Bitter sweetness.

A few days ago, I got some great news!! I found out that the job I applied for is giving me an interview!

There were hundreds of applicants, this is an absolute dream job, and I get to start my nursing career!

This sounds perfect, right? 

Wrong.

What this great news means is that I have to leave Kevin. It means leaving the most beautiful place I've ever been, leaving wonderful friends, leaving the flexible, relaxing life of Dominica.

I have two more days here and it's the most bitter sweet feeling I have ever had. I'm absolutely stoked about this interview but really am not ready to leave. Because flights are so expensive, I won't be coming back if I do not get the job. Kevin is done here in August, so I will stay at home and continue my job search.

The biggest challenge I'm facing is leaving Kevin. It has been so great being here and sharing this experience. He's feeling the same things, very proud and happy for me but he's going to miss having his support system here. We're not looking forward to having a "Skype" relationship again. But we've done it before and we know we can get through it! 

Back to California I go! Wish me luck!

And we're back!

First of all, sorry for not updating you for a while! Kevin and I have been very busy, but are doing great! We got back to the island last Sunday, after an amazing two weeks at home with family and friends. Kevin started his last semester here in Dominica and is ready to finish with a bang. One of our goals before we leave in August is to really explore this beautiful island as much as we can. So we spent our first Saturday back doing an incredible hike, called "7 waterfalls." Kevin and I both agreed that it was our favorite day on the island so far.  

Here is our crew! There were 7 of us and 2 guides that we hired. Without them, we would still be out in that jungle!

Playing in one of the 7 waterfalls 

A lot of our hike was spent walking up the river to get to the falls. Beautiful! 

...and climbing up and down huge boulders

We even got to do a little "cliff" jumping!

These photos don't do it justice. This part of the island was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, one of God's masterpieces!  I hope these last 3 and a half months hold more memories like these! :)

While Kevin studies for finals, I...

So here we are in the last couple days on the island (for now). Kevin has been working his butt off studying for his final exam tomorrow. Say a prayer for him around 10am our time...that's 7am Cali time! So, needless to say, I have had to find things to do while he's locked up at school. 

So here is what I've been up to...

Adventure one: Beach day at Batibou!

Adventure two: Beach day and dinner at Red Rock!

Adventure three: Wine Cruise!

Adventure four: Meg's baby shower!

Adventure Five: Girl's Night!

...card games, wine, sweet treats, more wine, girl chat!

Adventure Six: Spinning Class!

...I have been teaching spin 3 days a week, so downloading new music for my girls, making new "spin routines," and staying energized for them has been a fun treat for me!

Ok, so that's about all for now! Kevin and I really looking forward to heading home on Thursday and being with our families for Easter weekend. It will be a well deserved break for Kevin. I'm so proud of him. Only one more semester here on the island! 

You know you live on a third world island when...

Ok, I have big news! HUGE! The small town I live in, Picard, just opened it's first grocery store ever! It's not one of those little 7-11 type of markets, either. It's like the ones we love back home...Safeway, Vons, Lucky! Ours is an IGA and it's beautiful with an actual bakery, deli, fresh meat, produce area, and an ICE CREAM section (my favorite part!). 

Just a little excited about the ice cream!

It opened on Tuesday evening and if you didn't know what was happening, you would have thought President Obama was in town. People were roaring and flocking towards the new green building. It was all over everyone's Facebook pages and was (and still is) the talk of the town. It has taken them over a year to build this thing, something that would take less than a month back home. It's very surreal to the students and spouses that have been here the whole time watching it being built. They never thought they would actually see this day. To say the least, we are all pretty excited. I will no longer have to take an hour long transport (taxi) ride into Roseau to get my groceries.  I will simply be able to put on my flip flops and walk about 8 minutes down the road.  :) Life is good.

Happy Birthday to my amazing brother! Love you! Wish I could celebrate this day with you!

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In Light In.

When I got here, I was invited by a few of the girls to get involved with a volunteer program here called In Light In. Not knowing what to expect, I showed up and saw all these beautiful faces...

Once a week, we spend a few hours with these kids from the neighboring town, Portsmouth. We do different things with them, including sports, arts and crafts, and games. They are given a small snack and treat. It's incredible how so little can mean so much to them. Some of them really remind me of the kids I worked with in Kenya last summer. I'm so excited to get to know them better in the upcoming months! They are just another one of the many blessings this place has given me...

Starting to LOVE it!

Life here is pretty unreal. And I'm finally starting to fall in love with it. The transition to "island life" where I didn't know anyone (except Kevin) or anything was scary and challenging. But I'm about to start my 4th week here (time is flying!) and really starting to love it. I've met some awesome people that have made all the difference. And Kevin and I have found a routine that works well for us...when Kevin and I wake up and he goes to study I either relax at home, go to the gym or grab coffee with a girlfriend. Then he comes home for lunch, then back to his studying. In the afternoon I find many ways to fill my time. Then he comes home in the evening for dinner and usually gets a few more hours of studying in before coming back home for some well deserved sleep. It's working well for us. We are actually seeing each other a lot more than I anticipated, which is awesome! I love it! Last week I started teaching a spin/cycling class at the gym, which has been a fun new challenge for me. I'm teaching it 3 days a week. So far, so good! After a fun filled post-midterm week, Kevin is really back to the grind with his studies. We love and miss you all back home, but we are home in 32 days!