The next decade....what's in store?

Ok, a chance to breathe......sort of

Ok fellow bloggers and readers who don't blog. I have some free moments so thank your lucky stars! (heh heh)

Now, about SGU students. SGU = St George's University School of Medicine and Arts and General Studies. They are an American University which started here about 25 years ago, doing only medicine. The original campus is located next to where I worked and am temporarily engaged at the moment. A few years ago, they built an impressive facility near the airport. Massive buildings, nice dorm rooms and now many many students, especially since they added Vet studies and Arts & General studies courses.

I remember while I was living here from 1997 to 2001 (Yes Sunshine, I am Jamaican by birth but Caribbean in outlook, so I worked here for 4 years), I saw one of the students in the pharmacy and asked her why she decided to leave the good ole USA to come to this island to study. She said that the university has a very good reputation and that it is very hard to get into the good medical schools in the USA.

The students do part of the study here, and then they go to St Vincent. Last weekend while I was in the supermarket in the mall, I heard one (female) student talking to what I assume to be the girlfriend of another student. Student was asking GF if she was coming back at Christmas. She was apparently about to go back to the States after visiting BF student. She said no, but she was going to try and come back in February. Then student asked GF if she was going to go to St Vincent when they transferred over. GF said she wasn't sure.

Then student tells GF to make sure and let her know if she is coming to St Vincent because the house that they stay at has "like a pool and everything, and like the owner of the house, he has a yatch, and he like says that whenever we wanna go out, he'd like take us. We plan to do like pool parties and stuff, you know".

Typical American student sounding language.

But they live a good life here. Their accommodation has to be air conditioned, and the Grenadians who build apartments to rent to the students make a killing. Sometimes, some of the housing may not be top grade here, so in the earlier years, students would pay a premium for a nice place. A one bedroom could easily be rented for US$500 per month. I heard of one guy who has property almost next to the university who started out with a couple rooms, and now he has 12 two bedrooms which he charges US$1,000 for, so every month he collects US$12,000 just so. That's a huge amount of money here.

I wish the university remains here, because a lot of economic life would be disturbed.

Posted by yamfoot at November 19, 2005 04:54 PM