End of the Island

First things first- new look! Figured it was time to refresh the circa 2010 design. Back on to my adventures though....

3/28/14 After the excitement of the night before, I decided that the morning would best be spent relaxing. After reading, laying in the sun and soaking in the pool, I finally decided it was time to do something. First I needed a working car though, so I got Peter's old car running again and decided to take a drive. Off I went on my drive, which was a fun experience. The cars here are right-hand drive, which threw me off more than a little. Then there's the condition of the roads and the tactics of the other drivers, which add additional unique elements. I was actually actively talking to myself the entire time while driving. Now before Peter left for class for the day, I had very specifically asked if there was anything I needed to know in regards to driving his car. The answer was "no". What I found out later was that the car was lacking proper insurance and wheel tax, and I didn't have a island-valid license. He also failed to mention that those were all jailable offenses. And that the judge leaves Friday evening and doesn't come back until Monday morning. So, had I been caught I would have not only lost my last few days on the island, but also my flight on Monday morning, not to mention the various aspects of being arrested in a foreign country. NOT COOL PETER. Thankfully that's not how it turned out.

Friday night started with volleyball, where I was not the least least talented person on the team, and we actually won! Afterwords there was karaoke and celebratory drinking from the volleyball win. I even sang, which is an incredibly rare event. One week in, life in the sun and sand still has a very surreal feel to it.

3/29/14 Today, like most days, started with relaxing. This a great trend that should be the start of every day in my opinion. After the morning relaxation there was a "brief" trip into town to buy lunch. Two and a half hours later I had picked up some additional souvenirs, got an additional tour of downtown (it really is pretty interesting), got sunburned on the back of my ankles (unpleasant), spent way too much time trying to find breadfruit drink (never did), saw the zoo (actually depressing), and still hadn't gotten lunch yet. However, once we finally got shawarma it was AMAZING. Truly well worth the wait. Almost as great as the shawarma was jumping into the pool as soon as we got back to Peter's from the sweltering heat.

No, I didn't buy this.

After lunch, the pool and an all-to-brief nap it was time for the banquet. "The banquet" is the event for the 7th (final) semester vet students before they go on to their clinicals. It's the final hurrah on the island and rightfully a big deal. For various reasons Peter had chosen not to go, but I had decided that I was still going to party in style. For lack of better description, banquet is sort of like prom... but with a better DJ... and less date drama.... and free booze. In short, awesome and fun. All of the people I met on the island were truly awesome, and they showed me a great time at the banquet. On a side note, a group of people did the best "Thriller"group dance I've ever soon. Truly a highlight and an inspiration (no really I'm going to learn it now).

3/30/14 This was the last full day on the island, which made things a bit bittersweet. Morning started with a breakfast buffet at the obscenely large Marriott Resort. This was pretty much the breakfast buffet to end all breakfast buffets; not for quantity per say, but definitely for quality. I still feel stuffed just thinking about it. Then the group went out to soak the pool for a couple hours. Out at the pool, after a discussion about the science of lightsabers, I realized that I would miss this group people I had met so recently. To those of you that are reading, I truly thank you for welcoming me as one of your own and helping make this stay an absolute blast. I hope that through the magic of Facebook and mutual friendship that I'll get to see all of you again some time in the future, even if 80% of conversations somehow end up returning to the topic of animal feces/blood/other gross things.

After the goodbyes had been made, I tried to help Peter get Reina's car started. Due to a lack of tools as well as none of the store being open/stocked, we were unfortunately unsuccessful in our quest. It helps me appreciate the hardships and limitations of living on an island without everyday conveniences. Reina made some awesome chicken for dinner and we all enjoyed talking to wrap up the final night. After Peter and Reina went to bed I sat out on the porch for over an hour. Laying on a deck lounger, staring at the stars, listening to the ocean crash and smoking a cuban cigar, I thought about the past week. It was the perfect way to wrap up the last night of an amazing trip.

This trip also resulted in the the coolest picture of me ever. It's all downhill from here.