Technology is amazing!

I finally gave in and spent some time yesterday morning setting up a Google Voice number that is strictly my own that I can give out to friends, family, and potential employers to reach me at. Technology is pretty darn amazing! While Skype and my current hotspot blocker have worked wonders by allowing us to chat with people frequently back home and even call cell phones and landlines, the one downside was that besides Skype- no one could call us, we always had to call them. For almost 2 years this has worked fine but with my job hunt currently in full force and thankfully with some hits on my resume the frustration of phone tag with my US voice mail as the middle man became too much for me to handle. Plus, the job I REALLY want offered me an interview and that was the straw that broke the camel's back because I did not/do not want to lose this interview due to being a pain in the butt to reach!

Needless to say, we are now easily assessable with a US (even a Michigan) phone number!!! As of Tuesday afternoon it has officially been synced to my Google account where I can not only call or text phones, but can also RECEIVE calls and have a voice mail set up for any that I miss. YAY! It's fantastic and I wish I had been driven to the brink of insanity and done it sooner!

I've basically ended up on house arrest because WHEN she calls this number, there is no way I am missing it. No joke. If I switch rooms- so does the computer. If I take laundry outside- so does the computer. If I am in the shower- well the computer doesn't shower but it sits as close to the shower as possible so I can hear it ring. You get the idea.

Still waiting on that call.... and hoping it comes soon as I literally haven't left the house in 3 full days out of fear of missing the call. Can you tell I really want this job? And, to friends and family... call me, maybe? :)

Island Adventure- Road Trip 2013!

Sunday was our island adventure day!!! It was SO MUCH FUN! Ever since moving to Grenada we have talked about driving around the whole island and we finally got the chance to do it. Grenada is a very small island so it can be easily explored in one day, even with several pit-stops along the way. We rented a car for the day, packed it up with towels, swim suits, lots of water/Gatorade, sandwiches and snacks and hit the road! Since we haven't had a car down here it was the first time we have really had freedom to do what we want, when we want, where want- and boy did it feel great!! We also both got to drive here for the first time on the opposite side of the car/road and I have to say- we were both surprised by how easy we found it to be! Some of the Grenadian drivers definitely caused us to have a few butt clenching driving moments, but it was fun to be able to check that off our bucket list!

As for our adventure- we headed up the west side where we had the ocean to our left the majority of the ride which was GORGEOUS! We hit places such as: Gouyave, happy hill, ... just to name a few. Our ulitimate destination was to make it to the northern side and the gorgeous beaches there, where we did some sight seeing and lounged at some of the breathtaking beaches. Bathway beach- words can't even come close to describing it! After that we hit up the chocolate factory and pearls airport on the way back down the east side, before cutting through the rainforest and seeing Grand Etang and the monkeys!

Our car had limited radio so we were left to the mercy of each others company and singing songs every time we said a phrase that related to a song that one of us would then bust out singing... we're cool :) Everyone we met was SO nice and helpful- it's amazing how much more laid back it is once you get away from the school hoopla! The entire trip went super smoothly and was just an absolute blast! As for the rest.... I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talkin...

The car we rented! Pretty cheap for a 24 hour rental and drove great! Due to it's amazing ability to conquer crazy
Grenadian streets and drivers we named him Bruce "The Beast." Nick navigated the crazy roads like a pro as well!

The nice thing about being on our own schedule was that we could stop whenever we felt it was a good photo-op!
This is what the scenery looked like the ENTIRE trip North... we are so blessed to have been able to call this
island home for the past 1.5-2 years!

Just a handful of the towns we visited and signs that I actually managed to snap pictures of! How freakin' cool is
the huge one of Kirani James?! What an awesome time to have lived here in Grenada to experience
his success and the pride his country felt/feels on his behalf!

I can't get enough of all the bright colors of the Caribbean. I absolutely love it! We also enjoyed checking out
all the many churches that we passed along the way. Each church was unique but so wonderfully and beautifully
built!We tried to look inside a few, but sadly they were locked so we could only peak through the windows...
but the insides definitely matched the outside.

These pictures were taken at Bathway beach- easily one of the most beautiful and calming places I have ever been
to. The beach itself was so quiet and there were very few other people there besides us. The waves were HUGE
crashing on the rocks, which created the best sound EVER. We ate our picnic lunch here on the beach and both
just laid back and took a mini cat nap to the sound... the sound of the ocean is definitely one of the things I will
miss most... I wish I could pack it up and take it with me back to Michigan!

These pictures were obviously taken at the Chocolate factory. Grenada is one of the largest suppliers of chocolate
in the world (especially of dark chocolate.) We were able to see the entire process, taste the cocoa at various stages,
and "walk the beans." To those lucky people who get this batch of chocolate- you're welcome for my stinky feet that
helped  make it!!! They should definitely charge extra for that batch... ;) Nick was obviously in heaven getting to try the many different kinds of chocolate... I however, had more than enough with one small nibble.... wayyy too chocolatey for me!

Pearls Airport is where the original Grenada airport was located and is still where you can find old Cuban planes in the airfield, which are really cool to see!  The old runways are also still used occasionally for things like street racing- which is not surprising seeing as it is a huge, long, straight road just asking for a car to put the pedal to the metal! We had an absolute blast here! It was like a jungle gym for adults... who doesn't want to climb and explore super old airplanes for hours?! SO.MUCH.FUN!

Climbing up was not necessarily super easy, but it sure was awesome once you were up there!

The ride home was filled with beautiful scenery as well as we cut through the center of Grenada, where the rainforests are! With the ongoing drought in Grenada, most of what is near our house is brown and dead, so seeing all the green was extra exciting! It was refreshing to see healthy plant life on the island and to smell fresh rain! It was also beautiful to watch the sunset through the mountains and over the water on the drive home also!

Such a fun-filled day with a lot of great quality time with the hubs! I sure love having him around and free from the clutches of school/the library! He's been so crazy busy this term that we were long overdue for a day of adventure, fun, lots of laughs and silliness, and to just leave medical school behind and explore the island we call home!

If you're in Grenada, we definitely recommend taking a trip around the island. You can do so with a guide, but doing it on our own made it that much more fun and special, so for what it's worth- we highly encourage renting a car and giving it a go on your own :) Yep... we are going to miss this little island a lot!

Police Station Excitement?

On Saturday we went to the police station so I could get a temporary license to drive in Grenada so that we could rent a car for our island adventure on Sunday. The process itself was very easy although my Michigan license which expires when you turn 25 years old (so for me that will be at the end of June) really confused the police officer working with us. We assured him at least 20 times that we were literally just renting a car for ONE day and are leaving for good on May 18th so if he wanted he could just make the temporary license here in Grenada good until Monday... but this was too common sense and after looking at the calendar and talking to other policemen a lot... I was finally given a Grenadian license that is good until June 22nd ... so I can legally drive our now invisible car until then!

The main story however was not about the issuing of my license, but rather was the fact that our lives could have ended in that police station. Yep, you read that correctly. We could have died.

Okay so maybe I am being slightly dramatic, but here is how the scene unfolded... you be the judge: In order to look at the calendar and check the dates the police officer had to stand up. Thus while debating the dates of my Michigan license he was standing and shifting something in his pants/back pocket. Both Nick and I later agreed that at this point we figured it was his phone. Wrong. He then pulled out his gun! Not in any threatening manner, just simply like it was no.big.deal.  So, whatever we saw that he had his gun but he put it back in his pants and although a bit weird, everything was fine.  But then, as he was writing up my license he pulls it out  again (& again non-threatening, but just in a nonchalant, oh hey I have a gun sort of way) and was literally twirling it around in his hand, fiddling with the safety and I swear at one point it was pointed directly AT ME! When this happened I calmly took a few steps back away from the counter and looked over at Nick to be like "DID YOU JUST SEE THAT!?!?" only to see that he too was taking a few steps back away from the counter with the same astonished look on his face and clearly on the same page as me. All the while the policeman finished writing up my license completely unaware that had his finger slipped he could have shot one of us!

Apparently, gun safety in Grenada is slightly different than that in the States. And waving it around like a toy in front of people is just fine. I can officially cross off "being uncomfortably close to a loaded gun-with the safety off- pointing in my direction" off my bucket list.

TIG.

No more mid-terms!

Nick Update time!!!

Last week was exam week and our experience in 5th term is that exam week and the weeks leading up to it are really no easier than any other term. That being said, when Friday afternoon finally rolled around, Nick, his classmates, and I, were all thrilled that another set of exams were completed!! This was a big round too because it means there is ONLY ONE round of exams to go here in Grenada! WHOA!

Monday was the pathophysiology exam. Wednesday was ICM. And Friday was Pharm. With 2/3 exam grades back, I'm super proud to say that once again- Nick absolutely knocked them out of the park! He continues to work really hard and is really focusing on setting a base for his USMLE study period, yet continues to thrive in all of his classes this term. ICM is now over which is nice because it means a little less to juggle for the last 4 (!!!!!) weeks of classes.

After exams we hit the beach for a couple hours and then went to the Fort bar where other students were hosting a party. The bar is an old mental hospital, that they basically made into a bar with very little alterations to the building. We were able to explore the creepy caves which was super fun!

Looking ahead at the next month- Nick's got his plate full with EMC e-board stuff, classes, USMLE study, and a few fun dinners (EMC and IEA) to celebrate his accomplishments.  It's become quite clear to both of us that the next month is going to literally fly by and we are afraid to blink too much for fear that we will miss something awesome! He still plans to study hard for both his classes and do some Step 1 prep, but is also going to be taking it a little easier for the next couple of weeks to ensure that he isn't burnt out before the big 7 week push even gets here!  I will certainly enjoy seeing him a little more while it lasts and we plan to soak up as much island time and Grenada life as we can before boarding our flight home on May 18th!

Also, despite Nick's birthday being the Friday before exams, we were able to squeeze in a quick little celebration with some friends. Since he couldn't afford to take too much time off from studying we hit up Options for some delicious wings and I brought a pie for dessert. We are pretty blessed to have such great friends here who even in the nights leading up to exams were able to take some time off and help make Nick's 26th birthday a good one :) 

I have a confession to make...

Today... I paid a cabbie to drive me (and my groceries) home from the grocery store.

Yep. I did it.

AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!

I sat in the car. Listened to his awesome 90s jams and cruised along with my bags in the trunk. I could have done it for at least an hour because his radio station was seriously jamming.

When we got to my house I happily forked over the money, walked 3 steps to my front door and went inside.  Shopping complete!!

My streak of never giving in and calling a cab for the full time I was here may be broken... but it was worth it. There isn't a bone in my body that doesn't think that was the best decision ever!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Butter Drought

Close to a month ago I went to IGA as normal on a Friday morning. In the dairy aisle I picked up my milk and eggs, scanned the cheese and stared at the butter. I couldn't remember if we were getting low in the butter department or not at home. After debating for a couple minutes I grabbed some and continued on with my day.

We don't use butter that often and when we do it's usually in pretty small doses, so butter lasts us a long time! But a couple weeks after the above mentioned purchase of butter, I was informed that people were having trouble finding butter ANYWHERE in Grenada. When I told them I had just gotten some a week or so ago, they were astounded.

In retrospect, thank goodness I ignorantly decided to buy butter that day because there is currently NO butter to be found in Grenada. As a matter of fact, I could be the last person to have been lucky enough to purchase some- and at the time I didn't even know it!

Living on an island continues to crack me up. I can now officially cross "surviving a butter drought" off my bucket list.

.... but I was in "American Girl Doll Club" when growing up and we learned to make butter by rigorously shaking cream in a jar... maybe there is a work opportunity in all this... people seem to be going pretty nuts after a month without a common household cooking item.... hmm..

***** UPDATE*****

 Made my own butter today! Partially, because we need some for our fish recipe this weekend and partially to see if I still remembered how. GREAT SUCCESS! Took 10 minutes and tastes better than store bought butter! Take that Grenada butter shortage :) Haha Just a day in the life of Lindsey...

Pick-up lines & curses

Walking around Grenada usually gives me plenty of stories to tell. My most recent experiences are definitely high up there on the most ridiculous scale.

On my way to pay rent I had my ear buds in and was jammin' to some country jams as I walked past one of the common reggae bus pick up spots. Per the usual, about 3 Grenadian reggae bus guys quickly started hollering and approaching me about a ride to St. Georges, to which I nodded "no" and murmureded "not today, thank you" and kept walking. One guy decided to further our conversation from the norm however and the conversation went like this:

Reggae guy- Hey, da sunglasses and blonde hair- they nice. They make you look like a movie staah.

Me (still walking & chuckling)- oh, why thank you

Raggae guy- Are you a movie staah? You look nice.

Me (still walking) - nope, I'm not!

Raggae guy- So you walkin, we will drive! You da movie star, it's too hot to walk!

Me (still walking and at this point past his bus so he has stopped walking with me)- It is hot, but I'm okay today, thanks!

(pause)

(pause)

(I'm still walking on and at this point think the conversation is over)

Raggae guy (yells, REALLY LOUDLY)- okay fine, but you have NICE B**BS!

Nice. I definitely just kept walking acting like I did not hear it... but I would be lying if I said I didn't crack up out loud to myself... like what?! Who just yells that down the street?! Oh man.

So then I was STILL laughing about that when I pass a man sitting on the street who points to my water and asks to have some (this is pretty common) so my typical response is to smile nicely and say something along the lines of "no, I'm sorry, not today" and keep walking. Well, again... on this particular day the conversation did NOT progress as it normally does and instead went something like this:

Guy- Miss, share yo wata (stated not exactly as a question but a mix of a question and a statement and involved a reaching for my bottle)

Me (smiles)- no, I'm sorry, not today

[**note: I assume the conversation is over and continue walking]

Guy- Girl, wata for me! I put it in my hands! (he holds out his hands- which I won't describe)

Guy (louder)- OOOH! Oooh you selfish girl, SELFISH GIRL! 

So at this point I was definitely embarrassed but since I was still walking decided to just keep going and pretend not to hear, but as I'm walking I realize he is slowly walking quite a ways behind me continuing to make his announcement of "Dis girl be selfish! SELFISH GIRL! Shame. Curse you."

... From movie star to the selfish girl in a whole 1 minute. And the best part... I got to walk by the guy who thought I was selfish AGAIN on the way back... where he AGAIN asked me for water as if the entire hoopla that took place 10 minutes prior had not happened.

Thanks for always keeping me on my toes with moments like these, Grenada!