Living in St. Lucia

So it has not officially been two weeks that I have been in St. Lucia. Enough time for me to get the lay of the land, but also for me to wonder how people ever leave this place. St. Lucia is such a naturally beautiful island. There are rolling hills and mountains everywhere and lush green forests which is all surrounded by gorgeous white sand, blue/green water beaches. I am extremely lucky to be living in a place on the northern part of the island called Cap Estate, which happens to be the wealthiest neighborhood on the island with multiple mansions, estates, resorts, a golf course, etc. My apartment is a one bedroom place with a big living room and a small kitchen area. The best part is the porch on the front which has a great view of the hills and also has a small pool!




I live in a gated community which is good safety-wise, which is about a 10 minute walk to the beach and also a 20 minute walk to the nearest bus stop which can take me anywhere else I need to go on the island. The closest towns to me are Gros Islet and Rodney Bay. Rodney Bay is the major tourist area on the island. There are two large shopping malls, tons of restaurants, bars and cafes. You can eat any type of food there - Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican and of course lots of seafood. There is a marina in Rodney Bay which also has great restaurants along the water and there are so many huge boats/yachts that are coming in and out all day. Kinda fun to see!

The organization I am working with, Sacred Sports Foundation, is phenomenal. They are doing lots of projects around the island, including grassroots soccer programs, girls netball programs, a little bit of cricket and a little rugby. I have been involved with an after-school soccer program that they are running for high school aged boys of varying skill level. A lot of the kids are from tough neighborhoods and difficult family situations so it has been a struggle to organize training sessions for them. However, we have had some success as far as implementing a consistent program with a bit of discipline while still making it enjoyable and fun for them. I will most likely continue to work on this project, among others, for the remainder of my time here.