Imagine a world where your classroom overlooks the ocean and your walk to campus is on sand, not concrete. Imagine working toward your degree while you work on your tan. The Caribbean provides numerous opportunities for Canadian students looking for more than a week at an all-inclusive resort—here’s a snapshot.
“I would say a typical Canadian experience in the Caribbean tends to be fairly short, pretty touristy,” says Bronwen Tucker. “Not to say there’s anything wrong with that, but studying here for four months definitely means you get to know a country a lot better.” Tucker spent her fall semester in Holetown, Barbados. She enjoyed spotting monkeys while on afternoon runs, ocean dips with tropical fish, and south coast surfing lessons. Somehow, she still found time to earn course credits.
Tucker was initially drawn to Barbados for her program, studying at the Bellairs Research Institute—a McGill University science facility—but she quickly became captivated by the beaches, wildlife and scuba diving. “Studying abroad anywhere is obviously an amazing opportunity, but the Caribbean is just such a polar opposite from Canada in so many ways that there’s constantly new things to try,” she says.
In her arts and science degree, she’s opted for a concentration on the environment that she’s been able to develop in ways she says would never have been possible in Canada. With their more fragile ecosystems, Caribbean countries see first-hand the effects of climate change, she says: “Environmental problems especially don’t stay within borders, so I think being able to see them from as many angles as possible is crucial.”
Outside the classroom, Tucker gets around the island on hot, crowded, reggae-blaring buses. She says with the cheap travel, she was able to explore every corner of the island. “The east coast of Barbados is not nearly as developed and there are barely any resorts or hotels there, but it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to,” she says.
Tucker’s Bellairs classmate Jodi McNeill says studying in Barbados is an experience like no other: “Since Barbados is a small island, we have been able to really embrace the culture… It’s a great mix with the school component to have that.” On days off, the group of about 22 students could be found appreciating the Bajan culture at street parties called “fish fries,” or unwinding at “rum shops,” which Tucker describes as a corner store and bar hybrid.
With all the exploring, it’s a wonder that the students get anything done, but Tucker explains that it’s all about group encouragement. “Everyone really wants to get outside. We all motivate each other and plan when we’re going to do our work around what we want to do,” she says. For both students, the experience is still about learning.
Through her program, Tucker also found an internship that allowed her to work with the Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre. In Barbados, she says, there are no separate recycling pickups, so the government contracts the centre to filter out reusable materials before they end up in a landfill. “This is pretty important on such a small island, because there are only so many places they can put their waste,” she says.
McNeill was able to complement her studies in international development through an internship in the food security industry. She says the experience will be an incredible career asset, because the organization she worked for is closely linked to her ideal employer: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. “I like the hands-on approach to learning in this program,” she says. “It feels really good to be getting some practical experience in my field.”
For McNeill, the biggest adjustment has been learning to work on “Bajan time.” In this laid-back culture, being prompt does not tend to be a priority, which clashes with her project’s dependency on time. “Getting people to commit to filling out our audits has been challenging at times,” she says. “But you learn to work with the differences and adapt.”
Tucker and McNeill both say studying in the Caribbean allows for a taste of coastal culture different than any other. “It’s a beautiful place to be, and it’s really interesting to be in the same region you are learning about in the classroom to actually perceive dynamics and lifestyles,” says McNeill.
With 30 territories in the region to explore, all with diverse landscape and wildlife, the Caribbean offers limitless opportunities for students to explore and learn more. “Each country in the Caribbean has its own personality as well. I only really know Barbados, but I’d say there’s probably an island out there for everyone. It’s a pretty diverse region,” says Tucker. Surely there’s an island for you—so why not find out?for more info, check out avant career
