Oceans Live '97 Q&A with South Caicos

  From the week ending April 18, 1997

Do you socialize with local people?...Stan L., White Plains, New York, USA
by Anna Saltonstall, 4/15/97, South Caicos Island

The local people on South Caicos Island are very friendly and eager to welcome the School for Field Studies students to their island. I am a jogger and every morning when I run through town, I get big smiles and "hello’s" from everyone I see. One of my favorite places to run is the local water collection hut where people go every morning to fill up their buckets with water for the day. Many people are usually gathered around this hut, waiting their turn, and chatting with each other. These people always give me a friendly wave and smile as I run by. The locals have a different way of greeting people, instead of saying "how are ya?" or "good morning" they say "all right". "All right" is just a word they use to acknowledge each other. It sounded so funny the first time I heard it, but now I say it too!!! ALL RIGHT...

On the one evening per week that we are free, we like to go out into town and "hang-out" with the locals. Last weekend we were all invited to a big birthday party for one of our local friends named Greg (his local nickname is "Sweet Cake"). The party was at someone’s house and we were all pretty happy to be inside a real house with couches! It was a really fun evening and I was happy to be welcomed at a place so far away from home.

Another fun social event that happens every weekend is our Sunday afternoon soccer game against the local Haitian men (these are people who come to South Caicos from the island of Haiti to find work). We all love the competition and the opportunity that it gives us to meet new people. They are a pretty good team and are famous on the island for always beating us! Well, last Sunday our team beat them 1-0!! It was our first victory in over 2 months!

Although the social life on the island is a little limited because the island is very small, it is very easy to make new friends. Just walking down the street or going to the local grocery store can open the door to new friendships.

 

What is the average annual rainfall on South Caicos? What is the weather like? ....Jenny C., Cohasset, Massachusetts, USA
by Kara Dwyer, 4/15/97, South Caicos Island

The average annual rainfall on South Caicos is 15-16 inches. In other words, we do not get a lot of rain here! In comparison to some New England states, like Massachusetts or Connecticut where rainfall is around 40-50 inches per year, South Caicos only gets 1/3 the rainfall.

The weather here is consistently warm, with average temperatures ranging from 90° to 96° F in the summer. From December to March, the climate averages a cool, dry 75° to 85°F. Since South Caicos is cooled by trade winds, the climate is never too hot.

Since I've been on South Caicos, it has only rained a few times, as this is the dry season. In the previous semester (September-December), the wet season allowed for plenty of fresh water for drinking and for showers. However, because rainfall is so rare here, especially in the dry season, all students must conserve water as much as possible. We get freshwater showers only about once a week, but we spend too much time in the ocean to ever feel dirty. We also try to use less water for showers by turning water off until it is needed for actual rinsing. We've only done laundry in a washing machine once since we've been here.

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