More Visitors!

I can't tell you how much we love visitors! It's so great for others to get to see where we live and what our life is like down here. So you can imagine how excited I was when my grandparents and their friends booked a cruise that stopped in Dominica. FYI- they book this cruise just months after we got engaged and knew we would both be down here after we got married. We've been anxiously awaiting their arrival ever since! :)

We had such a great time when Mamaw, Pampaw, and their friends Bob and Elaine finally got here. It was just so surreal seeing my Pampaw standing in the middle of the road in Roseau! The first place we stopped was actually the most American place on the island - Rituals, a coffee shop very similar to Starbucks. We wandered around and showed them the nicest hotel on the island, Ft. Young, we stopped so I could do a little grocery shopping, and even stopped at the open market and drank some coconut water straight from the coconut with straws!

Mamaw, Kyle, Me and Pampaw in Roseau just steps away from where the ship docked. (We really wanted to hop on their ship with them - it looked amazing!)

Soon, our driver Renz was there to pick us up, and we took the one hour transport ride to our side of the island. They got the tour of our apartment and then we walked around campus. Then we headed to PBH, a restaurant right on the beach which is absolutely gorgeous.

We had such a blast with them, and the time passed way too fast. And we definitely loved the hugs every few minutes from Mamaw. Their visit made us feel just a little closer to home. :)

Tom's Visit: River Tubing

Sorry for the unexpected interruption to the blog with our "Dominica vs. Michigan" decision & Kyle's injury! He is doing so much better, though not back up to 100%. The whole thing has been just a big pain in the neck for him - literally! But now we can get back on track - and sorry for the delay in telling you about some of these things that may have happened weeks ago.

So, trekking down the side of a cliff to get to a waterfall that fell onto the beach of the Atlantic Ocean wasn't the only thing we did when Tom came to visit! On Saturday, we took him to go river tubing. As some of you may remember, Kyle actually planned this trip as part of my Valentine's Day present, so I was very excited. About 15 of us grabbed our safety helmets and life jackets (completely unnecessary and smelly) and tubed down the longest river in Dominica. Some parts were rough but most of the time it was smooth sailing as we kicked up our feet and floated along!

Kyle helping Sean out... We joked because Kyle put about the whole bottle of sunscreen on his back. He really didn't want him to get burnt!

And we're off! (That's me in the middle!)

One!

Two! ( A little blurry...)

All Three of Us! (I tried to sneak in!)

Part of the group, taking a break to swim in the freezing cold water!

Kyle paddling through beautiful Dominica!

Time to head home!!

And of course, we couldn't let him leave without spending a day at the beach close to our apartment. I came a little later, and found Kyle and Tom marking crab holes with sticks and launching rocks at them when they decided to pop out. Boys will always be boys, no matter how old...

Their new friends, the crab & starfish.

Tom relaxing in paradise...

Our Beautiful Home!

One Crazy Weekend...

As some of you may have heard (thanks to the mass-emails and phone calls sent out by our parents, we had quite the eventful time this past weekend. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, because they definitely worked! Kyle's back to about 75% (He loves updating me with percetages every day). But for those of you who don't know what happened, let me fill you in...

Last Friday Kyle had a football game, and it was the start of the "play-offs" down here. The games are normally pretty intense, with arguing and fights breaking out every 2 minutes. This one was actually pretty tame and Kyle was having a great game so far. Well, that was until he dove into the in zone on his left shoulder and a guy from the other team jumped directly on his right shoulder. When it happened, he was just laying on the ground, and I don't think I've ever seen him get seriously hurt in football, so I' freaking out a little but figured he just needed a second to get up. The EMT guys run over there, and at this point I'm thinking do I go out there, or do i just stand here. I didn't know what to do!

So finally they help him up and I could tell something was definitely wrong as they walked him off the field. So I run over to the picnic table they sat him down at and the first thing they he says to me is "I think I broke my collarbone." Which I had no idea how serious/painful that was but I knew it sounded pretty bad, and he looked like he was in so much pain. So the EMT guys take us over to the health center and they get him laid down on a stretcher. They decided he would probably need an x-ray to see if it was really broken. There is a hospital in Portsmouth (15 min away) but their x-ray machine is down. There is the main hospital in Roseau (1 hour away) but apparently it's not like hospitals in the US where doctors are just waiting around. You have to have another doctor call ahead to let them know we're coming. We'll the problem was that the 2 doctors who run the health center had just left the island and were on an airplane and couldn't be reached. So we sat in this little room at the health center for probably an hour before they finally got a hold of the hospital and the ambulance came. And when I say ambulance, picture a van with two benches in the back and a red light flashing on top...

The ride was definitely an experience. I was so worried for Kyle because his shoulder and his neck hurt so bad, we're flying down he roads hitting so many potholes while he is basically laying on one of the benches with no seat belts. There was also another kid with us who got hit in the mouth during the game and needed an x-ray too. We all joked that if they were in more critical condition, honestly they probably would have been long gone before they ever made it to the hospital.... So we finally get to Princess Margaret Hospital (which is actually where Kyle will be going next semester), and they take us into this small "dressing room." This room looked like it was out of some scary movie (and it didn't help that it was about 10pm). The nurse comes in and confirms Kyle needs and x-ray but tells the other kid who got hit in the mouth all he needs it to just soak his mouth with salt water and his teeth will probably fall out (you should have seen his face when they said that!) We found out that they had to call the x-ray technician in, so we waited around for another 45 min until he got there. And this whole time, all Kyle has had is 2 Tylenol... and he couldn't even sit up or lay down on his own, or really move his neck. I'm sure if we were in the US the first thing they would have done would be to give him drugs to take away the pain.

So we get the x-ray, and then have to wait for the doctor to get there. That took about another 30 min. We go into the room where she is, and she asks Kyle's name, put his x-ray up on the light board, and says "What semester are you?" and he replies "4th." So she tells him, "Oh well then you tell me what this looks like?" I almost laughed out loud, but she was completely serious (AND she looked like she was about 16 years old!!). So Kyle tells her it looks like it isn't broken and she just goes "Yeah, so just take ibuprofen every 4 hours to help with the muscle soreness," and then just moves on to the other guy! So finally Kyle says, "Um well what do you think is actually wrong with me?" and she told him just muscle soreness... I mean she never even examined him, and she had no idea how much pain he was in (He said it was about an 8/10, which I'm sure would be a 15/10 on my scale!). So I asked if there was anything stronger she could give him to help with the pain. She offered an injection - which this big Dominican nurse had to give him in his "backside" which was funny - but it really wasn't any different than taking Tylenol.

Finally we got to leave and came home at about 12, ate a dinner of scrambled eggs, took about 30 minutes to get just his shirts off (he was still in his dirty football clothes) and then we did a little research on Web Md. The symptoms and pain he had matched up pretty well with a dislocated collarbone, and the treatment is the same as if it were broken - you just keep it is a sling and limit movement. Thankfully, he was able to sleep that night but the only bad thing was that the 4th semester banquet was the night after this all happened. It's a little celebration with dinner, dancing, slide show, etc to celebrate your last semester (well for those who don't stay for 5th) on the island. So all day Saturday I was trying to get a hold of someone who had stronger drugs and a better sling since they just tied a piece of cloth around him to keep his arm and shoulder in place. Finally I found one of Kyle's friends who had medicine that might help and I tracked down an EMT to get me a real sling. I felt like I walked all over campus that day, and I even managed to make two loaves of bread :) So he took the medicine and slept most of the day, and something must of worked because he said he was feeling well enough to go to the banquet! It was quite the adventure getting him dressed, and getting a tie on and everything. I was worried about the 45 min bus ride we had to take to get to the banquet, but we made it and though there were a few times he was really in pain, most of the night he was fine! He even surprised me because he was asked to give the "Spouse Appreciation" speech. And then he even felt well-enough to dance a little bit.

So of course we got home late, but he was such a trooper that the next day he even spoke at the RCF Sunrise Service for Easter at 6am! It was held out on the beach, which was so pretty but I could tell it hurt him a lot to even talk that much, but he made it through:) We came back and he went right back to bed, but we were invited to someones house for Easter brunch, and I hadn't made anything yet AND our apartment was a complete disaster. So I started cooking and cleaning, and before I knew it, it was time to go. The brunch was a lot of fun. There were about 12 of our friends there and we all just brought food. But once we got home I was exhausted and so we just napped.

The adorable John Walker Wade at the sunrise service

The adorable Kyle Morgan speaking :)

Easter Brunch with friends at Bella, Julianna, & Angie's

I told Kyle it was actually nice that he got hurt because he got to stay home with me all weekend:) He's a lot better now but still in pain and taking medicine. He hasn't been wearing the sling, and hasn't had to miss any class. And today, he's going back to the hospital, which they do 2 times as 4th semester for somewhat of a "mini-rotation day." So, at least if he's feeling bad today, he will already be at the hospital!

Like I said in the beginning of the post, THANK YOU to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, visits, medicine, and even for making us dinner! Kyle said that he just felt so loved as each person showed how much they cared and how concerned they were. Most of the football team came to visit him in the EMT room, and so many friends stopped by as well. I felt like I was manning the phones all night as the calls and text messages rolled in. We appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for making us feel so loved!

Big News...

Some of you may have received Kyle's "Flash Update" e-mail, but for those who didn't, we wanted to share some big news with you. And as Kyle said in his message, no I'm not pregnant :)

I actually laughed when I looked at the prayer requests I put up just this past weekend - especially the one about 5th semester. I can't tell you how excited we were that it was time to apply to Michigan, and that finally, we were almost done with this semester and done living on the island! But the point of the prayer request was for discernment not to be accepted into the program, and that even if we were accepted to Michigan, we wouldn't say "yes" until we thoughtfully and prayerfully considered it, and also considered our other locations... OK... I'm laughing again.... (I included Dominica and Miami in there, but I still thought, why am I even writing these? Funny how God works...)

Well, for those who prayed, it worked. On Monday, I just started to feel like maybe we should rethink this whole 5th semester in Michigan. I have no idea where this came from, because even when friends (especially Ashley!) joked around about us staying here, I brushed it aside, thinking no way, we're going to Michigan. Well, at dinner that night Kyle and I talked about if going to Michigan or staying in Dominica would be best. Now, I know some may think that "feelings" aren't much to make a decision on, but as we started to look at the pros and cons, it all started to make sense. Here are some of our thoughts:

- Pros for Michigan: It's a smaller program, closer to both of our families. Though the job market isn't great there, I could have some kind of job or start looking into going back to school. There is the potential to start a 2-year rotation program there in September, so it wouldn't be bad to get to know the facility and doctors if we did end up there. The luxuries of the good ol' U. S. of A. wouldn't hurt either. :)

-Cons for Michigan: We would have to move, and take on all the responsibilities that come along with that, in about a month time-period. And, more than likely, we would only be living there for 3-4 months. Before the semester started, Kyle would have to study for his Comp (a test you have to pass before taking the Step 1 at the end of 5th), right in the middle of us moving and getting settled in. The program in Michigan is very different than what we expected, because it provides minimal time shadowing doctors in the hospital and more class time.

-Pros for Dominica: Dominica has slowly become home to the two of us - we have friends here, our church (RCF), and I even co-own a business! We have our apartment here, and cost of living is less than the US. There are less distractions for Kyle, so more time to study. The program is highly recommended for its emphasis on hands-on participation (which would probably not be allowed in the US), as well as ample time to study for the Step. Also, a majority of Kyle's friends will be staying here. And we didn't even have plane tickets home :)

-Cons for Dominica: We're pretty set to go home, though we don't really feel like we're sick of the island. We had spread the word to friends and family we would be in the US as of April, and letting go of that would be a little hard. Kyle doesn't have study materials for the Step, so somehow we would have to get those here, as well as more dress shirts and ties since Kyle will be dressing up almost every day. It's as hot as ever during the "summer" months and the hospital isn't air conditioned. Kyle would also have to commute 1 hour each way to Roseau, 4 times a week. Though this is of least importance, I was really looking forward to getting some new summer clothes, since I often pick up a shirt in the morning, and ask, "Did I wear this yesterday?," and decide to wear it, when in fact, I did wear it the day before. But, oh well mon, that's island life.

So I bring up all those facts because as Kyle had his quiet time Tuesday morning, the messages he got from the passages he read were to make sure you have all the information, and also to not be prideful. Well, we gathered up the facts but soon realized maybe the second part was a little true. See, when the Michigan site opened up for fifth semester, there was a buzz all around campus (gossip here is worse than in high school, trust me). Soon everyone was talking about it, and we soon found out that acceptance would be based on GPA and only a limited number of people would be accepted. God has blessed Kyle with the wisdom to have an awesome GPA, so we were excited Michigan was a potential for us. Well, soon people started to ask if we were headed to Miami, and when I replied, no we're planning on applying to Michigan, I was a little prideful. By saying that, I knew it said Kyle was doing well in school and we were able to go to Michigan when a lot of people couldn't. We really didn't even know much about the Saginaw program (Well, no one did because it is a pilot program this semester) but we were convinced because we were able to get in, and it was close to home, it was the best option....

Well that's where God used your prayers to open our eyes. We hadn't even considered Dominica. And as we did, the more appealing it came to be. Well, we talked about it Tuesday and then Wednesday we wake up and Kyle gets the email: Congratulations! You've been accepted into the Saginaw AICM Program!... and at the bottom it said we had to decide by midnight THAT NIGHT if we would like to accept. SO, basically, we're freaking out a little bit. We had to decide in less than 24 hours, AND the application for staying in Dominica is due this Friday.

So we spent the day praying, and talking to wise counsel... I tried to keep my mind off of it for a bit by baking bread, but I still thought about it. I was hoping by the time Kyle walked in that night, he would have just decided. Well, I laughed when I opened the door, and he walked in, and the first words out of his mouth were, " So where are we going?"

We talked one last time, and we knew we had to decide soon and let the people in Michigan know either yes or no... and as we talked, we both knew our decision before we said it:

We'll be in Dominica next semester!!!

If you would have told us that last semester, we would have said you you were crazy. But God often works in ways we would never predict, and also for our own good, though we might not initially see it that way. Yes, we'll definitely miss all of you back home until we come back in mid-August, but we know this is where we should be. And Ashley is pretty excited too, since from the beginning of the semester, she's asked Kyle to do "just this one little favor" and stay here for fifth. She said she's been praying for the past 4 months. Well, I guess it worked!

And anyway, we still need to work on our tans before we leave... :)

Tom's Visit: Aba Wavine Cyrique

We had a visitor on our little island of Dominica! Kyle's friends from high school, Tom, came to visit and we had a blast showing the island off to him. I should have kept count, but so many times Tom would just stop, look around, and say, "I can't believe you guys actually live here!" Since Tom lives in New York City, Dominica was a nice, relaxing substitute to all the noise and buildings in the city!

I went to get Tom from the airport, as well as our friend's husband who was coming in for the weekend. I was so nervous, because knowing how carsick I get, and how awful the ride is to and from the airport, I warned Tom that I didn't know what kind of condition I would be in. It turned our great - even after being in the transport for 2 hours, I didn't feel the least bit carsick!

Tom warned us he would be taking a lot of pictures, so all the pictures I post on here are probably his. He even took pictures of the plane landing - which is an adventure in itself since it looks like you're flying over Jurassic Park, and the runway dead ends right into the ocean...

So, the first night Tom was here we gave him a quick tour of campus before it got dark, and then headed for Dominica's finest: Perky's Pizza. We had to get to bed somewhat early, because on Friday we went to Aba Wavine Cyrique, which is a waterfall that lands right on the beach on the Atlantic side of the ocean. To get to it, you have to scale down the side of the cliff using some ropes and tree branches & roots are your guide - no harnesses! I was told if you were at all afraid of heights, you probably shouldn't go. Well, truth is, I am very afraid of heights at times. But thank goodness, I was fine the whole trip and we were all pretty excited we made it down!

We went with a total of about 14 people, so it took us awhile to get down the whole way. We started off walking for about 15 minutes on a path carved out by steps made out of tree trunks. Our legs were shaking by the time we got done with all of the steps, and we hadn't even done a majority of the descent down!




The path down started with a rope tied around a tree, and you pretty much grabbed on tight and started going down backward.... So if you let go, you were a goner. For some reason the song "Free Falling" by Tom Petty kept playing in my head...

There were about 5 "rope sections" of the hike, where you were pretty much vertical going down. And when the rope wasn't there, we were surrounding by plenty of huge tree roots and plants to grab onto. Completely safe, people... I mean, we did have a tour guide named Theo. Now the fact that we only saw him for about 3 minutes as the three of us were going down may make a difference.

It was really neat, because the further we climbed down, the more of the ocean we could see. It was such a gorgeous day and the water was a beautiful blue. The view of the water was definitely worth all the work climbing down!

Finally we made it down to the beach! Our guide cracked open a coconut, so we feasted on that as we took our final trek across the rocks to get closer to the waterfall.

The waves were HUGE, and as you can tell by the picture below, one ended up getting the best of me... was soaked! But it was worth it! Normally you'd be able to go right up to the waterfall, but because the waves were so high, you'd have to risk it and swim through the rough waters. Well, Kyle and Tom took the challenge and swam over to a rock right under the waterfall!

We got to swim in the water for about 45 minutes and then we decided to head back up. The climb up took almost half as long, and we were all amazed that we were back to the top in no time! This was definitely one of our favorite things we've done in Dominica so far!