We did it! They all answered the call!
Take 10 interpreters, totaling 7 nationalities and 13 working languages, every one of them brimming with excitement, endlessly curious and eager to discover a new culture – your typical bunch of interpreters;
Add the wonderful organizers of the course at CELL (Centre for English Language Learning) who worked with enthusiasm, eagerness to please and unmitigated dedication;
And finally, enroll high-caliber lecturers, professors and experts affiliated with UWI (The University of the West Indies), hailing from Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad, ready to offer participants a glimpse into a different world and become ambassadors of its richness and diversity.
After 9 months of preparation, over a half-dozen trip to Barbados (no complaints there), countless meetings with Stacy (director of CELL) and her assistant Sherryann, plus an endless stream of e-mails to make sure no detail had been overlooked; after hours and hours spent ensuring this micro-curriculum catered to the needs of 10 participants whose profiles were as diverse as one could possibly imagine, all the while complying with the rigorous rules, regulations, standards and red tape one might expect with any major university; after going through an emotional roller-coaster of excitement, second thoughts, worries, discouragement – and finally letting enthusiasm and trust settle in… What I’m feeling today is simply this: gratitude. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU, everyone, for following me on this adventure!
Thank you for putting your trust in me and in UWI.
Thank you for being curious and eager to discover this new culture.
Thank you for bearing with the occasional mishap;
Thank you for responding to our passionate and brilliant lecturers with equal passion and brilliance – so much so that not a single class finished on time. Thank you for surprising us with your extracurricular contributions: dub poetry (Papa Slam, you were a real treat!), cooking (that huge Wahu fish Guillermo caught), writing poetry (Tiiu’s wonderful renditions of the bright light, sunshine and colorful houses of the Caribbean). And above all…
Thank you for the wonderful new friendships which you summed up so eloquently when you signed your present for me before flying home: a magnificent book on Barbados.
You have certainly set high standards for the next run!
Jihane Sfeir
Barbados, January 23, 2019