Saturday, July 30, 2011

Flowers & things at my local Farmers' Market

This afternoon I had the pleasure of visiting my Farmers' Market and thought I would take a few pics.






I love hibiscus-reminds me of home
Don't forget Health Bucks are a great way to increase your EBT dollars if you have it. For every $5 you spend in EBT dollars, you get $2 Health Bucks(same as cash) to purchase ONLY fruits & vegetables.

More pics to come!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

To all my International Students!


 Hello folks,

I know that many students like myself will relate to this story. If you know me, then you know that I came to the U.S. to get a better education and more importantly to go further in my education. Like other Caribbean islands, in St. Lucia there is usually a higher number of students who don't make it past secondary school (high school) than there are students who make it to college. I have been fortunate enough to immigrate here to the United States to have one of the best education that I could dream of; an education that I could not have had in my home country. And that's a fact for many international students. 

I have been blessed to earn a Bachelors' degree from a private college and presently, I am making strides to earn a Masters' degree from one of the oldest universities in the country. 

The burning question: Would you stay in the country that you have adopted to work, live and build a career?
  OR
Will you return to your home country with your new skills and knowledge to seek employment and to pass on what you have learned to your country?

Now to be fair, let's me give you my personal response... To begin, I love this country for all what it has afforded me. I did a lot of my growing and maturing here, but I feel the pull/need to go back. I really can't explain it. I need to make a 'contribution' to my home country no matter how small it may be. There is a need to give back and I plan to do just that in the near future. Despite the fact that America has been my home in a sense, St. Lucia will forever be my home, my first love, no matter what.

Please share, I would love to hear your thoughts and your stories concerning this post.

Take care!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Do you currently live in the Caribbean?

 Hello friends,
Non-communicable Chronic Disease are collectively the largest killers of all humans today. Chances are if you are reading this, you or someone you know will be affected by one. Here's how you can help. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) provides a collaborative approach to combat NCDs in the Caribbean Region. Collectively, NCDs include:
Diabetes
Cancers
Cardiovascular diseases 
Chronic respiratory diseases 
These NCDs all share the same risk factors: physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. 
HOW CAN YOU HELP to put NCDs at the forefront of health discussions with the United Nations and heads of Government.
Directly from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition:

The Get the Message campaign is a mobile phone text based advocacy campaign in support of the United Nations Summit on Chronic Diseases. Digicel and LIME mobile subscribers in the Caribbean can help by sending a FREE TEXT message of support for this Summit. 

To learn more about this campaign, please visit: http://www.healthycaribbean.org/

Please provide your support.

Elegant Wedding Hairstyle(Natural hair)

Hello guys,

I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a dear friend this weekend. I was able to achieve this look for the ceremony & reception. This was my first attempt and I loved it.

The front view
Side view
Back view

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Buying Fruits & Vegetables in Season (Summer)

Hello guys,

Why should you buy in season? 
  1. You eat foods that are very fresh
  2. There is more abundance of in-season foods
  3. As a result, in-season foods are more affordable
  4. Your money goes directly to the farmer
  5. Foods bought in season just tastes better. Period!

So what's in season (not an exhaustive list):

Vegetables

Lima Beans
Snap Peas
Beets & Beet Greens
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard Greens
Corn
Cucumbers
Garlic
Kale
Lettuce
Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Turnips
Zucchini

Fruits
Apricots
Blueberries
Peaches
Plums

 I hope this helps.