Live de Life

"Live de life" was the name of a boat I saw at Reggae Beach, on the southern peninsula of St. Kitts the other day. It's also a sort of slogan down here. We have been in St. Kitts since January 1st, and we are just beginning to figure out what that will mean for us over the next 2 years. So far, it means that we sleep to the sound of the ocean about 200 feet from our house, take a dunk in the pool or ocean in the morning, and then again in the evening to cool off from the 80+ degree weather, and leave Beau barefoot all of the time. It also means that anything promised in a few days will take a few weeks, taxi rides will feel more like a roller coaster, and we will, on occasion, lose power (and thankfully recover it a little bit later).

This week has been filled with Andrew's orientation events at Ross. So far we are pretty impressed with how well the school treats its students-- organizing a taxi to drive us everywhere until we get a car, welcoming spouses and kids, helping us with our first grocery shopping and bringing us to recreational sights on the island in addition to practical places. We were also impressed by the modern campus. It made me really excited for Andrew to get in there and start all of his nerdy medical work!

We are learning our way around the island, which will be important when we get our car in the next few days (and have to drive on the left side, with a steering wheel on the right side)... eek. There are lush mountains everywhere, with rain clouds at the top and long slopes that lead out to the ocean. Small beaches-- rougher on the Atlantic and softer on the Caribbean-- are everywhere you look. The beauty of St. Kitts far exceeded my expectations!

All things considered, not a bad first few days.