Term 1, All Done!

Ross has officially finished his first term of medical school and he is on his way to his M.D.! The hardest is still yet to come, but I must say we are both excited for a month break.
A month break from opening my kindle to find cadaver pictures:

A month break from the mirror being covered in the glycolysis:

And a month to relax and have a little more of this:

And a month of Ross making pancakes for breakfast:

But Ross is already enjoying it a little too much, already gettin lazy:

Thanksgiving Trip - 2012

More Blog cleaning. Exactly a year ago I was waking up freezing cold, snuggled in a huge fluffy bed in California.

November 2012

Lately I have been totally overwhelmed with how much I do not like my current situation. Knowing that I am in this for the long-haul, not being able to go home until May 2013, just added insult to injury. I was thinking a lot a lot a lot and eventually started seriously entertaining the idea of going home to see family and friends for a week or so to get a break, see family, celebrate a holiday, and enjoy some cold!

I thought Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to catch people off guard and surprise them, and it worked! It was fun to be able to surprise my family and friends.

Just a couple days ago I had video-chatted with my best friend Brigette on my birthday. Then -I showed up on her doorstep! Her son, my godson, Asher just started screaming and doing laps around the house, haha. It was great to be living so close to this family right before I left, but it made it hurt even worse when I did leave. I've only been gone three months and Asher is already saying whole sentences!

We were checking each other's tongues for blue-tone progress. I had a blast hanging out with the Lucas family. Asher and I were playing in his room when Brigette comes in and he goes, "No momma! Go out!" I must be doing something right. :)

My grandparents probably had the best reaction. I am really close to my grandparents and when living in California I was at their house quite frequently. When I jumped out from behind my mom my grandma just sat there with her jaw dropped. My grandpa was sitting with his back turned to me, and seeing my grandma's face, he got up and turned around to see what was going on. By this point my grandma started screaming and my grandpa said something to the effect of "What are you doing here?" It was great to spend time with them that day as well as have our traditional Thanksgiving dinner with them! Here is a picture of me and my grandparents at my wedding.The coolest people I have ever met!

I have to admit that a good amount of time was spent shopping and cramming "supplies" into a suitcase to bring back to Grenada. But besides that I did get to see tons of family. This involved a trip to Utah. My Grandma Widdison hasn't been doing very well, and she just moved to a care facility. It was so good to see her but really hard to say goodbye at the end of the trip. She is such an incredible lady.

There is a surprising lack of photos from this trip -not sure what happened there.

Anyways, when I was in CA with my parents we were keeping it a surprise from my siblings. Eventually we couldn't hold it in anymore and I took a picture with my Dad at In-n-Out and he sent it out to everyone. I think most everyone thought it was an old picture or something. Haha. But eventually they were all pretty surprised. Seriously people, put "surprise someone" on your bucket list, it was awesome!

While some of my siblings were home from college we went to Venice beach. It was a little funny to me because I was at the beach but freezing cold. The Caribbean has definitely ruined me forever!

We took a little stroll down the Venice canals, which was really fun.

I saw this house was for sale, so I will probably buy that for when Ross does his rotations in CA.

Then we headed over to the beach. The great thing about Venice is, you don't know if that is smog, or marine layer, or idk, maybe The Chronic.

There is this fantastic bakery that sells hot and fresh mini donuts. You can even watch them make 'em!
So we got some donuts and sodas and just hung out!

















Before or after (not during, I remember that much) we went to eat.

Me and my Trin Kyle! Duh. :)


















Just waiting in line at Tito's Tacos. Double duh. Couldn't call myself a Californian without it.

The trip was an absolute blast. It was so nice to go home and relax and freeze and feel loved. Alas, all good things must come to an end. And back to Grenada I go!

Bye for now America!

Concord Falls Hike

-October 8-12th-
Ross's midterm week was the absolute worst. I was on a downward slump and slipping deeper into the pit of boredom and despair (ya know, while Ross was gone having fun stressing and studying). With Ross being gone all the time with the computer (aka midterm week) rolled around, the situation was exacerbated. Amazing how no internet or computer makes you feel so cut off and medieval.

I love adventure. I am not a daredevil, but I love trying new things and going new places.
Imagine my glee when my friend Mindy called me one Wednesday morning and said her and some other girls were going to take a quick trip up to hike Concord Falls!

I was so happy to have something to do, somewhere to go, and someone to hang out with.
Before long four of us plus a baby were crammed in Mindy's car driving up north to what was for me, uncharted territory.

I got some great pictures but I wasn't fast enough to snap one of the man we saw dressed as a woman -in a pink dress with a matching hair kerchief and full on beard nonetheless. Lovely.

But up a tiny windy road...we made it!

I don't know that it is much of a "resort," but here it is....

We hired a guide to help us navigate up to the waterfall. His name is Sandy and he was great. He pointed out a mandarin tree, and cut us some guava. I guess since it is the rainy season not many people have been up this way in a while so he had his fair share of cutting almost a new path for us.

Long story short, Patty didn't have her baby carrier so Sandy just picked up the little one and hiked with her! He was legit -a machete and no shoes, definitely a tough guy.

It was a pretty easy hike, and we were kind of in a rush to get back so we made it quick.
On the hike you could see some farms along the hillside.

Mindy wanted to get some pumpkins for Halloween decorations, so she asked Sandy where she might find some. Of course Sandy's stepfather has a farm with pumpkins. This is another thing I love about Grenada -ask and ye shall receive. Chances are, some one knows someone who can help you out with what you need -for a price.

 

One of my favorite parts was just seeing all the tropical flowers. I learned about heliconia (left) and anthurium (right) in a class I took in college, and here they are just growing wild in the forest.

Our hike ended at this beautiful waterfall! I had to get in, the water was so cool and nice.
 

Here I am with Kim, braving the icy water!

It was a really fun hike and I know there are bigger and better waterfalls and hikes but I still had a fun time hiking, swimming, and laughing with friends.

At the end of our hike Sandy cut up some sugarcane for us and also gave us this cocoa pod/plant. I had no idea this is what it looks like. Along that main core are seeds and you pull them off and suck on them.

They taste gooey and actually pretty good! They use the seed/pod part to make cocoa or rather chocolate! It is weird that the outside looks like a gourd, the inside tastes fruity, and the seeds are used for chocolate.

On the way home we all snacked on sugarcane and cocoa fruit/plant thing. It was great. :)

Post Term 1 (mid-term) Update Continued

Saturday Ross and I went with some friends to a new beach. Well, new to us, it wasn't like it sprung up out of no where and had a grand opening. The beach is called La Sagesse and it is on the south side of the island so you get a different kind of beach!

It was so much fun. The best way I can think to describe it is if the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean had a baby -it would be La Sagesse. I know a lot of people down here don't much care for it though. The water is murkier and has more plant floaties like the Pacific Ocean. Also the waves are quite a bit rougher, but that is good news because it makes boogie boarding possible!

And all at the same time you have WARM water, beautiful palm trees and lush green surroundings. Anyone gonna come visit me yet?

As you can tell from the picture, we were pretty happy to hang out with each other and have a fun little break!

As we were headed back to our apartment we stopped along the way to check out Le Phare Bleu Marina. They have a hotel, a restaurant, and a fancy restaurant out on the Lighthouse Boat.

Boats!  In the background you can see Calivigny Island.

You can rent the island. Yes, the ENTIRE 80 ACRE ISLAND! It's crazy.Check it out at this website. And it is definitely worth 5 minutes and 44 minutes of your time to watch this video about it:

I'm 98% sure that is what most people think Ross and I enjoy on a daily basis. But don't worry, in a couple years or so when Ross graduates we are going to be so rich that we are going to just buy it. No worries!

We came home to a pretty sunset. I'm not saying this is as impressive as they get, but I had to include it because it makes me miss my desert sunsets!

That just about wraps it up for our break before the storm of med school starts again! I already can't wait for finals to be over. :)

Post Term 1 (mid-term) Update

Well, Ross is officially half way done with his first term of Medical School!
4 1/2 terms + two years of rotations is all that is left. Time flies when you are having fun.

Ross passed all his midterms and that is all that he and I care about. Looks like he right on track. Yay!

After midterms we went out with some 1st term friends. It was kind of last minute and came together great. Our friends here are so good about giving us rides and making fun plans!

On Friday night we went out to a fancy-schmancy restaurant called Victory. It is located in Port Louis where all the millionaire world-sailing yacht people dock when they visit Grenada. I guess the Port is a pretty big deal.

So you know this place was going to be nice! Ross and I shared a huge plate of red meat. It would probably cause instant death for a vegetarian because it almost gave us a heart attack just seeing that much meat in one place. We don't eat much red meat because it is so expensive down here.

That there folks is: Brisket, steak, pork ribs, and beef ribs. And in case you doubted our affinity for potatoes, we got potato wedges, a baked potato, and mashed potatoes. It was delicious, you can bet your student loans we had the meat sweats.

Photo compliments of Katie.

Some how we over calculated our bill and since we ended up with a little extra money per couple we went over to Rick's Cafe to get some ice cream. The sorbet they have is absolutely incredible! I got half strawberry half coconut & pineapple.
It was so much fun to hang out with friends and the best part was that for all that food and dessert it still rang in under $50 USD for both of us.

Getting Settled

A few weeks into my new life here in Grenada I wrote this post and wanted to gather some pictures for it... so I bring it to you now!

A couple days ago I had a visiting SO ask me... what is the biggest adjustment for you?

And even though I have been here for a few weeks now. I think I kinda cocked my head and stared off into the distance. Granted, maybe it was the heat exhaustion, or just plain exhaustion that set me in a trance, but it took me a couple minutes to try to sort it all out in my head.

The heat & humidity.

Which is legitimate. Lots of people have trouble adjusting to the heat and humidity. Sweat pours. And on your face and arms and neck there is this mixture of sunscreen, sweat, soap, and perfume. Perhaps we should recall the Facebook status update I provided about these things:

My friends claimed they were a necessity, so I bought some (obviously not the expensive fancy ones). And in my first few days here I used one to try to absorb the oil on my face.

It got stuck. And ripped.

Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade to microfiber cloths and a sham-wow.

BUT

More than the heat, I wondered why I didn't answer with something else, anything else. Hanging out with SOs and reading blogs it is interesting to see what other people have to say.

I could have said those dang reggage buses.

I tried to take a sneaky shot... didn't turn out so well.

Here is how you get a reggage bus driver/ money collector (cobrador?) to harass you:
Walk. Anywhere in this country. And they will call at you, or flash their lights at you, or honk at you, or get out and follow you around and try to convince you that, yes, actually, you DO want to go downtown, so please drop everything you thought you had to do and get on this bus. right. now!

Lots of people here cannot get used to that, and it bothers them.

Last Saturday I was walking with a group of SOs to the Limes beach day when a reggage bus guy was calling at us to get on. The van slowed down and he was asking the usual, "ladies, pretty ladies! Saint George's? Saint George's?" I shook my head no. But then he asked, "playboy? want a playboy?"
Umm, good sir, fortunately I cannot imagine all that your potential service offers ... but I can assure you that, even more than I do not need to go to Saint George's, I also do not need a "playboy." Thanks though. Nice to know variety is out there.
We just shook our heads and I turned to my friend as he drove away, and just had a "What?!" moment. Love it.

I could have said those wonderful kind young men around here.
Who act like, despite the huge population of medical students, they have never, ever seen a white lady. They cat-call, whistle, stare, honk, and hang out their car windows and yell.
Last week I was waiting for a bus and this guy stumbles over to me and starts leaning in, too close for comfort. He rubs his chin then blows me a kiss. It was so odd and creepy at the same time that I had to turn my head to stop from just laughing so hard! Love it.

The scene of the crime!

I could say the lack of fast food, or convenience, or not having a car, or the high price of groceries, or "island time," or even never getting to see my husband (nah, doesn't bother me!). ;)
But for whatever reason or another, I chose the humid, sweaty, sticky body that I now permanently live in!

And I think a big part of my ease in adjusting here I owe to my wonderful parents and family. My parents who walked us down skid row, past the man in the mumu. My parents who took us to BBQ places in Compton. My parents who rode the train and buses with us down to Union Station walked us down Olvera Street, and the back alleys of Chinatown where a woman chased us, offering us the duck special. My parents who patiently rolled up the window as a bum fight occurred across the hood of our car. My parents who conversed with those in need, and not having millions themselves, and gave some change without questioning where the money might be headed. My parents who took us to Tijuana, Mexico and let us experience "chicle? chicle?." My parents who remain in the same neighborhood, even if our neighbors had an old toilet on their front lawn. My parents who supported me traveling and living abroad, although I am sure they were quite worried and terrified.

Momma and Poppa!

My parents who pushed me out of the nest when I while I was young and taught me that I needed to make my own path. My parents who didn't tell me how, but taught through example, the principles that should guide my life. They showed me how to deal with uncomfortable situations. They taught me that not everyone is the same, and that diversity in circumstance or appearance is a fantastic thing! And best of all, leave the porch light on for me to come back when I need.

I will love them forever for that.

But maybe they could have taught me how to deal with humidity a little better.

Break Time

I realized I have a bunch of drafts I have yet to finish, so today I am putting some finishing touches on long over-due posts.

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Today was a big deal, Ross had his first final and quiz of his medical school career!

He wrote a post about it!

And here it is: 

"So today I took my first Final and the unified quiz. I was really anxious about the whole thing as it was the first measurement of what I have done so far. Bioethics didn't seem to be too hard but apparently they frown on using mechanical pencils for some odd reason. I used the one provided to me by the proctors but others brought their own and several were told not to use them if they were mechanical. I have no idea what it was about but the guy sitting next to me had that problem, got the replacement wood pencil, then promptly broke the tip off when he tried to bubble an answer. It was a little funny. Then some macaroni and cheese and about an hour and a half later it was time for the unified. I have had lots of prompting and been informed by several people of all the resources and tips and tricks to studying so the unified wasn't too big of a shock. It was still a test but I felt prepared."

Turns out he did great on them! We both feel like he is in a really great position with the grades he got, and word on the street is that grades on midterms are even higher. Midterms are October 8th-12th.

But before I lose your attention... Pictures!

After Ross was done with his tests, we decided to head to downtown St. George's, because Ross hasn't been yet. But by the time we got some lunch and caught a bus out of our neighborhood I had a feeling we were too late... And we were!

Late? For what?

Well, right around 3:00 or 4:00pm things start closing down. By the time we arrived downtown it was really busy with everyone getting out of school and stores starting to close, and to add a little more variety some very very dark clouds began to roll in.

We tried to do some running around, but it started pouring rain! Here is Ross by the corner where the Spice Market is, that he still hasn't gone in, good thing we'll be here for a couple years!

We ran for cover and waited a little bit, you can kind of see in the picture below how hard it was raining. And yes, I have seen a few KFCs down here, but no other American chains. Haha.

We wanted to try this food place I saw in my Frommer's guide called, "Deyna's Tasty Food," luckily I knew where it was so we ran over to it but not for stopping for a second to hear a room full of young students pounding out tunes on a steel pan! It was pretty cool. I don't know if it was an afterschool music program or what but there were about 20 or so students crammed in a room in their school uniforms, with their pans. We both immediately thought of our good friend Mike and how amazing he is at playing in and all types of steel drums! :) His concerts were always so much fun to go to.

Deyna's Tasty Food is a "closely guarded secret among locals," says Frommer's, and it is located almost exactly across the street from the bus terminal. As we entered the restaurant the people looked at us like we were crazy and I think laughed a little, but we were seated.

We were the only ones there and I am wondering if maybe they are more busy around lunch? It looked like they had an Al a Carte deal for lunch. The Frommer's guide said she had the national dish, "Oil Down" as well as things like savory stuffed crabs. She told us the menu so I don't know if we missed those, but we didn't hear her mention them, so we just got a combo-type plate.

This is my plate! So let's start with the easily identifiable rice and beans and work clock-wise. The green stuff next to it is callaloo, a leaf vegetable that I didn't much care for. Next too that is a breadfruit pudding type thing that was really pretty good! I definitely want some more or... I suppose I could cook it myself since they sell breadfruits. Then you have classic veggies, and the orange/yellow chunks are pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin is really popular here! Then at the bottom is stewed pork! It was really good. Then hiding in there somewhere are some cooked green bananas. Grenadians pluck them when they are green and use them in cooking. I wasn't too crazy about them.

Ross got the same thing, but with a BBQ type chicken. They chicken was really good!
And the juice was a passionfruit- guava mix.

It was fun to try local food, but maybe I would go back around lunch time so I could pick the parts I like in an Al a Carte fashion. And maybe they have a lunch price, because it was also a little pricey for my liking (I think it was $15-20 EC a dish).

BUT also saw they have manicou as a meat option.
What is manicou?

I, unfortunately, do not own the rights to this photo.

Opossum! Yum! Next time.

The rain let up a little and we did some exploring by the Fish Market. Across the street they have an ultra scary Meat Market I have heard horror stories about.
Pretty sure Upton Sinclair would be all over that.

My favorite part was when Ross was like, "but they don't use it anymore right?"
WRONG. People were buying meat within those scary blood stained walls with dangling hooks and chains not but a few hours ago! To think we missed out, shucks!

But to make up for the manicou and meat market photos, I will give you a lovely one!

I am really happy we bought a camera at the last minute because for a point and shoot camera it takes pretty incredible photos.

Then we headed back to our tiny home, but not without some photos taken out of the bus window as the sun was setting.

So even though it was kind of a bummer trip, especially being Ross's first trip downtown, it was fun to be able to spend time together! Maybe after midterms we will have to take Deyna up on that manicou!

Saturday Morning

I love Saturday mornings!

Because I get to hang out a little with my stranger husband.
This morning he cleaned up the kitchen and washed all the dishes.



And he made us breakfast! Little tiny pancakes, and we tried out some nutmeg syrup.

One thing I have always liked about Ross, is he is never above any chore. He doesn't think it is the woman's job to cook, and I don't think it's his job to change the tire. I love it. We work together to get things done, it is so nice.

I really appreciate that he respects me for all that I do. 

I may not be on campus studying all day and memorizing the millions of nerves and muscles and functions of the upper limb, or stressing about tests and reviewing lecture slides, but he understands I am busy and working hard to keep our family healthy and happy. 

It's a two way street.

I really appreciate and respect all that he does for me.

He may not be braving public transportation and haggling over the price of a single tomato, or stressing about the rapid consumption of expensive peanut butter, but I understand that he is busy and working hard to keep our family healthy and happy. 

This is how we are surviving on never seeing each other, T.G.I.S! (morning at least)