Nikki Byrd, you'll love her! I met Nikki back in North Carolina when she and Andrew worked together at NC State's Vet School. As my Mom would say, she has a sweet tea smile! I think that just means her smile is as sweet as sweet tea. And if you are from the South, y'all know that can be pretty sweet. Nikki's laugh is contagious and infectious, so watch out! It'll get you! So anyway, normally when you talk to Nikki she does a lot of the talking and you do a lot of the laughing. She'll have you in stitches before the night is over. Here were a few of our conversations from Saturday night. If y'all don't find them funny then I guess you just had to be there. Either way Nikki Byrd is a gem and by default a part time comedian.
Nikki was telling us about someone having a pet Geico. We informed the soon to be vet that a Geico is for car insurance and that normally Geckos are the pets. She really thought they were Geicos.
"Someone asked me what kind of vet I wanted to be. You know what I told them? I told them I wanted to do cats, only cats. Like I wanna own my own cat clinic one day...you know what's funny about that? They believed me!"
"I'm so glad to eat something for once that isn't microwavable" we had orded Chinese take out
Nikki and I were polishing off the rest of the chocolate cake from the Marriott and:
Emily- Here Nikki, you have the last bite
Nikki - (without hesitation) SURE!!
Andrew was washing a few dishes after supper:
"Look Emily! It's girl porn!" - She was referring to Andrew washing the dishes....
Conversation about living in the Caribbean:
Emily - It's kinda like make-believe
Andrew- I feel like this is a dream
Nikki - This is a Nightmare!
Nikki and I made plans to go to the store for groceries tomorrow. Andrew said he wasn't going and Nikki insisted that he come and when Andrew asked "Why?" Nikki said "Because someone has to carry our bags"
Nikki and I were coming back from town Friday morning and stopped at the guard station to show our ID's. None of the spouses have their ID's yet, so I was explaining the piece of paper I had was sufficient for being a spouse to the guard. The guard then looked at me and then at Nikki, then back to me and then to Nikki again. Nikki then yells out with eyes as big as fried eggs and shaking her head "She's not my spouse!!" "No way!!" The guard just laughed and shrugged his shoulders and said whatever and waved us on...
Oh and Nikki has plans of opening an Ikea here in St. Kitts - I wish her luck....
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Date Night : )
Uncle Millie drove us to the Marriott for date night last night. Uncle Millie is one of many taxi cab drivers on the island. He is one of my favorites!! because he always has a smile on his face. Oh and he is normally is wearing a Hawaiian print shirt - it was blue last night and orange on Thursday. A few other taxi cab drivers are: ShowTime, Trumpet, Mr. Rogers, Honest Earnest, West, and DaMix. I'm pretty sure these are their birth given names, but who knows? So anyway, Uncle Millie and I were having a conversation about signing and dancing because we had just passsed the Kareoke bar - Bobsys. I told him now was our chance to go stun the crowd and his anwer was: "If I had to sing for my food I would die of stravation! But dancing, I can dance. I know how to shake a leg!" This tickled me and then I laughed even more when Uncle Millie started to laugh. Cab rides are never dull around here.
Once at the Marriott we ate at the Italian restuarant - La Cucina. That means kitchen in italian, according to their menu. Oh boy and was it ever delicious! In my option the best meal we have had since we've been here. But pasta is always good! I had stuffed ricotta ravoli - soo goood! Oh and it was smothered and cover in a garlic butter sauce - there was no calorie counting last because I'm sure I would not have been able to count that high! Ekk! And Andrew had a ravoli with a red cream sauce, which was topped with lobster and shrimp. We did eat a salad - I guess so we didn't feel as guilty...whatever it was Date Night!
Dessert was the best! I had a giant piece of chocolate on chocolate cake, yummm. Now for those of you who know Andrew, you know he doesn't really like sweets. Unfortunately I was left to eat the cake by myself! It was rather unfortunate... Andrew's dessert was a good old fashion Bud Light! He loved every sip. The Marriott, thusfar, is the only place that we have found this tasty American Beverage.
On the way back home we passed by the local Subway. I asked Uncle Millie if the Subway offers 5 Dollar Foot Longs? He preceeded to tell me I was crazy and that was an outragous idea. Here he said the subs will cost you "An arm and both legs!" - not just one of your legs but both...He said the cost of a foot long is about $ 30 EC. That's about $ 11.00 US - kinda expensive for Subway. I'd pay that for Jersey Mikes though.
Once at the Marriott we ate at the Italian restuarant - La Cucina. That means kitchen in italian, according to their menu. Oh boy and was it ever delicious! In my option the best meal we have had since we've been here. But pasta is always good! I had stuffed ricotta ravoli - soo goood! Oh and it was smothered and cover in a garlic butter sauce - there was no calorie counting last because I'm sure I would not have been able to count that high! Ekk! And Andrew had a ravoli with a red cream sauce, which was topped with lobster and shrimp. We did eat a salad - I guess so we didn't feel as guilty...whatever it was Date Night!
Dessert was the best! I had a giant piece of chocolate on chocolate cake, yummm. Now for those of you who know Andrew, you know he doesn't really like sweets. Unfortunately I was left to eat the cake by myself! It was rather unfortunate... Andrew's dessert was a good old fashion Bud Light! He loved every sip. The Marriott, thusfar, is the only place that we have found this tasty American Beverage.
On the way back home we passed by the local Subway. I asked Uncle Millie if the Subway offers 5 Dollar Foot Longs? He preceeded to tell me I was crazy and that was an outragous idea. Here he said the subs will cost you "An arm and both legs!" - not just one of your legs but both...He said the cost of a foot long is about $ 30 EC. That's about $ 11.00 US - kinda expensive for Subway. I'd pay that for Jersey Mikes though.
Food and drinks were great for date night but the best part was just having an evening with Andrew. It felt like the old normal Friday night back in Raleigh. But the new normal is setting in just fine.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Up and UP
So St. Kitts just got a million times better because I've met some really great girls. To name a few and give a shout out: Stephanie, Catherine, Karina, Leann, and Kate. This past weekend was full of fun, laughter, and beach fest. I had a chance to finally meet some other VIP women and they are AMAZING! Thank you to the ladies of leisure. Yes apparently that is what the wives are referred to as, which I have no qualms about.
We went to Beach Fest on Saturday and enjoyed limin' with our friends and catching some sum. Beach was just one big party. Wilburt the pig made a few appearances that day too. The rest of the weekend was low key and full of lots of studying. Well not so much studying for me. I enjoyed a nice evening out at the local theater and saw Sherlock Holmes with Stephanie and Trevor. The tickets were reasonable and the small popcorn was truly a small popcorn and not the size of a Harris Teeter paper bag.
Monday I laced up for another hike. So we got to the hike location and one of the guys said something along the lines of 'ok, let's go!"....Go where? I don't see a trail. Fret not! The trail was just on the other side of cane reeds..Really? I immediately had a flashback of Jurassic Park. So we just started walking with the reeds. To where? I had no idea. Half the time my eyes weren't even open; mostly because every time I opened them I got hit the face with a branch. Why I thought it was safer to walk with my eyes closed than chance a branch, I don't know...Oh and I was trying not to think about all bugs that were potentially crawling on me. We must have walked through the reeds for 30 minutes or maybe it was only 10, regardless we finally made it out! After that the hike was awesome. It was a hard hike but a lot of fun. To get down to the base of the water fall we had to lower ourselves down with a rope! It sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was, but whatever it was a good workout, especially back up. I had all but forgotten about the Jurassic Park-esque tall grass that we had to walk back through until we were there. Really the grass was like 12 feet high. Maybe next time a machete is in order.
Tuesday was an impressive day because Karina and I were able to drive ourselves from campus to Elvis's to play volleyball. Karina did an awesome job driving and I was her co-pilot for directions. The best part of the drive: "Watch out for the Monkey!" Because that is a completely normal thing to say while driving especially in St. Kitts. Karina and I had a pretty good laugh about that one. Normally my sweet mother tells me to look out for deer, not monkeys.
A plus one for me with Andrew is that I've been cooking. Yes Mom, I've been cooking. I know how to boil water. I made taco salads the other night and had to brush my shoulders off a little when I decided to make crispy tortillas for us to have with our salads. I brushed them with olive oil and put them in the skillet and then in our sweet potato size toaster over to crisp them up - Go Me! Andrew didn't seem that impressed, but whatever I didn't burn them, so that would be a plus one.
Last night I had my first experience with Club 1. Stephanie, Catherine, and I clubbed it up and had fun being the only 3 in the club for a couple of hours. I'll tell you what! St. Kitts loves them some Rhianna. That's ok though because we requested plenty of Lady Gaga.
Today I was lady of leisure with Kate. We went to shipwreck and laid around. Kate snorkeled and I watched. I saw her start to swim rather quickly so I assumed she was following a fish. I was wrong, she was swimming away from a school of fish that had swarmed her. I know she didn't find it funny but I did, sorry Kate. She was convinced they were after her. Another quotable note from this week was when Kate and I were talking about wine and chocolate - a deadly combination. According to Kate: "A good glass of red wine and a good piece of dark chocolate makes my heart smile." We had a pretty awesome beach bum day.
I spoke to my mom tonight and told her that Andrew and I were going to watch the State Carolina game. Her response " Oh gosh, I'm sorry State is going to lose" - Thanks for ruining it Mom : ) Love you!
We went to Beach Fest on Saturday and enjoyed limin' with our friends and catching some sum. Beach was just one big party. Wilburt the pig made a few appearances that day too. The rest of the weekend was low key and full of lots of studying. Well not so much studying for me. I enjoyed a nice evening out at the local theater and saw Sherlock Holmes with Stephanie and Trevor. The tickets were reasonable and the small popcorn was truly a small popcorn and not the size of a Harris Teeter paper bag.
Monday I laced up for another hike. So we got to the hike location and one of the guys said something along the lines of 'ok, let's go!"....Go where? I don't see a trail. Fret not! The trail was just on the other side of cane reeds..Really? I immediately had a flashback of Jurassic Park. So we just started walking with the reeds. To where? I had no idea. Half the time my eyes weren't even open; mostly because every time I opened them I got hit the face with a branch. Why I thought it was safer to walk with my eyes closed than chance a branch, I don't know...Oh and I was trying not to think about all bugs that were potentially crawling on me. We must have walked through the reeds for 30 minutes or maybe it was only 10, regardless we finally made it out! After that the hike was awesome. It was a hard hike but a lot of fun. To get down to the base of the water fall we had to lower ourselves down with a rope! It sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was, but whatever it was a good workout, especially back up. I had all but forgotten about the Jurassic Park-esque tall grass that we had to walk back through until we were there. Really the grass was like 12 feet high. Maybe next time a machete is in order.
Tuesday was an impressive day because Karina and I were able to drive ourselves from campus to Elvis's to play volleyball. Karina did an awesome job driving and I was her co-pilot for directions. The best part of the drive: "Watch out for the Monkey!" Because that is a completely normal thing to say while driving especially in St. Kitts. Karina and I had a pretty good laugh about that one. Normally my sweet mother tells me to look out for deer, not monkeys.
A plus one for me with Andrew is that I've been cooking. Yes Mom, I've been cooking. I know how to boil water. I made taco salads the other night and had to brush my shoulders off a little when I decided to make crispy tortillas for us to have with our salads. I brushed them with olive oil and put them in the skillet and then in our sweet potato size toaster over to crisp them up - Go Me! Andrew didn't seem that impressed, but whatever I didn't burn them, so that would be a plus one.
Last night I had my first experience with Club 1. Stephanie, Catherine, and I clubbed it up and had fun being the only 3 in the club for a couple of hours. I'll tell you what! St. Kitts loves them some Rhianna. That's ok though because we requested plenty of Lady Gaga.
Today I was lady of leisure with Kate. We went to shipwreck and laid around. Kate snorkeled and I watched. I saw her start to swim rather quickly so I assumed she was following a fish. I was wrong, she was swimming away from a school of fish that had swarmed her. I know she didn't find it funny but I did, sorry Kate. She was convinced they were after her. Another quotable note from this week was when Kate and I were talking about wine and chocolate - a deadly combination. According to Kate: "A good glass of red wine and a good piece of dark chocolate makes my heart smile." We had a pretty awesome beach bum day.
I spoke to my mom tonight and told her that Andrew and I were going to watch the State Carolina game. Her response " Oh gosh, I'm sorry State is going to lose" - Thanks for ruining it Mom : ) Love you!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Twizzlers
We got our first package! We got an email on Wednesday stating that we had a package. We were under the impression that the package was waiting at Student Union, but it wasn't. We were told we would have to go down town to the Post Office to retrieve the package. A friend of ours, Kate, had to go to town Friday morning, so I made plans to go with her then to get the package. Thursday evening rolled around and wouldn't you know that my sweet tooth reared up. I wanted twizzlers, a very random thing to crave. So I thought to myself if I was in Raleigh I would get in my car and drive to Target and buy twizzlers. Well there were several problems with this thought...I'm not in Raleigh, I don't have a car, there isn't a Target, oh yeah and no twizzlers. I settled for a cookie instead. Oh I should mention too that I brewed our first pot of Sweet Tea on Thursday as well....it lasted less than a day. Andrew claims he only got to have glasses of the 2 qts that I made....If that is true that would explain why I was up until 4 am Thursday night. Too much sweet tea? Never!
Friday morning came and Kate and I took a bus to town and walked around for a bit and took care of a few errands. We made the post office our last stop. When I went to claim our package I was informed that I would not be able to pick up the package unless I had my husbands permission?! I told since the package was addressed to him he would need to come get it or I would need a hand written note to pick up the package...Really? Ok. So we took a bus back to campus and I had got my hand written note from Andrew. I went back to town by myself!!!I thought it was a pretty big deal and I was proud of myself. I took the bus and it dropped me off right by the post office. I kindly handed them my note and they got my package! I wasn't in the clear yet. The post master opened the box in front of me and started removing all items. I guess she suspected me for a gun smuggler...she didn't find any guns. There wasn't any tax for the clothes, popcorn, tomato soup, or TWIZZLERS!! My sweet parents packed twizzlers for me. So random that I wanted them the day before and here they were today ready for me to eat. Again it is always the small things that mean so much. I've eaten one bag already....
Friday morning came and Kate and I took a bus to town and walked around for a bit and took care of a few errands. We made the post office our last stop. When I went to claim our package I was informed that I would not be able to pick up the package unless I had my husbands permission?! I told since the package was addressed to him he would need to come get it or I would need a hand written note to pick up the package...Really? Ok. So we took a bus back to campus and I had got my hand written note from Andrew. I went back to town by myself!!!I thought it was a pretty big deal and I was proud of myself. I took the bus and it dropped me off right by the post office. I kindly handed them my note and they got my package! I wasn't in the clear yet. The post master opened the box in front of me and started removing all items. I guess she suspected me for a gun smuggler...she didn't find any guns. There wasn't any tax for the clothes, popcorn, tomato soup, or TWIZZLERS!! My sweet parents packed twizzlers for me. So random that I wanted them the day before and here they were today ready for me to eat. Again it is always the small things that mean so much. I've eaten one bag already....
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Grandma comes to town
The week started off very well. I joined several other VIP's for a hike up Monkey Hill. Though no monkeys were spotted it was still a nice hike. We did see lots of cows and several barking dogs. I had high hopes of meeting some other women who are VIP but instead I enjoyed my hike with 6 other men. They were great and conversation was good. I was afraid though at one point when I had to tie my shoe that I was faking it and perhaps trying to catch my breath...but no really my shoe was untied. I enjoyed the rest of my afternoon on the beach reading...tough life...
Tuesday I ventured out again to a VIP event, Volleyball. I'm no volleyball player but I thought again it would be a way to meet others. I did meet to nice girls and we were able to chit chat for a bit. I did not partake in the volleyball instead I sunbathed. With all this basking in the sun one would think that I would be as brown as a peanut by now...nope...not one bit. I topped of Tuesday with a lots of studying and reading for my classes. Andrew's week has been full of studying and classes and then some more studying.
Wednesday has by far been the highlight of our week...why?? Because Mawmaw and Ben came to visit! And what a nice visit we had. Andrew and I arrived at port to pick them up and they were just tickled to see us there. We made signs and everything, silly, yes, over the top, no. Bless their hearts! Mawmaw and Ben even brought two suitcases filled to the brim with school supplies, clothing, and home comforts for us. They just walked right off the cruise and no one paid them any mind. Well some people thought they were leaving the cruise but she filled them in. We came back to campus and made breakfast and then enjoyed a tour of campus. Mawmaw and Ben got to see our dorm room and walk all through campus, seeing some of Andrew's classrooms, the Student Union, campus hang out spots. We all ate lunch on campus in the courtyard and simply just enjoyed each others company. Andrew had to leave us after lunch to go to class, so Mawmaw, Ben, and I caught a cab back to port where we did a little shopping and had ourselves and afternoon toddy. Then it was time to say goodbye...I didn't want to let them leave, I told them we had second bedroom. There were lots of tears and lots of hugs but time was getting late and they needed to board. With one last hug I said goodbye. I cried the whole way home. I walked from port to the bus stop, which was about a 10 minute walk, just sobbing. I thought someone might stop me and ask me what was wrong; but then I figured they probably thought I was deranged and needed to keep their distance. I was like a lost kindergartner at the bus station. I crying and trying to figure out what bus ( really they are vans) I needed to be on. FINALLY! a street vendor asked if I needed help and through the tears he was able to understand that I needed to back to campus. So with a fist bump and a hail of a bus I was on my way. I wasn't done crying...I cried the whole way back to campus and I'm sure the kid next to me in the bus was trying not to stare or make eye contact with me. Once home I finally dried my eyes and sucked it up...well kinda. Andrew made it all better; nothing like a good ole PB & J. Comfort foods can sometimes cure a multitude of ills. It was more bitter then sweet to say goodbye to Mawmaw and Ben but nevertheless the company was appreciated and lifted my spirits.
Tuesday I ventured out again to a VIP event, Volleyball. I'm no volleyball player but I thought again it would be a way to meet others. I did meet to nice girls and we were able to chit chat for a bit. I did not partake in the volleyball instead I sunbathed. With all this basking in the sun one would think that I would be as brown as a peanut by now...nope...not one bit. I topped of Tuesday with a lots of studying and reading for my classes. Andrew's week has been full of studying and classes and then some more studying.
Wednesday has by far been the highlight of our week...why?? Because Mawmaw and Ben came to visit! And what a nice visit we had. Andrew and I arrived at port to pick them up and they were just tickled to see us there. We made signs and everything, silly, yes, over the top, no. Bless their hearts! Mawmaw and Ben even brought two suitcases filled to the brim with school supplies, clothing, and home comforts for us. They just walked right off the cruise and no one paid them any mind. Well some people thought they were leaving the cruise but she filled them in. We came back to campus and made breakfast and then enjoyed a tour of campus. Mawmaw and Ben got to see our dorm room and walk all through campus, seeing some of Andrew's classrooms, the Student Union, campus hang out spots. We all ate lunch on campus in the courtyard and simply just enjoyed each others company. Andrew had to leave us after lunch to go to class, so Mawmaw, Ben, and I caught a cab back to port where we did a little shopping and had ourselves and afternoon toddy. Then it was time to say goodbye...I didn't want to let them leave, I told them we had second bedroom. There were lots of tears and lots of hugs but time was getting late and they needed to board. With one last hug I said goodbye. I cried the whole way home. I walked from port to the bus stop, which was about a 10 minute walk, just sobbing. I thought someone might stop me and ask me what was wrong; but then I figured they probably thought I was deranged and needed to keep their distance. I was like a lost kindergartner at the bus station. I crying and trying to figure out what bus ( really they are vans) I needed to be on. FINALLY! a street vendor asked if I needed help and through the tears he was able to understand that I needed to back to campus. So with a fist bump and a hail of a bus I was on my way. I wasn't done crying...I cried the whole way back to campus and I'm sure the kid next to me in the bus was trying not to stare or make eye contact with me. Once home I finally dried my eyes and sucked it up...well kinda. Andrew made it all better; nothing like a good ole PB & J. Comfort foods can sometimes cure a multitude of ills. It was more bitter then sweet to say goodbye to Mawmaw and Ben but nevertheless the company was appreciated and lifted my spirits.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
No news is good news
Nothing much is going on this week. Andrew is getting settled in with his classes and has already been studying lots. I finally got enrolled with my classes and am taking only 2 classes this semester. Andrew's schedule is lighter than I originally thought, but it gives us a little more time together too.
Who knew one would miss a TV so much! I know we have better things to do besides watching TV; but it is nice to have for background noise esp. in the morning. We've started back at the gym which is nice. The gym is pretty nice and normally is fairly empty when we go in the morning.
There was a fresh market here on campus yesterday with fruits, vegetables, eggs, bake goods, and even some meats! And the prices were awesome! The green pepper we got is larger than a softball! We got a bag of onions, one green pepper, a bunch bananas, fresh green beans, a large fruit bowl, and all for a low price of $27 EC. Sounds expensive but compared to the supermarket prices it was a steal! We have decided from now on we are going to get all of the produce we can from the fresh market.
This week also commensurate the start of Semester Olympics. All of the different semesters play each other and it gets pretty competitive. Andrew played soccer last night and did well, even though they didn't win. Tonight are the Kickball games and I think we both are going to get in on that. I hope to finally meet some other VIP's and start getting to know them. I know once Andrew really gets into the semester I'm going to need to have a few friends to hang out. Hopefully soon...
MawMaw (Andrew's Grandmother) stops here in St. Kitts next Wednesday on her cruise and we couldn't be more excited! We are both looking forward to our first vistor!
Who knew one would miss a TV so much! I know we have better things to do besides watching TV; but it is nice to have for background noise esp. in the morning. We've started back at the gym which is nice. The gym is pretty nice and normally is fairly empty when we go in the morning.
There was a fresh market here on campus yesterday with fruits, vegetables, eggs, bake goods, and even some meats! And the prices were awesome! The green pepper we got is larger than a softball! We got a bag of onions, one green pepper, a bunch bananas, fresh green beans, a large fruit bowl, and all for a low price of $27 EC. Sounds expensive but compared to the supermarket prices it was a steal! We have decided from now on we are going to get all of the produce we can from the fresh market.
This week also commensurate the start of Semester Olympics. All of the different semesters play each other and it gets pretty competitive. Andrew played soccer last night and did well, even though they didn't win. Tonight are the Kickball games and I think we both are going to get in on that. I hope to finally meet some other VIP's and start getting to know them. I know once Andrew really gets into the semester I'm going to need to have a few friends to hang out. Hopefully soon...
MawMaw (Andrew's Grandmother) stops here in St. Kitts next Wednesday on her cruise and we couldn't be more excited! We are both looking forward to our first vistor!
Monday, January 9, 2012
We be Flexin' and Limin'
My, my, my have we been busy! Since last week we have gotten to go on a tour around the entire Island of St. Kitts, Ziplining through the forest, snorkeling on a catamaran, celebrate birthdays, and hang out at the beach with our new family away from home.
We started out the week with a great Island Tour. Our first visit was to the Caribelle Batik, a beautiful garden with several exotic plants and took in the scenery all around us. Then we made the treacherous ascent to the top of a mountain where we found Brimstone Fort. Gorgeous Views! I'm still impressed that our bus driver made it to the top! This fort was built by the British to keep the French out. The French over took the fort in 1782 but the British eventually were able to regain the fort via the Treaty of Versailles a year later. The fort was turned into a national park in 1965.
We hung from cannons at the top, took in the views, and absorbed the history. After the fort we made our way down the mountain and across St. Kitts to the point at which the St. Kittian's would say the Caribbean and the Atlantic oceans meet. There was no distinct line but there were definitely a crashing of the merging tides. Here we also found evidence a volcanic eruption from long, long ago.
Driving across the nation we saw where many Sugar Plantations use to exist and learned that the sugar (aka "King") was so good that St. Kittians use to refer to the trade as the "Sweet Trade".
After the island tour we got to experience St. Kitts Carnival. It wasn't a typical carnival like we have in the States it was just like one big dance party in the street. Men and women dressed in all types of scant clothing, yes including men in drag, it was a trip!!
Andrew had orientation last week which consisted of a lots of lectures and meet and greets. He was able to meet a lot of people and also had the opportunity to introduce himself to a few professors. We also were given a campus a tour. The campus appears to be pretty small compared to the campus at NC State, but that will be good that things are close together. I skipped out a few of the lectures to continue settling into our dorm. There are 2 washers and 2 dryers available in each dorm and we pay 8 EC to wash and 8 EC to dry. ( EC = eastern Caribbean and the conversion is something like 1 US to 2.7 EC ) So about $6.00 to do one load of laundry.
Friday was the best though because we got to go ziplining through the forest! We only saw one monkey and she was a pet. The views while we were zipping were incredible. We would zip from one spot to another, such fun! It was so freeing to just zip through the forest and see all the breath taking sights! We were also exposed to a little island lingo. Flexin' and Limin'! Or Chillin' and Hangin' out. The guys that ran the zipline were a blast and were trying hard to teach us common sayings, but for a few of us are roots are just too strong and so are those Southern Accents! "Wog Wan Patna" was another, but a got a lot of flack for enunciating my "r's". Translation: What's Up, Partner. We were told to embrace our new phrases and use them as freely as we want, and we did!
Saturday all the first semester students got to go out a catamaran and go snorkeling. I floated on a noodle and enjoyed everyone "ooohing and aaahhing" over all the fish. Nothing spectacular was reported but nonetheless still exciting. Then we paid a quick visit to the sister island of Nevis where we were instructed to look out for Killer Bee's! Killer Bee's???? No worries they were just talking about a mixed drink, we still heeded their advice and stayed clear. As Andrew's Great Grand Mother would say, "Make sure people don't slip things into your drink!" After a long day of boating and swimming we ended our week of orientation with a few special birthday celebrations and a farewell to our orientation leader. We had a great group filled with lots of memories.
Sunday wrapped up our week with a beach day at Reggae Beach with our friends Ashley and Emily. Here is where we met a few other St. Kittian's. Wilbert, who was the biggest attraction! Wilbert is one of the only pigs on the island and he is massive! Weighing in around 500 lbs. He wasn't very lively, he slept the whole time. But Oliver the monkey and Mocha the goat were a sight. Oliver enjoyed riding on Mocha's back and tormenting him, while Mocha enjoyed head butting Oliver. We caught a few rays and enjoyed a few laughs. It was a nice end to a busy and but memorable week!
We started out the week with a great Island Tour. Our first visit was to the Caribelle Batik, a beautiful garden with several exotic plants and took in the scenery all around us. Then we made the treacherous ascent to the top of a mountain where we found Brimstone Fort. Gorgeous Views! I'm still impressed that our bus driver made it to the top! This fort was built by the British to keep the French out. The French over took the fort in 1782 but the British eventually were able to regain the fort via the Treaty of Versailles a year later. The fort was turned into a national park in 1965.
We hung from cannons at the top, took in the views, and absorbed the history. After the fort we made our way down the mountain and across St. Kitts to the point at which the St. Kittian's would say the Caribbean and the Atlantic oceans meet. There was no distinct line but there were definitely a crashing of the merging tides. Here we also found evidence a volcanic eruption from long, long ago.
Driving across the nation we saw where many Sugar Plantations use to exist and learned that the sugar (aka "King") was so good that St. Kittians use to refer to the trade as the "Sweet Trade".
After the island tour we got to experience St. Kitts Carnival. It wasn't a typical carnival like we have in the States it was just like one big dance party in the street. Men and women dressed in all types of scant clothing, yes including men in drag, it was a trip!!
Andrew had orientation last week which consisted of a lots of lectures and meet and greets. He was able to meet a lot of people and also had the opportunity to introduce himself to a few professors. We also were given a campus a tour. The campus appears to be pretty small compared to the campus at NC State, but that will be good that things are close together. I skipped out a few of the lectures to continue settling into our dorm. There are 2 washers and 2 dryers available in each dorm and we pay 8 EC to wash and 8 EC to dry. ( EC = eastern Caribbean and the conversion is something like 1 US to 2.7 EC ) So about $6.00 to do one load of laundry.
Friday was the best though because we got to go ziplining through the forest! We only saw one monkey and she was a pet. The views while we were zipping were incredible. We would zip from one spot to another, such fun! It was so freeing to just zip through the forest and see all the breath taking sights! We were also exposed to a little island lingo. Flexin' and Limin'! Or Chillin' and Hangin' out. The guys that ran the zipline were a blast and were trying hard to teach us common sayings, but for a few of us are roots are just too strong and so are those Southern Accents! "Wog Wan Patna" was another, but a got a lot of flack for enunciating my "r's". Translation: What's Up, Partner. We were told to embrace our new phrases and use them as freely as we want, and we did!
Saturday all the first semester students got to go out a catamaran and go snorkeling. I floated on a noodle and enjoyed everyone "ooohing and aaahhing" over all the fish. Nothing spectacular was reported but nonetheless still exciting. Then we paid a quick visit to the sister island of Nevis where we were instructed to look out for Killer Bee's! Killer Bee's???? No worries they were just talking about a mixed drink, we still heeded their advice and stayed clear. As Andrew's Great Grand Mother would say, "Make sure people don't slip things into your drink!" After a long day of boating and swimming we ended our week of orientation with a few special birthday celebrations and a farewell to our orientation leader. We had a great group filled with lots of memories.
Sunday wrapped up our week with a beach day at Reggae Beach with our friends Ashley and Emily. Here is where we met a few other St. Kittian's. Wilbert, who was the biggest attraction! Wilbert is one of the only pigs on the island and he is massive! Weighing in around 500 lbs. He wasn't very lively, he slept the whole time. But Oliver the monkey and Mocha the goat were a sight. Oliver enjoyed riding on Mocha's back and tormenting him, while Mocha enjoyed head butting Oliver. We caught a few rays and enjoyed a few laughs. It was a nice end to a busy and but memorable week!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ship Wreck Beach and Around
Went to the beach yesterday and managed not to get sun burnt! We had an amazing time! The water was nice just a little chilly though. The bar and grill were awesome. Yay for Veggie Tacos. We only saw a few monkeys at first but once more tourists arrived more monkeys came down from the hills. I guess more tourist equal more food opportunities for the monkeys. There were signs posted that said not to hand feed the monkeys, but I guess people couldn't read??
They have been keeping us really busy since we got here. We are in a group with about 20 students, I'm the only spouse. So our orientation leader has been taking us to get groceries, school supplies, and household items. It has been nice because we have been able to learn where certain stores are, but at the same time we are constantly on the go. Things are more expensive but not outrageously expensive. A few things we would rather just have shipped from NC because it is more cost efficient to do so. The best though was while grocery shopping Thursday evening was finding the veggie sausages! Oh and Andrew found some Mt. Dew too!
Tonight we are going out with the group for dinner and to bring in the New Year. We are both making friends and learning our way around.
They have been keeping us really busy since we got here. We are in a group with about 20 students, I'm the only spouse. So our orientation leader has been taking us to get groceries, school supplies, and household items. It has been nice because we have been able to learn where certain stores are, but at the same time we are constantly on the go. Things are more expensive but not outrageously expensive. A few things we would rather just have shipped from NC because it is more cost efficient to do so. The best though was while grocery shopping Thursday evening was finding the veggie sausages! Oh and Andrew found some Mt. Dew too!
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