Peace Hill

How great is this?

So Margo and I had brunch at one of the shopping areas once we got to St. John. Our waiter saw us looking at a map and gave us the scoop on how to spend a day on St. John. One must-see he mentioned was a place (not on the map) called Peace Hill. This was such a great adventure because we really didn't know what to expect. We just had to follow trails and trust that it would lead somewhere nice. And that's what we did, with some laughs along the way.

First we had to find the place. Yikes. Directions from the local (very typical, by the way): You might have passed it. Did you see the small mirror on the stick? (Why no, I didn't happen to catch that...) Well, go out this way and you'll eventually pass a rock and then the mirror. Then you'll see the small place to park your car and that's Peace Hill. Amazing. We eventually did find Peace Hill, the mirror remains undiscovered.

We park and see a few cars there, but no people. We start up a little path, which eventually leads us to this round ruin of a building you see below.

We have a fun time exploring the building, which is a wonderfully unique spot for portraits (as you can hopefully see, although the subject here is certainly not America's next top model!).

It also provides a fabulous view of some of the British Virgin Islands, as also seen below.

Now, we pass through the building to the other side and there is at least waist-high grass all around with some beaten-down paths. We try all of these paths and they lead to steep drop-offs. Yours truly gets frustrated, especially after an unpleasant encounter with something we dubbed "the prickly bush," knowing that there must be something else here besides the building. And why are there all these paths if they lead nowhere? Where are the people who have their cars parked by ours? Burning questions, all. Story to be continued on next post...

Some Beaches on St. John

Here are some of the beaches along the path of our St. John adventure, hopefully labeled correctly...


Trunk Bay




This is Cinnamon Bay, if you turn your head sideways... :)




This is Maho Bay...

Cinnamon Bay has a campground and I really hope to stay there before I have to leave USVI. I met a nice couple the other night who have camped there several times and say it is a must. I'll keep you updated...

St. John

I had been getting increasingly embarassed and then downright ashamed by the fact that I have been in St. Thomas for more than a month and still hadn't been to St. John. I was finally able to redeem myself this past Sunday as Margo and I took the 15 minute ferry ride over to the lovely St. John. St. John is actually visible from where I live. It's the smallest of the three USVI and most of the island (I think maybe 2/3) is national park land.

Everyone had been telling me that I had to go, that I would really love it, and they were right. It is great. Margo and I explored the western half of the island and are anxious to go back to see some more. We had a lovely time. We visited the most famous beaches, went to a great little place called Peace Point, shopped a bit (I got a great necklace & earrings), had a nice dinner, and overall just enjoyed a great day of exploration. Thankfully, I got some really great pictures, so I hope you enjoy them. This will be several posts...

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that you all had and are having wonderful holidays. Thank you all very much for your warm holiday wishes via email, snail mail, phone, text, esp, etc. No sky-writing, though, I'm a little disappointed. :( Maybe next year.

Christmas was quiet in St. Thomas. Of course I had to work, and there were hardly any patients in the hospital. Our unit had 6 patients and 3 nurses. So, I got floated to the ICU where I could be of a little bit more help (stress on the little, there). One of these nights we had 6 patients, 3 nurses, 2 CNAs, and 1 unit secretary. The staff equalled the number of patients! Bizarre, but believe me I'm not complaining!! It's been nice to have some quiet nights.

It's been really difficult to remember that it was Christmas since it just isn't commercialized here like it is back home, and I'm not part of a network of people that are focused on the holiday, making plans, buying gifts, baking, etc. That's probably just what I needed this year, so I guess it has worked out well.

The only other happenings in USVI are that Margo and I went to St. John's the other day. I got some great pictures that I will post tonight.

Thanks everyone for continuing to check on me and I'm so glad to hear reports that you are enjoying the blog. Lots of love to you all. I miss you!

You got anything with rum?

Mmm, mmm, rum. It’s certainly abundant here in the Caribbean. And it goes good with everything, especially since they have specialty flavored rums (banana, orange, raspberry, black cherry, pineapple, and more). It’s like mother’s milk to me now. It’s great for (uh, with) breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Check it out.

Stop by Picasso’s on the way home from work for a bagel with cream cheese. What’s that? Banana rum in pineapple juice? Sure, I’d love some. I’ll take it to go, by the way, which still blows my mind.

Veggie sub at subway for lunch. Missing something... Walk over to Duffy’s. What would I like? You got anything with rum? Rum punch? Perfect.

It’s dinner time, and I need something a little bubbly. How about raspberry rum with 7-up? Now you’re talking.

Oh, and don’t forget dessert. Always the best part. Bushwhacker, please!

More White Bay

And here's the rest of the story...

And here's the Beach at White Bay. The way it works is that the boat comes near the shore and gets tied to the shore. Then, you just jump out of the boat into the water and swim to shore. How cool is that!?!









Once on shore, one can enjoy a tasty beverage (such as rum punch or a pain killer) or grab a bite to eat at the various bars and restaurants there. As you can tell, the beach isn't too crowded as it's not really a big tourist spot, which was definitely a plus.






One of the best moments of the day was watching the sky and water at sunset. This has to be my favorite picture since arriving here. Hope you enjoy it.

White Bay 2

Speaking of White Bay, I realized that I still haven't provided you with the pictures. Let me try again. Blogger is giving me grief so I am doing it in parts. Bear with me...

My favorite outing so far was this trip to the British Virgin Islands. We took a water taxi over to Jost Van Dyke in BVI, which took about 20 minutes. Here's a picture of our trusty ride.





Along the way, we saw a great ship that looked like an old-style pirate ship. When we were heading toward the island, the ship was out on the water with its sails up. As we were sitting on the beach, we noticed the ship pull up, but its sails were down. At least I got to get a picture for you!





To be continued...

Good news!

Guess what! I am finally getting a tan.

I was working about two weeks ago and a patient asked me how long I've been here. "Almost 3 weeks," I answered. She looked me up and down, scrunched her face in a disapproving manner, and declared, "Well, you obviously haven't been to the beach yet." Yikes! (I've noticed that locals are not too shy about giving opinions and telling you what to do.)

So, I went to White Bay the next day (nearly two weeks ago now) and started the process of getting a tan. It was a good start, but still not satisfactory. I made some more progress the other day and am getting closer to fitting in around here. I will try to get some photographic evidence and keep you updated....

Greetings, greetings...

How are you? It's a simple question, but folks here have some creative answers. Here are some of my favorites:

"Better now that I be seeing you."
"God is good."
"Better every day."

And I continue to be amused at the insistence of the proper "good morning," "good afternoon," and "good night." The operator at the hospital answers the phone, "This is the operator. Good night." Too cute.

To the left, to the left…

Sing it Beyonce! I love it when this song comes on the car radio. Not only is it a great pick-me-up, but it gives me that all-important island reminder to “keep left” while driving. “To the left, to the left” I sing as I truck along.

Let’s take a moment to discuss the auto aspects of island life…

What a mess! Yes, one must drive on the left side of the road. But since the driver and steering wheel are on the same side as in the mainland, there’s no circumstantial reminder of this. Just the occasional side on the side of the road – “Keep Left.” Initially this required a great deal of concentration. It took nearly two weeks before I felt comfortable enough to adjust the radio station while driving. The hardest part for me was the mental gymnastics of making a right-hand turn: I kept fearing that a car would come along behind me and crash into my passenger side as I was turning, but of course this wouldn’t happen because the traffic is coming at me, not behind me. My brain really struggled with this one, but I’m happy to say that driving on the left now feels natural to me. In fact, sometimes when I am driving along and there’s no other traffic, there’s a mischievous part of me that wants to cross over to the right side of the road just to see what it feels like. So rebellious. I will admit that I do still have slip-ups and fall back into old habits. The other day I was tired and driving around a parking lot-type area searching for a space when I looked up to find a truck coming right at me. Totally calm, I think, “Huh.? That’s strange. That truck is coming right at me… Oh, yeah… I need to be on the other side of the road! Oops!” I was embarrassed. I hadn’t done that in a so long. Crazy tourist.

But all that left/right stuff doesn’t tell the whole story at all. Apparently, everyone feels entitled to the road. Driving along one will find chickens or maybe a goat or two occupying a little chunk of your lane. A lot of people are on foot, so drivers have to be especially careful of those walking on the “side” of the road. That’s okay, but I’ve frequently seen someone standing in the middle of the road for reasons I fail to understand. They aren’t crossing the road, mind you, just standing there. And these drivers absolutely do not obey the center line marker at all. At all! You have all that space over there, buddy, use it! This side is MINE! My favorite, though, is the bull. Yes, that’s right, the bull. He’s beautiful (I’ll post a picture when I can get one) and he lives somewhere between here and the other resort where the rest of the girls live. He is not fenced or tied and is often seen eating on the side of the road. Sometimes, however, he takes a notion to cross. He’s done this to me twice, of course requiring me to stop, and I swear to you that each time he pauses right in front of my car and turns his head to look at me. If he could speak, it is quite clear that he would then say, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Then he slowly turns his head back and continues his journey to the other side. Bizarre.

Until listening to a discussion of such matters last night, I thought that there was no such thing as a traffic violation on this island. The speed limits are posted, but as far as I can tell they don’t mean anything and I’ve never seen someone pulled over for speeding. People will park anywhere, seemingly without fear of punishment. They will cross over the solid middle line to pass cars who are already speeding (mind you, the highest speed limit I’ve seen is 35). And it’s not even illegal to have an open alcohol container in the car. When leaving the bar they’ll ask if you want one for the road! Yikes! But, guess what. There is one violation that does exist and is strictly enforced. No cell phones while driving. Go figure. And during the discussion last night I learned that if one irritates the police officer giving you a ticket, then you are sure to walk away with not one ticket, but 3 or 4 or 5… And further, you will keep getting them until you go to the police station and apologize.

This is, in fact, a different place.

Love Shack, Baby!!

Welcome to Duffy’s Love Shack! This is such a great find. One of my patients recommended it to me, but everyone knows it is a great place to hang out. They play fun music, people dance if they want, they have very good food at reasonable prices, and it’s just a relaxing place where everyone is or feels like they are on vacation. Mondays are crab legs (yuck for me, but Beatrice and Margo think it’s the best). Tuesdays are taco night, which includes getting (for free!!) an upside down margarita (or two or three depending on how nicely you ask the bartender). Wednesday is ladies night, where women drink free after 9PM until close (2AM). Don’t know what is special about the other nights, but it’s great anytime.

Now here’s a great business idea – the specialty drinks come in specialty glasses. You get to keep the glass and if you bring the glass back with you, then you get a refill price on your drink. Genius! The customer gets to feel like a part of something and is more likely to frequent the place since they get the drinks cheaper. People will try different drinks just to get the different glasses. So jump on a plane and join me for a drink and some awesome guacamole. Ask Kevin to make you a bushwhacker and you won’t be disappointed (5 kinds of alcohol combine to taste like a chocolate milkshake – dangerous, but oh so tasty).

Dec 13 Update

Good evening! I am in for another night shift tonight. And, as I am unable to sleep, I figured that I would go ahead and get up and finally write out one of the many blog posts I have been writing in my head. I do this while I feast on a lovely dinner of frozen pasta and a bagel. Yum. Tomorrow is a big celebratory day for St. Thomas and our unit supervisor gave Margo & I off to enjoy the festivities. I am still unclear what all is involved (it is very hard to get any clear answers around here), but there will be much merriment on main street. (Just try to come and find anything that actually says “main street.”) I was told long ago to hold off on buying any jewelry until the 14th because all the shops on “main street” will have jewelry on sale for the event. All of this is somehow related to Christmas. What I do know for “sure” is that there will be a lighted boat parade – boats decorated for Christmas parade through the dock for all to see. I am afraid that the weather must greatly improve for this to transpire. We are feeling the effects of nasty Olga, who just had to strike now. I think I heard that she’s one of only 10 named storms in December on record since they started keeping track. Ugh. Anyway, I will keep you posted on the fun times tomorrow (I think it might be called Main Street Magic or something like that). Until then, here is a post for your reading pleasure…

Meet the girls

These are the lovely ladies that keep me company here in the islands. They are a great group and we really look out for each other. Whenever you hear me talk about the girls, this is usually who I am referring to. Diane is in the left front & she is from Michigan. Behind her is Margo, from Alabama. And beside me is Beatrice, who is Haitian but has lived in Ohio for the past several years. This was taken at one of our favorite hang-outs, Duffy's, which I will talk about more later. For now, gotta go pick up the girls and get to work!!

Beautiful view

Hi, folks! I hope that you are all doing well. I am still having my ups & downs and that combined with technical difficulties has helped keep me offline to blog. I have just a couple minutes before heading off to work, so I wanted to at least treat you to this, my favorite picture so far. It was taken on my wonderful trip to White Bay this past Friday. Hope that you enjoy. I will be in touch again soon. Thanks for your patience.

White Bay

Sorry guys, I am having trouble getting the pictures to post. Will work on it again tomorrow. Stay tuned, they're worth the wait!

Hello out there!!

Hi, everyone!! I hope that you are all doing well. I've heard from many of you about snow back on the mainland. The cold may be annoying, but I am sure that the snow is pretty. If it is any consolation, it is pouring down rain right now. Yes, it will only last about 5 minutes and then the sun will come back and yes, it is really neat to see the rain falling on the water, and yes, the rain does help cool things down. But still... :)

It was a pretty good week. I worked a bit and had one really bad night and one decent night. I am now in the middle of enjoying 4 days off. Yeah!! I had an absolutely wonderful time on an outing Friday to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. More about that in the next post. Unfortunately, a black cloud found its way into my life upon my return, but I'm hoping that I can shake it soon. Well, let me get to posting some pictures for you...

What a maroon!

I'm such a silly girl! One of the reasons why I wanted to do the Thanksgiving PS last week was to show you a picture of Magen's Bay Beach, where I went on Thanksgiving. And, of course, I posted the lizard & the dinner crew pics, but completely left out any mention of my trip to one of the top 10 beaches in the world. What a maroon.

So, welcome to Magen's Bay. This certainly wasn't a bad way to spend some time on Thanksgiving & I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

(Uncle John, you'll notice that I'm in these pics! See, I always do what I'm told. Ha, ha.)

Survival kit

When I was out with the girls last week, facing the hazards of island life, we realized that we needed to rethink the concept of the "survival kit" given our new environment. Back home, we would typically keep a bag in the car with a blanket, flashlight, bottle water, etc. As nurses, we like to be prepared. Here's what we decided our St. Thomas emergency bag (which is, of course, a colorful St. Thomas tote) should contain.

1 - Camera (beautiful sights everywhere!)
2 - Bathing suit & beach towel (you might be surprised at how those beaches can creep up on you when you least expect it)
3 - Sunscreen (very practical, then sun will get you fast down here)
5 - Hospital ID (good for discounts all over town to beaches, shops, etc)

Awesome. What more could a girl in St. Thomas need? I could get used to living like this...

Job update

As I mentioned, I have been working lately. I worked Mon-Wed and then Sat-Sun, all nights (7PM to 7:30AM). For the most part, it was what anyone on 5C would consider incredibly slow (3 RN's and 1-2 CNA's for 8-10 patients on the entire floor which has 21 beds). One of those shifts I think I only had to administer one medication all night. This weekend I only had 3-4 patients and they were easy. I haven't seen any PCA's, epidurals, tube feedings, etc. Patients don't have a lot of meds and they aren't nearly as sick as those at UVa. For example, my "ICU transfer" was well enough to go home and was discharged within 10 hours of being transferred to the floor! This is definitely a welcome break from the pace at UVa. It isn't all gravy, you know (as Maxwell Smart would say) - there was one night where I had 7 patients and it was obviously much busier. The patient census seems to vary so much from day to day so one never knows what to expect.

A couple reflections on the patients. They seem to be very concerned with making sure that I am happy and doing well and enjoying my time in St. Thomas. When I walk in the room to check on them, they quickly answer my questions so that they can get to the part where they ask me how I am doing, how my night is going, what time I get off, where I am staying, how long I have been here, etc. On my first time in the room at the start of my shift, my usual question of "how are you this evening" is often met with the answer "better now that I see you again!" It seems like they would rather chat than talk about their health, which can make assessment difficult, not to mention time-consuming. I am so used to having to run, run, run, and they are forcing me to slow down and take time for the pleasantries. It's definitely a good challenge.

At last, a house guest!

Here's a little insight into how my mind works. Please proceed with caution...

So I walked into my bathroom the other morning to find a “pest” not often encountered in Virginia homes – a tiny baby lizard. A couple inches long, four legs, a tail... you get the picture (at least I hope you do because I neglected to grab the camera).

Ok, time to enter problem-solving mode. Stay calm. What do I do about this? I don’t really want a lizard running around my condo. Where will he show up next? My shoe? My bed? The couch? The table? There are no good possibilities here. How will he get out? For that matter, how did he get in?

Ugh. I don’t see how he can get out. I have to do something. He’s too big to squish with a shoe, yet too small and untrained to be shooed toward the door. Shoe/shoo, that's funny... Trish, stick to the matter at hand. Okay. So he's also way too fast to be trapped in some manner and then let loose outside. Hmm... options are limited. It appears that he must stay. Maybe it won’t be so bad. I’ll see him around from time to time, say hi, keep to myself and hope he keeps to himself. At least he’s small.

Oh, crud. He won’t be small forever. He is going to grow, isn’t he? And by that time I’ll have become attached. Probably even have given him a name. Great. Now I’ll have to take him back to the mainland. What am I going to do with a pet lizard? What if he and Pearl don’t get along? Well, I don’t know, maybe she would like a lizard. I could see them playing in the living room together. Oh how on earth did I get into this mess?

Shoot! Where did he go??

She lives!!

Hello, everyone! I am sorry for the long silence there.

Two problems:
1. I was working - I haven't figured out a way around this yet, but will keep brainstorming, and...
2. I have been a bit blue - Yes, this can happen on a beautiful tropical island. Fear not, though, I am perking up.

Despite these obstacles, I have been continuing to have fun and have been keeping track of my adventures and have plenty to share with you, as you will see.

HUGE thanks to those who have commented on the blog and also to those who wrote or called to check on me and/or request that I get back to blogging! You have helped to drive those blues away.

And so, let the blogging begin!