We Must Be Crazy...

April was the month of changes for Billy and me. You know when your life is in limbo for months and months and then everything sort of comes together, and all of a sudden you have a life plan? But that life plan involves making SO MANY PLANS that you almost miss the limbo phase? That’s where we’re at right now. Billy was accepted to St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada and so we are moving there at the beginning of August!!!!!!! An English teacher once told me that in your writing, you have only one exclamation point to use throughout your whole life and so to be sure to use it wisely. I think this announcement definitely warrants 7 exclamation points. No more and no less.

Grenada (pronounced Gre-NAY-DUH) is a tiny island in the southern Caribbean, as pictured below.

Home, sweet home.

We will be there for 2 years, and then Billy will finish his last 2 clinical years in the states--either California, Michigan, New York, or New Jersey. Before you start to get too jealous of this amazing adventure, let me spell out the disadvantages for you (I had to look really hard for some negative aspects about this move to help my friends be less jealous).

1. They drive on the left side of the road. Every night, I pray for all the citizens in England that they will be safe from my little sister’s atrocious driving. Now that I will be in the same boat, I am terrified for the people of Grenada. Not that I’m the worst driver there ever was, but I’m having a mild panic attack thinking about going through a round-about. My brain doesn’t function that way.
2. It is forbidden to wear camouflage clothing anywhere on the island. If you do, you could be imprisoned because the military views it as a form of mocking them. And you do not want to tick off the whole country’s military. Anybody want my camo collection?
3. No Target or Costco. Those that know me, will immediately wonder what I will be doing with my free time then? The answer is still to be determined.
4. Most online vendors don’t ship to Grenada. I already checked. This can be either a pro or a con. On the sucky side, I won’t be having the cutest outfits. But, without the ability to shop online, we might just break even with our med school loans. I’m only partly joking.
5. There is only 1 golf course on the island. Bye, bye to my LPGA career.
6. There is no LDS temple on the island.
7. I’m already at a high risk for skin cancer…so it’s pretty much guaranteed now. Good thing my sister-in-law works in dermatology and I can text my freakish moles to her. She loves it, I’m sure. Also, big floppy sun hats are the cutest.
8. The worst part about all of this is the fact that Billy will be studying non-stop and won’t have time to hang out with me. With all this free time, my goals are to start cooking for him, become a marathon runner, and become a professional scuba diver. And after that, I’m fresh out of ideas. We are getting a 2 bedroom apartment, so everyone better come visit us. Please? I can definitely add Grenada tour guide to that list.
9. Netflix and HuluPlus don't stream to Grenada. Again, what will I do with my time?
10. We will miss the Strong family Lake Powell trip and Cabo trip, and the Griffith family Outer Banks trip. I'm dying inside. We leave at the beginning of August, and apparently Thanksgiving is only an American holiday. Who knew? Grenada has its own Thanksgiving for one day in October.

Wanna see a sample of my To-Do list this summer so you can somewhat approach my current stress levels?

• Sell both our cars.
• Buy 10+ lightweight suitcases. (More like 20)
• Make a list of things to buy/bring. (I have a list of lists I need to make. It’s madness).
• Freeze/cancel Costco account if possible. 
• Cancel phone bills and unlock for international use.
• PACK UP WINTER CLOTHES FOR 2 YEARS. Halle-freaking-lulah! (I think I’m most excited about this item).
• Book 2 one-way flights to Grenada.
• Buy storage unit. Move furniture to said storage unit.
• Apply for 17 different loans.
• Sign lease for apartment. The apartment that is a 15 minute walk to the beach, and has a balcony with amazing views of the ocean. I can live with that.
• Have a yard sale. Anyone want to do this one for me?
• Use all gift cards that I’ve been hoarding for years. For some reason, I like to hang on to gift cards instead of using them. In case we are homeless or something? It’s not rational. This is my 2^nd favorite item on the list.
• Fix up scooter to sell. (Anybody want a used scooter?)

The list goes on.

I realize I’m being super negative, but in actuality we are beyond excited. We are in need of an adventure after this shitty year, and I’m pretty sure that moving to a different country with the man of my dreams will be enough change for this chica. So, in order to focus on the positive, here are some pictures of our new habitat.

 

Grand Anse Beach on the west coast.
http://villalove.com/info/beaches/

The campus of St. George's University
http://www.yachtviewapts.com/

St. George's--the capital of Grenada.
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/group/home.do?portCode=GND

Magazine Beach on the southwest coast. Also a 15 minute walk from our apartment.
http://villalove.com/info/beaches/

 Not to brag, but isn't it breathtaking?
http://villalove.com/info/beaches/

All I can feel is excitement about this new opportunity. I can’t wait to completely change our lifestyle and see how we become different (better different hopefully)! And it’s about time that we are out on our own—if you forget about the loans and government help. When we first got married, we lived on our own for 4 months, then moved to Minnesota for 4 months where we were also on our own. But then we moved in with my parents, and later moved in with Billy’s parents. We have been so grateful for their love and generosity while we struggled with medical bills and going to school full time. But now we are ready to grow up (right?) and get going on our lives. And if anyone has any tips or experience with Grenada, I would love to hear it! We are kind of going in blind. 

PS: For those of you who are curious about what kind of doctor Billy wants to be, he is really interested in gynecology. He's just drawn to it for some reason.

P.S.S: 100% KIDDING! He doesn't know what he wants to do yet, and luckily he will get to experience all fields of medicine during his clinical years to see what he really loves. St. George's is the #1 school in the Caribbean and they have an amazingly high rate of placing their students in good residencies in the United States. I promise it's accredited and he'll be able to be a doctor in 'murica.