It's truely hard to believe that GSE Caribbean 2009 has come to an end. That's the trip but not the friends we have made, the memories we will have from the adventure, and the life changing experiences we have had. Everyone from the team is safe at home and trying to get through the adjustments of returning to reality.

We ended our experience with a great time at the District 7020 Conference in St Croix where we had an opportunity to visit once more with the many new friends we made in the previous four weeks. DG Ruppert put on quite an affair. It had the flavor of an International Convention rather than just a District Conference. DG Bill joined us at the conference and called it the best ever that he had attended and that was saying a lot following our own Conference in Portsmouth. .

DG Bill spent some time with the team and experienced Rotary at work in the Caribbean

DG Bill with Australian Team Leader

Jennifer left us early to walk with her class at the University of Richmond. She really had a hard time getting on the plane to leave. We also had that same feeling just a few days later.

We want to says our thanks for all who made this such a memorable trip. DG Bill, PDG Bob Preston, PDG Bob Stallworth and others from D-7600 started us down the path and made many things possible. Our Alternate Team Leader Warren Rice was very helpful in our preparations and provided the team a projector that saved the day more than once in our presentations. There were so many folks in D-7020 that I don't have the memory capacity to remember but DG Ruppert, GSE Chair James Sealy, and DAG's Vance, Don, and Louie plus PP Yvonne, the Inbound Team Leader from the BVI were right up front. Our host families were the greatest.

I guess you could say that it's good to be home but we're ready to go again......

Homebound

What a long day of traveling. It's St. Croix to St. Thomas-no more than 30 min flight but in a 8-seater plane! I got to ride co-pilot!!! in fact that is one of the available seats on the plane...Jenny also got to do that when she headed home. Layover in St. Thomas for about 4 hours before heading to Miami (3 hour flight in a BIG plane) for another layover of 3 hours then to Richmond (close to 3 hour flight in a medium plane). Whew! We're gonna need a vacation after all this plane hopping!

-Sarah

St. Croix: Sunset Sail

To conclude our journey Shelli, Scott & myself went on a sunset sail aboard a schooner that is a non-profit educational sailboat that splits its time between Massachuttes &

St. Croix and is geared toward 7th and 8th graders. Evenings & weekends they provide sails to the public in an effort to raise more money for the program. The sunset sail was most fitting as it marked our last night in the Islands...before heading out on a LONG day of traveling back to Richmond. After the sail we met up with Jerry and the Austrailian team for dinner. They have even more traveling to do-it will take them almost 2 days to return home!

-Sarah

St. Croix: DG Banquet

The DG Banquet was a great time to have a nice dinner, speeches by District 7020 DG Rupert Ross, awards & recognition and socializing. We were able to meet many people that we had not had the chance to over the past few weeks and from islands in the district that we did not visit including Jamaica, Bahamas, D.R. & Haiti. It was so wonderful to meet everyone at the conference and to once again see our new friends from Tortola, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Anguilla that we have met along the way and we were able to share our experiences since we saw them last. It was also time to say goodbye to those who were finished with the conference training and heading back to their islands.
-Sarah

St. Croix: Home Hospitality Night & Caribbean Cultural Extravaganza

St. Croix entertained us with Home Hospitality Night & Caribbean Crucian Cultural Extravaganza. Both evenings gave us a chance to mingle with everyone and experience the Caribbean culture, music, dance and food. Cultural night featured a steel drum band of young high school students, dancers, jumbies-stilt dancers, fire eater & limbo dancing.

-Sarah

DG Bill Pollard joined us in St. Croix this week for the district conference. We have truly enjoyed having a fellow Virginian join us and experience the Caribbean and share in the festivities. We have also had a great time meeting the Australian team and sharing our experiences and stories. In between presentations, home hospitality night, cultural extravaganza night, DG Bangquet, we've gone on an island tour with our new Aussie friends, Cruzan Rum Distillery-see Scott trying to tap the rum barrels at the cruzan rum distillery! Bill got to feed the beer drinking pigs-non alcoholic of course but they really do crush the can, drink the beer and spit the can out. It truly is a small world-this week I met Chelsy, a GSE alumni and a VA native living in St. Croix...and when she was in VA she lived about 25 minutes from me! and...her mother works with a family member of mine so Chelsey had heard that I was headed her way! WOW-seriously a small small world.

We were saddened to see Jenny head home on Friday, a few days earlier than the rest of the team, but her college graduation ceremony was this weekend!!! Congrats Jenny! We really really miss you and we're taking pics for you to see!

Anguilla & St. Croix

We spent the weekend in Anguilla resting before heading over to St. Croix for our final week and the District Conference!

-Sarah

Anguilla - This past weekend!

Jennifer, Prison Guards and Sarah


This is where they store prisoners property...Onl one box was occupied out ouf 45 inmates which means they were wearing their personal items!



The Vision, Mission and Goals of the prison was displayed at the front entrance.







While at the jail a heard of wild goats greeted us!



After a long week, Sarah, Scott and I went out for beach music on the beach.

Anguilla was a different experience for me personally than all of the rest of the islands! It was definately a time for relaxation after we toured their jail and met with the police department and probation department.

Vocation Day May 6, 2009

Kenneth Helmer - Virgin Islands Division of Personnel Human Resource Manager and I

Today I worked along side of Virgin Islands Department of Personnel in St. Croix. I met with Kenneth Helmer Director of Human Resource Management. He was so accommodating and informative. We exchanged ideas, procedural processes, advice, etc. What a wonderful place to work. One thing I found interesting about this department is that all employees wear uniforms-just like a private school. The moral in the department was invigorating. It made me look at the department and say to my self-what can I do to get our employees this happy!

Carnival Video

video of Carnival on St. Maarten

-Sarah-

gendarmerie

On Thursday and Friday we went to the St. Martin police and immigration departments. The Gendarmerie forensic position was almost identical to mine. Even with the French language barrier we were able to compare kits, equipment and vehicles. It was great of both police departments to allow us to tour their facilities and speak about our jobs. Shelli

Victor Gibbes!!
sunset in st martin after victor gave us a boat ride to anguilla

Anguilla We have had such a great time in St. Martin with Victor Gibbes, Gilles, Rene, Claire and the rest of the Rotarians that we didn't want to leave! But....we arrived in Anguilla and were greeted by Ann, Seymour, Kitty, Ralph, Don & Calvert and we have been treated like royalty since! What fabulous beaches and food! So peaceful and quiet it has been a great relaxing weekend before we head to St. Croix for a busy week...the conference and our last week :(

-Sarah

Carnival video

Carnival -St. Maarten (videos!)

Sint Martin

st martin immigration police dept

orient beach-st martin


fresh coconut from a wheelbarrow salesman, it was raw & not so tasty just yet