New Motto: Take it One Day at a Time!

Hi friends,

What a busy couple of weeks it has been! It's been awhile since I have been able to blog. When I started working, things were pretty much the same as usual. However within the last week, there has been a lot of activity. 

I apologize in advance for the next section, but I have recently come to terms with the fact that the medical system on this island truly sucks. There is a little girl who attends the school who has been very sick for the past year. She has been diagnosed with autism, and is non-verbal. However, she also has some major vomiting issues, where she can't keep any food down, or even water. She has been in and out of the hospital the last year and the doctors don't know what to do. Well, the principal and I went to visit her at her house because the mom requested we go there. When we pulled up, I had this sinking feeling in my gut, and we weren't even at the house yet. We had to walk behind another house, through some bushes and stumbled upon a large shack. Broken windows, grass and vines growing up the side of the house. I felt really disturbed by the whole thing. The mother brings the child outside, and she can't even stand up. I tried giving her some water, but she couldn't even keep that down! She was so dehydrated, I told the mother she needs to be in the hospital. 
I left that house in tears.
I have never seen anything like that in my life. I realize that there is some poverty on this island, but I felt like I had walked into a taping for a World Vision commercial. I really was not prepared for that. Even my principal who has lived here for 10 years had never seen anything like that before. That scene will live with me forever. It truly wrecked me. 

The child made it to the hospital the next day, but I just found out she only spent 3 days there and then they sent her home. The excuse this time was that the principal didn't come to the hospital and explain what was wrong with her...ummm excuse me? I didn't realize she was also a doctor! Hello, that's why the child is there? To see the doctor!!!!!!! I could not believe my ears!!!!! They think because the child has special needs, that they cannot help her, and that this vomiting is just a symptom of her special needs! Never in my life have I heard this, or read anything about this! The child can't even keep water down!!!! 
I literally came home that day and cried my eyes out. I feel so helpless for this poor little girl. No one is fighting for her. The few that are, don't have any power. This child needs some real doctors looking after her, and figuring out what is going on. Otherwise she just keeps going through this cycle of being in and out of the hospital. Social services is involved, but they have said no one will take the child because she has special needs. That just breaks my heart even more. It disturbs me so much, to be living in this environment, when I know something needs to be done but I just don't have the means to do it. I so badly wish I could...unfortunately for this little one, I feel as though my prayers for her, just aren't enough. 


Anyway, thanks for letting me rant. It's just something I think about every single day. 

Moving on, there were a couple holidays last week on Nevis. National Heroes Day and Independence Day. I was able to go to the beach and have some relaxation time. It was awesome. For Independence Day, it seemed as though the island goes all out. Even Kyle's school library was closed. There was a big beach party at the main beach, and all the schools had their own program to celebrate. The children at my school got to wear the colors of the flag, and each class did a presentation on what all the colors mean. Last minute I found out all the teachers had to sing a song! Well that was an experience, especially since I am not a singer. The presentations were very cute though, and I learned a lot about Nevis :) 

This was the holiday, I couldn't believe how busy the beach was ;)

I Never get tired of these beach views :)

Happy 32nd Anniversary Nevis!

This was at the main beach. My local buddy told me they were setting up for a huge party last Friday night.

This is the little kids class. They taught us what the stars in the flag mean. Hope and Liberty.

This is the class that I teach. They all looked so thrilled to be up there! Haha. 

Don't worry I have permission to post these photos. 

So I had started teaching my own class at the school because we have been so short staffed. However there has been one particular child who has had such severe behaviors, the principal doesn't want him in class with other children. So now he has been assigned to me. Yay! I spent all last week with him, and I have some bruises to show for it. However, we had a break through today!!! This child had no behaviors at all today!!!! I am so thrilled! He actually listened to me, and didn't attempt to run away at all! There were a few opportunities where he could have followed the other children but he didn't! Even if for the rest of this year, his behaviors are bad, I will always remember this one day! Ha! I actually came home with a smile on my face! It was a much needed reminder of why I do what I do. I love these kids, but when I hear quotes like " teacher, you ain't gunna give me no licks, so I don't have to listen to you" "you ain't got nuttin on me teacher" "Whatcha gunna do teacher? You can't do nuttin!" (Say it in an island accent, and it will make more sense.) Also licks mean a spanking in North American terms. So when today I heard phrases like "My mom is going to be so proud of me!" That just warms my heart :) 

Today is Kyle's Birthday! To celebrate, I made him a cake, and we went to a friends house and had some of his classmates over. It was nice that we are still able to do something here. This past weekend, we met up with my friend that I work with and her fiancee at the Four Seasons Restuarant. What an amazing view!! We had never been there before. It's called Mangoes, and it was great! My friend's fiancee works for the Four Seasons, so he got a discount ;) 

Sweet views from Mangoes Restaurant. 

The cake turned out pretty well. The trick is to ice it, right before you eat it! 

Anyway, my new motto here is "take it one day at a time." At this point, with it being so hot, my job the way it is, managing my own school work, that's all I can do. I am still thankful I have a job, but I think I am allowed to vent about it every now and then. 

Hope you guys are all doing well! We miss you lots! 

Here are a few other pics from the last couple weeks. 

A real traffic jam on Nevis!!! I was almost late for work. Turns out, the Police were stopping people. Not sure what they were looking for though. 

Pretty big thunderstorm here. Crazy lightening and a ton of rain! This is the view from one of my classrooms at the school. 

Some of you may have seen this guy posted already. Kyle went to open the blinds in our bedroom and he was just chilling on the window sill. I'm actually surprised I was not more freaked out! The first thing I did was grab my camera :P Maybe because I have expected something like this to happen here. 

This huge cow was just beside the road. He has pretty big horns! It's hard to see in this picture, but it was crazy! 

That's all for now! Enjoy!

Returning to Island Life

Hey Everyone!

Well summer is over, (or for Kyle and I, it's beginning again:the weather that is). We have returned back to Nevis and classes have resumed and I have started work again. It is super hot here!!! Summer in Canada the weather wasn't all that great, in the low 20's for most of my time up north, so coming back here where it's mid 40's has been an adjustment. Especially since our A.C is broken. Even Kyle, who has air conditioning in his classroom is struggling. There are over 100 new students in his class so space is tight for them. Plus he has to dress up for his class for the first few weeks, so wearing a tie and dress clothes and trying not to sweat has been an adjustment for him. 

We arrived on the island by having to take one of those tiny airplanes from the island of St. Maarten. That was an interesting experience! You don't have to worry about hearing those boring airplane safety speeches. Nope, you don't even need to wear a seat belt. They tell you that if there is a crash, to watch out for sharks... yep. It was also risky in terms of our luggage. Since the plane is so small it's not guaranteed that your luggage will make it. Ours had tags on it that said "standby". So we were watching them load everything on, and praying that our stuff made it. We have heard way to many stories where some folks have lost their luggage in St.Kitts or St. Maarten. Thankfully it made the cut! 
I was also nervous about being allowed back into Nevis because of how my work permit visa ended up. It expired in July so I was worried about what the immigration people were going to say. However, they gave me a stamp with expiration in February! Maybe it was because it was late at night, or that the officer was new, but I am very glad it all worked out. Our car was even waiting for us at the airport! 

So, you would think, things are back to normal around here. However, there is just something different about being back. I don't really know what it is, but it is definitely harder than when we first moved here. Maybe because back then, everything was so new, or the fact that I have been away for 3 months. Needless to say, I remember writing about how I was almost sad to leave Nevis, and I thought I would be excited to return here, but so far, I haven't really felt much excitement. Back to this place where the bugs are everywhere, our broken A.C (who knows when it will get fixed), and now our T.V is broken. Kyle has managed to fix it temporarily, but things are different. 

I went back to the school I was working at, and found out I was not on their staff list. I had to do all that running around again to get a work permit. I do have one, but now I have to wait and see if I actually get paid. There have been a lot of staffing issues at the school to the point where there is no teacher for the class I was helping out in. I am not a teacher. I don't do lesson plans, or following a curriculum or anything like that. I don't even know what the curriculum is for Nevis. I tried to make that clear to my supervisor. I just hope that when the kids come back to school tomorrow, that I am not suddenly thrown into their class and expected to teach a math lesson. 

So maybe all of these reasons and the heat factor is why I have hard time adjusting back to this island life. I need to get back into working out again, and I have also started my classes online again. There has been a lot of change this week and we have been quite busy unpacking and getting settled. Oh and yes back to cooking, and doing dishes everyday. I need to get back to my positive thinking I suppose. Summer at home was amazing, and I guess I was hoping it could last longer. I was very fortunate to be able to spend time with family and friends, and even meet my nephew! I think it's different because our time here seems so much longer than when we came in January. Kyle is just starting med school. Our friends we met in January are starting Med 3. Kyle has worked very hard to get to this point, but there is still a long road ahead, and it's starting to sink in. Good news is, we are here until December. Only 3 months. I am hoping after this first month, time will start to go by quicker. I keep trying to tell myself that. I mean we have already been back for one week right??

Anyway that's the update for now. I thought I would be sharing about how my summer went in Canada, however who wants to hear about that! ;)  FYI it was cold and rainy with some weddings and a baby shower :P I hope everyone enjoyed their summer also. Back to reality I guess! 

Here is Kyle from his White Coat Ceremony. All the Med 1 Students are presented with their white coat to officially begin Med school. I am very proud of him, and the coat suits him quite well ;)

My Summer Sabbatical

Hi Friends,

I cannot believe that I am packing up a suitcase to come home! It has been almost 6 months of island living, and although I have been settling in here and finding my way, I am totally pumped for home! 

The past few weeks have been super busy with my job. I went on a day trip St.Kitts with some teachers from the school to see some of the differences in the education system. I found it interesting considering St.Kitts and Nevis are one country, but they really act separate from each other. I went to a different part of the island of St.Kitts, so here are some pics of that. 

This is a smoothie bar on St.Kitts that I have seen advertised so much, I was so excited to try one! So delicious!

When we got off the car ferry, this small lake was in front of us and it looked pink!

I have also been dealing with some work permit issues. Although I have been getting paid, apparently my work permit was non existent. I got all my paper work in a couple weeks ago and I told them I was leaving the island, and that this needed to be sorted before I left. Well this past Friday, my last day of work I spent 3.5 hours running around town trying to get it all sorted. It was like the Amazing Race again, but work permit edition. I'll keep it brief but here is how my day played out:

1. Went to the treasury department to see if I could sign off my next pay cheque to Kyle because I wasn't going to be here.
2. They told me to go to the Ministry of Education
3. Ministry of Education told me to fill out a form then go to Premier's Ministry
4. Pay 25EC at Premier's Ministry, and get more paperwork
5. Go to Immigration to get stamp in passport. (Finally!)
6. Go to Social Secuirty office and get a SSN
7. Go back to treasury and pick up cheque (which they didn't have earlier)
8. Go to the bank and open an account

That was the process, and after all the running around I did, my work permit stamp I have in my passport is only until the end of school year for this year (July). Which means I am going to have to do this all over again in September when I come back. Great! Good news was that I was finally able to open a bank account, and deposit the cheques I had. Bad news is that since this process chewed through my whole day, I didn't get to see the kids at the school before they left :(

This week there was also another parade on the island. All the preschools and primary schools marched downtown. It was pretty fun, it was also funny listening to the teachers complain that it never starts on time. We were supposed to start at 9 but it didn't start until 10.  Apparently this happens every year. Then the poor kids are having to wait a long time, plus it's really hot for them. We had one little girl throw up at the end of the parade! (At least she made it all the way). 

I have also been noticing a lot more puppies around the island. One of my students brought a little puppy to school that she rescued, so cute! I want to take one home with me. I seriously considered it and even visited the animal shelter here on the island. However Kyle and I discussed it and it just wouldn't work right now, but I really hope before we leave the island for good I can bring one home. The amount of abuse these dogs face on a daily basis breaks my heart. So many awful stories, and there is only one vet clinic on the island who apparently doesn't treat the dogs nicely here and the shelter is at capacity. I am realizing that I can't change everything on this island, I really should just focus on one thing and make it the best. Which I am hoping I can do that with the school. A lot of changes are going to be happening so I am looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the fall. 

This is the student's pup! So Cute!!!!

This little guy is from the shelter I visited

These little guys live next door to us.

In the 6 months I have been here, I have learned so much about myself. I feel like I have gained even more patience! It's funny when the odd times Kyle and I are in the car together and he gets so mad with the way people drive around here, and I just laugh and say it's really not going to change. It is what it is here. I guess I am used to it, and I can really just go with the flow here. I feel like I have become a much more positive person since being here. My anxiety levels have dropped, and I just feel happier. Maybe it's the constant sun on my face which I can never get enough of. I love being outside all day. I am also impressed with myself that I have been cooking almost everyday. I have become pretty independent and my confidence has grown. Now maybe this says a lot about who I used to be 6 months ago, I am still shy and some things still stress me out. But I am getting over it faster, and not holding a grudge. Life is to short, I have been given this amazing opportunity so I am making the most of it. 

I am so proud of Kyle and what he has achieved thus far. These next couple months will be hard on both of us, but I am confident in our relationship that we can handle being apart. Kyle will be busy focusing on his studies and I need to go to the mall and Mcdonalds a lot ;) haha. 

So this will be my last post until September. I have enjoyed blogging, and I hope I can keep it up once I come back to the island. I will be continuing my school studies online and working. I hope everyone enjoys their summer! I hope that I will bring the hot weather with me! Thank you everyone for being so supportive of us! We love you and can't wait to see you!

Nevisian Life for the Wife

Well everyone in just 3 weeks I will be coming home!

A lot has been happening around here, that it has been hard to find time to actually blog. 
Here are some updates, I have been working full time, and it is going great, I even received my first pay cheque on Friday!! Wohoo! Now just comes the challenge of how to actually cash an international cheque...

Kyle did well on his first round of exams for premed 2, he even got 100% on his organic chemistry exam! Wow!! He studied really hard, especially since he has said that is his most difficult class! Yay Kyle :)

Let's see, I went on a school field trip the other day. We took some of the kids to St. Kitt's to the bottling company. It was pretty cool, except the machine was broken, so the kids didn't get to see any actual bottles being made :( When I asked one the kids if they were having fun, and if they had any questions, the comment I got was ," It's kinda boring." I felt bad for them, there was a lot of talking, and it was hard to hear the man speaking, it was a lot of information to take in. However, I learned that the bottled water is all the same, the only difference is the labels on the bottles. So it definitely makes sense to buy the cheapest water at the store, because it is literally all the same!!

The principal of my school, had invited Kyle and I to her church, so on Sunday we decided to check it out. What an experience! The hardest part was waking up early. They start at 8 am! I thought seeing how it's island time around here, they wouldn't start on time, but nope not when it comes to the Lord's Day. The church was located outside under a tent. According the my principal (Mrs. Clarke), she said their church is different from most island churches. They don't dress up super fancy with big hats and all that. They are also in the process of trying to build their own church. So they have a foundation started, and sometimes after service they would try and do some work. She told me they are pioneers. We met a lot of really nice people, there were about 50 people there, and almost everyone came up to us to introduce themselves. It was kinda obvious we were visitors ;) 
The service was only 3 hours long. Not bad considering a lot of the services here seem to go all day. They had a whole band set up, and even power-point to follow along with lyrics and the message. Very passionate though in terms of worshiping and the lead Pastor. I loved it! I felt a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, because of course the Pastor had to formally introduce us to everyone, and then they prayed for Kyle and his studies for a long time. It was actually very sweet, and I was really humbled by the compassion from everyone. They seemed very supportive us, and told me that since we have met Mrs. Clarke, we are in good hands. Haha! 
It was an awesome experience! I just didn't like getting attacked by ants. I had never had that issue before, but I guess where we were sitting, the ants were everywhere, and kept crawling up my legs and biting me which was distracting. 
Here are some pics of where they have their service. 

This is some land that the church is trying to preserve. It's an old sugar mill. It is actually a square one which I found out is very rare. 

Under the tent is where they had the service set up. 

That's the site of where they are hoping to build their own church, you can see the foundation is already laid out.

I really like that I have been stretched out of my comfort zone here. I feel like I have been breaking through my shell, and I have found myself in situations that I never thought I would be in. I am really proud that Kyle and I have been able to settle in here so nicely. The biggest lesson I am learning here is: you never know what can happen unless you ask. This has forced me to ask a lot of questions to people, and get to know them. Even the work I have been doing at the school, I have been able to gather some resources just by asking the right people. Today someone gave me a free mango! Haha, I was just chatting to a farmer next door, and telling them I like the mangoes, and then I found out I was talking to the aunt of one my kids from the school. So they gave me a free mango! So sweet :) It's these little cultural experiences that have made me appreciate life so much more. Having an open mind has been really critical here. 

Today is a holiday on the island. It was actually nice to be able to enjoy an actual long weekend. I like that I have this work life happening. Although my grocery schedule has been thrown off, I am making it work. I don't like that I haven't been working out as much though, but I am doing my best to still fit in a workout here and there. The kids at the school don't do much physical activity, so I am trying to incorporate more of that. They have been teaching me how to play cricket! So fun!

Since it is a holiday, of course there was a parade at 8 am this morning. Kyle was just heading to class, when the group started to pass by our house. Music blasting for miles, people dressed up in interesting outfits, drunk people hitting on me while I was trying to take pictures, and of course the police guarding the lot while showing off his machine gun. Haha! It was very intense. Here are some pics of that. 

 

So that's the update for now. Keeping busy in my new island life! Miss you all!

Happy Mother's Day

Well here we are: Another holiday being spent away from family!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! It is strange being away from home during all these holidays. I am still not used to it, but it just reminds me how thankful I am for technology! It also forces me to get a little bit more creative with gifts and such.

We are back in full routine on the island. Kyle back at school, I am actually working full time now. We had a nice time with friends and family visiting during the break. Some great adventures were had by all! With Kyle's friends here, Matt and Justin, we went back to the Source Hike and finished the journey! All the way to the top to a waterfall! It was intense, but it was awesome! We had to climb up a 150 foot ladder, that wasn't really attached to much. Definitely not sturdy, and the rungs were pretty rusted, but we did it! I am shocked that I went the whole way. The guys kept up a pretty fast pace, and I thought with all the running I do I would be able to keep up, but it is totally different doing it in the middle of the day, with no breeze, little water and uphill the entire journey. I don't think I have a fear of heights, but climbing up that ladder was kinda scary, I just remained calm and focused. Then I started to laugh and think I was on the Amazing Race again. Haha, Kyle was cheering me on from the top, and I was making sure not to fall.

These are some stairs we had to climb during the hike

Made it to the waterfall. It was pretty small, but worth it all the same!

This hermit crab we found! So cute, and huge!!!

Yay team!! A little sweaty, but we did it!!

We went to St.Kitts the next day, and this was a great view! Nevis is in the back, covered with clouds

We also went to St.Kitts again and saw the Avengers movie. So awesome!! However, we have definitely hit our budget for the month for entertainment. Two trips in April for St.Kitts really starts to wrack up the already huge amount of debt we have :P However, now that we are back into our routine I don't think we will be spending as much anymore...but Pitch Perfect 2 is coming..... :S

I can't believe that we are into our 5th month here! New students have arrived, and it reminds me how we felt when we started. Not knowing where to buy groceries, asking strangers for help. Now I am the expert! People are coming to me and asking for rides to the store, bus driver numbers, where to buy vegetables! It's crazy! I hope that I can help out the newbies as much as possible, and keeping in my mind that I was just as lost and confused as they were, and that there are no stupid questions when it comes to island living. Although, I did meet a guy this week who I think has been here for awhile and asked if I was a new neighbor, and I was like nope, been here since January, and he was like oh okay, I have never seen you before. I didn't think Kyle and I were big hermits! We have started hanging out with our neighbor more, it's great that he actually wants to go out and do stuff, and he is even running with me!

Now that I am working full time, life here is starting to feel very similar to life back home. Except dealing with the monkeys on the road, and getting to wear flip flops to work. It was pretty random how full time came up, they said it would be easier for paperwork...okay. Well I still have yet to sign any sort of contract or see a paycheck. Oh yes.. #islandtime
But I am still thankful that I get this opportunity. It truly makes me appreciate what I had back home. Towards the end of my work life in Canada, I started to feel a little stressed, and exhausted, and it felt very repetitive. I still loved the kids I worked with, but I did feel like I needed a change. Coming here, and seeing the lack of resources, it makes me miss my old job a lot. Where I didn't have to worry about grabbing bubbles, or a puzzle to do with the kids. It was all right there. Or being able to connect with the parents, and discuss strategies for their child. Now, I feel like I am doing many different roles at once. I feel like an Instructor Therapist, Senior Therapist, Classroom Teacher, Material Prep, Counselor and a Doctor! Trying to balance all these roles has been tough, and I almost feel unprepared for what the Principal expects out of me. My expertise is in autism and providing IBI therapy. Trying to do all these other roles, I am having to teach myself. I am glad I have made some great connections back home, and that they have been willing to help me out with my many questions on how to program for certain skills. But I wouldn't trade this experience for anything!

I am leaving for home in just over a month, and I am actually feeling a little torn up about it! Now that Kyle and I have been settling in; Nevis is home. We have friends here, I have a job here, the only thing missing is family. But with the way technology is, I still get to talk to them everyday. It will be actually bittersweet to leave here for a few months. It will be hard to be apart from Kyle for awhile, but I am hoping some of our friends will take care of him haha. (Make sure he eats) Don't get me wrong, I am excited to go home, I am just surprised that I actually feel sad to leave here for a bit. If I feel this way now, how am I going to handle leaving here for good??!!?! Oh boy...

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this mother's day! We love and miss you all!!