Facing my fear of public transportation.. head on.

I am happy to say I am exhausted. I'm also happy to say that it's been over-cast for two whole days and we have finally had a break from the relentless, equatorial sun.  Back to my original thought: I wasn't quite sure how I was going to keep myself busy here, but I have not had a problem yet this week and there are still some application essays I need to write that I can fill up at least half of tomorrow with.

The day started off with an adventurous morning! Pat and I both woke up early so we could catch the 7:45 bus to campus. Because we still have to walk a ways to the stop, we have to be out the door at least 20 minuets before the scheduled pick-up time (we're finally figuring this bus thing out..!). Although we were both just barely awake, I was happy to spend even that short time with Pat before he disappears into classes and books for the rest of the day. His morning started off with an 8 am lab, and I was attempting to make way across town and into the heart of Grenada to speak with someone about a volunteer nursing position(!).

Over the weekend the school hosted a bazaar where students and SO's could sign up for different clubs and organizations. I spoke with a woman at the student health services booth about potential jobs and she directed me to a man who runs a private hospital about twenty minutes north west of SGU.

We live in the very south-western tip in an area called L'ance Aux Epines (pronounced lance a-peens). Pat's school is to the east of us in the area called True Blue. The hospital is located directly west of the city of St. Georges.

So we both take the bus to the University (it was packed with so many students that we had to drive right past the last two stops), where he would head to his lab and I would take the next bus toward Grand Anse, the same part of town that hosts the bank, a few grocery stores, Grenada's only mall (if you could call it that), and the Grand Anse beach. My meeting was scheduled for 9 am and I reach Grand Anse a little before 8, as I planned. None of the free buses that are run by the school go into St. George, so my plan from here is to flag down a taxi and pay the 60 or so EC (about 22 USD) that it costs to get to the hospital and back. As I look around I realize I haven't seen a taxi yet. It starts to rain and because I was too stubborn to pay for an umbrella yesterday, I hurry to find cover. I spot a bus stop. There is another man waiting with me so I decided to ask him if he knew when taxi's started working (being clueless about my surroundings has really awoken my extroverted side..). He asked where I needed to go and quickly explains that it would be much, much, cheaper if I used the city bus. I hesitate on this. He points to the next van coming toward us with a large #1 logo on the windshield and says to get in. So I follow him (apparently it also makes me naively trusting..). I've used this van before but only for short distances. It has four rows of four seats each, and three seats in the very front. We all squish together, sans seat-belts- the laws are much more lax here- and make our way towards downtown blasting a mix of American and Grenadian hip-hop music. 

He explains that I am supposed to take this bus to the main transit station and then find a #4 bus to take me to the hospital. After a twenty minute drive and many stops later, we arrive. The nice thing about these buses is that they will stop anywhere in the region they are designated to. When you near your destination you simply tap on the window and the bus driver pulls over. The transit station reminded me of miniature, sea-side Grand Central Station and it was buzzing with hundreds of people in the midst of their morning commute.
 
http://www.grenadaexplorer.com/Transport.htm

I find the #4 bus and tell the driver where I'm headed. Once the van is full, we leave the station and head up the hills and into mountainous 'suburbs' of St. Georges. The driver stops at the hospital and tells me we're here (I think he only did that for me because I clearly appeared clueless and out of place...). I thank him, pay him the 2.50 EC charge, and head in. I am extremely early. My transportation was much more reliable then I had planned.

The hospital is small. It appears to be two stories and about the size of a small apartment building (It reminds me a bit of my experience visiting hospitals in Nicaragua). After introducing myself to the receptionist, it doesn't take long before Dr. Ameschi comes to greet me. I spent about 15 minutes talking with him and I leave with a plan to come back on Monday and start working along side Brian, a nurse in the out-patient care center. While I would love to be truly employed (apparently Uncle Sam expects us to pay him back one day..) I am happy to have something to keep me busy in the career that I love. I will get to truly immerse myself in Grenadian culture, and experience the ins and outs of a health care system in a third world country--and I am SO excited!
I make my way back, stop to buy and umbrella (tropical storm Isaac is approaching), and am home drinking my coffee by ten am. I used eight different buses and spent a total of $10 EC ($3.75 USD). It might sound tedious, but I can't complain about that!

http://www.samsgrenada.com/

The rest of my day is spent getting lunch with my footsteps buddy, Emily (an SO who has been here for a year already and helped me with questions and planning before we moved), and going on a run with another SO in the L'ance Aux Epines neighborhood. Now, I wait. Pat will be at an anatomy lab most of the evening and I won't see him until late. According to Emily, getting used to this routine will take some time but thankfully we have other SO's to go through it with! I also think we need to invest in a TV.