdf|St. Vincent powerpoint slides.pdf]] (note, the actual ppt file was too large but this document contains all of the slides in a pdf format)


 * Syllabus -**
 * ICT information (D. McKie 2010)** - **[[file:projectoverseas/svgictstrategyfinal.pdf|svgictstrategyfinal.pdf]]**
 * Language Arts** (K-2) - [[file:projectoverseas/Primary-School-Language-Arts-Grades_K-2.pdf|Primary-School-Language-Arts-Grades_K-2.pdf]]