Working in Tobago

Woo Hoo, I'm in Tobago! I'm in Tobago's capital, Scarborough, doing work at a clinic that specifically treats HIV/AIDS and chronic illness patients. It is a really interesting little clinic and I'm doing my pilot study here, testing out my methods for when I do my big study in Trinidad. Today I did some time studies and I'm hoping to do more tomorrow along with passing out my survey (that I really hope people fill out!). I am still having trouble explaining to people what I'm doing here and what my research purpose is, some of the staff members just don't understand how my presence is going to be helpful what-so-ever to them in the long run. Hopefully I can prove them wrong.

My living situation here is nothing short of interesting. The house, which is under construction, therefore in a state of slight disarray, is the last on a dirt road and the surrounding houses have wooden plank walls and corrugated iron roofs. One has a mattress sitting in the front "yard" and there are chickens just walking about all over (but I discovered that actually occurs all throughout town, no matter how busy the area!) My house does have real walls and a real roof and is also real hot without any real air conditioning! This wouldn't be bad since I have a decent breeze and a fan, except for the fact that I am evidently a bug magnet. The first night I lost a few battles with some angry mosquitoes and sadly lost. My legs look like what the plague must have looked like right before you died (don't worry, I included a picture).

But the accommodations is not the only thing that makes it interesting...I am staying with a 62-year-old "retired" women who works at the police station and is super religious and super healthy, although our definitions of healthy aren't quite the same. I was not asked or invited to participate in morning worship with her, I was told when I wake you in the morning, we will worship. End of story, this is not a negotiation. After songs, bible verses and prayer, we partake in the fitness show on the only TV and only channel that is ever on, guess what that channel is, the religious channel. I have also learned that eating in the evening is detrimental to your health, as is eating pretty much anything that did not come straight from her garden or included bran. Eating food from a restaurant was an abomination because you never knew what it was cooked with and walking on the side of the road where there were car fumes will likely kill you immediately. So my desire to eat dinner from Chef's BBQ and run, on roads, flabbergasts her.

I have some other good stories that I will most certainly be sharing, but right now enjoy a few pictures, I'm going to bed!


My legs on day 2, each side looks like this one


The house I'm staying in, real walls, yay


The clinic that I'm working at, you would never guess it is a hospital!


The kids next door to where I am staying, they are so cute! I feel bad for them though, they have a bad home life. You can see the side of their house on the right.


A cool tree in the Botanical Gardens, check out those roots! I sat near here and read today and a 12-year old boy started talking to me...our conversation ended when he asked if I'd show him my boobs...I kid you not!