Studying for higher education is nearly always hard work but the burdens of exam stress can certainly be eased by having a relaxing environment and natural places to retreat to for some brain relief. Thus studying in the Caribbean can be a perfect place to reach for academic attainment whilst ensuring that life stays balanced and fulfilling.

One of the major institutions offering undergraduate and graduate level courses in the region is the University of the West Indies. UWI has been a fully independent University since 1962 and boasts of educating 8 Prime Ministers! The main campuses are found in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados and there are distance learning centers in twelve other Caribbean countries. UWI currently has a total enrolment of over 39,000 students so any new scholar will join a large and diverse community.  

There are a large number of other universities in the region which are either locally founded or campuses from other international universities that have students attend for a portion of their overall course. These latter establishments are especially useful to give their students exposure to different types of lifestyle and facilitate cross cultural exchange. Many of them also offer scholarships for a selection of students in their host country. Continue reading "Books on the Beach! – Going to University in the Caribbean"

A few months ago I wrote about the problem of airline emissions being worse in the tropics. I’d love to be reporting to you now that things have changed, the problem is solved and we can all live happily ever after but unfortunately not. Climate change is real and a huge challenge for the Caribbean and the entire world.

However, the optimist in me still wants a positive story so I’m posting about one airline who is actually addressing the climate change issue head on and striving to make a difference. Nature Air in Costa Rica has been a ‘zero emissions’ airline since 2004. No, they are not running their planes on air but they do offset their emissions by paying local landowners to preserve threatened portions of the rainforest. According to the company they have saved about 500 acres in the Osa Peninsula which has equated to an offset of 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Whilst many airlines around the world have introduced voluntary offsetting options to their clients, Nature Air goes the step further in making it a company policy, a move that is congruent with Costa Rica’s plans on being the first Carbon Neutral country by 2021. Nature Air are also trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by using less fuel and have increased their fuel efficiency by 7% in the last 3 years. They also run Nature Kids, a foundation for children of low-income families in Costa Rica as part of a social responsibility venture.


Continue reading "Nature Air - Costa Rica's Carbon Neutral Airline"

Yesterday I had the privilege of not only witnessing a miracle but actually participating in one! No, I did not levitate, walk on water or turn water into wine…but I did manage to get an extremely sour orange to taste like a sugar coated candy. How? Well the miracle was Miracle Fruit.

Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is a small red berry that is native to West Africa but grows well in most tropical regions. After sucking on the pulpy seed for about a minute your taste buds are dramatically transformed so that everything that was once sour or bitter tastes extremely sweet and delicious.

The effects of Miracle Fruit are temporary but they last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours during which time you can indulge an array of foods that will taste nothing like before. The miracle of Miracle fruit has been scientifically explained by a glycoprotein called Miraculin that coats the tongue and binds with the taste buds to act as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids.

The Miracle Fruit encounter is such a mind blowing trip that one US lawyer has created ‘Flavor Tripping’ parties to allow a group of people to come together and taste foods that they would normally not like. It’s a fun and super safe way to have an altered life experience although participants should be warned that while Miracle Fruit changes the flavour of foods it does not alter their innate qualities, so overindulging in a host of extra sour or acidic foods will still have a negative effect on the digestive system.

Continue reading "A Miraculous Experience - The Miracle of Miracle Fruit!"