Spices and Connections: A Transformative Journey in Grenada
Sydney Gurecki
2nd year MPH Health Behavior, Health Equity Student
When they call Grenada the spice island, they aren’t kidding. I knew they had a nutmeg on their flag, but even that couldn’t have prepared me for the nutmeg-centered island; everything from sauces to ice cream was nutmeg flavored. Aside from the nutmeg, my time in Grenada was characterized by the hot sun, bug bites, and kind people. While we had been meeting with our contacts at the Ministry of Education (MoE) via zoom for the past semester, their kindness, hospitality, and positive attitude were immediately evident upon meeting them in person. Having them to guide us around the island made the experience feel more grounded. I felt comfortable to ask any question which came to mind and confident that the work we were doing was desired by and important to them. It was clear that our project, to inform the next version of the National Schools’ Policy on Drugs, was truly important to the MoE and to the stakeholders we were able to interview. Through interviews with community members and school administrators, we could see just how much Grenadians care about the health and safety of their youth. For school administrators especially, their students’ wellbeing was top of mind. This, more than anything, made me incredibly hopeful for the possibilities that a new School Drug Policy could create.
There were many positive aspects of our trip, but we did have some challenges to overcome as a group. Some of our focus groups were held in less-than-optimal conditions, with students who had just been released from school playing outside the open-air classroom, and we accidentally went to the entirely wrong location for one key informant interview. With the kindness and support of our partners at the MoE and our team’s commitment to the project, we were able to overcome these tough spots to accomplish what we set out to do. Our presentation on Friday went off without a hitch and was followed by a community discussion that reiterated Grenadians’ desire to ensure the health and safety of their students.
While working on our project took up the vast majority of our time, we still had opportunities to explore the island and get to know the other students outside of our group. After our presentations were done on Friday, we spent about three hours in the ocean, chatting about our week, talking about our personal lives, and looking at turtle shells. We had spent half a semester and a week abroad together, but floating around in the ocean was where we were really able to connect. I had seen throughout the week how hardworking and committed everyone was, and it was nice to be able to see a more relaxed side to everyone. Overall, this trip taught me a lot about myself as a public health professional and allowed me to see just how much can be accomplished in a short period of time when working with a dedicated and talented group. I will forever be grateful for this experience and cannot wait to see the impacts of our project.