New Spiffy Blog

Welcome to my new new blog everyone... ins't it amazing! I love it and hope you do too! Special shout out to KT for designing such an amazing blog for me... check out how she did it here:

http://www.pricelessdesignstudio.com/2011/11/live-laugh-and-be-mary.html?spref=fb

KT is a seriously talented web designer and a great friend, thanks KT!!!

Day 10 - What will you miss when you leave Dominica?

Day Nine- Has anything made this journey easier for you?

SKYPE!!! Skype has made all the difference for me here! I was really nervous to leave my family considering how close we are, but with skype I can talk to them anytime I want and its like I never left home!

MY AMAZING FRIENDS!!! I am so happy that I have remaind close with my friends back home even though I am so far away, and I am so thankful for all the new friends I have made here! Everyday brings a new adventure that wouldn't be nearly as fun without them!

MY WORK!!! I love what I do here, and I love being a Peace Corps Volunteer! It really doesn't get much better then this!

Enjoying my Time!

I spent the afternoon helping my friend KT with a design project and giving her tips on Illustrator! Here is what we came up! Pretty neat huh!?!

Day Eight- Does your spouse like it here?

Oh, he loves it!

Day Seven- What is the best meal you've had on the island?

The Iguana Café is by far and away the best food on the island! It might not look like much from the outside (ok it looks like a shack form the outside – ok it is shack inside as well) but the food is so amazing! It is owned and run by a Rasta couple, the menu is based off of what was caught that morning in the ocean you can see from the restaurant, she does all the cooking in a tiny kitchen right in front of you, he makes fresh juice and together they make culinary magic! Seafood Pasta… yes please!

Day Six- Tell about an "Only in Dominica.." moment.

I guess I should explain what an “Only in Dominica” moment is. These moments are times when you honestly have no idea what is going on the only thing you can do to keep from crying or going insane is to write it off as a “only in Dominica” moment. I feel like I have one of these moments daily… but they surprise me less and less as time go on here. When I first came I remember all of the PCVs would share our crazy moments with each other and laugh about it during training. Most times the stories would revolve around crazy bus rides with 10 more people crammed into a bus then there ever should be, or a event that we thought was one thing but turned out it was completely different as the night went on, or completely misunderstanding someone cause you couldn’t understand what they were saying. Now, I just kinda expect the unexpected and enjoy my “Only in Dominica” moments! Here are some goodies:

-       When you have been on a bus for an hour on your way home and you are so close but you stop to let someone off, no big deal, but then 10 feet, and no joke 10 feet down the road, you stop again to let someone else off, and this happens at least 2 more times… Only in Dominica!

-       When you are having stew with friends and you ask “hey what is this” and they respond “oh it’s a apricot” and after you take a bite they add “or it might be the pigs skin” and turns out it is the pigs skin (and the inch of fat under it)… Only in Dominica!

-       When you are teaching a class of 20 high schoolers and you cant understand a word they are staying but you know they are making fun of you, and your confusing only makes it all the more funny to them… Only in Dominica!

-       When you are on bus ride home after carnival and your bus is full of women dressed in crazy carnival wear and you stop for BBQ, and you are last one served and almost having an anxiety attack thinking the bus is going to leave you – cause who would notice right. But you make it back and just before the bus pulls out one woman in the front yells “WHERE IS THE WHITE GIRL!?!” and you answer, “I here, just eating my BBQ” and somehow you are all now best friends for the rest of the ride. Only in Dominica!

-       And finally… When you realize that the “Only in Dominica” moments have become “normal” life and what use to be “normal” days are now the weird ones… Only in Dominica!

Oh and sorry for the crazy run on sentences… it just adds to the craziness that accompanied each of these moments! 

I give you a "Only in Dominica" pothole marker! 

Day Five, What don't you miss about home?

I don’t miss it being too cold for ice cream

I don’t miss the rat race and an obsession with possessions

I don’t miss traffic and stoplights… or stop signs for that matter

I don’t’ miss the old crappy fruit and veggies at the grocery store

I don’t miss feeling rushed

I don’t miss shopping or the feeling I need something new every few days

I don’t miss having a typical 9-5 desk job

And

I don’t miss having to scrape my car windows off in the morning

Day Four- What has been your favorite trip?

Ahhh… I really don’t think I could even begin to narrow all the amazing trips I have had down to one, so instead I give you my top ten (even though there are like 100 more amazing adventures):

-       Hiking boiling lake for the first time was amazing but even better the second time with my parents!

-       When my sister Kristen was here we took a trip to Screws Hot Springs with the Nuns and that was an awesome day!

-       This really wasn’t a “trip” but watching the final Stanley Cup game with Jenn and Kyle was such a great time. I was so happy to see them and just to spend time hanging out!

-       Another great trip was exploring the south of the island with my grandparents! We saw a ton of “tourist” attractions!

-       I absolutely loved the snorkeling trip down to Scotts Head and Champaign with Clare, Charlie, KT, and friends!

-       Hiking Segment 2 of the Waitukubuli Trail with Michelle and getting lost several times was an adventure I won’t ever forget!

-       Hanging out at the beach with Rashawana, Rudy, Marcus, and Stacy waiting for a turtle to show was a lot of fun, then completely amazing when one did show up and we got to see her lay her eggs!

-       I always have a good time when I visit Grand Fond… enough said!

-       Again not really a trip, but all the wine, pasta and chats nights I had with Alicia for sure make the top ten!

-       Ah, I don’t even know anymore… there are just too many and I a feel like I am leaving so much out!

Final thought: Dominica + Trip/Adventures = Awesome!

Day Three- How does the weather affect you?

This questions has so many variables to it… it all depends on when you ask me. For example right now I am sitting pantless in my living room with the fan directly on me and feel just fine about the heat. However, earlier today when I was in business casual walking around Portsmouth in the sun I wasn’t too happy about it. I freeze in the AC at the coffee shop but wake up in a hot sweat in the middle of the night. I have somehow managed to fit jeans into my wardrobe at least once a week but still cant justify a hoodie. And I take warm showers, cause the cold ones are too cold and the hot ones... well they are too hot! But there is one thing I can say for sure; I do miss the snow… although I don’t think I will be too happy when we finally meet again.

Day Two- What has been better than you expected?

I realty tried not to have many expectations coming into this adventure, just because I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But I have to say I love it here, and my I love my life here, it has turned out better then I expected. That probably sounds like I didn’t think I would be happy here to start but that isn’t true. I knew it would be an adventure and that I would love being a Peace Corps Volunteer, but I really didn’t know how much I would fall in love with Dominica and the life I have made for myself here.

I feel like I have found parts of myself that were missing. I have learned to be completely independent, how to love myself, and how to be happy even when I am alone. I have found work that I am proud to be a part of, made life long friends, learned the true meaning of family, and really made a life for myself here. I love the island and all the adventures that come along with it; I love the people, the fruits and veggies, the beach, and my little house that has become my home.

  

Dominica has truly sucked me into the island lifestyle and it has turned out better than I could ever have expected. 

Day One-What do you miss most about home?

What do I miss the most from home…

When people ask me this I always tell them Chipotle! I mean how can you not miss their amazing burritos! 

And while I do really miss Chipotle I think I just tell people that cause what I really miss is kinda hard to explain… honestly I miss being comfortable. I know that sounds really weird but I would give almost anything right now for a SSS (Squishy, Soft, Sofa)!!! I want a huge armchair that you sink into and I want a fluffy bed with a down comforter on it! I want my butt to finally be happy when I sit down! Told you it was weird… so I guess Ill just stick with my Chipotle from now on!

Oh and sorry to my family at home reading this, I promise I miss you too but that would just be too cheesy!

10 Days in Dominica

My friend KT had an idea for a blog challenge, and I loved it! So I decided to take the challenge along with her and several others. Here are the questions I'll answer over the first 10 days in October. Wish me luck!

Dominica

Dominica, a set on Flickr.

There are Lyons in Dominica!

No not real lions (I may not spell well but I at least know how to spell the word lion) but the Lyons  Jenn and Kyle! Thats right I have been crazy blessed with another round of visitors! Jenn, Kyle and I had a fantastic time together exploring the island, eating good food, and just hanging out! Here is a short run down of some of the things we did:

One really great day we had started with snorkeling at Champaign Bay. This is one of the best snorkeling places on the island and we were lucky to have a clear morning to explore the reefs. We had a great time swimming around and taking underwater photos of all the fish (and ourselves)! After the snorkeling adventure we went to Trafalgar Falls. By this time it was raining off and on but we decided to go anyways, and I am glad we did. We had fun sitting in the natural hot springs while the rain came down  we were even able to stow our cloths, just before the downpour came, under a little rock overhang. Kyle and I also scaled up the rocks in the river all the way up to the water fall, but on arriving at the base the rain really started to pick up, and we were pre warned about flash floods when we arrived, so we didnt stay long before heading back down to the hot water. To finish the day we went to Screws Hot Springs  Screws is one of my favorite places on the island so I had to share it with Jenn and Kyle. It is a natural hot springs that Screw (thats the owners name) has built 3 different temperature bathing pools around. Its a very relaxing place to spend the afternoon lounging in the hot water enjoying nature and eating good fruit! The best part about this trip was Screw recognized me and as thanks for bringing Jenn and Kyle there, he gave us all free Screws T-Shirts! How neat is that!

We also got to spend an entire day with my friend Rashawna, we picked her up early one morning and went to breakfast at Pagua, which is the best breakfast on the island, and then went to the Carib Territory and explored the model Carib village. After that we headed to a new place I had never been before, and that I certainly can not spell, but basically in English is the Snake Steps. It was so cool! There is this old folk tail that a snake came out of the ocean and rocks formed around it making these huge lava steps from the top of the cliff right down into the ocean. Jenn, Kyle, Rash and I all hiked down the steps to get a close up look at the ocean  so cool. Then we headed over to the Emerald Pool, that to this day remains one of my favorite spots on the island. We had an awesome time playing around in the water, the waterfall and the rocks. And to finish the great day we all had dinner and exploring at one of the best restaurants on the island, Red Rocks! It was such  great day for me and I know for Rashawna too, thanks to Jenn and Kyle and all the extra driving they did to include Rash for the day!

Sometimes I forget that when visitors come they not only want to see the island and have adventures, but they also want to just lay on the beach it just slips my mind. I guess I knew we really needed a beach day after we visited Cabrits Natural Park, and I took Jenn and Kyle on an unplanned hike to the top of the mountain (flip flops and dress included). Turns out I dont know the trails as good as I thought. :) But Jenn and Kyle were good sports and we did have fun despite my error in navigating. But have no fear we did fit in some good beach days during the trip. And thanks to some positive energy Jenn put out we even had some really sunny beach time! We hit up three main beaches here on the island, Mero, Coconut and Purple Turtle! We played in the water, laid in the sun, and snorkeled at all of them! Kyle even found some cool sand dollars! Got to love being so close to so many great beaches!

We had a ton more adventures all around the island, Syndicate Natural Train, card games at Rituals, tons of good food, trip to the Peace Corps office, the list goes on and on!

One of the best parts about the trip was getting to show Jenn and Kyle my life here in Portsmouth. I was able to take them around to all the major spots I work, CALLS, the Womens Center, the Town Council, Care for the Elderly, and more. Plus they go to meet a ton of my co-works, students, and my friends. Even if we hadnt done all the other fun adventures, just being able to share my everyday life with them was priceless! Thanks again for taking the trip out here guys, it really was a great vacation for all!

The Most Amazing

I know its been a while since I wrote in my blog last, so sorry. I have been waiting for the company to fix it so I can upload photos but since it looks like that wont be happening anytime soon I thought I would just add my blog updates and then add the photos when its fixed. So here goes

The other night I got to see one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! Never in my life would I have ever thought I would get the chance to not only see but touch a giant sea turtle! Words cannot even explain how amazing this experience was but I will try.

Right now it is turtle season so various kinds of sea turtles are coming to the islands to lay their eggs. The generally come in on the east side of the island. So the other weekend I went to stay with Rashawna in Marigot in hopes that one would come in that night, we had it on good authority that one would due to the right weather conditions and various other signs.

Rashawna, Rudy (a local friend) Marcus and Stacy (PCV and his girlfriend) and I  headed down to the beach about 11:00 pm. The walk took us about 30 minutes or so. When we arrived on the beach we meet up with a group of guys that patrol the beach during turtle season to make sure no poachers kill the turtles or the steal the eggs (and yes that does happen a lot here). They said there wasnt a turtle yet so we just sat in the sand and chatted for a few hours. About 1:oo am or so Rudy said he thought there would be a turtle in about 5 minutes, well the turtle guys didnt feel like waiting anymore so they took off leaving just the five of us behind. We decide it was time to head back considering we had such a long walk back.

And what do you think we found 5 minutes into our walk thats right a giant leather back turtle who had just made her way onto the beach. We held back for a while because if you spook the turtle before she starts digging she will go back to the sea and not lay her eggs. Once they start digging they go into a sort of trance and nothing stops them from finishing. So when she started we got really close we got to pet her and watch her dig a huge hole (almost 2 feet deep with her littler flippers) and we even got to watch her lay her eggs. They generally lay about 60-80! Crazy cool! She was working so hard the whole time I kind of felt bad for her, its not easy for them to move around on the sand. The whole digging and laying process took at least 2 hours and we stayed the whole time, we didnt want someone to come and kill her.

After she finishes laying the eggs she barriers them in the sand and packs it down then she camoflodges the area! She goes around messing up the sand around the hole she just dug and it takes her about an hour to do it, again working very very hard! After that she follows the reflection of the moon back into the water. We helped her out a bit with a flash light in the beginning cause she got a little lost. Then we watched her take off in the water to go meet her mate and started our long trek home. We finally fell into bed exhausted but amazed at 4:30 am!

So so so amazing and I am so grateful I got the chance to experience it! I love my crazy PC life!

Oh and Happy 4th of July!!!!! :)

The Gs Do Dominica!

I lived a very blessed life, not only am I living this amazing adventure but I also get the chance to share this experience with family and friends that come to visit. And guess who the visitors were this time, none other then my amazing grandparents thats right Grandma and Grandpa Steinke were here on the island and we had a great time!

It was so amazing to share my life here with them and have them see all the places I go and work and meet all my friends and co-workers. We had a very packed week full of sightseeing, great meals, cards (Polish Poker to be exact) social visits and we made some great memories. I am probably one of the only PCVs that can say their grandparents came to visit.

Here is the rundown of some of the sights we got to see. Trafalgar Falls, Screws Hot Springs, Syndicate Nature Trail and bird watching, Indian River tour with James Bond, Cabrits, Arial Tram ride through the rainforest and much more! We also got to have some amazing food, breakfast cooked by grandma (so good) and tried out a lot of the restaurants around Portsmouth. I even got to try lobster!

They also got the chance to see my apartment and all the places I work, and meet my friends, co-workers, landlords and host family! And they even came to do meals on wheels with me and I know the people we serve enjoyed meeting them! Like I said we packed the week full! We also played a lot of cards which was a lot of fun even though I was really bad at the game and only won a few hands!

I am so blessed that I have such an amazing family and that my grandparents were able to come down here and spend the week with me. I wouldnt give up the memoires that were made for anything! Thanks for everything Gs!