Testing in Saint Lucia the Week Before Christmas

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Twas the week before Christmas and all through Champlain,

the students were being tested except for a few...

And those few were the testing team from the Emergent Media Center and Population Media Center working on this project.

Until December 20th we are as far from snow and ice as a Vermont resident could get at this time of year. We are in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia population around 180,000. The residents are 80% Catholic and equally of African descent. However this little island holds many more as over 500,000 tourists visit it a year. The economy is largely based on tourism, in fact we heard it is one of the most popular destinations in the world for honeymoons. Previously, an economic mainstay was the banana crop until other nations were able to grow and harvest them for a much cheaper price. The worldwide economic downturn has effected this small island nation as well.

We departed from Burlington, Vermont yesterday at the early hour of 5:30AM and after a long day of flights and a drive of about an hour arrived in Rodney Bay in the Northern end of the island.

We drove through roads that twisted and turned up through volcanic mountainsides, through the rain forest and past banana plantations. The weather is very warm and the colors are vibrant. Those we have met here are confident and friendly with a good sense of laughter.

Today we have spent most of the day in a small conference room preparing for a week of tests. We will be testing aspects of Episode I of the game in four different schools - one from each quadrant of the island. Stay tuned.