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.

Tropical Storm Chantal

Well, we survived our first Dominican tropical storm of the season. Chantal came through yesterday, and after much hype, ended up being a rather boring storm. But don't get me wrong, I much prefer boring when it comes to storms.

Chantal rolled in Tuesday morning where we were prepped for 60 mph winds and 4-6" of rain. Back home, this may not seem like much, but keep in mind the infrastructure in Dominica. We are especially prone to flooding, landslides, rock falls, etc. To make things more interesting, we got quite a rain storm Monday morning, so there was already some serious flooding.

Ross actually closed campus on Tuesday. That made me think that maybe this storm was going to be a good one. This Indiana girl gets a little edgy during hurricane season. The only one I've experienced before is hurricane Sandy in Freeport. I conveniently skipped out on Isaac that season as well as I was back home when he hit.

Seeing this come on the radar was a little intimidating. Nothing like a huge storm to remind you how tiny of an island we are living on.

But alas, Chantal just brought in some pretty good wind and some rain. Nothing too terrible. The center of the storm passed about 60 miles south of the southern tip of Dominica, and since we are in the north west (not to be confused with Kim and Kanye's baby) corner, we had some good separation between us and the storm. Also, we are on the other side of the mountain, so the storm clouds lighten up a bit once they break over the peaks. The majority of the time anyway.

There were times where it was raining and blowing so hard, we couldn't see too far off in the distance. At times when we could see the ocean, we could see how rough the waters were.

Yea, you can't really tell in the photo. It was worth a try.

We never lost power, which I had been banking on the using generator to charge all of our electronics since that doesn't go toward our electric usage, but I was glad we didn't end up losing it. We did lose internet, though. Apparently our internet provider had a damaged fiber or something, so we were out for the majority of the day. Nothing too terrible, especially since we were anticipating that, we could plan accordingly.

Matt used his hurricane day to study, and I worked. We broke out a puzzle just before dinner and had a fun time working on that. Guess who's half is much more complete than the other's?

By evening, Chantal had passed and we got the all clear. There wasn't so much as a slight breeze in the air. We had our standard Tuesday family dinner, which was good as we were ready to get out a bit.

All in all, Chantal was a bit boring, but I'd be fine if the rest of hurricane season went just like that.

Hurricane Sandy - The Aftermath

We made it through our first hurricane! It was definitely quite the adventure.

Let me take you through it.

Thursday the winds and rain started coming in. Sandy was expected to hit closest to us Friday around mid-day. So Thursday night we hunkered down at our apartment with the Womack's and our other friend Vedant and waited. In Indiana we've got tornadoes. The thing with tornadoes versus hurricanes is that tornadoes last for a very short time. Very short compared to hurricanes.  So we knew we were in for a long haul. And it was nearly a 2.5 day affair.

We lost power around 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning. At that point we still had running water. (I've gained a whole new appreciation for running water.)

That morning, the boys walked down to the Pepperpot Restaurant (who managed to stay open throughout the entire storm) to bring back breakfast. The winds were pretty heavy and there wasn't much rain.

Let me tell you, when there is no power and the weather is bad, there isn't much to do to pass the time. So we spent the day playing the 'time game' where we would try and guess the time. Very exciting stuff.

We also took a break to walk around the apartment to get some exercise and fresh air. Thrilling. We did get a taste of just how windy it was.

Notice the boards that were on the windows of Sunset.

Hurricane Sandy brought a lot of wind at about 75 mph. Surprisingly not a lot of rain - just mainly wind. The wind was hitting us from the side of the apartment by our front door. Our patio gave us some cushion from our back door, so we were able to keep that open to give us a bit of relief from the stuffiness inside.

With the winds hitting the front door, we were a little afraid of the door or windows being blown in. We did have to put a towel down because water was coming in under the door.

We weren't the only people who were getting cabin fever. Being that Sunset is housing for only students, things got a little interesting around here.

Future doctors of America. Here's your warning people.

The storm left Grand Bahama around 1 p.m. on Friday. However, the back end of the storm gave us even higher winds. 

We had to get creative with our food choices since there wasn't power, and it was getting too windy to walk to Pepperpot again, so for lunch we had peanut butter and nutella sandwiches along with fruit snacks and crackers. Jealous?

The power came back on for nearly 15 minutes at some point on Friday. And it went back off just after we closed up the windows and had the AC back on.

We lost water sometime Friday evening. Apparently, the storm caused 8' storm surges by the water company, so they needed to shut it down. The cell phone towers were also down. It's an uneasy feeling to be completely disconnected in all aspects.

That night, the boys used the grill to make us dinner. Sunset's grill was moved in a 'safe' area so we could have some hot food options. Although a good portion of the food blew away on the way back up to the apartment. 

We made it through the night, and by Saturday morning, we could see some blips of sunshine. By that time, we were definitely ready to get out a bit. So we called Tyrone who came and took us to get some breakfast. And by breakfast, we had lunch at Pollo Tropical. It was one of the only places open that didn't have a huge line. The winds were still pretty high, but the weather gave us a taste of Indiana fall weather as a sweatshirt was needed!

We got back to find out that the school was sending a bus by to take us to get some breakfast and then go to the hardware to get more candles and flashlights and other necessities  We didn't need to eat, but it was a chance to get out of the apartment, so we took it. We stocked up on candles, water and a lantern.

Apparently the north side of the island got hit rather hard. There was a lot of flooding, including the airport. The entire airport was underwater, and the cars that were parking in the lot were floating.

By Saturday night, the wind was calming down a bit. We walked down to KFC to grab some dinner as hot food was a must! We got a great view of the sunset and were reminded of the beauty around us.

The power kicked back on for a brief 20 minutes around 8 p.m. Saturday night. You could hear the cheers throughout Sunset. And the groans when it off. But then around 9 p.m. it came back on. And around 11 p.m. the cable started working again.

This morning, we had a trickle of water, so I thought the water was back on, but that's all we ended up getting. So we are still using the buckets of water from the pool to flush. Resourceful!

So now, we just wait until the water is back on fully. Until then, we just have to sit in our own stinkiness. One thing this hurricane has done, is made us get to know each other on a whole new level. 

Sandy

Matt and I have made a new friend here. She promises to give us an experience we won't forget.

Unfortunately that experience will likely entail hours without power or running water. Flooding. High winds. And thunderstorms.

So yes, meet Hurricane Sandy.

Don't get me wrong, in Indiana we have our fair share of violent thunderstorms and the occasional tornado. But a hurricane just seems more daunting.

I think it's the hours without power that have me worried the most. No power here means no running water. And all it takes for the power to go out is a loud sneeze. So I have no hope that we WON'T lose power. It is just a matter of how long we'll be without it.

We've stocked up on bottled water, got our flash lights ready, loaded up our cell minutes and got non-perishable food. I've saved work down on to my desktop and I've bought three new books on my Kindle so I will have something to entertain me. We've also filled up our bathtubs so we have excess water to flush. Priorities! Tomorrow, I plan on turning up the temperature in the fridge and freezer so the temperature in the fridge will stay cooler longer and Matt's going to pick up some extra ice that we can put in there, too. With the food being so expensive here, I'd hate to lose what we've got already.

Our apartment faces south, so we will get a good view of the oncoming storms. Here's a look at what we've seen so far.

Wednesday Evening

Thursday - 6:45 a.m.

Thursday - 8 a.m.

Thursday 2 p.m. - Winds are picking up and the rain is starting. 

Boarding up the windows of Sunset. 

Thursday - 5 p.m. - The rain is really coming down and the wind is picking up.

Campus has closed for Matt on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday along with all of the major businesses here. Ross is giving each student two gallons of water.

So now it's Thursday evening. The storm should be coming in this evening and then hit us hard tomorrow. Pretty sure we'll lose power shortly! They wont turn it back on until the storm has passed. So prayers for a quick turnaround will be helpful!

Of course we can't make it off the island without having a hurricane hit. Even if it's at the tail end of the season when you don't typically see storms anymore. Of course it would happen this year. Just making sure we get the full experience I suppose. Thanks, Freeport.

Stressers

You know what I figured out last night. Only four more weeks in the Bahamas. Which ultimately means roughly 10 weeks until Dominica.

Yikes.

I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed by leaving home again. This time for 16 months. In a country that is developing. Which will have even less 'conveniences' than the Bahamas. I don't want to be too caught up in moving, packing and preparing for Dominica to enjoy our short time at home. So I'm trying to 'control the controllables'  and get started what I can here. Things like getting the information ready to go for our Visas as soon as we get home, booking our flights the minute we get the official word Matt passed, and even getting a very early start on Christmas shopping by doing what we can online now.

Things that are stressing me out besides the obvious?

1. The housing database to reserve an apartment will be open before we gain access to it. Since Matt is in MERP, those who have direct admission to Ross will gain access before us. Hopefully we won't get the short straw and end up in some scary, rat-filled, bat-filled apartment. Otherwise my flight home will be coming much sooner than 16 months. I don't mess around with rats, or bats or anything living in my space that isn't invited.
2. Buying our plane tickets. Not only does my flight anxiety kick in high gear when I even look at the airline website, but we have to book a one-way ticket to Dominica, and then figure out a time to buy another ticket departing Dominica at some point to apply for the Visa. We can't be in Dominica longer than a year at a time. So either we pick a blind date, and then spend the extra money to change the ticket later on, or plan a day trip to a neighboring island like St. Maartin. I will be going to Vegas in April, but that still leaves a year's time after I get back that I'll be in Dominica. 
3. Shipping our belongings. For our trip here, we didn't have to ship anything. We each brought two suitcases and two carry-ons, and we were fine. But because the only flights into Dominica are small planes (trigger flight anxiety), we have luggage restrictions. We can each only bring one suitcase that is 50 lbs. and two carry-ons that are 15 lbs. Most students ship their items in a barrel. But with Indiana being landlocked, we don't have access to barrels that I have found. They advised us to check out the options of shipping a plastic tub through UPS or Fed Ex. We'll see what we can find out.
4. Money. Housing deposits, plane tickets, shipping, Visa apps, doctor's appointments (including chest xrays, vaccines, health tests, etc.) books, and shopping for items we need to take with us is expensive. Incredibly expensive. And we won't get a refund check until we get to Dominica. How we'll pay for that - I have no idea. 

So I look at this list and try to figure out how to make things easier for us. Piecing together little ways to minimalize things, make it more efficient, etc. Any insight would be appreciated.

One thing that's important to remember is what a great opportunity this is, and what all Matt has accomplished to get here. We try to not let the overwhelmed feeling get in the way of being appreciative for all that has been afforded to Matt and me, and to be proud of his hard work and determination.

Now, excuse me while I go prepare for Hurricane Sandy. Bottled water, flash lights, candles, Kindle downloading and cell minutes stocking here I come. 

Emmy Update & Another Tropical Storm

I am exhausted. After spending a fun-filled four days in Indy for the staff retreat, I am back in Shipshewana. Oh Shipshe, I never thought I would be so glad to see you.

However my allergies, I'm not glad to see them again. They apparently have missed me, because they are back with avenges.

Indy was great. I am beyond thankful to have gotten to be able to go. It was exactly what I needed. Seeing my coworkers, old friends and more is all I wanted.

Sheila and I came back on late last night. We made it just in time to have dinner to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Happy birthday, Grandpa!

Then I finally got to be reunited with my Emmy! She was so happy to see me, and believe me, I was beyond excited to see her. Her incisions are looking good for the most part. She's not able to reach the one on her back, but she can get to the one on her neck. I think they've started to heal because she's started to scratch. Which is not good!

We had to get a little creative with this one. A cone of shame wouldn't work, because she can still reach it with her hind leg to scratch. So we got some wrapping tape and covered her in it the best way we could.

Check out the attitude in the second photo. She was not amused by any of this. Especially the picture taking.

If you look closely, you can kind of see the swelling on her left leg. However, most of the swelling is in the back. 

The tape didn't work as well as planned, so we put her sweater on and made a trip to the pet store. The pet store had these little rubber booties that feel like little balloons. I thought I should give those a try, hoping that will help to keep her from scratching.

So far, so good. She hasn't taken the booties off. And she hasn't been able to scratch her incision again. Down side, she is not very happy with me. Don't let the photos fool you. The only reason she looks happy is because I was hiding a treat - Greenie Dog Bones - her fav! Poor pup deserved one.

The story got funny when the poor girl tried to walk in her booties. After she was done glaring at me,  she tried to start walking. But she would bend her leg up all the way and then step back down. Too cute, too funny, and a little pathetic.

Don't worry though - I got it on camera. It got better the more she walked, but you get the idea. Poor girl!

Whatever it takes for her to heal.

Anyway, I just have a few more days left in the U.S. before its back to the Bahamas. I leave for Chicago on Monday, and then fly out Tuesday morning. I should be in Freeport late afternoon.

That's IF Tropical Storm Leslie doesn't ruffle the plans. Yes. Leslie. For those of you who don't know, Leslie is my boss's name, too. Ironic? Maybe that's her way of keeping me in town. (Not that I'm complaining!) :)

I've had enough of this hurricane season. I'll stick with ice storms.

Matt has another quiz on Monday, and has his first big test on Friday. Start sending positive thoughts his way!

Home Again

Sorry for the delay - but in case you were wondering, I did make it home! On time! Just in time for that matter. I'm pretty sure if my flight was later Saturday, I wouldn't have gotten home on schedule.

That's not to say it was a smooth flight. The flight from Freeport to Miami was a blast. And by blast I mean terrible. People were screaming. That's no exaggeration.

It was my first turbo prop experience.

And I won't even go into detail about the U.S. Customs Agents stopping boarding and going through our carry-ons and luggage right on the tarmac.

But I got there. And I got there safely. I guess the rough flights just make the normal turbulence seem minor.

I did sit next to a nice gentleman from south Atlanta who knew of Shipshewana. He even worked in the area. What a small world.

And on the Miami to O'Hare flight I sat next to a man who flew out from the Dominican Republic. I asked him how Isaac treated that flight. But he said the drive was actually worse. The roads are right next to the ocean, and the waves were so high, he thought he was going to be swept away. Scary stuff!

Overall, the flights were fine. But I am much happier with my feet on the ground.

After a joyful reunion with my parents, it was off to pick up Emmy dog. I think she was just as excited as I was! Oh how I've missed her. I feel so much better just being around her again. Leaving her just pains me in ways I didn't think possible for a dog.

The weekend was left with family time. I got to give Landon his souvenir from Uncle Matt and me. Landon LOVES coconuts. So we got him a coconut that was turned into a piggy bank. I gave him my Bahamian change to start off his bank.

He gets that look from his mother. (Just seeing if you're really reading this, Sheila!) We had some family lunches, and I got to visit my family at Emma Mennonite. It's always so refreshing to go home.

Monday we took Emmy in to the vet as her left leg had swollen dramatically. Unfortunately, today she had to go under so they could remove a couple of lumps, take some x-rays and get a sample of the tissue that is swollen. Needless to say, I feel like the worst dog mom in the world. I leave her, finally come home, then send her to the vet while I am in Indy today, so I couldn't even be there for her surgery. I'm glad Grandma and Grandpa Miller are there to take care of her, but I still feel awful. Hopefully she'll get to feeling better soon. I know she's in good hands at the vet and at home.

This trip home as been exactly what I needed. It's so wonderful to be at home, be in the office with my coworkers, and just fully enjoy the comforts of the U.S. (including a good fountain Dt. Coke of course.)

So I'll be in Indy until Friday, and then back to Freeport on Tuesday. I do miss my husband!

A Couple Lists

Matt has finished his second full day of class! The first couple of weeks will be predominantly review materials. His first quiz is Monday. They'll have a quiz every other Monday from there on out. He's already forming study groups and getting into his study habits.

While he's studying, I've had time to think about the differences between the Bahamas and home. I thought I'd share with you some of the things I miss, and on the flipside, what I'm enjoying about the Bahamas!

Home Sweet Home 

• Obviously, family first! This includes my sweet Emmy Dog.
• And of course our friends.
• Decently priced groceries. A sale of $14 for a family-sized box of cereal. No thanks.
• On that note, being able to go to the grocery and KNOW they will have milk, bread, etc. that isn't expired.
• Central air conditioning. 
• My good ole 260 phone number.
• My car. Oh to be able to get up and leave whenever I want..
• Target.
• My co-workers. Technology is great, but Skype can only do so much.
• Not having to coat myself in sunscreen whenever I go outside.
• Not sweating. And with that includes not needing to shower nearly three times a day. 
• My kitchen amenities. Try cooking something in the oven and then realizing you don't have hot pads.
• Being able to walk somewhere and not be offered drugs.
• The concept of time - being 'on time' specifically.
• A good fountain Dt. Coke.
• Fast internet. And wifi - everywhere.
• Not having to carry our groceries home from the store.
• American food. 
• 60% humidity or less. 
• Hot water all the time.
• Not having to drink 387 gallons of water every day to feel hydrated.
• Pandora.

Yay Bahamas

• The scenery. B-e-a-utiful beaches.
• Our new friends!
• The locals. Friendly, friendly people. 
• Even with no vehicle, transportation is easier than I anticipated.
• No traffic jams or rush hour.
• Coke Zero. I don't know what it is exactly that makes it better. But it is delicious. And as Landon would say - I know my 'licious. 
• Sea creatures. 
• Less ragweed = less allergies.
• $7 movie theater tickets. Jackpot.
• The culture.
• KFC Delivery. I haven't tried this yet. But that's pretty awesome.
• The eclectic nature of the people. You can do a LOT of fun people watching down here.
• Lizards, salamanders or Gecko's or whatever they are. Yes - this is the right list. They are fun to watch!
• Trying all of the fish!
• Treasure hunting.

So there you have it. And yes, the list on what I miss is longer. It's only been a couple of weeks. I'm sure the second list will grow with time. Hopefully anyway.

Hot Indy

Never would I have imagined the following scenario.

Never say never I suppose. Considering both of us have NEVER been the Bahamas, we don't really know what to expect regarding the weather. But Indy calling for a high nearly 15 degrees higher than anywhere in the Caribbean is just absurd.  Not only did we have a mild winter with NO snow days, we are now setting record-high temps. This heat streak here in Indy has got to go.

Maybe Bahamian weather won't be too bad. Of course, we'll be there July - November, which is peak hurricane season. Wonderful! (note the sarcasm) Side note - when looking for an apartment, hurricane shutters were listed as an amenity. Here's hoping we won't need them. One thing we've learned, though, is that it rains. Often. Regardless of hurricane season. Matt and I prepared ourselves with new umbrellas, and I got a flashy pair of yellow galoshes. (Galoshes were 50% off at Target. Love it!)


So I guess this is Indy's way of preparing us for Freeport. That way, once we get to Freeport, it will be a relief from the heat....maybe?