Details to come

Hey!  I've been hanging out, having fun, working some.  Had an awesome boat trip to Jost yesterday, enjoying company of friends and some hammock time simultaneously.  Check it out...

More details to come soon, for now, gonna run with Amber to get a wedge salad.  :)

Day trip

Hello!  I am finally enjoying some time off this week with no obligations... and loving it (imagine maxwell smart saying that last part).  My reprieve started yesterday, which was the first of 3 days off, after which I work 2 nights, then off for another 3.  I relaxed quite a bit yesterday but did get a few chores done (laundry and such).  Had plans to do the same today, but a friend invited me out for trip to BVI, which I am not known to turn down.  There's really nothing on a "to do" list that trumps a trip to BVI.  Let's be honest here.

I had a great day and finally have a couple pictures to show you.  The cool thing today is that we took a different route than I am used to and so I got to see some new areas and different sides of islands that I was already familiar with.  Most of the day was spent at Jost van Dyke, which you all know by now is my favorite.

If you ever get the chance to go to White Bay on Jost van Dyke, GO!  And take me with you!  Omg - laying in the hammock on the beach, feeling the ocean breeze as the sun warms your skin, ice cold Soggy Dollar painkiller in hand with the long leaves of the palm trees smacking together to create that soothing rustling sound - you just can't stop repeating to yourself that there can't be anything more perfect than this.  The white sand of the beach and the absolutely clear blue of the water there is just stunning.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, here are pictures.  The first is me just before I got off the boat at White Bay.  The second is of a cool sailboat we saw as we were riding around on the boat today.  Which reminds me that I also wanted to point out that riding around on a boat through the Virgin Islands is such a therapeutic experience.  The beautiful scenery, the movement of the boat, the breezes, and the sunshine all combine to create such a soothing feeling.  It's so easy to see why people come here for vacation and instead of taking the flight back home, end up calling their family with requests to sell all they have and send them the money.

Beach party!

The parties continue in St Thomas.  On Tuesday we had a beach party loosely celebrate Kevin's return to the island, but really just to party.  It's been great to have him back on island and have it feel like old times.  So we all met at the guys' new favorite beach, Linquist.  It took the guys some time to start the fire for the grill (which was my entertainment for the day), and then Kevin cooked up some nice burnt hot dogs and such.  I stuck to brownies and potato chips.  Afterward we went to Island Time Pub for pizza (not burnt) and then poor Trish had to get some rest before going to work at 11PM.  Here are some pictures to tell the story of the day.

First of all, here's Kevin.

The order of the day is really to relax in the water with a beer.  We take turns being the one who has to go to shore for the beverages.  The guys like to play catch every now and then.  There are a couple stories about me getting not-so-satisfactory frisbees (and teased mercilessly for it) which Todd will be happy to tell.   On this day out we did not have a frisbee and I ended up using a leaf as one.  Before long we were having a great time tossing around a few large leaves that we found floating in the water, and we now have a new game called "Lily Pad Tossing."  It will soon be all the rage.  Just like children, it apparently doesn't take much to amuse us.  Anyway, this is what we looked like all day.

And here's Todd making a not-so-valiant effort to retrieve the ball.

There were about 10 of us in the water at one point, sipping on beer and tossing the ball around.  All of a sudden Todd yells out, "Hey, there are people sitting in cubicles right now."  We all had a respectful moment of silence for them, and then resumed the festivities.  Yes, here in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday, we were all out simply enjoying the weather, the water, and each other's company with no obligations cluttering our minds.  It is indeed good to be in St Thomas.

Halloween party

I think enough time has passed that I am finally ready and able to discuss Halloween in St. Thomas.  Wow, what a sight.  It was a crazy night to be sure.  I have a few pictures to show you, though much of the night was too scandalous for the blog.  The theme for Duffy's was red, white, and blue for the election so there were a few political costumes.  People were dancing and having a good time, typical St Thomas just in funnier clothes.  Here are some pics...

This is Sarah Palin and Luis, in the guise of a woman.  He surprisingly made a very convincing female and seemed all too comfortable in high-heel shoes...

This was a creative group, they came in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory costumes.  

And behind the bar we had Castro and Bill Clinton, otherwise known as Rich and Brandon.  Brandon mentioned in advance of the holiday that his Clinton mask scared his young son, and I can now sympathize.

Hope that you all had a great Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone!  

I will be heading out to Red Hook for Halloween festivities tonight.  I will bring my camera to see if I can snatch some photos of the events and finally have something to post.  

In the meantime, I can't stand the lack of pictures on the blog, so here's one from my full moon trip last May.  This is from White Bay on Jost van Dyke.

I could live like this

There are always new things to find and love about the islands.  Yesterday I discovered the joy of sunset at Secret Harbour.  I want to take a moment to give props to Blue Moon and Secret Harbour.  Blue Moon - an American cafe - is a bar and restaurant at Secret Harbour, which is a beach resort.  Secret Harbour beach is known to be a great place for transplants to go because it's not a tourist spot and doesn't get overly-crowded.  It has nice amenities (chairs, umbrellas), great food, good snorkeling, etc.  

Secret Harbour has a website with pictures far better than I can post - www.secretharbourvi.com.  You can select "dining" to find out more about Blue Moon and see a version of the menu, which changes a bit.  It seems everyone has their favorite Blue Moon dish and swears by it.  The "bar and patio" is on the way to the "restaurant" so I must confess that I've never actually made it to the restaurant.  I've seen it from the bar, though, and it does look nice.  But back to my story...

Blue Moon is hands-down my favorite lunch on island - a wedge salad that is out of this world.  This thing gives salads a good name.  Check it out --

"The Wedge - Iceberg lettuce, brown sugar smoked bacon, roma tomatoes, creamy Gorgonzola bleu cheese dressing, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar"

I went yesterday for a late lunch.  Slater (very sweet bartender & another reason to go to Blue Moon) asked what I wanted - after coming around the bar to give me a hug of course.  "I want a coke and a wedge salad."  He responded, "I already got the wedge, I just wasn't sure what you were drinking today."  So much for me being a woman of mystery.  And by the way, the salad was delicious.

Blue Moon is filled with regulars, which is the kind of environment I really enjoy.  After finishing my wedge yesterday, a new acquaintance showed up and we chatted for a bit.  Then the sun was setting so we headed to the beach to recline in the beach chairs and watch the sun go down over the water.  My friends, is there anything more perfect than this?  It was about 78 degrees, there was a good breeze, my belly was full of wedge salad, the sound of the waves gently hitting the shore filled my ears, and my eyes were fixed on the blue sky and fluffy white clouds while the sun treated me to a show as it dimmed itself and tucked behind the clouds and eventually down below the horizon.  I found myself saying, as I often do here, "I could really live like this."  And what a joy to find that I in fact do live like this.

I continued to lay on the beach chair for a bit to watch the boats bob gently with the surf and the few swimmers enjoy the water at night.  I eventually waded in myself, for I couldn't let a good bikini go to waste.  The warm, calm water was relaxing.  It is a different experience to be in the ocean at night versus day; I recommend it.  A couple new acquaintances swam over for some friendly conversation before heading to Blue Moon for drinks, at which point I figured I better get back to "reality" and made my way to Duffy's...

General update

Hi!  I'm noticing that it's been almost a couple weeks since my last post.  I can't blame it on being busy really.  I had a rather light week last week which was good because Steph came to visit me, yeah!  I love having visitors.  One of the many reasons is that it's fun to see my islands afresh through their eyes and it helps me to really appreciate what a great opportunity it is to be here.  The only bad part is when my visitors leave, and that is especially true with Steph.  Miss you.

The talk about town now is generally focused on Halloween.  It's a big holiday here.  Any holiday that can possibly involve a party and adult beverages is a big holiday here.  There are costume contests at several places.  Duffy's theme is red, white, and blue for the election.  

I have finally bought an island car!  Yeah!  Greg described it as red, runs well, and holds 5 drunks comfortably.  All true!  I like to notice islandisms, or "only in the islands" situations and decided to start pointing them out on the blog.  In this case, it's that only in the islands does "cleaning out the car" mean removing the empty beer bottles and "to go" shot glasses your friends have left behind...

I also love to notice the language differences here and have pointed out a few in the  past.  One recent phrase that I enjoyed hearing was, "It ain't nothin to hurt your head over, Jenkins."  Which can be translated as, "it's nothing to worry about."

Well, I better get to sleep.  It is a busy work week for me.  I will post again soon.  I haven't snapped the first photo since I've been back (except with my phone), so will have to resurrect an old one to at least post something pretty and keep you all interested.  Hope you all are well...

Goodbye Omar

This trip to St. Thomas is proving to be more adventurous than I had anticipated.  I have now also been through my first hurricane.  Thankfully Hurricane Omar veered off to the east instead of taking its projected path straight to St Thomas.  

As I mentioned, I was working at the hospital last night and it was a unique experience.  The hospital was a great place to be.  Mainly because there was free food.  All night!  I'm up for anything free, especially food.  I mean, we all know what a big eater I am!  It seems the hospital was acting as a command center of sorts so the cafeteria was providing food to its staff as well as local police, fire, marshals, etc.  I enjoy the image of the hospital as acting as a community center in this way.

One of the things I love about being here is my hospital moms.  The locals are regarded as rude, and certainly they can be, but I think much of that is misinterpretation.  Most of my interactions with locals occur at the hospital and I have been blessed to be so warmly received by the ladies that I work with.  This is a tight community and the women strike me as motherly.  That doesn't mean that they make you cookies and ask about your day.  It means that they take care of you as best they can, correct you when they think you are wrong, and advise you on how to keep out of trouble - without any sugar-coating.  So I guess the local practice of calling women "mommy" is quite fitting.  Anyway, on the night of the hurricane, one of the CNA's, Ms Collins, took me under her wing.  She declared that she would take care of me during my first hurricane and she was true to her word, making sure, among other things, that I had plenty of food and drink overnight.  So everyone at home can rest assured that I was in good hands.

I also want to give a shout-out to Todd, who called Wednesday to check on me and offer for me to come wait out the storm at their house in Red Hook.  It's comforting to have such great friends here in St Thomas.

Thank you all back home for checking on me.  It means so much to know that I am thought of even though I am far away.  Your calls, emails, and texts are much appreciated and help me to not feel quite so alone.

I will be in touch again soon, but just wanted to get a message posted to let everyone know I am okay.  Gotta run for now, there's a bushwhacker at Duffy's with my name on it!

Tropical Storm

It rained a lot yesterday and the day before, which perturbed me greatly.  I came to the island for sun.  Sun!!  I can get rained on back home, for crying out loud.  But, I soothed my irritation by reminding myself that I will be working anyway so what does it matter?  Plus, the water is good for the cistern.  I'll take a long shower in the subsequent overabundance.

But then, the clinical care coordinator came to me this morning and matter-of-factly stated that she needed me to fill out the hurricane form.  

Excuse me?  

Yes, would you like to wait out the storm at the hospital?  

I'm sorry, what?

Apparently we are to be getting weather.  I really do need to start watching the news.  They've closed the schools today.  I am told that my landlord should board up the windows and move outside items inside.  And I should be sure that I have plenty of bottled water.  The people on the radio were all to quick to point out that hurricane season isn't over yet.  Thanks...  

I asked my usual charge nurse, Julie, if she will be working.  She will.  I asked her to keep me safe and reminded her that I came here for sunny weather.  She seems to think that I will live.

As a point of interest, I, as a nurse at the (government-run) hospital, am considered an essential employee and must stay on-island.  Or at least this is what they told me in orientation.  (I have been known to tend toward the gullible side...)  Now the situation isn't that panicky at the moment, but I wanted to point that tidbit out in case anyone was wondering how that works.  It's not like on the mainland where you can try to get people to move inland.  I guess it's not practical to vacate the entire island every time the wind blows.

Please think calm, unwindy, dry thoughts for me and I'll keep you updated.

-your island insider, Traveling Nurse Trish aka Tropical Storm Trish

Earthquake!!

Well, people, I have another adventure to add to my list.  My first real earthquake.  Yes, we do get earthquakes in the islands, though they aren't that common.  I was at the hospital when it happened and it was substantial enough for me to seek cover in a doorframe.  

It definitely took one of the nurses by surprise as she stuck her head out of the med room to holler, "Who runnin' down de hall?!"  No, that's not someone running, that's an earthquake!  

The earthquake was reportedly 17 miles below the ocean centered around Little Harbour at Jost van Dyke.  It measured 6.1.  

My patients felt it, but all took it in stride.

I wondered about Pearl, laying in her crate at home, wondering why it was moving all of a sudden...  She never has liked unstable ground, so I'm guessing she was particularly perturbed and especially so if it roused her out of sleep.

But, no fear.  No damage done, just another story to tell...

Back on Island!

Hello everyone!  I am back on island, as they say in the Caribbean.  Thanks to all for writing, calling, texting, etc to check on us.  Pearl and I arrived safely on Tuesday and have been settling in.  

Our new place is great.  I'm not in a resort this time, but rather in a quiet neighborhood on "the North side."  The North side is sometimes noted to be like living in a jungle and it is very lush and green and full of bird-like creatures.  I even have a rooster, though thankfully he doesn't seem to be stationed here full-time.  

I did finally get out for a bit of fun last night and enjoyed seeing some of my familiar faces and meeting several new folks as well.  Gotta live it up now because come Monday it is back to work for this girl.  

Well, I just wanted to put up a quick note to update you on my arrival.   I also want to thank the many of you who have contacted me offline in response to my last blog.  I wish you all well and will be in touch soon...

Goodbye St. Paul!

Hello!  I've been hearing from several of my loyal readers that I need to get back to posting on the blog.  I have been in a technological nightmare and hope to get everything straight soon so that I might blog with ease.  I have some great pictures of Minnesota that I need to show you.  I also have to perform my auntly duties and post a picture of my new niece, Eowyn.  I am unable to do so at the moment, but in the meantime am happy to at least provide you with one photo, thanks to Amber who is pictured with me above.  This is us at the Minnesota State Fair, which you should all put on your bucket list.  It was a great time and I will have more pictures and tales from the fair once modern technology allows.  Hope to accomplish all this and more soon.

In the meantime, I will mention, for those of you who might not know, that I am headed back to the Islands, mon!!  I have heard from several friends in St. Thomas, including some of the ladies from the hospital, that they are anxiously awaiting my return, and that has filled me with much joy.  To hear and begin to believe that there are people who will be excited to see me does unspeakably good things for my heart.  Pearl will be joining me on this adventure (which, no doubt, will make it much more of an adventure, ha ha) and we hope to see you - yes you! - in St. Thomas!

Although this may not make for the most exciting reading, I really would like to take a moment to extend thanks to the lovely folks in Minnesota who helped make my stay pleasant.  St. Paul is a great area and if they could fix that pesky weather issue it could be a candidate for a permanent Trish settlement.  

Thanks to (in order of appearance):

- Jeremy and Patricia, my brother and sister (in law).  I feel so blessed to have a job that allowed me to spend some time with them and to be around for the birth of my niece.  Jeremy and Patricia are always so supportive.  I appreciate how generously they take time to listen and I respect their feedback and points of view.  Thanks for the companionship, hospitality, and good food!  Miss you much!  Watch my little niece for me until I return...

- All the folks of St. Joseph's Hospital.  They were always super-friendly (seriously!), welcomed me heartily, and greatly eased my transition to the new job.  I am impressed by their work ethic and attitudes, especially the nurse aides who I believe have never heard of the phrase "That's not in my job description."  The 4C aides were the best and it was reassuring to know that my patients were in their very capable hands.  So many thanks to the ladies and gentleman on 4C.  I can't imagine a warmer welcome.  They even put together a farewell dinner for me complete with a sweet card and gifts.  Their kindness will always be remembered.

- Carina, who oriented me to 4C.  She was so patient with my many questions and quick to lend a helping hand.  I felt at ease under her leadership on the unit.  Carina exemplified the kindness I found at St. Joe's and she is a fine example of genuine hospitality.  I loved hearing her stories of home and oh my gosh she has such a cute daughter!  Thanks for taking the time to organize the farewell dinner and I so hope to see you again soon.

- Amber, fellow nurse on 4C and my new friend.  :)  It's a joy to make a new friend.  Amber is such a warm person that I felt comfortable with her very quickly.  She is fun and genuine and it was a great pleasure to get to know her.  Thanks especially for helping me move, I don't know how I would have done it without you (and that cart!).  I hope that you will come visit St. Thomas...

- Greg, a friend from the islands who is also now a friend from St. Paul, so I ended up with two for the price of one, lol!  It was so comforting to head to St. Paul knowing that there would be another friendly face around.  Thanks for all the fun and companionship, and oh my goodness the Boston's chicken!

- Troy, a friendly Minnesotan recommended to me by my mother.  :)  Troy was my source for all things Minnesota.  Thanks for keeping me from looking too much like a tourist.  Your consistent kindness is so much appreciated.  Thanks for the many laughs and for representing your state so well.  Plus you are the best Minnesota State Fair guide ever!  Good luck with the texting and I hope to see you for A Prairie Home Companion next year.

I am humbled by the kindness of my friends and will give a special mention to Frank and Cheryl who treated Pearl and I to a few days of fun in Chicago.  I had never explored Chicago before and am happy to have had the opportunity to do so with Frank and Cheryl.  They are so special to me and I believe their kindness has no limits.

My long car trip back home to the great Commonwealth of Virginia was also highlighted by a stop in Charleston, WV to visit the Roses, one of my favorite families.  Again, such kind hospitality overwhelms me.  They make me feel so special, but they deserve that title so much more than I.

I thank everyone who continues to support me.  Traveling with Pearl has its own set of enormous challenges and frustrations and so I sincerely thank the Roses, Dave, Peter, and Bob for their generous offers of assistance.  All of my parental units have been great and my heart thanks them continuously.  I especially want to thank my mother for her recent help with those pesky administrative-type tasks that I don't seem to have the patience for or means to accomplish due to my traveling lifestyle.   

As I continue to get more travel adventures under my belt, I am amazed at how my perspective broadens and how all of these "little" influences and experiences shape who I am.  I truly do take a piece of everyone with me and am so happy to do so.  I hope that you are all well and beg you to post a comment with an update.  I am flying out to St. Thomas on Tuesday, but hope to get settled quickly and start sharing tales (and photos!) of my past couple months.  Love you, Peace be with you.

Minor exploration

(Please note this was written last Saturday, but internet difficulties meant I couldn't publish it until today.)

Howdy, people! After two weeks in St Paul, I finally went exploring a bit. I have been working a lot (due to the whole 8-hour shift thing, what a pain!) and so I had to drag myself out of bed for this expedition, but it was worth it. Here's what I found... Let me start by saying that I really like St. Paul. Aside from the unbelievably friendly people (oh my gosh how did they get so nice?!), it is very pretty and green. Here's a photo of one of the streets I was walking down today.



Driving around St. Paul, one constantly catches a glimpse of 2 very large domed structures. My curiosity was peaked right away and over these two weeks I have sought them out. They are so prominent that I didn't even need my gps to navigate to them, but rather just kept an eye on them and drove in that general direction. Even at night they are lit up like Christmas trees. So what are these two structures? The state capitol and the Cathedral of St. Paul. I think the prominence of these buildings speaks to the personality of the St. Paul area.

There is a street that connects the capitol and the church and standing at one, a person has a clear view of the other. The street? John Ireland Blvd. John Ireland being the first archbishop of St Paul and a notable religious and civic leader. For a brief summary of him, check out wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ireland_(archbishop). There is an interesting symbolism in having him connect these two buildings.

This might also be a fitting time to mention that there is a large Catholic influence in this area. About a year ago I read a book called Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America by John J Fialka, and learned about some of the contributions that women religious made in Minnesota. I smiled upon coming here and seeing the fruits of their labor all these years later. But, more on all of that later... Let's talk about the Cathedral first. Here it is:

It's an understatement to say that this is a massive (pun intended), impressive structure. It sits atop the highest point in downtown St. Paul. Standing in its presence elicits a spontaneous, unconscious "My God" from one's lips. I went to daily Mass there last Saturday and was surprised that there wasn't much to the inside of the church (although it was clearly large) and wondered what on earth happened to the rest of the space. Well, today I discovered that there is a gift shop, a chapel downstairs, even a museum. Interestingly, there is a "hospitality room" in which one can find tourist information on the state capitol. I would say that if you are ever in St. Paul you should check out the Cathedral, but I don't need to because if you are in St. Paul, you will see it.

I have yet to tour the state capitol, though it has been on my "to do" list since I first saw it on my drive to the hospital. It is a remarkable structure designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1905. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (You can read about it online at http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/history.html.) I will update you more after I have actually toured it. For now, here are photos, taken from St. Paul Cathedral.

I must also point out that in driving around today I ended up in the historical area of Summit Ave. There are beautiful historic houses along this street and I noticed one with an imposing fence so I went to investigate further, only to find that it is the executive mansion. Just right there amid all of the other houses on this street that I have passed by several times in the past two weeks. Here is a photo of the governor's mansion.

Since my expedition didn't start until late afternoon, that's as far as I got today. Afterward I went to a Caribbean restaurant (owner is from Trinidad) and enjoyed some familiar music, smells, and flavors. And now, I am off in search of some ice cream. I look forward to telling you more about St. Paul as I learn more and will definitely share deteails about the capitol after my tour.

Ta ta for now!

Hello from... St Paul!

Hi! Since my return to the mainland, my phone conversations have pretty much all started this way:

Trish: Hi!
Caller: Hi! How are you?
Trish: Good. And you?
Caller: Good. Where are you?

And that's where the consistency ends. I have apparently become quite the little gypsy. But, I am happy to say that I have settled down now. Well, for 2 months, that is... I have taken a travel assignment in St. Paul, Minnesota and am already wondering where my next Saint will be, ha ha.

Yes, St. Paul is very different from St. Thomas. It made me laugh that when I announced via text message my arrival to St. Paul, PJ sent me a message back asking what island that is. Don't I wish! Unfortunately, there are no oceans or seas around with beautiful waters, but St. Paul definitely has its charms.

Minnesota license plates proudly proclaim "10,000 lakes." Having only 2 months here doesn't give me much time to verify that claim, so I will simply choose to believe them. Locals have told me that some of these lakes provide beaches, a claim which I am not as happy to blindly accept. I will have to check this out and will report back to you.

St Paul has a lot of trees and is quite green and beautiful this time of year. The weather has been good overall, and I'm happy to be escaping Virginia's summer heat. It's easy to imagine that one visiting St Paul in this season would want to move here, provided, of course, that they are ignorant of the area's notoriously cold winters. One of the city's greatest charms is the friendliness of the people. Locals in restaurants, stores, and the hospital have all been very welcoming.

As most of you know, I came to Minnesota because I am soon to be an aunt for the first time. Yeah!! My niece, Eowyn, is due to be born next month and I am so glad to have the opportunity to be close by. And I'm also so glad that she's not going to be born in the winter! Here's a shout out to Jeremy & Patricia for that. Many thanks. :)

It's hard to believe, but I actually need to be planning my next move already. So, if any of you have any good ideas, please do share!

Will write more later about the hospital and life in St. Paul, and hope to break out the camera soon and snap some pictures. Be well and have a good day!

Goodbye St. Thomas

Just to get away from words and back to pictures for a bit, here are some of the scenes of my final days in St. Thomas. I did arrive back to the mainland this past Friday night. It was so hard to tear myself away, especially as my last stop before heading to the airport was to meet PJ and Todd at the beach (photo below). Sitting on the beach chair with friends, listening to the waves, and looking at the warm sand on my feet - with bushwhacker in hand of course - I certainly did not want to go. I am grateful for the friends I made there and for the absolutely wonderful memories I will cherish forever. I also recognize that there are other places to explore and more memories to be made. And with that, I say goodbye to St. Thomas, but I also whisper, "hope to see you again soon..."

And now photos...

This is from my last night at the hospital. These ladies are amazing. They took care of me from the start, always checking to make sure I was not homesick and encouraging me to have a good time in St. Thomas. They were very sweet in letting me know that I will be missed and I will miss them greatly as well.



I never did post photos of my apartment and so snapped a few as I was getting ready to head out the door on Friday. I lived in Point Pleasant Resort on the east end of the island. The staff there were always very friendly and felt like neighbors. It was comforting to give and receive greetings from them as I went about my day. They made me feel at home. And many thanks to the security guys who always kept an eye out for me.

And this is the final picture I took in St. Thomas, just moments before I headed to the airport. PJ is on the left and Todd is on the right. I am hoping it's the camera that is tilted and not us, but I'm not so sure... These guys kept me laughing and smiling and I am so grateful to them for including me in their island fun. They definitely made my stay an adventure.

Nagging Quote

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I have been reflecting on my time in St. Thomas and (as always) life in general. So if you care to sit with me a moment, I will share some ponderings which came to fruition this evening. And then I promise I will get back to travel stories and pretty pictures. :)

Since around the time I was heading to St. Thomas, I have been nagged by a quote - actually part of a quote - that I vaguely remembered reading in the preface to a book. I couldn't remember what book it was or when I read it and I certainly didn't remember the complete quote. But the gist of the quote was something about going out and returning to a place. The part that kept popping into my head was the ending, which went something like "and to know it as if for the first time."

During the past few days the quote has continued to come to my mind and now that I am back on the mainland (yes, I actually did come back!!) and on a high-speed internet connection, I decided to search for it online. Since I had such sketchy details of the quote this wasn't the easiest task. But I like a challenge and at long last was able to locate the quote. Very interesting indeed. Here it is...

We shall never cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

The text is from TS Eliot's poem "Little Gidding" which I have not yet read and I have no idea of its context or scholarly interpretations. But these words have come to have a particular meaning to me in light of my experiences and the reflections floating through my head since seeing my Willy T photo. My thoughts in recent days have been focusing on how we see ourselves. It seems to me that we know ourselves only in part. In fact others may recognize some of our attributes more easily than we do because they see us through a different lens (with different baggage) and in some ways see us more objectively. And I have been concluding that part of our purpose/journey in life may be to seek experiences that will help us "come into ourselves" or in other words to know ourselves more fully, to develop a complete picture of who we are.

And then it begins to fascinate me that this quote from TS Eliot kept returning to my thoughts. And the words which I didn't really understand before are now starting to make sense to me. I think the place we "come to know" by exploring this world is ourselves. That captures what I was feeling with my Willy T posting -- that in going to St Thomas I went out exploring and then came to know myself as if for the first time. I didn't necessarily change. At least on a fundamental level. No, I "arrived where [I] started" -- back to myself, the same person I was before and have always been. But now I know myself ("that place") more fully and so, in some sense, have changed. Changed because how I see myself affects how I carry myself and how I make decisions for the rest of the journey. And indeed I hope that I "shall never cease from exploration." And I wish you all the best in your explorations as well.

Triumph

Just had to share this photo. Remember the ring/hook game at White Bay on Jost? On the trip there last month everyone was gathered around to play the game and there was a lot of trash-talking going on. And then... yours truly stepped up to the plate and got the ring on the hook on the very first attempt! Todd captured me in the throws of triumph in this really great photo.

You Go, Girl!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went off island May 19-20 with friends on a trip to the BVI. Todd was our designated photographer and I just got the pictures from him today. The picture above stopped me in my tracks. This is a photo me jumping off the Willy T.

As a bit of background, you may remember from a posting in January that the Willy T is a ship off Norman Island that serves drinks & food to those who pull up alongside the boat and climb on board. It is noteworthy because it has a tradition of people jumping off the ship into the water (historically ladies without clothes in exchange for a free t-shirt, but those days are over, probably because giving away all the shirts cut into their profits). Whenever one mentions that they went to the Willy T, the listener invariably asks if they jumped off. So, taking the big leap off the Willy T made my list of things to do before leaving the islands. The jump, by the way, is made from standing on the top rail of that banister you see on the second deck. And the water is so clear that you can see the ocean floor.

When I came across this picture I instantly became a little emotional and was taken aback by how symbolic it is of my time here. It’s one of those photographs where a picture is worth a thousand words. I am going to use a few of those thousand words to try and convey the thoughts that flooded my mind as I saw this snapshot...

I look and can hardly believe that’s me.
Thirty year-old me.
In the gorgeous British Virgin Islands.
Jumping off the Willy T, into the water down below,
with a crowd of swimmers and friends shouting my name.

Who is this woman? The woman in this photograph exudes freedom, security, confidence, playfulness, happiness... I want to be like her. I want to live wide open like that, unafraid. I want to be one who jumps bravely into the unknown. And as I’m looking at the photo I recall the words, so fresh in my mind, of a 40 year-old woman I met just last night who cried out, “Look at you!! I want to be you! You are out here on your own, doing what you love. I would never be able to do what you are doing.” And I finally start to internalize these sentiments, which echo what many have told me before. I start to believe that I did in fact take a courageous leap - feet first - just in coming here. How hard it is to break the cycle of inertia and make a change for yourself. I was uncertain what would become of me. And now look at how I ended up: stronger, more outgoing, more secure, more adventurous, wiser, not to mention more tan :). And as I gaze upon the clouds, lush greenery, and water in this photograph, I am confident that this world is a beautiful place. And that woman flying through the air looks like she can make it in that world. Oh how I hope she does...

Taco Tuesday, Baby!

As my time in St Thomas is drawing to a close, I am sad to realize that I have just one Taco Tuesday left. My island friends and acquaintances know I will be stationed at Duffy’s on Tuesday nights. I request to have Tuesdays off of work and it’s a ritual outing for PJ and I. PJ is one of the bartenders at Duffy's and is my “bff” (i.e. best friend forever, for those of you not familiar with middle-school slang). On one such outing, Jennie joined us and brought along her camera, capturing the Taco Tuesday revelry. And now I get to share it with you...

Here's one of Jennie and I toward the end of the evening, sharing mind erasers. One of many drinks she saw fit to buy me that night...



So here’s the deal: the fun begins at 9PM with a round of FREE (hello!) upside-down margaritas, which is a margarita shot poured directly into your mouth (see photo below). Thereafter you can get tacos and Miller Lites for $1.25. As if that weren’t enough, it’s just generally a good night to be out. Not too busy, not too slow, and the crowd usually contains a lot of “transplants” like myself so it’s fun to see familiar faces and catch up with everyone.

This is Kevin pouring my first-ever upside down margarita on my first Taco Tuesday back on December 4.

My plan every time is to meet PJ a few minutes before 9, get the free margarita shot, have 2 tacos and 1 miller lite, then call it a night early. Of course it never works out that way. PJ usually gets my second taco and the number of drinks increases as people buy them for me. (Thanks, Matt, for all the Zoom Zoom Shooters!) I have, on occasion, entertained my entire half of the bar using the fun stuff available at Duffy’s (toy car from the zoom zoom shooter; plastic animals such as roaches, flies, fish, and giraffes; whistles; etc). I end up with 4 or 5 hours of entertainment, often for free. I don’t think my Taco Tuesday tab has ever been more than 5 bucks.

Here's a shot of PJ and I. PJ is the leading man in the next story. That's Sebastian (Sea Bass) in the background, who works at Caribbean Saloon and happened to wander over that night.

Some of my favorite nights here have centered on Taco Tuesday. Most notable among them is the night PJ attempted to break the taco-eating record. Of course there was no record, so Rich (another Duffy’s bartender, photo below) and I just kept making up the maximum as the night went on. “I think the record is 9.” Later, “Oh, no, there was that guy that ate 13, remember?” Etc. PJ ended up eating 20 tacos, and let’s just say he also ended up not feeling very well. I actually had to take him home early (i.e., before 1AM) because he simply wasn’t going to last any longer. I would have felt guilty about encouraging this whole thing if it wasn’t so darn funny. Taco Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, as PJ would say. PJ sent me a text early the next morning that simply read, “I feel like ass.”

Somehow I ended up behind the bar, and here's Rich taking full advantage of the photo op. There is certainly no shortage of love at Duffy's Love Shack.

What's a Mexican-themed evening without a blow-up chihuahua? Let's not even talk about the Taco Tuesday that I found this little guy sitting in the back seat of my car Wednesday morning...

There's more fun to be had, so come join me this week for my last Taco Tuesday…

Come sit on the beach with me

Dear Friends,
I am sorry that I have been so quiet of late and thank you for your continued interest in the blog. Turning 30 was not a good idea at all, as I have basically been under the weather and falling apart ever since. Thankfully, antibiotics have offered intermittent reprieves that allowed for work and for fun time, but that's about it.

I think I am all healed now, but my time in St Thomas is drawing to a close. I have been reflecting a lot on my time here and have been slow to prepare for my return to the mainland. I had 5 glorious days off this week and spent them all off island. "Off island" is the island equivalent of the mainland's "out of town." Every once in a while we St Thomians all have to get off the rock and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

This has been a great week because I have been able to enjoy what I love most about this island - time with friends. I went on two trips (an overnight trip to BVI for the Bomba shack's full moon party and a 3 day voyage all the way to Anegada) and the only thing on our minds and on our agenda each day was to do things we've "always" wanted to do (like jump off the Willy T), have fun, and spend time together. Nobody was thinking about work or stuff that we knew would have to be done upon our return. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and had great moments together that will provide smile-inducing memories for a lifetime. We also have some really awesome pictures which I hope to share with you all.

I hope in the next few weeks to share my reflections and stories from the island that have kept me busy and offline. So, please do check back periodically and come sit on the beach with me for a while and listen to my tales.

(This picture was taken yesterday on my trip to Anegada, an island in the British VI that I will tell you more about. Until then...)

Trish makes 30!!

Greetings from the birthday girl! I have enjoyed discovering ways that language and phrases are different here than they are on the mainland, one of which is how they express one's age. They wouldn't say that I "turned" 30 today (which, unfortunately is the case), they would say that I "made" 30 today. I think I prefer their way of expressing this idea because it sounds like a personal accomplishment rather than something passively happening to you.

So, today I made 30 and it has been a lot of fun so far. Word spread about the birthday while I was out last night and the fun-loving people of Red Hook were more than happy to join in on the party. It all started around 8PM and didn't matter to them that it wasn't my birthday just yet (or that they didn't even know me), and my protests simply led to a countdown to midnight. Strangers become acquaintances or friends here very quickly, which is something that I have really loved about this place. So a good time was had by all and the party resumes tonight at Duffy's. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood! I'll even buy you a drink if you tell me I don't look a day over 25! :)

I know it's been a while since I've written, so I thought I would post a few pictures that show what I've been doing. Those of you who know me well worry when I don't post for a while because the delay is sometimes due to sadness. And that is partly the case this time, but only slightly so and overall I have been doing well. I hope that you enjoy the pictures below and I thank Kristen so much for taking them. Hopefully I'll dust my camera off soon and snap some photos of my own for you to enjoy.


What in the world does Trish do there in St. Thomas??

Well, I do have to eat, afterall. The island isn't exactly known for its cuisine(especially for people like me who don't eat seafood), but I have found a few good places to go and now have some favorites. This is me at Off the Hook. It's a great setting, a small yellow building off to the side as you are driving through Red Hook. Although it doesn't look like much from the front, when you enter it you realize that the dining area is open to the outside and that the restaurant sits right on the water. The harbour is right there so you can check out all the beautiful boats.

This particular picture reminds me of another great aspect of life here and that's how quickly you can meet people and form relationships. Kristen and I, after about 17 arduous hours of travel and luggage still AWOL, went to Duffy's on our way home from the airport. We met Pete, a really nice guy from Chicago who has come to St. Thomas many times and would love to move down here. Pete was very sweet to associate with us at all given our ragged, smelly conditions. Two days later, on the night of this photo, Pete happened to walk into Off the Hook when we were dining and he blew right past us. He came over a few minutes later to apologize, stating that he didn't recognize us at first. Amazing what clean clothes and a shower can do for a girl! So we chatted with Pete for a while, met his parents, he took a picture with us, and we all went on our merry way. (Okay, so we went to Duffy's.)



So now that I have energy from eating, it's time for some fun. I enjoy hanging out with friends. Adam, our captain from the Water Taxi, snapped this photo which seriously looks like a swimsuit ad in a JC Penney catalog. Aside from the friends I strongarm into coming to visit from the mainland, I have met so many nice people here to hang out with. I can leave my place at 2 in the afternoon for a quick outing, but end up staying out until 2 AM because I run into friendly faces and end up chatting with this person, then that one, then dinner with that one, drinks with another, etc. It's just crazy to think that 4 months ago I didn't know any of them.



Along the theme of fun, there's plenty of time to play here. This little ring toss game is on Jost at Soggy Dollar Bar. They say (and I think it may be true) that your chances of getting the ring on the hook increase the more you drink. Of course, that rumor may have been started by Soggy Dollar in order to sell more Pain Killers, not that the delicious drink wouldn't sell itself to begin with. There are plenty of ways to play here including going to the beach, swimming, golfing, snorkeling, diving, sailing, hiking, and more.




Mostly, I just like to enjoy the islands. This is me on the water taxi on the way back from Jost van Dyke, Pain Killer in hand. I love to be out on the boat to feel the wind in my hair and see the beautiful landscape. I still need to visit a couple more islands before leaving. But even though I've been on St. Thomas for 4 months, I still am blown away by the views of the land and water that I see every day. After a big storm (wind, not rain) came last week the water was even more spectacular than ever. In leaving my apartment to go to work, I ended up standing outside my front door for a good 5 minutes just amazed at the beauty.



So that's my life here in a nutshell - or at least on my days off. I eat, hang out on the beach, hang out with friends, play a little, and try to visit the other islands. It really has been a great experience and I thank you all again for your love and support.

Some pictures

As promised, here are a few pictures. They are random!

This is a view from St. Peter Greathouse (see below for more info), which is on a high point and provides fabulous views of St. Thomas and many other Caribbean islands. To the left of the peninsula there is Hull Bay and to the right is Magen's Bay.



This was taken at St. Peter Greathouse, which was a private residence and is now the local botanical gardens and site for weddings and other fanfare. You can tour the house and gardens, which are great, and since this is St. Thomas, they also have free rum punch. :)



This picture was taken during my BVI trip with the nurses. Foxy's is a famous bar on Jost van Dyke and is home to one of the biggest New Year's Eve parties in the world. Foxy is an actual person who, of course, everyone knows!



This is a picture of some of the shops and such on Tortola at the West End. The thing that struck me about Tortola (one of the British Virgin Islands) is that it is hands-down the most brightly colored island I've seen around here yet!

Howdy, People!

Hello! I hope that you are all well and have had a good few weeks. Things have been going well here. My first travel nursing assignment is over. :) As most of you know by now, I have decided to stay on in St Thomas for another 3 months. So many times I would catch myself thinking, "I just can't leave yet." Of course there is a lot of pressure to stay here also, from folks at the hospital, friends here, and locals who truly want visitors to enjoy themselves. I am taking a few weeks off, will resume working early March and my second contract will be over May 31.

I'm not really sure what else to update you on. My last night at the hospital was Friday and I ended up getting sent home early due to overstaffing. Darn! :) Of course I went to Duffy's upon my dismissal and have been mostly relaxing ever since. This is such a party place and it can make for some fun and plenty of good stories. One of the greatest recent pleasures is that I am starting to see familiar faces and acquaintances as I am out and about. People generally spend the evening going from place to place (well, bar to bar) and it's so funny to run into someone at Caribbean Saloon and have them them ask, "So how has it been going since I saw you at Iggie's a few hours ago?" I have met so many nice and interesting people.

So now I have to start thinking about how to spend the second half of my time here. I know that I should go to St. Croix, the only US Virgin Island I haven't been to yet. And of course I will go to Jost van Dyke as many times as humanly possible. Hopefully I will have more visitors from the mainland (hint, hint!). Any other suggestions are welcome!

Well, I need to go tend to laundry and my computer battery is dying, so I will sign off for now. Will be sure to post some pictures asap as requested by Dave & Peter over a week ago... Thanks everyone for checking the blog and for staying in touch in other ways as well. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it and how much it helps.

Beautiful day

Yesterday I got a new bathroom rug. The old one seemed yucky and that was bothering me. I found one that was bright and soft. Squares of green, blue, pink, brown, yellow, and more. It would complement the shower curtain I bought in November and would match the colors of my towels. But I paused for quite a few minutes in the store, wondering if this purchase was really necessary, maybe there was a cheaper one, etc. I finally was tired of debating it, figured I should have something nicer since I'm having visitors, and I threw the rug in my cart.

I got home, rolled up the cruddy old rug, cut the tags off of the new one, placed it on the bathroom floor and I didn't think of it again. Last night I walked into the bathroom without turning the light on and a big smile crept across my face as my feet surprisingly landed on a soft, plush surface. Oh, yes... the new rug...

I'm taken aback by how happy it made me last night to have that new rug. Such a simple thing. I admired it every time I went in the bathroom, remarking to myself on the pretty colors and running my feet across the soft fibers. I walked around on it, feeling it squish between my toes. How those bright squares brought life to this bathroom with its gray-tiled floor.

I am reminded that on my first Sunday here in St. Thomas, the priest charged us with making each day of our lives beautiful. For each day on the calendar, he said, we have just 24 hours in which to make that day beautiful by doing something nice for ourselves. Funny how a 2 foot x 3 foot bath rug ended up making my day beautiful without my even trying. I will try today. We can make 2008 a great year by making each and every day of it beautiful.

Make your day beautiful. You deserve it and hopefully it will give you strength for your journey. Don't wait or expect for someone else to do it for you because yes, you may be disappointed, but more importantly because it's your life and your responsibility to make it good.

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to take a shower so that I can use my new rug while pondering how to make this 24-hour period beautiful. Go and do something nice for yourself.

Update on BVI

Hello! Thanks, Mel, for checking in after my vacation to BVI and I miss you too. You should have escaped the Indiana cold to spend some time in sunny BVI with us! We spent the first day on a charter boat going to Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Norman Island, then Tortola. It was fabulous! The weather was perfect.

As I was laying in the sun on the boat, going through the water and feeling the wind and looking at the beautiful scenery, I felt like I wanted to stay just like that forever. Of course, though, we did get off the boat to drink, snorkel, explore, and lunch. And since I didn't buy the boat or get an offer from the captain, we had to leave it at the end of the day. By the way, if anybody wants to know what to get me for my birthday... :)

I am going to wait to post a complete accounting of the revelry once I have all the pictures (at times we just used Jen or Jennie's camera). Until then, I'll share these two pics. As you can see, a good time was had by all on the boat. These are all nursing friends from the hospital. And the second picture is another beautiful sunset, taken from the deck at our hotel on Tortola (Rhymer's).

Hope you are all doing great and I will be in touch again soon!

Time for Vacation

I now own snorkel gear! I can't believe it. I hope to put it to good use over the next two days as this girl is taking a vacation. That's right. All this work and running around and USVI scenery has overwhelmed me and I must take a break. A group of us are chartering a boat tomorrow and heading to Virgin Gorda (where we will see "The Baths" and "The Caves") and Tortola, both in the British Virgin Islands. We'll then stay overnight in Tortola and catch a ferry back Wednesday afternoon. It should be beautiful and I hope to have some pictures to share with you all from the adventure. I am a little tired after working all weekend (and, I must confess, after my bushwhacker) and am heading to bed. I hope that you are all well and I will be online again soon with new stories to share. Much love.

Ok, Peter

Peter, I think you were picking on me with that last comment. But, here are a couple pictures of me that I do think turned out pretty well. I don't know if they are great, but they are fun and a little less posed. These were taken on my latest trip to St. John.

Don't worry, everyone, more pictures of actual scenery are coming! :)

Random pics from St John Adventure

Margo and I had a great time driving around St John. I have been back 3 times since then and I like it more and more each time I go. I have some pictures from the other trips that I will post at a later time (I have to run and grab some dinner now and then will turn in early after these 3 days of work). But, I wanted to just show some other random pictures from that first trip to St. John.

This is a view from the ferry of the dock area in Red Hook, which is the great little area near where I live and where I spend a lot of my out & about time.




This is just me kicking back and enjoying the view from one of the scenic overlooks.




This is a view from atop a very high hill/mountain we came across as we made our way back to the ferry dock in St. John. There was a restaurant and a few shops up there and was a quaint little area.




This is a night-time view of home sweet home, St. Thomas, from the ferry on our return trip.

Peace Hill - the rest of the story...

So, Margo was ready to concede that all these paths led nowhere and that the beautiful tower we found (which, it turns out, is a sugar mill structure of some sort) was the destination for this stop. I had a hard time accepting this, as many of you can imagine I would, and wasn't willing to give up.

On the way back to the car, I noticed a piece of cloth hanging in a bush and saw the entrance to a small path. I ventured a little way and it seemed the path was long, so I went to get Margo to accompany me. We wandered down the path for a long time. We began to doubt if it led anywhere, but we had hope and pressed on. As we made our way along, we began to hear the sound of waves, which encouraged us along. Our perseverance paid off, as we found ourselves on a beautiful beach which is a sea turtle nesting area. What do you think? Not a bad find...




The beach had a lovely area of rocks that were fun to climb around on. Not the best picture of me, but you get the idea...



And here's the view from that area. Just gorgeous!



And look at this little guy that I found. I was so proud of this picture, which took a lot of patience to get, by the way. Isn't he handsome!



Margo and I agreed that this stop was the best of the day. I think it's because it truly was an adventure. We weren't sure what we were looking for when we set out. We didn't really have expectations, we just had open minds. There is a freedom in that.