...Wow, yesterday was a weird and annoying day. Thank god for some nice, friendly people that made it not as bad as it could have been. So, the weird part is...every person in the virgin islands that works with food or beverages has to get a health card every year to work. (Like everyone from grocery store employees to first mates to bartenders.) I've come to realize its just another way for the government to make a dollar.
Soooo, each person has to poop in a sample cup. Yes, I said poop!!! And bring it to the hospital.
Thank goodness I made a friend here named Claire that drove and walked me through part of the process because it was so confusing. So, between 8am and 10am, you have to go to the hospital community department to pick up a piece of paper she writes your name on. Then you go down a floor to a lobby and pay $17. Then you cross the hospital and bring your stool sample to the lab. There are no maps or anyone telling you what to do. That is why Claire was amazing.
So, Claire left at this point. The next step isn't until 1pm. So, I walked around Havensight and Yacht Haven Grande. Basically where the cruise ships let you off. That area of town is so horrible, I hate to even call it St. Thomas. Tons of stores, tours and people everywhere! So, I headed back over to the hospital area. Found a K-mart and it was like heaven with normal priced things. We've heard there are a few other grocery stores around where groceries are states prices (or at least closer to). We shop at the Marina Market since its walking distance, but everything is a few dollars more. There are cheap things like home-made banana bread, salads, rices. But Prego pasta sauce is $4.50 and milk is over $7.
Anyhew, head back to the hospital at 12:30 to get a jump on things. Well, so did the 20 people in line in front of me. At 1:30, I make it up to the window to hear if I passed. No worries, I am parasite free. Then I walked to the other side of the room to wait again to pay $30 more dollars. Then to another line where I had my blood pressure taken. Then to another line to have a picture taken. I am proud to say I have obtained a health card!
I do have to say every one of the lots of nurses I talked to and people in line with were so friendly. The process could have easily made people miserable, but everyone I met was overly nice.
So, next step was getting home. I could have gotten a taxi for $12 or $15. But I was determined to figure out the safari, which is the community bus that runs clockwise around the island, but I never knew exactly where because we have so far only took them short distances. There are safaris that pass Red Hook every few minutes. They look like this...
So, one passed and I jumped on it. It was only $1 and took about 25 minutes to Red Hook which is how long it was in Claire's car in the morning. Sat next to a very friendly old rasta lady. The guy behind was playing reggae music. And got to go through a side of the island I have never been. So, now I am sure we will be using the safari much more. It was a nice ride after a long day. :)
