Oops! So I guess it's been like 11 days since I last posted! Haha I'm sure you can determine that it means I have NOTHING going on!! It is wicked hot all the time. And this is MY blog so I'm going to complain as much as I want! I'm mostly blown away how people keep telling me it's going to get hotter, oh well I guess that's what the beach is for!
The past week and a half has been fun, Josh and I went to Zee Best for breakfast 2 Sundays ago, and it was the most fabulous breakfast dining experience I've ever had. We had a basket of croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a little pot of pressed coffee just for us. Josh's eggs benedict were perfectly poached and my crepe was full of delicious scrambled eggs and Gruyere. Yummm! I know I'm going on and on but breakfast is the best meal of ALL time and, aside from my beloved Maine lobsters, I don't want to eat stupid lunch or dinner!
We spend most of our budget on groceries and personally I think it's great. I am learning how to shop for the month and the week, how to make a healthy and reasonable menu, and I get to cook every night which is always better than eating out :) I'm still no good at really housekeeping, I keep things tidy but ultimately Martha Stewart I am not!
Coming soon: A photo tour of our apartment!
Amanda
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Month One, Done!
Today is exactly one month since we first arrived, CRAZY! I haven't posted in awhile mostly because I've been preoccupied with drinking, hehehe! Josh had his first exams on Monday, which meant he was studying all weekend, which meant I had to leave him alone, which meant I went out with the girls and just partied :) Last week I went out to Tequila's with a couple ladies and drank margaritas, I don't know a better way to pass an evening! They were delicious and it's always nice to get out of the house. Haha I paid with my babysitting money, like I was in high school again, ridiculous!
Saturday and Sunday the Spouses Org has a burrito sale, so the students that were trapped studying all weekend could have some form of sustainence. It was fun and there was a nice turn out, everyone loves a homemade burrito :) Saturday night however, I went out with some more spouses and I guess you could say we casino hopped. We started near the French side and worked our way back to Simpson Bay. It was amazingly fun, and it kept me busy until damn near 3:00 in the morning. Needless to say, I didn't do anything on Sunday, except lay around and feel sorry for myself :)
Monday was the big day and the block exams wore out every student I met. Josh needed to relax badly so obviously we went to BB's, the corner dive bar. After sitting with a couple of his classmates we got on a bus and went to Sunset Beach Bar again. Silly me ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, and oh boy I was almost instantly sleepy. The sun and too much drinking really wears you out down here. I made it home just fine but there was no way I was going out Monday night. A little lounge near the school named Khush offered half off drinks and from what I hear, a really nice party. Josh went for a couple hours with his buddies, but I was out of commission!! I did some laundry, cleaned up the apartment, read my Sookie Stackhouse novel and fell asleep! It was luxurious! I am sorry I missed the martini's but I have a feeling I will end up there again at some point :)
So now Josh is back to studying and I am back to doing whatever it is I do in a day :)
Saturday and Sunday the Spouses Org has a burrito sale, so the students that were trapped studying all weekend could have some form of sustainence. It was fun and there was a nice turn out, everyone loves a homemade burrito :) Saturday night however, I went out with some more spouses and I guess you could say we casino hopped. We started near the French side and worked our way back to Simpson Bay. It was amazingly fun, and it kept me busy until damn near 3:00 in the morning. Needless to say, I didn't do anything on Sunday, except lay around and feel sorry for myself :)
Monday was the big day and the block exams wore out every student I met. Josh needed to relax badly so obviously we went to BB's, the corner dive bar. After sitting with a couple of his classmates we got on a bus and went to Sunset Beach Bar again. Silly me ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, and oh boy I was almost instantly sleepy. The sun and too much drinking really wears you out down here. I made it home just fine but there was no way I was going out Monday night. A little lounge near the school named Khush offered half off drinks and from what I hear, a really nice party. Josh went for a couple hours with his buddies, but I was out of commission!! I did some laundry, cleaned up the apartment, read my Sookie Stackhouse novel and fell asleep! It was luxurious! I am sorry I missed the martini's but I have a feeling I will end up there again at some point :)
So now Josh is back to studying and I am back to doing whatever it is I do in a day :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
After a Great Weekend
The internet has been out or otherwise unreliable since Friday morning when the power and water went out for about 8 hours. Here is the article. It was a really bad start to the day, no electricity and no water for showers, ugh, oh St. Maarten. We were thrilled when eventually everything came back on early in the afternoon. Friday was the White Coat Ceremony after all! It was such a nice event, although some would say it was long and boring, I didn't mind all the speeches :)After the Ceremony there was dinner and partying at the nightclub Bliss. It was a really fun place, it's all open air and right on the ocean. Naturally, the drink prices reflected the luxe atmosphere and I don't think we'll be spending a lot of time there outside of organized activities!
On Saturday Josh and I rented a car so we could go out rather than be trapped in and near our apartment. We got the best shwarma's EVER in Simpson Bay and then went to the movies right next door. I bet you couldn't have guessed that the power went out in the movie! It was only for a second but we were like "Omg it never works". It was a very nice relaxed night, a perfect compliment to the craziness of Friday night at Bliss.
On Sunday we found ourselves driving around Marigot and Philipsburg. Much to our dismay everything was closed. Literally, they looked like ghost towns. Philipsburg in particular seriously shuts down when cruise ships aren't around. It was still a gorgeous day and a fun drive. I'm loving the French side more and more each time we hop over there. We will have to make real plans next time, not just driving around and seeing what's opened. Sunday night was time to study for Josh and I made dinner, read, and watched TV. I think that's probably the best way to spend Sunday night.
Monday it was back to the grind. Well, I'm not nearly as busy as Josh, but I've been getting up with him so I have the morning to get stuff done. He had to reset our internet router in the afternoon so it was FINALLY working. Good work babe! I babysat officially for the first time, those boys are so funny! They are really well behaved and self reliant, they know what they have to do and they do it. Although a 9 year old and 4 year old don't really have much homework to speak of, so there's not much to do! Obviously the power went out AGAIN monday night. Haha right in the middle of dinner! At least it was cooked, but we had to eat by flashlight. We are both getting a little tired of near daily power outages. If you have electricity, cable, internet, and water all at the same time it is luxurious. Josh is studying studying studying, he has his first block exams next week. Stressful!
Today my plans are laundry and working out this morning, then at noon I have my ICM job until 2, then from 2-4:30 is babysitting! Josh no doubt will be studying like crazy but it's looking to be a great day so far!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fun on the Beach!
Today is Ascension Day and it's an island holiday. The students do not have classes today so that means last night was a good night to drink :) Josh and I met a couple of his friends at the casino (which is right next to campus by the way) to watch the Bruins game. We purchased 2 buckets of beer and I, of course, got a couple fruity drinks. It really hit the spot. After the game the boys decided to gamble a bit. Josh turned $60 into $250 at the blackjack tables, YAY, good work babe! Anyways, after coming home and drunk skyping a couple friends I fell asleep at around 2 am.
Today, a couple student groups are throwing a volleyball tourney/cookout on the beach. AMSA and the fraternity here are sponsoring it and it should be a lot of fun. Food and beer are free and the winners of the volleyball game win free bottle service at Bliss after the White Coat Ceremony on Friday, or so I hear, I don't really know for sure!! I will definatly take pictures of that and post it on here for everyone to see. Now it's time to get ready for the fun!
Amanda
Today, a couple student groups are throwing a volleyball tourney/cookout on the beach. AMSA and the fraternity here are sponsoring it and it should be a lot of fun. Food and beer are free and the winners of the volleyball game win free bottle service at Bliss after the White Coat Ceremony on Friday, or so I hear, I don't really know for sure!! I will definatly take pictures of that and post it on here for everyone to see. Now it's time to get ready for the fun!
Amanda
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Time to Get to Work
Yesterday I started babysitting for two awesome little boys! They are children of two professors at AUC and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. They are ages 9 and 4 and just so polite and outgoing. I was so shy at their age it's funny to see how talkative they are. It's gonna be a really fun summer!
Today I started training to be an SP (Standardized Patient) for the ICM (Intro. to Clinical Medicine) class. So far I'm not a very good actress but I will just practice practice practice! Again, it's gonna be a lot of fun and bonus many of the spouses do it too!
Last night we got a really good taste of how crazy and unreliable the electricity can be. The power kept going out and coming back on for several hours. It would have been fine during the day but it kept waking us up as we tried to sleep. Needless to say I was sooo sleepy all day!
Also, last night for dinner I made the most banging pork chops EVER. I braised them with an onion and mustard sauce and made sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, soooo good :) Haha, it's not very exciting but figuring out how to grocery shop and cook with in our confined little kitchen. We were forewarned about the prices here, but they are ok so far. Meat, especially chicken is pricey and some vegetables are expensive, but mostly day to day grocery prices are similar to those back in CT. Back to our kitchen appliances, they are so wee tiny! Our neighbors have standard sized refridgerators and ovens so I don't know why we got the little ones, but oh well, they will work just fine!
I used the gym at AUC and sometime this week (whenever I get around to it) I will be able to get my own spouses ID badge. I think it's really great that I am able to get Josh's student discount and use all the facilites on campus, it opens up even more oppotunites to me :)
Tonight Josh and I have big plans to watch Lost (hooray prime time!) and devour some honey pizza!
Amanda
Today I started training to be an SP (Standardized Patient) for the ICM (Intro. to Clinical Medicine) class. So far I'm not a very good actress but I will just practice practice practice! Again, it's gonna be a lot of fun and bonus many of the spouses do it too!
Last night we got a really good taste of how crazy and unreliable the electricity can be. The power kept going out and coming back on for several hours. It would have been fine during the day but it kept waking us up as we tried to sleep. Needless to say I was sooo sleepy all day!
Also, last night for dinner I made the most banging pork chops EVER. I braised them with an onion and mustard sauce and made sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, soooo good :) Haha, it's not very exciting but figuring out how to grocery shop and cook with in our confined little kitchen. We were forewarned about the prices here, but they are ok so far. Meat, especially chicken is pricey and some vegetables are expensive, but mostly day to day grocery prices are similar to those back in CT. Back to our kitchen appliances, they are so wee tiny! Our neighbors have standard sized refridgerators and ovens so I don't know why we got the little ones, but oh well, they will work just fine!
I used the gym at AUC and sometime this week (whenever I get around to it) I will be able to get my own spouses ID badge. I think it's really great that I am able to get Josh's student discount and use all the facilites on campus, it opens up even more oppotunites to me :)
Tonight Josh and I have big plans to watch Lost (hooray prime time!) and devour some honey pizza!
Amanda
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Two Weeks Flew By
First of all, let me start by saying Happy Mother's Day! For anyone who reads this that is a mother :) The past few days have been a combination of busy and infamously boring. The students started classes last week so by Thursday I had to already be used to Josh being gone or when he is here, studying. I'm ok with this, that's what we're here for!
Friday night the Spouses org invited us all out to dinner at the Sunset Beach Bar. That place is so much fun!! Josh and I headed over there when we first arrived to get a couple drinks, topless women drink free, alas we did not drink for free. For anyone who doesn't know, the bar is on a little strip of beach right next to the airport landing strip. Watching the planes come in is really an incredible sight, I had so much fun! Anyways Friday night was no exception, we had a lot of fun and met some really awesome people :) All of the spouses and their students are so helpful and they really make sure all the newcomers have everything we need. They are a great resource and I'm happy I get to be a part of that community. For example, we do not have our rental car anymore and have to walk everywhere, as previously addressed with our grocery store walk :) The Sunset Beach Bar is farther away than the grocery store, just for reference. After I was unable to get in touch with anyone who might be able to drive us, Josh decided we should just walk there. Oh boy here we go. Luckily it was a lovely evening, not too hot, and this time I was ready albeit still reluctantly. As we were trudging through the golf course a fellow spouse recognized us and gave us a ride :) Yaay! See everyone is so nice!
Saturday was another outing, this time with just the Spouses. We all went out to lunch at Pineapple Pete's in Simpson Bay. I really like it, and I especially liked getting to meet even more spouses! Some people have children, some don't, some have even had their babies on the island (!), and some people, like me, are dedicated boyfriends and girlfriends. Either way we are all here to support our students and each other :)
Today Josh and I trekking yet again through the golf course into Maho. This time it was my idea! We are gonna look for a book for me to read, maybe pick up a new pair of earrings (I lost mine in the ocean, who wears earrings in the ocean?!), and inevitably pick up some groceries. It's hot today but oh well, I'd better get used to it!! Hopefully we will go to the beach afterwards!
Amanda
Friday night the Spouses org invited us all out to dinner at the Sunset Beach Bar. That place is so much fun!! Josh and I headed over there when we first arrived to get a couple drinks, topless women drink free, alas we did not drink for free. For anyone who doesn't know, the bar is on a little strip of beach right next to the airport landing strip. Watching the planes come in is really an incredible sight, I had so much fun! Anyways Friday night was no exception, we had a lot of fun and met some really awesome people :) All of the spouses and their students are so helpful and they really make sure all the newcomers have everything we need. They are a great resource and I'm happy I get to be a part of that community. For example, we do not have our rental car anymore and have to walk everywhere, as previously addressed with our grocery store walk :) The Sunset Beach Bar is farther away than the grocery store, just for reference. After I was unable to get in touch with anyone who might be able to drive us, Josh decided we should just walk there. Oh boy here we go. Luckily it was a lovely evening, not too hot, and this time I was ready albeit still reluctantly. As we were trudging through the golf course a fellow spouse recognized us and gave us a ride :) Yaay! See everyone is so nice!
Saturday was another outing, this time with just the Spouses. We all went out to lunch at Pineapple Pete's in Simpson Bay. I really like it, and I especially liked getting to meet even more spouses! Some people have children, some don't, some have even had their babies on the island (!), and some people, like me, are dedicated boyfriends and girlfriends. Either way we are all here to support our students and each other :)
Today Josh and I trekking yet again through the golf course into Maho. This time it was my idea! We are gonna look for a book for me to read, maybe pick up a new pair of earrings (I lost mine in the ocean, who wears earrings in the ocean?!), and inevitably pick up some groceries. It's hot today but oh well, I'd better get used to it!! Hopefully we will go to the beach afterwards!
Amanda
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