Good Day to ALL!!!! I hope this finds you where you want to be.
It has been a month since my arrival here on St. Kitts. The sun always shines here. From that first week of fun in the sun we have now totally made the transition to feeling like I am, in fact, at grad school. We eat, sleep, and breathe academics. Gone are the days of cramming for a test the night before. This is material that we will be using and integrating for the rest of our lives. All of us are desperately trying to start off on the right foot. We've all crammed for tests before but have to now change our game plan.
My class is 101 students. By 7th semester we will be down to 70, tops. Ross goes out on a limb and gives a chance to the non-traditional students who would not normally get a chance to try their hand at vet school. It's nice to see people from all backgrounds have a common goal and support each other as best they can.
Weekend activities have gone from hikes, swimming, and dinner at the beach to studying and ordering pizza. We've taken to snorkeling out in front of campus after class because it takes too much time to head all the way over to Shipwreck for the good snorkeling. Grocery shopping is not longer a priority. Many of us groan at the thought of going out for the evening because all we can think about is all the work we'll have to catch up on. My hope is this will change soon once we all learn to manage our time and figure out how to learn again. Many have been out of academia for years. My neighbor is 34 and graduated undergrad 10 years ago. He only took a couple summer courses before coming here.
Something that I have found and really enjoyed is called HASHING. It is essentially a "running club with a drinking problem". The Hash House Harriers is a global (and historic) phenomenon. Google it, you wont be disappointed! Essentially, a "trail is set" and marked off. Then the group follows this "trail" and must figure out which direction it goes. This cross country run/hike goes on for over an hour and can be quite strenuous. These are not folks who like to sit around. A different location every time ensures new and interesting scenery. Here it gives a great opportunity to explore the island. Needless to say, at the end is food, beer, songs, antics, and a jolly good time in fabulous company. Hashing is found all over the world and in every state in the US. These boys are showing off their pretty side at the Red Dress Run...ON ON!!!
As far as living in a different culture, the adventure continues. Gradually, many of us are buying cars. Drive on the left. Wheel is on the right. Most are manual transmission. This makes for fun times when you're not quite sure of where you are going, how to make the car go, or what the traffic circles are all about. Stop signs come out of nowhere and many intersections don't even have them. Turn signals are never used and don't really work anyhow. You're never certain if you are getting honked at the say HI or Get out of the way. The streets in town are 1 ½ cars wide and people park anywhere they want. Sometimes we look around in amazement when we arrive at our intended destination. A miracle!! So far it has been a team effort, lol. It's been fun learning to drive all over again =-)
There is certainly more to tell but if I leave nothing to the imagination there would be no reason to visit!!! More pictures have been posted at fuzzpault.com. Enjoy!
Happy Trails
~Laura
