12 more days in Dominica...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with all of our friends here in Dominica. We went over to our friends Craig and Ralna's house and there were probably 80 or so people there. It was a lot of fun. I made the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, fruit salad, apple cobbler, and pumpkin roll. It was definitely a little different from our usual family gathering back at home but it will be a great memory as our first Thanksgiving together. It was really fun being able to cook a big Thanksgiving meal. There is a lot more work that goes into the meal when you are actually cooking it as opposed to just showing up and eating, but it definitely gave me something to do for a couple of days. It was Christopher and my first attempt at making a turkey, which turned out fabulous. Christopher is quite the turkey carver if I do say so myself. But everything turned out absolutely delicious. Here are some pictures I stole from Ashley's blog because my camera doesn't work still. There were a lot of people and a lot of food. We had a great time.

Christopher has began his marathon of exams and is doing great. He has completed 3 lab practicals. He thinks that he did very well on each of them. After they were over on Friday he was exhausted, but he got a good night sleep and is back to studying this weekend. He has 3 exams this week and three next week and then we will be home! We are ready for a break.

Christmas has been a little different here living on this island because no one puts out Christmas lights, or decorations and the weather is still 85 degrees. I almost feel like it is still June or July. Anyway, we are like the only people in Dominica that have lights on our house. But every time we come home we are thankful that we brought them because it does make it feel a little more like Christmas. Bringing a Christmas tree and stockings to decorate our house has also made it feel like Christmas.

We can't wait to be home in 12 days!

God's Plan

A couple days ago, at church it was 4th semester Sunday, and all of the 4th semester students that wanted to give their testimony about what God has done for them while being on the island spoke. Most of the people that spoke were our friends so it was really sad because they are leaving. Now the good part is that they are going back to the US and I guess it is good that we are moving as well but it really made me think about the last 8 months of living on this island. God has plans for all us. Whether it is to be a Dr., a homemaker, a school teacher, a successful business man, whatever it is if you let God take control of your life, it is what God has intended for you. We have learned that God's plan may not be our ideal plan but it is His plan and when we trust and obey his plan for us we will be where he wants us to be. Now 8 months ago I don't think I truly understood what it means to trust God, but God knows how to bring you to your knees. We have learned a lot while being away from home. We have learned to depend on each other and depend on God. I truly believe that God's intention for bringing us to this island was to help us learn to grow as a couple and to learn to depend on each other. I honestly think that moving away was the best thing for Christopher and I as a couple. We depend on each other more now than we ever have because all we really have here is each other. I mean don't get me wrong we have made a lot of friends who are like our family away from home, but when it comes down to it its just the two of us. So through all the trials and tribulations we have gone through while being on this island. We are thankful we have been able to have this opportunity because it has only made us stronger people.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching we are preparing for a very large feast. It is going to be a little different from our usual family get together. We are going to be spending Thanksgiving with about 80 of our friends here. We are all going to get together at Ralna and Craig's house. They have a fairly big house so we are excited for this fun event. But the best part about Thanksgiving being here is that we are even closer to coming home. We will be home in 3 weeks from Friday. Yay! But Christopher is going to be really busy between now and then so please keep him in your prayers as he begins his 9 exams in 10 days. Which begins December 4.

Tick...Tick...Tick...

Time is flying by. It is almost the middle of November and we will be home in 38 days. We can't wait. We have been keeping busy here. Christopher just finished up his last test and did great again. To God be the glory great things he has done. We know that we could not have the success that Christopher does without his help. Begining December 4 Christopher has 9 exams between the 4th and the 18th. So please be praying for him as he prepares for those upcoming exams.

I have been keeping busy going to Birthday parties, going to craft fairs, cooking, playing bunco, and sewing our names on our Christmas stockings. Last weekend I went my friend Ralna's little boy's Birthday party. It was on the beach and we had so much fun. They cooked hot dogs and Ashley made the most adorable cakes. One was an alligator and the other was a pirate. William turned 8 and I think it was really fun for them. The kids found probably fifty hermit crabs. Now these are the same kind of hermit crabs that you find back at home that have painted shells, but these crabs are wild. It was pretty fun to see all the kids have such a great time.

Earlier in the day I went to the an arts and craft show that Ross was hosting. A bunch of artists from all around the island came and set up their stuff just like an arts and craft fair back at home. They had a lot of beautiful paintings that I would have died to have but they were so expensive. By expensive I mean between $600-$2000 USD. I guess for art, its not that expensive but it is a little out of our price range for now. They also had a bunch of wooden carvings made out of different wood and also out of coconut shells, all of which were pretty cool but I don't think I would have ever really liked it if I would have brought it home. It would have probably ended up being junk. So I ended up buying hand carved salad tongs. They are really neat. They have dominica carved on one side of the handle. I think it will be something that I will actually use when we get back home. But other than that I had a good time looking around at the arts and crafts fair.

Besides that I have been working on making our Christmas stockings. I am in the process of putting our names on them with sequins. I hope they turn out cute. We will see.

We are doing well. We are just counting down the days. We can't wait to be home for Christmas! We miss everyone back at home!

This is not normal...or is it?

We have been living in Dominica for six months now and everyday we are surprised by different things. Living in Dominica is not like living in the US if you haven't already understood that from my previous posts on the blog. Living here is truly an adventure. I just thought I would share some things with you that I don't necessarily think is normal but have become normal over the past six months of living here. 

1. Making your own sour cream
2. Making your own buttermilk to make your own sour cream
3. Being so intimidated by a bull that is blocking the road that you turn around and wait for someone who is driving to take you past the bull
4. Watching a huge shipment of frozen chicken being run over twice by a truck and then still being delivered to the prospective restaurant
5. Local men hissing at you like a snake instead of the typical whistle you hear from a construction worker
6. Being picked up by a plane and landing on a different island only to be told that they sent the wrong size plane and we have to go back and pick up the people we left 
7. Walking with your umbrella opened up out in front of you to keep dry from the horizontal rain
8. Buying eggs from the store only to find out that one of the eggs you bought actually has a chick inside
9. Going to eat at subway and ordering a footlong sandwich and not being able to make it two six inch meals when you pay for it because well of course its a footlong
10. Getting charged by a bull in the middle of a football game

We have now gotten to the point where these things are normal and although they sound absolutely outrageous it actually happens. These are the daily things that make us laugh here in Dominica. "Welcome to the JUNGLE!!!"

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly...

I will start with the good news first. Good news is we are moving to the Bahamas come January. After attending a meeting last week with the President of Ross University, we have decided that this will be the best decision for both living and educational reasons. The University is going to be very helpful in our move to the Bahamas in processing our Visas for the Bahamas, shipping our stuff, and also in other expenses of moving. We are very excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to this exciting new adventure. After moving to the Bahamas, Christopher and I will have lived in 4 places in our first year of marriage (Miami, Oklahoma City, Dominica, Bahamas). That includes 3 different countries and 2 different states. Thats pretty cool to say but so far Oklahoma still tops the list of the best place to live. 

And on with the Bad news... last friday night while Christopher was playing flag football he broke his hand. He dove after the other team to grab their flag and landed on his hand funny jamming it into the ground. We had to drive to Roseau Friday night, which is about an hour away,  to the hospital to have it x-rayed. The Roseau hospital is the only place on the entire island that has an x-ray machine. I suppose it is because Roseau is the capital and is a city and all of the other places with medical clinics are mainly just small villages. I think the worst part of the whole trip was the ride to the hospital because well we get really car sick when we drive around here because the roads are very whindy and there are a lot of pot holes that the drivers are dodging. But he broke his fourth metacarpal on his left hand. Here is Chris's x-ray. I know its not a great picture because I took it with the webcam on the computer, because my camera is broken, but you get the idea, his hand is definitely broken. 

So that is not so good news. But they put him in a cast. He has to leave it on for 6 weeks. We are going to have it looked at again when we get back to the States just to make sure that everything is healing okay. Christopher is not in any pain so that is a good thing but what a bummer. 

And the ugly. I started playing bunco with a bunch of girls on Wednesday nights and it has gotten pretty ugly. Haha! Not really but it is so fun and it is really funny how competitive a game it gets. We play for money and also a gift prize depending on what part of the game you win. But the winner gets $60, the one who has the most buncos gets $30, the loser gets their money back and the Traveler gets the gift prize. We have so much fun.

The winners for the game: Martina, Joy, Me, and Liz

Having so much fun: Ashley, Me, Chika, and Briana

The group back row to front: Ashley, Ralna, Aileen, Summer, Me, Chika, Tricia, Crystal, Briana, Sarah, Liz, Allison, Martina, and Joy

Hurricane Omar

Wednesday night and Thursday morning we got hit by part of Hurricane Omar. I don't think we got hit by the brunt of the storm but we did get a part of the Hurricane. We were warned by the US embassy that the Hurricane was coming and we were prepared with our 10 gallons of bottled water and extra food. Where we live is Hurricane safe. Now I

 am not sure really what that means because we still have windows but I think that just means that our building won't be blown down so we were safe. We had a little bit of water seeping through our doors 

but that was no big deal when you i put a town at the base of the doors. It was a pretty cool storm. It was thundering and lightening and earlier Wednesday night we were on campus and could hear the waves crashing up against the bank. It was pretty amazing to witness. Thursday morning Christopher woke up and walked to class and said that the river by our apartment was filled up to the road and it was moving really fast. After he got to campus they got an announcement from the Prime Minister of Dominica that had ordered all businesses and public places to be closed for the day and that all students must go home because the campus was going to be locked. I heard from one of my friends that in the town right next to 

ours that there were boats washed up into the roads. We ended up Thursday with the brownest water we have ever had here in Dominica and temporarily with no electricity and all day wit

h no cable. Here are a couple of pictures I got some of the pictures from my friend Ashley's blog of our pier that is by the school. This is where we go when we go to the beach, but not today. The last picture is at the bottom of the stairs that come from campus to the beach. But don't worry we are safe and sound. Yesterday was actually a really great day because Christopher and I got to stay at home all day together, something we don't get to do very often. So while you all are getting the snow days back at home, we get "Hurricane days" here in Dominica!

Crazy Hurricanes

In the town of Portsmouth right by our town. The locals said the only way to get the big boats off of the land is to hire a tug boat from Miami, which is really expensive. So there is a good chance these boats will never float again.

on the turn from Picard to Portsmouth

streets in Portsmouth, piles and piles of debris

In Portsmouth

The pier on a normal day from the water

Hurricane Omar takes over

The pier is demolished

Yikes!

One of the many washed up boats!

This is right below campus. The stairs lead from Campus to the beach.

Be Grateful

I began this blog to allow everyone back at home to have an insight into what we are experiencing here in Dominica but I have noticed that all I have really begun to tell you are the good side of things and the adventures we have had and that although we are thankful and grateful for this time that we have been able to spend here, I have really neglected to show or tell everyone how changed Christopher and I are as people and followers of our Lord and Savior.

We come from a country that has everything and until you have to do without those things that you may think you "have to have" it becomes a whole new perspective on life. Back at home many of you go to the mall or to a store and think man I have to have that shirt. Well you don't have to have it you want it and it is important for people to understand that life is so much more important than wanting things and living life wanting more.

I have learned that you should be so thankful for everything you have. From things such as a washer and dryer to going to to the grocer store and being able to pick up sour cream. We send out our laundry and honestly we have no idea where it is washed, where it is dried or anything. We trust its clean but there is no telling, it could have been taken down to the river and washed by hand in a river but I am grateful that I know one day I will be able to wash my clothes by myself and know for sure that they are clean because these people in Dominica may never get to experience what true really clean clothes are like. I often see many of the locals washing their clothes in the river by our house and its not an uncommon thing. Sour cream does not exist on this island if it does it is a very uncommon thing. Last week my friend gave me a recipe to make my own sour cream. So I am thankful that when we get back home I can buy my own but for now I'll continue to make it myself. Life is so easy in the US and if for some reason one day you wonder or are desiring more please thank again and be grateful for what you have.

Every day here is a struggle. Day in and day out we both wonder why we are here and both of us continually feel as though it was so that our Lord could change both of our hearts to truly understand that we are not in control of our lives just as it says in Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.

Never in a million years could you have told Christopher or me that you will be moving 2,617 miles and 14 countries away from home. Because well if any of you know either us we are both quite the family people. But things don't always turn out like we plan, obviously because its our plan and not the plan of our Lord. I have often gotten the reaction "How do you do it?" or "You are stronger than me because I couldn't move to a place like that" Well let me tell you, its all about Trust! We trust that we are doing what God wants for our lives and although its not our ideal plan its His ideal plan for our lives. The bible teaches us that God is sovereign over both the "good' and the "bad" times in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 says When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

Isaiah 45:7 says I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Lamentations 3:38 says Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?

God controls both the good and the bad. God has not looked the other way or been caught by surprise when adversity strikes us. He is in control of that adversity, directing it to His glory and our good.

So I have realized that just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time, we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time. I know that trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. and I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don't feel like it. That act of the will, though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth. So that is why we are able to make it work here in Dominica. Not because its easy and not because its what we want but because we believe and our belief is based on truth.

I am grateful and very thankful we have been given the opportunity that we have to learn and to grow closer to our God through this experience. I didn't write this for everyone think that we are miserable here because we aren't, but we are challenged and changed everyday by this experience. I will never walk into another grocery store or another home without being so thankful for the abundance of food we have in the grocery stores and the hot water running out of the kitchen sink. But we trust that our God has us right where we are supposed to be at this point in our lives and we will continue to serve Him. So be thankful and grateful for what you have because not everyone in the world gets to experience the wonders of the US.

We are Thankful!

Mini 1 for the second semester is over and I am happy to say that we are very thankful for how well Christopher did. He has been studying so hard and we are so thankful that his hard work has paid off. But never a time to quit studying because he has a big Anatomy practical next Friday that he is beginning to prepare for. After the mini on Monday we went to the beach and just had a wonderful day relaxing and enjoying our time we had together for the afternoon and evening. Many of our friends were there as well just hanging out, snorkeling, swimming, playing frisbee, and grilling out on the beach. It was a lot of fun and then Monday night we went out for my Birthday to a place called Blue Bay. Christopher and I both had the grilled tuna and it was very good. We went with a lot of our friends and Ashley made me a wonderful Chocolate cake. She has become quite the cake expert here. I am so thankful for the friends I have made here. They have truly been a blessing to Christopher and I.

We are very excited about this weekend because we are going to be able to watch the OU/ Texas game. I think that if there was one thing this semester that both of us truly wanted (besides to come home) it would be that we get that game on TV because most of the time we get East Coast coverage. But I am excited to say that this weekend OU/Texas has national coverage! WooHoo!! It is so funny to us how the smallest things like a football game will make us so happy here. So remember don't take things for granted.

A little update on the Bahamas: Well they have given us word that the campus in the Bahamas has been accredited. Which basically means that the accreditors have gone to the campus in the Bahamas and made sure that the campus was in adequate condition for students to be there. So now it is completely our decision if we want to go because the campus will for sure open in January. So basically all we are waiting on now is for them to give us some more information on the cost of living and then I think we will make our decision. Hopefully we will be able to have an answer by the end of next week.

So we are very thankful for all of the opportunities that God has given us since we have been here. Please be praying for our decision about the Bahamas.

Top Ten Things We've Learned in Dominica

1. If the asphalt is not melting then its not hot.
2. How to strategically hold an umbrella so you don't get wet.
3. Time does not exist
4. Eating fruits and vegetables the way the Lord made them for us (straight off the tree or vine) is way better than processed fruits and vegetables from a grocery store.
5. Going to the grocery store is an all day event.
6. Clear skies and rain, although it defies science, it really does happen, often.
7. Sundays, should be a day for the Lord, and all stores should be closed.
8. Chicken hot dogs don't taste like real PORK hot dogs, don't be fooled!
   
9. Roads are named after their surroundings: Moo Cow trail, Lizard Trail, Banana Trail.
10. Cows and goats have the right away. Animals Crossing!

The Bahamas

So as many of you may know we have the option to move to the Bahamas in January. Many people have been asking about this particular event and I just thought I would write down what is going on so that everyone knows what's up.

Christopher has gotten accepted into a program called "PAcE". PAcE stands for Progressive Academic Education. This is a scholars program that was developed a few years ago that is designed for the idea that some students don't learn best through the standard didactic teaching approach. Instead of going to class and being lectured to by a professor for hours everyday, the founders of this scholars program thought that some students might learn better via a more interactive and independent program. There are also other additional added bonus's to being in the program such as quizzes that are then discussed by the professors that have questions on them, and other clinical cases that make the information that is learned more relevant. So by applying to this program and obtaining an appropriate GPA he was accepted to join this program.

Now this program is important to understand because this particular program is the only group of students that are being relocated to a new campus located in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. The new campus is only taking 240 students. That will include only third and fourth semester students.

This sounds like a great opportunity, but we have some reservations about going. We have been given very little information about the campus and learning facilities that are in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. So we are a little hesitant to be the guinea pigs of this new campus that is being opened. We have heard that we will hear more information about the campus by the middle of October. Please be praying that whatever decision we make is where God wants us to be and not our own desires and that we choose the best option for Christopher's schooling because that is the # 1 most important thing in this decision. We will keep you updated on our decision.

Bring on the Rain!

It sure has been raining a whole lot here in Dominica since we got back. Which when I look at it, it is an amazing blessing because it will drop the temperature. Normally if you walk outside it will make you sweat just by standing outside but with the rain you can actually function in a normal manner. But obviously with the blessings of rain their also come some other complications. For example, it makes the water brown. So we won't have running water to use because it is so contaminated. I guess the water system can't cycle the water quickly enough to produce clean water when it rains all day long. So when we don't have clean water to use we have to brush our teeth with bottled water, not clean the dishes, and no showers. Well eventually they will turn the water off so that they can clean up the water system so when that happens we have to have even more extra water to flush the toilets and well also to drink. Now some of that may seem really awful because you have never had to deal with any of those situations but honestly I would rather have those problems than to be sweltering hot with the sun.  I guess that kind of puts me in the wrong place because well its always hot. 

Some other new news. My camera has gone to camera heaven. I am not sure what happened but it won't take a clear picture. It is completely blurry. So I guess for awhile I will only be able to post pictures and video that I take on my video camera. So sorry for the lack of pictures that are to come.  

Christopher is almost complete with week 2 of class and well I think they are really working them this semester. Most days Christopher will have class from 8am to 5pm with an hour for lunch. Well this may not be so bad but it is when he has no time to study. His nights of freedom are now completely gone. He is not going to be coming home to have meals with me anymore, my new job is to take his meals to him. So I will bring him lunch and then I will again bring dinner up to campus. I know that he doesn't think the information he is learning is any harder than what it was last semester I think it is just a lot more, obviously. But he is doing so good. I am very proud of him. After this semester, God willing, Christopher will be done with his first year of medical school and one full year closer to becoming Dr. Shadid. Boy doesn't that sound good. Haha! A dream come true. We are so thankful that God gave us this opportunity to go after Christopher's lifelong dream. What a blessing. 

Well for my life right now, well... I don't really do much. Last night I practically cut my finger off while making dinner. But don't worry I am going to live. I am not sure how I did it but I felt like I cut through half my pinkie. Christopher thought that I needed to go get stitches, and I probably did because it bled for like 45 minutes. But today is a new day and we are doing great. Haha! I have taken up a new hobby of knitting, and I absolutely love it. It is so fun and in a weird way really occupies my time. I think that is a better hobby for me than baking all the time because when I bake I feel the obligation to try everything, you know because you don't want to serve anything that doesn't taste good. Haha! But hopefully one of these days I will be good enough at knitting that I an actually make something that is worth my time. 

I also started my bible study for this semester and I really like it. We have 10 girls in our group this time, which is bigger than last semester, but it has really been great so far. We are doing the study by Jerry Bridges called Trusting God and it is about the sovereignty of God and it is awesome. Now I have only done the first chapter but if you are looking for a good bible study, I would highly recommend it. You can even do it on your own if you don't have a bible study. It is great! 

Back on the Rock

We made it back safely to Dominica on Friday night and have just been getting back into the grove of things here in Dominica. We were quickly reminded of the slow pace life immediately after landing into Dominica because they lost our bags. For some reason they only put like 20 bags on the plane that had about 60 people on it. Now keep in mind that we got here Friday night and it is now currently Monday morning and still no bags. Well that is just typical for Dominica. I guess it is no big deal because all we really had in our bags was food. But I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get our bags until the middle or end of this week.
We were so excited (well I wouldn't say soooooo excited but you know what I mean) when we got here because we just knew that on Saturday we were going to get the OU game on our TV since they were playing on ABC and well we have ABC so we were super excited about that but come to find out we didn't get the coverage for the game because we have the New York ABC network and we got some other game instead. So being the OU fans we are we were scrambling around trying to figure out a way to either listen to or watch the game. We finally found a website that we could listen to Bob Barry on which was at least better than nothing but then the greatest idea came to us. Lets call and get ourselves put in front of the computer at home using Skype. So We called the Shadid's and they put the computer webcam up to the computer and we got to watch the whole game on the computer. Haha! Super ghetto, I know but hey we do what we can down here in Jungle.

We had such a great time while we were at home. We saw a lot of friends and family, went to the lake, and ate at probably every restaurant we could. We just enjoyed being with everyone and getting to enjoy a little down time in the A/C. We have been very lucky lately in Dominica because it has not been too terribly hot since we got back. Which is really nice. Since we left we got a new store here in Dominica. I haven't been able to go over there yet because well I thought they were closed yesterday because well everything is closed on Sundays but I was wrong. They are actually open on Sundays. It is called 7-11 and well I can only hope it is like our 7-11. But I serioulsy doubt it. That would be amazing though. Haha! I never thought I would be hoping for a 7-11.

I have already been getting back into the swing of things because well in Dominica there is no "hey let me run to the grocery store real fast" because that tends to be a half a day trip. So I made some bread yesterday to get back into the swing of things. I also did it yesterday because we were being spoiled and had the A/C on all day so I baked with the A/C on for a change. It is a lot cooler when you do that.

I have also been attempting a new hobby. Baking cakes. This is probably not the skinniest hobby I could have tried to come up with but I think it is fun. I like it more down here in Dominica because there isn't a bakery that you can go buy any of that from. So I practiced a little bit while I was home. I made a dog cake for my cousin Molly's birthday. She wanted a pink dog and well when I heard that I was like I have no idea how to make a pink dog. But i researched it a little bit online and here is what i was able to come up with. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Before we left for home I also made another cake for a friend of ours birthday. Siva, our friend, had a birthday like the Friday after we left for home so before we left we wanted to celebrate and I made this cake for her Birthday.

Chris started class today and he absolutely loves his new class Neurology. He has always said that he enjoys that but after the first lecture I think he loves it. So although this could be a really difficult semester because it is a lot more work than first semester I think he is going to do great because he loves everything he is doing. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished and I know that God has us exactly where he needs us to be. There are times where we may question the purpose of us being in Dominica and why we have to be away from the ones we love back at home but God always reminds us that he has a plan for each one of us and although it may not be our ideal plan it is His plan and that is what we are here on this Earth for. We are here to serve our God and not ourselves so although circumstances may not be what we want it is God's will for our lives to be obedient and walk patiently with Him. For he knows the best plan for our lives.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and hope. Jeremiah 29:11

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

I woke up this morning and went to the 4th semester sale that began at 8:00 a.m. This is a sale at the end of the semester where the 4th semester students who are leaving the island sell their stuff that they don't want to pack or ship back to the US. Now basically it is like a garage sale but here in Dominica it is like going to a local department store. My dad has always said "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and I think that this statement has great importance her in Dominica. Any way being the first 4th semester sale here since we have been in Dominica I decided to go and check it out. They were selling things from computer chairs, textbooks, notecards, notebooks, pens, and highlighters to clothes, packaged foods, blenders, toasters, and medicines. It was really crazy. I think that the locals enjoy this sale more than the students because they don't get "American" things here very often. I really didn't end up buying much, I just got us a Brita water filter, some extra large notebooks for Christopher, and also a textbook that Christopher wanted. It was really kind of fun to see all of the weird things that people don't want anymore. They basically try and sell everything they think they might be able to get any money out of.

Christopher has been studying like crazy for his final. Yesterday he studied like 11 hours and I think he will continue to put in 11 hours today, tomorrow, and Monday. We are so close to be done with first semester and we could not be more excited to get done. Christopher did really well on his Histology and Anatomy practicals so we are really excited about that. He thinks he did well on his last Mini Exam but we have not gotten his scores back. Tuesday is the Final. He is going to do so great. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished this semester.

Yay! We will be home on Wednesday! We can't wait!

HOME = 8 DAYS!!!!!!

We are so close for it to be time to come home, only 8 more days until we are in the "promise land" as Christopher calls it. We just can't count the days any faster. Christopher has two more tests remaining. One is this Thursday and his final is the following Tuesday. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to study.

Recently our good friends Kyle and Andrea have gone back to the US for good. They have spent 5 semesters here in Dominica and are now going to begin their clinicals somewhere in the US, probably in Chicago. We are really going to miss them. They have been such great friends and neighbors to us in the short time we have been here. They have such a love for our Lord and it has been great to have Christian friends here when we are so far away from home. Last weekend Ashley and Ryan threw a surprise going away party for them at a local restaurant here called Blue Bay. We had such a good time with all of our friends and we are really going to miss them in the upcoming semesters here in Dominica. It is a shame that we were unable to spend more time with them here on the island.

Ryan, Kyle, Christopher
Ashley, Andrea, and myself

Exam Time

Tests, tests, tests. That is what we have coming up. Christopher has 4 tests in the next 2 1/2 weeks. We are so ready to get home but we are focusing on one day at a time to get through the next few weeks. Christopher has been studying so hard. The only breaks he gets are the ones that he takes for meal time. He has been working so hard and I know that his hard work will pay off. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to prepare for the upcoming exams. Here is his schedule for the upcoming weeks.

August 7: Anatomy Practical
August 7: Histology Practical
August 14: Mini 3
August 19: Final Exam

We will be home August 20. We can't wait to see everyone! We miss you all very much!

A great day at the Beach

This weekend has been one of the best times we have had in Dominica so far. Normally our weekends just consist of Christopher studying and well of course going to Church, but this weekend was a little different. On Saturday Christopher studied in the morning and then at about noon we went to the beach with Ashley, Andrea, and Kyle. We had so much fun. We cooked hamburgers on the beach and just had a really fun day together. Christopher and I spend a lot of time together here but normally it is while Chris is studying, so when we actually get to go out and do something it is really fun. We went snorkeling, had a delicious lunch, and Christopher broke open a coconut for us to drink (which if you have ever tried to do that it, it is not easy unless you have tools, and well we didn't have anything.). We just had a lot of fun laying out on the beach and enjoying the wonderful weather together. Here are some of the pictures from the day.

Christopher and me at PBH (Portsmouth Beach Hotel) waiting for everyone else to get there.

This is the beginning of Christopher breaking open the coconut.



He made it to the inside, now he has to break open the harder shell in the middle to get to the milk inside.

I think this is the first time in Dominica that we have actually felt like we were on vacation instead of feeling like we are just in a foreign land. I mean take a look at this video of my walk to church on Sunday morning. I don't think that many of you back at home get to walk to church with goats running down the middle of the road. These are the things down here that give us a little laugh and spark the thought "I can't believe I live here". Haha!

God is everywhere!

There may be times down here in Dominica where we feel completely homesick, desiring cold A/C, a hot shower, or even just wanting a propane tank in order to cook dinner but never is there a time down here that we don't feel as though God is constantly with us. I feel like more times down here that God puts his mark everywhere we are whether it is walking into the local store and hearing Christian music being played, walking down the street and hearing a local belt out a classic hymnal. But the best sign we see here is the beautiful rainbows. Nature here is one of the most beautiful things about living here in Dominica and the rainbows found here are no different. They are absolutely incredible. You can see from one end of the rainbow to the other. Here is a picture I took of one of the rainbows that I saw. The picture doesn't really do it justice but they are awesome. God always finds a way to remind us down here the he will never leave us.

This picture was taken right before Christopher's football intramural game. Now keep in mind that rainbows come with rain and well that makes a football field extremely muddy. It was a very big mud fest. It was disgusting. Here is a little clip from the game. They didn't win but they played really well. Christopher is the one in the red shorts.

The next day was the intramural dodgeball game. It is hilarious to me how big intramural games are down here but it makes this place a little more fun because besides the intramurals there is nothing else to do besides study. It gives the students something else to think about besides their school work. So that is good every now and then. Chris's intramural team won the whole tournament. They went undefeated. They were pretty good. His team is in the picture below. They are Jered, Tommy, Chris, Jeff, and Kyle.

Recent Happenings

Christopher just finished up mini 2 and he did so awesome. I am so proud of how great he has been doing. I think it really gives us the reassurance that this is where we are supposed to be and that God will not take us somewhere so far out of our element without helping us to make it through. I got this little excerpt from a friends blog and I just felt like it was so fitting for what is actually going on down here. From the 1989 movie Gross Anatomy:

"Welcome to medical school. Many of you have only been here a day or so. In the next eight months you will be required to memorize 6,000 anatomical structures, read 25,000 pages of text, attend 200 lectures, and pass or fail 40 examinations. If you fail a class, you have to repeat it. If you fail two, you have to repeat the entire term. If you fail three, let's just say, you probably don't belong here anyway. Along with my duties as Associate Dean of Students, I also teach Gross Human Anatomy, the one thing you've dreaded from the moment you made the decision to come here. Nonetheless, it is the centerpiece of your first year of medical school; the systematic dissection of the human cadaver.....Your first year of medical school is a daily, hands-on exploration of it (death). It's not easy. It's uh, certainly not pleasant. And there's absolutely no reason for you to do it unless you want, more than anything, to be a physician"

Now let me tell you, this excerpt is not far from the very truth. Here is a typical day for Christopher

6:15 a.m. - Wake up
8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. - Lectures
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m - Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m - Lab (depending on the day)
4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Study
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Dinner
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.- Study
10:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m.- Relax and get ready for the next day
11:00 p.m. - Go to Sleep

Now of course everyday is not exactly like this. Some of the days he won't have lab but will have another lecture in the afternoon or he might just have extra time to go study. Then on the weekends he will have more time to study but rarely do weekends consist of relaxing at the beach or the pool. They normally consist of studying, but for the most part this is the daily life of a medical student. I am just so thankful that he is enjoying what he is doing and learning because otherwise this would be absolutely miserable. But never has Chris complained or wanted to quit. He just keeps going because I truly feel like at this point he knows that this is what God is calling him to do. There is absolutely no other way we would be able to conquer this battle without the help our Lord. He every day gives us the strength to keep going.

Growing up I have always had my own identity and after marrying Christopher and moving down to Dominica to follow Christopher's dream I have recently realized that although I still have my own identity, it has changed in extremely amazing ways. I went from being an independently driven person to a wife that is fully focused on her husband. I feel as my role has gone from thinking and doing for myself to being an encourager and support for everything that Christopher is doing. Although I don't necessarily do a whole lot down here in Dominica because the opportunities for jobs are slim and hard to find, I feel that my new job is to provide for Christopher (obviously not in a financial way). I make him lunch and dinner and continually encourage him to keep going. I think that for now that is the job that the Lord has planned for me. To make sure that he is taken care of and constantly prayed for and encouraged.

Happy 4t h of July

This has been a really interesting 4th of July for Christopher and I here in Dominica. Well obviously since we aren't in the USA, they don't celebrate this holiday. I can honestly say that we have never been more happy to be Americans. Living here has really opened up our eyes to show us how great we have it in the US. But we made the most of the holiday. Friday Chris still had to go to class in the morning and then he had an intramural game in the afternoon. That evening we had a cookout for our Church (RCF). RCF puts on a free cookout every semester for the students and it happened to fall on the fourth of July this time. We had hamburgers! They were really good for a Dominican burger. RCF served over 500 people. It was really awesome. So although we missed our families a whole lot this past weekend while they were at the lake and just enjoying good ol' American food we made the best of it.

We also celebrated our friend Andrea's birthday. We went to a place called Big Papa and it was delicious. It was probably the best Dominican food we have had since we have been here. Christopher and I both had Red Snaper. It was great. We went with Andrea and Kyle and Ashley and Ryan. And then yesterday morning Ashley through a brunch for Andrea's birthday with our bible study. So we have had a fun weekend celebrating Andrea's birthday.

Me,Andrea, and Ashley at Big Papa's

My bible study group. Ashley, Andrea, Ralna, Me, and Katrina

Christopher is studying really hard for his next exam that is coming up on Monday. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to prepare for it. We will be home in 6 weeks and we can't wait! We miss everyone!

It's been awhile

I realized today that it has been awhile since my last post, so here is a little update on the Shadids. 

It has been raining like crazy here in Dominica. In like the last 2 weeks, I think we have had maybe 2 or 3 sunny days. Now when I say its raining its not just some little sprinkle, its a major down pour. It is kind of like the hardest rain you get in Oklahoma minus the major storm part of it all. It doesn't really thunder and lightening, it just rains and rains and rains. The worst part about it is that since we don't have a car we have to walk in the rain everywhere we go. So Chris has to walk in the rain to class and I get to walk in the rain to the grocery stores. Luckily we kind of knew that it rains here a lot in Dominica so we are prepared with our umbrellas and rain coats. Although it is almost way too hot to wear a rain coat here. Now on the good side the rain has really helped cool this place down. Now instead of sweating everywhere you go it is just hot where ever you go. I don't think that they know what cold weather is like here. 

So needless to say we have been spending a lot of time at home lately. Chris has began to try and study at home, which I really love because then I don't have to be by myself all of the time. I think he has been enjoying it as well but I am not sure how long it will last. He has his second big exam coming up 2 weeks from tomorrow. So please keep Christopher in your prayers as he prepares for his next exam. He has been doing so well so far so I know he is going to do really great. 

I have not really been baking as much anymore since I came back from the States. I think that I have just felt really lazy and haven't really wanted to. But yesterday since Chris was at home studying, I couldn't watch TV or put on music or talk for that matter because he needed it very quiet. So I baked. I made chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip cookies, and some pico dip, along with an omelet for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and chicken and mash potatoes for dinner. So I spent my day yesterday cooking away. I have decided that I really enjoy cooking well mostly I enjoy baking but I don't think I should do it very much because we are going to come back festively plump if I continue days like yesterday. 

It has really been nice having some American food here since I got back. I brought back a lot of things with me from the States and it has just really made it feel more like home. It is amazing how great animal crackers can taste when you don't have access to them. Even iced tea is amazing. 

Mini 1...Check!

Christopher's first exam was on Monday and we got his results back yesterday. He did so great. We are so proud of his accomplishments. He studied so hard and we are excited to see his great results. First tests are normally pretty tough because you don't know how the professors will ask the questions, but Christopher did really great. For a great job well done I got Christopher a little surprise.

Yes Blue Bell Homemade ice cream. What a perfect way to say, have yourself a blue bell country day! Haha! We have never found any ice cream here except for local ice cream and it doesn't taste like real ice cream. So when I saw this at the store yesterday I just knew that Christopher needed it. Since I came back to Oklahoma recently I had the luxury of being able to eat ice cream, but Christopher hasn't had any since we left in April. So what a perfect time to have ice cream than after his first big test.

From "Home" to "Home"

I think that I have truly been able to understand the famous saying "Home is where the Heart is". I have mixed feelings about it though. I made my trip to Oklahoma City for Emily and Michael Hemphill's Wedding, which was absolutely beautiful and they made the perfect Bride and Groom. It was especially nice to be able to see all of my friends and family. I realized that while being "Home" I didn't feel completely at home. And now that I am back "Home" I still don't feel completely at home. Now it may sound like an incredibly interesting statement but let me explain. I feel like the statement "Home is where the Heart is" is a very true statement because when I was in Oklahoma City I felt at home being with my family but not at home because I was not with the man I love. Now that I am back with the man I love I don't feel completely at home because I am not with the family I love. So I guess I just have to live with the mixed feelings of the statement. I will be at home wherever I am because I have someone I love close to me.

I had such a refreshing time being able to come home to civilization. It is absolutely amazing to me how different life here is on the island. I knew that it was different but I guess I had adapted so much to the island life that I just forgot. After stepping into the airport in San Juan I realized how fast past the United States is. Everyone is in a hurry all of the time. I have learned on the island to accept the slow simple life and I think I really enjoy it. Everyone here does what they want, when they want and in the U.S. everyone feels like they have so much to do and not enough time to do anything. Many times I feel like they forget what is most important in life. Just being with the ones you love and enjoying their company.

Now don't get me wrong I would rather be living in the United States but I have come to realize that the short time we are here is not as bad as it may have seemed. Although I really will miss my long HOT showers, hot water to wash the dishes in, a comfy bed to sleep on (that has lots of pillows), and most of all the luxury of being so close to drive to see all of my family and friends. I am just glad I am back with Christopher, helping him become the Doctor that he wants to be.

Please keep Christopher in your prayers this week as he takes his first big test on Monday. He has been studying so hard. He wakes up at about 6:30 and studies from about 7:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night. I just pray that his hard work will pay off for him.