Day+19+Rum+Factory+and+Walking+Tour+of+Frederiksted

 Today started as an interesting day. our original plan was to visit the Experiment Station at the University of the Virgin Islands; however, the host scheduled her vacation during our visit and no other staff member could step in. Luckily, we had another plab: Cruzan Rum Factory. Although fourteen college students visiting the rum factory at 9am sounds devastating and irresponsible, the factory was a learning experience. Many students drew comparisons between the Water and Power Authority plant and the rum factory regarding to size, quantity/gender of workers, hazards and its environmental friendliness. When asked where the excess liquids go, the tour guide ensured the EPA guidelines are followed and the sugar goes to the bottom. In reality, the temperature of the water and the insertion of sugar in sea water harm the ocean's environment. Using the knowledge we have acquired during this experience has allowed us to keep others we encounter aware of ecological issues. For the second part of the walking tour we walked around downtown Frederiksted. Brooke took us to a modern basketball and tennis court area that is currently under investigation. Last November there was heavy rain in the area and there were actually bones that eroded onto the surface! After Brooke searched the area with police she determined that there was a minimum of two bodies that eroded from the ground, by identifying two left arm bones. Because of this discovery there are plans to scan the ground through the concrete basketball court surface. There are suspicions that this scanning technology will prove that the area was a burial ground in the past or possibly an execution ground. We also walked by a Catholic church which surprised me, because the main influence was Lutheran and Moravian in the area. Past the churches was the Legislature building, which happened to be placed on the same land as the low-income government housing projects. This contrast was evident, and somewhat bothersome, when we saw Mercedes and Escalades parked less than twenty feet from the housing projects.