I know I said I wouldn't start a blog, but in just the first 48 hours so much has happened that I want to share that I couldn't help it. No doubt I will neglect this horribly once school starts, but in the meantime, enjoy!
I officially arrived on the island yesterday. Most of the day was spent in cars, airports, and airplanes. My parents and I left at 1 AM to get to Chicago O'Hare in time for my 6 AM flight. Of course I didn't sleep because my mom and I were frantically packing until the last minute. There was a period of great distress about the weights of my bags and a couple tears over things left behind. But all was forgotten as I started the first leg of my journey.
One of my biggest concerns was the behavior of my two cats, Miko and Merlin, during all the traveling as I would be carrying them on the plane with me. They would have to be in the same carrier, which might be a problem as they tend to bicker when stressed. It sounds horrible when they do and I was concerned they would embarrass me horribly at the airport. To try to avoid this my mother and I fashioned a divider in their carrier out of pieces of another carrier (thanks for the donation Trish!). In the car ride down to Chicago they started making noises (which I thought boded ill for the rest of the trip), but they soon calmed down and for the rest of the day sat politely and quietly in their respective sections of the carrier.
Look what a good job my mom did on the carrier! Thanks Mom you rock!
Going through security was pretty stressful. TSA insisted that I had to take both cats out of the carrier without leashes or collars and carry them through the metal detector. Luckily a nice lady who was a fellow passenger helped me with the cats and my bags. After that, it was smooth sailing from Chicago to Miami, from Miami to St. Kitts. It took a really long time to get through immigration and customs, but I was expecting this and didn't let it get to me like some of the other passengers. I was also extremely fortunate to find all of my bags right away. A lot of other students were missing luggage and the line to report lost baggage was as long or longer than the line to get through customs. Whew! Dodged that bullet! After another long wait I breezed through customs and found my Ross University orientation group. After collecting everyone that arrived that day we were taken to our residences to drop our stuff off. I am glad to report I adore my apartment! There are a couple of things that are old or broken, but I can really see myself living here for the next two years.
Sitting outside my apartment building was a little coconut retriever puppy (coconut retriever is the tongue-in-cheek nickname for St. Kitts' many mixed breed dogs). He had a flea collar on but looked very skinny and had some skin issues. Many islanders let their dogs run loose so he probably belonged to someone, but it tugged on my heartstrings to have to experience this aspect of the culture on my first day. The puppy was very friendly and was begging for attention, so I spent a little time with him before we left to go to the grocery store.
The store, called Best Buy (no electronics here, only groceries), was an interesting mix of familiar and unfamiliar brands. As I had been warned, things were more expensive here. I could discern this immediately even though everything was priced in Caribbean dollars. I got a few necessities and piled back in to the van to drop them off before we went to dinner. The puppy was still here waiting for me. I gave him some cheese bread and explained to him I couldn't get involved with a dog on my first day on the island. He gave me some sad eyes and followed me around until we left for dinner.
Dinner was with my orientation group at the Shiggidy Shack on the beach. The tables are right out on the sand with awnings of palm fronds overhead. I had a fish burger that was quite good and listened to the live music. Later there was the "fireman" show where one of the islanders danced around and rubbed lit torches all over his body. It was quite mesmerizing and entertaining. Then, completely exhausted, I got back to my apartment and crashed. It was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.
I have not yet explained the absolute beauty of the island. From the overhead view as we descended in the plain to the starlit beach at night, I have been in complete awe of the sights around me. Everything is vibrant and colorful. Even the houses and cars are painted and decorated in loud tropical colors. Rather than being gaudy it only adds to the charm of the island. Of course the island itself is gorgeous. Enormous green hills form the backdrop and everywhere has blooming flowers and foliage. The beaches are of course magnificent and as we walked along one of them last night after dinner the stars even seemed to twinkle more brightly than at home.
All the anxiety I've had over the last month or so has completely transformed to elated excitement. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to all my adventures to come.
