Anguilla...Where roadkill consists of chickens, Corona is cheaper than Coors Light, and your bank card WILL NOT work!

So it is kind of overwhelming to even try to write this post since so much has happened since my last post. I have moved into my apartment and it does not have internet yet so the few brief moments I have had with wifi I have spent quickly chatting with people and checking emails etc. It has been a busy few days since coming to the island so I will briefly (although I am sure this will wind up being longwinded) break it down for you!).

Friday:

Lisa and I arrived to the island on the ferry around 9:30 in the morning. Rented a small economy car (which I still have, thank goodness) and checked into our villa. Met with the lady that coordinates rentals for the students and looked at about six different apartments, one of which I really liked. Wanted to secure that rental but they were very wishy washy about it, and couldn't give me a guarantee that I would have it and said it wouldn't be ready until at least Tuesday. I would of waiting around for it except they wouldn't even let me sign a lease or anything guaranteeing that I would end up with it in the end (stressful!). Relaxed at the villa that night. While sitting outside, the HUGEST spider I have ever seen creeped up on us. Lisa and I were both standing on our chairs until it went away. This this was about as big as my cellphone and hairy. Pretty sure it was a tarantula. Absolutely terrifying! Also, the inside of the villa was full of tiny red ants, they were in the bed, kitchen, everywhere! Couldn't get the creepy-crawly feeling off for at least 24 hours!

Saturday:

Called one of the locals (I got his number off of an upper year student) as he had a three bedroom apartment for rent). He was able to show it right away so Lisa and I raced over to look at it and it was perfect and $500 a month cheaper than the place I saw the day before that I liked, so we decided to take that apartment instead. It was move in ready and had everything there that was needed. We booked a different hotel for that night due to the bug situation which was miles nicer and right on shoal bay. It was beautiful, the beach was gorgeous, and the view was spectacular. We decided to stay there for the night to allow the landlord time to give the apartment a good clean and time to get last minute stuff ready. It was nice to have a bit of time to relax now that we knew I had found a place! We walked up the beach to a small beachy snack bar and grabbed a burger and fries (just what we had been craving) and took it back to our patio, watched the sunset, did some swimming, and just took it easy.

View from our balcony at Shoal Bay Villas

The beautiful sunset that night

Sunday:

Sunday was Lisa's last day on the island as she had to fly out of St. Martin early Monday and there isn't a ferry from Anguilla early enough that would get her to the airport in time to fly out. First thing in the morning we moved my stuff to the apartment, then went to the grocery store to buy some basics. I went to several ATMs and realized that my bank card would not work on the island to withdraw cash, which TD at home told me I would have no trouble, so spent lots of time on the phone with them trying to figure that out (and never did, they basically said they could not help me). We set up the apartment and a bit and then spent her last few hours exploring the island's different beaches and views. It is absolutely breathtaking here and we found a few absolutely amazing spots!

View along the drive

Mead's Bay

Mead's Bay

Boat race that was going on at Mead's Bay

Mead's Bay

The view across from Rendezvous Bay (St. Martin)

Rendezvous Bay

After our sightseeing tour, I dropped Lisa off at the ferry, wished her farewell, and I was on my own which was a really weird feeling. That night I just spent the night unpacking and cleaning the apartment and things like that.

Monday:

I woke up Monday, was about halfway through getting ready for the day and the electricity went out. Also had no water. The gas for the stove hadn't been hooked up yet either. This was a tough day for me. I was in a country where I knew absolutely no one, had no electricity, no water, no gas, no phone, no internet, and no access to money. I drove back to the bank and got lost on the way there. My card still didn't work (although the TD rep on the phone insisted if I went back the next day to try again that it would). So I decided to open an account at the scotiabank here and just transfer money between the two accounts. I went into the bank, waited in line for about 45 minutes, and spent another 45 minutes explaining the situation to them. They were good and tried help, called my bank for me and everything, but couldn't get anything figured out and couldn't get me any money. They wouldn't let me open an account unless I had a rental lease from the landlord (along with my passport, student acceptance letter, and driver's license)...which I didn't have yet because I HAD NO MONEY TO PAY RENT!! Frustrating! My landlord is very understanding though, she ended up giving me a lease and I got it worked out, they also came over and fixed the electricity and water and stuff later that day. It was just a frustrating morning! That afternoon I picked up another incoming student that was arriving alone and helped her look for an apartment. It was nice to have some company.

Tuesday:

My roommates arrived on Tuesday, finally! I picked them up at the ferry and did two runs in the little rental car to get them and all the luggage to the house. It was so nice to finally meet them and I was relieved when we instantly all got along! I took them to the grocery store for some stuff and we just sort of hung around the house so they could get settled in. I could see the initial shock that exists when you see the island for the first time...how little there is here and how small the stores and restaurants are etc. It will definitely be an adjustment! The people here are all super friendly though. If you are pulled over on the side of the street within two minutes someone will approach the car to ask if you need help or directions which is a very nice feeling!

Wednesday:

Took the roomies to the school so they could check it out. We chatted with some upper year students in the lounge for almost an hour and asked them all sorts of questions about the program. Went to shoal bay and hung out for a lot of the afternoon and did some sunbathing, swimming, and relaxing. Walked down to the grocery store near our house to check it out (it is tiny and just has the necessities). Later at night walked to the beach again to see if anything was open to have a drink but everything was closed. It was still a nice walk. Went to bed early!

Here are some pictures of the apartment:

My Bedroom

Rachel's Bedroom

Michael's Bedroom

Patio wraps around the entire apartment

View from the patio

That is all I have to say for now, I've been sitting at the school far too long considering I still have four more days of freedom before the fun really starts! Miss you all!!! xoxoxo

The Journey Begins...

Ever since I found out I was accepted into school, it seemed as though it was ages until I'd actually be moving away. Then, all of a sudden I'm saying my goodbyes and packing my suitcases! My stepmom Lisa and I arrived in St. Martin yesterday afternoon. The first day was a long one. We left Barrie at 330 am, caught our flight at 6:20, had a quick layover in Miami, then arrived on the island mid afternoon. We're staying two nights in Marigot on the French side of St Martin at Hotel Beach plaza and heading to Anguilla tomorrow to start looking for an apartment. 

St. Martin is pretty quiet in August. Yesterday we walked into the main area of Marigot to find a place to have dinner. There are lots of nice shops there but all of the restaurants are closed down. After walking around for about a half hour we walked back to the hotel, asked for their suggestion of somewhere upbeat to have supper (preferably with some live entertainment or something) so they called us a cab and off we went. We got to the restaurant called "Le Sand", sat down, and the waiter came to the table and told us they were just closing for the night. We walked up the street to the nearest hotel (Mercure) and had some dinner in their restaurant which was excellent, although by that time a chip truck or street meat stand would have been sufficient. We asked their lobby staff to call us a taxi, and a half hour or so later she was able to get a hold of one. By the time we got back to our hotel we were spent, but full, and turned in early. 

This is the view from the hotel in St. Martin

My last week in Canada went by really fast and was pretty emotional for me. I had my last two night shifts at work, and on the second of the two my grandma was admitted to the floor next to the one I was working on. I spent much of that night popping in to check on her or just watching her sleep, feeling so helpless and hating the fact that if these things happen while I'm away I wouldn't be able to be right there (she's doing MUCH better now just in case anyone was worried!). Then came all of the emotional goodbyes and realizations that my relationships with everyone who are close to me are going to be different for the next several years, no longer able to pop in for visits with family and friends, or meet up for a coffee on a whim. All I can say is thank goodness for Skype, email, Facebook, and all of today's technologies that will allow me to keep up with everyone I'm going to be missing so much!! There's lots of people I wish I could have spent more time with before I left but it was so hard to juggle everything. 

We are catching the ferry to Anguilla first thing tomorrow morning. I am excited to find a place to live and learn my way around the island. That's all I've got for now :) I have some sunbathing to attend to! xoxoxo

Saying Goodbye to Nursing

So today was my second last day shift of my nursing career. What a surreal feeling. I was sitting alone in the cafeteria on my break, one of the few times I've sat in that cafeteria alone and one of the few day shifts I've actually taken a real break! A typical break during a day shift would consist of sitting in that same cafeteria with coworkers, enthusiastically dicing apart the exciting, annoying, or unusual things that had happened so far that day. Situation or weather permitting, sometimes it would consist of jaunting around the building doing the same to blow off steam. After my next few shifts were over, who knew when I would be in this building next. What could change? Would these memories be so far away they would then only be slight recollections? Running up and down these halls to get blood for patients, picking up new admits from emerge, or taking patients to tests would no longer be second nature.

I have been working in nursing roles for over six years already. Time has really flown by. I had great patients today and it reminded me why I loved what I do so much. I found myself wanting to stay longer at the end of the day. To stay with my patients, and make sure they were alright - to watch them improve even  more. Until I thought "Hello Nicole!! Nursing burnout 101!! Know when to quit!!" That is one thing I am going to miss so much though - taking care of people. It is amazing sometimes how you can watch someone improve over the course of the day. I keep telling myself "In a few more shifts, you're not going to be a nurse anymore"...and that to me is just crazy! That's my identity as far as I am concerned. That is where I thrive, where I am happy, where I'm comfortable, and confident. Saying goodbye to work is hard. I am so happy that I've done things the way that I have because I couldn't imagine taking this next step before the one below it.

Leopard Print Suitcase

When I was in grade 7 I got my own email account for the first time. I remember sitting at the computer, thinking about what it should be and then typing "drnicolefox@hotmail.com". I was so excited that it wasn't already taken and that I could save it so I'd have it one day when I became a doctor. I knew then that becoming an MD is what I wanted to do. 14 years later, that email address is long gone because it became so overridden with junk mail, but I am 3 weeks away from my first day of medical school. I am not doing medical school in the most traditional way. I will be completing my first year and a half of studies in a small little hidden gem of a place in the British Virgin Islands called Anguilla. It is a gorgeous, but tiny island only about 35 square miles. It has a very small population and there isn't much there, but the weather and beaches there are beautiful. I am persistently cold and I know I thrive in the warm weather so I feel like this is an ideal place for me, which I am sure a lot of people would. And although the isolation feels like it may be overwhelming at times, the lack of distraction from the every day dramas of home will be very conducive to focusing as well. After the four semesters in Anguilla, I will be continuing on to Chicago for the final two years of the program, which are called Clerkships. This is where you rotate through the various disciplines of medicines and do placements in hospitals.

I leave for Anguilla in two weeks from now. In the last couple of days, it has really started to hit me. Hello...moving to another country is stressful! There is a lot involved! Over the last 6 weeks or so there has been a lot of organizing to do...getting loans into place, budgeting, looking into things such as health insurance while I am away, insurance on loans, making sure you have appropriate vaccinations, the list goes on. The school has all sorts of paperwork they need you to run around to do such as police checks and notarizing of documents and health clearances from doctors. Then, picture this fun activity...packing! Imagine this. Let's play make believe together, my friends....ESPECIALLY my lady friends...

You look around your house. At all of your things....at all of your clothing, at all of the stuff in your bathroom, look at all of your shoes, your makeup, your linens, towels. Just take a walk around your WHOLE house and look at all your stuff. Is there anything in your kitchen you couldn't do without? Do you have any special gadgets that you love? Now just imagine that you had to pack everything that you would need for a year and a half into a couple suitcases!! Oh, and don't forget, you have to take enough school supplies and toiletries to last until at least Christmas because there's not a lot that you can buy there and what you can buy is crazy expensive! It seems nearly impossible, I feel like I could fill half a suitcase with shoes! I guess it is all part of the experience.

So back to how it started to hit me...I went shopping today to try to find the biggest, lightest suitcase I could. I looked at a bunch of stores and finally found the biggest one I could (which happened to be leopard print). I wheeled it out of the mall and as I did, I could picture myself wheeling it through the airport in a couple of weeks and could almost feel how surreal it will be when I am actually leaving.

I wanted to start this blog for a couple of reasons. I want to capture my experiences in school as they happen and be able to share them with you all. I remember how I felt when I was starting nursing - how exciting everything was when it happened for the first time. We were forced to write about those experiences and I still reflect on them to this day. I can promise a couple of things, my posts won't always be this long, and I won't post as often as I want to! I know I'm getting into a very busy and exciting time of my life and I am so ready!

XOXOXO