More Comments = More Love

Hello All!

So my neighbor just informed me that I can change the settings on the Blog so that anyone can leave a comment, and a password is not needed!

For those of you who are unsure how to comment, it is now super easy!

1. At the bottom of the Blog Post, the number of "comments" is written in blue 
2. Click on the word "comments"
3. A Text Box will appear (if clicked on from facebook, text box will already be at the bottom of the post)
4. Write your comment inside the text box
5. A drop-down tab is inside the text box written as "comment as"
6. Choose your name or write it in
7. click "post comment"

You are done!

Basically, More Comments = More Love!

Happy Commenting!

And to make this post not completely boring...

                                                     Only in St. Kitts

P.S. Home in 2 weeks tomorrow!  Get out the LEG WARMERS!!!

A Date with my Husband!

Lucky me!

After 3 months of marriage, I forced my husband into going on a date with me, because Andee spends 99% of his time studying.  Since we have had no money for the past, oh I don't know, forever, we aren't used to actually going on planned dates.  Turns out, warm weather, a beach, the ocean, and a 5-Star resort really make for a fun and inexpensive date!  It was nice to spend some time with the hubby outside of our apartment for a change!

Andee's contribution to the blog:  "We are coming to you from the future!!"
Translation:  St. Kitts does not use daylight savings time, and so we are now 1 hour ahead of our Canadian readers!  It doesn't really affect much, however our weekly television shows are now an hour later than usual, and for those of you who know me, a show that should start at 8, and is now starting a 9, will probably get ignored or slept through.  Fortunately, I just download anything I miss!

Tis the Season to be stealing - seriously, the holiday season in St. Kitts is the peak season for crimes.  Apparently us "rich North Americans" are prime candidates for break-ins and robberies.  Of course, Kittitians are completely ignorant to the fact that most of us are on student loans and a stolen laptop would be detrimental to our budget!  Please be praying for the students and tourists in St. Kitts as we go through this 'joyous' season.

In lighter news, I visited the pool and the beach a lot this week, every day in fact!  I also watched some movies with friends, and random hangouts with the spouses!  Oh the joys of a lack of a work visa on a tropical island!

On Saturday, I attended a pretzel party for Jakki's birthday!  The girls did all the fun work of kneading the dough and making fun pretzel shapes, while we left the cooking to the boys.  I made a heart shaped pretzel especially for Andee!  Mmmmm delicious!

I sang at church again on Sunday which seems to be a weekly occurrence!  I am so glad that the church let me be a part of their team!  Just think of all the amazing worship, learning, fellowship, friends, and fun I would have missed out on had God not led us to this amazing church!  Sunday was also the last day of this semester's bible study, and as a conclusion celebration the girls prepared "Breakfast for Dinner", quite possibly one of life's greatest occurrences!  Words cannot describe the level of excitement experienced to partake in this amazing feast of breakfasty goodness!

Countdown:  16 days!  Get ready for MCDONALDS!!! 

And now for your enjoyment...

 Only in St. Kitts

 

Just a typical week in St. Kitts!

So everyone knows that I am a tad bit obsessed with pictures, (a lot bit) and that Andee is not nearly so thrilled when I force [necessary] photo shoots, so I was notably shocked to find these pictures of Andee at school.  Unbelievably, these were taken without my prompting!  Amazing!  He also looks happy to be at school...must have been taken early in the semester!

This week has consisted of Indian food, beaches, pools, and a whole lot of studying...what else is new!

Noone can seem to resist the lunch special at the Star of India, because we somehow end up here about once a week!  It makes me too hungry to look at these pictures for long periods of time, so it is time to move on!

Wednesday I went to the Marriott beach with Emily for some relaxation! (you know, because I am normally so busy)  We then split a delicious Marriott wrap with fries, and I reunited with my favorite part of St. Kitts, the Marriott Kitty!  He enjoyed some of my chicken, and I enjoyed stalking him with my camera!  A little skinnier than I'm used to, but equally adorable!

 

Thursday was our weekly pool day, held at our condo complex, except this time i brought my camera!  Not as large a crowd as usual, but still lots of fun!

Recently, our debit cards have not been working properly, often leaving us in a pinch with no cash and an inability to pay for important things such as rent and groceries.  Finally, after a couple months of this nonsense, we learned that a hold had been placed on our account.  So on Friday, with $10 EC to my name, I was finally able to take out cash on my first try!  PTL!  One less sketchy thing to worry about in St. Kitts!

Friday evening, a few of us got together to play Phase 10!  It of course reminded me of the cottage, and so I was quite content with my last place finish!

Saturday I went to the beach, and was glad we left before we got stuck in this!

I was also able to skype a family party from home!  It was so great to see everyone!  Very excited for Christmas get-togethers!  Tomorrow is Sunday, and I am singing on the worship team this week, as well as bible study in the evening.  Just a typical week in St. Kitts for these two newlyweds!

Andee has block exams on Monday, and so has been studying the entire week.  He is a good boy and studies hard, hence my need to get out of the apartment and hang out with the girls! 

And now, for my favorite blog segment!  While vocalizing my need for an 'Only In St, Kitts' photo while in downtown Basseterre, my neighbor reminded me that the green water running beside me was indeed NOT normal, and so should be photographed immediately!

                                                    Only in St. Kitts

Hope you have enjoyed the blog!  Countdown: 25 days!

1 Month to go!

Bacteria: 1            Andee: 0

Even the illnesses are sketchier in St. Kitts!

Last weekend and the entirety of this week Andee was quite the sicky!  After his 2 Block exams on Monday, we made a trip to one of the Doctors in St. Kitts.  Forgetting that we were not in Canada, I assumed that we would be able to waltz into a Doctor`s office, get a prescription for antibiotics 10 minutes later, and be on our way - this was not the case.  Luckily, my neighbor reminded me that an appointment was needed, and also offered to drive us there and back!  What a good neighbor!  The appointment was over an hour long, but was surprisingly extremely thorough and informative.  Such irony that it would take coming to St. Kitts for a Doctor to properly diagnose Andee`s sickness, that being strep throat as opposed to a sinus infection.  Strep throat, sinus inflammation, and a lower respiratory infection later, we ended up with antibiotics and an antihistamine.  However, the antibiotics took longer than usual to start working, and Andee spent the next 3 days lying and sleeping on the couch, blowing his nose every 10 minutes.  Poor sick Andee!  In other ironic news, Andee managed a 96 and 98 on his block exams!  Maybe he should be sick more often!  I suppose it should look more like this...

Bacteria: 0           Andee: 1

So, just when I`m starting to hate St. Kitts a little less, the government implements a new and improved way to annoy me - the VAT ``Value Added Tax`` or as we like to call it, ``Very Annoying Tax``.  This new tax adds 17% on everything, because everything is already so cheap here......   So an extra $40 EC was added to my grocery bill this week.  How I look forward to stuffing my suitcase with Dollerama and No Frills goodies from Canada!

On Friday after grocery shopping, Emily and I went for a swim in her pool, and I tragically forgot to bring my camera!  Photo shoot to come!

Saturday, after our weekly Dragonball-Z Kai mini morning marathon, paired with a scrumptious breakfast, UMHS hosted ``Sunfest``, a mid-semester beach party for all the medical students and their families!  Since Andee hadn`t seen the sun in approximately a month and a half (a true story), he is currently just as pasty as those of you reading from Canada!  An spf 60 beach day after a week of sickness was just what he needed to get back on track!

  

 

Saturday evening was another infamous Girls Night at the Blue Martini!  Yay for free drinks and great company!

On Sunday I wasn't feeling well myself, so I had a relaxing day at the beach with Steph, followed by a Mexican Fiesta Bible Study in the evening!  It was delicious!!!

Today is November 8th, which means that I leave for Canada in EXACTLY 1 MONTH!!!! (or 30 days to be more specific)  I am sooooooooooooooooooooo excited to come back to civilization for a whole month and to see everyone!  St. Kitts may have great weather, but Canada has everything else!  GET OUT THE WINTER COATS!!!!!

Goodbye October!!

While making Andee come with me to get laundry because it was dark out, we came across an interesting Halloween creature that someone in our complex had created!  We have lovingly named him Pineapple Jack-O-Lantern, or PJ for short.  I tried to 10-second timer the occasion with both Andee and I in the picture, but alas, I could not.  So here is the picture we came up with!

On both Monday and Saturday I went to the St. Kitts movie theater and saw "Life As We Know It" and "The Social Network".  Both of the movies were very entertaining, and admission and popcorn are surprisingly much cheaper than at home!  **The only thing in St. Kitts that is cheaper than in Canada.  However, the theater was kept so cold, that even wearing every warm article of clothing that I brought was still not enough to keep me warm!  It was almost as if I was back in Canada, minus the ever-popular portable heater and of course, Snuggie Snugs.

Tuesday to Friday were pretty standard, if you exclude the fact that we found mold in our air conditioner, had someone "fix it" (which is Kittitian code for being lazy and doing nothing), and then Andee and I having to dismantle it and clean it ourselves.  Other than this, however, a pretty normal week consisting of pool time, Indian food, grocery shopping, and skyping; you know, the usual.

Andee has 2 Block Exams on Monday, and so he has been studying away!  To make things just that much more frustrating, he developed a sinus infection yesterday and is having a lot of trouble both studying and staying awake due to the copious amounts of antihistamines.  Please keep him in your prayers!  Poor sick Andee :( 

 

Saturday evening a few of us hung out at Kristen's bar, I mean apartment.  We enjoyed the "Fall" weather outside that is only present during a hurricane threat...oh St. Kitts!  I still need to tip our talented bartender!

Sunday evening I went Trick-or-Treating with some of the spouses and their kids!  It was nice to experience a "normal" North-American event, but with weather that allows for costumes that aren't disguised by winter coats! And of course I had to dress up!

 

To put us in the Halloween mood, a somewhat "Fall" looking sky amidst the palm trees!  St. Kitts really is such a beautiful place!  If it weren't for the overall sketchiness of the island and its inhabitants, I would absolutely love it here!

And now, a new addition to the blog (Andee's idea) which was started last post.  Let us introduce to you the "Only in St. Kitts" segment of our posts, which shall include pictures of scenes, products, events, etc. of things that would only happen in St. Kitts!  To enlighten you on the joys of St. Kitts living, Andee and I have established the catch phrase "everything is sketchier in St. Kitts."   We hope you enjoy the sketchy randomness that we almost consider to be normal, one photo at a time.  So here it is...please note the price tag.
                                                     Only in St. Kitts

Countdown:  5 and a half weeks, or 37 days until home time!!  Get out the scarves!!

Only in St. Kitts....

                                              HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Bunco, Blue Martini, and Blogging

Hello again from Diana!

I have been waiting for some finishing touches to our apartment before I posted pictures!  There are still a few things that need to be done, but I decided to take pictures anyways!  Not too bad considering what it looked like before!  Enjoy!

So I decided that I don't hate St. Kitts as much as I thought I did, it really is a beautiful island and the opportunity that Andee was given to study medicine is so great!  Andee and I have also made some great friends on the island from the Medical School and from the Ross Vet School, and are slowly getting used to St. Kitts living!  I also really enjoy blogging!  It keeps a good record of our journey in St. Kitts, and allows others to keep in touch!  I also like writing, and having an ongoing project!

Andee has his Anatomy Block 2 exam tomorrow, and so I have been keeping busy as to not bug him while he is trying to study!  He is such a dedicated studier!  I am so glad that God has allowed me to help Andee through this difficult time, and also that I am the helper, and not the student!  I guess we all have different strengths!  Andee and his studies are pretty much an item now, so I have made sure to keep busy and hang out with the girls!  It is kind of fun being a desperate housewife, especially because we all pretty much have no lives (well...myself more than others, as I have no kids to take care of)  There are also a lot of us that live close by with not much to do, and so we are all free to hang out together! 

So now for a play-by-play of my week!

On Monday, I was just praying that God would allow my desires to match up with his, and that I would learn to actually want to be living in St. Kitts.  God is often pretty obvious with his love for us, and as I looked outside I saw a beautiful rainbow!  It brightened up my whole day, and was a great start to a much better week!

On Tuesday I went to the beach with Kristen and Emily!  We enjoyed the beautiful weather, the beach, the ocean, and of course a little help from The Original Magic Fingers. (Random guy that gives massages with Aloe Vera...pretty sweet)  It was a beautiful and typical St. Kitts style day!

On Wednesday Kristen took me to downtown St. Kitts for her to look for matching photo shoot outfits (haha) and for me to get some much needed apartment stuff!  We went to a cute restaurant that was new in town, but were a little disappointed with our $12 nachos with Doritos in it.  We learned our lesson, and will next time stick to what we know and get the Star of India Lunch Special!

On Thursday, it was the weekly Spouses Pool Day at our condo!  Lots of fun in the sun and pool related fun!

On Friday, Emily took me grocery shopping and to a hardware store to look for some more apartment stuff.  We surprisingly found everything I was looking for, including the much needed CLR for our shower head!

Friday night we had an event-filled Girls Night at the Blue Martini!  It is so nice to go out with all married girls!  Kristen and I joined the band, and a crazy guy yelled at us and chased us for helping out his poor wife....fun times!

Saturday night was Halloween Bunco at Janae's!  Another girls night filled with Fall or Halloween related treats and fun prizes!  I made Halloween Ghost Brownies!  OoOoOoOoOhhhhhhhhh! (spooky Halloween sound)  Too bad I spent most of my time at the losers table!  But no worries, it was a very fun night!  Following the games night, a Halloween Miracle took place and it was actually a "cool" night!  Spooookkkyyyyyy!

So today is Sunday, and I am going to attepmt to make spinach, cream cheese, and bacon stuffed chicken...that is if the grocery store permits!

Countdown: 45 days, or just over 6 weeks, until home time!  Get the winter boots ready!!!

7 down, 8 to go!

Sorry, it has been a while since our last post!  If you feel like a good read, allow me (Diana) to explain why!

So since Andee's birthday a lot of randomness has unfolded for the two of us!  Not getting into too much detail, we moved out of our apartment for safety reasons, and have moved into a new location!  The move was.....well.....less than ideal.  Walking into a dirty, dingy, and musty apartment is not our cup of tea!  Let's just say that 40+ hours of scrubbing later, the apartment is finally livable!  Oh, not the mention the fact that we needed an electrician, plumber, professional carpet cleaners, paint, and a whole lot of love to make this place bearable!  We still need a few important items (bedroom curtains, tablecloth, pillows, etc.), but we are certainly on our way into making this apartment a home!  This week has certainly been one of our worst, but it is gradually improving, and for that we are thankful!  By the way, pictures to come once we do a little bit more work to the apartment!  But to keep you entertained, we will start out with the best part of our apartment so far - the view!

Couldn't get it all in one picture!  Beautiful golf course!

A huge help in getting us though all of these hard times is of course Jesus.  We have prayed so much in the past week for help, guidance, and support, and in return we have received the help of lots of students and spouses on the island that were a huge help in moving us out and helping us gather supplies without a car!  Although we miss our families, friends, Canada, and everything else we left behind, the Holy Spirit has given us the strength to persevere through anything!  And he will not let us go though more than we can bare!  Which is an extremely comforting and wonderful promise!

In addition, Andee received high grades on all of his block exams, which we also owe to Jesus, who helped us through a time in which Andee was having difficulty retaining any information due to exhaustion.  But Jesus was able to get us through yet another difficult time, and Andee was then able to not just pass, but do very well on all of his exams!

In happier random news, right before the move, some of the spouses (desperate housewives) and I went out for a 'girls night' at the Blue Martini (the bar at the Marriott).  It was a lot of fun listening to the Piano Man, and then dancing and having a great time with the girls!  We figured we should leave our husbands alone during block exams!

The next day the girls and I were involved in the First Annual St. Kitts Walk and Family Run, which raised money for a children's home in St. Kitts!  It was a lot of fun even though I couldn't imagine running in that heat! (obviously I walked!)

On Friday, a bunch of our friends went to the Shiggity Shack for dinner, which was a lot of fun!  The fish burger is just fantastic!  It is nice for the medical students to be able to take a break from studying for a delicious meal!

Andee is taking this picture

On Sunday, Andee and I thought it would be fun to make a Thanksgiving dinner!  Since our oven is currently broken (still need that electrician), we decided to make a turkey breast in a toaster oven!  It is the toaster oven that keeps on giving, and it surprisingly worked quite well!  Realizing we had way too much turkey for two people, we invited over a Canadian friend of ours, and the three of us enjoyed turkey, squash, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy!  And of course, Andee and I thoroughly enjoyed the leftover turkey for sandwiches, as well as for making turkey soup the next day!

And so things are finally starting to look up again, and there is again a little light shining at the end of the tunnel.  That light is God, for we would be nowhere without him!

We miss Canada very much, and so so very excited to go back for Christmas break!  We have been here 7 weeks, and I have just 8 more weeks to go, 9 weeks for Andee!  And then a whole month back in Canada!  To put it in perspective, we would become avid hockey fans, wear toques, and drive in the snow if it meant we could be back in Canada right now!  And that is saying something!

So Happy Thanksgiving (a day late) to everyone, and we hope to see you soon!!

Happy Birthday Andee!

Diana again,

In regards to Andee's last post, UMHS has wicked AC and so it is essential to dress warmer.  For the rest of the island, bathing suits, shorts, tank tops, and dresses are certainly weather appropriate!

For Andee, most of this week has consisted of studying, studying, and more studying, with little breaks to hang out with me!  Anatomy, cell bio, and histology allows for very limited beach time!  Andee and the rest of the first semester students have their written and lab components of their block exam for Anatomy on Monday, which makes Andee's birthday quite mild and somewhat uneventful (unless anatomy of the thorax excites you...)
I got Andee a snorkel set, a necklace, and a baseball key chain for his birthday, which is about the best one can do without a car and with primarily tourist shops at Port!
Andee did have time to enjoy a St. Kitts style birthday dessert, which is a microwave chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate frosting!  (A lack of oven has made cake-making impossible...but don't worry, it had candles!)  And a very happy block-exam-birthday was had by all!

Worst looking cake ever...we need an oven!

For myself, most of this week consisted of pools, beaches, skype, and dentists!

Monday was St. Kitts Independence Day, and so all of the students had the day off!  Andee and I did find time to do a little snorkeling (ok fine, I gave him the snorkel set early...) right outside of our apartment!  Andee spotted 2 jellyfish, and we both discovered lots of different kinds of fish and coral!  It was not as colorful and creative as if you went to an actual snorkeling location, but for right outside of our apartment, it was pretty good!

 

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent by the pool and beach, as well as random housework (desperate housewife...) and Thursday was the ever-popular spouses pool day!  This type of post shall be a regular occurrence on this blog!

On Friday, my new friend Abby and I took the Ferry to Nevis for the morning!  The reasoning was two-fold; the obvious being to explore Nevis, and the other for me to go to a job interview!

I had called some dental offices in St. Kitts and Nevis, and found an office that may be able to have me volunteer as a Dental Assistant, Receptionist, and possibly Hygienist 3 mornings a week in Nevis!  What a neat experience, and an excellent addition to my resume!  If all pans out, I would be starting in January.  Please pray for this possibility, as it would give me some great experience as well as something to do!

Abby and I were also taken on an Island Tour by the Dentist, and learned a lot about another part of the country of St. Kitts and Nevis!  It is a very pretty yet small island, and it was a lot of fun exploring!  We also went to a very cute restaurant and food market close by to the ferry, which I will definitely be attending regularly if this job prospective pans out!

Tomorrow I am going to church, and if they ever do get us a second key for our apartment, I will hopefully be able to join the worship team!

Well, that is all for now, I hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous high-of 12 degree weather in Canada this weekend! <3