If you are not familiar with the Caribbean--or even if you are--Nevis is a great place to deepen your understanding and enjoy all that has made this area of the world so unique.
Nevis is one of the many volcanic islands that stretch along the eastern Caribbean sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. A beautiful location, Nevis is easy to get to and has been welcoming visitors for hundreds of years.
Nevis is 200 miles southeast of Puerto Rico, which is a major point of entry to the Caribbean and served by direct flights from numerous locations throughout the U.S. There are regularly scheduled flights from San Juan to Nevis and also from Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Kitts. (There are also weekly direct flights to St. Kitts from the U.S.) If you travel through St. Kitts, you also have the option of taking a scenic ferry ride to Nevis.The medical school is a short cab ride from either the airport or the ferry.
An exotic and storied locale, Nevis was called Dulcina "Sweet Island" by the Arawaks and later Oualie "land of beautiful waters" by the Caribs. Later in the 18th century, Nevis became known as "Queen of the Caribees." The name Nevis is derived from "Nuestra Senora de Las Nieves" which means "Our Lady of the Snows," because the cloud capped Mount Nevis reminded its first known western observer, Christopher Columbus, (he passed by Nevis on his second voyage but never actually set foot on the island) of snow.
Tourists come to Nevis to enjoy the warm Caribbean water, bask on the white sand beaches, hike the rain forest, snorkel and dive the reefs and investigate the the ruins of the sugar cane era that dot the island. The island is known for its excellent restaurants and charming inns--many of them old plantation "great houses." Nevis is safe and, although it has first-rate tourist accommodations and amenities, remains very much a low-key destination. Because of that, Nevis lacks many of the distractions that can interfere with studying.
