FIRE!

First semester we had hurricane Dean, second semester we had a 7.4 earthquake near Dominica, and right now, as in currently, there is a raging forest fire about 200-300 yards from our house. FUN. It started out around 2pm, looking like a cane field burning up in the hills, which is not uncommon around here, but by 5:00 it was looking a little questionable, and by 6:00 it was starting to get too close for comfort. We've all been on our porches watching it for the last few hours. The fire department tells us we have nothing to worry about, and even now it looks like there's a lot of smoke coming off it, so they must be having some success putting it out. So fret not. I put in some pictures of the progression throughout the day. Down in the front, you can see my car (the grey one), so you can see how close it was. The pics were taken from my porch. yee-haw! Later!

Sports and Sunshine(s)

Hello! Well I made promises that I would post a blog this weekend, so here I am :)
So I guess a lot has happened since I got back from Thailand, and it certainly feels like I've been in third semester forever. Its true that time really flies on this island. Most of the beginning of this semester was spent trying to figure out if I wanted to transfer out of this place or not. Long story way short, I got very close to going through with it (or giving it a fair shot), but then decided to try and stick it out here at Ross. So far I think it has been the right decision, and the last few weeks have been both fun and productive (mostly...)
So like I said, theres been a lot going on- for starters, Jo DP got married on Nevis! What?! It was a great coincidence and so generous of them to invite me to the wedding- I had a blast. And seeing the island through tourist eyes also reminded me how beautiful it is down here, even though we have a tendency to get caught up in school nonsense all too often. I put in a picture of Jo and her bros and dad, one of the ceremony, and one of Megan Bermingham and I. It was so great to catch up with everyone!
Back on the mainland (well, its a LITTLE bigger than Nevis...), one of the students decided to put together a softball league this semester and someone (Renee) convinced me to join up. Its a much better situation for me than volleyball or soccer because we only play once every other week, and there are so many people on our team that there isn't that pressure of having a set-in-stone commitment. Lots of fun to goof around on Saturdays. I put in a few pics of our first game last month- afterwards we had a big BBQ at Renee's- delicious food, a swim in the teeny tiny pool, and cranium goodness. That's Adam holding Lee's dog Cooper hostage and the Snaggle-puff championing the Cranium board. Brachiocephalic dog party!
Hmmm what else? I put in some pictures of volleyball, just so you can see where we play and that gorgeous sunset that is slightly distracting when you're trying to see the ball. And just yesterday we went on a day cat trip to Nevis- the first day one that I've been on since orientation. We left at 9:30am, snorkeled off Shitten bay (yes you read that right) at the far end of St. Kitts, had lunch on the boat, hung out at Sunshines on Nevis for a while, and then got back around 4:30. Vet school can be so stressful sometimes... :) Pic of the usual suspects on our way back. So today has been spent uploading pictures, returning emails, and studying as little as possible. We had two difficult exams last week and we have a little break before the next one, so I don't feel too bad about it. I do have to tutor some physio this evening, so that will be my brain exercise for the weekend. :)
Talk to you all soon!