The big move

2008-08-03T09:29:00.010-04:00

John and I decided we needed a 'vacation' from St. Kitts so we packed up and went to Nevis for the weekend. Here is the view of St. Kitts from the ferry.

We made it to Nevis in one piece.

We stayed at this great little hotel called Nisbet Plantation Inn- it was GORGEOUS! We tossed our stuff down and immediately headed for the beach...this is what we found:

Look at the beach through the trees.

Not too bad. ;) There were hammocks everywhere...I couldn't get enough of them!

This is the walk from the beach to our bungalo:

They even had a pool with a HOT jacuzzi...not the lukewarm ones you find everywhere else. This place was pretty much heaven.

On Saturday we met up with Ashley, Julie, Andrew and Chris to ride horses on the beach. And it was Riley's birthday so we had to do something in honor of her. (Happy one year birthday (7-12-08) Miss Riley Jean!)

My horse didn't like anyone behind it, so I was last...even behind the guide. Did I mention she was EXTREMELY slow too? I miss Bugs :(.

We made friends with the little goat that lives at the stables :)

She is so sweet!

The night we had some wine, poked around the hotel grounds, and watched the sunset from the beach.

Sunday we decided to relax. This is from our beach- we snorkeled around here and saw some fish and some eels. Still waiting to see a sea turtle!

I got an idea, started digging, told John to get in the hole, then I buried him. :)

He looks like a coconut at the base of the tree!

This pretty much sums up our day on Sunday.

It was really difficult to leave, but reality set in and we had to get back to class. :( It was a great little break though.

I will be home soon guys! Keep me in your thoughts during finals (the 10th-14th). Can't wait to see you all!
<3

My "new" used car

2008-07-14T18:51:00.003-04:00

So as you all know, my car and I didn't get along very well. I think it was narcoleptic. I put a ton of money and time into it and finally got it running reliably, but I was still harboring ill feelings for it. In the end, I felt it best to just sell it and move on. *sniff* Goodbye Super Trooper...I won't really miss your antics but your new dads (yea, 3 of them) will take good care of you. (I sold her to some first semester boys, and yes, I told them EVERYTHING that went on with it and they were still happy to purchase it. As of now, they have only had a flat tire, go figure.)

So, I would like to introduce you all to the new car, Blue, Blueberry, De Blue Ting, etc. We can't decide on a name yet so I am taking suggestions.

I took a weekend trip to Nevis this weekend but I don't have time to put up those pictures. Check back in a few days and you may get lucky!

Miss you all!
<3

2008-06-25T21:59:00.016-04:00

Hello from St. Kitts. I know a lot of you have been wanting an update so here it is. I left you last before my break. Pictures went up to the candy striper party. So let's see...here we go!

After the dirty doctors party we went on a volcano hike. We didn't go down into the crater, but we went to one of the peaks. The view was amazing. I can't wait to get a crater hike in, but things keep coming up (like school...who would have thought?!)

John and I decided to try out golf at the Marriott. Not too bad of a background, huh? I was proud that I kept up with him. He won, but I wasn't far behind. All those lessons at Cottonwood as a Beer Cart Girl paid off. And I thought it was a mindless job! :)

This is Wilbur. He is the ENORMOUS island pig that hangs out down by Turtle Beach

Well I miraculously made it through finals (and I say miraculously because I went into finals failing two classes)! It was a stressful time to say the least. But, I put everything I had into those classes and came out PASSING! So with the victory of finishing the horror that they call second semester, my mom, Andrea, and Bryan came to visit me!

I took them to Shiggidy Shack for lunch. Aren't they cute?!

We also went to check out Brimstone Hill Fortress.

Since it happened to be my birthday, mom came with a bunch of gifts. One happened to be this really cool (HAHA) sweater that you can unzip completely so you have two halves, then share them/swap with friends. Andrea and I thought it was cooler to just wear half.

Mom also brought me this awesome 9 foot surfboard. I have taken it out, but haven't had much luck with the surf yet. Still waiting to find a good spot....

We went to Stonewall's for dinner and it was good! I realize now that I don't have pictures with mom in them because she seemed to take them all.

We went to Shiggidy shack that night for some drinks because a lot of the people that stayed on the island for break were there. We had some fun times but those pictures show me a little too drunk to post :).

Then we all went to Nevis for the day. (and mom actually got into a picture!) I think this picture actually captures the highlight of the trip there. Haha...Nevis is quiet.

Andrea and Bryan had to leave so mom and I took a cat trip with the rest of the poor abandoned students that stayed over break.

Kahlua wanted a photo shoot.

Mom left and I entertained myself that night by wearing an "Underwater Adventure" scuba helmet at the bar. It was pretty awesome.

Being as I realized that I had seen all I wanted to see of the island in just the little time everyone was visiting, I jumped on the next plane out of here and went to see Liz in Jacksonville, Florida. I only took 4 pictures and they are all in her kitchen of us cooking, so I won't post them. I had an AMAZING time with her and I really like Jacksonville!

From Jacksonville I flew to Washington, DC to see Jamie and revisit a chapter of my life. Again, AMAZING time with her too. I LOVE these girls and I don't know what I would do in life without them. Jamie let me play on her baseball team, "Big in Japan" and I got on base.

Hollywood got to reminisce on the time when we lived here.

Everyone loves Hollywood!

We then went to a bar where I tried to play Flip Cup, sucked at it, and just helped myself to the pitcher.

Jamie and I at the Water front

We got to go to the Gold Cup races in Virginia and that was a TON of fun. Big hats and all!

I stole Jamie's hat.

Then I stole Diana's hat.

I eventually had to stop playing and return back to 'The Rock', but I do miss the people when I am gone, so I decided to get back on the plane. It was hard to leave my good friends though.

There was a Cinco de Mayo fiesta for the beginning of the semester party. We, of course, made outfits. Too bad there is a limited spray paint selection and we looked more like we were wearing hippie ponchos than the 'real' poncho look we were going for.

Hey, that guy is pretty dirty. Is his name Sanchez? haha...if you don't get it, don't ask because it is just gross.

Our friends had a slip-n-slide party for their birthdays. It was so much fun...except the soap didn't taste good at all.

If you look closely, you can see me slipping down the slide!

On June 5, 2008, Hollywood turned 8!! She had a party on the golf course and her friends came. She had about 10 dogs there at the end!

The key to well behaved dogs? Cookies! Jaclyn knows :)

I saved the best for last!
The 7th semester class had a "Superhero" fund raiser party so we decided to be Ninja Turtles! Heroes in a half shell! I was Michaelangelo and thanks to John I had some sweet nunchuk to defend those in need.

We were missing Raphael because she bailed last min.

I even beat up He-man

I got scared, so I hid in my shell.

Is it safe to come out yet?

Uh oh, the turtles must be in trouble!

Hollywood exploring the beach!

Well, there it is. I am too tired to do anymore and this has taken me two days already. I am trying to fight off a chest cold so I am going to sleep. Miss you all and I hope this has provided some entertainment!

<3

2008-03-14T01:51:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Liz I have been inspired to write another post. This may or may not make it up tonight...it is really late and I should be sleeping.

Ok, well, long story short: I got in a car accident, I fixed my car, my car then got broken into and trashed, I cleaned my car, then I got in a scary Kittitian-made roadblock (made by people and cars at 11 at night right after a murder occurred) and got scared and gunned it through, scraping the left side of my car on a telephone pole. Summary: I think I need a new car. The thing is tough, but we just don't get along. Sorry, I don't have pictures of all the excitement. I always forget the camera during these times. Good news is, no one was hurt in the accident (typical person just stopping suddenly/randomly) for no real reason while you undoubtedly JUST turned around to see if that sound of a vomiting dog in your back seat is, in fact, a vomiting dog in your back seat. Yea, Hollywood WAS going to vomit, but thanks to the impact of my car slamming into the one that randomly stopped in front of me, she swallowed it and resumed her normal quiet behavior.

Other good news: When they broke into my car, nothing was taken (well, except a few dollar coins). They just decided they didn't like my car being somewhat organized and took everything out of every tiny little pocket/crevice and redecorated my car. They even took half the CDs out of my case and sprinkled them around the car. They didn't take the CD player. I guess they wanted money-something I have very little of. Maybe I should go looking for it in cars!

Got an A on my anatomy lab test. Looks like I have the equine pelvic limb/head/neck down well!
I have a bunch of pictures I need to post from our volcano hike from mid semester break...it just takes 5 million hours to upload 5 pictures at a time, so I get frustrated.

Ok, I need sleep. 2am now and next week is going to suck. Monday is our Physio midterm (on acid/base physiology and GI!), Friday is our Immuno midterm (the one class I am having a tough time in...so I BETTER do well or I am in trouble), then Monday following Immuno I have to regurgitate everything I know about the 100 parasites I frantically memorized after the Immuno test over the weekend. I know you are all so envious.

Oh, and I would realllllllly appreciate if someone could vacuum pack a Big Mac and send it my way. Fries too. I miss fast food!

(Can you tell I am running on no sleep and lots of caffeine?)

Pictures coming soon.....(like maybe a few months)

2008-02-18T20:37:00.011-04:00

So I finally got my power cord for my computer (thanks for the candy Riley) so now I can finally update my blog. I last left you all after thanksgiving. Wow...sounds so far away but it really wasn't too long ago.
Life nowadays is stressful. School is difficult this semester, as expected. I am taking Gross Anatomy 2 which is comparative anatomy. We dissect a donkey, sheep, cow, pig, and chicken all within the semester. We took an entire semester to do just the dog...so you can imagine the course load there. I do enjoy it, but waking up to go to lab at 8am just to smell like a donkey...not easy to wake up for. After anatomy we have Physiology 2. We just finished renal physiology which I really enjoyed and are starting acid-base physiology. I love our professor, Dr. Reich; he is an amazing professor but his exams are brutal. I passed! Don't ask the score...bottom line, I PASSED :). Then we make our way to Parasitology. I do find this class interesting, but memorizing every little detail about 200 or so parasites, not my idea of fun. My brain feels like it is going to swell...if you see me head pressing, you will know why. (why do I get the feeling that only my vet friends will find that funny?!). After that we have Immunology. Ok, so the professor SEEMS really nice, but I can't for the LIFE of me understand a word that man says. I didn't do so well on his first exam, but no fear, I will bounce back. I am going to go talk to him (or attempt to...HEAVY accent) and get some help from a tutor/friend. I understand the concepts but his tests: TEDIOUS. He expects you to have memorized all the notes, especially the italicized words. Well HALF of it is in italics. Now I know to start studying super early and just to be able to regurgitate the entire packet.

Enough about school, I mean, that isn't why I am here, right?! :)

Life since the last post...let me look back and see where I left off...ah yes, Jaeger bombs and volleyball. ::shudder:: Jaeger bombs...we will get to that low point in a bit. So, after that party:

The fun began when studying for our anatomy lab final. Hollywood discovered the bone box...yes, a box full of real canine bones. And I know this is morbid, but she had more fun running around with that femur.

Then Sarah had a birthday. I made her a chocolate cake. We had a little too much fun with the chocolate. This is for you Aunt Connie:

We tried to act natural..I think we succeeded :).

Jack is happy here. Everyone loves him.

An everyday road block here in St. Kitts. There were about 50 that crossed the street before I got my camera out and had to drive by. This was the best I could do.

We finally had a day to relax at the beach and we did just that.

John looks like he should be in a Carib add.

There was another theme party, "Dirty Doctors and Naughty Nurses". We decided to go as candy stripers and Ashkon was our pimp doctor. What a lucky guy.

From left to right: Jackie, me, Ashkon, Ashley, Sarah, Jacyln.

Another beach day! Hollywood stole my chair for a bit until I made her get her own.

Then we took our time heading home to stop and take pictures.

My awesome car!

St. Kitts wild life:

View of Frigate Bay and the Marriott (far right). My house is in there somewhere on the right up on the hill.

Then we took a rain forest hike with Tim as our guide. We had to cross this bride first. The view was awesome.

Then we crossed the root wall.

As we went further, it started to rain. We made it to the bat cave but it was raining so hard we couldn't take the cameras out for pictures. I may need to invest in a waterproof camera. We had to turn back at that point because the water level was getting higher and we were afraid of getting washed away. But that provided us with a nice waterfall to play under!

Me, John, Mike, Ashley G, Chris, and Julie.

Dog day at the beach. Hollywood still won't get in the water. There is still hope!

I joined a softball team and we have games every other Saturday. I will have to try to take pictures next time. So far we haven't won yet, but we didn't lose as bad the second time, so we ARE getting better :).

Off to study for the night. Miss you all!

I have a blog?

2007-11-25T09:39:00.001-04:00

Almost forgot I had this thing!
Lots has happened since I last posted. The only pictures that I take are when we go out...this is NOT all I do :). We aren't allowed to take pictures in class doing anything with the animals, so you can just use your imagination with that. We only have 3 weeks left and I get to come home!! I can't wait to see everyone!

Club Tiger at the Marriott for the 6th semester fund raiser:

A group of us got together and went horseback riding through the rain forest. It was awesome! We are trying to plan a day where we can get over to Nevis and do a beach ride (you can't do that on St. Kitts) but who knows when we will have a full day to spare!

They gave me a horse with one and a half ears...how appropriate!

They made us hike! It was beautiful though.

After a ROUGH week, I went out to Karaoke with Maria. She is a riot.

Halloween was fun. I was the St. Paulie girl (again...hey, I get good use out of this!)
Sarah and Ashley were girls from the 80's, Frankie, Andrew, Chris, Caroline and Ashley G. were the Peter Pan cast, Gideon was a sexy girl, and John was Dr. Berg.

Dr. Berg and Helga had to stick together...the Germans!

For the second semester fund raiser they had a graffiti party where you wear a white shirt and bring highlighters. They have black lights all around so you can see what is written. People wrote some funny things....haha.
This is before the highlighters came out:

Sarah's back:

Sarah and I found a cannon...haha

So my cats are destroying the furniture because you can not find scratch posts on this island. John and I decided it was time for a construction project, so we made one! It is really ghetto, but they LOVE it.

John is SO proud of this thing. Haha

Check out James' shirt....AWESOME!

Another 6th semester fund raiser...we had to go to support them of course!

Jaeger bomb with Gideon!

I killed him!

This is what we do every Friday after school:

I just watch, I don't play.

I can't wait to see everyone...I miss you all SO much. Love you all!

I'm still alive!

2007-10-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

Time to update. Ok, so since the monkey...went on another catamaran trip but it was at night and was then called the "booze cruise". It was fun but it rained almost the entire time we were there. But we found the BEST burger place in Nevis...amazing burgers. I seriously dream about them.

This is the view of St. Kitts on our way to Nevis as the sun is setting...life is rough...

Yes, the little white things in the picture are raindrops. We are all soaked but we gave up trying to stay dry...pointless.

So the next couple of weeks after that have been a blur thanks to the non-stop tests. My car broke down again and ended up in the shop for 2 weeks. Thanks to my awesome friend/classmate Robby, I had a car. He nicely gave me his car since he lives on campus. I can't thank him enough.

Been doing well in school despite the stresses of it. Have settled into the library routine nicely and I can be found in the 24 reading room quite a bit.

Last night was the celebration of the end of tests and beginning of a small break for a little over a week. This is going to be my catch up week so when the tests start to hit again I will be in control. We all went to Sugars last night for Karaoke. That was fun :). I got really hammered and thanks to John made it home safely. It i just difficult to turn down free beer.

Tomorrow night we are all going to Tiger night club at the Marriott...that will be fun! I was supposed to go on another booze cruise with the second semesters but I forgot to pay. It worked out for the best though because this guy that works at the St. Kitts Royal Hotel and Casino asked me to model for their brochures. He told me to ask some friends because they need 2 girls and 2 guys. So Ashley, John, Dan, and I are going to go Saturday and just dress up and take a bunch of pictures. This will be fun, we get paid, AND we will leave our mark on St. Kitts!

Ok...it is after 11:30 and I was supposed to be in bed by 10 because I haven't slept much lately. MISS YOU ALL!

2007-10-09T16:43:00.000-04:00

So for those few people that haven't given up on me yet...hang in there. Big test tomorrow then we have a week + to catch our breath, test free. So I will try to update soon. Miss you all and wish me luck tomorrow!

My new friend

2007-09-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

So I was cleaning during my study break and Hollywood was outside. She started acting weird and looking around. I opened the screen door and this is what I saw:
He was eating all the flowers. He was so funny with Hollywood...kept teasing her and jumping around on the fence. :) Anyway, off to the catamaran trip tonight. Miss you all. I will try to make a longer post tomorrow!

Luau

2007-09-08T19:53:00.001-04:00

So I spent all day today studying in the library. I was sad because everyone else went to the Marriott beach, but if I want to stay here and achieve my main goal, I have to have discipline. Growing up sucks! Actually, I felt really good when I left the library. So good, in fact, I am going to go back and live there again tomorrow too! :)
Here are some pictures of one of the many tortoise's we have on campus. We have a whole herd and they love to eat the hibiscus flowers. This is me feeding a flower to one of them. :)

Jack and Hollywood decided to share her bed.

Yet Hollywood doesn't feel like she fits in her bed alone:

This is what one of the many bars/resturants that we go to looks like. This is Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack

Friday night was the welcome back party/7th semester fund raiser. It was a luau theme. Chris really got into the costume...haha. From left...Andrew, Jaclyn, Me, Irka (behind me), Chris, Ashley, Sarah, Ashkon, Jaclyn.

Caroline, John, me.

Chris, me, Ashley G., RJ

Chris, me, Ashely, Andrew

Ashley has more of the pictures...apparently where I just look hammered. What do you expect after a long, hard week and a bunch of generous guys willing to aid in the "get Hayley drunk" goal :)!? I will post those as I get them from her.

I had a fun time out, but I couldn't stop stressing about studying. I need to find a happy medium of work and play. Soon it will all just work out.
Anyway, off to bed so I can have a long, productive day tomorrow.

2007-09-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

So I know some of you have been emailing me but I have been terrible at replying. Let's just say that vet school is no vacation, despite my location. So yesterday (the 3rd day of classes) I pretty much freaked out in the middle of my gross anatomy class. This is supposed to be one of the most difficult classes and I can't understand a THING that this professor is saying. There are 3 or 4 different professors that teach anatomy to us, and two have very difficult to understand accents. My physiology teacher isn't an easy one either. So there I am, TOTALLY lost in the front row and seriously about to burst into tears. I studied so much monday and tuesday (wednesday too) and just felt like I didn't get a thing. I began thinking, "I should just leave now! If I leave now, I won't be out as much money versus if I fail out at the end of the semester. I am not cut out for this. I should just move to some small town and get a job at walmart where I can be this complete idiot that failed out of vet school, and no one will care!" Trust me, I was totally freaking out. I talked to Ashley...she said she felt the same way and thought the same things. Apparently, a lot of people do. Not that I want everyone to be freaking out, but I am glad I am not the only one feeling completely overwhelmed. There is just SO much to learn and I don't know where in my small head I am going to put it all.

Anyway, today in class was a lot better. I went to the gym after class, went home to see Hollywood, and left to head back to school. On my way there, I see this dog standing and staring at a small tree. I look at the tree and there is a monkey sitting up there taunting the dog. I laughed. Then I drove further and had to break for a mongoose that decided to run across the road. A little further towards town, there is a cow, just standing right on the side of the road, happy as can be. As I pass through town I dodged a few dogs as they flew out into traffic in an attempt to mate with the female. As I neared school there was a herd of goats on the road eating. I realized that every animal I passed left a big smile on my face. This is what I am meant to do. No matter how overwhelmed I feel and how tough it gets, I have to just keep my focus and remind myself that this is still my dream and I would NOT be happy giving it up. Needless to say, I feel better now and I am not packing my bags. (ask me again when midterms come around though..haha) And thanks to those of you that I got to talk for calming me down.
Anyway, that is the update. I go to school from 8-4, gym 4-6, eat, then study from 730ish to bedtime. I have TA sessions on Saturdays so I am basically going to be at school 6 days a week. I MIGHT go out this Friday for the welcome luau party...but only if I can crack this anatomy stuff. Still not having an easy time memorizing all these latin words. I know I need to have fun, but I want to make sure I can settle into a routine before I bring in the parties.

I will try to update with pictures, but I haven't had time to take any since classes started. Love you all and miss you. And Riley, send me a video of you laughing...so sad I missed that moment.

Last bit of fun before school starts!

2007-09-02T12:58:00.001-04:00

Hey guys. I have been busy/lazy so I haven't updated. I left off at Brimstone Hill on Wednesday I think. Well, Thursday we had a full day of orientation and that night we went to a bonfire on an isolated beach. That was a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot more awesome people. Like them:

Then I got too drunk to take anymore pictures, so that is all I have from that night. But I had a really fun time.

Friday we had the catamaran trip to Nevis. I was NOT feeling well but Destiny gave me some advil and I felt a little better...drank too much rum the night before :(. The cat trip was awesome. We went snorkeling for an hour in (Kristin, you will like this) Shitten Bay. I saw some awesome fish but I almost ran into a jelly fish. A classmate stopped me just in time...thank you to her for that. Look how clear the water is...and so warm!
I followed a school of squid for a while until they got pissed and swam too fast for me to keep up.

Jaclyn, Me, Ashley, and Jaclyn after snorkeling

Then we go to Nevis:
We ate lunch and then had time to walk to a bar and get a drink, then walk back before we had to get back on the catamaran.

The golf course at the four seasons resort on Nevis.

And the beach at the four seasons.

The little bar we walked to and had "killer bees" at. It is the signature drink of Nevis.

Went to dinner with Mom and Destiny when we got back at Bobsy's. The food was okay but was too gingery for me. I went out to Ziggy's beach bar after for a few drinks with the classmates. No pictures from that night...sorry!
Yesterday I got a rental car because there are apparently a LOT of things wrong with my car and it will take at least a week to fix. After that we did an island tour with Mr. Rogers, our taxi driver for orientation week. It was really pretty. Here are a few pictures:

Destiny, Me, Mom

Last night we went back to Godfather's and had a lot of drinks :). It was the last night for us all to let loose for a long time to come. Had to go out big.

Sarah, Ash, me.

Me, Ash, Jaclyn

Sarah, Jaclyn, Ashley, RJ.

Me, Caroline, Ashley, Sarah

RJ, Frankie, Ash, Chris, Sarah :)

Mom left at 5 this morning :( No more cooked meals and now my apartment is lonely. We registered today and everything went as planned for me. I got my financial aid check but I can't cash it today because the bank is closed. You can't do an ATM deposit here and the banks close at 2. I get out of school at 4. This will be interesting...I might have to RUSH to the bank during lunch. It sucks having a large amount of money you can't even use!

Well I am off to the beach, nap, cleaning apartment...no particular order. XOXO

Brimstone Hill Fortress

2007-08-29T21:39:00.000-04:00

Today we took a field trip to Brimstone Hill Fortress to eat lunch and bond more while learning some history. AMAZING views from up there. I don't know how those buses made it up that hill but I am so happy we didn't have to walk it!
Mom and Me, Caribbean Sea.

Jaclyn, Ashley, me.

Brimstone Hill Fortress

Me riding a canon

St. Kitts to the West (thicker part of the island)...the blurry haze in the sky is the rain...pretty cool!

St. Kitts to the East (towards campus, my apartment...the skinny part of the island) and Nevis in the back.

So some of the activities they had us do were pretty fun. First we had to get in small groups, split that in half and stand two feet away from the person across from you and with your pointer fingers locked with theirs, you as a whole lined up group have to lower this pole to the ground without letting it lift off your fingers at anytime or you have to start again. Second we had one half of the group blindfolded and the other half leading the "blind" person through an obstacle course using voice and touch. Then we switched. Third we had to blow up balloons, line up with the balloons between our bodies like a snake, then walking in unison, had to go up a big step, walk, then back down. You could NOT touch the balloons with your hands and if they got away or popped, you had to start all over. They were to teach us how critical team work and communication are in simple and difficult tasks. I enjoyed it. ok, I can't stay awake much longer. Goodnight all! Miss you :)

Campus and bars

2007-08-29T21:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we just ran around campus ALL day. It was pretty exhausting. Met up in groups and did little get-to-know-you things.

This is me on campus with the Caribbean Sea behind me. Yea, I know , this place is horrible. :)

And this is the break area outside of the auditorium/lecture halls.

Last night we went out to this bar called the Godfather. So I volunteered to drive there (not drive home though...thank you WILL!)...I thought we were going to be killed. I turn off the main road onto this dirt road and drive, and drive, and drive. Meanwhile, all we are seeing are these abandoned bar-looking shacks. So finally, ahead in the distance we see a faint light that keeps expanding, and BOOM, we are there. It was AWESOME. Totally secluded bad, RIGHT on the beach, and loud fun music. Basically you are on the beach, you walk up to the window, order a drink, and walk away from the bar, about 15 feet and you are in the water. There was a bonfire and everything. Here is what it looked like there...kinda.
This is all outside remember. It started to POUR. Not rain, seriously POUR. But we didn't move out of the rain. I have learned very fast NOT to bother really dressing up for the beach bars. I guess that is for going out downtown in Basseterre.

Ashley and me; drunk and post-rain shower :)

It was a very fun night and I met some great people. I can't wait to go out thursday for the big bonfire bar night again. This time no waking up at 5 am the next day. Will left this morning. I am sad. He was such an AMAZING help with everything and I am going to miss him! Love you Will! (but not like that!) hehe :)

The sweet ride

2007-08-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

So I know all of you are going to think I am totally spoiled after seeing what a sweet ride I bought here, but I figured it was worth bragging about and risking jealousy. haha.
Oh, if anyone laughs at my car, I will run you over with it. I am NOT afraid to put more dents in it! ;)

Notice the three-toned paint? Silver in the front, gray on the sides, and white/gray on the top. So creative. There is also some tape residue where the bumper was held on by duct tape at a point before they wired it on with a coat hanger. See how advanced the technology has become??

Here we have a view of the steering wheel. Notice that it is on the right. I smuggled that turtle from Mexico. He rocks out when I drive. Those stickers on the front are the registrations. Instead of being on the license plate, they put them on the front windshield and only peel them off when there is no more room.

Here we have the drivers side. There is some lovely white stuff splattered on the doors, but I have been told it washes off. I am a little hesitant to try because it gives it character.

I think the previous owner didn't want anyone to be jealous so they pulled off the Mitsubishi lettering. Oh, and for those who are wondering, the antenna does not go up. It stays nice and discreet.

This is how the car got the nickname the "super trooper". Well, that is what I call it. I guess in Europe that means it is a 4 door or something.

So driving on the other side...I think I almost killed us twice and threatened the lives of many innocent pedestrians. I tend to hug the left side of the road because I am terrified of the oncoming traffic. :) By the time any of you visit, I will be a skilled driver.

Yesterday was a looong day. Got an early start and went to registration. They didn't have the AC on so there were a ton of students crammed in rooms trying to get everything done. Good news is, everything went very well yesterday...financial aid is here and I will be getting a check on Sunday. That is when mom leaves so it is perfect timing. haha.

After a long day at orientation, I still have no phone line to call out..my cell phone can't do it. You can call here, 1-869-660-5657 to my cell phone, but I don't have voicemail and it will cost you international calling. But it dials just like in the US so don't be fooled and think it is free!

I picked up Ash and Jaclyn after we were done and we went to the beach (with Will and Mom). It was nice to hang out with them and I am really happy to have met them. At least I know I will have two friends down here if all else fails! :) We met this funny guy named Captain Sunshine, "but you can call me 'Smiling Kenny' ". (He was giving mom an aloe vera massage) He was accompanied by his "special" friend that kept cursing and flipping Will, Jaclyn, and Ash off. I wasn't facing him so I didn't see. He would stand there talking to himself and then play with his balls, flip them off, and mutter, "f-you you f-ing bitch!" HAHA. The locals are, uh, funny....

Today I have to get a pin number for my bank card so I can access my money! I have been unable to touch any of it since Friday. No fun. Mom and Will have been life savers. After the bank I have to get pet food, listen to some lectures on living off campus, then a lot of mingling, eating, and fun times at the BBQ.

I still miss you all :(

OH. and a Happy Birthday to Shane! I hope your one arm doesn't hinder your ability to eat LOTS of chocolate (although vanilla would be way better) cake! :)

Turtle Beach

2007-08-26T19:03:00.001-04:00

Hi. So today we went to Turtle beach with a bunch of other students. Not nearly all of them, but quite a good amount. I finally got to meet the guy Robby that lives in Orange County that I never got to meet up with, I saw the guy Mike that I had lunch with (he is from New York), and I got to meet two of the girls that I had been messaging on Myspace, Ashley and Jaclyn. I met a ton of other people too. I really got along well with Ashley and Jaclyn, and Ash and I found that we know people that know each other...small world. :)

Here are the three of us. (Me, Ashley, Jaclyn) Unfortunately Jaclyn is starting as vet prep which means that she will not be in class with Ashley and me...but we can still hang out!)

This is Nevis, the sister island to St. Kitts as seen from Turtle Beach. I didn't take more pictures...drank a little too much to remember to do that :)

We were all going to try to meet up with the on-campus group because they are going out to dinner, but without cars it was not possible. So Will just ordered pizza and we are going to have another quiet night at home. Probably for the best because I have to be up at 6am tomorrow to get ready for orientation. I am really excited now because everyone I have met so far has been really friendly. I think I will make some awesome friends here :)

I hope everyone is doing well!

2007-08-25T23:33:00.001-04:00

Port Zante, St. Kitts :)

Marriott Beach Resort

Atlantic Ocean...so warm!

William and his handy alcohol booby bags...haha

Frigate Bay area from the golf course on our journey home from the beach.

Will carrying me through some nasty looking puddle on the way home :) Thanks William!

Apartment pictures!

2007-08-25T23:09:00.001-04:00

This is the bed set up at the hotel in PR.

My yard in St. Kitts as seen from my front porch.

My porch and more yard.

William looking shocked in my living room :)

The kitchen/dining area and entrance to my bedroom...Jack with scary eyes!

The kitchen

My bedroom (one door-with Will's arm- leads to the kitchen, the other is my bathroom.)

My messy desk and closet

Arriving in St. Kitts

2007-08-25T19:46:00.000-04:00

Hello. So I read somewhere that a 'must do' while here on St. Kitts is keep a blog for family and friends. That makes enough sense. I am not patient enough to add pictures or anything right now, so it will be pretty boring to look at...just a lot of reading.

So as most of you know, Mom, Will, Hollywood, Jack, Kahlua and I left San Diego on August 22nd at 7:25 am. The flight to Dallas was boring and I think I slept the entire time. We were delayed in Dallas then told last minute to change terminals...that was tons of fun with the entourage of animals. We get to the gate and realized that we are not going to make our connecting flight in Puerto Rico...great. So we get to Puerto Rico to discover that the last flight to St. Kitts left for the night. Now it was up to the airline to find us a hotel...WITH the pets. They finally get the hotel set up and we were pleasantly surprised at the results. It is called the Normandie and it is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. We walked in to find a ton of unique artwork on the walls in the hallways, and a dog bed with bowls, food, and treats all ready for Hollywood. I was very happy. She was too. Jack was not. :)

We stayed the night then made it to St. Kitts around 3pm the next day (Thursday). Only 18 hours after we were originally scheduled to arrive. The vet check on the animals was really quick and the customs agent didn't even open our bags. That was a HUGE relief because we had a lot of items that were taxable. The Ross University welcome committee was waiting outside and I spotted Michele, the housing director that spent all of her time with me when I came to visit in May. It was very nice seeing a familiar face. I met two other students and they both seemed very nice.

We went shopping and spent over 750 on groceries...but that was in EC...Mom almost died when she saw the price until she realized the currency. So everything is in Eastern Caribbean Currency and that is about 2.7 EC per US dollar.

I finally got home and was able to unpack my things. My apartment is supposed to be for two people, but they are renting it to me as a one bedroom...just locked the second bedroom. They are letting mom use it while she is here so that is really nice. It is a nice yellow interior with a bright green trim...makes it all bright and happy inside :). The AC works great. The landlord is a very nice lady so I may just stay here the entire time I am in school down here.

Friday we went to campus to look at the cars for sale by the students. I found a lovely Mitsubishi Gallant Super Saloon! It is a 94/95 (not quite sure) and it has really pretty rust on some spots to go with the carefully placed dents on the body. You have to give her gas to start, but when she starts I get a free massage since it shakes a lot. Once she warms up she runs. But she came with AC and a CD player...plus the price was right. I don't get to drive her until Monday because we left the checkbook at the apartment and didn't get it back to school in time. I already got my Kittitian drivers license so I am good to go.

Today we were supposed to get picked up by Chris, my orientation leader to do some shopping, but he forgot. Haha. Oh well, at least he called us to tell us he forgot so we packed up some stuff and trekked to the Marriott. Mom got the bright idea to cut through the golf course so we had to make sure no one saw us...I guess they get pretty pissed. But when we did it that way, it didn't take long. I can see the ocean from my bedroom window beyond the golf course. :)

So tonight we are going to watch a movie. Mom just made us dinner and we are all relaxing. The animals are very happy here, I love my apartment, and I am excited to start school. Time for a movie. We are meeting up with more off campus first semester students tomorrow to go to the beach...I will update when I can. Miss you all!

Hayley :)