St Vincent...I'm here!

Can't believe I'm here! Finally the first waiting bit is over - now have to wait to go to Africa, but I'm sure it will not be too hard ;) there's lots to do and discover over here!
So I arrived last night (28 Feb). All my flights were smooth and my huge bag arrived intact! I think I packed a bit too much, but hey it's difficult to pack for a year plus! Flight route was Amsterdam-London-Bridgetown (Barbados)- Kingstown, St Vincent. Luckily it was all in one day and I managed to sleep most of the way so I'm not tired at all right now, maybe it will hit me later... There were two other students on the same flight, Simona from Switzerland and Caio from Brazil, but we only met when we arrived. It was nice to arrive with other people so we could share the first impressions - hilly, green, warm, relaxed...
We had to wait for the pick-up car for about an hour...but we had lots to talk about and Caio doesn't speak much English so it took a while to communicate! So I'll be learning some Portuguese as well...
The drive last night from the Kingstown to the school in Richmond Vale was quite long and hilly and potholey. The driver was not shy to show off his St Vincent driving style! He also had some great stories to share (e.g. he was an extra in two of the Pirates of Caribbean movies) and he seems to be very popular - he was greeting lots of people on the way...
This morning, we woke up to a lovely view, attached pic. Simona and I are sharing a room, and she's an early bird so that's great for me who's a sleepy head ;) We didn't get to see much last night except for along the roadside - there are actually a lot of people and shops right by the roadside - and not even flinching with the fast driving cars! Even though I had seen some pictures earlier, it's very impressive to see it with my own eyes. Everything is much bigger than I had imagined!
The school compound is huge. We are right at the base of the volcano "La Soufriere" and the sea is about 20 minutes walk. We went on a tour this morning. There are lots of plantations around - bananas, passion fruit, mango and lots more - yummy! We've already met some Vincentians (yep just found out that's correct way of saying it!) who are super nice and chatty! It's a bit difficult to understand the dialect, but I think I'll catch on quickly...
There are already some other students, but most still have to arrive. Everyone is really nice (so far ;)) - lots of nationalities and interesting backgrounds - very social, relaxed people, much travelled. This weekend we have off before the classes start on Monday, so I'm going to do some exploring and hopefully some swimming too...Lots more to tell and pictures to follow later....