Before Cory finished up at Ross and moved back to the US, we went out to enjoy one last dinner together on the island. Cory chose Ciao, as it is one of our favorites, and we hadn't been there in awhile.
We sat down at our table and had just begun looking at the menus when we were approached by another customer in the restaurant...he had been sitting at a table with three other people just across from us. As he approached, I wondered if one of us maybe had something stuck to our shoe, and he was being nice and letting us know. I wondered what other reason he would be coming over to our table, but I never expected the real reason...................
He recognized us from our blog!!!! How cool is that? He and his wife had been here once before, and they were back for their friends' wedding at the Marriott. So in searching online for new things to do this time around, they found Krista's Rockstar blog, which eventually led them to ours.
Of course, you know I just had to take a picture with them....I was too excited not to!
So, this is a shout out to Rich, Lori, Amy and Chuck. Thanks for making us feel famous, even if just for a moment!
And Lori & Rich, congratulations on your wedding! We hope it was beautiful!
Just a warning, this post is going to be very long! I took about 500 pictures on this trip, and I always have trouble narrowing down the ones to use on the blog....
This past weekend, November 27th through November 30th, the three of us (Keith, Treg and myself) in the Campus Living Department at Ross took a work trip to the island of Dominica. While the Ross Veterinary School is on St. Kitts, the Ross Medical School is on Dominica, and since we didn't know much about their campus or island, we thought it would be a good experience to meet their housing team and learn more about how they work with their students in regards to housing and orientation.
Flying to Dominica Of course, even when the islands are close by, you can't get anywhere without a layover somewhere! We took off from St. Kitts on Thanksgiving morning and had a 15 minute flight to Antigua...here is Antigua as we flew over
Then from Antigua, we had a 40 minute flight to Dominica. On the way, we passed over a beautiful island named Guadeloupe.
Finally we reached Dominica, and we were surprised at how lush and undeveloped the island was. Before we left, we were told that if Christopher Columbus could come back today and see all of the islands he discovered in 1493, the only one he would still recognize would be Dominica.
Then the airport appeared out of nowhere; a tiny strip with no lights, surrounded by the rainforest...it was pretty fun landing there
Ross The first night there, we stayed in the guest apartments in the student housing at Ross. The next morning, we walked from housing down to the beach and had breakfast with an amazing view. The beach in front of the Medical School sure beats the Vet School's rocky shoreline
Portsmouth The Ross Medical School campus is located in the town of Portsmouth, the second largest town on the island, after the capital city Roseau. I really enjoyed Portsmouth, it seemed like a nice area, and a bit more quiet than the capital.
Like most seaside towns in the Caribbean, they had lots of small fishing boats by the water
But they also had lots of old boats that were washed up onto shore for various reasons and left there
We had a huge lunch at a very cute little restaurant in Portsmouth with Francisca, the Director of Housing for the Medical School
Cabrits National Park We also visited the Cabrits National Park, a protected area that includes the surrounding rainforest and the coral reefs around the point
The Dominica flag has the Sisserou parrot on it, which is the island's national bird
Located in Cabrits is Fort Shirley, similar to Brimstone Hill in St. Kitts, but a bit smaller.
I love pictures of windows on old buildings like this, especially in the Caribbean where they build with stone and have the old wood shutters
Just like at Brimstone Hill, Fort Shirley had cannons facing out towards the bay
I've taken this same picture at Brimstone, and it ended up being on of my favorites, so I thought I would give it a try here
Campus Living team
The capital, Roseau After our time in Portsmouth, we moved out of the guest housing at Ross and into a great hotel in Roseau called the Fort Young Hotel, about an hour drive away. This hotel was built around an old fort, and was right on the water next to where the cruise ships come in.
I liked the cannons at the entrance
We couldn't have asked for nicer rooms...here are the views from my balcony, looking left, straight, and right
It was so nice listening to the waves crashing on the rocks at night
The hotel had an awesome infinity pool
We went down to the hotel's pier to enjoy the sunset
The green moss growing on the rocks in front of our hotel made for a beautiful picture when the sun was setting the first night
Climbing down to the rocks to get those pictures, I found the cutest little lizard who was doing a very good job of blending in with his surroundings
Roseau has a great farmer's market on Saturday mornings, so Treg and I walked there from our hotel and explored a bit. The market was huge, and it was so nice, no one bothered or pressured us to buy anything, it was very relaxed.
This nice woman was selling the most beautiful flowers, so I just had to buy some. These 4 giant flowers were $2 EC, or about 75 cents US
And the flowers looked so nice on my balcony!
Island Tour On Saturday, which was our free day, Barbara and Francisca from Ross came to pick us up and take us on a mini island tour (the island is huge, and it would take much longer to see the entire thing). While St. Kitts is 68 square miles, Dominica is 289.5 square miles. Some fun facts we learned: - The island has 365 rivers and over 10 large waterfalls - The island has around 7 volcanos - It is home to the world's second-largest boiling lake, and has many hot sulfur springs - Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed there!
And here is another cool thing I found on the island...this plant, nicknamed a "sensitive plant", will fold its leaves closed when touched. Check it out:
Scott's Head and Soufriere First we headed out to the south-western tip of the island, to a peninsula called Scott's Head, where the Caribbean was on our left and the Atlantic was on our right.
To get to Scott's Head, we had to pass through the village of Soufriere
The village had some very hot sulfur springs right at the edge of the sea
There was also a very old Catholic Church in the village as well
The local fishermen were cutting and cleaning the marlin they had just caught. As we were leaving, one of them blew on a conch shell to announce to the village that fresh fish was available for purchase
Champagne Bay After leaving Soufriere, we snorkeled at one of the most popular spots on the island, called Champagne.
It gets its name from tiny bubbles that continuously rise from small volcanic geothermal fissures in the sea floor; hence, it is like swimming in a glass of champagne. Since the beach is really just rocks and no sand, there was a long walkway to use
I was so jealous...a dive boat was out there taking people out for what was probably a cool dive to see the bubbles deeper down
Tiny bubbles
It is always so awkward trying to pose while snorkeling!
We also saw a bunch of fish and barracuda, lots of sea anenomes and some Caribbean Reef squid
After snorkeling, we stopped at a quick lookout over the capital of Roseau
Fresh Water Lake Next, we took a long, winding drive through the rainforest and up to a volcanic crater that had a fresh water lake
It was beautiful, but very cold up there!
I noticed lichen growing on the rocks next to the lake, and we saw so many types of ferns everywhere around the lake
You could also follow a path through some dense vegetation that led up to a viewpoint over the lake
What a great view!
Hiking back down
Trafalgar Falls After a picnic lunch at the lake, we headed over to Trafalgar Falls, which is two large waterfalls in close proximity to each other. It was just a short "hike" from the parking lot to the falls
The larger one is nicknamed Mama Falls...
And the smaller one is Papa Falls
Both falls together
There was a nice viewing platform where you could look out at both....they look small in this picture, but they were huge!
We hiked down past the platform, and past the sign that said "Proceed beyond this point at your own risk"
There were lovely little hot springs further down that a few people were already enjoying
I would have liked to try and get closer to the falls, but we didn't have much time to stay. Maybe Cory and I can do this when we go back in January.
Screws Sulfur Spa Our last activity was one of my favorite parts of the trip...it was called Screws Sulfur Spa. The owner built these amazing pools to hold the warm water that comes from the nearby hot springs.
Each one had a different temperature, as he added cold water to some to make them more mild, and kept some really hot
Warm water being added to one of the springs
It was so nice and relaxing, we did not want to get out!
The entire place was surrounded by rainforest
Then to top it all off, you go back up to the top, and the owner is waiting for you with fresh fruit (I didn't take this picture, but this is what it was like....except that when we were there, he was wearing a shirt...)
Back to St. Kitts on Sunday Getting on our tiny plane to leave the tiny Dominica airport (I almost got in trouble for taking this picture...apparently cameras are not allowed at the Dominica airport!)
Cruise ship leaving Antigua as we fly over...yep, had to land on Antigua again
Now we must be on our way to St. Kitts....what? We have to land on Nevis first? Great. Hello Nevis, here we come!
Flying over Booby Island (in between St. Kitts and Nevis) as we prepare to land on Nevis. I'm not kidding, that is its name.
Amazing sunset over the southeast peninsula of St. Kitts, welcoming us back home
Once again, we celebrated Halloween on St. Kitts, and as always, coming up with costumes on an island that doesn't celebrate Halloween poses its challenges. But everyone did a great job this year, and I was especially surprised with the awesome and very creative group costumes that were put together.
The Halloween Party was held at the Pink Elephant. I didn't really have any plans for a costume, but ended up getting something together at the last minute...Cory and I have been watching the show True Blood on HBO, so I went as the main character Sookie
I even made a bottle of "True Blood" to carry around...
Cory was part of a group that went as the characters from the video game Street Fighter....Cory was Ken.
Ha ha, and Cory definitely got into character
And of course, if Ken throws fireballs, Cory has to as well
Here we are getting ready for the party...the girls of Street Fighter
Jen, Lauren and Jeff were a Jerry Springer family. Lauren's skirt was so tight that they all had to help her get it on!
Here they are all set to go and in full character
Here is Jessica's husband Jose...he made an awesome Cpt. Jack Sparrow!
Jeff and Teresa were...Hawaiian tourists?
Brooke and Jill were hilarious (but kind of scary) trolls!
Anne-Marie was a mermaid
More Street Fighters together
Trying to shoot flames at each other
One of my favorite costumes of the night...Kirsten is a first semester student, and she came as a Transformer...it was awesome!
And now some of the other amazing group costumes that were put together. Unfortunately I don't know who all of the people are in these pictures, but I just had to applaud their creativity!
The Ghostbusters
And the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man!
All of the characters from Alice in Wonderland
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Every Batman villian
And the Batman good guys mixed in with the villians
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, complete with Shredder and Splinter
Seriously, those are some great costumes! Wish I could be around next year to see what new ideas people come up with!
It is hard to believe that Cory is half way done with his final semester on the island! Here are the courses he is taking at the moment:
Semester 7
VMS 5775 Theriogenology with Laboratory Integrates reproductive pathology, endocrinology, physiology, and pharmacology as they apply to the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of reproductive disorders in domestic animals. Breeding soundness evaluation of males and females are also covered. By the end of the course, the student should be able to approach an obstetrical situation in any of the domestic animal species with the necessary background to diagnose, manage, and resolve the condition. Students are also introduced to procedures and technologies used in pregnancy diagnosis, artificial insemination, and semen collection and evaluation.
VMS 5783 Introduction to Clinics II with Laboratory Focuses on the continuation of the techniques necessary to obtain clinical data, with emphasis on thorough physical examination and problem-oriented veterinary medical records. Clinical practical sessions utilize referral and general appointment cases. Students gain experience in common veterinary diagnostic techniques.
VMS 5793 Large Animal Medicine II Covers diseases of food-producing animals including small ruminants, cattle, swine and camelids. In addition, a brief discussion of the use of alternative therapies in large animal medicine is included.
VMS 5795 Large Animal Surgery Focuses on surgery of farm animals, with emphasis on cattle and horses. In cattle, the alimentary, locomotor, and reproductive systems are covered in detail. In the horse, the healing and treatment of wounds, lameness, dentistry, colic, and the respiratory, urinary, male and female reproductive systems are covered. Surgical laboratories include a wide range of surgeries on sheep, goats, and donkeys.
VMS 5797 Laboratory Animal Medicine and Special Species Concentrates on common medical and surgical problems of laboratory animals, primates, ferrets, llamas, reptiles, individual avian patients, and some exotic animals are discussed, together with housing and behavior. Laboratories and field trips provide practical experience.
Hmmm, I'm not sure Marlin and Judi like St. Kitts very much...they decided to come visit us for a third time last month and as always, we had a blast!
Here we are watching Cory's night volleyball tournament
We introduced them to a new place....Scoops! Best ice cream on St. Kitts!
They also got to visit the Blue Anchor for the first time...and Cory kicked all of our butts at Foosball
A must stop on the trip was heading out to the end of the peninsula to visit Lion at his bar. First, we had lunch at the new Beach House restaurant, where the old Turtle Beach used to be. As we got out of the car, I looked down when I noticed something moving on the ground, and there was a baby turtle! Poor little guy was struggling to go, and was definitely heading in the wrong direction away from the water and through the parking lot.
So we picked him up and after a few pictures, we pointed him in the right direction and watched him swim away....it was awesome!
Here is a video just before a good wave came and helped him along
We were all so excited after saving the little turtle, and an amazing lunch at the Beach House made the afternoon even better
After lunch, we headed over to visit Lion...Marlin pulled out the Lion shirt for the occasion as well
Then we headed down to Reggae Beach Bar to visit Wilbur the pig...little did we know they had a new animal friend living there as well...Oliver the baby monkey! Oliver's mom was killed by dogs, and Oliver was found by one of the servers at Reggae, so they took him in to take care of him.
He is a crazy little guy...all over the place!
He also likes to chew on everything, from Cory's hat to my ear
And he loved bananas!
He also absolutely loved jumping into Cory's hands
Here is video of his antics
And yes, we still saw Wilbur!
And finally, the highlight of the trip for everyone...Marlin and Judi took us and a few friends out on a sunset boat trip, which was absolutely amazing. We cruised along the island, all the way down to Reggae Beach, then on the way back we stopped in a dark cove and had the most amazing dinner ever. The whole thing was awesome...
The entire group
Watch out, Marlin is in control!
Cory and our captain, Mr. X
What an awesome trip...thanks again Marlin and Judi! Can't wait for more fun on the cruise in January!
This weekend, Cory and I finally went on the Bat Cave hike, along with Jeff, Bill and Jen (and 3 of their dogs). We've heard about the hike before, and everyone always says how easy it is, so we thought we would check it out.
At the start of the trail is an old railroad bridge that goes over the river way down below. I wanted to get a picture on it with me and Cory, but as soon as I stepped onto the rails, I got dizzy! I've never been really afraid of heights, but being able to see the ground way below me through the rails made my legs shake uncontrollably, and Cory had to help me get back to solid ground...I was a little embarassed!
The Bat Cave hike goes along the river at Bloody Point, so you are hiking in and around water the entire time, with big walls of dirt and rock surrounding you
There is one spot that is a little more difficult, especially when you have dogs along. There are a few large boulders that sit right in the middle of the water, and you have to use a rope to climb up. We used harnesses to lasso the dogs and pass them up over the boulders.
And after a little more hiking, we finally got to the bat cave! Let me just say, there were a lot of bats in there...we could hear them well and every now and then, a few would fly out of the cave and over us. Here is Cory at the entrance to the cave, ducking down as one flies right over his head
Cory got a picture of a bat flying towards him, but it might be hard to see
Can you see it now?
And here is a video that Cory took in the cave...if you listen closely, you can hear the bats screeching.
Here are a few pictures I got at the Marriott before I left for home; Cory and I went there for the afternoon to have lunch and get some sun, and we almost had the entire beach to ourselves....
And now for something not so scenic...Cory and I went out to dinner the night before I left, and as we were driving through downtown, Cory suddenly noticed a huge spider crawling around on the hood of our car. Just as we notice it, it runs up onto our windshield, and starts running over towards Cory's open, driver's side window. Since I am deathly afraid of spiders, I am yelling at Cory to close his window before this thing gets in. He pushes the button, and the window is just slowly inching up, horribly slow, and my yelling is getting louder as the spider is getting closer....He finally gets the window all the way up just as the spider gets there, so he decides to just ride along on our side mirror instead.....(shudder)
Still, at least this spider was less scary than the one we found in our apartment last semester.....all I can say is, thank goodness Cory found it before I did, because it is quite possible I would have died of a heart attack.
Don't worry, we didn't kill him. Although I very much dislike spiders, they eat a lot of bugs, including centipedes, so he was released outside to continue his pest control (by Cory of course)!
Well, the unspoken rule of everyone getting married once you move out of the country continues...I just returned from my little sister's wedding...the 6th wedding I've attended in the US since living on St. Kitts. In 3 of them I was a bridesmaid, in 1 I was the maid of honor, and for the other 2, I was the photographer! Fun and a little scary at the same time...being responsible for capturing the important day!
Anyway, the wedding was so nice, and here are a few pictures from the bachelorette party in Napa, and from the wedding...
The limo picks us up for wine tasting
We all wore tank tops with our names on the bottom
And on the back they said "Steff's last fling before the ring"
Our first stop was the Elizabeth Spencer winery...very small but very cute!
They gave us so much wine, and the most amazing cheese and crackers to enjoy with it...we could have all stayed there the entire day, it was so good!
And here we are wine tasting at Clos du Val
Steffanie and Tyler were married at the Jefferson St. Mansion in Benicia, a really pretty site with views of the water of the Carquinez Straight behind it
Here is the set-up for their reception, with the fountain that was next to the tent
We enjoyed champagne and raspberries as we got ready for the ceremony in the bridal suite
Steff getting ready with her dress hanging behind her
I was nervous about giving my speech as maid of honor, but it ended up going really well. I just used some funny stories from when we were little, and had Steffanie laughing the entire time. The reception was really nice...
Steffanie and Tyler had all of these moves planned for their first dance, and looked great doing them
And then their son Dylan decided he wanted to join them, so it turned into a very cute 3 person dance
It was a very fun night....congrats Steff and Tyler!
Okay, very exciting news...at least for me, the movie buff...a new 7 screen movie theater has opened on St. Kitts! Cory and I, along with my coworkers Treg and Keith, were invited to the gala opening last night for cocktails, food, ribbon cutting and movies. I was just going to post pictures of the new theater by itself, but I thought it would be more fun to do side by side comparisons with the old theater instead....
The front of the old theater
The front of the new theater
Old ticket booth (movies were $10 EC or about $3.70 US)
New ticket booth (movies are $15 EC or about $5.50 US)
Movie offerings (or in the old theater's case, the only movie offering)
New movie offerings
Old concession stand
New concession stand
Seating at the old place (Cory's chair once broke from underneath him and he fell to the floor in the middle of the movie!)
Seating in the new place
An impressive difference, huh? Here are a few more highlights from the night...
People from the St. Kitts government gave speeches, and Miss St. Kitts sang the national anthem. Here is Cory pretending to give a speech as well
Enjoying our wine before the movie showing
The selection of snacks and candy now offered
To celebrate the ribbon cutting we had free popcorn and drinks, and we could choose from 6 movies to watch; we saw Mamma Mia... with no subtitles or random intermissions like the old theater!
Some staff from the Ross New Jersey office came down to visit St. Kitts last week, and I was the one who got to give them an island tour. It was lots of fun showing them around, and it gave me a chance to take some pictures at a few places I haven't visited in awhile.
On our way up to Romney Manor, home of the Caribelle Batik, we stopped at a little tourist spot so everyone could see a monkey up close. They all took turns getting their pictures taken with the little guy (or girl).
But the funniest moment was when Carey was holding the monkey. It kept running back and forth across his arms and shoulders, and at some point while he was laughing or talking, the end of the monkey's tail went right into his mouth! He was pretty grossed out, but we all thought it was hilarious! I think I got a picture right before it happened:
I've been to Romney Manor a few times now, but it is so pretty up there, it never really gets old.
We watched a demonstration of how the batik is made, and everyone looked around the gift shop
It was a beautiful day outside, but also very hot
We even found a very friendly kitty who loved our attention
And from Romney Manor, we had a great view over to where we would be eating lunch later...Brimstone Hill
So after we were done at Romney Manor, we headed over to the Brimstone Hill Fortress for lunch. I've been there so many times, it is hard to find new pictures to take. But I had my fisheye lens with me, so I found a few new spots to try with the new lens.
The whole group
As we continued our tour around the island, we stopped a few more times. This stretch of the road is one of my favorite spots...there are coconut trees everywhere...very pretty
We stopped on a cliffside to look down over the Golden Lemon Resort
Of course we stopped at Black Rocks and visited the baby donkey that lives there
And we stopped at Ottley's Plantation
Our very last stop was at the local grocery store, so the New Jersey staff could see what is available on the island to tell prospective students.
The grocery stores here always surprise new students, as they carry most of the stuff you find in the grocery store at home in the US. The prices are comparable on most items, but there are a few things that you should never buy on St. Kitts! One of those items is sunscreen...
The price is listed in Eastern Caribbean dollars, but $58 EC is approximately $21 US....yikes!
Another item not often found in the grocery store here that I miss from home are fresh berries, like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. Sometimes they make it here, but the boat ride to the island often takes too long, or it is not properly refrigerated, and the berries arrive in not the greatest shape
These blackberries cost $18 EC, which is approximately $6.65 US, and yes, that is mold growing on the berry in the bottom corner.
Milk is another story as well. It is delivered every Wednesday afternoon, and if you don't get to the grocery store to buy some milk before Saturday, it will most likely be sold out after that. Then you are stuck waiting for the following Wednesday afternoon before you can find some at any of the stores. We've actually gotten used to this now, but I look forward to being back in the US soon and being able to buy milk any day of the week!
On Friday night, Cory and I had two different themed parties to attend. One was set up by our friend Brooke, and was a "Hollywood Nights Prom", complete with dinner, dancing and couples photos, just like in high school! The other was the Ross End of Semester Party, which was a fundraiser for Cory's class, and held at the Pink Elephant with the theme of "Heaven and Hell". So we put together some sweet costumes, and made it to both!
For Prom, there was no set theme, you just had to wear clothes you would wear to a dance. So we decided it would be funny to be a little cheesy, and went with an 80's theme. Here we are outside our apartment, ready to go!
Once we got there, Brooke had a photo spot set up that was so cute, and looked just like a high school dance. So we all took a bunch of pictures before the professional photographer arrived.
Cory and my coworker Treg
Treg and Brooke, the one who planned the whole thing!
Then the professional came, and the pictures ended up looking a lot better than the ones we were taking! These pictures are courtesy of Dan Honovich (www.danhonovich.com)
Justin and Anna
Jon and Leigh
Ramon and Melissa
The boys
We had an amazing buffet dinner, and then dancing ensued...
After prom, it was time to head over to the other party of the night, the "Heaven and Hell" end of semester party at the Pink Elephant. We arrived in our prom clothes, and ran into a few friends before we had the chance to change.
Jessica was a pretty scary devil or demon of some kind (and those are real horns on her head!)
And Marshall's costume was awesome! He was Hellboy
So we went inside to change, and emerged ready for the new theme....as Adam & Eve!
The devil is tempting me with the forbidden fruit
Adam tried to stop me, but I couldn't resist
The two devils with their horns locked in battle
Cory worked at the bar from midnight to 2am, and going along with the theme, there were flaming shots available, so he made a few for us...they were so good!
I have been volunteering to help the Sea Turtle Monitoring Network here on St. Kitts, so every Thursday morning, I walk one of the beaches at 6am looking for struggling baby turtles that may have hatched the night before and haven't made it to the water. So far, no baby turtles to assist yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get to see at least one before nesting season is over.
Here are a few pictures I have taken on those Thursday mornings:
Sunrise
Tracks from a turtle coming on shore the night before to make a nest and lay her eggs
And a cute little speckled egg, which belongs to the seabirds that nest on that beach
The Pink Elephant is one of the larger houses for rent on the island, and is considered one of the party houses (where semester fundraisers are typically held). And it just so happens that all of our friends (and their many pets) are now living there. Bill and Scott live on one side (with Winnie, Lui and Abigail) , and Justin and Jon are on the other side (with Otis and Nyxxie). They had a big 4th of July BBQ at their house to hang out and talk about the theme for the end of semester party that their semester (6th) is in charge of organizing.
Jen J. brought along her new puppy Annabelle...here is Jen D. introducing her to the crew
Me and Krista inside getting some yummy drinks
The group discussed possible themes for the party...but with such a big group of people wanting to input their ideas, they decided that whoever held the pink elephant could speak. Here is Bill taking his turn...
And here is Jessica, enforcing the rule...she looks pretty serious about it! :-)
.....and the theme is.....Heaven and Hell! Since the house is split into identical halves, with the backyard split in two with a small fence as well, one side will be for the angels, and the other side for the devils! Can't wait!
And then it was time for flip cup
After the BBQ, everyone headed over to De Lime bar to watch fireworks and hang out at the 4th of July party. Bill was going to ride along with me and Cory, and we were the last ones to leave the house. We were about to leave when I accidentally locked the wrong lock on Bill's front door....the one lock that they don't have a key for....so basically I locked him out of his house. It is a long story, and it took about an hour of reaching in through windows with long tree branches and angry midnight voicemail messages to his landlord by Cory about why Bill wasn't given that key before we were able to eventually break in. Thank goodness!
The party at De Lime was alright...by the time we got there we had missed the fireworks anyway. And the night ended as typical nights do at the beach...helping someone get their car out of the sand...
These are the classes that Cory has been taking this semester...only one more month of classes left, and he will be in 7th semester!
Small Animal Surgery - (6 Credits) An introduction to surgery of the dog and cat, with emphasis on basic principles of asepsis, tissue handling, and surgical skills. In the laboratory, students perform surgical procedures which are common in small animal practice.
Small Animal Medicine 2 - (5 Credits) The study of diseases of the urinary system, followed by common diseases of the eye, skin, endocrine and gastrointestinal systems in dogs and cats. Etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and therapy are emphasized.
Large Animal Medicine 1 - (5 Credits) The course focuses on the examination of and diagnosis of diseases of relevance to the horse. The etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, clinical pathology, diagnosis, therapy, and control of diseases of horses are discussed.
Practice Management & Jurisprudence - (2 Credits) The course introduces ethics and law, with emphasis on government regulations and business management relating to veterinary practice. Also covered are resume preparation, interviewing, evaluating and selecting a first position, and public corporate career opportunities.
Last night, we went on a night dive with our friends Jen & Vince, Justin & Anna, Rob and Vajai. We met everyone at the port at 6:30pm, just as it was starting to get dark outside.
We went out to a wreck called Talata, and enjoyed the sunset until it was dark enough to jump in the water.
Once the sun had completely gone down and it was pitch black outside, we jumped in the water with our flashlights. It was so cool being down there surrounded by dark water, with objects and animals appearing only when you shined your light on them. I tried taking some pictures, which I'll include on here, but videos ended up working a lot better.
Vajai explained to us ahead of time that the hawksbill turtles around here will wedge themselves around the wreck at night to keep from moving around while they sleep. We ended up seeing lots of turtles, and we got to touch their shells. It was so cool...
We also saw a few crabs and lobsters, some small shrimp, a pretty big barracuda, and a huge puffer fish!
Here is Vajai's hand above the puffer, so you can see how big he was
At one point, we all formed a circle on the sandy bottom and turned off our flashlights. As we waved our arms around in front of us, it caused bioluminescence of the plankton around us. As Wikipedia.org describes it, bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction during which chemical energy is converted to light energy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescence. Definitely check out this website, it has a great picture of bioluminescence in the waves in Carlsbad, CA). So as we waved our arms around, the plankton around us glowed a flourescent blue color. It couldn't be captured on video or camera, but it was beautiful in person!
Can't wait to go on another night dive sometime soon...it was awesome!
We have moved from sunny San Diego to the island of St. Kitts! Cory is here attending Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (he is done in December 08!)and Julia is working for Ross as the Assistant Director of Campus Living (she leaves in March...it is going by so quickly!). Enjoy our pictures and stories!
