Trip Reflection

Posted by on March 27, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Returning to State College after living in paradise for a week left a bitter and not so sweet taste in my mouth. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. It allowed me to utilize the skills and knowledge base I’ve been developing in school for a practical project that positively impacted the Roatan community. Aside from interacting with the wonderful children of the daycare and learning the steps of designing a proposed solar array from scratch, the simple day to day happenings of island life left the biggest impression on me. I am West Indian so the peacefulness of island life was not exactly new to me, but it has been several years since I’ve experienced the luxuries of island life. Such luxuries include picking a coconut directly from a coconut tree, chopping the coconut open with a machete, and drinking fresh coconut water, eating perfectly ripe mangoes grown right on the island, and waking up to the unique sounds and calls of a plethora of beautiful birds and animals. It felt as if Roatan’s culture, being so similar to my own, welcomed me with open arms.                                                                                                               The challenges of establishing renewable markets within the Latin American and Caribbean nations is indeed more complicated than it is in the US due to a trend of lack of supportive policy and funding; however, the high energy prices seen in many of these nations makes renewable alternatives extremely competitive if not a great deal cheaper in the long run. Before this experience I’ve thought about moving somewhere in the Caribbean or Latin America to assist in establishing a renewable energy industry for the countries in these regions. Following this experience I am sure I’ll be moving to a Caribbean or Latin American country within the next 15 years to help establish renewable energy industries.

Leave a Comment

Skip to toolbar