Pina Coladas, Strawberry Daiquiris, and Sunsets

Yesterday and today have been beach days. I got up early Saturday to take my car in for an oil change but alas, island time has prevailed. The appointment I had set up fell through because the mechanic suddenly remembered that he cycled every Saturday and forgot to mention that at the time of making the said appointment. Errrm, okay?

What else was there left for me to do except to hit up the beaches? So...I did some more exploring. I found a beach super close to

my apartment and it's incredibly deserted and quiet with just one beach chair set out. Perfecccct.

I hit up a few more beaches but my fave is one that has a nice bar right next to it with water beds set out everywhere. I had the best pina colada there that I've ever had in my life followed by a strawberry daiquiri. Yum!

In short, the beaches are gorgeous. I itch badly everywhere though. Not all the itches are mosquito bites. I'm hoping it's just my body adapting to the weather here.

Orientation is tomorrow at 8:30 am. Hope it goes well! :)

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Monkey Crossing

This morning I got up early and went to town to take care of all the technical work for transferring the car to my name and getting my license plate and insurance. I'm legit now. I named my car Liberty. She gives me a whole new sense of freedom. I hate relying on other people to get around and groceries and such on a public bus or a cramped up car/van is such a hassle. Luckily for me, I was able to bypass all that. Unfortunately, gas is super expensive down here. I want to drive as little as possible as the whole point of being down here is to save money on med school. Island life is expensive! As much as I love helping people out and giving rides, I really cannot afford to do that anymore. After groceries here and spending $70 USD to fill up my car....no way in hell can I retain my old ways of life. I used to eat out a lot during undergrad. Maybe it's good there are no Taco Bells and Panda Expresses here. Just can't get in a bad habit of blowing money. But I will definitely enjoy myself every now and then. This place is too pretty to pass up on the beaches and what not.

Tomorrow morning, or rather later today as it's already past midnight, I'm going to change Liberty's oil and hopefully hit up a beach and chill with a drink or two. I'm so bummed I left behind my Canon Rebel. This place is gorgeous and it woulda made for some amazing shots. But no worries. I'll grab it in November.

I learned today that monkeys were brought to Nevis from the French who came here to grow sugar cane. Now the monkeys are everywhere and I couldn't help but smile when I saw this sign on the side of the road as I drove past a monkey darting across. Forget squirrels and chickens. Why did the monkey cross the road? I have no idea but it was funny. I think I can make this place work out for me. :)

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Initial Thoughts

Nevis has not changed much since my visit back a year ago to tour the campus but I had a different take on it this time around. When I came in 2010, it was, in a way, a school visit and a small vacay tied into one. I knew I'd most likely find myself in St. Kitts & Nevis again a year later, but it wasn't for sure. With vacays, you get a feel for what a place is all about but you know at the end of the day, you'll be heading home soon enough. You don't need to adjust for long, per se.

Now that I'm here to live, to reside, to go to class... A whole different look. I started missing America the second my dad and I got into San Juan, Puerto Rico and I paid $10.75 for a small personal pan pizza at the airport Domino's. Airports are always expensive, right? No biggie... Nah. Wrong! I realized it wasn't a dream in 2010 when we checked out the grocery stores here and a frozen pizza was $17. Everything is 5x as expensive here as it would be back in the States and that's saying a lot, seeing as I'm from California, one of costlier states. When I think about it, it makes sense....getting food out here, especially frozen goodies and things that expire quickly (milk, fruits, dairy) in a decent condition is hard. I paid $5.28 for a gallon of gas today.

Speaking of which... My second full day on the island and I'm already on wheels. Translation? I BOUGHT A CAR! Yessss! That was my main concern about the island--getting around. Everything is spaced out and as a busy student, it'll help me out tremendously to have a car. Granted, my car is old, very old. From the 90s and it certainly doesn't look very pretty but I had it checked out by a second mechanic and I got the thumbs up. I can get to and from campus with ease now. It would have been a 25-30 min walk, but now I can drive over in 3 minutes. Me gusta. Now I can get groceries with ease. No need to buy mass amounts of food and watch things rot and spoil when the power goes out. Which, apparently, it frequently does. It went out today for 3 hours. Reminded me of India.

On a side note, I have to thank my father for all his love and support. He accompanied me here and he did everything he could to make my transition to island life as smooth as possible. I mean, who gets their child a car on Day 2!? He was only here for one full day and two half days and he's already gone. I miss him but I cant dwell on how alone I feel here. School will start up soon and I'm sure I'll be kept busy. I'll just work at making good grades so his money will be well spent. :)

Anyways, I've been kept incredibly busy since we landed on the 23rd at 3:30 pm. We got quite a lot done. I bought a fan, got my phone down here figured out, checked out the bank and withdrew moolah, explored the island, bought a car, had it inspected by a mechanic, got groceries, and unpacked all my goodness. My dad and I even timed the walk from my place to campus. 23 min and 57 seconds. Haha! But I guess this car will make my life here a lot easier. I've got nothing to complain about. The expenses blow but that's life. I tried to go to med school for cheaper but of course I should figured that island life prices would factor in. Silly Pallavi!

Pics soon. More on my place soon. More about the goats that baa and annoy the hell outta me soon every morning. For now, I think I may take a power nap.

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The Last....Hour?

Final hour in the States before boarding for San Juan, Puerto Rico to ultimately end up at Nevis. We boarded from SFO at 8:50 pm (Pacific time) and got into MIA at 4:50 am (eastern time). I slept for about an hour on the flight and am red eyed. Hurray! I don't think it's completely sunk in, to be honest...the whole loving to a tropical island thing. I just feel like summer break is over and I'm headed back to school, to FSU. It doesn't help that I'm at the MIA airport, the airport I always fly into from SFO to get back to Tallahassee for college classes. But of course, this time, there are subtle differences. Such as my dad snoozing two seats down from me and the fact that we checked in four huge suitcases. I wouldn't have my father accompanying me if I were just going back to FSU nor would I have so much luggage. Still, it feels unreal.

I had McDonald's yesterday for a snack and it hit me...wow, this might be my last fastfood outing for awhile. It was my final night to sleep in my queen sized bed. The last time to drive Priya, my Prius, which I now handed over to my little brother. This will be the last time I have my US phone number (which my brother will also be taking over). But those are all superficial things, right? Of course they are. But I still know I'll come to miss just hopping in my car and going for a drive or swinging through drive-thru for a smoothie. I'll miss America and all her conveniences but I have to stay focused and remember why I'm going to Nevis. I'm going to school to study to become a doctor. It's my dream and I know myself very well. Med school will stress me out. What better place to be than a tropical Caribbean island when stressed out? Time will tell. Classes will start soon enough and I'll be meeting my classmates. The people I'll have classes with for the next few semesters. I guess we'll be making this portion of the journey together.

One thing I am looking forward to...being away from my family. They drive me loco. But unfortunately for me, I somehow feel sad looking over at my sleeping father who will soon not be at my side. We will again be thousands and thousands of miles away from each other. I guess....I will miss him and my crazy family.

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Starbuck's Secrets

This post has absolutely nothing to do with school or my preparation for it. I decided to take a break from that.

I'm not the world's largest Starbucks fan (too expensive for me!), but it is delicious. In June, my friend Susan and I met up at a Starbucks to catch up. She ordered a Captain Crunch Frappuccino. I don't know the Starbucks menu in and out, but a quick glance through didn't reveal what she'd just asked for. Apparently, it's a secret item. Upon trying a sip of her frapp, I found it actually did taste like the cereal. What's in it? It's a combination of hazelnut syrup (and perhaps toffee nut?) in a Strawberries and Creme Frapp.

Since then, I found there were many other secret items that could be ordered such as a:

• Green Eye - has 3 shots of espresso in your coffee
• Dirty Chai - A chai latte, hot or iced, with a shot of espresso added in (or a Double Dirty or Extra Dirty Chai if you get it with two shots of espresso)
• Zebra Mocha - Also called a Penguin Mocha; this drink combines the white chocolate mocha with the regular mocha for those who can't ever decide. To take it to the next level, ask to have raspberry flavoring added for something called the "Red Tux" Mocha.
• Chocolate Dalmatian - This is a White Chocolate Mocha with java and choclate chips sprinkled in.
• Cake Batter Frappuccino - There's actually no cake batter in this, it's just vanilla and almond syrup to a Vanilla Frapp.
• "Short" Drink - The Tall drink's smaller, less expensive younger brother.

I'm sure there are more secret items, but these are the ones I've discovered since my catch up with Susan. Let me know if you know of any others. :)

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The Sleepies

So I leave for St. Kitts and Nevis in approximately 6 days, give our take a few hours. I am mostly all packed up, with an exception of a few random carry-on items and my external hard drive. I am absolutely 100% ready to leave home. I feel stagnant here and boxed in by my parents' constant nagging. I know once I start school, I'll miss not having had to study for 3.5 months, but at the moment, I'm ready to embrace school.

My dad and I leave out of the SFO airport on August 22nd at around 6 pm. We should arrive at St. Kitts the following day at 1:45ish pm. The layout of the journey? San Francisco > Miami > San Juan, Puerto Rico > St. Kitts > Ferry to Nevis > My Apartment! My dad will help me settle in until the 25th and then I'm on my own. Yippy! :)

I'm taking down 4 large check in bags and 4 carry-ons. This is, of course, the combined luggage between my dad and I. I left out quite a bit when packing. I can't believe how much I trimmed off, but it still surmounted to more luggage than I intended. Ay dios mio...

I'll be giving my brother my SIM card to my US phone, so kindly don't call/text that anymore after August 17, aka tomorrow.

I've been very restless but sleepy the past few days. Maybe it's all the nerves building up to the move or maybe it's simply the stress of being home? I know this is odd, but I really do not like being tied down at home. My parents, due to our culture clash, do not understand me and my desire to grow beyond textbooks and school. In short, school could not come any quicker! Nerd? Yeah, I'd say so. ;)

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Packing

Now the MCAT is done with, all I have to "do" really, is pack for med school. At the time of this post, I have 11.5 days remaining until I leave California for the island of Nevis in the Caribbean.

My life is about to do a 180 degree rotation. The life I have here in the States is about to be exchanged for island life. But laid back island life as a med student!? That on its own is a whole different spin on "paradise".

I know I'll have to work to make Nevis my home, but I have no doubts I will be happier upon settling in and having a place to call my own. A place where I can once again, since the start of college, branch out and have a new start all to myself. It's time to go.

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