In the easternmost Caribbean island

We had a great week in Barbados - the presentation on Wednesday went really well and there were a lot of good questions and discussion about our work and the other presentations about the situation in Trinidad. We were encouraged by other researchers who are really investing in deaf communities, made some good contacts to help us gather more information about a couple islands that we could use a person-on-site to help with, and also got to meet with a friend and colleague who is working in Trinidad and had come over for the conference. It was well worth the time work-wise - here I am presenting a bit on communication philosophies historically within Jamaican deaf educational contexts.

The days surrounding the conference were beautiful and we enjoyed time on the beach and time in the ocean waters with some good snorkeling just off shore, by our hotel and just down the boardwalk at the main Rockley beach. We were totally surprised on one day of snorkeling by getting to swim with a magnificent sea turtle! No picture but we'll definitely remember how it munched along the corals and swam beside us and the other pools of fish! That was a really special treat and it was quite graceful and gentle! We got a special bonus because they messed up our hotel room reservation, so after a couple days with only a view of a tin roof from our balcony, they moved us and we got this amazing view from our new room!

On Thursday night, the conference wrapped up with all the conference attendees getting together for a sunset cruise. A shot of the harbor at sunset, before take-off:

On Friday, we split a car rental with friends and explored the island - a beautiful place to visit! We were really surprised by there being no bars on the windows and such clean streets and beaches throughout the country! Barbados is a gorgeous island! Here's some glimpses of beauty and antics during our exploration of the island, moving counter-clockwise around the island (#1 southeast, #2 east, #3 north, #4 interior):





We had a Saturday afternoon flight back to Denver and the morning met us with our first real torrential rain showers of the trip. We were reminded to be thankful of just how great the weather had been all week! Here's some video of Barbados as we took the bus back to the airport. Everything's expensive in Barbados - with food being 2-3 times as much as the States. (A typical Bajan meal is some carb - usually rice and peas, sweet potatoes, and/or macaroni "pie" - and stewed beef or fried flying fish). The public bus system, however, is great at only $1.50 Bajan dollars, equivelant to about 75 cents US!



Thanks for thinking of us this past week - it was full of rest and relaxation and also a great chance to share information with others in the Caribbean who care about the deaf situation in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. We arrived home at around 3am this morning after delayed flights and are glad to be back. the excitement doesn't end upon our return to the States, though. Our new teammates/interns arrive tonight!