School Supplies

Entering students do not need to bring required textbooks with them to Grenada. If you are a first-term medical or veterinary medical student, your textbooks will be ordered for you and can be picked up during orientation week. The book fees are billed to your student account and cannot be waived.  Undergraduate and graduate students will purchase books on a cash basis at the University bookstore.

• Sturdy backpack or rolling bag (the books are heavy)
• Notebooks, pens, paper, multi-colored highlighters, dry erase markers, 2-inch binders, colored pens, pencils (no. 2 for exams), and index cards (These items are available in Grenada, but are much more expensive than at home.)
• Earplugs for studying and sleeping (These may also be purchased from the University bookstore.)
• Day Planner
• Personal calculator with square root function (Expensive calculators are unnecessary for undergraduate, graduate, veterinary medical, and medical students.)
• Flash drive to easily carry information to print or share and portable external hard drive to keep in your room to store a back-up of all your data. It’s one thing to get a computer stolen or to have it crash, another entirely to lose a term’s worth of notes.
• Science students will need two white lab coats.
• Medical students will need lab coats or scrubs and latex gloves (These may be purchased in the University bookstore; however, if coming from outside of Grenada, it is recommended that you purchase these items before leaving home as they may be less expensive. While scrubs may be more comfortable, medical students will need a lab coat for microbiology.)

• Veterinary students are required to adhere to a dress code for admittance into the Clinical Skills Laboratories and therefore must have the following:
  • Surgical Scrubs (One pair of solid color surgical scrubs, free of prints and patterns.)
  • Coveralls (Short-sleeved coveralls are acceptable but should be large enough to wear clothing underneath.)
  • Rubber boots (The boots need to be waterproof as you will be required to scrub them with disinfectant when going on- and-off the farm. Ankle height
    rubber booties that you wear over regular shoes are acceptable.)
  • Shoes (A pair of closed-toe shoes that are to be worn exclusively in laboratories. They must be clean and not used for everyday wear.)

Clothing

• Do not bring camouflage clothing! SGU students and family should be aware that civilians are banned from wearing camouflage clothing in several Caribbean islands, including Grenada, where police are often dressed in military-style attire. The color is not important; once it is reflective of military attire it is an offense that could lead to a monetary fine or jail.  It is advisable that you do not pack or wear such clothing when traveling to the Caribbean.
• Adequate wardrobe for four months of campus life; washing machines are available on campus only for students living in the dormitories (For those coming from cold climates, remember to pack light clothing.)
• Sandals, flip-flops, sneakers
• Light raincoat/poncho, umbrella
• Sweater/sweatshirt (air-conditioned lecture halls can be cold)
• Medical and veterinary medical students: A jacket, tie, and dress trousers or a sundress/light dress for the White Coat Ceremony; Sundress/trousers to wear in clinical skills during visits to the outlying District Health Office
• Do not bring overly formal clothing—you will live in casual summer clothing. (As a side note, a fundraiser is held once each term at the Governor General’s residence, which students may attend if they so wish. Dress is formal. Men are required to wear if not a suit coat, at least a long-sleeved dress shirt and tie.)

Transformer

For those coming from the United States, most US items will not work with, or may even be damaged by, the 220 voltage that is used in Grenada. However, this is not a concern on the True Blue campus as all buildings have several outlets providing 110 and 220 volt usage.

If you will be residing off-campus transformers are essential, as the 220 voltage will destroy electrical appliances designed for 110 voltage use.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Never plug anything in without first checking the power supply.
• To further protect against strong currents and power surges, the transformer should be plugged into the outlet and a surge protector plugged into it; appliances can then be plugged into the surge protector.

Daily Health Care Items

Students should be equipped to handle minor medical problems.

Common student complaints:

• Digestive irregularities
• Infections
• Sunburn
• Earaches
• Cuts, sprains, bruises
• Insect bites (mosquito)

Consider having the following:

• A well-supplied first-aid kit
• Band-aids, antiseptic, Ace bandage
• Sunscreen, insect repellant
• Pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil, and so forth)
• Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, Imodium (digestion and irregularity remedies)
• Contact lens supplies or extra pair of eyeglasses/prescription sunglasses
• Prescription medications. If you are on any medications, be sure to bring enough to last longer than your anticipated stay. The particular medication you require may not be available in Grenada.  Contraceptives are available through Family Planning in St. George’s, the True Blue Clinic or local pharmacies; however, particular brands and dosages of oral contraceptives are often limited. Thus, it is advisable to bring sufficient supply with you.

Sports and Recreational Items

• Camera, underwater camera, film (if needed)
• Tennis racket (though it is not easy to find somewhere to play tennis—you usually have to negotiate with a hotel), softball glove, football, frisbee, volleyball, basketball, and so forth; if you have children, bring equipment for them as smaller sizes may not be conveniently available
• Athletic shoes, cleats, and so forth (rollerblades are definitely not recommended; bikes can also be dangerous on narrow, uneven roads)
• Snorkeling or diving equipment (These can also be rented from the local hotels.)

Family Packing

As a rule, pack light clothing; however, for health reasons, children should always wear shoes or sandals when outdoors. For those traveling to Grenada with children, be sure to bring plenty of diapers. Although disposable diapers are available, they are expensive. Cloth diapers are problematic because so few apartments have clothes dryers, but some families seem to manage.

Other Conveniences

• Kindle™ 3G (Electronic reading devices permit easy download of books and magazines in Grenada. This is more for the significant others—most students don’t have time for pleasure reading.)
• Duct tape, scotch tape, packing tape
• Stapler
• Desk lamp with replacement bulbs
• Stationery, greeting cards, self-adhesive envelopes
• Headset with microphone for making phone calls over the internet with Skype or Netphone
• Radio/MP3 player
• Electric coffee pot, teapot
• Pots and pans (if you plan to cook)
• Collapsible cardboard boxes
• Food storage containers and zip-lock bags for cereal and other items
• Flashlight
• Travel Clock
• Hangers and a laundry bag (many students use a duffel bag as both luggage and a laundry bag). Each dorm complex has its own laundry facilities.
• Large drinking cup, mug, bowl, silverware
• Water filter (such as Brita jug) and replacement filters (3 or 4)
• Blankets, sheets, and pillow for twin-sized beds