Acting Like a Tourist

This last few weeks are turning out to be a blur of beaches, pools, snorkeling, and soaking up both the sun and common St. Kitts activities that won't be available to us for a very long time.  Although I typically tend to act like a tourist on a regular basis, constantly taking advantage of the amazing activities and desperate housewives that are always available, it is even more evident now that we are leaving in under a month.  Unfortunately, Andee is in the midst of block exams and upcoming finals, so for the most part, I will be enjoying these activities without him.  At least all us housewives are in the same boat!

In the last few weeks I have engaged in a ton of snorkeling at Shipwreck Beach!  There are hundreds of different kinds of fish, tons of sand dollars (or mermaid money) for collecting, and lots of big starfish in the deeper water!  With the growing number of friends with waterproof cameras, we were still able to capture some of our underwater adventures in photos, even though our waterproof camera is currently broken!  The pictures are amazing, but they still do not quite do justice to the amazing and colorful treasures and aquatic wildlife that we have seen!  Oh St. Kitts, your beauty is simply amazing!!

In addition to spending mostly every hour of sunlight outside by the water, I have also been enjoying hangouts with some desperate housewives in the evenings!  Partially to get out of the apartment so Andee can study, and partially because I'm trying to do everything St. Kitts has to offer before leaving!  Girls nights are always a lot of fun!

This week was also the annual Caribbean Christian Fellowship American Thanksgiving!  There was an amazing turnout this year of over 100 hungry guests, and tables full of amazing Thanksgiving food!  Andee and I ended up eating so much dinner that we had trouble fitting in dessert!  It was a fantastic way to celebrate with the church and with friends before exams!

Andee has his third round of Block exams this Monday, so prayer and encouragement is appreciated!  He is currently hard at work studying away, and will be until the end of the semester!  Only 2 weeks separates these exams from finals, so Andee will definitely be in need of a Christmas Vacation!!

Countdown:  18 days until we are Canada bound!  Andee and I plan to spend one last day at the beach together after his finals before we leave the Island!  First stop - McDonalds.  Second stop - anywhere playing Christmas music!

St. Kitts Photo Shoot!!

Much to my delight and Andee's reluctant participation, we were recently able to have a St. Kitts photo shoot before we leave the Island!  Our wonderful neighbor Brigett, who is an AMAZING photographer, drove us to some picturesque Island locations to capture the beauty of our 16-month adventure of living in a Tropical Paradise!  I have been wanting a St. Kitts photo shoot pretty much the entire time we have been living here, so I was glad that Brigett was able to capture some of the reasons why I love St. Kitts so much!  These bad boys will certainly make it onto the walls of my and Andee's future house (distant future...a girl can dream!), and we are very excited and happy with the photos!!  Thanks Brigett!!!!

Here are some of our favorites!!

Countdown:  Unbelievably, we have only 24 days until we head back to Canada for the holidays!  Hopefully, I can use these pictures to remember all of the amazing and beautiful experiences we were able to have here in St. Kitts!  See you soon Canada!

Med 4 Banquet - Almost There!!

After 4 semesters on the Island watching students come and go, we finally attended Andee's Med 4 Banquet, otherwise known as the 'Transition Ceremony' between both St. Kitts and America, and Basic and Clinical Sciences.  Seeing everyone all dressed up and almost finished with their time in St. Kitts was great, and the Banquet itself was absolutely beautiful!  A delicious dinner, some clever awards, a slide show, and a great afterparty - just like prom!  It was a little sad to think about leaving St. Kitts, but I decided not to focus on that and just enjoy the night!  Oh, and St. Kitts evenings are just the perfect temperature to be wearing a dress!  Enjoy the pictures!

Some exciting updates for our future travels!  This week we were able to book a beautiful condo in Old Orchard Beach, Maine!  We will be staying in Maine from January 2012 until the end of May 2012, and then will be moving BACK TO CANADA for the summer months while Andee studies for his USMLE and I can hopefully make some money working!  YAY!!  We are very happy with this plan for many reasons!  Firstly, we will be back home during the best part of the year, the summer, which will allow me to spend lots of time with family and friends up at the cottage and at home which will give Andee an opportunity to get some quality study time in with little distractions!  Second, Andee will be close to UOIT, where he can use the school library and facilities for optimal studying!  Thirdly, I can legally work in Canada, and am hoping to make some money during the three months we are home!  And finally, we will be in Canada for a couple months leading up to Dave and Arielle's wedding, and we will be home for their Wedding Day!  So exciting!!!  And, in true Medical School fashion, we will be living in 4 different places, St. Kitts, Maine, Durham, and an unknown Clinicals location, in 3 different countries, St. Kitts, Canada, and the United States, in the course of just 1 year.  For someone who hates change, I suppose God must have a sense of humor.  Just kidding!!  

Link to our Condo in Maine:  

http://www.apexrentalproperty.com/vacation-rental-home.asp?PageDataID=31594

Countdown:  Tomorrow marks just one month, or 31 days until we arrive on Canadian soil!  We are super excited to be celebrating the holidays with our families, and preparing for our move to the US!  Prayers would be appreciated as we transition into another major change in our lives, and that God's will is placed above ours in making future decisions!  I can taste those delicious McDonalds fries now...

Sunfest and Zip lining!!

This weekend has been an exciting one!  To kick off the weekend, myself and my neighbors crossed off the last of my St. Kitts bucket list by going zip lining!!  I just had to participate in such an amazing adventure before leaving the Island!  Soaring through the sky 250 feet above the ground with the ocean in the distance and the rainforest below was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget!  It literally feels like you are flying!  And with the half-price student rate, it was definitely well worth it!  Now I can confidently say that I have experienced all that I could ask for while living in a tropical paradise! 

And, of course, we captured both photo and video evidence of the adventure!!

After zip lining, we attended our last Sunfest at Reggae Beach!  Lots of students were in attendance after finishing up a round of block exams, and Andee and I were able to enjoy the beach and the ocean together!  Wilbur the Pig also joined us for a swim in the Caribbean Sea!  An excellent way to spend a Saturday! 

Countdown:  Tomorrow will mark 37 days, or just over 5 weeks left in St. Kitts!  If you haven't already heard, I am really going to miss this place!!

Happy Halloween!

The best part of Halloween on an Island is the ability to wear a tank top and not freeze.  Also the fact that there are no lines you have to wait in and freeze.  Also that you pretty much never have to worry about rides because someone will be going that way, and their is no waiting for the car to warm up while you freeze.  Oh St. Kitts, your warmth is much appreciated!

Due to a lack of car, resources, money, and effort, I reused the Tiger costume that I made last year in St. Kitts!  But not to worry, many homemade costumes made their way to the festivities as students and VIP's alike celebrated the holiday!  And, wait for it, Andee joined me in one of the celebrations! *gasp*.  After a brutal set of block exams, Andee finally made it out of the apartment!  Yay for Halloween!

In addition to the Halloween festivities, I also attended my first Kitittian Horse Race, which was a lot of fun!  The other side of the Island is....interesting.  Glad to live in Frigate Bay!

Some beach, pool, karaoke, and typical St. Kitts activities have made up the majority of the past couple of weeks!  Got to get my fill of the sunshine before heading to Portland!

How long until we head home for the holidays?  6 weeks.  That's right.  Only 6 weeks left of paradise.  Sunfest, Banquet, and Thanksgiving are all coming up soon, as well as a plethora of enough beach and pool days to hopefully keep me sane in America.  Well, at least we will have McDonalds!