Birthday Cake - Complements of Emily, Katie and Monique
The cake bakers/decorators! So much talent on one little island
Ladies getting their game on....
My poker face!
That's right....look at the chips...those are real Dominican noodles there!
Dec 11, 2010
Birthday Island Style
So once again I am spending my birthdays overseas, in a foreign country and in HOT HUMID WEATHER! But thanks to the great friends I've made here we had a great night - full of cake, poker and chocolate. What more could a gal ask for.
Nov 11, 2010
Veteran's Day
Wow it's really been over a month since I've updated...teaching, getting in shape, being a wife and house manager are really keeping me busy....I wanted to give a quick update and some reflections on Veteran's Day though and will try to do better....
UPDATE
We are five weeks from going home and I can hardly wait! I don't know what's in store for us on our quick little visit home but I know we both get to see our families and that is more than enough for both of us. Life has it's ups and downs on the island and lately I feel like it's been a little more up but with bigger downs.
The ups - playing softball, running, baking (we have chocolate chips!) helping with church and trying to stay creative have all been great ups but the lows have been a little lower than usual. Missing family, hating the heat and wanting to go home have been really hard. It has helped to talk with family and friends and to skype and see my new niece and nephew, but it's still not the same as being home. All this homesickness has led to a love/hate relationship with facebook. I LOVE being able to see everyone's updates and all that they are doing in their lives, but it's hard.....sometimes I feel like Kelsey and I are stuck in some sort of time warp and the rest of the world is going on, moving on, without us! And I HATE that! I feel like we'll come back and everyone will have fancy flying cars and be talking about the latest song/movie/book/show/ that we've never even heard of! But then as quickly as they come these lows disappear and another high comes along.
Much of this I know has been my choice to focus more on God. No magic recipe (5 prayers a day, with two chapters of the bible, mix with three worship songs and rest for 8 hrs....) No it's just little ole me, doing what I can each day to remind myself to think on Him and His goodness, and somehow the time is passing by and before I know it I will be getting back on a plane to go to Philly and to see friends and family. It's been a hard balance though....to enjoy and get all that God has for me in this time here on Dominica and to not constantly focus on the future of when we get to leave (for good). A very special THANK YOU to all who continue to keep us in your prayers and send us emails and words of encouragement....they mean more to us than you know.
VETERAN'S DAY:
Today has two special places in my heart. The first is it is or was my grandparents anniversary! They would have been married for 67 years this year and it's hard to believe at times that they are still not here anymore. It got me to thinking about being married that long. I remember when my grandfather passed away almost 3 years ago this Christmas and in talking with my grandma she said "You know I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't married to your grandfather" (they had been married for 64 years at the time). I was so shocked, (not being married at the time) I couldn't think of being with someone for so long that you wouldn't remember a time without them. Now on the flip side of that coin (marriage that is) I look forward to one day having 64 years with Kelsey and being able to look back on this time in Dominica and all the years to come and think "I can't remember a time when Kelsey wasn't in my life". What a beautiful thing to be able to celebrate all the ups and downs, joys and sorrow of you WHOLE life with another person! Thanks grandma and grandpa for showing your granddaughters that God, love and hard work can make a beautiful life!
The second of course was Veteran's Day! As I sat there and saw the numerous facebook posts (still on the love/hate relationship but check in several times a day) and realized that outside of a friend here in Dominica and my father and uncles, I don't know anyone in the military. I remember growing up that is was sooooo common to talk about Veteran's Day at school and EVERYONE had someone in their family that was in the military. In fact in my grandfather's and father's time you could get drafted into the military, and not that all agreed with it, but most I feel felt it was an honor to serve their country and to protect the liberties and freedoms that we all cherish in this country. I know military life isn't for me or for most of the people I know which makes me wonder who will be protecting our freedoms and liberties in the future? I am comforted though in knowing that as long as we have been a country there have always been people willing to fight (physically) to make it happen. So be sure to thank those that fight for us and our country, not just on Veteran's Day or Labor Day or Memorial Day, but each and every day in person, prayer or remembrance.
Until next time - live out the LOVE God has placed in you!
UPDATE
We are five weeks from going home and I can hardly wait! I don't know what's in store for us on our quick little visit home but I know we both get to see our families and that is more than enough for both of us. Life has it's ups and downs on the island and lately I feel like it's been a little more up but with bigger downs.
The ups - playing softball, running, baking (we have chocolate chips!) helping with church and trying to stay creative have all been great ups but the lows have been a little lower than usual. Missing family, hating the heat and wanting to go home have been really hard. It has helped to talk with family and friends and to skype and see my new niece and nephew, but it's still not the same as being home. All this homesickness has led to a love/hate relationship with facebook. I LOVE being able to see everyone's updates and all that they are doing in their lives, but it's hard.....sometimes I feel like Kelsey and I are stuck in some sort of time warp and the rest of the world is going on, moving on, without us! And I HATE that! I feel like we'll come back and everyone will have fancy flying cars and be talking about the latest song/movie/book/show/ that we've never even heard of! But then as quickly as they come these lows disappear and another high comes along.
Much of this I know has been my choice to focus more on God. No magic recipe (5 prayers a day, with two chapters of the bible, mix with three worship songs and rest for 8 hrs....) No it's just little ole me, doing what I can each day to remind myself to think on Him and His goodness, and somehow the time is passing by and before I know it I will be getting back on a plane to go to Philly and to see friends and family. It's been a hard balance though....to enjoy and get all that God has for me in this time here on Dominica and to not constantly focus on the future of when we get to leave (for good). A very special THANK YOU to all who continue to keep us in your prayers and send us emails and words of encouragement....they mean more to us than you know.
VETERAN'S DAY:
Today has two special places in my heart. The first is it is or was my grandparents anniversary! They would have been married for 67 years this year and it's hard to believe at times that they are still not here anymore. It got me to thinking about being married that long. I remember when my grandfather passed away almost 3 years ago this Christmas and in talking with my grandma she said "You know I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't married to your grandfather" (they had been married for 64 years at the time). I was so shocked, (not being married at the time) I couldn't think of being with someone for so long that you wouldn't remember a time without them. Now on the flip side of that coin (marriage that is) I look forward to one day having 64 years with Kelsey and being able to look back on this time in Dominica and all the years to come and think "I can't remember a time when Kelsey wasn't in my life". What a beautiful thing to be able to celebrate all the ups and downs, joys and sorrow of you WHOLE life with another person! Thanks grandma and grandpa for showing your granddaughters that God, love and hard work can make a beautiful life!
The second of course was Veteran's Day! As I sat there and saw the numerous facebook posts (still on the love/hate relationship but check in several times a day) and realized that outside of a friend here in Dominica and my father and uncles, I don't know anyone in the military. I remember growing up that is was sooooo common to talk about Veteran's Day at school and EVERYONE had someone in their family that was in the military. In fact in my grandfather's and father's time you could get drafted into the military, and not that all agreed with it, but most I feel felt it was an honor to serve their country and to protect the liberties and freedoms that we all cherish in this country. I know military life isn't for me or for most of the people I know which makes me wonder who will be protecting our freedoms and liberties in the future? I am comforted though in knowing that as long as we have been a country there have always been people willing to fight (physically) to make it happen. So be sure to thank those that fight for us and our country, not just on Veteran's Day or Labor Day or Memorial Day, but each and every day in person, prayer or remembrance.
Until next time - live out the LOVE God has placed in you!
Oct 24, 2010
In my own back yard
In my own backyard is a pool - while not really in my backyard, but at the school's housing there is a pool that many of the spouses, students and kids love to go to for a "pool day". Today was the last "pool day" for one of my friends Chelsey who coincidentally I met at the pool my first week here when Kelsey was at school. My only other friend at the time Emily. Chelsey was so welcoming and even texted me a number of where to get my laundry done! She's a mom of an adorable little girl, from Utah, loves the suburbs and Anthropologie. Well this sweet friend will be traveling back to the States with her daughter as her husband finishes up his 4th and last semester here in Dominica. It got me thinking how in only 5 months I was able to make such a great friend! What was it that made our friendship develop so quickly. Was it the shared struggles: shopping at stores hours away, paying ridiculous prices to have AC running in our homes, sweating where ever you walk - WALKING to get anywhere in incredible heat! Of course these all played a role, but I think it was so much more than this.
The women I have met here in Dominica have bypassed the "coffee shop" friend, the "see out and about" friend, and the "let's go to the mall" friend, directly to the "heart to heart" friends. These women have become friends that I can confide in and share with, even exposing the dark and ugly parts of myself that I don't want to face myself - let alone share. Part of this is because I know they KNOW where I am coming from......we all have husbands who are med students and we all know what it's like to see your husband for short stints at a time. We also all have the luxury of living within a mile of each other, and due to the lack up hubby time at night - we are able to schedule "Glee Nights" (thanks Meagan) and Bible Studies to get to know each other at a much more intimate level.
But it is also because we made an EFFORT to get to know each other! Each woman here has had to at one time or another make the first step to be the one to say "hi" and not wait for someone to say "hi" to her first. It's an environment where you have two choices: you can sit in your house (which even in this someone WILL call and see how you are doing) and be all alone or you can put yourself out there (emotionally speaking) chance rejection and see what type of people you will meet. I have met people from all over the United States from all different backgrounds. Some from cities, others small towns, some had careers, some were stay at home moms, but ALL have been amazing women with AMAZING stories that truly have only just begun.
If I never came to Dominica - would I have gotten this revelation about women and friendships? Would I have realized the importance of investing in neighbors who are literally "next door". Would I have discovered the treasures in friendships hidden in the hearts of women who are different from me? Would I have been so bold as to force myself to be the one to initiate the friendship. I don't know that I would. Before Dominica making friends was a result of where I worked (I've been blessed to make great friends with my coworkers), where I went to church, or where I went to school. There was not a challenge to meet my neighbor, share my struggles, open my heart to those around me. I was comfortable seeking out people who were like me - city lovers, creative types, single, (more recently married) and who know the joys of a great glass of wine! But now I've discovered something much more valuable than gold on my island adventure....I've discovered the value of investing in others who had different lives, backgrounds than me. This little nugget of knowledge I pray to take back with me to any city that Kelsey and I may move to.
Until next time - I leave you with this.....if it's been years, decades, months, since you have made friends with someone in a one mile radius from your home....try baking some cookies and meeting your neighbors, you never know what hidden treasures are right in your own back yard!
The women I have met here in Dominica have bypassed the "coffee shop" friend, the "see out and about" friend, and the "let's go to the mall" friend, directly to the "heart to heart" friends. These women have become friends that I can confide in and share with, even exposing the dark and ugly parts of myself that I don't want to face myself - let alone share. Part of this is because I know they KNOW where I am coming from......we all have husbands who are med students and we all know what it's like to see your husband for short stints at a time. We also all have the luxury of living within a mile of each other, and due to the lack up hubby time at night - we are able to schedule "Glee Nights" (thanks Meagan) and Bible Studies to get to know each other at a much more intimate level.
But it is also because we made an EFFORT to get to know each other! Each woman here has had to at one time or another make the first step to be the one to say "hi" and not wait for someone to say "hi" to her first. It's an environment where you have two choices: you can sit in your house (which even in this someone WILL call and see how you are doing) and be all alone or you can put yourself out there (emotionally speaking) chance rejection and see what type of people you will meet. I have met people from all over the United States from all different backgrounds. Some from cities, others small towns, some had careers, some were stay at home moms, but ALL have been amazing women with AMAZING stories that truly have only just begun.
If I never came to Dominica - would I have gotten this revelation about women and friendships? Would I have realized the importance of investing in neighbors who are literally "next door". Would I have discovered the treasures in friendships hidden in the hearts of women who are different from me? Would I have been so bold as to force myself to be the one to initiate the friendship. I don't know that I would. Before Dominica making friends was a result of where I worked (I've been blessed to make great friends with my coworkers), where I went to church, or where I went to school. There was not a challenge to meet my neighbor, share my struggles, open my heart to those around me. I was comfortable seeking out people who were like me - city lovers, creative types, single, (more recently married) and who know the joys of a great glass of wine! But now I've discovered something much more valuable than gold on my island adventure....I've discovered the value of investing in others who had different lives, backgrounds than me. This little nugget of knowledge I pray to take back with me to any city that Kelsey and I may move to.
Until next time - I leave you with this.....if it's been years, decades, months, since you have made friends with someone in a one mile radius from your home....try baking some cookies and meeting your neighbors, you never know what hidden treasures are right in your own back yard!
Oct 3, 2010
Time to get back into the routine of things......semester 2 style
Ok family and friends, I have been a horrible blogger. With the last update somewhere in August so much has been going on and happening I haven't found the time to sit down and update everyone with where we are and how we are doing.
So I will now attempt to give a brief, (with details to follow in another post) synopsis of our lives and where we are in life.
Location: Still Dominica although we had a brief 5 day excursion in St. Lucia (via a 4 hour ferry - thank God for the invention of Dramamine) It was a great way to relax and not do a whole lot for the first part of the break before everything went crazy!
Life on Dominica During the break: The break was a little hectic as Kelsey and I were chosen to do welcoming committee and in addition to that I was heading up the welcome meals for new incoming students during the same time, and I began working at the Preparatory School on September 1st.....oh and did I mention that we had to move as well! Yes it was quite the busy time, but we love the new apartment (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom) and we just need to decorate it to really have it feel like home! (pictures to come we have a great view of the ocean from our kitchen and one of the bedrooms).
School: Kelsey and I both started school on September 6th! What a difference a semester makes. Kelsey is now taking 6 classes instead of 4 and has classes from 8-5 almost every single night, with labs, and clubs and now because he had such great grades, he is tutoring first semester students! He is busy to say the least! Oddly enough, because I am on campus during the days and until 5 or so each night I actually get to see him quite a bit. We see each other for 20 minutes or more at lunch and sometimes even after school! I am teaching math to 3rd - 7th graders (about 18 kids in total) but it is a lot of prep as each class, even if there are only 2 people in the class, need to have their own lesson plan. And then I am teaching Social Studies to 4th/5th graders as well. It is a different challenge for teaching, but it is one I am looking forward to. And now that I have gotten back into the rhythm of everything I am not at school every night til 7pm. And the children are wonderful! They all really want to learn and do their homework and everything. While we still have issues about what we can get on the island, for the most part we have textbooks and supplies for all of our students. I also work with four other great teachers (2 or dominicans and 1 is from the states and 1 from Canada) the non-dominican teachers have a spouse that are attending Ross right now.
Home: The best part about this post is that we will be coming home to the states for Christmas! We will be arriving on US soil on December 18th! And the best part is that Kelsey and I will both get to see our families and our nieces and nephews! God is sooo good. We are excited to see everyone and to really just have a time of celebration with family and friends. We have missed all of you so much and know that you are all in our prayers and thoughts. Of course we will also enjoy having some great food back in the states that we can't get here is a great little treat too!
Well that is all for now...please keep Kelsey in your prayers as he has his first mini (think midterm) for school and has already had his neuro practical (another test) and will have an anatomy practical a week from Wednesay.
Until next time....remember to hold each other up in prayer...it's the best support you can give!
So I will now attempt to give a brief, (with details to follow in another post) synopsis of our lives and where we are in life.
Location: Still Dominica although we had a brief 5 day excursion in St. Lucia (via a 4 hour ferry - thank God for the invention of Dramamine) It was a great way to relax and not do a whole lot for the first part of the break before everything went crazy!
Life on Dominica During the break: The break was a little hectic as Kelsey and I were chosen to do welcoming committee and in addition to that I was heading up the welcome meals for new incoming students during the same time, and I began working at the Preparatory School on September 1st.....oh and did I mention that we had to move as well! Yes it was quite the busy time, but we love the new apartment (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom) and we just need to decorate it to really have it feel like home! (pictures to come we have a great view of the ocean from our kitchen and one of the bedrooms).
School: Kelsey and I both started school on September 6th! What a difference a semester makes. Kelsey is now taking 6 classes instead of 4 and has classes from 8-5 almost every single night, with labs, and clubs and now because he had such great grades, he is tutoring first semester students! He is busy to say the least! Oddly enough, because I am on campus during the days and until 5 or so each night I actually get to see him quite a bit. We see each other for 20 minutes or more at lunch and sometimes even after school! I am teaching math to 3rd - 7th graders (about 18 kids in total) but it is a lot of prep as each class, even if there are only 2 people in the class, need to have their own lesson plan. And then I am teaching Social Studies to 4th/5th graders as well. It is a different challenge for teaching, but it is one I am looking forward to. And now that I have gotten back into the rhythm of everything I am not at school every night til 7pm. And the children are wonderful! They all really want to learn and do their homework and everything. While we still have issues about what we can get on the island, for the most part we have textbooks and supplies for all of our students. I also work with four other great teachers (2 or dominicans and 1 is from the states and 1 from Canada) the non-dominican teachers have a spouse that are attending Ross right now.
Home: The best part about this post is that we will be coming home to the states for Christmas! We will be arriving on US soil on December 18th! And the best part is that Kelsey and I will both get to see our families and our nieces and nephews! God is sooo good. We are excited to see everyone and to really just have a time of celebration with family and friends. We have missed all of you so much and know that you are all in our prayers and thoughts. Of course we will also enjoy having some great food back in the states that we can't get here is a great little treat too!
Well that is all for now...please keep Kelsey in your prayers as he has his first mini (think midterm) for school and has already had his neuro practical (another test) and will have an anatomy practical a week from Wednesay.
Until next time....remember to hold each other up in prayer...it's the best support you can give!
Aug 4, 2010
July 2010 - The Second Half
Hey Family and Friends,
I know I know, it's been a while since there was a post about our glorious adventures here in Dominica. And it hasn't been because they were non existent, on the contrary I have been super busy these last few weeks of July and August is moving full speed ahead (no boat pun intended).
Let us go back to the last post of July 18th....that was a rainy rainy night (as have been most of the nights in July). But it was the night before my first ever CANOE RACE! That's right folks, yours truly participated in the Kabuli (local beer) Canoe Races for Dive Fest 2010! What is Dive Fest you ask? Well I'm not really sure but I know it has something to do with highlighting all the awesome and amazing dive spots around the island and believe it or not - there are people who fly in just for THIS WEEKEND! Why I have no idea but they do and we had a pretty big crowd for the races.....
The spouses ended up having 3 teams (4 each) and we had a blast - we were 3 of only 4 female teams and we took 1st, 2nd (my team) and 3rd in our heat, but we had to leave before the finals.....we thought the races would start around 1pm (but because it's an island event and therefore on island time it didn't actually start until 3pm and our heat didn't begin until 4:45pm) Here is my team.....
So all of this was happening in the middle of July - right about the time Kelsey was studying for mini 2. He will eventually have had 3 minis, 5 practicals and 1 final. Whew I'm exhausted just typing it all out. So what better way for me to keep busy than by playing some sports.....yep I'm on a softball team now made up mostly of spouses called "Shake n Bake" (Talladega Nights anyone?). It was great - took the female spot that was left vacant when two other females left the island.....so I got to play in two regular season games and two season finale games where we .......
Became the #1 Champs for Summer 2010 semester! And we did it with only 9 people (10 is the norm).
Also beginning the middle of July I began working one on one with a incoming kindergartner at the school during Summer Camp (held at the preparatory school). His name is Jack and he is adorable. It was a great new challenge because Jack has several learning disabilities and it was a nice change of pace to be able to work one on one with a student instead of a whole class as I normally have in the past. It was also a great way for me to get to know the students that I will be teaching in the fall =) which with the way things are working it looks like I will be teaching 4-7th grade English and Social Studies! I'm really excited about this year it's a different type of teaching and the other teachers I will be working with are great!
We are super excited that our living arrangements are changing. Starting around Aug 25th we will move into a 2 bed/ 2 bath apartment where we will have lots more space and an ACTUAL kitchen! I can't wait to be able to have more cupboards and a counter to cook on! God is sooooo good to us! This is also a GREAT time for any of you that would like to visit - you will have your own room and BATHROOM complete with extra beach towels! We're not sure we're going to keep it the whole time but for this semester it will be our home (we have a habit now of moving every 4 months and we don't want to stop now LOL) The only tough part is paying more rent, about $300 more than we are right now.....but as always God provides a way.
And a way he did! Kelsey and I were both excepted to be on the Welcoming Committee for Ross (which is apparently really rare for 1st semester students to get - which we quickly realized when we saw that out of 20 members there were only 4 of us from 1st semester). Being on the Welcome Committee will require us to go on several trips around the island (some we did when we first arrived, but others we didn't get the chance to) and will help with campus tours, welcoming and greeting people as they arrive off the bus from the airport and helping out with other various orientation tasks. It's great because the money we will make will cover the cost of our increase it rent! So once again God has thought of EVERYTHING and again I am learning that I need not worry but to "trust in the Lord with all my heart, and with all my soul and with all my might!"
Lastly Kelsey and I will be taking a much needed vacation (really more Kelsey than me LOL) once his final is over on the 17th. We will be taking a ferry (cross your fingers and hope I don't get really really sick) to St. Lucia! We are going with another 1st Semester couple and it should be a great time to relax, enjoy nice pools and beaches, run AC all night long and eat some great food (not to mention stock up on supplies from their grocery stores - literally that was the advice one spouse who had been there before gave me because "good" grocery stores are rare here in Dominica).
I know I know, it's been a while since there was a post about our glorious adventures here in Dominica. And it hasn't been because they were non existent, on the contrary I have been super busy these last few weeks of July and August is moving full speed ahead (no boat pun intended).
Let us go back to the last post of July 18th....that was a rainy rainy night (as have been most of the nights in July). But it was the night before my first ever CANOE RACE! That's right folks, yours truly participated in the Kabuli (local beer) Canoe Races for Dive Fest 2010! What is Dive Fest you ask? Well I'm not really sure but I know it has something to do with highlighting all the awesome and amazing dive spots around the island and believe it or not - there are people who fly in just for THIS WEEKEND! Why I have no idea but they do and we had a pretty big crowd for the races.....
Also beginning the middle of July I began working one on one with a incoming kindergartner at the school during Summer Camp (held at the preparatory school). His name is Jack and he is adorable. It was a great new challenge because Jack has several learning disabilities and it was a nice change of pace to be able to work one on one with a student instead of a whole class as I normally have in the past. It was also a great way for me to get to know the students that I will be teaching in the fall =) which with the way things are working it looks like I will be teaching 4-7th grade English and Social Studies! I'm really excited about this year it's a different type of teaching and the other teachers I will be working with are great!
We are super excited that our living arrangements are changing. Starting around Aug 25th we will move into a 2 bed/ 2 bath apartment where we will have lots more space and an ACTUAL kitchen! I can't wait to be able to have more cupboards and a counter to cook on! God is sooooo good to us! This is also a GREAT time for any of you that would like to visit - you will have your own room and BATHROOM complete with extra beach towels! We're not sure we're going to keep it the whole time but for this semester it will be our home (we have a habit now of moving every 4 months and we don't want to stop now LOL) The only tough part is paying more rent, about $300 more than we are right now.....but as always God provides a way.
And a way he did! Kelsey and I were both excepted to be on the Welcoming Committee for Ross (which is apparently really rare for 1st semester students to get - which we quickly realized when we saw that out of 20 members there were only 4 of us from 1st semester). Being on the Welcome Committee will require us to go on several trips around the island (some we did when we first arrived, but others we didn't get the chance to) and will help with campus tours, welcoming and greeting people as they arrive off the bus from the airport and helping out with other various orientation tasks. It's great because the money we will make will cover the cost of our increase it rent! So once again God has thought of EVERYTHING and again I am learning that I need not worry but to "trust in the Lord with all my heart, and with all my soul and with all my might!"
Lastly Kelsey and I will be taking a much needed vacation (really more Kelsey than me LOL) once his final is over on the 17th. We will be taking a ferry (cross your fingers and hope I don't get really really sick) to St. Lucia! We are going with another 1st Semester couple and it should be a great time to relax, enjoy nice pools and beaches, run AC all night long and eat some great food (not to mention stock up on supplies from their grocery stores - literally that was the advice one spouse who had been there before gave me because "good" grocery stores are rare here in Dominica).
Our Room at the 4.5 star resort Coco Palm
The Pools at our hotel.........
I promise to try and update more often....hopefully posting some pics from the ballet recital I'm having this Saturday for my Mommy and Me dance class.
Oh one thing I almost forgot......we would love to hear from you! You can send us pictures, cards, snacks, cookies, candy, etc......it's really like camp here and getting packages from home brings such joy! Most of all Kelsey and I would really like some pictures of Friends and Family! We miss all of you and would love to have your smiling faces on our walls :)
You can mail letters and packages to the following address (use USPS for the best rates):
KELSEY BUDD 1ST SEMESTER
(767) 255-6500 Ross University School of Medicine
P.O. Box 266 Portsmouth Campus Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies (there are no zip codes here)
Until Next TIME - remember to be thankful for the little things you have in life.....the hugs, the sunsets, the silent moments with a loved one, the beauty of God's creation.....each little thing is life is a gift from God!
Jul 18, 2010
Rain Rain Go Away - It's a bad thing today
Ok so after falling in love with the sound of thunder and the beautiful lightening that lights up the ENTIRE sky - I am about done with the rainy season.
It all started Tuesday night when I so lovingly agreed to take Kelsey dinner at 8pm after his Anatomy TA session (I know I know - he's such a lucky guy ;-p). Well around 7pm it started to rain, and when I say started to rain, I mean monsoon, hurricane preparatory, end of the world, beginning of the 2nd great flood type of rain! While making dinner I literally heard the windows and door rattling because the thunder was so loud/close and then the lights kept going out. So I was sitting on my bed (this is due to the small apartment with no other real furniture other than a desk and chair) thinking to myself...."if it will just die down a little I can walk quickly to the Annex (about 5 minutes away) and hop in a shuttle to campus (about another 10 min walk from the Annex) and not being in a scary apartment that has lights going out and no cable" really the no cable was what was mostly motivating me to leave....SO around 7:50 I hear it die down, I rush to the Annex, wading through about 6 inches of a mini river that is now crossing the main street and arrive to find the shuttle there waiting. Alas I have been saved, I arrive on campus with dinner, laptop (to entertain myself), and fairly dry. If this was the worst the rainy season was going to through at me, I was not only ready to take it on, I was going to CONQUEROR it!
Until Thursday night when I came home to make dinner and discovered.....................
Ewwwww.....these are what are called "flying ants".....and literally I kid you not there were over 100 of them on my kitchen floor when I was trying to make dinner. These little ants will come out after a big rain (or apparently before a big storm) and the fly all around and towards any light....and because I had left our windows open - they are small enough to get through the screen.....
They will fly around, bite you and then die on the floor - it's really gross and makes me feel like I'm in some sort of weird horror movie. So rainy season - if this is what you are going to through at me I would like to retract my previous statement and say - "Can't we all just get along??????"
Until next time family and friends......
It all started Tuesday night when I so lovingly agreed to take Kelsey dinner at 8pm after his Anatomy TA session (I know I know - he's such a lucky guy ;-p). Well around 7pm it started to rain, and when I say started to rain, I mean monsoon, hurricane preparatory, end of the world, beginning of the 2nd great flood type of rain! While making dinner I literally heard the windows and door rattling because the thunder was so loud/close and then the lights kept going out. So I was sitting on my bed (this is due to the small apartment with no other real furniture other than a desk and chair) thinking to myself...."if it will just die down a little I can walk quickly to the Annex (about 5 minutes away) and hop in a shuttle to campus (about another 10 min walk from the Annex) and not being in a scary apartment that has lights going out and no cable" really the no cable was what was mostly motivating me to leave....SO around 7:50 I hear it die down, I rush to the Annex, wading through about 6 inches of a mini river that is now crossing the main street and arrive to find the shuttle there waiting. Alas I have been saved, I arrive on campus with dinner, laptop (to entertain myself), and fairly dry. If this was the worst the rainy season was going to through at me, I was not only ready to take it on, I was going to CONQUEROR it!
Until Thursday night when I came home to make dinner and discovered.....................
Until next time family and friends......
Jul 13, 2010
Rain Rain Go Away - It's a good thing today!
Yes family and friends it is rainy season here in Dominica and I'm finally seeing the repercussions of this as our trip to see the 7 waterfalls was canceled. So sad and now I am left to sit in the apartment all day because every 30 minutes or so a HUGE downpour of rain will pass through making it almost impossible to walk anywhere in flip flops....
On the other hand it gives me plenty of time to oooh and aaahhh over my new nephew Christopher Scott Pennewell Jr.! He was born yesterday at 1am (about 5 weeks early) at a healthy 5 lbs 10 oz, 18 1/2 inches, and is a beautiful new addition to the Pennewell clan. I'm so happy for my sister Danielle and brother-in-;aw Chris as this is their first child :)
He's so adorable - I wish I could have been there but thank God for technology and being able to see him on facebook and email.
Welcome to the world Baby Scott! We love you lots and lots!
Until next time - Love always and with all you have!
On the other hand it gives me plenty of time to oooh and aaahhh over my new nephew Christopher Scott Pennewell Jr.! He was born yesterday at 1am (about 5 weeks early) at a healthy 5 lbs 10 oz, 18 1/2 inches, and is a beautiful new addition to the Pennewell clan. I'm so happy for my sister Danielle and brother-in-;aw Chris as this is their first child :)
Welcome to the world Baby Scott! We love you lots and lots!
Until next time - Love always and with all you have!
Jul 2, 2010
Long time NO POST....Life of a wife come mini 2
Hey Friends and Fam:
I know it's been a while since I posted so I thought I would update folks on our life and what has been happening here in Dominica.
For starters it's July! Yes I have absolutely NO IDEA where the month of June went - which is pretty sad considering I don't have a full time job right now to take away half of each and every day. None the less, the month has gone and it means we are two months closer to moving - ah you say to where.....and much like most of my life is where the story begins....
We had been looking for apartments closer to school and although we were willing to go higher than our current rent of $500 we didn't want to break the bank (what little is left) while we were doing it either. So the search began, endless conversations with random people always had a "so where do you live?" question weaseled into it somehow....and finally we thought we had hit the Dominican jackpot (ironically I just found out today that there is indeed a Dominican lottery - however, it's the scratch off kind - no powerball here folks). We had found an apartment only 6 minutes from school, on a paved road that was actually a 2 - bedroom - this meant for all of you coming down you would have an actual bed to sleep on and not some air mattress (although let's be real a free room is a free room - know what I mean....)
Anyways, the landlord had told me that they wouldn't know until the end of the week and kindly showed us a 1 bedroom as well - which we thought were nice, but didn't want to sign up for unless we absolutely had to. So prayers went up, fingers were crossed and we got a call saying she didn't know whether the 2 bedroom would be available, but we could give a deposit for a one bedroom and still move to the two bedroom later on.....ok not bad. The one bedroom was alright (bedroom with desk, kitchen with desk, etc.) However I failed to notice on the first visit that the 2nd floor 1 bedroom opened to the street (everything is on a hill here) and that wasn't going to work out.....so now we are back on the hunt and only have a week until the *new* first semesters are allowed to find an apartment as well. So once again we're back to prayers, fingers crossed to find a place that is close to campus, NOT $1000 a month and maybe just maybe some place we can call home for the next year (scary - it will still be an actual year that we need to stay).
As the title of this little snippet also indicates we are currently living in the week/weekend before mini 2. For those not down on this little gem of a island that means I don't see my husband until 2am or later each night and I bring meals upon which I get a quick kiss before he heads back to the laptop to watch lectures at double time! (trust me - the professors here speak so slow - double time is needed for most!) So I have made do this week with trying to make no bake cookies for a bake sale (sad attempt considering it was so humid and hot this week that they melted upon delivery), watched sex and the city with some other spouses, actually worked out a few days, taught a dance class for little people (2 -4 year olds, not ACTUAL little people), played a fake patient for some 2nd semester students and made some dinners from scratch....all in all productive and a little exhausting.
Last but not least a *new* discovery!!!! SAVE A LOT - to the average American this little phrase may mean no more than a mere discount store - but to me and the rest of the spouses here on the island - it is as if the heavens have opened up and God has poured out his own sweet manna! Save a Lot my friends is the newest grocery store and pharmacy to hit Roseau (capital and about an hours drive from campus). It not only has great deals, but an actual PRODUCE section - you can get apples, asparagus, fresh broccoli....it's incredible!!!! I know I know you all must think I have lost my mind, but the littlest things here truly do make a difference. I have had limited fresh veggies while here on the island and I am so excited to try something new (or old - as in I used to have it at home).....plus they have a *real* meat section!!!! Most of the meat we get here is ground up in those 1lb tubes (which I had never eaten until I arrived here - but when you are looking for USDA approved you go with what you can get). So now I am hoping my every three week trip to Roseau for our main groceries will be more fruitful and that we will have a healthier diet because of it....still looking out for good dark chocolate, but you can't have it all in one month!
Well that's the update for now - will try to be better about posting more often....
Remember to Love those you are with when you're with them for before you know it they're not with you anymore................
I know it's been a while since I posted so I thought I would update folks on our life and what has been happening here in Dominica.
For starters it's July! Yes I have absolutely NO IDEA where the month of June went - which is pretty sad considering I don't have a full time job right now to take away half of each and every day. None the less, the month has gone and it means we are two months closer to moving - ah you say to where.....and much like most of my life is where the story begins....
We had been looking for apartments closer to school and although we were willing to go higher than our current rent of $500 we didn't want to break the bank (what little is left) while we were doing it either. So the search began, endless conversations with random people always had a "so where do you live?" question weaseled into it somehow....and finally we thought we had hit the Dominican jackpot (ironically I just found out today that there is indeed a Dominican lottery - however, it's the scratch off kind - no powerball here folks). We had found an apartment only 6 minutes from school, on a paved road that was actually a 2 - bedroom - this meant for all of you coming down you would have an actual bed to sleep on and not some air mattress (although let's be real a free room is a free room - know what I mean....)
Anyways, the landlord had told me that they wouldn't know until the end of the week and kindly showed us a 1 bedroom as well - which we thought were nice, but didn't want to sign up for unless we absolutely had to. So prayers went up, fingers were crossed and we got a call saying she didn't know whether the 2 bedroom would be available, but we could give a deposit for a one bedroom and still move to the two bedroom later on.....ok not bad. The one bedroom was alright (bedroom with desk, kitchen with desk, etc.) However I failed to notice on the first visit that the 2nd floor 1 bedroom opened to the street (everything is on a hill here) and that wasn't going to work out.....so now we are back on the hunt and only have a week until the *new* first semesters are allowed to find an apartment as well. So once again we're back to prayers, fingers crossed to find a place that is close to campus, NOT $1000 a month and maybe just maybe some place we can call home for the next year (scary - it will still be an actual year that we need to stay).
As the title of this little snippet also indicates we are currently living in the week/weekend before mini 2. For those not down on this little gem of a island that means I don't see my husband until 2am or later each night and I bring meals upon which I get a quick kiss before he heads back to the laptop to watch lectures at double time! (trust me - the professors here speak so slow - double time is needed for most!) So I have made do this week with trying to make no bake cookies for a bake sale (sad attempt considering it was so humid and hot this week that they melted upon delivery), watched sex and the city with some other spouses, actually worked out a few days, taught a dance class for little people (2 -4 year olds, not ACTUAL little people), played a fake patient for some 2nd semester students and made some dinners from scratch....all in all productive and a little exhausting.
Last but not least a *new* discovery!!!! SAVE A LOT - to the average American this little phrase may mean no more than a mere discount store - but to me and the rest of the spouses here on the island - it is as if the heavens have opened up and God has poured out his own sweet manna! Save a Lot my friends is the newest grocery store and pharmacy to hit Roseau (capital and about an hours drive from campus). It not only has great deals, but an actual PRODUCE section - you can get apples, asparagus, fresh broccoli....it's incredible!!!! I know I know you all must think I have lost my mind, but the littlest things here truly do make a difference. I have had limited fresh veggies while here on the island and I am so excited to try something new (or old - as in I used to have it at home).....plus they have a *real* meat section!!!! Most of the meat we get here is ground up in those 1lb tubes (which I had never eaten until I arrived here - but when you are looking for USDA approved you go with what you can get). So now I am hoping my every three week trip to Roseau for our main groceries will be more fruitful and that we will have a healthier diet because of it....still looking out for good dark chocolate, but you can't have it all in one month!
Well that's the update for now - will try to be better about posting more often....
Remember to Love those you are with when you're with them for before you know it they're not with you anymore................
Jun 23, 2010
First Year Anniversary Take 2
So the ACTUAL day of our Anniversary was the week before the Anatomy exam so as our previous post stated, we decided to lay low until the next weekend.
We were in luck! The Wellness Group was going Zip Lining (one of our new favorite things after Thailand) so we decided to go there in the morning and go out to dinner later on.
We were in luck! The Wellness Group was going Zip Lining (one of our new favorite things after Thailand) so we decided to go there in the morning and go out to dinner later on.
All geared up and ready to hit the zip lines!
This was the HARDEST part for me! My arms were killing me afterward.
Kelsey making his way through the course! It isn't as easy as it looks :)
This was the last zip of the trip - it was awesome we went back and forth over the river!
Starting dinner off right with some wine and a Heineken.
Beautiful deck right over looking the ocean
Sunset!
Happy couple 1 year after.......
So we finally got to have our anniversary dinner and drinks and went home and made peanutbutter popcorn and watched a movie - couldn't have asked for a better night......
Jun 16, 2010
Do You Know What Today is........................................It's our Anniversary (made for you and me)
Thanks to Tony, Toni, Tone' I always hear "Anniversary" play in my head each and every time I even say the word! And Sunday was no exception as it was our very first WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!! It completely baffles me how a year has gone by and we have already done so much and grown leaps and bounds in our relationship.
Since last June we have moved FOUR times. Kelsey moved in with me at his sisters apartment - Philly, we moved to our fabulous little studio in August in Rittenhouse Square - still Philly, we moved into Budd Manor in January - Moorestown, and into our first studio/1 bedroom Dominican style - Picard, Dominica and will move again this August into our final apartment (hopefully) here in Dominica.
Since last June Kelsey and I have been to FOUR countries. Kelsey and I went to part 1 of our honeymoon in St. Kitts in the Caribbean, in November Kelsey went to Mozambique while I drove cross country to Louisiana, in December Kelsey and I traveled all over Thailand for part 2 of our honeymoon and then this past April we moved to Dominica for the next 16 months while Kelsey is attending medical school.
At times, I have felt like our relationship and most definitely our first year of marriage, has been like one of those chose your own adventure novels I used to read as a child. Each chapter would end with me changing the direction of the adventure based on my "choice for the characters". On this miraculous adventure called "marriage" I have wanted to "chose" (at times) the direction of our adventure, thinking I would know how it was going to go. However, each "decision" has brought me to a completely different destination than I thought. But along the way we it has brought us closer (although sometimes through precarious circumstances and stressful situations). But none the less we are closer now then we ever have been before. And I pray that this statement rings truer and truer as the years begin to pass.
As I continue to reflect upon the past year I have realized that God has and is continuing to use my beloved husband to make and mold me into the woman HE has always created me to be. My thoughts of "me" have become "we" and doing things for Kelsey fill my heart with joy more than a gift to myself ever could (ok maybe a choloe purse may come close). This is not to say that I don't have my moments of selfishness, where thoughts of "what about me" and "why does he (Kelsey) always get his way" (totally not true, but from the viewpoint of my fleshy soul it is alas the lens that I first look through).
But most of all I now know, more than ever that I have found the love of my life! He is the only one I want to wake up to each and every sweaty, hot morning here in Dominica - actually he is the ONLY one I would move to Dominica for. And he is the one that I know always has my best interest at heart - even if I can't see it at the time. He loves me like no other person in my life, for my family will love me because we're family - but Kelsey has chosen to love me for the rest of my life and I him.......it's the best gift I have ever received (aside from Jesus ;) ).
SOOOOOOO I know you are all wondering - "How did you celebrate?" Well since Kelsey had an Anatomy Practical on Tuesday we decided to play it low key - so we started with sleeping in late (which Kelsey does with ease - but I struggle with) and then had a french toast breakfast with bacon (Kelsey's favorite!) Next we went to church and then had the daunting task of where to eat! We didn't want to do a fancy dinner, since we were thinking about doing that the following Sunday to celebrate, and we didn't want to do chinese, so that didn't really leave us many options, so we ended up at.........................................
Then we came home and I finally watched the Count of Monte Cristo with Kelsey and it was great! However our celebrating doesn't stop there - this Sunday we will be ziplining and going to a fabulous dinner.....look out for future posts.
1 YEAR TOGETHER AND STILL SMILING!!!!!
Since last June we have moved FOUR times. Kelsey moved in with me at his sisters apartment - Philly, we moved to our fabulous little studio in August in Rittenhouse Square - still Philly, we moved into Budd Manor in January - Moorestown, and into our first studio/1 bedroom Dominican style - Picard, Dominica and will move again this August into our final apartment (hopefully) here in Dominica.
Since last June Kelsey and I have been to FOUR countries. Kelsey and I went to part 1 of our honeymoon in St. Kitts in the Caribbean, in November Kelsey went to Mozambique while I drove cross country to Louisiana, in December Kelsey and I traveled all over Thailand for part 2 of our honeymoon and then this past April we moved to Dominica for the next 16 months while Kelsey is attending medical school.
At times, I have felt like our relationship and most definitely our first year of marriage, has been like one of those chose your own adventure novels I used to read as a child. Each chapter would end with me changing the direction of the adventure based on my "choice for the characters". On this miraculous adventure called "marriage" I have wanted to "chose" (at times) the direction of our adventure, thinking I would know how it was going to go. However, each "decision" has brought me to a completely different destination than I thought. But along the way we it has brought us closer (although sometimes through precarious circumstances and stressful situations). But none the less we are closer now then we ever have been before. And I pray that this statement rings truer and truer as the years begin to pass.
As I continue to reflect upon the past year I have realized that God has and is continuing to use my beloved husband to make and mold me into the woman HE has always created me to be. My thoughts of "me" have become "we" and doing things for Kelsey fill my heart with joy more than a gift to myself ever could (ok maybe a choloe purse may come close). This is not to say that I don't have my moments of selfishness, where thoughts of "what about me" and "why does he (Kelsey) always get his way" (totally not true, but from the viewpoint of my fleshy soul it is alas the lens that I first look through).
But most of all I now know, more than ever that I have found the love of my life! He is the only one I want to wake up to each and every sweaty, hot morning here in Dominica - actually he is the ONLY one I would move to Dominica for. And he is the one that I know always has my best interest at heart - even if I can't see it at the time. He loves me like no other person in my life, for my family will love me because we're family - but Kelsey has chosen to love me for the rest of my life and I him.......it's the best gift I have ever received (aside from Jesus ;) ).
SOOOOOOO I know you are all wondering - "How did you celebrate?" Well since Kelsey had an Anatomy Practical on Tuesday we decided to play it low key - so we started with sleeping in late (which Kelsey does with ease - but I struggle with) and then had a french toast breakfast with bacon (Kelsey's favorite!) Next we went to church and then had the daunting task of where to eat! We didn't want to do a fancy dinner, since we were thinking about doing that the following Sunday to celebrate, and we didn't want to do chinese, so that didn't really leave us many options, so we ended up at.........................................
Yes - we did KFC!
We were starting to run out of options and neither of us was really feeling one place or another, so we ended up at the KFC which was on our way home.
Then we came home and I finally watched the Count of Monte Cristo with Kelsey and it was great! However our celebrating doesn't stop there - this Sunday we will be ziplining and going to a fabulous dinner.....look out for future posts.
Until next time - Remember to always take time each day to be thankful......for something!
Jun 11, 2010
First Mini
This Monday Kelsey took his first mini. For those of you not in med school - the mini is one of 3 that students take each semester that will test them on all 5 subjects they are studying (histology, anatomy, physiology, dps (doctor/patient/something else) and biochemistry.
Kelsey all ready to go with his #2 pencils
(that was all they could take into the testing room with them)
After the mini we went to "Beach Bash" which is thrown by the student government each semester for mini 1. It was a beautiful day and we got some free food and t-shirts out of it.
They made it through mini 1!
BEACH BASH
After the beach bash we headed to the CAC for the Ross Christian Fellowship Mini 1 Party - it was awesome! We had a blast playing Taboo and having hotdogs wrapped in bacon (well Kelsey did at least).
After mini 1 Kelsey still has a Histology exam this morning and an Anatomy Lab on Tuesday so even when you think you might get a break for a moment you don't!
Hopefully we will get to celebrate our 1st Anniversary this Sunday with at least a little dinner - we are hoping to go away for the day next weekend to go snorkeling and a nice dinner.
Until next time.......study hard (or at least try to learn something LOL)
May 30, 2010
Cook, Pray, Eat
We are finished with week 4 of living in Dominica and I haven't said a word about the food, restaurants, etc here. Because it's a university town (and I use that term liberally) just like in the good ole US of A the restaurants are expensive so I have been cooking most of our meals....
COOK
To cook in Dominica (as with everything else here) is a little bit of an adventure. First we will start off with the cooking appliances. Oven/Stove - seemed simple enough - I had a gas stove back home and I actually prefer cooking and baking with it :) Oh what's this - a propane tank?!?!?!? Yep here we cook with propane - think of your outdoor BBQ there sitting on your back porch and that little bitty tank that you hook up to it - got the picture in your head? Now remove the barbecue and replace it with an oven/stove and you have our kitchen. So here I am trying to figure out how to light the oven and stove as I wanted to bake fish (yes we get local fish right from the beach another adventure I watched the fisherman take a machete and chop off my portion of fish - awesome, gross (flies were all over the fish) cheap (only $8 ec or $3 us per pound) and tasty). Luckily our landlord was walking by and she showed me how to light the stove (no pilot light) and the oven). Oh did I mention that she raised a glass covering that was over the stove to light the stove top? Ok well she did but not all the way.....
So Kelsey and I are making one of our first meals together on the island and we did fish and rice for our friends.....we lit the stove, put down the class top and cook our meal...I think cooking over glass is a little odd, but it's Dominica so maybe they do things different. We go on to cook several more meals on our lovely stove top and this particular night I begin my first attempt at chicken/veggie fried rice. I have all of the burners going, I'm making chicken, I'm frying rice, I even added an egg, then I left the room to get some bug spray you get eaten ALIVE down here without it...and then it happens.............
CRASH, BOOM, BANG!!!!!!! I run back to the kitchen and there is glass everywhere!
PRAY
I now move into prayer mode. What do I do? How do I explain this to the landlord that we broke the glass? Was the glass faulty? Kelsey tries to phone the landlord and he can't get her. However he runs into our neighbor - tells him what happens to which the neighbor replies "You COOOKED on the GLASS ?!?!?!" Funny thing....turns out the glass was just a cover for the burners, but our racks for the burners are about a forth of an inch higher than the burner itself and there were grease stains on the glass - leading both Kelsey and I to think you cook on top. In our defense (sorry it's the lawyer in me) there was no way of knowing this information, we never had a formal walk though of our apartment, literally we moved in and have been figuring out how things work little by little (did I mention we have a switch that turns on electricity to heat the water for the shower? That was a fun one to figure out lol.)
After cleaning up all of the glass, we try several more times to call our landlord with no luck - I had to get out of the house and they were showing a movie on campus (the only cinema here) and I couldn't look at or remind myself of how dumb I had just been. In hindsight lifting the glass could make sense, but only in hindsight. As we begin to walk back to campus (keep in mind Kelsey has been completely calm this whole time - I am married to the most patient man out there) we see that our landlord is home, so we walk up to her apartment and say "Yeah we were cooking and the glass that was on top of the stove shattered...." to which her husband replies "Did you slam down the cover?" (now I'm thinking - these people are going to think we are sooooo stupid Americans now). But instead we she was so full of grace and mercy and asked if we were ok and then her husband said they should just be able to reorder the glass for the top and that was it...we were on our way!
EAT
So we finally were able to finish the fried rice when we got home (amazingly no glass got in any of the dishes)....and it was DELICIOUS! Since then I have cooked/baked many more things, including banana bread (adventure: try to figure out how long it will take to cook when you have no way to know the temperature and you just have a "high" and "a little less than high" setting for your oven), rice crispy treats (cocoa crispies were all I could find and it was generic and uber expensive but oh so worth it), mashed green bananas with garlic, cherry juice (turned out to be pretty gross - NOT AT ALL the same as when the locals make it), rice - lots of rice, turkey burgers, home fries, egg sandwhiches, and am hoping to make some more local dishes while I am here.
All in all the cuisine isn't that bad. We've had the local BBQ (which they do every Friday night) and we've tried hot tuna sandwiches. I recently found out that the KFC (believe it or not I've actually eaten there) and Rituals (which tries to be like starbucks, but also serves really good food and muffins) have only been here since February of this year, so I feel very lucky to have come at a time when more things are available to eat.
Grocery shopping is a little different as well. There are about 3 different stores here were you can get some items (I say some, because the joke here is that you can make a lot of the dishes you had back home, but you won't be able to find all of the items at one store - you will have to go to 2 or sometimes all 3 stores!) Roseau, which is the capital of Dominica and about an hour drive away, does have grocery (I use the term loosely) stores with bigger selections and more items from back home. Don't get all excited though, they still have more of a Big Lots/Dollar Store feel to them, and you have to check the expiration dates on everything! And just because the pasta/rice/flour/sugar etc. came from one of these stores does not mean it lessens the chance of having bugs in your food. :) So you always take everything home, go through it and then if bugs could get into it, it goes in the refrigerator - which unfortunately with mini fridges - leaves very little room for the items that should be in the refrigerator.
However, we are hearing rumors that an IGA (grocery store that we normally can only go to in Roseau) will be finished in September or November of this year right next to campus (varying information from various sources). Now for those who have never been to the Caribbean or West Indies, IGA is the closest thing you are going to have to a US grocery store. In fact they often carry a lot of the items that we would get back home. So if that actually does happen it will drastically change our lives here. On a sad note, there are several mom and pop type grocery stores here that would be hit hard because of it. SO I'm a little torn, but with me going to work in the fall, it would be nice not to have to get up super early on Saturdays to take a trip down to Roseau an hour each way (on winding roads that go up and down and round and round - Dramamine is highly recommended!)
Well blog family and friends, that is all for me now - until next time, COOK for those you love, PRAY for those in your life and the world around you, and EAT things you shouldn't every once in a while because they taste good! ;)
COOK
To cook in Dominica (as with everything else here) is a little bit of an adventure. First we will start off with the cooking appliances. Oven/Stove - seemed simple enough - I had a gas stove back home and I actually prefer cooking and baking with it :) Oh what's this - a propane tank?!?!?!? Yep here we cook with propane - think of your outdoor BBQ there sitting on your back porch and that little bitty tank that you hook up to it - got the picture in your head? Now remove the barbecue and replace it with an oven/stove and you have our kitchen. So here I am trying to figure out how to light the oven and stove as I wanted to bake fish (yes we get local fish right from the beach another adventure I watched the fisherman take a machete and chop off my portion of fish - awesome, gross (flies were all over the fish) cheap (only $8 ec or $3 us per pound) and tasty). Luckily our landlord was walking by and she showed me how to light the stove (no pilot light) and the oven). Oh did I mention that she raised a glass covering that was over the stove to light the stove top? Ok well she did but not all the way.....
So Kelsey and I are making one of our first meals together on the island and we did fish and rice for our friends.....we lit the stove, put down the class top and cook our meal...I think cooking over glass is a little odd, but it's Dominica so maybe they do things different. We go on to cook several more meals on our lovely stove top and this particular night I begin my first attempt at chicken/veggie fried rice. I have all of the burners going, I'm making chicken, I'm frying rice, I even added an egg, then I left the room to get some bug spray you get eaten ALIVE down here without it...and then it happens.............
CRASH, BOOM, BANG!!!!!!! I run back to the kitchen and there is glass everywhere!
PRAY
I now move into prayer mode. What do I do? How do I explain this to the landlord that we broke the glass? Was the glass faulty? Kelsey tries to phone the landlord and he can't get her. However he runs into our neighbor - tells him what happens to which the neighbor replies "You COOOKED on the GLASS ?!?!?!" Funny thing....turns out the glass was just a cover for the burners, but our racks for the burners are about a forth of an inch higher than the burner itself and there were grease stains on the glass - leading both Kelsey and I to think you cook on top. In our defense (sorry it's the lawyer in me) there was no way of knowing this information, we never had a formal walk though of our apartment, literally we moved in and have been figuring out how things work little by little (did I mention we have a switch that turns on electricity to heat the water for the shower? That was a fun one to figure out lol.)
After cleaning up all of the glass, we try several more times to call our landlord with no luck - I had to get out of the house and they were showing a movie on campus (the only cinema here) and I couldn't look at or remind myself of how dumb I had just been. In hindsight lifting the glass could make sense, but only in hindsight. As we begin to walk back to campus (keep in mind Kelsey has been completely calm this whole time - I am married to the most patient man out there) we see that our landlord is home, so we walk up to her apartment and say "Yeah we were cooking and the glass that was on top of the stove shattered...." to which her husband replies "Did you slam down the cover?" (now I'm thinking - these people are going to think we are sooooo stupid Americans now). But instead we she was so full of grace and mercy and asked if we were ok and then her husband said they should just be able to reorder the glass for the top and that was it...we were on our way!
EAT
So we finally were able to finish the fried rice when we got home (amazingly no glass got in any of the dishes)....and it was DELICIOUS! Since then I have cooked/baked many more things, including banana bread (adventure: try to figure out how long it will take to cook when you have no way to know the temperature and you just have a "high" and "a little less than high" setting for your oven), rice crispy treats (cocoa crispies were all I could find and it was generic and uber expensive but oh so worth it), mashed green bananas with garlic, cherry juice (turned out to be pretty gross - NOT AT ALL the same as when the locals make it), rice - lots of rice, turkey burgers, home fries, egg sandwhiches, and am hoping to make some more local dishes while I am here.
All in all the cuisine isn't that bad. We've had the local BBQ (which they do every Friday night) and we've tried hot tuna sandwiches. I recently found out that the KFC (believe it or not I've actually eaten there) and Rituals (which tries to be like starbucks, but also serves really good food and muffins) have only been here since February of this year, so I feel very lucky to have come at a time when more things are available to eat.
Grocery shopping is a little different as well. There are about 3 different stores here were you can get some items (I say some, because the joke here is that you can make a lot of the dishes you had back home, but you won't be able to find all of the items at one store - you will have to go to 2 or sometimes all 3 stores!) Roseau, which is the capital of Dominica and about an hour drive away, does have grocery (I use the term loosely) stores with bigger selections and more items from back home. Don't get all excited though, they still have more of a Big Lots/Dollar Store feel to them, and you have to check the expiration dates on everything! And just because the pasta/rice/flour/sugar etc. came from one of these stores does not mean it lessens the chance of having bugs in your food. :) So you always take everything home, go through it and then if bugs could get into it, it goes in the refrigerator - which unfortunately with mini fridges - leaves very little room for the items that should be in the refrigerator.
However, we are hearing rumors that an IGA (grocery store that we normally can only go to in Roseau) will be finished in September or November of this year right next to campus (varying information from various sources). Now for those who have never been to the Caribbean or West Indies, IGA is the closest thing you are going to have to a US grocery store. In fact they often carry a lot of the items that we would get back home. So if that actually does happen it will drastically change our lives here. On a sad note, there are several mom and pop type grocery stores here that would be hit hard because of it. SO I'm a little torn, but with me going to work in the fall, it would be nice not to have to get up super early on Saturdays to take a trip down to Roseau an hour each way (on winding roads that go up and down and round and round - Dramamine is highly recommended!)
Well blog family and friends, that is all for me now - until next time, COOK for those you love, PRAY for those in your life and the world around you, and EAT things you shouldn't every once in a while because they taste good! ;)
May 20, 2010
Welcome to the Dominican Zoo also known as OUR APARTMENT!
Hello Family and Friends:
Well here is another installment of our wacky and crazy life here on the beautiful island of Dominica. Today I wanted to talk about the creatures that I have found in our local zoo - otherwise known as my apartment. It all began last week, when I walked in the front door to find the largest cockroach I have ever seen (and I lived in NYC!) I screamed so loud poor Kelsey thought that I had found a centipede (oh did I mention they are the ONLY thing that's poisonous on the island....centipedes not the cockroaches) However, with one quick swoop I grabbed my large can of BOP (sorry Mickiala if you read this I just had to do it) and I sprayed the roach, the kitchen floor, the screen and EVERY inch of the kitchen.
Once I felt confident that any friend who would have attempted to rescue this nasty roach I went to sleep. The next morning I arose and went to the kitchen. On the floor there were 10 or so little flies that had also fallen victim to the BOP.....but nothing compared to the massive suicide of fruit flies that were lying on the outside of our kitchen windowsill. As I gathered myself and pushed through the whirl of emotions I cleaned up these poor innocent casualties and moved on with my day. After all it's a dog eat dog or in this can bug kill bug world out there......
Fast forward a night and Kelsey and I are again coming home after dark. After our encounter with the roach we made an executive decision that Kelsey should now walk into the house first. Kelsey unlocks the door with the skeleton key (think Pirates of the Caribbean type key for a treasure chest)...and flips on the light to expose the lizard with weird webbed feet (after writing this I realized I should be more politically correct, but really what lizards are reading my blog???? okay maybe no one's reading? if you ARE reading out there leave a comment, I'm beginning to believe only my mom reads this...and she only does because she gave birth to me and has to!)
So believe it or not - I'm was actually okay with the weird webbed footed friend in our apartment. Chalk it up to fast assimilation to my environment, but it occured to me (almost instantly I might add) that although gross, this little creature would EAT the even grosser (is that even a word) little creatures we found the previous nights before. So no BOP was needed (I don't think it would kill the lizard, but you never know)...and we went to bed.
Now let's jump ahead just a few more nights to when we discovered and fell in like with Charlie....(for those on Facebook - we finally gave it a name).
Meet Charlie!!!! Our first question was do we make him our Dominican pet or have him for dinner?
Yep that's a crab (his or her body is about 6 inches wide)! We were walking up to our apartment and there sitting on the bench right next to our front door was Charlie. And keep in mind we are not near the ocean...we're about 4 or 5 blocks up from the road that goes along the ocean......no body of water to be found.
Unfortunately not all crabs are as lucky as Charlie....some have met a more dire fate.........................
On another note, I wish I had a picture to show you one of the many cows that sometimes resides on the back side of our apartment. I'm not really sure how this works, but from time to time at all hours of the day and night I will see a cow tied up to a tree out behind our apartment. Sometimes there are cows that just roam the sides of the road eating grass, climbing the hills and pooping on the side of the road (that picture is just toooooo gross for this blog). And at times a goat or two or ten will run across the street. This isn't however counting all of the numerous chickens, roosters, and stray dogs you will see on a regular basis.
Well I hope you have enjoyed a little glimpse into our zoo here in Dominica!
Until next time - take time to stop and notice the beauty around you and be thankful :)
Well here is another installment of our wacky and crazy life here on the beautiful island of Dominica. Today I wanted to talk about the creatures that I have found in our local zoo - otherwise known as my apartment. It all began last week, when I walked in the front door to find the largest cockroach I have ever seen (and I lived in NYC!) I screamed so loud poor Kelsey thought that I had found a centipede (oh did I mention they are the ONLY thing that's poisonous on the island....centipedes not the cockroaches) However, with one quick swoop I grabbed my large can of BOP (sorry Mickiala if you read this I just had to do it) and I sprayed the roach, the kitchen floor, the screen and EVERY inch of the kitchen.
Once I felt confident that any friend who would have attempted to rescue this nasty roach I went to sleep. The next morning I arose and went to the kitchen. On the floor there were 10 or so little flies that had also fallen victim to the BOP.....but nothing compared to the massive suicide of fruit flies that were lying on the outside of our kitchen windowsill. As I gathered myself and pushed through the whirl of emotions I cleaned up these poor innocent casualties and moved on with my day. After all it's a dog eat dog or in this can bug kill bug world out there......
Fast forward a night and Kelsey and I are again coming home after dark. After our encounter with the roach we made an executive decision that Kelsey should now walk into the house first. Kelsey unlocks the door with the skeleton key (think Pirates of the Caribbean type key for a treasure chest)...and flips on the light to expose the lizard with weird webbed feet (after writing this I realized I should be more politically correct, but really what lizards are reading my blog???? okay maybe no one's reading? if you ARE reading out there leave a comment, I'm beginning to believe only my mom reads this...and she only does because she gave birth to me and has to!)
So believe it or not - I'm was actually okay with the weird webbed footed friend in our apartment. Chalk it up to fast assimilation to my environment, but it occured to me (almost instantly I might add) that although gross, this little creature would EAT the even grosser (is that even a word) little creatures we found the previous nights before. So no BOP was needed (I don't think it would kill the lizard, but you never know)...and we went to bed.
Now let's jump ahead just a few more nights to when we discovered and fell in like with Charlie....(for those on Facebook - we finally gave it a name).
Meet Charlie!!!! Our first question was do we make him our Dominican pet or have him for dinner?
Yep that's a crab (his or her body is about 6 inches wide)! We were walking up to our apartment and there sitting on the bench right next to our front door was Charlie. And keep in mind we are not near the ocean...we're about 4 or 5 blocks up from the road that goes along the ocean......no body of water to be found.
Unfortunately not all crabs are as lucky as Charlie....some have met a more dire fate.........................
Don't fear this photo was taken up on campus so I don't think it's Charlie.
On another note, I wish I had a picture to show you one of the many cows that sometimes resides on the back side of our apartment. I'm not really sure how this works, but from time to time at all hours of the day and night I will see a cow tied up to a tree out behind our apartment. Sometimes there are cows that just roam the sides of the road eating grass, climbing the hills and pooping on the side of the road (that picture is just toooooo gross for this blog). And at times a goat or two or ten will run across the street. This isn't however counting all of the numerous chickens, roosters, and stray dogs you will see on a regular basis.
Well I hope you have enjoyed a little glimpse into our zoo here in Dominica!
Until next time - take time to stop and notice the beauty around you and be thankful :)
May 15, 2010
White Coats!!!!
Hello All,
Well it's OFFICIAL! Kelsey received his "White Coat" in the wait for it, wait for it......... at the "WHITE COAT CEREMONY" (I know clever name huh?). Anyways, Kelsey and his other 1st Semester classmates all received their white coats in a 2hr ceremony yesterday (oddly enough this was longer than my graduation from grad school!) And family and friends were all able to watch via a live stream on the internet (how cool is technology?!?!?!)
Don't they "look" like doctors?
The best part of this whole ceremony (for me anyways) was the free food after - at 4 something in the afternoon this meant I didn't have to make dinner! And the spread wasn't too bad! Nice job Ross.
So now my husband looks all official and with their first "mini" (one of three exams they take each semester covering ALL the classes they are taking) only three weeks away - this may be one of the last events we go to for a while.
Until next time.....love - do it unconditionally and with all your heart.
Well it's OFFICIAL! Kelsey received his "White Coat" in the wait for it, wait for it......... at the "WHITE COAT CEREMONY" (I know clever name huh?). Anyways, Kelsey and his other 1st Semester classmates all received their white coats in a 2hr ceremony yesterday (oddly enough this was longer than my graduation from grad school!) And family and friends were all able to watch via a live stream on the internet (how cool is technology?!?!?!)
Don't they "look" like doctors?
The best part of this whole ceremony (for me anyways) was the free food after - at 4 something in the afternoon this meant I didn't have to make dinner! And the spread wasn't too bad! Nice job Ross.
So now my husband looks all official and with their first "mini" (one of three exams they take each semester covering ALL the classes they are taking) only three weeks away - this may be one of the last events we go to for a while.
Until next time.....love - do it unconditionally and with all your heart.
May 13, 2010
Laundry - Dominican Style
Laundry it is one of my favorite house chores to do (compared to the bathroom - which I abhor). There is nothing better than having fresh clean clothes, wrinkle free and ready to wear. Or better yet, warm hot towels as you get out of the shower.......
Thanks to Dominica things have changed....introducing......our new washing machine.................
ME! Yes sink washing has been our solution to having any type of clean clothes since we have arrived. There are people that do your laundry but we are still searching for the right person (plus am I the only one who is a little creeped out that someone else would be touching my undies?????) Any who apparently the service here is across the board - from crappy places that will leave bleach spots and maybe lose your clothes to those who have both a machine for washing and drying and you have clothes without wrinkles!!! Prices vary as well, but really where in the US can you get your laundry done for about $10 US a week? (Sadly Kelsey and I have been walking around in wrinkled clothes for most of our time here since we thought peanut butter was a more worthy element then an iron and therefor higher in the pecking order that was our packing list).
I do have a couple of leads on a few places (thank you Chelsea!) and hopefully I will decide soon, as the towels are not going to make it much longer without leaving us smelling worse than we did BEFORE we got in the shower.
Ahhhhhhhh whirlpool/kenmoore/ect. how I miss you dear sweet friend.....
Until next time......peace - bring it with you where ever you go!
Thanks to Dominica things have changed....introducing......our new washing machine.................
ME! Yes sink washing has been our solution to having any type of clean clothes since we have arrived. There are people that do your laundry but we are still searching for the right person (plus am I the only one who is a little creeped out that someone else would be touching my undies?????) Any who apparently the service here is across the board - from crappy places that will leave bleach spots and maybe lose your clothes to those who have both a machine for washing and drying and you have clothes without wrinkles!!! Prices vary as well, but really where in the US can you get your laundry done for about $10 US a week? (Sadly Kelsey and I have been walking around in wrinkled clothes for most of our time here since we thought peanut butter was a more worthy element then an iron and therefor higher in the pecking order that was our packing list).
I do have a couple of leads on a few places (thank you Chelsea!) and hopefully I will decide soon, as the towels are not going to make it much longer without leaving us smelling worse than we did BEFORE we got in the shower.
Ahhhhhhhh whirlpool/kenmoore/ect. how I miss you dear sweet friend.....
Until next time......peace - bring it with you where ever you go!
May 10, 2010
Week 1 Continued (and some of Week 2)
Ok, so by now we are getting better adjusted to life on the island. We have rearranged our apartment (see photo below - don't judge the mess oh and keep in mind the couch is across from the bed) and we have gone to the market (well 2 times by this post).
The Market - let me explain....
Picture if you will a small little town with narrow roads and minimal transportation. Insert multiple vans, cars with vegetables being sold our of the trunk, trucks with watermelon and coconuts being chopped before your very eyes. To your left there is an elderly gentlemen with a wheelbarrow of sorts with a large (what appears to be dolphin) fish on top of which for the right price you can get a slab of wrapped up in a bag for you to take home. Further down the road and down a side street are rows and rows of stands. Stands with tomatoes (bruised, over ripe and under ripe), bananas (bright green), plantains, potatoes, something that looks like lettuce, onions, brown eggs (warm yes warm), green peppers (about half the size of what we see at home), cooking peppers (even smaller), mangoes, pineapples, and some veggies, roots and other fruit I've never seen before. THIS is the market. You must bargain to get a good deal, you must wash right when you get home in salt water (or the eggs that have been laid will become actual animals, bugs, whatever). And yes after my first trip to the market that resulted in throwing away a nest of pupae (at least that's what Kelsey called them) that had made a home in my spinach. And most importantly you have to get EVERYTHING you would want for the week because the market is only open on Saturday mornings and if you want to GOOD stuff you have to get there by 5:30 or 6:00am! YES you heard right 6:00am!!!! Believe it or not Kelsey actually went to the market with me this past Saturday and did quite a good job - athought I think once school starts I'll be going solo.
This brings me to cooking and the does and don'ts of Dominica.
Cooking - it is almost always cheaper to cook than go out - most meals will be around $15 per person. Second we cook with gas stoves that use propane tanks - which usually are replaced every month or so. Lastly - we have a small kitchen and counter space so cooking has become something of an essembly line and cook in pieces, but I'm getting the hang of it and hopefully with the Ross University Cookbook and the Spouse Organization Cookbook, I'll be great in no time.
That about sums up our life here on Dominica - Stay tuned for more updates and stories as our time here continues..........
The Market - let me explain....
Picture if you will a small little town with narrow roads and minimal transportation. Insert multiple vans, cars with vegetables being sold our of the trunk, trucks with watermelon and coconuts being chopped before your very eyes. To your left there is an elderly gentlemen with a wheelbarrow of sorts with a large (what appears to be dolphin) fish on top of which for the right price you can get a slab of wrapped up in a bag for you to take home. Further down the road and down a side street are rows and rows of stands. Stands with tomatoes (bruised, over ripe and under ripe), bananas (bright green), plantains, potatoes, something that looks like lettuce, onions, brown eggs (warm yes warm), green peppers (about half the size of what we see at home), cooking peppers (even smaller), mangoes, pineapples, and some veggies, roots and other fruit I've never seen before. THIS is the market. You must bargain to get a good deal, you must wash right when you get home in salt water (or the eggs that have been laid will become actual animals, bugs, whatever). And yes after my first trip to the market that resulted in throwing away a nest of pupae (at least that's what Kelsey called them) that had made a home in my spinach. And most importantly you have to get EVERYTHING you would want for the week because the market is only open on Saturday mornings and if you want to GOOD stuff you have to get there by 5:30 or 6:00am! YES you heard right 6:00am!!!! Believe it or not Kelsey actually went to the market with me this past Saturday and did quite a good job - athought I think once school starts I'll be going solo.
This brings me to cooking and the does and don'ts of Dominica.
Cooking - it is almost always cheaper to cook than go out - most meals will be around $15 per person. Second we cook with gas stoves that use propane tanks - which usually are replaced every month or so. Lastly - we have a small kitchen and counter space so cooking has become something of an essembly line and cook in pieces, but I'm getting the hang of it and hopefully with the Ross University Cookbook and the Spouse Organization Cookbook, I'll be great in no time.
That about sums up our life here on Dominica - Stay tuned for more updates and stories as our time here continues..........
May 5, 2010
First Official Week in Dominica
Well it's official I work up today and realized that it was one week ago that I woke up and left for Dominica......here dear friends, family and followers is a recap of this week in Dominica. After days of goodbyes and phone calls to family abroad we were ready to finish up our packing and head to Dominica and here is where we shall begin.
It all began like any other trip where you are leaving the country for the next 16 months....you have over packed your bags beyond the seemingly generous (although very limiting in actuality) weight requirements of 50lbs a checked bag (although we found others were held to the 70lbs total for two bags rule so really who are we to complain). As we weighed the bags over and over (taking out the peanut butter and coffee were NEVER an option) trying to get that perfect weight we left behind books and sweatshirts (believe it or not we told to bring a couple) and at last we were able to pack what we so naively thought at the time was "All we would need."
Kelsey and I lugged our bags into the car at 3:30am on Wednesday morning we tried to rack our brains always wondering "Did we remember to pack X?" (name any item you would love to have if you couldn't have it for 16 months). At 4:30am (yes we only got one hour of sleep) we were groggily up and in the shower. By 5am we were on our way to the Philadelphia Airport leaving the comforts of the great USA behind. Thankfully I (Nicole) have an awesome mother-in-law who saw that there was no running to Wegman's at 5am and got us muffins, chocolate, trail mix and dried mangoes for our adventure the day before.
Once there we lugged the large army duffel bag, the black duffel bag, the two black suitcases, two backpacks, my (Nicole's) big red bag and a brown carry-on, which if either the red bag or brown carry-on were to be weighed we would have been thrown off our flight indeed. It was a scene from Amazing Race as we packed and shifted our items to hit the magic number of 50.5lbs. Brilliant husband that Kelsey is he noticed that we don't get charged for excessive weight until 51lbs...talk about hitting the max! Finally through security (with mild alterations to our carry-on bags) and on the plane to San Juan we felt like we were rock stars having put on the performance of a life times as we had "all that we needed" despite the limits of the baggage system. Kelsey clothed in a t-shirt, button down shirt, sweater and suit jacket was a site to see but we were there and we were on our way.
Arrival in San Juan was less than spectacular (and if you have ever been in that airport you would understand why). We waited at the gate and eyeballed all the other passengers, looking for back packs and multiple carry-on bags but non were found. We then began to see multiple people holding "Ross University" papers and soon felt like 1: Yay we have found students and 2: why do they have papers we don't? As much of this process for us, we missed the table for Ross as we were tunnel focused on finding our gate. Luckily the student next to us showed us where we could find the paper.....
With paper and customs in hand we felt like we were prepared for anything. And boy did ANYTHING come. We soon walked out to the tarmac to get onto the small toy plane that would be our ride to Dominica (if you think I am exaggerating, we had to wait an additional 45 minutes because half of the passengers bags had to be flown on a second plane). So on the toy plane I begin to see the beautiful ocean and the various islands below, as I prepared myself to land on a quite little strip of runway (having flown to St. Kitts a year earlier) I was taken aback as we approached Dominica and the mountain to my left got closer and closer and closer until it was a mere 20 ft from the plane...although I have not seen the movie, many on the plane referenced "Apocalypse Now" when recapping the life-flashing-before-my-eyes landing that is the Dominican Airport.
Bags in hand cleared through customs we awaited our ride to Ross. We had been told it would be a bumpy ride and to take Dramamine...this road had more twists and turns than a gym full of teenagers at a school dance. By the time we arrived at Ross I couldn't wait to get off the bus! Immediately we were allowed to call home and let family and friends know we had arrived safely. Then Judith - our landlord- came and picked us up to take us to what would be our new home.
HOME:
Now in the US when an apartment is referenced as a one bedroom, the assumption is that the bedroom is separate from the living-room, kitchen, etc. When Kels had discussed such one bedroom accommodations with our landlord we had been assured that we were moving into an apartment that was more suitable for a couple. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.
We arrived to find a large room that had a kitchen that had a 3/4 wall cutting this small room in half. Luckily we had actually signed a lease for a different apartment (long story) so we were able to switch to a studio ish apartment across the street.
Pluses of our new home for 1st semester
The best things so far have been the great students and couples we have met and the trips that we have gotten to take for FREE (you know it's not free when you're paying $15k a semester but it feels FREE at the time). We saw the emerald pool, water falls, and a trip to the market where I finally got some veggies and bananas. Although I have to learn how to shop for a week at a time and how to buy veggies and fruit so that they don't spoil to soon. Best thing about the food is it's organic no pesticides (i think) and you get it done all by 6:30 am on a Saturday...(insert sarcastic tone here). YES you heard right to get the best fruit and veggies at the Saturday Market you need to be there by 5:30 or 6am which isn't as big of problem as it sounds considering the roosters start crowing around 5am and the cow may be mooing by then as well.
Part 1 Ending -
All in all it is going to be quite an adjustment for Kelsey and I and not as exotic as some of our other trips oversees, but I know that God has us hear for a reason and we will if nothing else have great stories for our kids one day.
Part 2 of 1st week to come tomorrow.
It all began like any other trip where you are leaving the country for the next 16 months....you have over packed your bags beyond the seemingly generous (although very limiting in actuality) weight requirements of 50lbs a checked bag (although we found others were held to the 70lbs total for two bags rule so really who are we to complain). As we weighed the bags over and over (taking out the peanut butter and coffee were NEVER an option) trying to get that perfect weight we left behind books and sweatshirts (believe it or not we told to bring a couple) and at last we were able to pack what we so naively thought at the time was "All we would need."
Kelsey and I lugged our bags into the car at 3:30am on Wednesday morning we tried to rack our brains always wondering "Did we remember to pack X?" (name any item you would love to have if you couldn't have it for 16 months). At 4:30am (yes we only got one hour of sleep) we were groggily up and in the shower. By 5am we were on our way to the Philadelphia Airport leaving the comforts of the great USA behind. Thankfully I (Nicole) have an awesome mother-in-law who saw that there was no running to Wegman's at 5am and got us muffins, chocolate, trail mix and dried mangoes for our adventure the day before.
Once there we lugged the large army duffel bag, the black duffel bag, the two black suitcases, two backpacks, my (Nicole's) big red bag and a brown carry-on, which if either the red bag or brown carry-on were to be weighed we would have been thrown off our flight indeed. It was a scene from Amazing Race as we packed and shifted our items to hit the magic number of 50.5lbs. Brilliant husband that Kelsey is he noticed that we don't get charged for excessive weight until 51lbs...talk about hitting the max! Finally through security (with mild alterations to our carry-on bags) and on the plane to San Juan we felt like we were rock stars having put on the performance of a life times as we had "all that we needed" despite the limits of the baggage system. Kelsey clothed in a t-shirt, button down shirt, sweater and suit jacket was a site to see but we were there and we were on our way.
Arrival in San Juan was less than spectacular (and if you have ever been in that airport you would understand why). We waited at the gate and eyeballed all the other passengers, looking for back packs and multiple carry-on bags but non were found. We then began to see multiple people holding "Ross University" papers and soon felt like 1: Yay we have found students and 2: why do they have papers we don't? As much of this process for us, we missed the table for Ross as we were tunnel focused on finding our gate. Luckily the student next to us showed us where we could find the paper.....
With paper and customs in hand we felt like we were prepared for anything. And boy did ANYTHING come. We soon walked out to the tarmac to get onto the small toy plane that would be our ride to Dominica (if you think I am exaggerating, we had to wait an additional 45 minutes because half of the passengers bags had to be flown on a second plane). So on the toy plane I begin to see the beautiful ocean and the various islands below, as I prepared myself to land on a quite little strip of runway (having flown to St. Kitts a year earlier) I was taken aback as we approached Dominica and the mountain to my left got closer and closer and closer until it was a mere 20 ft from the plane...although I have not seen the movie, many on the plane referenced "Apocalypse Now" when recapping the life-flashing-before-my-eyes landing that is the Dominican Airport.
Bags in hand cleared through customs we awaited our ride to Ross. We had been told it would be a bumpy ride and to take Dramamine...this road had more twists and turns than a gym full of teenagers at a school dance. By the time we arrived at Ross I couldn't wait to get off the bus! Immediately we were allowed to call home and let family and friends know we had arrived safely. Then Judith - our landlord- came and picked us up to take us to what would be our new home.
HOME:
Now in the US when an apartment is referenced as a one bedroom, the assumption is that the bedroom is separate from the living-room, kitchen, etc. When Kels had discussed such one bedroom accommodations with our landlord we had been assured that we were moving into an apartment that was more suitable for a couple. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.
We arrived to find a large room that had a kitchen that had a 3/4 wall cutting this small room in half. Luckily we had actually signed a lease for a different apartment (long story) so we were able to switch to a studio ish apartment across the street.
Pluses of our new home for 1st semester
- Close to the annex where Kels has classes ***Update as of May 3rd we found out classes will be had on campus this plus is now a minus
- Across the street from Tina's - best grocery store (and I use the term loosely) in town
- Across the street from gas and electric (yes think of prepaid cell phones and you have their electricity system down)
- Closer to Portsmouth the closest town with markets (sat only) for veggies and fruit and fresh fish any day of the week.
- CHEAP RENT
- Freezer has yet to FREEZE anything
- 20 minutes from campus
- no fan - although awesome spouse sponsor is loaning us one!
- ac - but ac is a luxury here that you can't afford to have it on all the time.
- small one room only
- only one closet
The best things so far have been the great students and couples we have met and the trips that we have gotten to take for FREE (you know it's not free when you're paying $15k a semester but it feels FREE at the time). We saw the emerald pool, water falls, and a trip to the market where I finally got some veggies and bananas. Although I have to learn how to shop for a week at a time and how to buy veggies and fruit so that they don't spoil to soon. Best thing about the food is it's organic no pesticides (i think) and you get it done all by 6:30 am on a Saturday...(insert sarcastic tone here). YES you heard right to get the best fruit and veggies at the Saturday Market you need to be there by 5:30 or 6am which isn't as big of problem as it sounds considering the roosters start crowing around 5am and the cow may be mooing by then as well.
Part 1 Ending -
All in all it is going to be quite an adjustment for Kelsey and I and not as exotic as some of our other trips oversees, but I know that God has us hear for a reason and we will if nothing else have great stories for our kids one day.
Part 2 of 1st week to come tomorrow.
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