Yummmmmmy! It's amazing how a simple box of pudding can be a fantastic treat that the whole family loves. Jell-O and Pudding are great little things to stuff in a barrel to take up all the extra little space from packed items that are irregularly shaped.
This last week has been a pretty tough one for us. Being sick is always difficult, but when you add being stir-crazy and sick with stir-crazy sick children... yeah, fun. Then there are the inevitable bumps we all run in to or step in, like my youngest yesterday who was standing on some grass on campus when she was attacked by ants. Hundreds of them were all over her shoes and socks. I ripped them off of her as quickly as I could, and she was only bit a couple of times (thank Heavens) but during that time my oldest daughter and the little girl I was walking home just kept walking! Then the youngest ran off after them and I was trying to bang the ants off the socks and shoes and follow the children along with three backpacks, waterbottles, and various other necessitites including an umbrella because of course it was raining during this whole episode. It's amazing that I was only bit once. Man those little buggers can sting! A student who recognized that I needed help stood with my girls while I caught up, but the little girl I was walking home just took off and ran all the way home! Then I carried my youngest the rest of the way home because I couldn't get the last couple of ants out of her shoes and socks.
In addition to that, she woke up after she'd only been in bed like an hour and begged and cried for a milkshake. So I gave in (it was late and I thought it would get her in bed). She couldn't fall asleep after that, and kept getting up and complaining about a tummy ache, which I of course figured was her way of trying to stay up since this has been a major issue lately. Right after I put her in her bed and chewed her out for getting out of bed, she got up for like the 10th time and promptly vomitted all over the place. I felt so bad. Poor kid. So then Shane sticks her in the shower (we don't have bathtubs) and I'm cleaning up the mess and when I go to check on her I realize that she has found the economy-size bottle of Aussie shampoo that is supposed to get us through our stay on the island and she is pumping it all over the shower floor. So, of course, despite the fact that I was still feeling sorry for 'yelling' at a sick child I can't help but tell her off again. (This isn't our first experience with her wasting my shampoo.)
Add to that the battle I'm waging to try and help other spouses with their island experience and the frustrations that develop from that and I'm just grateful tonight for pudding. Seriously, after our ummm.... whirlwind.... trip to the island and the subsequent trials I promised myself that I would find a way to make it easier for those who follow. It just seems like I'm banging my head against a brick wall lately. I really want to get a sponsorship program started, but how do you do that when you don't know who the new spouses are? Seriously, I thought the RSO website would be a decent way to find new spouses, but so far it's only helped locate 2. This is still progress, and at least I can help those 2, but I know there are so many more out there who could benefit from our knowledge and experience. Oi! I just don't get why grown-ups can't figure out how to get along with each other and how to help each other. I know it's not surprising, this is why there are wars in the world, but still, come on people! Why can't we all be a little less selfish and a little more concerned with helping our fellow men!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
My Favorite Things
Seeing as we are home, sick, again, I figured I'd take the opportunity to address what items we packed or had shipped that have been of the most use on the island.
Let's see, ummm.... not that I haven't mentioned it before, but THE STROLLER. It's like our car. I consider it indispensable.
MY LAPTOP. Yes, it is my link to the outside world. I can use the internet to find almost anything I could want and have it shipped to family to ship to me, or download it directly, or even print off coloring pages, games, activities and recipes, which brings me to my next item....
MY PRINTER. Okay, so really, maybe it shouldn't be on the list. I've seen printers here for pretty decent prices. I don't know whether the ink cartridges would be at decent prices though...
MY IPOD. Man, I sound like my husband with all this digital stuff. Really, the iPod is my DVD player and my radio and my portable television.
THE EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE. 500 gigs of whatever I want... most of it movies, but room for Shane's school stuff too!
KEEN SHOES. I can't imagine life here without them. They're almost a part of us....
CLOTHING. I think I'd go crazy if I tried to find clothing for the whole family here.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES. We saved a ton of money by buying these in the States and then bringing them with us.
KITCHEN STUFF. My Pampered Chef food chopper, the Magic Bullet blender, the slow cooker, the rice cooker, a good spatula/flipper, princess cups... I cook a lot here. It took a lot of time to buy all of the kitchen things that I needed, and I should have found a lot of the stuff in Roseau in our first couple of weeks on the island, except that we got here so late that Shane was all ready in school so going to Roseau was a fond dream. Buying a lot of this stuff at the 4th semester sales saved us some money, but it was difficult living without them for an entire semester until then. I think our best purchase on the island was either the sandwich maker or the area rug.
WIND-UP FLASHLIGHT. Oh yeah. We even use it as a night light.
RECHARGEABLE LANTERN. The electricity is out again? No problem.
RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. Batteries are not candy, but we go though them like they are.
OUR PILLOWS. Yes, the pillows truly suck here.
LIFE-JACKETS, SNORKELING EQUIPMENT and beach toys. The safety of my children is paramount and once I've strapped them in I worry a lot less and actually enjoy myself on the beach.
MAGIC ERASER. I have children. Enough said.
MY CAMERA. There's no way I could feel good about living here in paradise and not chronicling it with a camera. ;)
SUNGLASSES. All though you can purchase them here, at least we have the types we like at decent prices.
TOYS. Yup. Toys.
PAPER CRAFTS. We can always find something to do with some construction paper and markers and glue...
5 GAL. WATER CONTAINERS. The collapsible ones on the camping aisle at Wal-Mart. I sleep a lot better knowing that we have water stored for an emergency.
Okay, okay, so I admit it. Everything we brought has been pretty useful. You can get a lot of things here, it's just that they cost triple what they should, or they are only available once in a three month period. I'd put the sunscreen and repellant on the list, except that they are available here. Like everything else they cost a lot more here. It really was worth flying to Miami and purchasing all sorts of food and items to ship back here. We could have done without, but it was a small price to pay compared to trying to get all the stuff we need on the island. We've all ready noticed a big difference in our comfort level and our budget. A lot of my friends have been using Beach Groceries for their food and they are loving it.
Let's see, ummm.... not that I haven't mentioned it before, but THE STROLLER. It's like our car. I consider it indispensable.
MY LAPTOP. Yes, it is my link to the outside world. I can use the internet to find almost anything I could want and have it shipped to family to ship to me, or download it directly, or even print off coloring pages, games, activities and recipes, which brings me to my next item....
MY PRINTER. Okay, so really, maybe it shouldn't be on the list. I've seen printers here for pretty decent prices. I don't know whether the ink cartridges would be at decent prices though...
MY IPOD. Man, I sound like my husband with all this digital stuff. Really, the iPod is my DVD player and my radio and my portable television.
THE EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE. 500 gigs of whatever I want... most of it movies, but room for Shane's school stuff too!
KEEN SHOES. I can't imagine life here without them. They're almost a part of us....
CLOTHING. I think I'd go crazy if I tried to find clothing for the whole family here.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES. We saved a ton of money by buying these in the States and then bringing them with us.
KITCHEN STUFF. My Pampered Chef food chopper, the Magic Bullet blender, the slow cooker, the rice cooker, a good spatula/flipper, princess cups... I cook a lot here. It took a lot of time to buy all of the kitchen things that I needed, and I should have found a lot of the stuff in Roseau in our first couple of weeks on the island, except that we got here so late that Shane was all ready in school so going to Roseau was a fond dream. Buying a lot of this stuff at the 4th semester sales saved us some money, but it was difficult living without them for an entire semester until then. I think our best purchase on the island was either the sandwich maker or the area rug.
WIND-UP FLASHLIGHT. Oh yeah. We even use it as a night light.
RECHARGEABLE LANTERN. The electricity is out again? No problem.
RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. Batteries are not candy, but we go though them like they are.
OUR PILLOWS. Yes, the pillows truly suck here.
LIFE-JACKETS, SNORKELING EQUIPMENT and beach toys. The safety of my children is paramount and once I've strapped them in I worry a lot less and actually enjoy myself on the beach.
MAGIC ERASER. I have children. Enough said.
MY CAMERA. There's no way I could feel good about living here in paradise and not chronicling it with a camera. ;)
SUNGLASSES. All though you can purchase them here, at least we have the types we like at decent prices.
TOYS. Yup. Toys.
PAPER CRAFTS. We can always find something to do with some construction paper and markers and glue...
5 GAL. WATER CONTAINERS. The collapsible ones on the camping aisle at Wal-Mart. I sleep a lot better knowing that we have water stored for an emergency.
Okay, okay, so I admit it. Everything we brought has been pretty useful. You can get a lot of things here, it's just that they cost triple what they should, or they are only available once in a three month period. I'd put the sunscreen and repellant on the list, except that they are available here. Like everything else they cost a lot more here. It really was worth flying to Miami and purchasing all sorts of food and items to ship back here. We could have done without, but it was a small price to pay compared to trying to get all the stuff we need on the island. We've all ready noticed a big difference in our comfort level and our budget. A lot of my friends have been using Beach Groceries for their food and they are loving it.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Did you notice the Dates?
Yeah. So did you know that you can open a blog, lose it, search and search for it, and then find it on accident when you start a new one? Yes, that's what happened to me, and now I have tons and tons of catch-up to play! And the worst part is that the most helpful things that I could have chronicled for new spouses coming to the island mostly happen during the first semester!!!
Recently I was asked about whether or not I regret our decision to come to the island. I'm not sure why, but I've spent a lot of time reflecting on that. I answered that I absolutely do not regret it, but truthfully what do I have to compare it to? I don't know what it would be like at any of the other Caribbean medical schools that we could have attended. I also realize that I really won't know how I feel about our adventure until it's over. In the mean time, I plan on enjoying every bit of island life that I can. We've had a couple of slow days lately... we've had a mysterious illness that has manifested itself as a cold, a fever, general crankiness, and fatigue... a different symptom for every member of the family! Having children home all day from school in the confines of a small apartment when you're not feeling well works out for some s-l-o-w days.
We recently had a visit from one of the few creatures of the island that I had hoped we would never meet - a 10 inch long poisonous centipede! I was groping through the toy box (read 'big suitcase') in the dark to get sand toys for going to the beach the next day. I thought I had flipped a necklace out of the toys, and that it was sliding to the floor, but then it kept moving and I realized it had legs!!! Lots and lots of legs!!! I still can't believe I didn't scream, but I went and woke up my husband and had him kill it. Now here is the kicker... if you try to kill these wicked creatures and don't succeed on your first try they charge you! By the second strike the centipede was dead, but all we could do was sit and stare at it for a half an hour to make sure it was really, truly dead. Then we had a hard time falling asleep. So freaky!
Recently I was asked about whether or not I regret our decision to come to the island. I'm not sure why, but I've spent a lot of time reflecting on that. I answered that I absolutely do not regret it, but truthfully what do I have to compare it to? I don't know what it would be like at any of the other Caribbean medical schools that we could have attended. I also realize that I really won't know how I feel about our adventure until it's over. In the mean time, I plan on enjoying every bit of island life that I can. We've had a couple of slow days lately... we've had a mysterious illness that has manifested itself as a cold, a fever, general crankiness, and fatigue... a different symptom for every member of the family! Having children home all day from school in the confines of a small apartment when you're not feeling well works out for some s-l-o-w days.
We recently had a visit from one of the few creatures of the island that I had hoped we would never meet - a 10 inch long poisonous centipede! I was groping through the toy box (read 'big suitcase') in the dark to get sand toys for going to the beach the next day. I thought I had flipped a necklace out of the toys, and that it was sliding to the floor, but then it kept moving and I realized it had legs!!! Lots and lots of legs!!! I still can't believe I didn't scream, but I went and woke up my husband and had him kill it. Now here is the kicker... if you try to kill these wicked creatures and don't succeed on your first try they charge you! By the second strike the centipede was dead, but all we could do was sit and stare at it for a half an hour to make sure it was really, truly dead. Then we had a hard time falling asleep. So freaky!
(We had another little friend visit a several weeks later that I got a picture of. The one in the sink is one third the size of the one I blogged about.)
The first semester on the island
Our first semester on the island was full of adventures, adjustments, and lots and lots of walking. We lived about a mile from the campus and after a few days of taking busses and walking while carrying children I knew we needed a stroller. My friend Angela came through for us in a big way, buying the stroller we needed and shipping it to us so that we could get it in a matter of days and pay her back later. The stroller made our lives so much easier! We got to take a tour of the island within our first week and went and hiked around Fresh-Water Lake, bathed in a hot spring under Trafalgar Falls, and swam near Scott's Head where the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea are separated by about 30 feet of land. The following weekend we went whale watching. Shane was sick the entire trip, but we did get to see the fluke of a baby whale.
Shane completed orientation and registration and non-stop school and studying quickly became the norm for him. We had a couple of issues with our landlord, who was elderly and couldn't handle the noise if we had any of the girls' friends over to play. Setting up a home here was very difficult. Most of the products are the type that you can find at a dollar store, but they cost a whole lot more than a dollar. We ended up having Shane's parents ship us a whole box of kitchen supplies.
My days have been mostly spent doing the 'Mom' thing. School starts at 8:00, we are responsible to supervise our own children during lunch from 12:00 to 1:00, and school ends at 3:00. I quickly discovered that by the time I walked home from lunch I only had 20 minutes before it was time to head back and pick Chandee up from school! So, Kira and I started hanging out on campus during this time, every day. There is a playground under the full strength of the sun, and a semi-airconditioned room where we spent most of our time. It was taxing on both of us.
Truthfully, it was a rough semester. I'm glad it's over!
Shane completed orientation and registration and non-stop school and studying quickly became the norm for him. We had a couple of issues with our landlord, who was elderly and couldn't handle the noise if we had any of the girls' friends over to play. Setting up a home here was very difficult. Most of the products are the type that you can find at a dollar store, but they cost a whole lot more than a dollar. We ended up having Shane's parents ship us a whole box of kitchen supplies.
My days have been mostly spent doing the 'Mom' thing. School starts at 8:00, we are responsible to supervise our own children during lunch from 12:00 to 1:00, and school ends at 3:00. I quickly discovered that by the time I walked home from lunch I only had 20 minutes before it was time to head back and pick Chandee up from school! So, Kira and I started hanging out on campus during this time, every day. There is a playground under the full strength of the sun, and a semi-airconditioned room where we spent most of our time. It was taxing on both of us.
Truthfully, it was a rough semester. I'm glad it's over!
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