cahsu2005
08-02-2007, 09:28 PM
Things at Spartan are like most Caribbean Islands. You are on Caribbean time - meaning late. There are bugs here but the island is not bad. Some wooden houses have cracks and therefore mosquitoes do get in (students usually get a mosquito net - eg. Ikea or locally S&S), but the cement housing you usually do not have a problem.
Evening walks are nice - not many bugs, however, at certain times of the year you get black flies at the beach and they really bite.
For food, in Vieux fort there is not a large selection of restaurants like in Castries up north (where most resorts are), but there is the lone KFC in Vieux fort town. Closer to the school there is a Scoobies restaurant located in the Julian's supermarket. At the school there is only 1 cafeteria with your rice, chicken and beans (blah..) but there is the 'shack' across the road with similar food at a fraction of the cost. There is a Student government run store that mainly stocks up with water, soft drinks, chocolate bars, and snack items but no meal type foods.
There are 2 banks in Vieux Fort - Scotiabank, First Caribbean Bank and a RBTT located at the Julian's Supermarket. In castries there is also Royal Bank of Canada. To get an account you must get a signed letter from the school and make an appointment with the bank. However, recently rules have been changing and you may need a letter from your home bank along with your passport.
** Cashing US personal cheques (deposit into your account) takes up to 6-8wks....so bring some cash and be careful where you put it - once again as previous posts there are break-ins and the local thieves know when you come and go from school!!! - Burglar bars and stay in a student area (dead-bolt also-**beware of some landlords)
Phone service is about 26EC a month but you should get your landlord to arrange it for you or else the phone company may charge you as a foreigner $$$$ deposit that is difficult to get back.
Internet is poor but available at the school. For home you require ADSL and they like you to purchase their expensive version of the regular modem. Furthermore, foreigners (so get your landlord to hook you up) get charged large deposits eg. 500EC and sometimes another 300EC fee on top.
Computers - is more like a requirement since there are always software problems with the ones available in the library - and only about 3 work well out of 8-10. Most students bring a laptop - I would recommend any student to bring a laptop*****WARNING*** laptops are a high commodity here and easy cash for thieves and once in a 4 month period 11 laptops were stolen from student's homes. Also there was one student that was attacked while on his balcony using his laptop and had it stolen - he lived further away from the school in the OJ area which is known for gang activity (about 25min walk from school). The best area is the Orchard (hewanorra orchard) - but there has been 2 known breakins in this area - so be careful of which house you choose and of your landlord...trouble is they are all nice to you until something happens!!!! - do not give your 4 months rent right away*** if you do be prepared to be fleeced and have nothing fixed if there is a problem.
Rent should be 800-1200 ranging in how nice the place is. Room-mates split the cost and DO NOT pay double. Now there are some newbies who have already messed up the system and are paying 2000EC for a month as room-mates - but this should be only 1000EC total and 500EC each. All locals see you as a BIG DOLLAR SIGN - so they will try to take you for a ride. That sounds bad, but the people are generally nice - but still see you as money....so be careful.
Check if your internet, cable TV, water, electricity, phone are all included in your rent.
Usually the Cable TV, water are included and the rest up to the landlord.
If you use the electricity a lot including A/C all the time your electricity bill a month could be up to 300-500EC or more. If you don't use AC at all and keep 1 light on only the bill may be as cheap as 60EC a month.
Make sure you check if there is AC - cause the landlord doesn't tell you *** YOU MUST ASK - or you are screwed once you have paid your rent.
Try not to pay too far in advance - that just give them more reason to ignore you while things are broken.
If you are pickedup in the airport - you do not need to tip Mr. Maxwell - but his greasy hands sometimes he will hint that you should 'help him and he will help you' - well that is up to you if you want to grease his palms. He is hired by the school to pick you up when required, but nothing more than that - so if you do call him for more then yes you have to pay.
Most students stay in the Orhcard or in the Alley(Cedar heights) - but the alley is a place you have to be careful as more and more breakins are occurring there. - There are a few places that consistently get broken into in this area, and they should be on the banned housing list. The student believes the owner who lives upstairs is involved.
Oh check if you have hot water - they usually have a electric heating adapter or a solar heating container on top of the house.
There are cockroaches on the island so the higher you live the less bugs.
If you have more questions just PM me thanks.
Evening walks are nice - not many bugs, however, at certain times of the year you get black flies at the beach and they really bite.
For food, in Vieux fort there is not a large selection of restaurants like in Castries up north (where most resorts are), but there is the lone KFC in Vieux fort town. Closer to the school there is a Scoobies restaurant located in the Julian's supermarket. At the school there is only 1 cafeteria with your rice, chicken and beans (blah..) but there is the 'shack' across the road with similar food at a fraction of the cost. There is a Student government run store that mainly stocks up with water, soft drinks, chocolate bars, and snack items but no meal type foods.
There are 2 banks in Vieux Fort - Scotiabank, First Caribbean Bank and a RBTT located at the Julian's Supermarket. In castries there is also Royal Bank of Canada. To get an account you must get a signed letter from the school and make an appointment with the bank. However, recently rules have been changing and you may need a letter from your home bank along with your passport.
** Cashing US personal cheques (deposit into your account) takes up to 6-8wks....so bring some cash and be careful where you put it - once again as previous posts there are break-ins and the local thieves know when you come and go from school!!! - Burglar bars and stay in a student area (dead-bolt also-**beware of some landlords)
Phone service is about 26EC a month but you should get your landlord to arrange it for you or else the phone company may charge you as a foreigner $$$$ deposit that is difficult to get back.
Internet is poor but available at the school. For home you require ADSL and they like you to purchase their expensive version of the regular modem. Furthermore, foreigners (so get your landlord to hook you up) get charged large deposits eg. 500EC and sometimes another 300EC fee on top.
Computers - is more like a requirement since there are always software problems with the ones available in the library - and only about 3 work well out of 8-10. Most students bring a laptop - I would recommend any student to bring a laptop*****WARNING*** laptops are a high commodity here and easy cash for thieves and once in a 4 month period 11 laptops were stolen from student's homes. Also there was one student that was attacked while on his balcony using his laptop and had it stolen - he lived further away from the school in the OJ area which is known for gang activity (about 25min walk from school). The best area is the Orchard (hewanorra orchard) - but there has been 2 known breakins in this area - so be careful of which house you choose and of your landlord...trouble is they are all nice to you until something happens!!!! - do not give your 4 months rent right away*** if you do be prepared to be fleeced and have nothing fixed if there is a problem.
Rent should be 800-1200 ranging in how nice the place is. Room-mates split the cost and DO NOT pay double. Now there are some newbies who have already messed up the system and are paying 2000EC for a month as room-mates - but this should be only 1000EC total and 500EC each. All locals see you as a BIG DOLLAR SIGN - so they will try to take you for a ride. That sounds bad, but the people are generally nice - but still see you as money....so be careful.
Check if your internet, cable TV, water, electricity, phone are all included in your rent.
Usually the Cable TV, water are included and the rest up to the landlord.
If you use the electricity a lot including A/C all the time your electricity bill a month could be up to 300-500EC or more. If you don't use AC at all and keep 1 light on only the bill may be as cheap as 60EC a month.
Make sure you check if there is AC - cause the landlord doesn't tell you *** YOU MUST ASK - or you are screwed once you have paid your rent.
Try not to pay too far in advance - that just give them more reason to ignore you while things are broken.
If you are pickedup in the airport - you do not need to tip Mr. Maxwell - but his greasy hands sometimes he will hint that you should 'help him and he will help you' - well that is up to you if you want to grease his palms. He is hired by the school to pick you up when required, but nothing more than that - so if you do call him for more then yes you have to pay.
Most students stay in the Orhcard or in the Alley(Cedar heights) - but the alley is a place you have to be careful as more and more breakins are occurring there. - There are a few places that consistently get broken into in this area, and they should be on the banned housing list. The student believes the owner who lives upstairs is involved.
Oh check if you have hot water - they usually have a electric heating adapter or a solar heating container on top of the house.
There are cockroaches on the island so the higher you live the less bugs.
If you have more questions just PM me thanks.