Island Festivities!

Dear World,

I have been on St. John for a little over a week. Here's all the cool stuff that's happened to me:

1. I got a job within five days of moving here. Yeah, I'm that good. This was weighing on me pretty heavily so I'm glad to have that out of the way.

2. I got a dive camera! There aren't many places on the islands to get cameras nicer than what there is at Kmart (and I did look there...no waterproofs), so I ventured on down to Yacht Haven to a place called Boolchand's. They have jewelry up front, but in the back there is an array of crazy cameras. Some had GPS and wifi in them, but I have a phone for that. I just wanted one that takes pictures underwater. 

If you happen to be on the island, there is another store called Royal Caribbean that carries cameras as well. Just FYI. 

3. I took pictures underwater! My husband and our friends went on a day sail from Bolongo Bay resort, to St. John's Honeymoon Beach. There were good cookies, adult beverages, lunch, and more adult beverages. It was a grand time. Here are some pictures I took:

Snorkelers setting out to follow our tour guide.

Some beautiful purple fan coral.

Parrot Fish.

I'm not sure what kind of fish this guy is...but he reminds me of the book Rainbow Fish.

4. I got to see a barracuda! When it was almost time to head back to St. Thomas during our boat adventure, the captain pointed out a barracuda to us. Then he began feeding it roast beef slices. We got to see his pointy teeth and everything! Here's my picture, although you can't really make him out very well:

What a beast.

5. I ordered a shark tank full of booze. So, there's a very VERY very touristy bar in Red Hook called Duffy's Love Shack. (Yes, they did play the Love Shack song by the B-52's. I'm sure everyone who works there hates that song.) Anyway, after our boat trip we went there for dinner, where I ordered a shark-themed drink, complete with a giant robotic shark on the wall that comes to life for you while the theme from Jaws plays:

I think it would be scarier to be attacked by a robot shark than a real shark.

64 ounces of blue sugary goodness. The shark has "blood" in his mouth. (It's grenadine.)

6. I tried conch fritters! I like to try daring new things, so for my foodie adventure of the weekend, I tried conch fritters. Conclusion: they taste like hushpuppies. Which I like, so I would totally get them again:

Yes, that is a straight-up wooden plank my food is served on. 

Stay tuned for my next adventure! 

Love,

Steph

Settling In

Dear World,
So, I made it home. Finally. Most of the trip was uneventful. I saw a bullfrog at Columbia's airport:

Later on, I was slightly delayed in San Juan, PR because their electricity went out. Not the plane's. The airport's. However, I still made it home, and had the pleasure of sitting co-pilot on our tiny, 10 person plane ride. Here's the crappy selfie I took of that:

Sooo many dials. The pic doesn't do justice.

And now for the bad news. My carry-on (a backpack) had to be stowed because this plane is comically small. While that was happening, somehow my good camera stopped working. So while I could be running all over the island taking awesome pictures, I am now trying to figure out the warranty on this thing, as I bought it about two months ago. -_-

In other news, there is a bird here that sounds like a cat. It is very confusing to me. It caws/meows, and I think "OH MAN A CAT" and then I realize it isn't. Which is disappointing. We do have a cat here, however, and we feed her (I think its a her) outside on our porch every evening. I think she helps keep mice away, which is awesome. 

Other than that, there isn't much to report. I was hoping to use my camera to make a sweet YouTube video giving everyone a tour of the property, but I guess that will have to wait! More updates to come soon.

Stay tuned,

Steph

Memorial Day Weekend!

Dear World,
My Memorial Day weekend was pretty stellar. I spent all day Saturday in Oak Island, NC. The journey began well enough. We rode on the ferry from Fort Fisher over to Southport, and then drove in to Oak Island.

 

During the ferry ride, we saw your run of the mill seagulls, pelicans, and blackbirds hanging around:

On the drive over to Oak Island, we saw a bunch of people pulled over on the side of the road hanging out with ginormous turtles. So we pulled over to check it out. Turned out they were African Tortoises. 

I think this guy looks like Lord Voldemort:

This is how big these dudes were.

Anyway, so we make it over to Oak Island to visit with friends, and I met an alligator. See if you can spot the little guy in this picture:

Here's a closer look at him:

We finished up our day hanging out on the beach.

Now, if that wasn't enough critters to indulge my curiosity for the weekend, there's always the seal. There is a seal in the Carolina Beach, NC area that has been hanging out molting (I had no clue that seals molt) over the weekend. Evidently it is a harbor seal and they don't usually come this far south. In fact, it is supposedly the furthest south this kind of seal has ever been seen naturally. Ever. 

So, Mom and I tracked him down. We spent a few hours hunting around Carolina Beach and Kure Beach for him, and then we finally decided to check the North End. The North End of the island is where the land is cut off with a man-made river (Snow's Cut). The cool part about the North End is that you can drive your car on it. There are few places around here where you can drive on the beach, so it was rather exciting. I threw the Jeep into 4 wheel drive and boogied on up the beach. We were starting to give up on this seal business, but we finally saw him right where Snow's Cut begins. He had police tape around him so people wouldn't get too close, as well as two officers standing guard. So here he is:

Open wide!

D'awwwwwwwwwwwww.

Anyway, I'm pretty exhausted from pretending like I'm a NatGeo photographer, so I'm going to drink Malibu and watch the ocean now. 

Love,

Steph

Two Weeks to Go

Dear World,
I finished reading a pretty cool book today. The title is An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof. It was written by a lady who spent two years cruising around the Caribbean with her husband in a sailboat. It was full of really interesting information about living on a boat, the Caribbean cultures, and the cuisine they encountered along the way. The ending was really sad, obviously, because they had to return to Canada after spending two years living a tropical life. I almost cried out of pity for her. I can't think of anything more depressing than having to live in Canada. (I'm very American.) I'm glad I read the book though, because it helped me to realize something. I have been really whiny about having to move. Like, REALLY whiny.
I have been a Negative Nancy lately because I can't find a job yet. And while that is pretty stressful for me, I realize I need to be a little more excited. (And laid back. I need to be SUPER laid back to survive the Virgin Islands.) I'm moving to a place that everyone calls paradise. There will be no winter. (I hate winter.) The rum is cheap, there are many sites to see, and the flora and fauna are beautiful. Most importantly, I will finally be living with my husband. So naturally, the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.
So, no more whining about jobs. Now, when people say "Oh, you're so lucky to be moving!" I will respond with, "Yeah. I really am." There are worse situations I could be in, so I need to go with the flow, adjust to island time, and learn how to lime.
Until next time,
Steph

Hey y'all. I got a new camera.

Dear World,
So this blog entry will be mostly pictures. I try to post a lot of my pictures on my Pinterest, too..so look at that. CHECK OUT MY BOARDS, BRO
Anyway, I got a new camera at my parents' place over the weekend because I wanted a cool excuse to get outside. It worked. I even got to drag Dad along. :) Here's the cool stuff I saw:

Bumble Bee getting all up in some Jasmine.

"OMG you guys I just got a perm..do you like it??"

Seagull enjoying the breeze.

The pier at Kure Beach.

Feeling about two feet tall under some cypress trees.

Catching a Cardinal mean muggin me.

Cool bridge in Greenfield Park, Wilmington. 

Hiss!

Squawk!

Chomp!

....and that was my weekend.

Love,

Steph

Dreamin.

Dear World,
So the official moving countdown is underway. I move on June 7th. One day after my last day of work. I have a house full of stuff to get rid of, I am throwing away/giving away over half of my clothes, and I am frantically visiting family members to squeeze in a little more time before I go.
So I went to visit my siblings, the Lawsons, this weekend down in Georgia. We had a blast, as usual, which involved copious amounts of white zinfandel. Early Saturday morning, we went to Keegan's karate thing, where he moved up to an orange belt.

It's kinda blurry, but you get the picture. Kowabunga, d00ds.

Kowen and I got bored after watching Keegan do his thing, so we went outside and picked 180 dandelions. (Yes, we counted.)

Also, during my grand tour of the neighborhood, we found some fish bones. 

So on to the main highlight of this post-- I'm thinking my generous amount of libations, along with moving anxiety, led to some INTERESTING dreams!

Crazy Dream 1:

Friday night I had a dream that I was walking down College Street on USC's campus, where I saw Darius Rucker dressed in a chef uniform (complete with crazy print pants). I was stuck on the phone with someone and tried getting them off the phone so I could get my picture taken with Darius Rucker! Meanwhile, all these people kept passing by and yelling out "HOOTIE! WHASSUP HOOTIE!" and all the while I was thinking I know his real name! I need to just get off the phone so I can impress him with the fact that I know his real name.

After getting off the phone, I went to pull up the camera on my phone, which was painfully slow. By the time my camera was ready, he was gone. My heart was broken. I want to get a picture with Darius Rucker.

Crazy Dream 2:

In this dream, I was on the islands and I was desperately trying to find a job (not much of a stretch, really). I was sitting in a school library with the principal and some other lady, who were interviewing me. Everything seemed to be going fine so far, until I asked about the curriculum. 

"Do your teachers have the freedom to design their own curriculum?"

As an older and wiser teacher, this is something I always ask, so I don't get stuck with some stupid scripted program.

They exchanged glances and looked uneasy as the woman blurts out "Our Language teachers administer mandatory spelling tests every week." 

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP.

My face must have crumpled because the principal firmly stated, "This isn't negotiable. It is mandatory. It is required." 

I start sputtering. "Spelling tests are quite pointless if you are not teaching students the meaning of the words and emphasizing that over mechanics. Knowing how to spell something is not essential to student success-- it is how to use the words in their writing and to figure out their meanings in their reading that is important."

The principal stopped me by putting up his hand, talk-to-the-hand-style. 

I'm never going to find a teaching job in this backwards island.

...And that concludes my crazy dream segment. More to come!

Love,

Steph

Shakira, Shakira!

Dear World,
In an effort to brush up on my Spanish, I am listening to Shakira, Selena Y Los Dinos, and whatever else Pandora is suggesting for me. I'm really into learning this way. (And dancing along.) This also ensures that my neighbors will soon realize how crazy I am.

However, they say that St. John is the world's largest open-air asylum, so I'm fitting in just fine! So now, I'll regale you with my cool adventures of the week:
Our landlady brought a bottle of champagne over as a wedding gift. We drank it with our next door neighbors on Friday, hearing tales of their travels around the world, and getting some great advice for island living. (I'll take everything I can get at this point!) Turns out, neighbor lady is also very interested in the arts, so I agreed to be her art-event buddy. Our husbands seemed to be very okay with that, so long as we leave them alone. After staying up until 3 AM with our new friends, we went to Honeymoon Beach again on Saturday. We sat around on the beach reading, and took a cool dip in the clear waters of the Caribbean.

Later on, we met Thomas, a drink expert at the Our Market Smoothies stand, and sipped on fresh fruit smoothies while he gave us "Life Lessons." We then moseyed over to the Barefoot Cowboy, where they were roasting a whole pig for the weekend. I feel so at home here, coming from South Carolina. After our long day of fun in the sun, we came home and I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

In other island news, I heard back from the Jaywalk with Jumbies folks and it looks like I will be leading ghost tours around St. John! I'm really excited about this. We will work on the tour over the summer (it is just being created) and it should be ready for tourist season in November!

So much going on, so little time! I need to get back to being productive.
Until next time,
Stephanie

PS-I'm going to miss the beauty of St. John.