Adventures: Snake Steps

Font used: Penn Avenue from dafont.com
Photos by Clare Wilkinson for C Squared W

Lately.

It's not every day you find a little island shack that matches your blog design... 

Hi friends!

Sorry I've been a stranger this week, but lately it's been crazy here with lots of sad goodbyes and lots of fun trips. Basically, it's been a roller coaster of emotions. I said goodbye to two of my best friends, said goodbye to some students I've taught, visited the Carib Territory and hiked the Snake Steps, hiked Boiling Lake (a major item on our Dominica bucket list!), swam in Titou Gorge, visited Syndicate Falls, and ate the best chicken wings on the island. 

Now, we're exhausted and packing for our week-long adventure in South America tomorrow. We'll be spending the week in Guyana visiting my sister, Frannie, who's serving in the Peace Corps there. 

While I'm gone I've scheduled a few short posts with some island photos for you to check out while we're off in the jungle with monkeys and anacondas, eating curried iguana! Have a great weekend!

Images by Clare Wilkinson for C Squared W.

Kaieteur Falls, here we come!

Yep. We're heading to South America in two weeks.  We'll spend a week there, visiting my sister, Frannie, who's serving in the Peace Corps in Guyana.  We're pretty stoked!  Plans so far include visiting Kaieteur Falls, pictured above, possibly a day trip to Suriname, and feasting on curried iguana, which Frannie's friend there wants to make for us.  Oh my.

I was thrilled to discover Casey Grenier's gorgeous photos of Guyana, like the one above.  They are amazing! 

As always, we are ready for an adventure!  We can't wait to see you, Frannie! 

Fonts used: 
Pea Keylor from Kevin & Amanda
Boyuna from dafont.com
Photo by Casey Grenier. 

Adventures: Canyoning

Another amazing adventure that Charlie and I were fortunate enough to experience recently was a trip canyoning down waterfalls in the rainforest here in Dominica.  We suited up in wetsuits, helmets, and lifejackets (we felt like ninja turtles), took a short training session to master our rappelling skills, and then headed off into the jungle.  After a short hike, our descent began...

It was one of the coolest things we've ever done!  So cool, in fact, that canyoning in Dominica was featured in National Geographic's 20 best trips of 2011.  How neat is that? 

Venture into the rugged landscape Spiderman-style on an Extreme Dominica canyoneering tour, which takes visitors rappelling down pristine waterfalls, deep gorges, and volcanic bedrock canyons.          -National Geographic

Canyoning was every bit as incredible as it looks and sounds!  Thanks, Extreme Dominica, for a fantastic adventure! 

Font used: Penn Avenue from dafont.com
Photos by Clare Wilkinson for C Squared W

Beach Games

As a med school student's wife, I don't get to spend a ton of time with my husband.  He studies non-stop all day long, with short breaks for lunch and dinner.  Honestly, before he started medical school, I didn't even know it was humanly possible for someone to study as much as Charlie and the other students here do!

Some of my favorite times in Dominica are when Charlie and I are able to spend time together after big tests, when we have the remainder of the day to spend together, stress and study free.  Usually, we visit the beach or the river, or go for a hike.  This week, we chose the beach and spent the afternoon sunning, swimming, reading, and napping, all while enjoying a cold beverage or two.  We even played a little Hunger Games...

The bow and arrow were obviously Charlie's handiwork.  Boys will always be boys, and it's amazing what they can throw together with some sticks, vines, and the help of a pocket knife!  Really, I was impressed.  The bow stretched back and shot arrows into the ocean and everything.  Well done, C Dubz!

In case you couldn't tell... we both love The Hunger Games!  I read all three books this time last year, and Charlie has finished books one and two. (He's saving book three to read in the airport and on the plane when he travels back to the states next week.)  Needless to say, we're dying to see the movie and can't wait to see it at some point!

Are you hooked on the Hunger Games yet?

A Perfect Saturday

This Saturday was a perfect Saturday spent with friends, celebrating birthdays, and of course enjoying the island and embarking on an adventure (or five!)...

It was one of my favorite days yet here in Dominica! 

Did I mention that on Saturday we visited sites where parts of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed? Check out Katie's post on Priceless Adventure to get all the fun details! 

Sistahs

Have I ever told you how cool my little sisters are?  Well, they are really, amazingly cool!

Margaret is in her junior year at Sewanee: The University of the South where she is a history major.  She is currently spending her spring semester studying abroad in Rome, Italy.  She is loving it, and spent last weekend visiting friends in Nice, France for Carnival.  Pretty awesome!

Frannie graduated from Sewanee last May with a B.A. in Global and International Studies and a minor in Spanish.  Frannie spent her summer working at A BarA Ranch in Wyoming.  A few weeks ago, Frannie joined the U.S. Peace Corps as a Community Education Promoter in the South American country of Guyana.  She will spend the next two years there, and is jumping right in to her experience - eating chicken feet and taking bucket baths!  She is brave and so impressive!

In addition to being world travelers, they are also smart, hilarious, and very artistic.  Frannie has traveled to Ecuador, Haiti, and Honduras and is fluent in Spanish; Margaret speaks French and is learning Italian.  They both have awesome fashion senses, and I love to steal borrow their clothes and get fashion advice from them when I'm home.  They are also gorgeous and adventurous... be sure to check out their blogs (click on their names, above)!

So there you have it, the world traveling sisters, currently all living in three different countries.  Thanks, Mom, for passing along your adventurous streak to us!  Fun fact: my mom, Katrina, lived in Germany for two years after college.  She has some awesome stories!

Magical Things

In case you were wondering what the weather was like here on Christmas!

Wild beauty captured on an impromptu hike.

An amazing rope swing on the beach.

A free pineapple from the pineapple and ginger farmer who sells to Dee's.  He happens to love me.  Hence, my second free pineapple, such a fun treat!

Beautiful, beautiful red rocks.  Or is it Mars?  Not sure!

Ethan and his dog showed us the way to the red rocks!

On a hike, we found a citrus grove with hundreds of ripe grapefruits that had just fallen from the tree.  We came home with a backpack full of them! Time to make some juice!

A new discovery in Calibishie: Coral Reef Restaurant.  Yummy, local food with an amazing view!

From our yard.

A poinsettia tree down the street.

The shabby PBH dock.

Giant banana leaves in our yard.

The mermaid at Krazy Koconuts.  There are really no words...

Happy New Year from Dominica!  Hope your 2012 is filled with magic!

Happy Domiversary + New Year!

It's official - today is our Domiversary! We've been here in Dominica for exactly a year, today! It's hard to believe. Last year, we had planned to arrive on the island a few days earlier, but due to winter weather on the east coast, we didn't arrive in Dominica until New Year's Eve.

Here we are on one of our first days in Dominica, touring the campus and exploring the area:

And here we are now, a year later, and knee-deep in adventures!

We have grown to love this little island and are proud to call it our home.  We're excited about spending our second New Year's here with friends. Have a happy New Year, everyone!

10 Days In Dominica: Day 8

Does your spouse like it here?

Why, yes.  Yes he does.  Although Charlie spends most of his time studying, he loves the island and all the adventures it has to offer.  He loves all the hiking and swimming.  He's a beach guy at heart, so when he has the chance to enjoy Dominica, he feels right at home.  When he's not busy studying all of this...

He loves doing things like this...

And this...

And this...

I know Charlie is looking forward to spending more time enjoying the island {and some time with me!} after his test on Tuesday. We're planning for a fun afternoon together - an outdoor adventure of some sort, followed by a lobster dinner at Sunset Bay. Can't wait!!!