Pets in New Places

This next adventure I want to share with you was brought to you by a late paid electric bill. No, our power did not shut off… but I was 2 days late (how did it get to be August 2^nd?!) so we hustled down to The Bottom to pay it, and then decided to grab breakfast at a restaurant we had never been to before called The Bottom Bean. It’s more of a Coffee Shop or Café, but they had delicious breakfast sandwiches and burritos, and for a remarkably reasonable price considering they are here in Saba!

We sat down to eat and heard this high pitch noise! It sounded like a tropical bird but I hadn’t seen any on Saba yet and was a little confused….

Then we met Bella

She is the Café bird. Snug right in there, I’m assuming off of the kitchen. She was very friendly! The owner came and she gave him “kisses”. Sadie was so fascinated I couldn’t get her to eat anything! Sadie started bouncing up and down, and Bella started copying her! Then Bella moved side-to-side…over and over… until we did it. Haha and so it went. Up-and-down, side-to-side. I’m not sure whether the bird, or the kids liked the game more. When we said good-bye, belly raised her claw, and chirped “buh”.

(Sadie's face when the bird started playing the up-down game with us. haha. I think she was trying to figure out what it was, or what it was doing!)

This reminds me! I ought to share something many of my friends or family in The States have probably never seen. That’s Restaurant pets! As you can see one was Bella! Another Restaurant in Windward Side has a pet Dog. I don’t know dogs very well, but maybe it’s something like an English Cream Retriever or a Labrador Retriever? Very friendly dog. He/She does stay at the entrance of the dinning area and doesn’t actually come in. Which is probably why the black silky cat has taken home to inside of the seating area (safe from her doggy friend). She mostly stays under the tables, though one time she came to visit us and looked as though she was going to jump right in my lap… or the table.

The only other unusual place I am unaccustomed to seeing animals was the nursing home.  Apparently, there is a chicken that finds it a pleasure to meander through the open doors and windows, visiting each of the rooms in search for something to eat. One of the residents said they don’t mind, though they don’t like the trail of poop it leaves. The kids stopped mid-song to watch it walk through to common area. Hannah really wanted to catch it! I wish I had caught a picture!

A Little Adventure for Little Adventurers

Well here I write again! It is a typical day here, with the standard 86 degree weather and 75% humidity. We have done a lot these last few weeks and I have been too busy (or to plumb tuckered out to blog).

So I’ll start with the adventure the kids and I went on a few weeks ago! We were all restless and dying to get out of the house. So we decided to go check out a playground on the other side of the island. I have heard it’s “okay” and that they were supposed to be redoing it. And... yeah, It was “okay.” But the kids loved it!

The metal is all rusty, the sand below the slides is so worn down the slides are quite a ways off the ground, and it’s rather falling apart. But it was still something to climb on! Even Sadie had fun! Plus there were lots of sea shells in the sand to be admired and collected.

The slides, I imagine, have been worn down so much by the salty sea breeze that they don’t even slide anymore! If I could include a video you would see the kids really having to push themselves to go down... we joke that those slides are the ones meant for climbing up.

That wasn’t even the best part though! I spotted a stair case that caught my interest. So we followed it up. 

(#1 the airport, and cliff after the runway, #2 the hill with a trail leading to Tide Pools, #3 Cove bay, full of seaweed, #4 the Staircase we spotted)

After exploring the area we found a path. A fun little pint size hike that took us to the edge of the hill to a great view of the water. It also leads down to tidepools! Though I didn’t take the kids on that adventure that day. We did find an interesting old structure that looks like it was an oven…maybe?

(Kids spotted some little white butterflies)

What I loved about this day was being present with the kids. Before we left we were all so grumpy and cranky and irritated. But then we got some fresh air and it was so nice watching the kids light up as they explored rocks, plants, butterflies, and all that was around them. 

The Day to Day Life

What is it like being here? Being a spouse of a med student? What do you do all day? 

That is what I am here to tell you today! 

Matthew's schedule looks about like this:  

Mon-Fri:  

5am: Wake, read scriptures, say prayers, get ready. 

6am: Leave for school, study. 

8am-4pm: Back to back, and very long classes. Only a 30-minute lunch break.  

4pm: Come home, get something to eat, give family hugs, go in office to study 

4:30-9pm: Study. Come out and give kids a hug goodnight (when they are in their beds) 

9pm: Bedtime

Saturday there are no classes, so he studies all day long. Still getting up at 6 and studying until 9pm. Occasionally, if there are no tests the next week, he will end at 6pm and he and I spend time together. 

Sundays are the best days! He does no school work. Period. 

We get ready in the morning, church clothes and all, and then at 10am have our family meeting resembling church 1st hour and primary. At 11:30 the kids have lunch and go down for nap. Then he and I have our Sunday school lesson, and family council. In the afternoons when the kids are up, we walk up the hill to look at some outdoor pet turtles and birds. We visit with neighbors and find some service to do (usually picking up a few items of trash). Sunday evening, after the kids are in bed, we have time set aside for scripture study and answering questions about what the Mormons believe. We have invited many people, though he and I are the only ones so far. Then around 8pm he heads to bed, to get an earlier start Monday morning! 

So where does that leave me and the kids all week? 

Wednesdays are the days the boat comes in. So, it is the day we get groceries. We usually hitch hike in (that is quite the sight with 4 of us!) and shop at 2 stores, then have the stores bring us and our groceries back. The stores are about the size of a Maverick Truck stop. This store to the right is called "My Store" It looks like a house... because pretty much everything you see in this picture are apartments! See the yellow arrow? That is pointing you to the entrance of the store, which is blocked in the picture by the truck. The first two pictures below are from inside this store. 

The below two stores are the stores we usually shop at, in Windwardside. 

One day I usually do Laundry. It really is an all-day affair. I tried to bring the kids down with me, but that has proved far too difficult. So, I get them busy on a task, run down the two flights of stairs, fill the tank with a hose from the sink across it. Put clothes in to wash. Run back upstairs. The cycle is only 15 minutes. So, when the time is up, I run back down, and pull them out to start the next load, or drain the water and refill it for the rinse. The washer is separate from the spinner, so when the clothes are done I put them in this compartment and it spins. This is the stage I bring the kids down as I'm down for much longer. They play outside, while I spin and then hang the clothes. I usually fill up the clothes lines downstairs, as well as the small rack upstairs in our house. For a family of 5, doing laundry 1x a week, I usually have 3-4 loads. When the clothes are dry, we take them down, and the kids help me sort and put them away.  

Other days we will go to the library. The below picture shows about the size of the English children's books they have. We will sit and read for a while, and then check some out to take home. They ask you put the books away after reading them, so you can only get 1 or 2 out at a time.... I learned that the hard way. Next to the library is a "fit park" the kids like playing at as well. 

 Below is a picture of the ENTIRE library. 

There is a hotel here that lets you swim in their pool if they are not busy, and if you buy something from their snack bar. So, we have done that before and will probably go again this week. Especially because the "cove" a man-made beach here is full of seaweed, and there are no other beaches.  

Sometimes we just go into town to wander through stores. The hardware store has fish tanks and the kids love watching them! Another store has pretty pictures we wander through and look at. The bakery here has little kid trikes out in the main common area and the kids love going there to run around and play.  

Couple time a week we walk down to the school playground and the kids play there in the afternoons. 

I have also ended up taking the kids out to eat about 1x a week, not fast food, they don’t have that here. Usually pizza, or chicken strips. We do it mostly because it is something to do and gets us out of the house.  

We are also starting to make friends! Hannah has met 2 girls her age and has really had fun with them. I've enjoyed meeting and visiting with other moms! I love the days we are able to get with friends!  

This is at a neighbors house. The friend is a few months younger than Sadie. 

Somedays are just cleaning days and catching up on doing the dishes (no dishwasher.... so... sometimes they pile up a bit much) 

I also love Sundays because it is the day Matthew changes the diapers, does the dishes, and puts the kids down for bed. It's enough help and enough of a break, that I have the energy to do it all again the next week. Haha. This last Sunday we planted some new plants...

Some Saturday nights, after I get the kids down, I go out with other moms, and have a nice dinner and adult conversation. 🙂 I enjoy those nights a lot.  

 Fancy place setting! Me and the other mom that went, don't drink so the fancy glasses stayed empty.

But the meal was just as fancy and absolutely delicious!

And that is our week! As long as I get enough sleep, and eat, I am a happy mom, and can handle the kids on my own most of the time. If I am slacking in either area, I tend to get grumpy and short tempered, rather quickly. Then it's just a rough day for us all. Those are usually days that it's important we get out of the house! 

It really isn't bad at all. I thought I loved being here when we first got here, but I have come to love being here even more!! It is a very safe friendly island, and the weather has been quite amiable lately! I love that things are simple. I am a more present and engaged mom then I was before. I love that I am not held to schedules, or the expectations of others. When we go out, I'm not herding the kids to rush from place to place. We enjoy it, and we will get back when we get back. I love that I only have cell service when connected to WIFI, so at home, and a few restaurants if I need to call a ride. But I don't have the distraction of my phone whenever there is a dull moment. Instead I take in all that my kids are doing. Their business as they explore the world around them.  

Sure, I miss having a Walmart 5 minutes away.... but do I really? I don't miss the crowds. I don't miss the commotion. I don't miss the distractions. I don't miss the anxiety of taking my kids into public. I don't miss the compulsive spending for things I thought we needed but don't really.  I don't mind waiting weeks for things we do need and have to order. It gives it more value when it does arrive. Instead of the instant gratification of seeing something and buying it within a matter of seconds.

I'm living the simple, focused life, I desired back home. And I love it! Maybe we will never come back ;)