Now this is more how I imagined living on Nevis!...with Kris' study schedule and my work schedules we have decided that every 2 weeks we need to get out of the house and do something together.  Yesterday we went to the Four Seasons driving range, hit some balls and had a cocktail. Next time we may actually go for a round of golf.

University on Nevis

This is part of the campus for the Medical University.  There are several buildings that house classes for all the students, the cafeteria and they now even have a gym.  The school is on the Atlantic side of the island and has an amazing view from the top balcony of the main building. Kris gets to spend approx 7 hours of his day here, soon to be 8+ when he finishes his PreMed. 

Driving Me Crazy

So driving on the left hand side of the road didn't take long to get used to.  What I'm still struggling with is that the windshield wipers are now where the signal light used to be!  It has become a game when Kris and I are driving to see if you can get to point A to point B without setting off the wipers. 

Horse Races

 

I have been very lucky here to find a good friend on the island.  Will started his premed with Kris this semester and he will be here the entire time we are and with his family.  Jill is his wife and they have 3 amazing kids.  Anna is eight, Gabe is six and Katie is four.  Jill and I have made a great team so far and we've been exploring alot of the island together.  We recently found that they organize horse races on the island about every 3-4 months and decided to take the kids to see what it was all about.  You can go and enjoy BBQ, beer and even place a bet on the races.  I decided not to though, after hearing several times that they use the same horses over and over but just change their names to keep the crowd coming!!!

Mailing Address

A few people have asked for our address here and unfortunately they do not assign physical addresses nor will they give us a PO box(because we are temporary residents).  So any mail can reach us by forwarding it through the university.  For a regular mailing address, it is addressed:

Kristopher & Alicia Poliakiwski

c/o The Medical University of the Americas

PO Box 701

Charlestown, Nevis

West Indies

Tel#1-869-469-9177

To send any packages through FEDEX, it is addressed:

Kristopher & Alicia Poliakiwski

c/o The Medical University of the Americas

Potworks

St.James Parish

Nevis

West Indies

Tel#1-869-469-9177



What's for supper?

While Kris is at school everyday or at home studying, I have been trying to figure out exactly how this island works.  They have a few grocery stores and produce stands to shop at but I've quickly learned that you have to pay attention to what you are buying and what you are paying for it.  They do not clearly label prices on produce and other items as they like to overcharge the students and tourists. You can haggle over certain things at the market and I'm learning to be more assertive.  The grocery stores here also turn off the freezers at night to save on electricity! Which means we have quickly learned to buy our chicken directly from an organic farmer as well as our eggs!  We haven't attempted any beef or pork as we see the animals roaming free all over the island and I'm not sure what they are eating or if I want to find out what they taste like.  Kraft Dinner has been almost a staple and today we bought supper at a stand on the side of the road(which is the closest thing we will see to fast food for awhile)and they BBQ chicken, ribs and fish and serve it with rice and/or potatoes. It's definately a different way of life here.

The Cottages of Sunset Heaven

Our New Home on Sunset Lane

We finally moved into our new apartment and it is such a relief to unpack our suitcases.  It is a 2 bedroom with an amazing view of St.Kitts and the harbor where all the cruise ships come in.  Our favorite spot is on the deck having our morning coffee.

Work

I've been working a few hours a day, about 3-5 days a week with Dr.Stuart in town.  He is 74 and has been practicing dentistry for 50 years! I think that some of the equipment in their could be close to being that old as well.  I thought that things were rough working in an older office in Stettler but at least that office had a central vacuum system.  This place has a mobile suction unit that drains into a bucket that I have to empty every day...disgusting!!! Besides that it has been great, Jim has been a great tour guide and it's been nice having something to occupy my free time.

Kris started school January 4 and has class 5 days a week from 9am-4pm. The material has kept him with his head in his books every evening but he is enjoying being back in school and everything he is learning. Dr.Poliakiwski even had his first patient last week when I needed someone to administer a vaccination that I brought with me!!

We have bought a car and Kris has been using it to get to the university on the other side of the island so that has left me to figure out the public transportation here.  I've posted a picure of one of the buses.  Apparently you can stand on the side of the road anywhere and wave them down. It costs 3EC for me to get to town which is just over $1 USD

Arriving to Nevis

Kris and I arrived at the ferry port in Nevis on Jan 2 only to find that we were without a ride. After the sun set we decided to hike to the nearest hotel for the evening.  Some locals offerred to help by providing a cell phone and we are able to get in touch with our landlord and he took us to our house.  After 21 hours of travel we couldn't wait for a shower and a bed, but to our surprise we had a welcoming committee.....bats, frogs, cockroaches and other insects had all taken over the house!  We spent one night and said 'thanx but no thanx' to our landlord and moved out.  Since then we have stayed with a student friend that Kris made(Will) and rented a Villa by the ocean to get us through January.  As of Feb 1st we were able to find an amazing apartment and we will no longer be drifters!