It's raining, it's pouring, the old streets are falling

Not all adventures in paradise are sunshiney and fun. For the last two days, St. Kitts has fallen victim to a Tropical Wave, and it has been pouring down rain nonstop. The power has gone out a few times, the internet has gone out a couple times. Awesome.  I've been stuck in the house, and at first I was super bummed. Then I saw these photos:

These photos are of a street in Basseterre, our capital "city," although, large village is probably a more appropriate term.  There are also several ghauts across the island. These are streets or drains that are supposed to channel water safely away from the towns and villages. The problem is, several of them are also roads or cross major roads. This means driving down or across a raging torrent of water. It seems like a sewer system may be worth looking into. 

Perhaps leaving in eight days, before hurricane season is in full swing, is not such a bad idea. On a positive note, there has been so much rain, our pool turned itself into an infinity pool! Now all I need is the sunshine to come back so I can get IN the pool!

Where has the time gone?!

It's been a month since my last post here on the blog. I feel kinda bad, but not a whole lot has been going on, plus I post on the baby's blog every week... I've gotten lazy, what can I say?

My last post was written the day I got back to St. Kitts after being gone a LONG six weeks! To make matters worse, Rob had gotten shingles and I had to stay at a friends house for two weeks til he recovered. I was SO happy to finally get back to the Dolphin House after eight weeks! It was a pain to be able to see Rob during those two weeks but not be able to kiss or hug him hello! Stupid shingles.

Once back at the DH I was tasked with getting a list of things we wanted to sell before moving home so Rob can start at UGA's vet school. I've managed to sell nearly everything we are trying to get rid of, and I think we'll make a pretty penny to put towards anything we might need for our new house (which hopefully isn't much since all of our engagement party, bridal shower, and wedding gifts are still sitting unopened in my parents basement- after two years I CANNOT WAIT to finally use all the loot we got from our great friends and family!)  I have to admit though, I am going to be pretty sad to leave the DH. I love this house, and really, Rob and I probably will never have an amazing beach house with a completely uninterrupted view of the ocean ever again. Man... why can't UGA's vet school be located along a stretch of beautiful beach?

Seriously- look at that view! I can't leave!!!

There are a few other preg girls on the island- Tracey and Tamsin. Tracey is about 8 or so months along, and Tamsin is about 4 months along. I am smack in the middle of them. Last weekend Tamsin and my friend Catherine threw Tracey a baby shower. It was pool party with a beachy theme. Catherine came up with the CUTEST decorations. It was a lot of fun, and I ate a LOT of food. Success. I have to admit, even if it makes me seem kinda of greedy, I am looking forward to coming back to the states and having a baby shower! Yeah I will get cool baby stuff, but I get to see all my friends and loved ones in one place and I can't wait for that!

Three pregnant Ladies of Leisure... perhaps too leisurely :)

Yesterday some of the Ladies of Leisure were Ladies who Lunch. I had been wanting to visit Palm Court Gardens for a while, a few of the other VIP ladies had been there, and it was on my SK bucket list.  I believe it's an old house, now privately owned, that offers lunch and dinner, a pool, and the art gallery- Shell Works. There were some items at Shell Works that I have my eye on... definitely going back before heading back to the states. Catherine, Tiffany, Daisy, Tracey, Tamsin, Abby (and her four month old baby girl Zenalee), and I all enjoyed a nice, but slightly rainy lunch. It was a lovely time, I was super thankful they all came out, cause I am going to miss being and hanging with the Ladies of Leisure!  Before we left, we took a progressive pregnancy photo. Tracy, then me, and then Tamsin. It was cute! I wish I was going to have preg friends to hang out with back home! (I have no idea why this paragraph is white. My sincerest apologies).

While I enjoyed a stylish lunch, you may be wondering about what Rob was doing. Well, as a card carrying member of the Bovine Club at Ross University, my husband got to go on a "palp" trip to a local farm. Basically, they go to a farm with cows and shove their arms up the cow's butt holes. I'm not really clear on why you would do that... but Rob was pretty excited about it.  Today he is at school studying, but he has signed up for several "Calf Watch" shifts. The Ross cows are preg (seriously, there is something in the water here), and apparently a few are ready to pop out babies. So, Rob has to go check on them every now and them to... I don't actually know what the purpose of Calf Watch is. I guess they just check how the mommy cow is doing or see if she is ready to have the baby. I don't know, I'm not a vet.

This is my husband. The man of my dreams. With his hand up a cow's ass.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times- I am one lucky lady.

I only have two and a half weeks left on the island. It's so bitter sweet. I can't wait to get home to the states and settle into our new life there and get ready for Baby Boy to arrive. I also do not want to leave the island. I really love living here, despite the ups and downs of living in a foreign country, and I will really miss all the amazing friends I've made.

Best Day Ever. Eh, not so much.

Today I returned to St. Kitts. Before you get all excited about a big reunion for me and Rob after 6 LONG weeks, sit back and listen to this, "Only happens to Rob and Stephanie" tale.

This morning my alarm went off at 4:30. I hate waking up early. I packed up the last of my things, ate some breakfast, the usual stuff before an early flight. By 5:30 my mom and I were in the car headed to the airport. About 15 minutes into the ride, Rob calls. Hm, I thought, what is he doing up this early?

me- "Hey Robbie, what are you doing awake?"

Rob- "Um, can you call your doctor and ask about pregnancy and chicken pox?"

me- "Huh?"

Rob- "Yeah, I think I have shingles."

me- "Rob! I've never even had chicken pox!!! If you have shingles I don't think I can be near you!"

Rob- "I'll go to the doctor, I'll know by the time you land."

Wonderful. I have never had chicken pox, and apparently it's super dangerous to get when your pregnant. Like deformities and scars on the baby dangerous. Cause ya know, I'm not already stressing about a bunch of other pregnancy stuff.

I get to the airport, check in, and promptly get stuck behind a HUGE mission group of teenagers going through security. Ugh. I finally get through security, only to find out the mission trip people are on my plane. Super sweet. Oh, wait- I can do better. I get a middle seat between two of these teenage Christian crusaders. Neither of which had ever flown before. After they got their king size pillows, blankets with animal heads, and over filled backpacks safely stowed, I could finally get back to reading my book. Oh no. One of the girls couldn't figure out how to put her seat belt on. Yes, you read that correctly. She couldn't figure out her seat belt. Her friend and I both tried to explain it to her, I ended up just buckling her in. (Shakes head).

Luckily they were not on my flight between Miami and St. Kitts. Also luckily, I had a real friend on the flight- Laura, a fellow VIP, was headed to the island too. Our seats were right next to each other, so we got to chat and catch up. The flight took off nearly an hour late, but we landed only 20 minutes late. Once we landed, I called Rob to see what the diagnosis was.

Rob told me that not only was our friend RJ picking me up at the airport, he was taking me to our friends' house (Brayton, Leann, Emily, and Andrew)... for maybe two weeks. Robert Seerley has shingles. I can't be anywhere near him until it FULLY clears up. He has to take pills 4 times a day and has to apply topical medication 5 times a day. So, after 6 weeks apart, Rob gets shingles today. The day I return to St. Kitts. Not in the 6 freakin' weeks I was gone. TODAY.  Our friends drove me to our house and I stood in the street and said hi to him while he stood in the yard about 15 feet away. Not exactly the reunion I imagined. 


Oh, and in case you were thinking my day couldn't get any worse... We just got back to the house after eating dinner, and Leann and Brayton's cat peed, pooped, and puked on the bed I am sleeping in (and all over the floor). 


I can tell you are jealous of my day... :-/

SK v. USA

This here is a throw down between St. Kitts and good ol' America. Being home for two weeks has brought some discrepancies, both large and small, between SK and the USA to my attention. Some differences are nice, some are annoying.

Weather

Win- St. Kitts

The temperature in the ATL has been about 5-10 degrees hotter than it's been in St. Kitts since I've been here. It was 94 degrees the other day! GROSS. Also, I have no delightful ocean breeze in Johns Creek, Georgia. Stagnant, hot weather. Bleh.
Note- The sun sets in St. Kitts around 6:30, which is lame. Today the sun is set to... set at 8:40 pm. Two extra hours of sunlight! That's pretty awesome, but not awesome enough for the win.

Food

Win- USA

There are so many reasons why the US wins- lower cost, wider variety, freshness, I don't get covered in bacon liquid from a ripped package (that has happened to me more than once at IGA in St Kitts).  I bought a mango at my regular grocery store for a dollar yesterday (and yes it was imported from somewhere in the tropics). This is especially ridiculous, since mangos can be grown for a large market in St. Kitts, but no. It's clearly much easier to import tropical fruit from other islands and charge a butt load of money for crappy, bruised, over ripe fruit. (Shakes head). However, the real reason USA wins this category- PIZZA. I f*ing LOVE pizza (excuse the language, I'm passionate). Let me be clear though. I do not love all pizza. I rather starve than eat crap pizza. I have eaten pizza about, actually, I am not gonna say how many times I've eaten pizza since I've been home. I'd just embarrass myself.

Driving/Cars/Roads

Tie

So, really the entire driving situation is crappy in both countries. The US has WAY better roads and better, safer, newer cars, but it also has AWFUL traffic. AWFUL. Also, everything is so far away in the states. It takes me equal time to get from house to grocery store in SK and the USA. This is a bit absurd since in SK the store is on the other side of the island (and the other side of the country), and in the US the store butts up against my neighborhood. So, the better roads and cars of the US tie St. Kitts for lack of traffic. And traffic lights. I now hate traffic lights. Everything should have circles!!!

Scenery

Win- St. Kitts

This is soley based on where I have been on this trip, and the type of scenery I personally prefer. Which is the beach/ocean. The view from my back deck in Half Moon Bay is the ocean. Completely uninterrupted panoramic ocean view. The view from my parents back deck- their pie shaped yard, some trees, and our two neighbor's houses. I like the backyard, don't get my wrong, but I rather stare at the beach than pine trees.  Now, when I was in NY/NJ/Philly I did have several views of the water. However, gross heavily used ports are not exactly the same as crystal clear waters of the tropics. Yeah, I wish I was laying on Shipwreck beach right now...

Sites to See

Win- Egypt

Ok, ok, I know Egypt is not one of the official contenders, but it wins as a write in. St. Kitts has the beach and Brimstone. The USA has loads of fun stuff I don't feel like naming. BUT Egypt has all kinds of amazing things- things that both St. Kitts and the USA has AND MORE. St. Kitts has the beach and the fort (as I said)- but so does Egypt. The Red Sea is a HUGE tourist destination for snorkeling, scuba, and all kinds of other water sports. The Citadel in Egypt is also way bigger and more badass than Brimstone (it even includes a Military museum that is not at all accurate when it comes to battles between Egypt and Israel). Compared to the US, Egypt has big cities, lots of natural wonders (like Wadi el-Hitan and the White Desert, to name very few), and really... can any country compare to Egypt when it comes to historical sites? The answer is No. Stop thinking, nothing compares. NOTHING!!!!

People

Tie

This is a tricky one. Here is the states I have my family and lots of old friends. I really love all these people. However, all these people have jobs. So I am pretty bored during the day. While my friends and "St. Kitts family" are newer to my life, most of them are VIPs like me, and are also jobless. This means I ALWAYS have someone to hang out with. I am a social girl, I like being with people. Fun people. Everyone I know in SK is fun! I currently miss them as much as I miss my American friends and family when I am down there.

Rob

Win- St. Kitts

Clearly my access to Rob is non-existent here in the USA. That is not ok. I miss him like crazy, and I still have about 26 days til I see him again. How would you like to be away from your partner and best friend for 6 weeks? It's the worst. 

All in all, St. Kitts has it's pros and cons and so does the USA. I miss the laid back lifestyle in St. Kitts, but I love the convenience (and pizza) of the being in the states. Oh, and being away from Rob = Sad face.

Our Egypt BFFs come to town!

Rob and I have been really lucky to have a lot of friends and family come visit us since we moved to St. Kitts. My cousin Lia and friend Mauri came down in October for my birthday, my cousin JP came in Feb/March, my parents visited the beginning of April, and most recently, our friend Beth and Damian visited from the UK.

Damian and Beth by the river at Wingfield Estate.

We met Beth and Damian in 2010 when we moved to Egypt. Beth, like me, worked in Dr. Zahi's office. The four of us quickly bonded over living abroad in Cairo. We hadn't seen each other in a year; since Rob and I moved back to the states last April. I was really excited when B&D booked their trip to St. Kitts! The best part was they planned a nice long 10 day vacation!

They arrived on Tuesday April 17th, smack in the middle of Rob's finals! Luckily, he only had two finals to go (and yes Rob passed all his classes, is moving up to 3rd semester, and has a 3.0 GPA!), and was able to spend time with our guests for the majority of their trip. The first full day they were here was a beach day- Rob had a final and I had to work. So, I dropped them at the beach at noon and picked them up at 4. Thursday was Rob's last final of the semester, so Beth, Damian, and I met Rob and his fellow students at port from some salted cod johnny cakes and some frozen cocktails. Salted cod johnny cakes is local fare, and Damian was eager to taste one. Beth opted for a chicken johnny cake, I don't blame her (salted cod=
yuck).

Since Rob was done with finals, he had plenty of time to hang out with our guests. We had a beach day and Beth and Damian went snorkeling. Beth had never been before, and I was pleased that they were able to see some cool stuff. Damian found a bunch of sand dollars, and once back on shore he promptly sat on and broke all of them!  Rob also took Beth and Damo on an island tour, driving them completely around the island and giving them a lay of the land. We visited Brimstone Fortress and learned about its history AND saw loads of monkeys! That night we ate at Sprat Net's and watched a beautiful Caribbean sunset. Life is hard in the islands.

Sunset from Sprat Net

On our second trip into town we had more Johnny cakes, and Beth was the victim of an exploding hot sauce bottle. She twisted the top off, and it sounded like a champagne bottle being uncorked. Hot sauce flew all over Beth and the wall next to her. The hot sauce was coming out of the bottle like lava erupting from a volcano. It was gross. Needless to say, no one used THAT hot sauce. After lunch, we visited the National Museum, housed in the old Treasury Building. It was a small museum, only three rooms, but very interesting and educational.

Damian, me, and Rob at the Main Ordnance Store at Brimstone

We also went on two turtle walks. We went out to Keys Beach at 8pm, and met up with the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network, in the hopes of seeing some Leatherback turtles come on the beach to nest. The first night we were there from 8pm til 1:30am. No turtles. Well, we found out the next day one came up at 2am!!! We tried to go out again on Wednesday night, two days later, we stayed from 8pm-2am, NO turtles!!! We were really bummed out. Apparently, this year has been a very slow nesting season. I guess usually there are 1-3 turtles a night, and this year they will go days with no turtles nesting.

Wednesday during the day Beth and Damian went on a mini hike to the Bat Cave (although, they didn't climb over the boulder). They did enjoy the jungle-y scenery, the petroglyphs, and Beth got a wicked bruise on her thigh (although, I don't think she enjoyed that).  Thursday I took B&D to do some more sightseeing at Wingfield Estate and Romney Manor. They were able to buy a few souvenirs and gifts for people back home at Caribelle Batik. Friday morning we did a bit more gift buying in Port Zante, and then we were headed to Reggae Beach.  Of course, my wonderful island car decided not to start. It seemed the battery had died. I called Ross security, and they sent the mobile unit out to jump the car. Interestingly, it seemed that when the guy pulled the plastic off the terminal the lights came on... weird. But just to be safe we connected and jumped. Success.

Down to Reggae we went! We had some lunch, waited for a small rain shower to pass, then grabbed some beach chairs and lounged away. Well, I lounged away. Beth and Damian did some more snorkeling alone and with Rob. They found some really cool shells, including a small conch that was perched atop a large sponge. They couldn't figure out how it got there, but it looked cool so they grabbed it. Later, as we were packing up to head home, Damian was deciding which shells he should keep. Rob had found the one sitting on the sponge, so Damo handed it to me to hold. All of a sudden the shell jerked in my hand. I, being a huge baby, freaked out and threw it on the chair. Beth peeked inside, and sure enough there was a HUGE hermit crab living in the shell! We decided to set him free, and put him back in the water so he could climb up his sponge to his penthouse apartment in the sea.

Beth and me at Brimstone

Saturday was the day Beth and Damian had to fly back, but first Trevor and I took them over to SNAPPER, where the rehab turtles live. We got a "free" tour since those selfish Leatherbacks refused to show during our night walks! Beth and Damo got to meet some cute little hatchlings, Brimmie and Frodo (my two favorites), and poor two flipper Olivia. No giant, wild, Leatherbacks, but I am glad they got to see some sea turtles nonetheless.

Damian and Rob and a cannon.

Later that afternoon we had to say goodbye and part ways at the airport. It was so great to have Beth and Damian here that it was hard to say goodbye to them. I hope we don't have to go another year before seeing each other again. Maybe next year, Rob and I can make a trip to England... even though it will probably be cold and rainy... ;)

Oh... and if you haven't hear, I'm pregnant! If you are interested, I have created a pregnancy blog, and you can follow it here.

Mike and Beth come to St. Kitts!

Boy oh boy am I behind on blogging! I haven't blogged since Rob hurt his leg. An update on Rob (if you don't already know)- he tore his PCL. It's like the ACL, but it goes the opposite direction in your knee. Not surprisingly, it is VERY rare to tear your PCL... so of course that's what Rob tore. He also strained or sprained his MCL, and bruised his bones.  He does not need surgery, but he is in a huge brace that pretty much goes from his bum to his ankle. He needs to wear the brace and use crutches for two months, but the tear should heal on its own. Yay for no surgery!

Here is a picture of Rob (and me!) in his brace.

Now on to the real topic- My parents came to visit! They were here from April 1st through the 8th! It was great having them here for a whole entire week! They got here on a Sunday afternoon, so we kinda just vegged out and took a walk on the beach behind our house. My dad even found some kind of weird radio transmitter. Unfortunately when we opened it up it was very rusty inside. Oh well.

My parents, Mike and Beth

Monday we got up and did some sightseeing at Brimstone Hill Fortress. We walked around the ruins and the fort and the skies were clear so there was an amazing view of Statia, and island near St. Kitts. There were tons of monkeys around, which is awesome, cause I haven't seem them around Brimstone before. After spending the morning sweating our butts off, we went and had lunch at the Marriott, then hung out at the house all evening. Tuesday we spent the day at Shipwreck Beach. My parents were able to lounge around on the beach all day, but I had my last archaeology class, so I left the beach early. My dad was able to get some snorkeling in, and while he said he saw some cool stuff, he didn't go as far as I usually do, so I think he probably missed seeing some of the best stuff. Oh well. Tuesday night I dragged them to trivia, and they got to meet the trivia crew. Despite Ting Country's best efforts we lost by ONE POINT!!!! Grrr! Oh well. There's always next week...

Up at Brimstone Fortress. Island of Statia in the background

Wednesday I had to work (BOO), so I dropped my parents off at the Marriott beach before I went in. I was super bummed not to spend the day with them, but I think they had fun without me... jerks. My dad did some more snorkeling, and as he was coming in towards shore, he said some British girl started screaming at him. He popped his head up, and said the girl was yelling, "SHARK!! SHARK!! RIGHT NEXT TO YOU MISTER!!! SHARK!!!" Of course my dad sticks his head back underwater to check out said "shark."  No shark, just a big barracuda. My pops did said it was a bit weird to see a big barracuda in shallow water, he thinks something was wrong with it. He did get his butt out of the water though, he was not interested in messing with a possibly sick and/or crazy cuda!  I met them by the pool bar around 4:30 for some snacks before heading home. Wednesday we had a really nice dinner at the French place near our house. As my local friends can tell you, nearly all the eating establishments here are open air, so many provide bug spray for customers to use. We all sprayed a bit on our legs right before we sat down. My loser dad kept touching his leg and saying, "Crap! I touched my leg again!" I think he washed his hands like 7 times.

Thursday morning I had to run some errands in town, so we grabbed breakfast at Carib Cafe and then did a bit of sightseeing at Wingfield Estates (where I excavated with my students) and Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor. In the afternoon, my dad and I went back to the Marriott Beach while my mom stayed home to read and nap. That night we dined at Blu, the seafood restaurant at the Marriott. We were a bit nervous, cause hotel eateries are usually on the lame side, but we were pleasantly surprised with our meal... although the bread totally sucked. To be fair, I think all the bread on this island sucks, except at the French place. After dinner, Rob and my dad did a little gambling at the casino. They played blackjack, and they both won! Yay for beating the house!

At the Marriott, about to go take the casino by storm!

Friday was a total bust. We decided to go to Nevis, got up early, drove ALL the way to the far end of the island, paid for the ferry ride to Nevis, only to discover that because it was Good Friday EVERYTHING was closed. EVERYTHING. We wandered around a dead Charlestown for 10 min, then looked for a place to eat. Luckily Sunshine Bar was open, and we got some grub, and got on the next ferry back to St. Kitts. I felt terrible, it was a huge waste of time and money! We could have been laying on the beach all day!!! Oh well. Friday night wasn't so bad though, we went to my favorite place to eat dinner- Carembola's. My dad was feeling a bit weird, so he didn't get to enjoy dinner, but the rest of us did! My coworkers were at the table next to us, having the end of semester dinner, so it was a fun night. I would eat at that place every day if it was a little cheaper.

Saturday we had brunch at the Marriott and then spent the day on the beach. Nothing special happened, just a lazy beach day. We tried the Italian place at the Marriott for dinner... not impressed. I was bummed cause it was my parents last night in St. Kitts. It's really hard to live so far away from them. Since Rob started vet school in August, 8 months ago, I've only seen my parents for two weeks at Christmas, and the last week. I love my parents A LOT, and I can't wait to live close to them again one day! I'm excited that I get to see them again next month when I visit the states! Yay!

Sunday was "regular" Easter (today is Greek Easter- Xristos Anesti!), and my parents departure day. Their flight was at 3:30 in the afternoon, but because our airport is tiny, and only one person checks in the whole flight, you really need to be there 2 hours in advance. Plus, they will yell at you if you are not, ask my friend Mauri. So, we really only had time for a lazy breakfast and one last lunch before I had to bring my parents to the airport. It was sad to have to say goodbye, because the week went so fast. Although, I'm sure they were relieved I wasn't hysterical crying like I was when they left Egypt last year!

I am so glad that Beth and Mike, my awesome parents, were able to come visit me and Rob for an entire week. I had a lot of fun with them. I really couldn't ask for better parents.

RWS: The Future Bionic Man

For those of you who know Rob, this post probably won't surprise you at all. Rob has a long history of crazy injuries. When he was a kid, he somehow managed to get his hand mangled by an industrial sized fan. He now boasts a huge disfiguring scar on his hand. He broke his two front teeth by running into a parked car. When some bully played keep away with Rob's frisbee, he kicked the bully. Unfortunately for Rob, the bully was a black belt in Karate, and Rob ended up with a broken leg. Just last semester Rob broke his scaphoid bone in his right wrist while playing flag football. He had a cast on his wrist from the end of December til just about a month ago.

Sunday Rob decided that since he had a clean bill of health again, he was going to play flag football. As he was leaving I said, try not to break anything this time. Famous last words. A couple hours later, I hear the car horn so I go open our driveway gate and hop back on the couch. Next thing I know, Rob is calling my cell phone asking me to open the basement door. Upon opening the door not only do I see Rob, but also three of the class/team mates. They proceed to tell me that while he didn't BREAK anything, he likely tore his ACL. Perfect.

Rob was unable to support his own weight, so Enrique had to carry him all the way up our basements stairs and dump him and his messed up knee on the couch.  After the guys left, Rob explained that some kid basically tackled him (FLAG FOOTBALL PEOPLE!!! NOT A CONTACT SPORT) while he was turning, and Rob heard and felt his knee pop. Oh, and this was in the first few minutes of the game. Nice, right?

So, Rob was wheeling around in his roll-y desk chair all afternoon and evening. Luckily, our friend Matt has torn his ACL twice, and had two knee braces. He brought them both over last night, and Rob was able to fit into them and is sporting one as we speak. We are SO thankful that Matt had a spare brace to lend to Rob. Wearing Matty's brace Rob felt comfortable enough to put some weight on his leg and walk around a little bit.

Rob made it to school today and was able to get crutches from the nurse office.  He has an appointment with a doctor on island this afternoon to assess the damage. If it is serious, he might have to go to the states this weekend for an MRI and to see whether or not he needs surgery. Oy Vey. The school has some provisions for assisting with flights to the states for medical purposes, so hopefully we can get reimbursed for the flight to the states if he does need to fly back.

It's always an adventure with Rob! Let's just hope he doesn't need surgery!