Month 20

Wow - We are in our final month living abroad. It doesn't seem like it's been nearly two years since we packed up and left for the Bahamas; not to mention, another year and a half of living here in Dominica.

We fly out on April 26, overnight in San Juan, then arrive in Chicago on April 27. We have had a wonderful experience here, and I can't even begin to tell you the highlights. But, we are ready to go home. Ready to be surrounded by friends and family. Ready to drive ourselves. Ready for cheaper electricity. Ready for American food.

I would do it all over again, though. Matt and I have both grown so much in all areas of our lives, and our relationship has gotten stronger with every diverse experience we face together. Even with the challenges, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone considering.

The big day is tomorrow. Matt takes his final for semester four. Then, he will be an official third year medical student. Unreal! It is hard to believe how much knowledge he has taken in since August 2012. After his final, he then has a few weeks to study for the Comp exam. The Comp is a large test covering everything from first-fourth semester. Ross requires his class to pass the Comp before he can take his Step 1 board exam. So, needless to say, it's a pretty big test.

As for me, I'm trying to enjoy our last few weeks here. I took my last trip to Roseau yesterday via the free shuttle Ross provides. I came back with a few of my favorite souvenirs.

I will definitely miss my favorite basket ladies. If you're ever in Roseau, stop by the Vendor Market and grab a few of these. I'm so excited to go home and decorate the nursery and our home with these lovely reminders of our time here.

Next weekend will be the fourth semester banquet. It's a time to honor the fourths and celebrate their accomplishments. It's held at Cabrits National Park. I just hope I can find something to wear as I didn't think far enough ahead to bring any maternity clothes down here. Should be interesting.

The next Saturday is our next scheduled ultrasound. Hopefully Baby Wells will cooperate enough to show us the goods so we can find out if it's Baby Girl Wells or Baby Boy Wells. Any guesses? So excited for this!

And then we have the next weekend to pack, and we are out of here. I'm sure it will fly by!

Weekend Adventures

Happy Halloween from Dominica!

Halloween isn't a holiday that is traditionally celebrated by local Dominicans, as this is their time to celebrate their Independence. But most importantly, the local grocery does have a candy section to cater to the Ross community.

Matt and I aren't very festive this year. He's got Mini 2 coming up next week, so exhausted medical student is Matt's costume. I'm going for sweaty islander. I think we nailed it.

But anyway...

Weekends have become adventure days for me while in Dominica. Monday through Friday, I'm tied up in the apartment, so I relish the opportunity to get out and see the lovely sights. So typically, we will pick out a few places we want to go, and hire our favorite driver for the day. It's not typical for students to have their own vehicle, so we've grown accustomed to hiring a driver or utilizing Ross shuttles when necessary.

A couple weeks ago, Tabby and I ventured to Screw Spa - a natural sulfur spa, Cocoa Cottages and Roseau to do some shopping.

After relaxing in the sulfur spa pools, they treat you to complimentary fruit!

The market in Roseau.

Save A Lot is typically overflowing with people, but has quite a bit more selection than the grocery in Picard.

Delicious chocolate we got from Cocoa Cottages.

This past weekend, we went to Roseau for some shopping, Emerald Pool, drove through the Carib Reserve and finished off with lunch at Pagua Bay - my favorite on the island.

The market was full of vendors as Dominica celebrated their Independence with the Creole Festival in Roseau. So therefore, several ferries of visitors from Guadeloupe and Martinique came in for the event.

Our fearless leader in his bus waiting for us to finish up in Roseau.

We stocked up on some more - yes more - baskets. And I finally got my lovely handmade shoes!

On the drive out of Roseau.

From there, we went to Emerald Pool. It's about a 15 minute trek through the rainforest to an opening where the pool and waterfall are. It's a well-maintained path with easy steps to walk down. The water in the pool is frigid, but feels oh so nice!

As you can see, the pool is appropriately named, as it gives off an emerald hue in the sunlight.

It was such a quiet, serene place and quickly became one of my favorite sites! 

The walk out from the pool was gorgeous, as the route took you past some awesome views.

It was a hazy day, but you can see the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon.

From there, we drove through the Carib Reserve or the Kalinago Territory. This is an area preserved for the native people or the Kalinago. They make beautiful baskets and various other crafts that are sold throughout Dominica.

After picking up more souvenirs, we continued the drive up the Atlantic side of the island. This was a route I had not been before, so I was very thankful for new Dominican scenery.

We ended the trip at Pagua Bay for a delicious lunch. Their tacos are a.maze.ing. Love them. It's by far my favorite meal on the island. Plus, you have an incredible view of the ocean overlooking a pool. Does it get any better?

This trip took us all the way around the island. So needless to say we were exhausted by the time we got back. And I literally mean exhausted. I forced myself to stay awake until 7:30 p.m. And forced myself out of bed at 10 a.m. the next morning. I think it's a combination of the heat, traveling, etc. that just totally takes it out of you.

This was the last adventure with dear Tabby! She's back to the U.S. next week to finalize the big wedding plans for December. So the next time we'll see her she'll be walking down the aisle. Crazy! But we are so looking forward to being there for the nuptials and to be reunited with our dear island friends.

Fall Fever

Well we are getting settled back into our routine again here in Dominica. Matt has his first mini of semester three Monday morning. So I've seen my husband very little these past few days. Oh how great it will be to have some normalcy again in say.... five to 10 years.

But our normal for now is Matt studying constantly. I'm busy working. And the time in between, well, that varies. I've been enjoying shopping trips to Roseau, and I've been on a baking spree. Matt just doesn't have any time in between.

I'm not usually in the mood to bake, so when I am, I need to take advantage because it doesn't last long. It could also just be the 'fall' fever, too. I've been craving anything pumpkin lately. And I don't even like pumpkin.

I've made two batches of pumpkin cookies in the past two weeks. Last fall, I made no pumpkin cookies. So see, there's a significant increase.

I've also been oh so thankful I brought back the Starbucks via pumpkin spice latte packets. Delicious. Now we just need some fall weather. 95 degrees and ridiculous humidity? Just doesn't have the same effect.

Shopping in Roseau has definitely been successful for us. We started our Christmas shopping, and are nearly finished with the items we were going to get here. And we've also stocked up on souvenirs for us. 

Handmade floor mats, baskets galore, Dominican plaid fabric for Christmas stockings and handmade leather shoes! 

And these fabulous tank tops I got this stud to model for me.

Speaking of stud, this semester has been more fun for Matt. He's getting to do more 'doctor' stuff as he calls it. He's had a trip to the clinic, and done several patient interviews. So that mean's he has to dress up more often. He put it well when he said he would enjoy dressing up, if it wasn't blazing hot outside. But regardless, he still looks handsome!

Sporting his official name tag Landon made for him.

Even though it's still blazing hot, the weather is definitely cooling off. I use that term loosely. When I was back home, I wondered how the humidity compared to Dominica as I always complained how humid Indiana got. Well, Indiana folks, you have nothing to complain about. It was lovely for me when people were complaining about how humid it was. Enjoy it. 

We have had some beautiful days here with a nice breeze. Except for the one day I decided to make sun tea.

Not ten minutes after I put this out, clouds rolled in and opened up on us. And you may be thinking how great the rain is as it will cool things off. False. It turns everything into a steam room. The sun tea was still good, though. 

I suppose that's about it. Nothing too exciting to update you on - just cute pictures of my husband. And here's a sunset. That seems like a good ending.