Summer abroad in Grenada a transformative experience for UTSC student

Michelle Linares
Michelle Linares is a fourth-year sociology student at UTSC who learned about the Grenadian Revolution first-hand by asking locals about their experiences. (Photo courtesy Michelle Linares)

Tina Adamopoulos

Michelle Linares was snorkeling in Grenada, when she asked the captain of the boat about his memories of the Grenadian Revolution.

“Don’t listen to anyone who talks about the Revolution in the books,” he told her. “You have to talk to the people of the island – they are the only ones who know the truth.”

The captain also told her the story of when his boat was shot at towards the end of the Revolution by who he assumed to be American army troops. He was mistaken to be smuggling people illegally from Cuba.

But his livelihood depends on that boat. He never let that scare him away.

“That story really stuck with me because it showed me resilience, independence and holding on to your freedom,” says Linares, a fourth-year sociology major at U of T Scarborough. “It’s not what he said, it’s reading between the lines and seeing who the person is.”

In fact, she was told many stories of life before and after the Revolution on the beach. It’s a learning moment she would never have gotten in a classroom.

The Summer Abroad Program is focused on gaining international experience and learning outside of the classroom, while students complete a full-credit course from the Faculty of Arts & Science. Linares, as well as other students from U of T, were taught in the coastal host school of St. George University where they learned about the Grenadian Revolution for three weeks.

“A lot of the learning took place outside of the classroom – going on excursions, meeting new people, trying the food and really indulging in the culture,” says Linares. “It’s something you can’t do here.”

A program coordinator would schedule excursions, where the group visited waterfalls and even swam with schools of fish.

“I thought to myself, ‘Although it’s scary, I’m never going to have this experience again,’ I always told myself that every time I tried something new.”

Grenada, also known as the ‘Island of Spice,’ is known for their exports of chocolate, nutmeg, and cocoa. With a population of about 100,000 people, the island’s culture and economics revolve around their natural resources. Grenadians speak English and Creole - a mark left by their English and French colonization.

There were no grand hotels or resorts, everything she experienced was local. And that made all the difference, notes Linares.

Travel isn’t a foreign concept to Linares. She’s been to Europe, South America and other Caribbean islands before. But going to Grenada on her own taught her about independence.

“I think being here and going to school in Canada, sometimes you can feel restricted – it’s just work, school and home,” says Linares. “Grenada taught me how to be more spontaneous. I learned who I was because I was taken away from everything.”

The group also visited Carriacou, an even smaller island of 8,000 people. The island does not have a reservoir and has to collect rainwater.

It was a vastly different experience and is something that you would only see by visiting the island, says Linares. The experience has taught her not to ‘group’ cultures and step out of a North American perspective.

Being taken out of her comfort zone and living Grenada changes your perspective on life, Linares says. She says stepping out of a regiment got her thinking about what she would be like if she didn’t have all the comforts of living in Canada.

The program not only helped her grow academically but was a true evolving period. Linares made new connections with students from other U of T campuses, and also found validation in what she wants to pursue in the future.

“One thing that this trip helped me understand is that I want to be in the field of helping people,” says Linares. “I know it will bring fulfillment in my life.”