Emerald Pool & Spanny's Falls

Though we may live amongst the cows and sheep, I doubt that's why Dominica boasts itself as "The Nature Isle." So, this past Monday I joined a group of 8 other spouses and we went off to explore the island. We were headed off to Emerald Pool, one of the most popular tourist sites on the island, with our trusty driver and guide, Theo.

First off, the ride to Emerald Pool is a good hour and a half away (and for those of you who know my tendency to get car sick, I'm sure you can feel for me. Thankfully, I didn't feel sick the whole trip!) Along the way, Theo stopped for us to take pictures, as well as to grab us some bay leaves, cinnamon, and even some leaves to help with allergies and asthma. Here are some pictures from our spontaneous stops (though they are pretty, I have no idea where exactly we were on the island!):

So after a few stops for photo shoots, we went through Carib Territory. The Caribs were the first inhabitants on the island. Mostly, they're known for their woven baskets, so a lot of women of the trip were excited to check them out and even get a start on Christmas shopping. When I told Kyle we'd be stopping there, he said, "Andrea, do we seriously need any baskets? Does anyone we know need a basket?" Haha needless to say, I didn't get any baskets that day, or take any pictures there! But the baskets were really unique, and there was a picnic basket I liked, but the "voice of reason - aka Kyle" popped in my head. :) If you seriously do want a basket for Christmas, you just let me know!

Next, we hopped back on the bus and kept on trucking to Emerald Pool. After a quick lunch on the bus, we finally made it! So with Theo leading the way, we were off!

If you look closely in the picture above, you can actually see that the waterfall is actually off in the distance behind Ashley and I. And I promise we didn't go hiking at night - I don't know why the picture turned out so dark!

It was about a 15 minute walk to get to the Emerald Pool, and it was pretty easy! It was neat to look around and just realize, "Wow, we are definitely in the jungle." When we finally got closer, it was awesome! There is a waterfall that ends in Emerald Pool, named that because the water has a green tint to it. The area is surrounded by rocks, so it was a little tricky to navigate around (I thought for sure I was going to wipe out!) A few people in the group jumped into the water, and I was brave enough to stand in it for a picture - it was freezing cold, but well worth it!

While we were at the pool, one of the girls with us actually passed out and fell on the rocks, which was a little scary. After a little recovery time, she was OK and we were off! We hiked back up to the welcome center where some people had some souvenir shacks set up. Though I thought I'd find nothing there, but I was surprised. Kyle and I decided every country we visit, we want to find something that we could make into a Christmas ornament. So I found a wood key chain with the Dominican flag painted on there - it will be perfect whenever we have our first Christmas tree together!

So we all hopped into Theo's van, and we were off! Our next stop was Spanny's Falls. We found out it was named that simply because the people who owned the land and small store nearby have the last name Spanny. The hike to this waterfall was a little more interesting because the path started off almost like a swamp because of all the rain we've had down here. The walk wouldn't have been complete without walking by a pigsty that smelled just wonderful. Once we got into the jungle, it was awesome! We were surrounded by rock walls covered in moss, and water was flowing down. The path we were walking on got pretty step and running water flowed down, leading us to the falls. This waterfall was bigger than the one at Emerald Pool, and the water was even colder. Once again, I only stayed in the water long enough to take pictures!

After that, and about another hour and 15 minute bus ride (which I actually slept most of the way!), we were back home!

And where is Kyle this whole time you ask? Studying, of course! :) Mini 2 is this Tuesday, November 6th so he's kicked it in to high gear. He's feeling pretty prepared and at peace about it, not really nervous, so that's been great!! We'd love it if you could keep him and his studies in your prayers!

That's it for now, but get ready for a post-mini update next week! Love and miss you all!

Kyle & Andrea

Hello long lost friends and family!!! Yes, we are still alive despite the lack of updating on this site. I know it's been awhile since we updated you last, and a lot has happened, so this may be a long one! Hope you all enjoy hearing about our lives (we would LOVE to hear about yours, too - please leave comments and send emails! They would make our day!)

First off, on October 8, Kyle took his first Mini, which is an exam that includes material from all the classes he's been taking. He was a little nervous before he took it, because having me down here, his study habits have changed a little bit! But trust me, he still spent plenty of time at the Annex studying, as well as time at home hanging out with me.

So the morning of the Mini comes and I wanted to give him a little encouragement, so we had a special "mini" breakfast. I found a recipe for baked eggs and toast, and despite it being a recipe for kids, it was great!! Also, when I was in Dominica last spring break, Kyle had one of his minis then as well. To help him out, I wrote out Bible verses and posted them all over his little cottage, and he loved it! So instead, for this mini I took the top of a pineapple, and it became "the pineapple of encouragement." I wrote out some verses and put it on the pineapple, and it was the perfect centerpiece. (I mean, you've got to get creative down here - I like to think Martha Stewart would be impressed by my creativity!)

I'm sure the pineapple, or the kids breakfast, or maybe all those study breaks to spend some quality time together all helped... but we both know God totally gave Kyle the wisdom to do AMAZING on his mini!!! This was one of his best ones yet! So no more worries about having me here and balancing studying and being at home (though Kyle has also used that an excuse to watch a Vikings or Cubs game instead of studying...) I'm just so proud of him, for how he studies and knows that without God providing him with that wisdom, no way he would be doing this well, and one day be an amazing doctor!

So finally I got my husband back!!! We celebrated in two ways. First we went the the "winter beach bash." (You would think it would be the fall beach bash, but who knows. Either way, it still feels like summer to me!) The Ross Student Government Association hosts it, and hands out free t-shirts and food, and for a few brief hours, the students have absolutely nothing to worry about, but instead can just relax on the beach. And you would think they would take advantage of that, and let loose and not even think or talk about school... but oh no. For a good three hours, the mini is ALL they talked about. "Man, what'd you put for that one about the ______ ??" (insert something Andrea has no idea about, let alone can't even pronounce). I think I went on autopilot for awhile and pretended like I had a clue of what they were talking about, but since 1st semester, it's been a tradition for Kyle and his friends to discuss almost every question after the Mini. I mean, they even remember the question numbers (there were 151 mind you) and sometimes each option for the question (and it might be options a,b,c,d, or e!). They actually enjoy that and look forward to it after every test! Kyle might be a little crazy, but that's why I love him.

The second way we celebrated post-mini was by taking the whole next weekend off and spending almost a full 48-hours straight together. Kyle knows how much I love surprises, and how much I want to go explore the island with him, so he planned the day and I just went along! We got on a bus with some of his friends, and we headed to Rosseau, about an hour away from home. His friends were staying at Ft. Young hotel, one of the nicest on the island, so we ate breakfast with them. We walked around and explored the city a little bit, which along the way, someone slipped and asked Kyle when we were going to Scott's Head. (which the surprise wasn't really ruined, because I had no idea where or what that was!) As we were walking, a Dominican man just happened to yell across the street at us "Do you want to go to Scott's Head?" And we said, yeah actually we do! We hadn't planned a way to get there, so it worked out perfectly!

After about a 30 minute ride, I found out Scott's Head is the southern-most point on the island, and it is also where you can see both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean - each on opposite sides of the narrow peninsula. Kyle had been once before when he first moved to Dominica, but he surprised me again by bringing the snorkeling gear he got me as a wedding present. I had never been, but apparently Dominica is a great place to snorkel, as well as scuba dive. So we just hopped right into the water from the coast and went for it. I loved it!! It was amazing how clear everything looked, though it did take me awhile to get the breathing down so I wouldn't fog up my mask! We saw a lot - a puffer fish, something that looked like an underwater caterpillar (which we later found out are very dangerous!), parrot fish (named that because of their bright blue and red coloring), an eel, and then our favorite - a trumpet fish! It is very long and flat, but it has a mouth that almost looks like the nose of an anteater! We figured out all these names after we talked to our new Dominican friend Trevor, who was sitting by our bags. He was very friendly, but that may or may not be because he was taking part in a little recreational drug use... But all in all, we had such a great time, not only seeing the island, but also just sneaking in a little quality time together!

And I'm happy we did, because about a week later, I got a call asking if I would sub at the Ross Day Care! I was really excited because my days we're starting to get a little longer and I was trying to find things to fill my day. So not only would this fill my day, but I get paid for it too! (even if it is less than half of what minimum wage is in the U.S. - it was something!) So for about two weeks, I subbed 4 days a week from 9 - 5. I got to spend time with about 25 kids ranging from less than a year old up to five years old, as well as work aside 5 other employees, who all happened to be Dominican. I was a little intimidated the first day because I was thrown into the room with all 25 kids, about half of them screaming, or kicking, or biting, and then the other half all had colds and were in desperate need of a tissue! On top of that, it took awhile for me to understand what the people who worked at the day care were saying - I think half the time they were speaking Creole!

After a few days (I know - who am I to complain after just a few days of work!) the excitement of working kind of wore off, and I was looking forward to getting my days of having nothing to do back. (When just a few weeks before I was praying for a job or something to do on the island!) God really brought that to my attention when I was having a quiet time and read Matthew 18:5 - "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." That totally changed my perspective - and for the last few days I loved going in there and playing with those kids (and even wiping their noses and breaking up some serious fights over legos). It was great to get to learn all of their names and personalities, and I found that it made my day when one of the kids ran up to me just to give me a hug!

So even though my subbing time is over, I still get to work with children. Every Thursday I go to Savanne Paille, a local Dominican school and tutor two children in reading. Their names are Aailiyah and Dervon, and they are in kindergarten/first grade. I went into teacher mode and made ABC flashcards, tracing worksheets and Alphabet Bingo right next to Kyle as he studied in the Annex. Though they are behind what US standards would be for education, they really seem to like our times together, and hopefully they're picking it up along the way. Right now, they can say their ABCs but have a little trouble identifying individual letters, so that's were the Bingo and flashcards come in handy. If any parents or teachers have tips, please send them my way!

And of course I'm still on my baking and cooking kick... I made chicken pot pie a few weeks ago, all from scratch! (Thanks Ashley for the recipe!). And I found a great recipe for Amish White Bread, so Kyle thinks I'm crazy, but I'll probably make 2 loaves a week so we can have sandwiches and toast.... I figure if I can cook here, hopefully it will be a breeze once we get back in the States!

As for Kyle, he's back to studying, as the next mini is coming up November 6 (Time is flying down here!) Also, his football team "The Thundercats" still remain undefeated, and they just beat first semester for the second time this past Thursday. Kyle started off not wearing his wedding ring during games, but after a few games of feeling "off," he wore it and bam, problem solved! He was back at it, playing well and scoring touchdowns! Some people on his team commented that they were a little worried and thought they "lost" him after we got married!

And just today, Kyle gave the sermon at RCF and God definitely used him and spoke through him. He did such a great job preparing, making sure he was prayerful about each word. Even the way he talked up there was completely different, it was like he was talking personally to each person. The subject of his talk was trusting and relying on God during trials, despite the outcome.... and can you guess what he used to relate that to our lives? Our wedding day, of course! It was so good to look back at the day, now with a totally different perspective. Kyle and I were adamant about keeping that reception outdoors, because we knew we were going through a trial, and thought that if we simply believed God was in control, he would take care of the weather. The whole day we thought that, and then the tornadoes came... and we started to question if we knew what God really wanted for our day. Though we did trust God, we had a certain outcome in mind, but God had other plans. And personally, we think our day turned out beautiful, even with what we thought at the time were flaws.

But back to the sermon... it was great that God used that day in Kyle's talk - I think it really helped people realize that no matter what the trial - tornadoes or med school - we simply have to trust God's perfection, despite the outcome!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this novel of the past few weeks of our lives (And thank you for reading all the way until the end!) Kyle's locked up in the bedroom studying, but I'm sure he'll be out soon - the Vikings are on soon :)

I promise (and I mean it) that I am going to try to get better at updating this on a weekly or every two-week basis! We really do want to keep in touch with each of you, so please be sure to email and updates us as well!!

Love you all!

Andrea & Kyle