Notes from Our Trip Back

Hi friends! Thank you to everyone who wished us well on our travels. It was a long, surreal day for me. I spent a good chunk of the morning furiously filling out the knowledge review quizes for my Advanced Scuba Diving Certificate, which I had procrastinated an entire year on doing.

note to self: stop procrastinating

I said goodbye to Clare {hardest thing I had to do that day} and prodded my husband along to finish packing. He was still going through papers & shoving things into his backpack at 3 hours before our departure time.

note to self: encourage husband to stop procrastinating

We made it in the knick of time to the airport, less than an hour before take-off. The airline agent had to call in to make sure that "Domestic Short Hair" was a real breed of cat. I may have said something along the lines of, "just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it's not a real breed!"

note to self: bite your tongue

Thankfully whoever she talked to on the other end of the phone agreed with me & she let us go through. Getting on the plane was no big deal, we pretty much just walked right on because we were so late. As we took off the thought hit me that I might never see the island again, and I couldn't stop the tears. The student sitting on the other side of the aisle said, "Aren't you a spouse? We should be the ones crying, not you!"  Which of course just made me cry even more!

note to self: avoid crying on an airplane, it's embarrassing

When we got to Puerto Rico, we had to take Adamcat through customs which took longer than it should have and resulted in one of those epic-movie moments where we ran through the airport & yelled "hold the doors!!" as the attendant was walking away. I wish I were exaggerating.

note to self: schedule longer layovers when traveling with a pet

The last leg of our journey was rather uneventful. Quick stopover in Miami before the long flight to California. All our luggage made it through, and we left LAX around midnight. Chris & Adam went to stay at his mom's and I spent the night with my sister.

Since then, things have been a whirl-wind! Driving my car again, getting a phone {just a cheapy}, job interviews, etc. I'm staying with a dear friend and her family for now until we get a few more things settled.

I still feel a little shocked and exhausted, sort of like my brain is struggling to comprehend the transition and to keep up with this faster pace. There are gonna be a lot of changes in store for us in the upcoming weeks and months, but for now it's one day at a time.

Goodbye Dominica

Today is the day. We are leaving on a jetplane with 4 bags, 2 back-packs, 1 carry-on and 1 Adamcat. There are simply not enough words to express what my time on the island has been like. But what I do have, is a collection of favorite posts about my time on the island.

Moving to The Island

A Letter to my Dominican Landlord

Caribbean Hoarding Syndrome

Only in Dominica I, II, III

Our 1 year Domiversary

10 Days in Dominica Challenge

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

Pirates of the Caribbean Comparisons

Anatomy of A Shopping Trip

The Real Housewives of Dominica

A Collection of All My Island Posts

Only in Dominica III

Well, it's finally here. Our last weekend in Dominica. It's time to pack our bags and say goodbye to everyone we have come to know and love on the island.

Chris has his last final exam on the island today. From here on out, he will be doing 2 years of hospital rotations. And for me, it marks the end of full-time housewifery.

Before we leave though, I wanted to share with you one more round of Only In Dominica..

do the gnomes have a sun tan...

does 2-Pac's cousin {1-Pac} own a banana hut...

or will you find President Obama gracing the hot sauce.

Only in Dominica does merely being competent get you a job...

will you find iguanas crossing campus...

or centipedes in your rum punch...

Only in Dominica can you get your bike washed at the car wash...

do you find inspirational messages on the backs of cars...

or can you listen to a didgeridoo band.

But Dominica definitely has the best slang ever...

and the best signs ever!

Through it all, I love this island in the sun. And I'll miss these "only in Dominica" moments soon. Living in a developing country hasn't always been the easiest or most convenient, but in the end it's taught me to laugh when things are ridiculous & to enjoy my surroundings, unique quirks and all.

p.s.  Clare did an Only in Dominica.. post today too!

2 Week Countdown

T-minus two weeks to America. Holy cow, this is for real. Let's talk about some good things, eh? Take my mind off the scary parts.

A Second Interview 

I have a second interview {for a dream job} set up for the day after we get back to CA. In my last vlog I talked about how I'd love to work for a university & someday start teaching classes. Well, this is my foot in the door. It's not a teaching position, but it is an educational technology position. In this case, it means that I would be helping the university in it's e-learning department.

The Unphished Techy

This weekend I attended my 6th RSO Farewell Banquet in Dominica. You can see pictures from the last banquet, here. Basically, it's an excuse to get dressed up & have a celebration with friends! It's tradition to give the leaving members a silly award, and I was named "The Unphished Techy." It's two-fold because 1- I hate all things fish and 2- My websites don't get hacked. (ha! knock on wood.)

Cleaning My Closet

My closet was a wreck. It has floor to ceiling shelves (like bookshelves), which I managed to turn into a floor to ceiling pile of clothes. A friend came over & helped me to pull every last thing out of the closet to put into sell, donate, or keep piles. I'm not kidding when I say that I got rid of two-thirds of my wardrobe this week. What I'm really excited about is going shopping back in the states to replace some of those items! {job reward?!}

Free Alt Classes

Has anyone else taken advantage of the free classes from ALT + Bing? The teachers are all really knowledgable and pack so much in to a quick one-hour class. I've taken classes on Business Cards & Pinterest so far. And now I am slightly obsessed totally excited to start work on my own creative business cards! Check out my pinterest inspiration board :)

Do you have anything good to share?

The Real Housewives of Dominica

Contrary to what you may expect, life on an island is not always a vacation. The students study 10+ hours a day, which leaves those of us who are here as spouses to come up with our own entertainment. To liken the situation to reality TV, imagine what would happen if The Real Housewives were put on Survivor. That's right, we are:

The Ross Spouses Organization (RSO)

Pagua Bay, First Semester - November 2010

RSO was my saving grace when I got to Dominica.  I was immediately connected with a group of girls who knew what island life was like and who genuinely cared how I was adjusting. Through RSO I went on many island trips, was introduced to volunteer opportunities and was basically given a social group. I appreciate everything those girls did for me during my first semester, and ended up acting as vice president and then president of the group for the following year.

Clare & I : raising money for a local charity

But where does the Survivor aspect come in?

No, we don't have to scavenge off the land (or at least not since a real grocery store opened in Portsmouth). 

Clare, me & Megan - SO excited for a Real grocery store

But I'm sad to say that the matriculation rate for Ross is rumored to be around 33%. That means that 1 out of every 3 students who start at Ross will not graduate. The good news for us is that most of those students are voted off asked to leave during their first two years. Now that Chris has passed the Comp we are on the upside of things. 

{Now, on to the drama!}

The Real Housewives of Dominica

Although it varies from semester to semester, there are generally 40 to 60 "spouses" (wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.) of students on the island. About half of them are 20-something women who don't have children yet. As with any time you put a group of 20-something women together, you know there is going to be some drama. 

Now picture those women trapped on a small, humid, island.

Thus, The Real Housewives. I think the drama arises from a combination of boredom, different personalities and living in a college-town environment. Without much else to do, girls will talk behind each other's backs and argue over petty things. But don't get me wrong, we have lots of fun together too.

What I've noticed is, that back in the states you have your close friends (best buddies from college or high school) and then you have your acquaintance friends (from work, activities, etc.). Your friends from work or other places don't expect to be invited to every backyard bbq you have and they certainly don't mind if you go to the beach with your best friends on Saturday or have them over for dinner.

That acquaintance level of friendship is missing on the island.

Among the spouses without children, there seems to be this assumption that we are all supposed to be best friends because there are so few of us. But that just doesn't work. People have different personalities, are different ages, and simply get along with some people better than others. That's how the world works! 

All this to say, it's been quite the ride learning to navigate the social climate here. I'm so thankful to have found a few friends along the way who I've really bonded with, and I'll miss so much when I'm gone. 

4 Week Countdown

Exactly 4 weeks from today, we will be boarding a plane back to California. It will be 8 months since I've been in the states last, and 2 years since we moved to Dominica.

I'd like to say how excited I am, but the truth is that I'm a mixed bag of emotions. I'm looking forward to going to Target & Starbucks, but I know that we will have a very tight budget. I'm glad to see my family & friends stateside again but I'm sad to leave my friends here who have become a family. 

This blog is called Priceless Adventure for a reason: we never know what is going to happen next. Will I get a job? Will we be able to stay in CA for rotations? For the Price's it's one day at a time on this Adventure.

Going Back to Cali Sale

Let's talk about a little oddity here on the island. The 4th semester sale - or 5th semester in our case. (Confused? Check out the semester flowchart.) We are moving back to America in t-minus 7 weeks & have a lot of stuff that we just can't take back with us within our 70 pounds (each) luggage
allowance. 70 pounds go much more quickly than you think!

I've been photographing all the things we aren't taking back so that I can try to sell them on Facebook. Weird, right? But American products, even used, are a big deal here because it's hard to ship them over. We've accumulated a lot of stuff in our two years here that I need to sell.

So what exactly is it that I'm selling? A whole lot of random crap. When we moved here we did not ship barrels of things like a lot of people do. I will be giving away my used clothing & shoes, but will try to sell things like pots & pans, kitchen utensils, shelves, school supplies, extra beauty products, and anything else that we bought here. 

After figuring out how easy it is to make a Facebook page, I decided to create one just for my sale. That way I can interact with "buyers" that I may not know (students or locals) without actually having to be their FB friend on my personal account. And don't worry, the irony of selling items on Facebook in a developing county is not lost on me. 

Gone Shopping!

Today is my shopping day! No Ladies, we don't have Target or Whole Foods here, but we do have a Sav-a-Lot and Astaphans. Never heard of these? Me either till I came to Dominica.

Today I will go forage in the capital city for groceries. Before you knew me, I wrote a post on the Anatomy of a Shopping Trip. <---- Go check it out, I promise it will make you thankful!

p.s. Is anyone else as terrified of this as I am?

Thank you to Lindsey from Trial by Sapphire for the "Before you Knew Me" post idea!

Thankful Thursday Post

It's been a sad week. My good friend Tarah moved back to the states yesterday and I'm realizing our time here is almost through. I've felt for a while now that Dominica is home, and it's going to be hard to leave. I've often heard that the best way to get through a rough day is by thinking of all the things you are thankful for.

1. Imported Starbucks coffee. By imported I mean C²W bought me 3 pounds of Starbucks in the states & imported it in their suitcases for me.

2. I have awesome friends here on the island, back in California, and across the oceans in Korea. They keep me sane & grounded while reminding me there is life beyond med-school.

3. We are officially in 5th semester of med-school! {Do you like the use of "we"? I may not be the one studying, but it's still my life!}

4. Adam Cat. My little buddy basically sleeps near me all day, wherever I am. Whether it's on my desk, under my feet, or in the window sill behind me. He keeps me company during the day.

5. The Internet & Bloggers. Seriously, without the blogging world I would be much lonelier. I love that even though I live on an island of only 70k people, I have been able to make friends from around the world. You guys make me happy! I have so much fun writing & designing posts {not to mention my awesome job designing blogs.}

What are You thankful for this Thursday?

Linking up with Cami from First Day of My Life on this Thankful Thursday.

Da Party Bus Experience

The day we arrived in St. Maarten, after hitting up the pool for a little tanning, lunch & drinks, we got gussied up for the main event: Da Party Bus. {Pronounced "DUH PARTY BUS."}

Essentially a school bus turned nightclub/bar/partybus, Da Party Bus was perfect for one last party before the wedding! The seats were removed in favor of lounge style benches down the sides to provide adequate space for dancing and/or use of the bright yellow stripper pole.

First stop on Da Party Bus was the airport to pick up some late arrivers. The bus driver also managed to side-swipe a car at the airport. What was surprising was when the party hosts jumped out the back with a release form on a clipboard. I guess this happens frequently when you drive a massive bus?

After picking up the last two at the airport we headed for the infamous Sunset Beach where commercial planes fly incredibly close to the ground to land. The beach area is not blocked, so you can stand underneath as planes land or take off.

What no one told me beforehand is how painful it can be to have hot sand blown on you at incredible speeds due to the exhaust of the plane. Our dear friend, the bride, was actually knocked over by the blast.

I read this sign AFTER standing on the beach as a plane departed. People actually die there every year. How this place is still open to the public is still beyond me. Must be the fact that it draws so many tourists. Stupid {drunk} tourists, like us.

From here, we went to an awesome rooftop Sky Bar complete with white sand and firepits. Sorry to disappoint but I didn't get any more photos. Most of these were taken with my iPhone because my dSLR was not going anywhere near Da Party Bus. Not when it had this warning on the front.

But I promise, we had an awesome night on Da Party Bus! Thank you Kristen!!

It's a Vacation - Unplug!

I am getting so excited for my trip to St. Maarten! Tonight I'm spending the night at Mary's house because we have to catch a bus really early tomorrow morning. The bonus is that it will feel like I'm extending my vacation an extra day!

Maybe we will get lucky & catch this bus again:

Is it totally lame that I want to bring my laptop (aka Big Mac, Mac Daddy, the Precious)? Yes, I fear it is. Would you like to hear the 'excuses' I'm telling myself for why I need to bring it?

• What if one of my lovely clients has a design problem, that can't wait till next Monday?
• What if I have a stroke of genius & need to type or Photoshop it? 
• But I can't just not answer my email.
• It will be useful, we can watch movies on it at night.

I think it's partly guilt over taking a vacation and partly separation anxiety. I should leave work & the laptop behind, right? If I really need the internet, I will have Paddy with me (yes, my iPad has a name too.) The funny thing, is this wasn't even a Question until I saw this video on Katelyn's blog today. Not a question, as in of course my laptop is coming.

Hi, my name is Katie and I might be addicted to my computer/the internets.

Do you have problems unplugging? or is it just me...

Journey Forward ∴ 10 - Getting Real about Worry

If there were ever a day where I need to RELAX, today is that day. Today, Chris takes his 4th semester final exam. Today, he determines if we get to move on to the second half of medical school. Today, I feel sick to my stomach with worry. I know that I have to think positive about it, but my stomach doesn't lie. I am nervous.

The biggest obstacle to me becoming a more relaxed person is: I have trouble letting go of things I can't control. It's a mindset that I wish I didn't have. In situations where there is nothing I can physically do, my brain turns to worry.

by Cory Say via Behance

I'm a nervous wreck today, guys. Since I'm having trouble thinking positive thoughts and prayers, would you mind sending a few out for us?

1  ∴  2  ∴  3 ∴  4 ∴  5 ∴ 6 ∴ 7 ∴ 8 ∴ 9

Dreaming of St. Maarten

In 10 days I will be packing up to go to St. Maarten! I am so stinking excited about this. This will be my first official "island hop" vacation, my first girls trip abroad, and my first real vacation since Christmas of 2009. I wish we were going tomorrow!

Here are some reasons why I'm stoked for this trip:

• watching The Hunger Games {they have movie theaters there!}
• shopping at a mall 
• attending Kristen's wedding
• good food
• swim-up bar
• white sand

I'm really proud of myself for earning the money for this trip through my design business. I can't think of a better way to reward myself for the hard work. Because whats the point of working if you don't get to spend some of your earnings on something nice for yourself?

And don't worry, I have some awesome guest posts lined up for you while I'm gone. Until then, I'm dreaming of St. Maarten.

Pirates of Caribbean!

Dominica has one claim to fame, can you guess what it is?! Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl was filmed here. The cast & crew stayed in Portsmouth (where we live) for part of the filming. According to rumor, they stayed in the Portsmouth Beach Cottages, and you can stay in a "Johnny Depp" or "Orlando bloom" cottage if you come to visit.

To celebrate my good friend Kristen's birthday this weekend, we decided to take a trip up the Indian River where a part of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. Somehow I had never gone on the river tour, even though I pass by it all the time! I even pulled out the good ole DSLR for the trip.

To satisfy your curiosity, I've put together a few comparison images for your enjoyment.

I love these silly girls. One of my biggest worries when we moved to Dominica was that I would be lonely. Just the opposite has happened! The med-school spouse community was so warm and welcoming. There is something about being stuck on an small island with similar daily annoyances that really brings people together. {Survivor was lying: there's no voting anyone off!}

Interested in seeing more? Clare has more pictures from our adventure on her blog, take a peek!