The crazy after mini2 week....

I realize I am terrible at updating this and I am so sorry! Last week was crazy cause Tuesday was Dominican Independence day.

So Aaron didn't have school, and didn't have much to study because he had just taken his second mini (thats what they call the

exams). So Andrea, Lenny, Aaron, and I went to a beach in Portsmouth called Purple Turtle beach. I was really nice to actually

get to go do something with Aaron! On our way back we explored Portsmouth, which was really fun cause we'd never seen it.

Then on Wednesday I went to Red Rock with the spouse group. It was a beautiful place, but it rained on us and it was on the

Atlantic side of the island so the water was really really rough! So I didn't really get in the water cause I wanted to live! We ate

there and the food was delicious, I had a caribbean pizza and the sauce wasn't tomato based it was avocado based and oh so

good! On a side note, I'd like you all to know that I can make some mean guacamole! Avocados are in season now and they taste

amazing!

Thrusday The guys had a football game, which they won!!! Then Saturday Aaron and I went to Roseau to get some groceries.

When we got back the school was having an Arts and Crafts Fair. They had local artists and venders come and sell their stuff.

It was really cool cause there was a lot of neat stuff that locals had crafted with coconuts and leather and pretty much anything

that was available to them.

Well Thats all I've got for now I hope you enjoy the pictures and I will try realllllllly hard to write again soon! Good night!

Our Dominican Home

This is our apartment here in Dominica, I know all of you are curious! Sorry it has taken me so long to post these!

This is our place! Andrea and Lenny live in the left first floor door and we live on the right. Our landlord, Gloria, and her family live above us.

This is our main living space.

This is my tiny kitchen!

This is our bedroom (obviously)

Our Giant desk, its more the size of a kitchen table then a desk!

The bathroom

Our closet....yup its in the bathroom!

Its no five star hotel, but its a nice place to come home to at the end of the day. Aaron seems to like it more now that its clean! Some night I'll have to post the before pictures! I'm a miracle worker! Enjoy a little look into our home, I'm off to bed, Good night everyone.

Cows, cows, and more cows

Here in Dominica they a.) don't believe in pastures, or b.) are too lazy to make fences. Either way there are cows everywhere, and its the funniest thing to me. You'll be walking on campus and turn a corner and bam there's a cow, then you'll turn another corner and bam, there is an entire heard of them. The other day Aaron and I were gonna go sit on the beach and on our way there on the side of the path there were about 5 or 6 cows just hanging out eating the grass. Its soooooo weird to see them just out and about where ever they please.

Aaron Tried to pose with one but scared it and it ran away, I was laughing my butt off cause when it stared to move Aaron jumped about 5 feet.

Then when we were walking home from the beach there was a cow in the middle of the side walk! We had to wait for some cars to pass and then make a wide circle around it so it didn't kick us. It just cracks me up that this is normal here, my first instinct is: we need to find out who's it is so they can get it back to their pasture... clearly I grew up on a farm!

we made it look at us, so I could get a picture, and the people behind us thought we were crazy I'm pretty sure!

Night of the Giant Centipede...Updated!

So It was a typical Sunday evening, Aaron and Lenny were practicing doing patient interviews over at the Riley Place (the next apartment over) and I was making supper. Aaron came home and we ate. Then after we were outside on the porch talking to Lenny, when all of a sudden Lenny says "holy crap Aaron look at this....GO GET YOUR RAID!" So I ran in the house and got our raid, unbeknownst as to why at the time, then Aaron comes running in and I tried to hand the raid to him but he ran past me to get his camera. So I went back out and handed Lenny the raid and that is when I first saw it.

You know those tiny little centipedes we have back home that hide under a rock, this was nothing like that. This thing was 8 or 9 inches long(and I promise you I am NOT exaggerating) and FAST. Brad if you're reading this, it reminded me of a snake with legs, it was awful, I thought of you and Gram both when I saw it. So add that to your list of things to stay the heck away from! I sure did! They can bite you and inject venom, these aren't your small run of the mill centipedes these things are carnivores, and Lenny found it only a few feet from our door!! Now don't worry too much Gram:), to a healthy human the venom usually doesn't do much, I've just heard the bites are very painful and you usually have some swelling. Lenny sprayed it with about half a can of raid and then it finally started to slow down. It had come to a stop and was just laying in the road when Norman (our landlords husband, they live above us) came down and chopped it in half with his knife. I was CREEPED OUT! Aaron came in and started checking the house immediately, all the corners, and window sills, under the bed, in the bed, behind the bed, everywhere. He claims he was checking for me, but I think he may have been a little creeped out too!

I am happy to say that I didn't have bad dreams about it like I was sure I would, however every time I woke up I had a very hard time getting back to sleep and I was scared to move. I'm hoping that tonight I will sleep better, after Aaron checks the the house again that is ;) I'll post the video soon.. and scare you all!

Here's the dreaded video!

Chickens and Rainbows

Friday Andrea and I walked to school cause we thought there was an RSO (Ross spouse organization) meeting, then we were going to meet the guys and watch this weeks football game. Well there was no meeting, and we decided it was way to hot to walk all the way back home so we went to the activity center and we were just going to hang out.

Luckily we ended up running into another spouse and we decided to play a game of Ticket to Ride! Unfortunately I lost, again! Andrea won again though so she was excited! Then we waited for the guys to get done with class and we went to watch the football game. It was pretty intense! Then Aaron and I went out to dinner at a beautiful restaurant called Riverside. It was a nice evening.

Saturday morning Aaron and I got up early to go to the market for some fresh fruits and veggies, I have never experienced anything like it! I had a lot of fun!

And I was really happy cause we got some coconuts that a man had cut and we got to drink the water with a straw! It was sooo good! I love fresh coconut!

Yesterday I went on a trip to a place called Crescent Moon Cabins. They have a green house, livestock, pool, Library, restraunt, and a Montessori school, just to name a few of the things on their property. It was very relaxing. My only mistake was not taking dramamine. I was fine for most of the ride but the last 20 minutes were awful, for everyone.

It felt like we were going straight down and the turns were very very sharp and one right ofter

another. Even people who didn't normally get car sick didn't feel well after that ride. So unfortunately

I had a headache all day. It was still a great trip even though I wasn't feeling the best, how can any

day be a bad day when you can see a view like the one from the cabins looking out to the sea?

I ended up taking a small nap when I got home, Aaron was at a tutor session and I didn't

have to make supper cause it was a leftover night, and I was exhausted! When Aaron got home we

ate dinner and then watched movie. It was a pretty low key evening, which was wonderful since I still

had a headache.

This morning I made Pancakes and topped them with fresh bananas, one of our purchases from the market!

It just started to rain on the clothes I just washed and hung out to dry.... yay! I hope all of you

are having a great Sunday! I love you and miss you!

Here are a few other Pictures to look at:

This is one of the road signs on campus...I thought it was funny

This was a Double rainbow that happened earlier in the week. The top one is very faint but its there

This man lives across from us, he eats there every night and that chicken sits there and waits for him to throw her some food. It is the sweetest thing cause if she doesn't show up the man walks around and looks for her.