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July 12th, 2013

This is big. This is HUGE! I have officially scheduled the most important day of my career. The single day that will determine what kind of job I will get, what specialty I will do, where we will live – everything!

July 12, 2013!

…July 12th.

This day felt forever away and now it is too close for comfort. But I think I will be ready – I can do it. I will have to live in the library but I can do it.

We should all start praying now. Pray for strength, pray for stamina, pray for wisdom, pray for peace, pray for calm. Pray it will go well and pray that I will remember that everything will be okay no matter what.

106 days to go! Lets do this!

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Our Uncertain Future

So I probably should have written this post a few weeks back, but we have officially sent in our preference form for clinical locations. I am expected to start sometime around mid-August (provided we get the location we desire at least). That should give me about 1 month off as a “break” after studying for board exams. Hopefully we can make time for some good R&R before packing up and moving to where-ever we are headed.

We should find out in late July where we have been placed. We have selected New York area as our number one choice and are really hoping to get placed at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. The neighborhood, the hospital, the location – it is all perfect for us. Nothing is certain, but for now we will keep praying that we get placed in our first pick! And you should pray too! Everything lies in the hands of the placement coordinators. We are so excited and have each shamelessly spent a few too many hours googling all the cool things around our potential new home.

Fingers crossed! Did I mention things are sure getting real super fast? Only 54 more days and this term is over! Although, I must say I am SO looking forward to vacation.

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GSPCA Hash – AKA We Had a Dog for a Day

Our "Family"

Our 3 piece family for the day

Saturday on a seeming whim Tyler and I decided to go hashing. Our decision was based 100% on the fact that it was the GSPCA hash so the shelter would let you walk a puppy if you wanted. Needless to say I made sure we got there like an hour early just to be sure I would get a dog. I am dying without a constant influx of puppy affection and I probably bring it up in conversation at least 3 times a day.

We just barely got there in time before the available dogs were handed out, but luckily I did. I chose a spunky, skinny little rascal whose name was Thor. We bonded with little Thor and we are basically in love with him now. He was particularly fond of Tyler and started getting extremely upset if he walked away while we were waiting for the hash to start. Thor had a sad story as he was apparently tied to a tree and left to die and was rescued by the shelter. He had a bad infection and was finally on the mend and allowed to socialize. He was a skinny little dude, but he was so sweet. He was so excited to get out and about. I was afraid he would be a puller and he would make me run the whole hash, but he did well. After he got out some of that extra energy and decided that half-strangling himself by pulling on the leash wasn’t as fun as walking with us he was much easier. He had a blast. I think we basically gave him the best day of his life.

Thor

He won my heart

The hash this week was an around-town hash. The last hash Tyler and I went on was quite perilous and I seriously almost died. I guess that is what we got for deciding to do the “iron-man” finish. So we assumed that an around-the-town hash might be bit more mellow with less jungle traversing, stream crossing craziness. Of course this was silly to think and even though it was just round St. Georges I don’t think I have ever walked up so many stairs or steep hills in my life. We were so proud of Thor though for making it the whole 4 miles. Some of the other shelter dogs had to be carried. Not Thor, he was still charging uphill all the way to the end. I could have sworn he tongue would fly out of his mouth, but I think he was just so happy.

It was a fun, relaxing day. The GSPCA said the dogs loved it so much they are looking for people to take the dogs out for a day for walks and beachtime now. Hopefully we might get to play with Thor again then! 🙂

Here are some more pics we captured from our day out!

Thor and I He liked kisses Tyler walking Thor Thor and I - bliss!
Inside Fort George Hashing View What Studs!!
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Praises

Our car is alive! Huzzah!!

The prayers seem to have worked and it is fixed. Changing the filters and fluid seems to have corrected the lack of shifting and the over-reving it was doing and the general part where is sounded like it was going to explode It is driving just like it used to.

Not sure how all of that is possible, but we are so excited! Thanks for the prayers. The Children Are Not Well is back to its normal level of wellness.

Lets hope it passes inspection later this month and then we can sell it on to its next owner.

Hallelujah!

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The not-so Silver Lining

There are moments when living here just gets so frustrating.

When I am studying and trying desperately to load some Wikipedia pages and the school’s internet just won’t do it.

When the car decides to not shift in reverse and I am trapped on campus waiting 30 minutes for a bus when all I wanted to do was go home and collapse.

When that mosquito will not stop buzzing in my ear and I can’t for the life of me seem to catch it.

The sound of the tape that is kinda-sorta covering the holes chewed by the mouse in our window screens flapping in the wind reminding me that after 2 months, they are still not fixed. Although they said they came and measured, so I guess that is good.

When the toilet wont flush because the tank doesn’t refill for some odd reason. Or the shower has no water pressure.

When it is so hot outside and so cold inside that I just want to place duct tape over all the airconditioning vents in the room so I can sit comfortably.

Sometimes I want to count down until May 30th and I feel like then I won’t have to deal with this kind of stuff anymore. We try so hard not to complain about here, we do. We want to make the best of the situation and remember we live in the Caribbean and paradise and all that. But sometimes I just want water pressure, and intact window screens, and an absence of mosquitos and internet that can load a webpage.

Tyler always says everyone awe’s over the beautiful picture of the African landscape but the reality is is smells like garbage. These little things, they are the garbage smell to our Caribbean life.

Pray for our patience and our car, our poor, poor car.

Update: The window screens were fixed, but the repair man shattered the window so now we need new glass (um, how does that even happen…good question) and the car’s transmission needs replaced. No Bueno.

Update 2: Tyler had the transmission fluid drained and the filter replaced on Friday and after a day passed, it started working properly again. Please keep praying!

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When a Picture is Worth 1000 Words

I don’t need to say much about the visit with Tyler’s family this past week as we have just one picture that says it all. We loves seeing them again, Tyler is ecstatic to have a new infusion of TJs gluten free pasta, and we are both sportting some new tan lines that prove we do actually live in a sunny country. Miss you already guys.

Our Crazy Family
BTW – we are down to 2 months and 1 week until school is done! Crazy!

 

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That One Time I Ditched Pathophys Studying to Eat Dinner on a Boat

View from the boatWell, the title pretty much says it all. But, Friday last week my brain declared that it had had enough of school, studying, first aid charts, etc. It went on strike and left my body alone in the library unable to concentrate.

Solution – throw caution to the wind, ditch my school work and responsibilities, and go on an impossibly fun date with my hubby.

A few bays over is a boating marina, Le Phare Bleu,  that is actually quite cute and really nice compared to much of Grenada. It was much larger than I expected, I think that was most of it. I can see why the rich boaters spend a lot of time there. But, they have a boat that they serve dinner on a few nights a week and Tyler and I had placed it on our short list of places we wanted to try out before leaving Grenada. Due to a wrong turn, we missed seeing the peak of the gorgeous sunset over the water, but it was still amazing. The place is all light with twinkly Christmas lights, the dinner was amazing, and the atmosphere quaint and quiet. After a slow dinner of drinks, dinner, the most amazing dessert – our spirits and minds were relaxed and refreshed. And, I had a supremely productive Saturday of working 8am to about midnight so I would say I more than made up for my break. Sometimes, taking time off is the most productive thing to do!

My handsome manLove this guy