Great Expectations.

Editors Note: My mother will probably blush when she reads this...maybe even mutter a few comments under her breath about reputations and proper language for a lady. If so, I'm sorry in advance mom.

It's funny how being thrust into a completely different world can change ones expectations. I was prepared to make some sacrifices when I moved here. Cable TV (I heart the Internet), meat (quality, that is), free time (Ha!).

The world never challenges you in ways that you expect.

I've already written about our new car, and you've seen the pics. So I won't go into incredible detail about the expectations I've lowered significantly since car shopping on the island. It's remarkable what the students here will put up with in their choice of car here versus in the states. I've never driven anything that performed such a fantastic symphony of sounds during the ride. And she seems to come up with new ones every few days, just to keep us on our toes. I'm personally waiting to see the bottom fall out, as some upperclassmen/professors have claimed occasionally happens.

The most recent example of expectations hitting the floor has to be the elimination of modesty in medical school. You simply CANNOT be modest when you spend hours being lectured about the penis (pronounced PEN-is by our prof) and dangling scrotums or struggle to maintain a straight face as you watch your "mature" prof "probe" your dog's labia and clitoris.

Yes, I just said labia and clitoris. Stop snickering.

It's a wonder that half our class changes into their scrubs right outside of the anatomy lab in plain view of all who wish to view. We've all seen it, we talk about it allllllll day long, so why not just nonchalantly rip off your sweaty top and pants and throw on your scrubs. Why bother walking the extra 50 feet to the enclosed locker/bath rooms? Crazy.

Note to readers: I, and my circle of friends mentioned within these pages, DO NOT change in public. That's just crazy. But it happens, and I have had to learn to suspend my expectations of others keeping their clothes on in public. Just another day in paradise.

And for all of you looky-loos...NO I didn't take any pics of people getting undressed. Sickos.

Burn, Baby, Burn.

The school is close to being on fire. No, not as in St. Elmo's Fire. As in really real fire.

It's become the norm over the last two months to occasionally detect the faint odor of roasted/burned marshmallows in the air between classes. I've even become accustomed to looking up as I walk back to the dorms in the afternoon and seeing a small plume of smoke rising from the fields across the street from the school. It seems the Kittitians take out their frustrations with their employers by setting the employer's crops on fire: sugar cane.

Doesn't look like much...just you wait.

The last few days, however, have been especially windy due to a small typhoon-like storm that passed over this past weekend (just in time for mid-semester break...). I was actually almost knocked over by a particularly gusty period on my way back to the dorm today. So it stands to reason that you would have to do something particularly mean to tick off a Kittitian enough to light a fire on a day like today.

Apparently, someone did.

The fire initiated high on the rise just between the school and Mattingly, our (hopefully) future home. You can see the scorched land left behind in the wake of the fire's path. As the day wore on, the fire moved diagonally cutting a line pretty much right for the school.

Lots of smoke...sort of hides the flames below...

Oh wait - one peeked his little head up out of the field! I wonder if they can sense we're watching. Maybe they'll put on a show.

This house sits at the border of Mattingly overlooking the ocean. I am able to see it out my window when I lie in bed; I'm obsessed with seeing the inside. If you look to the mid-left of the pic you can see the brown burnt areas where the fires began. Lucky for this sucker, Zepher (Greek God of Western Winds) looked kindly upon his home.

Whatever will we do with our pieces of shit? Where shall we hide them from the burning flames? Oh, wait...car insurance...hmmm....

Now upperclassmen assure me that this is not the first time the fires have gotten so close, nor are these fires nearly as large as a particularly memorable one from last semester. But I think when I can see a WALL OF FLAME from the parking lot next to my dorm, there is something amiss.

A nice vertical shot of the smoke pluming into the sky...

You can start to see some orange there along the grass/smoke line.

Hmm...those power lines power our dorms....fire + power lines = no fun. At least the water runs on propane. Which I believe may be combustible. Catch 22.

Money shot. A bunch of little mini-fires all lined up in a row? OR a BIG WALL OF FLAME?!

Black smoke = no good.

Scott snidely mocking us from his 3rd floor comfort zone. He rides the special bus to school, so we don't pay him much mind. I think they even put a special lock on his door preventing him from leaving during non-school hours. That way he doesn't hurt himself.

Cristin having WAY too much fun watching the fire. Seems every pic of her on this blog shows her having a super duper good time. Rock ON, Cristin.

While we were shooting some amazing shots (Pulitzer material, I think) one of the many security guards on campus ambled over to have a look. While I took comfort in her seemingly attentive attitude towards the fire, I had to ask if she thought there would be any chance that a particularly strong gust could waltz those flames across the road and into the fields by the dorms. She assured me that would not happen, and that there are even now people over there "trying" to contain the flames. I am content.

Besides, should the flames move with malicious intent towards my safety zone I will merely jump into our backyard ocean and swim around the island to Timothy Beach, where I will wait out the dousing of the flames with a cool Carib at Ziggy's.

Never thought I would root for "Fire Days" with as much zeal as I did "Hurricane Days".

"A drinking club with a running problem"

Saturday I participated in my first St. Kitts Hash.

Duh, not the drug. Seriously, Just Say No guys.

The Hash House Harriers refers to a monthly run/walk group on St. Kitts who explore different parts of the island each event. It is very popular amongst all St. Kitts resisdents, both locals and non-locals. They are a nutty bunch with a fabulous personality who might actually succeed in turning this couch potatoe into a hike-a-holic. At least once every three weeks, that is...

http://stkittshash.com/

I think their logo says it all.

According to my favorite online resource (and the bane of all college professors worldwide), Wikipedia, this phenomonon of blending a love of running and a love of drinking is NOT limited to St. Kitts. I will not go into the details of hashes, but please check out the basic outline on this link, it will explain better than I. Just understand that it is NOT merely a RUN, but sort of an adventure planned ahead by a few devilish characters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

I was invited to walk this particular Saturday (along with the C/Kristins, of course) by some friends who had run in the last hash a few weeks ago. We were told it was a lot of fun, that the people were awesome, and the views were breathtaking. We were not mislead. At least, not entirely...enjoy the pics!

Who knows? Maybe one of these days I'll actually RUN one.....might make the beer taste better. As if that's possible.

New Room Decor.

I decided the plain walls weren't working for me, so I decided to laugh in the face of authority and tape up a few items on my kitchen cabinets. That way I can see them from anywhere in my room!

If you notice that you are not up there on the wall, and you are wondering why...just remember, I'm a vet student. It's sort of a pre-req that we are willing to sell our children to retain our four-legged friends.

Yet another example of Saskia trying to retain her interior design skills should anatomy officially kick her ass.

My friends thought these were hot dogs. Actually, they were just my impression of our prof demonstrating the different movement terms.

And for those of you who know me, you will know why I am so proud of my pile of clean dishes. Trust me, for a few days there I seriously considered hiring someone to clean them.

This is what a couple of week's worth of study dishes looks like after washing. Didn't even bother taking a before pic.

Note the sheer amount of dishes that can sit in a sink this tiny. Impressive.

Another very exciting event this week: my debit card. It's very pretty with little fish swimming happily along. And it's plastic, despite what we were warned. Yes, my account info IS blacked our for my protection. Despite it being only valid in the Eastern Caribbean.

We went grocery shopping today, to celebrate having a new car AND debit card. This seems to be my week:

How excited was I to find this? My second favorite food group next to Hamburger Helper (which, by the way, only gets better with time!).

And our final pit-stop: the Carib factory, where my new favorite beer is bottled. $45 EC (~$16 USD) gets a crate-full. Bring back the crate each time, it's $10 cheaper to refill it.

See all the pretty colored crates back there? LOTS of beer drunk on this island...

It's official. We're now the proud owners of our first Ross-Mobile.

It's funny how easily you lose your expectations when living in a place that doesn't offer you much in the way of fullfilling them.

In the search for a vehicle, we looked high and low for something that wasn't inversely proportionally expensive and a piece of shit. Seriously.

We settled upon this beauty:

Isn't she a beauty?

Interior from back

Front seat. Dad already noticed the lack of airbags. Hee, hee.

How 'bout the rockin velor seat covers with lizards? Nice.

Yes, her back window's out, and she has a little trouble getting started in the morning...but really, don't we all? A new top, a few nicely choosen bumper stickers, and maybe some cleaning on the dust inside and we're golden.

There is also a promising possiblity for an apartment in the future, we should hear by Friday. Three-bedrooms, on the side of the mountain overlooking the ocean, wrap-around porch, gated driveway and yard, and allows pets. But all of that doesn't really matter; this does: indoor plumbing, A/C in the bedrooms, and a full-sized fridge. Totally psyched.