Falling behind and catching up

Over the past couple months, life has been crazy - yet really uneventful - and I have been awful about taking pictures, blogging, or doing much of anything except working, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and other normal life things!  Tonight I bring you up to date on our lives.

Since returning from Florida, Brayton has been full force back into classes.  He has begun 5th semester, which everyone says is the semester where vet school finally starts to be more fun, hands-on and applicable to what you came here to do!  After almost 6 weeks, Brayton is doing great and really enjoying his time.  He has been learning about and getting to do a variety of hands on things, gets to wear green scrubs (only certain people in the doctor field can wear green!), and is taking all the memorization from the past 4 semesters and applying it!  He is working so hard, studying lots, and still managing to be an amazing, helpful husband!  I'm pretty lucky!

As for me, since returning the past 6 weeks have been a bit more challenging..  Since we are leaving in April of next year, I suspected that I wouldn't be working at the prep school, especially as a classroom teacher, next year.  I was hoping for something to help fulfill my time, keep me close to 'my kids', and continue to provide me with an income and insurance since I cannot work anywhere else on the island!  A few weeks ago, I was told that I would not have a contract for next year as there were many changes happening at the school, positions were limited and I was leaving in April.  I knew it was coming, but the reality hit a bit hard.  I have been working at the prep school since arriving on the island, these 1st and 2nd graders have been the solid point in my life down here, have given my something worth waking up for everyday, and the thought of not getting their hugs everyday put a pit in my stomach...  The hardest part was, they didn't know, I couldn't tell them, and all my first grade babies kept saying, ".. when we have you next year..." and my 2nd grade babies (many of whom I've had for 2 years) kept saying "...we'll still see you everyday.." and every time those words left their mouths, and I had to say "..yah.. maybe.." my heart shattered into a million little unrepairable pieces.  What made much of this harder, and this has always been hard working at the Prep School, is about 4 of my students are leaving the island/prep school for good, and I have to say "see ya later.." (Side note:  I am all teary eyed just writing this!)  Tomorrow, one of the girls I have had for 2 years is leaving.. moving back to the states.. and I KNOW it is going to be a rough day.. Those are the worst!

While finding out the news of being 'done' is August has been hard, it has also been a huge motivator for me to get out, and find some volunteering opportunities on the island.  I currently am already involved in the Special Olympics, and am really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of me! I have met some amazing people, made some great local connections and am getting more and more excited to find new, different, and exciting things that fill my heart, time and give me something to put my energy towards.  The future of my time on St. Kitts currently (tentatively) includes:

1) Special Olympics Swimming Program
2) Working to help build/create a Special Olympics Office on island because there is not one now
3) Volunteering at the St. Kitts Children's Home in a variety of ways
4) Teaming up with some long time SK residents to create and build a swimming program for locals because many do not know how to swim
5) Volunteering at Ade's Place (an adult group home for disabled adults)
6) Possibly volunteering in the local schools, primarily focusing on the Special Education population
7) Subbing and helping at the Prep School
8) Tutoring, 'playdates', and hanging out with my OLD students!

and of course, finding time for me, the beach, my dogs and some R&R!



Tomorrow is the end of the 2nd to last week of the school year.. I have 6 days left with my kids (except 2 who are done for the year/forever tomorrow) and then have 8 weeks of summer camp until I say "See Ya Later" to my daily adventures at the prep school and begin the next step in my St. Kitts life!  Lately, when I have been filled with emotion, often not knowing how to express exactly how I am feeling, or what to do or say, I look for quotes.. I really like many of these! They seem to be the simple words, that make everything in life seem possible, doable, easy and obtainable.. no matter the struggle.


I look forward to sharing my (and Brayton's) upcoming adventures with you, as we spend the last 10 months on the island!

I really love this one.. I feel like the more local children I meet and organizations here I get involved in, the more difference I can make. <3

Enough said!  

For anyone who has never heard of sevenly.org - I HIGHLY recommend you check them out.  They sell shirts and other things and each week the money they raise goes to an organization that needs the financial support.  I wish I could afford to buy something from them each and every week.. They do amazing things!  

 

Some Pictures:

Brayton's rescue baby bird... It ended up dying, but he tried! 

These pictures are from the first EVER (yes, pathetic, we've lived here for 2 years.. and its our 1st!) Hike/Hash!  It was cloudy so the pictures aren't as great as they could be - but it was beautiful! 

And, once again, I will end this blog with the song that inspires me to do and be better!  

Christmas in the Caribbean....As a teacher

Luckily for me, I have AMAZING students who are very supportive of me and my homesickness at times!  This year, they helped me turn our classroom into a Christmas winter wonderland and did such a great job doing it!  We hung snowflakes from the ceiling, made a paper christmas tree, hung stockings and made gingerbread men for our bulletin board!  Since they were so good to me, I made them all salt-dough snowmen ornaments for Christmas!  I am NOT an artsy person, so this was a big deal for me!  I made the dough, created them, painted them, and wrote to each individual student on them!  We also did Holiday's Around the World and our last book/project was for The Legend of Old Befana - an Italian legend, so we made broom sticks, which I turned into their gift bags!  What fun!  On the last day of school, I also (also a big deal for me) made HOMEMADE gingerbread and let the kids cut out their gingerbread man and decorate him!  They LOVED it!!  Felt good to see so many smiling faces and feel so much love from students!  Here are some pictures:

The gingerbread men we made!

our tree and our stockings!

My kids!

Step 1 of the snowmen ornaments!

Finished product!

up close - so cute!  Love them! 

And personalized! 

our broomsticks that represent the legend of old befana and were also the kids ''gift bags' for their presents (with their snowmen they got a bell - because we watched and read polar express and a candy cane!)

brooms!

decorating gingerbread cookies!  And the comment of the day was "ask me again ms. leann how good these are. "  me - " ok- how good are they guys?"  them - " better than good, better than awesome!  You are the best teacher ever!"  Easily pleased children - love it! 

Apartment Hunting was a HUGEEEEEEEEEE Success!

To begin, thank god this week is over!  Two exams in one week was not fun for poor Brayton, or me!!! (I can't imagine what finals week is going to be like with 4!)  

The Missoula Children's Theatre production of Jungle Book with the Prep School this past week was beyond amazing, beyond words, completely breathtaking!  The entire school (about 60 kids) learned the songs, lines, moves, everything for the one hour production of Jungle Book in 4 DAYS!!!  4 days - I don't think adults/teens could have done this! My 1st and 2nd graders were Monkeys and had 3 songs, and 3 dances, and when they weren't on stage were sitting back stage silently and were PERFECT.  I could not have been MORE proud of them and their hard work!

Friday night was another great night of beach volleyball!  I am loving that I was asked to play with a team of people who are GOOD at volleyball and welcomed me to their team!  It is such a great stress relief and a great end of the week break!  Brayton and I were both exhausted from our long week of theatre productions and exams and were home and in bed by 10 PM (I'll note that is about 2-4 hours earlier than any night the past week!) and were so excited to wake up and begin our apartment search and our first SCUBA class.

So apartment hunting in St Kitts.....Where to start.....

1) Ross University has many apartments on the island that are 'Ross Approved'.  That means they meet tons and tons and tons of security regulations and are 'as safe as they can be' according to them.  Some of their standards and requirements are over the top (glad they want us to be safe!) but because of them, many apartments are NOT Ross approved and you have to find them through realtors on the island.

2) Many areas on the island are not the safest places to live and/or are a potential 'unsafe' area.  Truthfully, I feel like if you are smart and use common sense and are smart about where you live, you will be fine.

3) Many apartments are not all that nice... and they are extremeeeellllyyy expensive! When I say not nice I would say that is comparative to a place in the US most of us wouldn't live in (if you ever saw my Potsdam apartment - it'd say its close to that!).  They are all furnished, but most have lawn furniture/futon style furniture in the living rooms(not so comfy to sit on), and are just old and dirty-ish.

4) We are busy and don't really have all the time in the world to apartment hunt!

5) We found an AWESOME realtor who I told what I wanted and she hooked us up with 4 showings today and we didn't have to do anything (THANK YOU CARLA!!!!!!!!!!)

6) Carla took us to some great apartments, all 4 of which were very nice and very possible living spaces for us.  But the 4th one she took us to was, well let's just say, beyond amazing (especially for St Kitts!!!!!).  It is located in Fort Tyson Rise, in Frigate Bay(up the mountain side from the Marriott) and when you stand in the yard you can see the entire perimeter of St Kitts (AMAZING, BREATHTAKING, AHHH!).   That was just the beginning!  When you walked inside, you felt like you had just entered into the home of some really rich person who has some house you wish you could live in!  It had amazing tile floors, REALLLLLLL furniture (that you sink into and don't ever want to get out of!) and big, open, kitchen with nice cupboards and countertops, a nice glass dining room table, a HUGE bedroom with  a 4 post queen size pillowtype, soft, comfy, bed.  Two huge beautiful dressers, a big closet that opened into a humongous bathroom.  It also has a nice laundry room with washer AND dryer(most places don't have dryers).  He has a 'gym' in his house we can use, he is thinking of putting in a pool AND it was in our price range!!!!  We talked about it and decided we were SOLD!  We will be moving in in December!

Since we got this amazing apartment, and have been looking at money and time and such - we have decided not to come home in December anymore.  It was going to be expensive for us, someone was going to have to drive us to and pick us up from NYC in December (and drive down on the 31st-yikes).  It was winter and blizzards and cold and we live in paradise now and just don't want to see snow!!!!  So - we will be coming home for a week in April instead (apx. April 22 - April 29).  If anyone wants an awesome break from winter - come visit us for Christmas instead!

We also had our first in water SCUBA class today.  It was in the pool at Ocean Terrace Inn and was really cool.  At first it was really scary to go underwater and take a breath and have air come in through this 'thing' in your mouth and then breath out and have bubbles surround you and for everything to just be ok and underwater!  There were many skills that we practiced and learned and most of it is exciting and some of it still makes me nervous (that I have to do it again at 40 feet deep, in the ocean and not 8 feet deep in a pool!).  I think we are doing our first and second ocean dives next Saturday - yay!  Hopefully I make it up alive =)  just kidding!

Oh, and, we ate at KFC today!!  And it was actually really good!  I am not sure I have ever eaten at a KFC at home, so I am not sure if it was as good or not!

I think that is about all the excitement we have for one day!  We are hoping for a relaxing beach morning, early afternoon tomorrow and then get to studying (for Brayton) for the evening!  He has another exam on Wednesday this week!!!  Luckily - he got an A on his first Physiology exam and a B on his first Microanatomy exam!  GO BRAYTON!  He is pretty much amazing =)  


Well - I need to get to bed - I can't be too tired tomorrow, I have a long day of going to the beach!

WHITE COAT!!!!!

Today was our first 'real' day of teaching and vet school at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine!  My day with my first and second graders went really well - they are super cute!!  We did lots of fun activities and they were sad to go home at the end of the day!  Brayton's first day of classes went well.  He is nervous, but so excited to get going and learn.  I told him that I am actually very jealous of him, and I would love to be learning all the ins and outs of animals, but really mostly only horses, and I'm not science smart enough!  Ill leave the hard work to him and just help him study, I am sure I will learn lots that way =)

Monday evening was his white coat ceremony!  Our family from home was able to watch it on TV via a live broadcast, which was great!  It was so exciting to see them in their first Doctor looking outfit and signified the start of a huge commitment in their lives!  I was so proud of him and so happy for him!  There is nothing I want more than to help his dreams come true <3.

There he is, the future Dr. Brayton Hill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 2 went well for both of us as well, and the workload kicked in hardcore for Brayton already!  His professors told him about 5 hours of reading per class, per day (thats 20 hours a day!).  Therefore, he has lotsss to do!  He worked at home for awhile and then ventured upstairs to study with Rob (Stephanie, Rob's wife, said they look/sound very doctorly and are adorable!).  I spent lots of time sprawled out working on curriculum!  Things are starting to come together!  Planning for 2 grades, in one classroom at the same time is a new and exciting challenge for me!


Hopefully more pictures this weekend!  Miss and love everyone <3

Last day before the REAL reality!

Today was our last day before work (with kids) and classes starting!  We had an amazing presenter - Dr. James Stronge, would wrote the book Qualities of Effective Teachers.  I would highly recommend it to anyone in the teaching profession and would even more highly recommend listening to him speak - and/or getting him to your school (especially admins!).  He is great and has SOO many great points and such about keeping good teachers, and diminishing not good ones (which, in my opinion, doesn't happen enough!).  We also had open house tonight and met many parents and students.  I am really excited to start tomorrow!!

Brayton went Ziplining through the rainforest today.  His response was "It was fun, but not as good as skydiving!"  Nothing will live up to skydiving for him!  He then spent the rest of his day building up the anxiety and nerves about starting vet school FOR REAL tomorrow!  He will do great - he is so smart and hardworking and dedicated!

Tomorrow evening is White Coat Ceremony!  I can't wait to see him in his 'Doctor' coat for the first time...I might cry!!!

Time for sleep - pictures will come soon, when I am less tired and have more time!

Miss everyone from home, and sorry we haven't talked to you more - been sooo busy!  We are still here and doing great!  Love you! <3

Friday/Saturday

Wish I had more time right now to sit here and type a nice blog, but I am exhausted!  My last two days have consisted of endless hours preparing for my upcoming adventures in First and Second grades!  It has been a new ball game, but a lot of fun and new learning!  I never ever realized the amount of work Elementary teachers had to do!

Friday our in-service got cancelled so Brayton dragged me from my work (thank god, I needed it!) and we went to the beach at the Marriott.  We hung out, snorkled (and saw a barracuda-like 3 feet long, 2 sting rays, a jelly fish, a lobster and tons of schools of different, beautiful fish!) then had to come back to reality! I worked all night long and Brayton hung out at home with me and did 'stuff'.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband!!!! <3

Saturday I had in-service again and Brayton went on the Catamaran trip.  They were supposed to go to Nevis but couldn't because of the large waves in between the islands(the Caribbean sea and Atlantic meet up there and its often rough for the little catamaran boats) so they stop at a ship wreck and snorkeled, went to Reggae beach and hung out and had a fun boat ride up the coast.  I am looking forward to doing the trip someday, the pictures looked great!

I'll add pictures soon when I have some more time!  :-)

The busy-ness begins!

So, the last two days have been very uneventful, with nothing major going on except orientation and preparing for teaching.  Brayton has had lectures and such on campus the past two days and I have been working in my classroom for hours on end.  I feel like I am there forever and ever and ever and am still not accomplishing enough!  I wish I could have gotten here a few weeks earlier to prepare...

All in all, things are good!  The weather is gorgeous, although you often forget when you are in 70 degree AC all day long, and the scenery never stops amazing me!  I sometimes have to stop and look around and remind myself of the beauty that surrounds us!  I can't imagine what life will be like when we are both putting in endless hours!

Wednesday night we went to Bobsy's, a local restaurant, for some karaoke.  Brayton got a great offer to get scuba certified in 3 days if he would sing, but he wouldn't!  I was not much fun because I knew a long 9 day stretch of work was about to start the next morning, so we headed home early!

Today was my first day of official orientation. We had a session this morning with Jane, our superintendent/principal about the Prep School life and learned lots of things!  Kids are very fortunate to attend this school!  This afternoon we went to the Caribbean Cinemas with the Orientation Groups and saw ' The Help'.  It was a phenomenal movie with many laugh and many more tears.  I would highly recommend watching it!

As life gets busier, the posts may get a little less frequent.  I will try my best to stay on top of them and remember to take pictures as often as I can!



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