Well it's actually more like 25 days.....wow....where did that time go? My lists have been getting smaller and smaller and I'm seeming less and less overwhelmed and a little more excited. A lot has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. So yes, this entry will be long, but it's full of pictures!
It has been a bittersweet month, full of a lot of last days. I had my last day of CRC (
Carolina Raptor Center). I have very much enjoyed volunteering and getting to know everyone there. It has been a truly incredible and rewarding experience working and handling each of the birds. I seen things that have appalled me (ducted taped hawk) and things that have touched me (birds that get to be released). I am definitely considering working with birds of prey in the future. I also had my last day of dance....sigh. I've been belly dancing since 2003, with breaks in between to go to Virginia Tech. I have learned from several different teachers (Yasmine, Nayna, Iona, Sarah) as well as different styles of belly dance (cabaret, fusion, ATS, Egyptian) I have learned so much and have got to the level of dance I want to be. My dance girls have become such a big part of my life that I'm going to miss them tremulously. I can only hope that I dance with them again in the future. Don't get me wrong....I am bringing AT LEAST one dance outfit with me (you never know) and I am asking for
Fat Chance Belly dance DVDs for Christmas (hint Mom)! The other last was my last day of work at Indian Land Animal Hospital. I have become so comfortable and so close with those girls that they are seriously my second family. I miss each and every one of them already.
I got a nice little vacation and went up to Corning, NY with the boyfriend and his family where we did a wine tasting trip. I bought some Christmas presents and some gifts for myself :)
The next week, I got a even bigger vacation, when my whole immediate family took a trip to St. Kitt's to visit Ross University! The views, of course, were amazing! You can see the entire island when you land and take off. It is crazy to think I will be living there for 2 1/2 years in less than a month. We arrived on Wednesday night at the Marriott Beach Club and went to the Blue Seafood Restaurant. Here is a picture of the Marriott:
We were warned ahead of time, that we are on "island time" and need to "chilax". Our meal (which is not unusual) took a total of 2 hours with the food being very spread apart, but it was very good. On Thursday (Thanksgiving) we got a tour of the school and as well as a small one of the island. I was unfairly comparing the school to Virginia Tech, but I am more excited to go to school there. I wasn't able to take a lot of picture of the campus, but here's what I could take:
I was able to see a similar room that I will be staying in, which gave me a better idea of what I need to pack (much lighter). We were able to meet with Financial Aid, one of the deans, sit in on a first semester class (mircoantamony) and eat at one of the school restaurants, Rituals Coffee. It has everything from sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, salads, to even (surprise!) coffee. We then were taken on a car ride of where the off-campus housing was and they are gorgeous! Here are some:
That night, we had the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving meal at the restaurant, but we opted for a less traditional one at the local bar, Shiggity Shack with rum punch and Lazombe (fire eater/dancer):
On Friday, we got the complete island tour with the best taxi driver Mr. Rodgers! The entire trip around the island, with stops, took 3 hours. We visited Brimstone Fortress Hill, the drunken tree, the black rocks, Bloody Point, and the Caribelle Batik. We even tasted some sugar cane and coconut water:
For lunch, we went to Rituals Coffee again near the hotel. We then briefly sat out at the beach and experienced the amazingly warm 85 degree weather. For dinner, we went to the Royal Grill Steakhouse, which is at the Marriott. We experienced an extremely rude family next to our table that did nothing but complain the entire time about the entire meal (they ordered Mac&Cheese at a steakhouse...who does that?!) They really made Americans look awful and we all really wanted to say something to them. We had check out on Saturday, so we had a brunch at Calypso Restaurant and spent the rest of our time at the beach, and Port Zante (for souvenirs of course) until our flight back home.
For school, in the last month, I had to take the MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator), fill out a immigration form, write a personal paragraph for our professor to read, received my orientation group and my island cell phone number! My orientation group is all girls and I've already Facebook-friended all of them. They are from all over (Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, Massachusetts, Alabama, and New York) so I am very excited to get to know them better. All the forms for the school are done, so now I just have to concentrate on my packing.
Still so much to do and buy before I leave, but for now I'm taking a mental break and spending about two weeks in DC with my boyfriend and visiting friends. Don't get me wrong though, I still have my Christmas list and to do list that I'm doing while "vegging" here. Wish me luck that I get everything done without completely stressing! I will blog more updates as the countdown gets closer!
