One year

So I am officially the world's worst blogger. I started off strong, but got a bit too busy along the way. It has been one year and almost two months since we arrived in Dominica. I have not been home (to the US) since. It is very hard to believe that so much time has passed when it seems like a blink of an eye. I guess this just goes to show you how time does pass us by, and reminds us to make the very best out of every day.

We did a lot of island sight seeing during the last break. We wanted to get in all we could before it was time to leave. We rented a car for the two weeks (since ours was still broke) and toured the island with some friends of ours, Paul and Brandy Tarap. The girls have probably hiked more and seen more than most people ever will. Hopefully they will be able to look back at this when they are older and appreciate what a treasure this journey truly was.

Wes and I celebrated out 10 year anniversary on May 14. To commemorate the occasion, we island hopped to Barbados for a couple of days. You would think one island is the same as the next, but that is not so. Barbados is not a volcanic island, in fact it is flat. It is a coral island so it has the bright white sandy beaches. The turquoise water was spectacular and there were even wild monkeys at our hotel. Amazing! We had a great time relaxing in comfort that you don't find in Dominica.

Wes and the girls left Dominica to get re-established in the States in the middle of June. This gave the girls time to enjoy the grandparents and get settled in before entering a much larger school system. Leaving their friends was probably the hardest part. They stopped over in Barbados for two nights on their way home and got to enjoy the monkeys as well. They adjusted to life back in the States within the first few seconds of stepping off the plane.

Life is much quieter here. I seem to have a lot more time than I once did. This must be what 'regular' medical students experience. Weird. But, I am hoping to utilize this time to my advantage and get good enough grades to get off the island in August. (so I am blogging...hmmm).

The journey has been very memorable and looking back there are plenty of lessons we have learned that I don't think would have been possible anywhere else. Wes has become a hands-on father and the girls now know that their daddy loves them very much. We have all learned that life in the US is not what 'real life' is for the other 99% of the world. Hopefully we can all remember that the US is not the center of the universe and that there are others who are much less fortunate than we are. I hope to always be thankful for lights, water and food! Things that were not always plentiful or present in Dominica.

Thank you God for taking us on this journey and opening our eyes to Your creation. I look forward to the next leg and what it has in store.

Perspective

I know I have not been the best at updating the blog, but here is what has been going on since last time...

Wes: As you probably all know, Wes spent about a week in the hospital in St. Lucia for MRSA in his chin. He underwent two surgeries and came extremely close to meeting Jesus face to face. It was very scary there for a while. He called me and told me that he needed me to come get him out of the hospital because he was pretty sure he was going to die there. So, with the help of a whole lot of people, I hopped on a plane and was back in St. Lucia to get him out. I am amazed at the support we had from literally all over the world. I sent out a prayer request to our church in Boise, our church in Dominica and family members and we started getting e-mails from people we didn't even know offering support in all sorts of ways. It was incredibly touching and marvelous (can't find the words to describe) to feel people standing together with us in such a dire time while we were so very far from anyone.

Wes recovered quite miraculously just in the few hours I was there. I got back to him at 11:00pm and he was quite ill. The pain was insane and he literally looked like he had aged a good 20 years. By morning, he looked extremely better and the pain was gone. Amazing! I was able to take him home with me (to Dominica) a few days later. We had to purchase a bunch of IV drugs (from all over St. Lucia - no kidding) and the doctors at the clinic on my campus had to administer his drug therapy for a week following his return. He went in twice a day for his IV that lasted 2 hours each. Long story made short, he is done with his drugs and is recovering rapidly. He only has a "noticeable" scar on his chin, but nothing like I was imagining.

We are very thankful for everyone who pulled together to support us. We were incredibly blessed. Thank you to Scott and Whitney for staying with the girls while I went back to St. Lucia; thanks to Mike B. for the transportation to and from the airport (in a questionable vehicle). Thanks to Ryan Miller for rallying the troops of Lighthouse and all those involved in Lighthouse that held us up in prayer. Thanks to BVCC who not only supported us in prayer but helped us financially as well. To our parents who literally went above and beyond the call (sorry Grandma and Papa G that you were not able to use that money to come and visit). And a big thanks to my sister and brother-in-law who dropped everything to find me a plane ticket that left that very day. There are so many more people that helped us out in so many different ways. We are incredibly grateful! I have said to many people, "If I said Thank You every day for the rest of my life, it would not be enough". May the blessings you have been to us be multiplied and poured out on you!

Love you all.

First of all, I can't believe it has been so long since my last post, and secondly, I can't believe it is 2010! This last year has been quite an adventure for us with lots of life lessons learned (we hope). Let's see...since I blogged last, we have moved on to 3rd semester of medical school, so we are half way through our time in Dominica.

The girls:

Karissa is loving the 1st grade and has started to really accelerate in her learning. You can no longer spell words that you don't want her to repeat because she will figure out what you have said. Her best scores in school are socializing (can you believe that), which is also what her worst scores are in because she tends to do it during times she should be paying attention to the teacher.

Can you believe the size of this lobster?! No, Wes didn't catch it and yes it was alive when she was holding it.

Jillian has really started to come out of her shell and develop her own personality. She likes school, but especially loves her friends. She has been so excited for Christmas this year, even though we really made no big deal of it. We were able to borrow a Christmas tree and she thought that was the best thing in the world. It was fun to see her so full of excitement for the holiday.

Christmas was very different for us. Besides being on and island with no snow, we also were away from family and did not do gifts. There were other families that stayed on the island that we had dinner with, so it was nice to have others to share the season with. When I say we didn't do gifts, I mean we didn't get anything for the girls or each other. Crazy? Not really. The culture here is the children get two things for Christmas...like a puzzle and a doll. Nothing fancy or expensive and they don't do Santa (something I fully support). The grandparents sent gifts for the kids, so we figured that was sufficient for Christmas. Plus, we will have to ship everything back when the kids return to the states, so less is best.

Me: I really haven't been up to much except studying and school. I did have a birthday somewhere in there and Wes got me an ice cream cake. Yes, I did say ice cream. We had to eat it in one sitting because our freezer is too small to put stuff in. Wes also took me to a little place called Sunset Bay for a lobster dinner. Wow, they gave us a lot of food!

We really haven't been able to take many tours of the island this break because our car is broke. That is a real bummer. But we did have a 5 night vacation in St. Lucia which is supposed to be a 3 hour ferry ride. (Notice I say "supposed".) We have a friend who lives on St. Lucia so we had a good time visiting and catching up. Unfortunately, the trip did not go as we had originally planned...which brings me to Wes...

Wes:

Since the last blog, Wes has been cliff jumping off the 50' cliffs and of course more spear fishing around the island. He also went on a "guys only" hike of the biggest mountain here. They had a great time hiking through mud that was knee high.

He was grounded from snorkeling/spear fishing for about a month when he had an ear infection that required two rounds of antibiotics. But other than that, he has been able to run around the island seeing lots of nature.

St. Lucia did not turn out as we had hoped because Wes contracted a massive Staph infection in his chin. We think it happened just before leaving on our trip while snorkeling in Douglas Bay. Wes felt something poke him, like a bee sting, in the water but didn't think anything of it. As the days went by his chin developed a small bump, then a larger bump then a huge mass. This all developed while in St. Lucia. He saw a doctor, who made a "house call" to our room and gave him medication. This didn't work and eventually Wes ended up in the hospital having surgery on his face. As I sit here and type this, he is in St. Lucia at the hospital with a tube in his face to drain the wound. He is on high powered antibiotics to try and stop the spread of the infection. We are glad he was not in Dominica when this happened, since they don't really have a lot of access to different medications.

So, I don't have many pictures of St. Lucia, but here is a little video of Karissa and our friend Paul making a waterfall in our hotel pool.

Until next time...have a safe and happy new year!

Back at it!

So it has been a while since our last blog, but that doesn't mean we were not doing anything. Where did I leave off?... Oh yes, the last week of our break was fairly uneventful. We stuck around home and got prepared to head back to school, which started on Labor Day.

Karissa is now a big 1st grader! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. She has homework every night and a spelling test every Friday. She is doing really well and seems to be enjoying the structure of the school. Since there is only a few kids and even fewer teachers, grades are combined. So I figure that is a lot like the Montessori school she used to be in. Karissa shares her 1st grade class with "Senior" Kindergarten. The children that were kindergarten age, but not really ready for it are in with Jillian and the Pre-K kids.

Jillian stayed in her Pre-K class, but was joined by lots of little blond haired girls. It is really funny to see the little group of blondies all in the same spot (especially here). She has adjusted nicely to not having her big sister in class with her. I also think it is very positive that she has "her own" friends instead of being the shadow of her sister.

Wes is still the mighty fisherman and has quite a few friends that like to go out either early in the morning or late at night. He has made some local friends who have taken him out in a boat and are planning other "Atlantic" trips. He has actually shot a few fish that we have eaten. He has also started a little "business venture". We purchased a vehicle at the end of 1st semester, so he has now started hauling his friend who owns an ice cream business around (he has no vehicle) as well as the mobile "thrift" book store people (and books). So Wes is kind of like a taxi driver around here. He has also taken a couple of trips to the airport to pick up and drop off people. He charges less than the taxi service, but is making enough to pay for gas and a little extra for his time. It has given us enough to buy a little treat once in a while.

I have started back to school - 2nd semester. We have had our first Neurology practical and our first "mini" (mid term). It is pretty tough this semester since we have one extra class and what seems like less time to learn the material. I now know why medical students live on caffeine. I have started consuming large amounts of coffee and coke...which does not help the waist or the budget.

We have had new challenges such as financial aid not having a check for us. It is now 5 weeks into the semester and we are still without money. This is frustrating, especially since it was not our fault for the school not getting the correct info to the bank. Supposedly we will have a check next week, but the amount seems to be substantially lower than what we expected, so, off to the financial aid office I go...again! They know me by name in there and I'm sure they cringe when they see me coming.

Living on a tropical island means mold. Seems like lately nothing dries out and everything grows mold. Especially swim suits. Let me just say there are a few little girl swim suits that are ruined due to being moldy. Gross. Even a hat that Wes has grew a funky fur around it. We also have a few bats and rats living in our ceiling. That makes things interesting at 5:00 am.

Well, that seems enough for now. We will try to catch you all up a bit later.

More adventures on break

So last blog went through Tuesday which was my first full week of break. I should probably start with Wednesday to catch you up.

We were babysitting on Wednesday for a friend, so we had one extra child, Ben. We had planned to go to Red Rock again along with a lot of other families. Wes figured since we already had three kids, we could watch three more. So we ended up taking our friend's three kids along with us (friends were working, selling books on campus). That was quite stressful once we got there. It wasn't so much the kids, but the waves and current were really strong where we were and we had to constantly watch to make sure no one was swept out to sea. We were fortunate that no one was lost and all were returned to their rightful owner.

Thursday was just for the family. We took the kids through Syndicate park, which is a real gentle hike. It went through the rain forest where the parrots live. We actually got to see a couple fly over, which is a rare event. It was a very relaxing day. Later that night we went to our friend's house to play games. The Karissa and Jillian really love playing with the Farley kids and we enjoyed learning a new game of strategy (don't ask me what it was called).

This tree looks like it has been tattooed with "tribal art" but the ferns just grow around the trees like that. Really cool place to walk through.

Wes made friends with one of the professors who took us to Fresh Water Lake (near Roseau). It was quite a drive to get there, but a very beautiful place and much cooler (temperature) than home. Dave (friend) had three kids that went with us, plus our two...long car ride, especially for me who had to sit with all the kids. We hiked around the lake which took a while, since the trail was either going straight up or straight down. The kids did a great job. Jillian was packed by Wes sometimes and Laynie (~2 years old) was packed by Dave for the majority of the hike. All in all we saw some beautiful country.

After a hike like that isn't it natural to soak in a hot tub? Well, what do you know, there was a "hot pool" on our way home that we stopped at. The name of the place is odd...Screws. Yes, that is the name of the guy who owns it. It is an awesome place to go soak your muscles. It has 4 pools with varying degrees of heat. There is a 'cool pool' that they recommend dipping in before you leave. This place would be great to hang out at all day, or have some sort of family reunion...

Saturday we went back to Syndicate, only this time we went to the falls and we took some friends and their 3 year old daughter. The water fall was beautiful, but we were not allowed to swim, or even dip our feet in it since it is the drinking water source for a few villages around there. We hiked around the park again and were able to see more parrots...only this time they were further away.

Wes now knows what it is like to be a tree hugger. (this is all one big tree...the root system is weird.)

After getting home and relaxing for a bit, we were shaken (literally) by an earthquake. It was my first. It really felt like a big truck ran into our house and we were tipping over. Kind of freaky, but it only lasted a second. I guess that happens a lot on a volcanic island...just hoping our 30 year + old house can take it, especially since we now live on the top floor.

Today, Sunday, was another relaxing drive to the north most part of the island. We went through the "drive through volcano", which you really wouldn't know was the crater until you look down from the top. We also stopped and hiked into a spot that has the water bubbling up from the ground, kind of like Yellowstone, only this water was cold. We continued our drive through some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. So far, the best village on this entire island is Thibaud...it is stunning! Of course, Wes ran into a local in the village that he knows! Seriously, you can't take him anywhere without him knowing someone. Anyway, for any of you who are wondering where to stay when you come to visit...it is not with us, but in Thibaud. I would move there in a heartbeat.

Until next time...

Activities so far...and its only Tuesday!

I figured I needed to post as many times as I can during my break so I don't forget what we did after school starts up again. So, the last post ended with Indian River...that was last Wednesday...Thursday, we went to Roseau to do some grocery shopping and took a couple friends along with us. Nothing much to see there, just a really cramped town, so we have no pictures to share.

Friday we all went to Red Rock beach. That is a beautiful place. It has such a quaint restaurant and bar with the palm branches as shelter from the rain. The waves were impressive, I think that was due to the storms that were passing us by (hurricane Bill). The kids loved it because you can walk out quite a way before the water gets deep. The boys tried to spear fish, but it was too murky and the current was strong.

Saturday our friends Brian and Anna took the girls for the entire day and night (woo hoo!) and Wes and I went hiking in to Victoria Falls with a few other friends. Wes and Ryan had been there before, but Lauren, Stefani and I had not. It was a tough hike, especially since I have not exercised in years! We had to climb over boulders and cross the river multiple times, but it was worth it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHTOn2o1UJU I don't know how high the falls are, but when you get close enough you cannot look directly at the falls because the spray is blasting your face. The current in the 'pond' is really strong as well. We made it with minor scrapes and bruises and I got a black eye from Wes...no, really...he was trying to save me from falling in the river and ended up kneeing me in the face. So I have to give him a hard time about blacking my eye...he just says I shouldn't talk back.

After the hike, we had dinner at a cute place called "River Side". It is fairly new here and the people are great. The food is probably the best I have had since I've been here...and maybe even longer. I would definitely recommend going there. It was a great day and one of the last for Stefani...she finished 4th semester so she left the island. We have definitely met some wonderful people here.

Sunday...we moved!!! Yeah! Not far...just upstairs. But we now have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I know...sounds like we are living high on the hog, but don't forget, this is the apartment that leaked on us all 1st semester. It is not the Hilton, but it is great to actually have a bit of room to move around. My legs were so sore from the previous day's hike that I wondered if I were going to make it through the day...but I did and almost everything is put away. Did I mention that our "pet" gecko named Diamond came with us? Yes, we found him packed in a box. Cute little guy.

Monday we finished up unpacking (almost finished) and hit the beach here in town. We were babysitting a friend's little boy, so we didn't go very far. The kids had a blast, as usual. Karissa actually snorkeled (using my mask and snorkel) and loved it. Next time we will take her fins and let her use a longer snorkel...since the one we got for her is really just for use in a pool...where the waves don't put water down your pipe.

Today, (Tuesday), was another short trip day to Syndicate Park. It is a beautiful rain forest and an easy walk on the paths. It is where you can see Parrots, which we did! Unfortunately the parrots do not stop and pose for pictures, so you will just have to take our word for it. There is such lush vegetation in the park that it looks just like the movies.

We will keep you posted on more of our family adventures!

Ready for some fun!

Well, finals are finished and I am ready for some sight seeing around the island. I finally saw a centipede (a little too up close and personal). I think it was on the power line above my head and landed on my shoulder. It didn't bite me, but my skin is still crawling from the experience. Plus, we must be in "big spider season" because in the last week I've seen more giant spiders than I care to. One was in our house (same day of the centipede experience). Wes rescued us and killed him. Needless to say, sleeping is interesting.

(Karissa, Anna and Nina)

Last week, Wes and the girls went on a trip with a few other spouses to a beach called #1 beach and to Bense Pool. The beach is on the Atlantic side of the island and tropical storm Ana was in the neighborhood, so the seas were a bit more rough than usual (not that I know what normal looks like). (Speaking of tropical storms, hurricane Bill is in our neighborhood, but to our North, so we should not see anything from it.) Karissa loved the waves, but Jillian stayed on the shore.(Margo and Jillian)

Bense Pool is a place that has a small water fall that you can go down like a water slide. It also has a 25' cliff for jumping off. Karissa, being the great dear devil she is, decided that she was going to jump. So, Wes took her up there to make sure she was still game on...and she did it...a few times. Of course, Jillian thought that was ridiculous and stayed on the beach (not that I blame her).

Today, the kids went on a field trip, by boat, up the Indian River. Wes and I were able to tag along disguised as chaperons (ha ha). We had a great time. There were two boats (man powered) that took us up to a little bar (not open) where we had lunch before returning. It was interesting to see the wildlife from that angle. There were a ton of land crabs. I guess Dominica has 18 different crab species. Interesting to see all the different colors and sizes. We also got to see an iguana in the tree just above our boat. The teacher was concerned that we would end up with another passenger.

So we broke down and got a car. We actually made a down payment on it a couple months ago. A 4th semester family sold it to us and we finally were able to take possession of it. I must say, it is really nice to not have to hike up and down the mountain every day...especially in the down pour of rain. The good thing about purchasing a car here is you can get out of it what you purchased it for.

We will keep you posted on our upcoming adventures.