Just an update. Today I got to explore the island a bit more then I have in the past and I must say, its absolutely beautiful. I wish I had more time to find all the awesome hidden gems of the island, but the reality is that after the weekend I will likely not even have the time to look out the window (so everyone is telling me). That's okay with me though, because its the reason I am here. Moving around the island today has almost solidified my stance in favour of getting a car as well. There are two many places that travelling to would just be to difficult or expensive without one. I understand fully that I won't really have the time to do much exploring, but if I even had an hour or two break on the weekend I would be able to accomplish so much more then simply walking around. Also, having it for the breaks between semesters would be very beneficial. So in the next few days / weeks ill start to research the car situation a bit more. Maybe rent, maybe buy, well have to see. In addition, driving on these roads will be a total blast!
On the school side of things, today we were essentially told all the ways we could die on the island if we are not careful / smart enough. Safe to say one or two people were ready to pack it in, but by the end the speakers were all pretty good at making us feel safe again:P Nothing really to worry about, all common sense stuff, and depending on your experience in life or comfort level in new places, it really isn't anything new. One thing that was made very clear to us today had to due with hurricanes. They gave us a little rhyme to remember. June? too soon. July? keep an eye. August? a must. September? remember. and October? its all over. This had to do with the hurricane season. As of right now, we are predicted to have a slightly better hurricane season then it was predicted at the start. The hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th, but not very often do you have to worry beyond September. That being said, its was stressed over and over again that we must be getting our hurricane kits together for the event that someone comes. Its not so much a lifesaving kit as it is a convenience kit. Having water and batteries, putting passports and visas in plastic bags etc. So I'll have to make sure I'm good on that end. It is pretty much inevitable that I will sit through tropical storms or maybe even a hurricane while I'm here, but from the feel today there is really not that much to worry about. The school has very thorough plans in place if something dangerous ever decides to get close, so don't feel like your all on your own:P On a happier note, all the academic related orientation stuff is done! The rest of the weekend we have beach parties essentially.. Get the vacation stuff out of your system before you get thrown in the books. Looking forwards to that.
On the school side of things, today we were essentially told all the ways we could die on the island if we are not careful / smart enough. Safe to say one or two people were ready to pack it in, but by the end the speakers were all pretty good at making us feel safe again:P Nothing really to worry about, all common sense stuff, and depending on your experience in life or comfort level in new places, it really isn't anything new. One thing that was made very clear to us today had to due with hurricanes. They gave us a little rhyme to remember. June? too soon. July? keep an eye. August? a must. September? remember. and October? its all over. This had to do with the hurricane season. As of right now, we are predicted to have a slightly better hurricane season then it was predicted at the start. The hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th, but not very often do you have to worry beyond September. That being said, its was stressed over and over again that we must be getting our hurricane kits together for the event that someone comes. Its not so much a lifesaving kit as it is a convenience kit. Having water and batteries, putting passports and visas in plastic bags etc. So I'll have to make sure I'm good on that end. It is pretty much inevitable that I will sit through tropical storms or maybe even a hurricane while I'm here, but from the feel today there is really not that much to worry about. The school has very thorough plans in place if something dangerous ever decides to get close, so don't feel like your all on your own:P On a happier note, all the academic related orientation stuff is done! The rest of the weekend we have beach parties essentially.. Get the vacation stuff out of your system before you get thrown in the books. Looking forwards to that.
The picture to the left was one of the things I got at school today:) All the tools for anatomy lab! It was rather exciting to get. Ill put it to good use.
Things learned today
-The National animal of St. Kitts is a pelican and the tree is a Flamboyant
-We still have school on the St. Kitts independence day this month even though a local taxi driver told me we don't. I think I will probably have to believe the school unfortunately..
-The monkeys everyone told me about do exist! Saw a few today!
-The water on St. Kitts tastes very good! (actually learned this on day one). Does a Britta filter change the taste? If it does then I'm not sure exactly what the water tastes like here...
-There are some beaches that are extremely dangerous and should never be attempted to swim at:)
- The sharks here are friendly. (One again I was told this by a local, and I'm beginning to think they don't tell the truth all the time).
Well I guess I'm done writing. Im sure I'll here the "Honk Honk" outside my window from the taxi coming to pick me up. I normally have about 1.5 minutes to get outside or he will leave. So I have to ready myself. As the locals say, Good vibes everyone!!
Cheers,
Mike
-The National animal of St. Kitts is a pelican and the tree is a Flamboyant
-We still have school on the St. Kitts independence day this month even though a local taxi driver told me we don't. I think I will probably have to believe the school unfortunately..
-The monkeys everyone told me about do exist! Saw a few today!
-The water on St. Kitts tastes very good! (actually learned this on day one). Does a Britta filter change the taste? If it does then I'm not sure exactly what the water tastes like here...
-There are some beaches that are extremely dangerous and should never be attempted to swim at:)
- The sharks here are friendly. (One again I was told this by a local, and I'm beginning to think they don't tell the truth all the time).
Well I guess I'm done writing. Im sure I'll here the "Honk Honk" outside my window from the taxi coming to pick me up. I normally have about 1.5 minutes to get outside or he will leave. So I have to ready myself. As the locals say, Good vibes everyone!!
Cheers,
Mike