California Girl

If you've been following this adventure, I'm sure you are curious where exactly it is that I'm living now. Since returning from Dominica I've been in the north-eastern part of Southern California.

SoCal is huge guys and if you aren't from the West Coast you may not realize that when people say they are from "LA" they really mean "Greater Los Angeles," which is made of 3 densely populated counties.

Southern California is geographically larger than England. {Wikipedia said so.}

But in one of those moments when you realize that the world is actually a little smaller than it seems, my dear friend Stacy and I discovered that I'm actually living in her and her husband's first apartment. Like, the actual unit! I knew this was the same complex as I was apartment hunting but with over 200 units what are the chances we'd end up in the same one?

Back in August, this same friend and her husband offered me a room in their home while I job-hunted, found, and saved for said apartment. Their kindness and generosity is a true  blessing, and something that I am incredibly grateful for.

So, for now, California is home once again.

The Real Housewives of Dominica

Contrary to what you may expect, life on an island is not always a vacation. The students study 10+ hours a day, which leaves those of us who are here as spouses to come up with our own entertainment. To liken the situation to reality TV, imagine what would happen if The Real Housewives were put on Survivor. That's right, we are:

The Ross Spouses Organization (RSO)

Pagua Bay, First Semester - November 2010

RSO was my saving grace when I got to Dominica.  I was immediately connected with a group of girls who knew what island life was like and who genuinely cared how I was adjusting. Through RSO I went on many island trips, was introduced to volunteer opportunities and was basically given a social group. I appreciate everything those girls did for me during my first semester, and ended up acting as vice president and then president of the group for the following year.

Clare & I : raising money for a local charity

But where does the Survivor aspect come in?

No, we don't have to scavenge off the land (or at least not since a real grocery store opened in Portsmouth). 

Clare, me & Megan - SO excited for a Real grocery store

But I'm sad to say that the matriculation rate for Ross is rumored to be around 33%. That means that 1 out of every 3 students who start at Ross will not graduate. The good news for us is that most of those students are voted off asked to leave during their first two years. Now that Chris has passed the Comp we are on the upside of things. 

{Now, on to the drama!}

The Real Housewives of Dominica

Although it varies from semester to semester, there are generally 40 to 60 "spouses" (wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.) of students on the island. About half of them are 20-something women who don't have children yet. As with any time you put a group of 20-something women together, you know there is going to be some drama. 

Now picture those women trapped on a small, humid, island.

Thus, The Real Housewives. I think the drama arises from a combination of boredom, different personalities and living in a college-town environment. Without much else to do, girls will talk behind each other's backs and argue over petty things. But don't get me wrong, we have lots of fun together too.

What I've noticed is, that back in the states you have your close friends (best buddies from college or high school) and then you have your acquaintance friends (from work, activities, etc.). Your friends from work or other places don't expect to be invited to every backyard bbq you have and they certainly don't mind if you go to the beach with your best friends on Saturday or have them over for dinner.

That acquaintance level of friendship is missing on the island.

Among the spouses without children, there seems to be this assumption that we are all supposed to be best friends because there are so few of us. But that just doesn't work. People have different personalities, are different ages, and simply get along with some people better than others. That's how the world works! 

All this to say, it's been quite the ride learning to navigate the social climate here. I'm so thankful to have found a few friends along the way who I've really bonded with, and I'll miss so much when I'm gone. 

4 Week Countdown

Exactly 4 weeks from today, we will be boarding a plane back to California. It will be 8 months since I've been in the states last, and 2 years since we moved to Dominica.

I'd like to say how excited I am, but the truth is that I'm a mixed bag of emotions. I'm looking forward to going to Target & Starbucks, but I know that we will have a very tight budget. I'm glad to see my family & friends stateside again but I'm sad to leave my friends here who have become a family. 

This blog is called Priceless Adventure for a reason: we never know what is going to happen next. Will I get a job? Will we be able to stay in CA for rotations? For the Price's it's one day at a time on this Adventure.

Thankful Thursday Post

It's been a sad week. My good friend Tarah moved back to the states yesterday and I'm realizing our time here is almost through. I've felt for a while now that Dominica is home, and it's going to be hard to leave. I've often heard that the best way to get through a rough day is by thinking of all the things you are thankful for.

1. Imported Starbucks coffee. By imported I mean C²W bought me 3 pounds of Starbucks in the states & imported it in their suitcases for me.

2. I have awesome friends here on the island, back in California, and across the oceans in Korea. They keep me sane & grounded while reminding me there is life beyond med-school.

3. We are officially in 5th semester of med-school! {Do you like the use of "we"? I may not be the one studying, but it's still my life!}

4. Adam Cat. My little buddy basically sleeps near me all day, wherever I am. Whether it's on my desk, under my feet, or in the window sill behind me. He keeps me company during the day.

5. The Internet & Bloggers. Seriously, without the blogging world I would be much lonelier. I love that even though I live on an island of only 70k people, I have been able to make friends from around the world. You guys make me happy! I have so much fun writing & designing posts {not to mention my awesome job designing blogs.}

What are You thankful for this Thursday?

Linking up with Cami from First Day of My Life on this Thankful Thursday.

My Memories of St. Maarten

I want to send a BIG thank you out to Leah, Kate, & Clare for guest posting for me while I was enjoying the beautiful island of St. Maarten. I had an idea of what to expect from getting a sneak peek of their posts, but the color of the water there truly is unbelievable.



We stayed at The Westin Dawn Beach and it was everything a 4 star hotel should be. Comfy lounge chairs, a swim-up bar, heavenly bed, and amazing food. This was my view for much of the vacation.



Kristen and Paul did an amazing job planning and hosting this destination wedding. From hand painted bottles of rum in the rooms, to Da Party Bus (more to come), to the most perfect beach wedding.. everything about the experience was thoughtful and lovely.



Not to mention how beautiful Kristen looked in her wedding dress. She was the perfect bride. I feel honored to have been invited to be there on her Paul's big day.

Guest Post by Clare of C Squared W

Hello Priceless Adventurers!

I'm so excited to share photos from my trip to St. Maarten with you while Katie is off enjoying the island herself. I've been lucky enough to visit St. Maarten twice and have loved it both times.  I mean, it's a Caribbean island, what's not to love?

I first went to St. Maarten with my neighbor and best friend growing up, Susanna, and her family.  I have fond memories of red-roofed buildings, clear water, and green mountains.  We rode horses on the beach, and saw parrots, goats, and monkeys.  We were lucky enough to get half of our hair braided and beaded with corn rows (we were 11!) and to buy shell jewelry.  It was magical.

This past May, I visited St. Maarten with my sister, Frannie.  She visited my husband and I in Dominica, and then we flew to St. Maarten together enjoy a few days of luxury.

Frannie and I stayed on the Dutch side of the island at the Holland House in Phillipsburg, mainly because it was right on the beach.  Hotel guests were also allowed to use complimentary beach towels and beach chairs (many hotels in the area charge extra for this), so we took full advantage of that.  For our few days we had the entire beach to ourselves, which was absolute heaven!

Our hotel room was nice and my only complaint was the bathroom, which seriously needed a facelift.  The hotel restaurant and lounge, however, was especially awesome.  It was the perfect spot to enjoy morning coffee or cocktails before dinner with an amazing view.  

We were also just steps away from Old Street, which had several fantastic French cafes where we enjoyed breakfasts and lunches daily.  There was also a ton of good shopping in the area. 

{Please disregard the extreme awkwardness of this photo.  Please.}

One day Frannie and I took a local bus to visit the French side of the island.  We went to Marigot, the French capital, and enjoyed the shops and good restaurants.  Our favorite part was visiting the the art gallery of Roland Richardson, a well-known painter from the island who paints in a colorful, Impressionistic style.  The art gallery is a beautiful old building which was actually Richardson's childhood home.

I loved Richardson's artwork so much that I ended up purchasing one of his etchings as a gift for my husband!

We also loved this beautiful view from the waterfront in Marigot:

Another afternoon Frannie and I went on a boat tour and went snorkeling at a nearby reef.  The resort with the red roofs is actually where I stayed back in middle school, so now I've actually gone snorkeling in these reefs on two separate trips.  Pretty cool! 

Saba, St. Barth's, and Anguilla are all just a quick ferry ride away from St. Maarten!  If we'd had extra time, we'd love to have visited one of these islands.

A trip wouldn't be complete without a weird photo beside some sort of mural, sign, or statue, right? 

We had a great trip, and I'd love to go back sometime!

A few favorites from Phillipsburg, St. Maarten:

• Coffee and pastries at a French cafe on Old Street. (My fave was the cute one close to the street.)
• Shopping in Phillipsburg.
• Homemade chocolate treats from the chocolate shop on Old Street.
• A boat trip and snorkeling, we went with one of the companies located on the dock in Phillisburg, it was great. 
• Evening cocktails on the Holland House patio lounge.  The guavaberry-coladas were so great!
• Dinner at Shivsagar Restuarant.  This was an awesome Indian restaurant in Phillipsburg where Frannie and I feasted on an amazing meal! 
• Ice cream at Haagen Dazs (right next door to the Holland House on the boardwalk)
• Visit the Roland Richardson Art Gallery in Marigot if you love art. (Look for one of his huge, colorful paintings in the St. Maarten airport, too!)

Thank you Clare for sharing your trip & the wonderful photos! I hope you are having an awesome time in Rome today :) For those of you who haven't met Clare yet, take a second and go visit! 

Pirates of Caribbean!

Dominica has one claim to fame, can you guess what it is?! Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl was filmed here. The cast & crew stayed in Portsmouth (where we live) for part of the filming. According to rumor, they stayed in the Portsmouth Beach Cottages, and you can stay in a "Johnny Depp" or "Orlando bloom" cottage if you come to visit.

To celebrate my good friend Kristen's birthday this weekend, we decided to take a trip up the Indian River where a part of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. Somehow I had never gone on the river tour, even though I pass by it all the time! I even pulled out the good ole DSLR for the trip.

To satisfy your curiosity, I've put together a few comparison images for your enjoyment.

I love these silly girls. One of my biggest worries when we moved to Dominica was that I would be lonely. Just the opposite has happened! The med-school spouse community was so warm and welcoming. There is something about being stuck on an small island with similar daily annoyances that really brings people together. {Survivor was lying: there's no voting anyone off!}

Interested in seeing more? Clare has more pictures from our adventure on her blog, take a peek!

Welcome Clare to Blogger!

I want you all to meet Clare, my best friend on the island. It's been wonderful to have a real-life friend who is excited about blogging too! Clare has been so supportive and encouraging this last year as I launched Priceless Design Studio. 

Somehow I convinced her to switch from wordpress.com to blogger.com, and in the process was able to work with her on a re-design of her blog: C Squared W. 

The title of her blog is über fitting because her name is Catherine Clare Wilkinson (C²W) but she is also married to Charlie Wilkinson, so together they are also C²W. Clare comes from Virginia, where I’m learning there is a lot of southern tradition & manners.

Clare blogs about life & style, plus all the crazy situations she somehow get's herself into. She is hilarious. Our island adventures will get to continue, as both of our husbands were told last week that they would be able to do their 5th semester here in Dominica. Yay!

I'm Off!

After yesterday's post about working & needing time to relax, I'm so excited to say that I'm heading out today on a bridal-shower-getaway-slumber-party celebrating one of my favorite island girls!

Kristen is a fellow California native & is in "my" semester. (Which really means that her husband & my husband are in the same class.. neither of us are in actually in school.) I'm so glad that I got to know Kristen this year, she is a great friend with a huge heart. 

Kristen is getting married in a little less than 2 months on the island of St. Maarten between our 4th and 5th semesters here. And I'm going!! I'm so excited to be there for her on that special day & it will be my first island-hopping vacation. 

Please excuse me for the next day & a half as I turn off the computer & get ready to:

"wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle"

90% natural, 10% fresh

Presenting, Turkey-Lurkey!! This Thanksgiving was the best yet. Mr. Turkey was cooked in a turkey-bag this year. Although I was a bit skeptical at first, now that I've tried a turkey-bag I don't think I will ever go back! You don't have to baste the turkey, and there is practically no mess. He came out totally moist and practically falling off the bone. Tracy and I (well, Tracy mostly) stuffed him with garlic butter, salt and pepper, thyme and parsley, and carrots, onions, and celery.

Everyone was required to make a hand turkey with 4 things they were thankful for, and we put them up on the wall.  My favorite was baby daphne's, which said she was thankful for things like Mommy and Daddy, milk, and music!

My turkey said I was thankful for my family, good friends, the Internet, & free time.  Living in Dominica, I don't need much else.   

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

Yesterday helped to remind me of a couple of awesome things about living on a small island.

- It's November, and I'm still able to go to the pool any time I want.
- Instead of graffiti, bright fruits are painted on walls.
- You can stand in the middle of the {only} highway for several minutes without any cars passing.
- I can hand someone off the street my dSLR without worrying they will run off with it.
- The one and only street light on the island is activated by pushing a button.
- Sunday afternoons with friends and a camera can be just as much fun as movie theaters or malls.

 

 

10 Days in Dominica, Day Nine

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

There are two things I can say that have definitely made this journey easier for me. First, the wonderful group of spouses on the island. Before I even arrived, the spouses here were supportive. The wonderful Samantha was my "sponsor" and advised me every step of the way. I don't think I could have made it this last year without friends to talk to and go on adventures with.

Secondly, the internet absolutely has made life here easier. I can connect with people back home, watch TV online, and take classes all from the comfort of my bed. Back home, I might have checked my personal email once or twice a day but here at Ross it is the primary way people communicate. It is unusual if someone doesn't respond within 5 or 6 hours. Without the internet I would be bored, lonely, and homesick. Sad, but true.

Happy Birthday MoFo

Possibly one of the most odd thoughtful birthday presents I've ever received, this miniature version of Beyonce the 5 foot metal chicken made my {birth}day.  If you don't know about Beyonce, you need to stop what you are doing and go read this post and then this one by The Bloggess.  If you aren't laughing so hard you are crying by the end of it, your sense of humor must be broken. 

My friends know me well.  They even baked me some awesome tie-dye cupcakes with the most amazing frosting I've ever had.  You can check out the recipe on Crystal's new blog, A Little Lovely. 

Don't those look heavenly?  I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends on this island.  Last year, I described my birthday as "simple" and never imagined what an incredible adventures were waiting for me. 

Not only did my friends and I have a great time out, Chris and I also went on a trip to Roseau to stay at the Fort Young Hotel.  (sorry for the crappy picture.) We swam in the endless pool, had a delicious steak dinner, and the most amazing white chocolate mousse dessert.  The best part?  Air conditioning so cold we got to sleep cuddled up under the blankets.