Day 9

Everyone presented their case studies today... vets in the morning and meds in the afternoon.  Alyssa and Lucas were perfect in their diagnosis!

This morning the med kids had sessions with 5 standardized patients. The kids were told these were real patients (since they saw real ones yesterday). These are actors that learn about their medical conditions and have specific protocols to follow. They are really amazing! The students can once again practice this clinical history skills. One patient is "schizophrenic" - they are not expecting a psych patient and she is VERY GOOD - a little scary. This is an amazing experience for them.

This afternoon the med students will present their research cases and discuss the standardized cases - sciatica, stable angina, ectopic pregnancy, schizophrenia, and one other that I can't recall right now. We'll see how close they got to the correct diagnoses.

This afternoon, the vet students were able to participate in the Vet Olympics.  It's a relay that allows students to work in groups and demonstrate their knowledge of what they learned on the farm.  I'm sure these pictures will be worth seeing!!!

Tonight is a lovely dinner and dance at the AQUARIUM - one of the top 2 restaurants on the island - it will be great fun! It's right on the water and a wonderful DJ - kids can dance right on the beach.

One more day - don't forget to pick everyone up at the airport on Thursday night. We love the kids, but we are getting ready to return them to you :-) They have been marvelous!

More Day 8

More details about yesterday - the suture clinic was awesome - the kids did very well with very little practice before they sutured on cadavers. The best med and vet suturers are top secret until the last day :-)


Yesterday afternoon the med students visited the hospital - very different from USA. This is good for the kids to see so they can appreciate what they have and where they live. The students were divided into teams of 7 and allowed to visit a variety of patients and perform a clinical history on each patient - great experience - this is NOT allowed in the USA. The patients are in wards, no private rooms - some visited the female ward, male ward, pediatrics, and OBGYN. Scott and Chase were phenomenal with their clinical history and diagnosis :-)

Last night each team worked on the computers to research and create a PowerPoint of their case. Tuesday, they will present those cases to the rest of the teams.

Days 7 & 8

PLEASE make sure you go out to the website (http://www.sguacademy.com/) and see the newly posted pictures. Our children do seem to dominate the pictures ....they are the cutest and craziest!!!! You should be very proud :-)


Yesterday we went to the beautiful Anendale Waterfalls - there are 7 amazing waterfalls in Grenada and some smaller ones throughout the island - this is one of the smaller ones but much safer. As you go through the pictures, you can see the kids loved jumping into the water - all sorts of crazy poses. You might want to ask Gabe how the jump felt when he landed (see the first slide) - yikes!!!!! Sometimes they don't really think things through..... The water was cool, the rocks very slippery, but all had a great time and no sprained ankles.

In the afternoon, we returned to Grand Anse beach - gorgeous clean white sand and the water was blue and calm and the perfect temperature. They prepared an amazing barbeque on the beach - chicken, huge hamburgers, fish kebabs, salads, baked potatoes and ice cream bars. The pics of the kids are great; playing on the beach and riding the waves.

Last night we had a new experience - Tivoli Drummers. The Tivoli Drummers are an Afro-Caribbean group based in the village of Tivoli, in the parish of St. Andrew, Grenada. The style of drumming in Tivoli comes from the traditional drumming brought to Grenada by African men and women during the slave era. It was a very interactive event - all the kids participated dancing to the different rhythms - they were amazing!!

Today and tomorrow are academic days. This morning, the students engaged in a suture clinic program. The docs taugh basic sutures and then they were able to to practice 3 different stitch styles on cadavers - both the vet and meds are involved in this.

This afternoon, the med students will visit the hospital and the vets will attend an Ocean Spirits lecture. The hospital should prove to be a very eye-opening adventure - there is no air conditioning, only wards, no private rooms, very different from what we are used to in the USA. They will get to speak and interview different patients.

Tonight the kids will be researching different clinical cases - very similar to what they do in Physiology/Pathophyiology classes and then they will present them tomorrow. Each group has a different case.  Their presentations will be presented tomorrow morning!

Day 6

Good evening! Today was very hot, but everyone had fun! We started the day off with breakfast and debriefing, then headed off to town.
We divided up into different groups and set out to explore downtown St. Georges. We got to go to the open air market where local vendors sell spices, jewelry, and other local items. Students got to practice their haggling skills there and several were able to talk the vendors into reducing the prices for amazing deals!

We also got to go see Ft. George. We were told that it is the location where the Prime Minister and his supporters were shot in 1983, and that's what started the major problems that lead the US to come secure the safety of the American citizens going to school at St. George's Med School.

We also got to go to a "tourist trap" store (kind of like SunSations back at home on Atlantic) where the students were able to buy souvenirs that were overloaded with Grenada decorations! The students also got to venture into the Esplanade Mall. This is the mall where the cruise ships dock. The students (and teachers!) took full advantage of their shopping time!

This afternoon, students got to go into the rainforest! The rainforest surrounds a crater lake, and students were divided up into two groups to circle the lake in opposite directions. They were trying to be very stealth (very hard for teenagers who want to talk constantly!) as they traveled through the rainforest because they did not want the other group to hear them approaching. Finally, when the two teams met... there was... A MUD FIGHT!!!! Everyone was throwing mud and trying to make their team victorious! When the students finally emerged from the jungle, they were covered head to toe.  They truly enjoyed themselves, and our Alyssa was crowned Queen of the Rainforest!
Tonight was the night to venture off campus. Students wereaccompanied by chaperones (either teachers, RA's or Day Leaders) and headed to some of Grenada's most wonderful restaurants for dinner. The food in town is excellent, and the atmosphere can't be beat!

Everyone's having a wonderful time, and we're sad that we're halfway done. Only 5 more days until we return home!

Day 5

Yesterday and today have been beautiful sunny, very warm days - too bad we are indoors for most of the day. Today's academic topic is the Nervous System. Again - meds and vets will be engaged in lecture for about 90 minutes followed by lab activities in the wet lab. The lecture covers the divisions of the NS, functions of the NS, composition of nervous tissue, how anesthesia works, etc. In the wet lab - students have hands on stations - holding brains (normal and abnormal) and spinal cords and vertebral columns, they learn the cranial nerves and about meningitis and what to look for in a patient with a neurological disorder. Rachel and Casey were the models for "coordination" and cerebellar function. The wet lab activities are amazing - real brains (not models) with small group discussions.


After lunch, the students had clinical scenarios - there are 4 stations - the stations involve hands on activities using tuning forks, how to read and interpret an EEG, pupil reflexes, etc - all types of diagnostic tests that are used in assessing the nervous system.  Students also learned the nerves associated with a kiss!  Some were freaked out by the science behind it... others were taking notes!

The vet students also learned a bit of the nervous system as well as the reproductive system.  This morning they looked at radiographs, reproductive organs (preserved), and applied hands-on experience to what they learned in lecutre.  The students were able to conduct a neurological exam on a golden lab (named Marley... like the movie HA!).

In the afternoon the vets went to the farm and were able to look at a fistulated cow (has an opening in the stomach so the students can feel the rumen)... they were also able to palpate a pregnant cow and feel the baby calf moving around... there were many awesome faces made!  Make sure you check out the picture site (http://www.sguacademy.com/) so you can see the children in shock as they felt the insides of the cow!

Tonight was the "Rhum Runner" cruise and dinner. This is always a blast!!! Great food, Soca music, limbo contest, lots of dancing - great fun!

All the kids are now CPR certified (many of ours already were but it's a good refresher). Tomorrow we will be going into the town of St. George's and to the open market - this will be a fun adventure. Lots of souvenirs and spices, of course - this is the SPICE ISLAND!

We've had incredibly wet weather since we've been here, so that will make tomorrow's rain forest hike and mud fight "very intersting".  Stay tuned for more on that!

Day 4

On academic days, there is always a 90 minute lecture on the subject - today cardiovascular and pulmonary with the med students. Both the medical and vet programs are covering the same body systems throughout the time we're here. Dr. Loukas (cardiologist) is the main lecturer for the medical group. He has great rapport with the kids and really makes his lectures fun as well as informative. After the lecture - there is a 2 hour lab session in the wet lab. Students work in small groups with medical students and medical professors handling organs and cadavers and studying actual pathology cases regarding the info they learned in lecture. They will see normal hearts as well as diseased one - atherosclerosis, cardiomegaly, inflate lungs, see pacemakers, EKG evaluation, etc.

There was a new lab component added to the med program: Microbiology. Today the students had an intro to micro (many have not taken Medical Micro) - they were able to inoculate some agar plates, viewed different bacterial smears under the microscope and learned some basic micro techniques. Their plates will be ready to read in 24 - 48 hours.

This afternoon they participated in cardio clinical scenarios - practicing taking pulse, blood pressure, auscultation and palpations. As they practice these basic skills on each other they are also learning what to look for in different cardiac conditions. Dr. Marshall is reviewing various pathologies and Dr. Hague has a patient with a cardiac condition and the kids get to practice asking clinical questions and learning the importance of asking "good" questions when trying to evaluate a patient.

Dr. Loukas (the main lecturer) just had a new baby - born at 2:40 - it's a BOY!!  He got the call during the afternoon clinicals with our students!

The Vet students began their day with a morning lecture by Dr. Ivaldi on the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones and joints) of the horse, dog, cat, pig and cow.  After lecture, we convened at the lab and put our old and new knowledge to the test, once again completing station identifications of the above mentioned animals muscles, bones and joints.  Students took their time looking at radiographs, preserved specimen and models.

After lunch, it was time to go to the small animal clinic/farm and started our work there. Students learned several knots and various vet tools that would be found on a farm. Students worked with the goats and learned how to safely flip them on their side.  Students looked at some of the large animals on the farm... cows, donkeys, horses... and started learning the different parts of the horse! 

This evening after dinner - half of the students recieved CPR training and certification while the other half played dodge ball against the staff - this is really fun - they really get a work out.

The weather has been very rainy - after a long drought in Grenada. Today looks sunny so I am hoping the rain is dissipating. That is the chance one takes in the Caribbean. The kids have been great - all are getting along. A few have whined about the heat and the walking (all uphill it seems) - I tried to tell them it would be hot and steamy and there is no flat land in Grenada - they believe me now.

I know the moms probably want to know what their babies are eating: breakfast is fairly traditional - eggs, bacon/sausage, cereals, toast/pancakes/French toast, lots of fruits - melons, mango, papaya and orange and pineapple juice. Lunch and dinners: chicken (prepared in variety of ways - sometimes spicy), fish, lots of veggies and salad, rice, pasta, potatoes - sometimes new veggies that they are not used to easting. They eat very healthy on the island - the kids are missing desserts. There are several meals that will include desserts.

Day 3

Today the students enjoyed their non academic day!

In the morning, everyone hopped on the buses and headed out to Laura Estate where many local herbs, trees, flowers etc are grown.  They gave us a tour of the gardens... it was amazing to see, smell and taste the variety of plants there!

Walking the gardens built up our appetite, so we headed back to campus for lunch and to get ready for afternoon activities.  Some students left to learn how to dive... Mr. Henry was one of them!!!  We divided the remaining students onto two ships, Starwind and Shadowfax, and headed out into the ocean for a day of snorkeling.

The weather was very overcast and we were keeping our fingers crossed the weather would hold out for the remainder of the boat ride...  We weren't so lucky.  About halfway through the first reef, the skies opened up and it poured!  Luckily the students were already wet from being in the water!  HA!  The rain didn't last terribly long, and we were able to have a nice sail back to the beach.

After dinner, students were divided again.  This time, several students went to become CPR certified while the others played some outdoor games (relay races, dodgeball)  Tomorrow evening, the groups will switch and the gamers will go to CPR and vica versa.

Day 2

Today was our first academic day!  Our lovely little darlings got to feel like mini-doctors today walking around with their scrubs, taking notes and looking at x-rays!

After our breakfast and debriefing meeting, the students broke off into their med or vet groups.  The vets went to listen to a lecture on cardio-pulmonary and gastrointestinal issues in animals while the meds had a musculo-skeletal lecture.

After the lectures, both groups went to their respective wet labs to work on implimenting what they had learned in lecture.

The med students were shown how to read x-rays, and were taught to diagnose some of the radiographs! This was also the first exposure to cadavers for many of the students (ours included). This year, SGU has several plasticine cadavers for the med students to observe. The neat thing about the cadaver parts was the students actually got to see how the nerves and cardiovascular system ran through the arms and legs of an actual (all-be-it dead) person.

The vet students also had plasticine remains (animal, not human) to work with.  They made their way around several stations and used their lecture knowledge in more hands-on situations.  The students had the opportunity to see the workings of a cow's lungs.  They were able to inflate and deflate the lungs to see how they expanded.  Very neat experience!  Vet students also got to dissect some pig hearts!

After lunch, the groups split up again.  The meds did some clinical practice while the vets went to the small animal hospital.  There, students learned how to take clinical histories from the pet and owner, and then they were able to apply this knowledge to perform a basic exam on a dog!  The med students were also taught what questions to ask when taking patient histories, and worked more with expanding their knowledge of the musculo-skeletal system.

This evening we attended a medicinal herbs lecture where students learned about local plant life in Grenada and what certain herbs can be used for medicinally... although some of what has been passed down through the generations is pure folklore!  We had the opportunity to try some of the that were brought in... cherries, sugar cane, coconut juice (straight from the coconut!)... some of our boys even tried the extremely spicy peppers!  The peppers are smaller than your pinky nail, but they pack quite a punch!  I don't think they knew what hit them!

Tomorrow we're going to Laura Estate... an herb and spice garden.  Now that students know what they will be looking at, I know they're going to have a blast!  In the afternoon we will be sailing and snorkeling.  Fun times!

Day 1 - Beach & Group Intros

Today was our first full day on the island! We woke up to a lovely breakfast and then took off on our first excursion. The day started off very rainy; however, everyone was in good spirits.

Our first stop took us to the local mall (think the old Great American Outlet Mall, but on a much smaller scale). There, the students were able to purchase fresh fruit smoothies (mango became a big hit) and stop off at the grocery store for anything they may want during the week. Mr. Henry gave many of the kids a hard time for trying to buy sodas and Pop Tarts! He made them put those items back and buy water and fresh fruit! Way to go Mr. Henry!

The rain had mostly trickled off at this point, and after everyone was through shopping, we walked across the street to the Grande Anse beach. It is located where St. George's University used to be located... the beach where the American's invaded to rescue the med students back in the 80's. It is a gorgeous piece of property and the kids (and teachers) enjoyed the warm Caribbean ocean!

After returning to campus, the students enjoyed lunch and a shower before starting their scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt gave the students the opportunity to learn the buildings around campus... because they were running up and down the hills so much, they thought we brought them to "fat camp" instead of a medical school! HAHA!

In the evening, after dinner, we had our group introductions. Students got to know each other by playing musical chairs (Yaaa to Casey for being our winner!!!) and creating and performing dances! Hilarious!

At this point in the evening, Luisa and I have tried several times to get onto the VBSchools e-mail and contact the parents; however, the e-mail server must be down. We'll try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow check out the site created by our amazing photographer www.sguacademy.com to see what the children have been up to each day!

Travel Day

After spending all day in the Miami airport, we made it to Grenada with all the kids we left Norfolk with! The SGU staff was at the airport to pick us up and we were warmly greeted by everyone there and back at campus. After a few sandwhiches, it's off to bed... tomorow's going to be an early day!

Packing Day

T-minus about 21 hours until we're in the air and on our way! I'm very excited to be going on our third trip to Grenada to visit the Med/Vet camp for high schoolers. I'm always very worried I'm going to forget something I may need... or that the students forget to bring!