Programs Blog

Elle Kallsen, University of San Diego

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Hello from St. Croix USVI! This morning we had breakfast and were so excited to find out we were having french toast… it was delicious! Then, we decided what we would do with our morning of free time. Anna brought up a tempting discovery called Mt. Pellier Domino Club. Located in the rainforest of St. Croix, it is known as the “Home of the World Famous Beer Drinking Pigs.” With no hesitation, half of us filed into the van to make the trip! The other half enjoyed a beautiful snorkel near the Feather Leaf Inn and saw some awesome stuff!

We arrived at the restaurant and tried the awesome breakfast they had… omelets, biscuits and gravy, and eggs benedict. We played an assortment of “pig themed” games like Pass the Piggy or pin the tail on the pig! We also had a laugh while playing Cards against Humanity!

Then it was time to see the real pigs!

There were 5 piggies with names like “Hammy” and “Gem.” We were told to shake the can and place it in the pigs mouth. The pigs then drank the whole beer (non-alcoholic, of course!), crushed the can, and spit it out! It was so funny, and definitely worth the trip. A must see in St. Croix.

In the afternoon, we practiced using a research software called Coral Point Count with Excel extensions. We identified what substrate (coral, algae, invertebrate, etc) was under overlaid points from images taken from our benthic reef survey in Isaac Bay on Friday. Then some of us went in the pool, ran on the beach, or took a nap!

Dinner was glass noodles with vegetables and a peanut sauce! So yummy!

We ended the evening laughing by the pool and playing games! Another great day in St. Croix!

Loving shout out to mom, dad, TK and Nina, Sara, and, of course, Matteo. 🙂 Love you all and miss you!