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| Battle station ready! Only 3 more days!! |
Saturday 8 December 2012
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Car sick and grill party
It was a semi-eventful weekend for Will and Genny. Will spent the weekend catching up on calculus homework and finishing up the season for his intramural sports. Genny attended a women's clinic on Saturday in the Carib territory on the other side of the island. This event was sponsored by the Salybia Mission Project, a non profit organization that provides medical care to the indigenous people of Dominica (Carib/Kalinago Indians). Students can join this mission project through the school. The ride to the clinic was an hour and a half through winding mountain roads. Luckily, only one student asked to stop the bus on the way there so she could barf on the side of the road. I was going to be a close second if that ride continued any longer. The clinic was pretty interesting. Women could come and be seen for free by the doctor for any current medical conditions or just for check ups. The students were in charge of taking patient histories, checking blood pressure, blood glucose and presenting patients to the doctor since many of them had trouble expressing their concerns. What we found was that many people ended up coming to the clinic mostly for something to eat -- free banana bread and juice that we brought with us for the waiting room. We offered one of the patients some protein bars to take with her (courtesy of Max Goossens) and her eyes lit up like she had just won the lottery. Kind of puts things in perspective. Anyway, here's the website if you're interested in what the Salybia Mission Project is all about.
https://sites.google.com/a/salybia.org/salybia-mission-project/home
Here's a pic of the group that attended the clinic:
When I got home (car sick as can be), Will was already firing up the grill for a burger and beer night! We had our friends over and got to enjoy a nice night off after a long day. We also got to enjoy a little visitor that stopped by (aka waltzed right in through the patio door when nobody was looking). His name is Scrappy and he smelled those burgers from a mile away!! He really enjoys home-cooked meals and love.
https://sites.google.com/a/salybia.org/salybia-mission-project/home
Here's a pic of the group that attended the clinic:
When I got home (car sick as can be), Will was already firing up the grill for a burger and beer night! We had our friends over and got to enjoy a nice night off after a long day. We also got to enjoy a little visitor that stopped by (aka waltzed right in through the patio door when nobody was looking). His name is Scrappy and he smelled those burgers from a mile away!! He really enjoys home-cooked meals and love.
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Some pics
Hi all! Gen here. I just finished my second exam of the semester yesterday (the poop and pee test I call it) and I've decided that I will not be specializing in GI. I mean the Bristol stool scale (see below) is really fun and all and I enjoy asking people which number most accurately represents their daily stools, HOWEVER, GI physiology is not so much my thing. Perhaps it is because it was taught to me by a 5'1'' pudgier British version of William Shatner with an uncanny obsession with poop. Anyway, below are some pictures we've taken over the last semester that we haven't been able to upload yet. These pictures capture some of the better moments we've had down here this semester and leave out some of the more frustrating moments we've had with island life. Also, we've added a few food pictures as well so you can see what we are able to make with a 40% functioning grocery store and an unreliable supply of cooking gas!
BUTT first, here's the Bristol stool chart in case you were wondering...
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| Homemade Chicken Casserole! With cream of celery soup, low fat yogurt, water chestnuts, chicken cubed and cooked, crushed wheat thins and of course cranberry sauce on the side! |
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| cute little pup at a restaurant waiting for scraps |
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| spinach and artichoke stuffed chicken with sautéed mushrooms and brown rice |
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| late night breakfast for dinner! |
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| Wills very own florentine mushroom risotto with pork tenderloin! |
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| Red Rock beach (Atlantic side of the island) |
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| Will chillin out with a beer and Genny giving in to her OCD and fixing the towel for the 10th time |
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| Red Rock beach bar and grill |
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| Red Rock beach bar |
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| S'mores at Red Rock! |
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| Wills delicious chicken and veggie kababs |
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| a healthy study snack |
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| This isn't one of our pictures but we thought we should include it because it was in a recent issue of National Geographic and this dog is from our very own neighborhood! |
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| a light game of risk over the break |
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| A rainbow runner that Will caught....at the fish market! |
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| A little afternoon snooze |
Saturday 3 November 2012
Ketchup, Part Two
This post will briefly cover the latter two weeks of October in Dominica, and hopefully we can stay on task better in November.
Coming from Ohio, we are used to October being a fun time of the year. Between high school football and soccer, beautiful fall foliage, and Halloween, October has a lot to offer in the Midwest. This year, we had to make due without any of the above staples of fall, and instead embrace the slight decrease in humidity and the festivities of Creole season. October is a very important month for Dominicans, and throughout the month locals can be spotted wearing the bright plaid dresses and ties that celebrate their Creole heritage and independence. These festivities build throughout the month and culminate during the last couple weeks with Creole in the Park, The World Creole Music Festival, and Independence Day celebrations (taking place today). The World Creole Music Festival is an international event, drawing large crowds from the surrounding islands of St. Lucia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. This event features local and international musical artists performing in the large cricket stadium located outside Dominica's capital city of Roseau. Creole in the Park is designed more for locals and is a low cost county-fair style event. Local musicians play concerts from noon to seven and booths are set up along the perimeter of botanical gardens that supply various kinds of local cuisine, such as Agouti (basically hamster). While this was not the typical October that we were used to, it was fun to witness and you can't complain about slightly less humid 80 degree weather on the beach.
The Saturday after Genny's last exam, we went to a beach club on the Atlantic side with our friends. It was just a little tiki-bar/restaurant, but it has a stretch of white sand beach and one of the best views on the island. It also has some of the best fish and chips that I have ever tasted. Instead of eating Budweiser battered frozen cod in a sports bar in the Midwest, we were eating Guiness battered fresh mahi-mahi on the beach....with some delicious sweet potato fries. We finished the night at the beach with some s'mores over their fire pit.
From left to right: Max, Jenny (Max's fiance), John, Joe, Genny, Will
Genny's one day break after her last exam was about all she could afford to take, as the next exam is rapidly approaching. This "mini" will cover the gastro-intestinal tract and renal system in one week from Monday. This has necessitated long hours studying worms, parasites, and squeezing fecal matter out of cadaver intestines. To go into any more detail concerning these weeks of studying would be overwhelming, so from here on out we will just try to stay on top of it better.
Will has been working less at the store, and due to different managerial and ownership issues, will be working even less in the future as the store will soon be closing. However, he will have his first session as a standardized patient in the coming week, and if all goes well, then this will provide for much more stable and high-paying employment in the semester to come. Will is still working on his online courses and preparing to apply to graduate schools, and is fortunate enough to be able to play basketball almost every night.
One of the most exciting events of the past few weeks, and indeed of the six months that we have spent down here, was the visit of Will's uncle Tim. Though the transportation of the week was not thoroughly planned, they were lucky enough to be able to rent the last car from a local car rental agency, and have Tim be a natural-born Dominican driver. The car was a Toyota Rav-4, right hand drive, and fared remarkably well on these windy, pot-hole ridden roads. Will and Tim visited almost every main tourist attraction on the island, and fit it all into a schedule that would be a great template for any future visitors. Within the next couple weeks, a video of this trip will be uploaded to the blog so that readers can see all of Dominica in a short clip.
This ends our summary of the past month. There have certainly been more daily events that we wish we could have documented, but perhaps this will serve as a reminder to do a better job in the future. Thank you for your patience between updates, and good night from Dominica!
W&G
Coming from Ohio, we are used to October being a fun time of the year. Between high school football and soccer, beautiful fall foliage, and Halloween, October has a lot to offer in the Midwest. This year, we had to make due without any of the above staples of fall, and instead embrace the slight decrease in humidity and the festivities of Creole season. October is a very important month for Dominicans, and throughout the month locals can be spotted wearing the bright plaid dresses and ties that celebrate their Creole heritage and independence. These festivities build throughout the month and culminate during the last couple weeks with Creole in the Park, The World Creole Music Festival, and Independence Day celebrations (taking place today). The World Creole Music Festival is an international event, drawing large crowds from the surrounding islands of St. Lucia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. This event features local and international musical artists performing in the large cricket stadium located outside Dominica's capital city of Roseau. Creole in the Park is designed more for locals and is a low cost county-fair style event. Local musicians play concerts from noon to seven and booths are set up along the perimeter of botanical gardens that supply various kinds of local cuisine, such as Agouti (basically hamster). While this was not the typical October that we were used to, it was fun to witness and you can't complain about slightly less humid 80 degree weather on the beach.
The Saturday after Genny's last exam, we went to a beach club on the Atlantic side with our friends. It was just a little tiki-bar/restaurant, but it has a stretch of white sand beach and one of the best views on the island. It also has some of the best fish and chips that I have ever tasted. Instead of eating Budweiser battered frozen cod in a sports bar in the Midwest, we were eating Guiness battered fresh mahi-mahi on the beach....with some delicious sweet potato fries. We finished the night at the beach with some s'mores over their fire pit.
From left to right: Max, Jenny (Max's fiance), John, Joe, Genny, Will
Genny's one day break after her last exam was about all she could afford to take, as the next exam is rapidly approaching. This "mini" will cover the gastro-intestinal tract and renal system in one week from Monday. This has necessitated long hours studying worms, parasites, and squeezing fecal matter out of cadaver intestines. To go into any more detail concerning these weeks of studying would be overwhelming, so from here on out we will just try to stay on top of it better.
Will has been working less at the store, and due to different managerial and ownership issues, will be working even less in the future as the store will soon be closing. However, he will have his first session as a standardized patient in the coming week, and if all goes well, then this will provide for much more stable and high-paying employment in the semester to come. Will is still working on his online courses and preparing to apply to graduate schools, and is fortunate enough to be able to play basketball almost every night.
One of the most exciting events of the past few weeks, and indeed of the six months that we have spent down here, was the visit of Will's uncle Tim. Though the transportation of the week was not thoroughly planned, they were lucky enough to be able to rent the last car from a local car rental agency, and have Tim be a natural-born Dominican driver. The car was a Toyota Rav-4, right hand drive, and fared remarkably well on these windy, pot-hole ridden roads. Will and Tim visited almost every main tourist attraction on the island, and fit it all into a schedule that would be a great template for any future visitors. Within the next couple weeks, a video of this trip will be uploaded to the blog so that readers can see all of Dominica in a short clip.
This ends our summary of the past month. There have certainly been more daily events that we wish we could have documented, but perhaps this will serve as a reminder to do a better job in the future. Thank you for your patience between updates, and good night from Dominica!
W&G
Ketchup, Part One
If the previous lapse in posting can be categorized as falling off the wagon, then this time we are officially off the reservation. The past month has been very busy, and there have been plenty of blog-worthy events, but we have also been busy with school work (and with 50% of the typing capacity as we had three weeks ago, which will be explained here shortly). Now that we have a temporary lull in the proverbial academic storm, we can at least begin to update the Nature Isle Nightly with a brief outline of the past month, and we will add pictures and greater detail in the days to come.
First of all, the most important event of the past couple weeks was Genny's first "mini" exam of the semester. This was over 6 weeks of material and was the same size as her entire final for last semester. It covered neurology and endocrine, and was preceded by two lab practicals. It also was filled with weeks of German professor tag-team lectures that could have been straight out of the movie Beerfest.
Fortunately, the test went well and the time spent away from blogging was time well spent.
The afternoon following the test was spent in the same way as every afternoon following a test down here; at the beach with some cold beers! That's an advantage to going to medical school in the Caribbean.We followed up our afternoon on the beach with a trip to our favorite restaurant on the island, The Usual Spot. This restaurant features an Asian fusion menu and FRESH tuna sashimi.
The preparation for the test was made more stressful by the demise of Genny's computer. Let it be known that Dominica is where computers come to die. Originally, a cooling fan malfunctioned so Will brought the computer to a local repair store. He then surprised Genny by picking it up the following week and delivering her a functioning computer...for ten whole minutes! and then the hard drive crashed. Needless to say, a new computer was ordered within the week and will be en route in 36 hours, which brings us to our next point...
Will's uncle Tim had planned a visit to the Nature Isle and was more than willing to help bring down the new computer for Genny. A big thank you to Tim Jenkins is in order from both of us, and we look forward to his company in the next week and the opportunity to explore even more of the island with him. Perhaps even a journey to the Boiling Lake is on the agenda.
Those are pretty much the broad strokes of the first couple weeks of October, with part two to come soon. Thanks for catching up with us.
W&G
First of all, the most important event of the past couple weeks was Genny's first "mini" exam of the semester. This was over 6 weeks of material and was the same size as her entire final for last semester. It covered neurology and endocrine, and was preceded by two lab practicals. It also was filled with weeks of German professor tag-team lectures that could have been straight out of the movie Beerfest.
Fortunately, the test went well and the time spent away from blogging was time well spent.
The afternoon following the test was spent in the same way as every afternoon following a test down here; at the beach with some cold beers! That's an advantage to going to medical school in the Caribbean.We followed up our afternoon on the beach with a trip to our favorite restaurant on the island, The Usual Spot. This restaurant features an Asian fusion menu and FRESH tuna sashimi.
The preparation for the test was made more stressful by the demise of Genny's computer. Let it be known that Dominica is where computers come to die. Originally, a cooling fan malfunctioned so Will brought the computer to a local repair store. He then surprised Genny by picking it up the following week and delivering her a functioning computer...for ten whole minutes! and then the hard drive crashed. Needless to say, a new computer was ordered within the week and will be en route in 36 hours, which brings us to our next point...
Will's uncle Tim had planned a visit to the Nature Isle and was more than willing to help bring down the new computer for Genny. A big thank you to Tim Jenkins is in order from both of us, and we look forward to his company in the next week and the opportunity to explore even more of the island with him. Perhaps even a journey to the Boiling Lake is on the agenda.
Those are pretty much the broad strokes of the first couple weeks of October, with part two to come soon. Thanks for catching up with us.
W&G
Saturday 29 September 2012
It was just a matter of time before we fell off the waggon. Now it appears that we have a little catching up to do, and with that in mind, the following paragraphs will recount the past couple days' worth of events in more of a list fashion than a cohesive post.
Wednesday the 26th was primarily a study day for both of us, with nothing remarkable occurring. Will is still catching up with his online courses from the time he took off during Genny's break, and Genny spent most of the day preparing for her neurology practical scheduled for the following day. With both of us so buckled down, it only made sense to order Chinese food. If anybody that is reading this plans on visiting, we would both recommend not eating Chinese food for a good month before coming down.
Thursday the 27th was the day of Genny's practical, and it sounds like it went pretty well. She won't know her actual score for a couple days, but she prepared well for it and there was nothing too tricky included on the exam. Unfortunately, the practical was also followed by her regular post-exam headache that usually takes her out of commission for a couple of hours following a test. What was unusual this time however, was that Will was waiting for her with a headache of his own. The best remedy that we could think of was eating a whole tub of Cool-Whip for lunch (drizzled with caramel syrup). Genny reported no positive effects from the mid-day medication, but it definitely got Will feeling well again. The rest of the afternoon included Genny's first clinical lab session of the semester and a trip to the gym for Will.
Because this was our first evening to relax for a while, we made dinner plans with some of our friends down here. We tried a restaurant that we hadn't been to before that is called Sisters (By the Sea). The restaurant is only a two minute walk from our apartment and has a beautiful view of Prince Rupert Bay and the setting sun over the Caribbean sea. The restaurant itself is also quite striking, with stone masonry and outdoor seating. Unfortunately, the food itself was not nearly of such high quality. In fact, we would both go as far as to say that they were some of the worst burgers that we have ever had. On the other hand, we were allowed to bring our own wine to drink and there was a resident puppy at the restaurant that made the dinner playful. Because everything about this restaurant was enjoyable except the food, we will probably try this place again and see if the fish is prepared any better than the food we ordered this past time.
The morning of Friday the 28th got off to a slow start, but Genny salvaged a productive day of studying and Will got to work for a couple of hours before playing a competitive game of basketball with some locals against a couple Caribbean medical students that were a little too big for their britches. Thankfully, upon returning home he was greeted by mozzarella, artichoke, and spinach stuffed baked chicken breast with brown rice and sauteed mushrooms. A picture of this dinner will have to be attached at a later point in time. It really was something delicious to come home to. There was also a really beautiful sunset over the bay that Will was fortunate enough to have Genny wake him up from his afternoon nap to see.
Saturday the 29th was a day full of outside activity for Will, and a good day to prepare for the coming week for Genny. As we write this, Will currently has a farmer's tan/burn in the shape of his "beater" shirt. It's like a neon sign pointing to his Ohio roots. While Genny was studying in the morning, Will played softball underneath some mountains in Portsmouth before returning to play football on campus. Then he met up with Genny to play some beach volleyball against a team of doctors waiting for their resident placements and currently teaching clinical skills labs at Ross. For dinner we made chicken Parmesan pasta, and then Genny returned to studying while Will went to have 2nd dinner with his co-workers. Two of the co-workers are locals and are really good human-beings and just overall nice guys, and it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening to be able to hang out with them.
Hopefully it won't be another three or four days before we update this again, but thanks for checking in and good night.
Will and Genny
Wednesday the 26th was primarily a study day for both of us, with nothing remarkable occurring. Will is still catching up with his online courses from the time he took off during Genny's break, and Genny spent most of the day preparing for her neurology practical scheduled for the following day. With both of us so buckled down, it only made sense to order Chinese food. If anybody that is reading this plans on visiting, we would both recommend not eating Chinese food for a good month before coming down.
Thursday the 27th was the day of Genny's practical, and it sounds like it went pretty well. She won't know her actual score for a couple days, but she prepared well for it and there was nothing too tricky included on the exam. Unfortunately, the practical was also followed by her regular post-exam headache that usually takes her out of commission for a couple of hours following a test. What was unusual this time however, was that Will was waiting for her with a headache of his own. The best remedy that we could think of was eating a whole tub of Cool-Whip for lunch (drizzled with caramel syrup). Genny reported no positive effects from the mid-day medication, but it definitely got Will feeling well again. The rest of the afternoon included Genny's first clinical lab session of the semester and a trip to the gym for Will.
Because this was our first evening to relax for a while, we made dinner plans with some of our friends down here. We tried a restaurant that we hadn't been to before that is called Sisters (By the Sea). The restaurant is only a two minute walk from our apartment and has a beautiful view of Prince Rupert Bay and the setting sun over the Caribbean sea. The restaurant itself is also quite striking, with stone masonry and outdoor seating. Unfortunately, the food itself was not nearly of such high quality. In fact, we would both go as far as to say that they were some of the worst burgers that we have ever had. On the other hand, we were allowed to bring our own wine to drink and there was a resident puppy at the restaurant that made the dinner playful. Because everything about this restaurant was enjoyable except the food, we will probably try this place again and see if the fish is prepared any better than the food we ordered this past time.
The morning of Friday the 28th got off to a slow start, but Genny salvaged a productive day of studying and Will got to work for a couple of hours before playing a competitive game of basketball with some locals against a couple Caribbean medical students that were a little too big for their britches. Thankfully, upon returning home he was greeted by mozzarella, artichoke, and spinach stuffed baked chicken breast with brown rice and sauteed mushrooms. A picture of this dinner will have to be attached at a later point in time. It really was something delicious to come home to. There was also a really beautiful sunset over the bay that Will was fortunate enough to have Genny wake him up from his afternoon nap to see.
Saturday the 29th was a day full of outside activity for Will, and a good day to prepare for the coming week for Genny. As we write this, Will currently has a farmer's tan/burn in the shape of his "beater" shirt. It's like a neon sign pointing to his Ohio roots. While Genny was studying in the morning, Will played softball underneath some mountains in Portsmouth before returning to play football on campus. Then he met up with Genny to play some beach volleyball against a team of doctors waiting for their resident placements and currently teaching clinical skills labs at Ross. For dinner we made chicken Parmesan pasta, and then Genny returned to studying while Will went to have 2nd dinner with his co-workers. Two of the co-workers are locals and are really good human-beings and just overall nice guys, and it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening to be able to hang out with them.
Hopefully it won't be another three or four days before we update this again, but thanks for checking in and good night.
Will and Genny
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Today was a day of firsts. It marked the first time our ceiling fan was turned off since the day we moved in. It was the first time I have fished in the Caribbean. Furthermore, it was the first time I have broken a drinking glass...from the inside. This last event occurred while I was washing the dishes and tried squeezing my hand inside the glass to clean it. Apparently the pressure was too much for the glass to take and it split, slitting my little finger in the process. I was a little concerned that this would mark the second time in my life that I would require stitches, and not just because "washing dishes" would make for the absolute least masculine scar story ever. Fortunately, it did not require any, and my only Dominican stitches thus far are from a basketball injury.
The turning off of our ceiling fan was a similarly frustrating event, as we had requested that it be fixed about a month ago. The switch for the fan looks like it was from the 70's and it was broken on the day we moved in. We had sent several emails asking for the fan to be fixed so that our $300/month electricity bill would be slightly diminished, but apparently it took 4 weeks for the landlord to send an electrician to use needle-nose pliers to turn the fan off. We don't like to complain too much about island life, but there is definitely a truth to the notion of "island time".
After I returned from working out, Genny wanted to take a quick study break to walk on the beach and recharge her batteries. I suggested then that we scout out a fishing area for later in the evening, which is where we took the following picture:
We then returned inside where Genny resumed studying and I readied my tackle for a first cast. The weather was still a little muggy around 5 when I went fishing, but by 6 it was very comfortable. The inaugural fishing trip was cut short by a lightning storm off the coast and my realisation that holding a 15 foot long graphite rod probably wasn't the wisest idea. Though I didn't catch anything tonight and the trip was shortened, it was still a relaxing evening to sit on the beach with a Corona and some music and learn how to cast a 15 foot long pole as far as possible. Hopefully after I buy some more line tomorrow I will be able to cast out far enough to lure in some nice snapper.
Dinner was a skirt steak and bell pepper stir fry on a bed of jalapeno and egg/tofu-fried rice. Genny wanted me to include a picture, so one is featured below:
The rest of the night consisted of Genny reviewing her 400 slide PowerPoint presentation worth of neurology for her practical on Thursday while I caught up on global news and scouted out a few more graduate programs to apply to.
Lastly, here is a picture of a little pup that Gen obviously felt obliged to play with on our walk:
Thanks for bearing with me tonight ladies and gents.
Will
The turning off of our ceiling fan was a similarly frustrating event, as we had requested that it be fixed about a month ago. The switch for the fan looks like it was from the 70's and it was broken on the day we moved in. We had sent several emails asking for the fan to be fixed so that our $300/month electricity bill would be slightly diminished, but apparently it took 4 weeks for the landlord to send an electrician to use needle-nose pliers to turn the fan off. We don't like to complain too much about island life, but there is definitely a truth to the notion of "island time".
After I returned from working out, Genny wanted to take a quick study break to walk on the beach and recharge her batteries. I suggested then that we scout out a fishing area for later in the evening, which is where we took the following picture:
We then returned inside where Genny resumed studying and I readied my tackle for a first cast. The weather was still a little muggy around 5 when I went fishing, but by 6 it was very comfortable. The inaugural fishing trip was cut short by a lightning storm off the coast and my realisation that holding a 15 foot long graphite rod probably wasn't the wisest idea. Though I didn't catch anything tonight and the trip was shortened, it was still a relaxing evening to sit on the beach with a Corona and some music and learn how to cast a 15 foot long pole as far as possible. Hopefully after I buy some more line tomorrow I will be able to cast out far enough to lure in some nice snapper.
Dinner was a skirt steak and bell pepper stir fry on a bed of jalapeno and egg/tofu-fried rice. Genny wanted me to include a picture, so one is featured below:
The rest of the night consisted of Genny reviewing her 400 slide PowerPoint presentation worth of neurology for her practical on Thursday while I caught up on global news and scouted out a few more graduate programs to apply to.
Lastly, here is a picture of a little pup that Gen obviously felt obliged to play with on our walk:
Thanks for bearing with me tonight ladies and gents.
Will
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