Newsletter

Winter 2001

Board Notes: Making A Break

In an effort to get to know the Board of Trustees better, Au Sable Notes has been inviting the trustees to write about their own stewardship of creation. Kathy VanderLeest is our guest in this issue.

From the Usual
In August of 2001, my husband and I moved from Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island in Washington State to the island of St. Croix. This was to be a combination of: 1) an attempt to simplify our lifestyle by breaking from the comforts of home, 2) an experiment at being a minority by steeping ourselves in a foreign culture, and 3) a search for a new career for my husband.

Our decision to go to the U. S. Virgin Islands evolved over several months. The idea of living and working in a foreign land had stirred our imaginations from the time we traveled to Japan and Bolivia where our son and daughter worked respectively. After some initial investigation into going to the Middle East, and the island of Guam in the Pacific, we settled on St. Croix.

Transition Points
June of 2001 marked the completion of my husband's 30th year in education. For years he has harbored a desire to do some serious writing. This juncture was a golden opportunity for him to make the attempt. Within the same month we were happy to see our youngest and last of four children graduate from college.

We asked ourselves a fundamental question…were we ready for this adventure? We reasoned the following: at 52, we are young and healthy enough to do this "thing" we were contemplating. Our four children were now all out of the house and, for the first time in 29 years, independent of us. Finally, the golden prospect of little grandchildren bouncing on our laps was still in the future. A year is 365 days, any way you look at it. But those days can fly by or grind along inexorably, depending on the situation you find yourself in. A year away from family, friends, church and civic groups, in essence, your entire support system can be traumatic. It can also be therapeutic.

It is true, we reminded ourselves, that present day technological wizardry allows us to communicate in a multitude of ways at the touch of a button. The possibility that others would visit us, and that we would come back to visit at the halfway point encouraged us to proceed.

After much prayer, thought, and discussion, I signed a contract to work as a medical technologist at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix, and our journey to move 4000 miles began.

Did you know?……
The island of St. Croix is similar in size to Whidbey Island, the location of Au Sable's Pacific Rim campus, but is a 45 minute airplane ride from any other island. It is 27 miles long and 7 miles wide. It is the largest of the three US Virgin Islands, purchased from Denmark in 1917, the other two being St. Thomas and St. John. Its latitude is approximately 17 degrees north of the equator, putting it 1000 miles southeast of Florida. The official language is English, but Spanish is spoken often. We use US currency, American wattage, have the use of the US postal system but drive on the left side of the road. There are two towns on the island - Christiansted and Frederiksted, with a total population on St. Croix being near 52,000.

Final Preparations
A couple coming to Whidbey Island for a temporary position was the answer to our question on who would sit our house for a year. We agreed to leave our residence fully furnished right down to the food in the refrigerator, spices in the kitchen cabinet, and tools available in the garage. We even, with their approval, would leave our pet cat for them to enjoy. When our year was accomplished, we hoped to come back to a similar scenario.

We assured our friends and family this was to be just a year. Lurking in the back of our minds was the slight possibility that we would decide to stay. Could events unfold to change this from a yearlong working vacation, to a permanent move to a new community? We didn't want to dwell on that. We had our supplies packed into three boxes each, and left for our adventure.
New Experiences

In the three months since we arrived, we have been both pleasantly surprised and disappointed by what we have found here. The disconnect between where the tourists hang out and what the community is really like is great. Poverty is not as severe here as in Haiti or some other Caribbean locations, yet an overall lackadaisical attitude toward efficiency and maintaining standards is apparent everywhere and especially in my hospital.
The Nature Conservancy has a local chapter, and we have had an opportunity to volunteer in their efforts. Among their land holdings is a 300 acre beach front on which the Leatherback, Hawksbill and Green turtles come out at night to lay eggs. Two of these species, some getting as big as 200 pounds, are being threatened. TNC is also working with local commercial fishermen to establish no fish zones to alleviate the pressure on certain species.

We see great disregard of the environment and poor waste management practices here. Litter is spread everywhere and garbage is put in a dump rather than what could be considered a modern type of landfill. Because the Virgin Islands are owned by the USA, they receive a large infusion of federal funds to correct their ways. The local politicians need training and accountability to bring efficacy to the process. Education of leaders is a vital key here as the people will more easily accept changes from one of their own. Maybe Au Sable should offer a course here, or give a scholarship to local students to go to one of our sessions. What the institute offers is sorely needed on this island!

Then there is the philosophical question of 'What do we accept as their culture, and what do we attempt to change because it will improve their life?' The degree of civilization is less advanced in the Virgin Islands, but shouldn't their level of health care and sanitation standards be the same as what we receive?

Having an opportunity to see another geographical region has made me aware again of God's awesome creativity. Seeing the colorful fish and coral in the 82 degree water; learning about different plants, trees, and birds; hearing and seeing the waves crash on the barrier reef makes me praise God for His diversity and power.

It was easy to say 'Simplify our life', but to do without the many things that we accumulated over 31 years of marriage changes our existence. These 'things' make our life easier, and often add security and warmth by reminding us of people whom we love. While acknowledging this, we have also found that we can live with only four spoons in the drawer and the lack of pictures on the wall. Our Honda scooter meets our transportation needs as well as our cars did back in the States.

The population of St. Croix is 80% black, 10% Spanish, and 10% Caucasian. I am the only white working in the laboratory, so I have definitely experienced what it is like being a minority. I find I am different in so many ways- what I eat, how I talk, how I work, and how I live. My Spanish class helps me communicate with my coworkers, but a greater challenge is for them to develop a trust in me. How exciting it is to get past the point of feeling 'I'm different', and instead to focus what we have in common!

Kathy Vander Leest, Trustee

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