This term has been so unbelievably busy; but it is going so fast! I can't believe that we are almost to midterms. I also can't believe that at the end of this term I will have been here for a year and a half! Time is flying. It's strange because I drive around and go to school and I don't think that it feels weird anymore. It's not really "home" like being at home is, but I live here and I feel at peace with that. However, it's sometimes surreal when I step back, look around and think, "Wow. I live in Grenada. I don't live in the US. I am going to vet school in the Caribbean." It sometimes doesn't hit my how strange of an experience I'm getting. I was thinking back at some of my first weeks down here and boy was I miserable! But this island has grown on me and I have wonderful friends and experiences to thank for that. Not to mention that Nick and Maverick being down here this term help me be less homesick. Being super busy helps too!
A couple weeks ago we went to Fish Friday again for Mike's birthday. That was the one thing he wanted to do. His wife, Crystal, and I tried to surprise him by lining up the boat to take a big group of us up there. The boat is so much fun and so nice; it makes you feel like a tourist rather than just dreading the next test that we have. Unfortunately the ocean was too choppy for the boat to take us, so I lined up a bus that took us up there. It was a lot of fun. Nick had never been to Fish Friday before and commented that the poverty and unkept streets reminded him of Iraq, except down here it's safer. Thank goodness! We ate a lot of different fish and then came home. It was a nice opportunity to get out of our three mile radius that we're typically in.
We also had Valentine's day last week. It was one the first Valentine's day in a long time that Nick and I actually got to be together. I'm not usually one for the mushy holiday experience, but it was so nice being with him and getting to go to a nice dinner. We went to Dodgy Dock's, which is a restaurant on the water and they had a Valentine's special with a singer and fancy food. I had mahi mahi and it was delicious. Nick got steak and lobster, and while I'm not usually one to really appreciate a steak, this was one of the best steaks I've ever had. It was delicious! The next night we went to sushi with Mike and Crystal and then went to Prickly Bay for a couple drinks. It was a nice way to relax and spend our night out.
Nick is what the school refers to as a "Significant Other," or SO. As an SO he has access to the University Club pool (I don't even have access to that without him!), gets to ride the bus, go onto campus, use the gym, etc. However, he needed his SO ID card to get all these "benefits." We had to apply for it and it had to go through the dean of students to make sure I was in good standing and then through security to make sure he didn't seem suspicious. We applied for it the week we got here and I was told that I would receive and email when he could come take his picture and get his card. After a week I still hadn't heard and so I went to the office and was impatiently explained to that I would receive an email when the application was approved. Four weeks later, I went into her office again. She said she had the approved application and didn't realize she didn't email me. Island time I guess. We finally got to go in and get his ID so that he is officially significant. Luckily we got it because he had to renew his visa with it. When we came into the country a month ago, he was issued a month long visa. However, after obtaining a letter from the school, he was able to extend it three more months. We went down to immigration and it is similar to the DMV. We had to wait in line to get a form. Then Nick had to fill out the form and wait in line again to turn it in. We then had to wait while the immigration officer reviewed it, printed out a receipt and then called us up to give it to us. We had to go out of the building to the next building, pay, get the receipt stamped, and then go back into the first building. After giving the stamped receipt to the immigration officer, they finally stamped his visa and sent us on our way. We really didn't have to wait, but it still took half an hour. I've heard horror stories of other SOs who have had to wait forever to get it done. We were lucky. But now he won't be deported and can stay the rest of the term.
Nick has been doing really well. He spear fishes usually two days a week and has been getting a decent amount of smaller fish, which he then uses as bait for when he fishes with a rod and reel the next day. He also has been doing the hash runs which he's really enjoyed. He's also been playing on the intramural kickball team. Their team is really good and has won the two games they've played so far. I was a little bit worried that he would get bored down here, but so far he's loving it. I'm loving getting my laundry done and breakfast every morning! It's also nice just having him with me finally!!
Maverick has been doing really well. He's turning into quite the character. Nick got a 50 foot long rope and we take him out to the field and let him run around on it. He's been doing good with coming when he's called, but he really can't fetch to save his life! We found the secret beach that people take their dogs to, which you get to by way of climbing down rocks. Once you're down there, there's no one else; it's like a "Lost." That was kind of fun to let him play in the waves.
We've had to work with a little bit of separation anxiety with him since we've been here. It's vary rare that both Nick and I leave the apartment, but when we do we have to secure it so that he can't chew up our things. Our close doors close in the middle, but have no way to lock them. We learned the hard way that we had to keep them closed somehow, so first we tried a rubber band, but he broke that no problem. Next Nick got a little hook and put it on the door and we hooked it closed AND tied it with a shoelace. Not only did he chew through the shoelace but he bent the hook and was able to get in. So now we have a thicker rope that he is unable to chew through in the short times we're gone which we lock the doors with.
We also have to make sure we put absolutely everything out of reach that he could harm. One night we came home and the kitchen light had burned out, but we could tell there was stuff all over the floor. Using a flashlight, we discovered that he had shattered a giant glass mixing bowl into a billion pieces. He also had eaten the cereal, spread pasta on the floor and the napkins (which he always attacks) were strewn about. To top it off, he had chewed up the brand spanking new, never used, dustpan so we couldn't even sweep it all up easily! A couple days ago I made a dumb mistake. There is a guy who comes to campus every Tuesday and sells eggs at a good price, so I get a flat every week for us. I came home and put them on top of the stove and then I had to rush back to school. I should've put them in the fridge, but I didn't have time so I figured they would be alright because they hadn't been refrigerated yet. Nick came home to find the two and a half doesn't eggs all over the floor! Needless to say he was not thrilled with me. Oops! Live and learn.
The absolute worst Maverick offense happened after Nick and I had gone to get his ID. We were only gone for about an hour so we figured everything would be fine. Let me just preface with the fact that Maverick almost never has an accident in the house anymore. He makes it through the night and is pretty good about telling us when he needs to go out. Well, the poor boy must have had to really go because when we came home, Nick unlocked and opened to door to find that that action smeared the poop that was just inside the door! AAAHHH!!! It was a mess! The door has one of those rubber weather strips at the bottom that Nick had to take off and clean and we had to clean under the door. Poor Maverick looked super embarrassed and I know he felt bad, but it was so gross! Oh well. The joys of owning pets. He gives us more happiness than anything else.
Midterms start in a couple of weeks so I will be studying a lot between now and then. Then I have a whole week without tests! I don't even know what to do with myself. Nick's best friend is going to come visit us right after Easter, so we're looking forward to that. It should be a lot of fun. Now back to studying the blood vessels and nerves of the horse leg!
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