So it’s 85 degrees, I am sitting next to the pool, drinking a rum punch, eating some delicious coconut curry chicken, listening to Hotel California being played on a steel pan drum…. Do you see where I am going with this?

I am really enjoying my time here. The work that I am doing is very interesting. Today I was able to talk to the new HIV pharmacist (as of today) and adherence nurse, along with some doctors, and nursing students about HIV adherence. I have learned that HIV has not really been taught in the pharmacy school here until now, so the pharmacist’s knowledge about HIV is pretty limited. Like the US, there is a pharmacist shortage here. The pharmacy I have been in for the last couple days is very short staffed. The government has “fixed” this problem by importing pharmacists from the Philippines, they have 8 in total. They tried to have pharmacists on rounds, but had to pull them away due to staffing constraints. In addition, there is little acceptance of pharmacists from the doctors, so the pharmacists are pretty limited on what they can do. The pharmacy is pretty cool, I guess I was expecting something a little less like what we have in the States.

Everyone here is very nice, the doctors and pharmacists I have been working have been great to me. Tonight I am in San Fernando again which is in the Southwest region of Trinidad. San Fernando is next to a large oil refinery named Point-a-Pierre, and there a lot of oil men from different countries at the hotel I am staying at. The city itself is the second largest in Trinidad. At the hospital they just built a new HIV clinic and the view from the clinic is amazing. I have pictures that I can upload when I get back to Port of Spain tomorrow.

Last night, I got to talk and see Ursula via skype, talked to Theresa via skype, and talked to and saw Aunt Marlene and Uncle Paul via skype who than three-way’d my mom/dad and sister.

Ok, I need to finish my rum punch now. Uhmmm… what I meant to say, was that I need to finish my work now.