Goodbye, Med School!

“I am going to burn my white coat.”

That was Ben’s half-joking answer to my question about his plans for his short white coat, the daily uniform of med students that distinguishes them from long-coat-wearing doctors. I was thinking of making a shadowbox, but OK.

The fact that we were even having that conversation means that MED SCHOOL IS FINALLY OVER!

I am not a fan of writing in all-caps, but some things warrant digital yelling, people.

Three and a half years. Seven moves. Twenty-five day-long tests. Five life-changing tests. Countless flights. Eight hospitals or clinics. Two countries. Three states. And a partrige in a pear tree… Make that an iguana in a flamboyant tree! That (and a whole lot of prayer) is what it took for Ben to finish medical school.

Add an agonizing application process (so many decisions!) and nine interviews, and you get the residency match process. Match Day 2019 turned out succesfully with Ben getting residency at his top choice. He’ll be working in Phoenix for the next three years. We’re home! Every day, we thank God and are grateful that it’s over.

What a ride!

If you aren’t familiar with the med school process, here’s what it looks like:

-4 years of undergrad with pre-med emphasis. Ideally includes volunteer work, research, clinical experience. Thinking you’re going to die yet knowing med school is exponentially more difficult.

We are still friends with Ben’s lab partner!

-Take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test)

Study, study, study… And check out that green carpet

-Write a stellar application, apply, interview.

-Year One: Classes. Lots of tests, anatomy lab, studying until you fall asleep in your desk. All-nighters because you get home from studying at 3 AM to find your wife forgot she borrowed your key, and locked the door, and went to bed (sorry).

-Year Two: Classes. More tests, harder subjects, memorizing the molecular structure and chemical behavior of every drug ever. Cramming an impossible amount of information into your brain. Comprehensive exam.

-Step One: First licensing exam. Eight-hour test over everything learned in the past two years.

– Year Three: Clinical rotations, which means spending long days at hospitals and clinics learning the ropes of various specialties.

-Step 2: A two-part test over two days on both clinical knowledge and clinical skills. Most students have to travel to take this test.

-Year four: Slightly more humane work hours. Basically paying to work in hospitals and clinics. Getting to participate more in deliveries and surgeries. Lots of seminars. Senioritis. Agonizing decision about which specialty to pursue.

-Applying for residency: Long application followed by applying to up to 100 programs.

-Interviews: Weed through invitations, pick your favorites and attend as many as you can afford/convince your supervisor to give you days off to attend. Travel the country. Attend fancy dinners.

-The Match: Rank your favorite residency programs. Hope your favorites rank you high in their list. Bite your nails as a computer algorithm matches you to a program.

-Match Day: Best day or worst day of your life.

-Graduation: Finishing med school, burning your short white coat (apparently) and getting that $250,000 piece of paper that proves you can legally slice people open, or give out narcotics, or remove organs.

-Rest of your life: Continuing education, plus saving lives and hopefully finding the cure for cancer.

Ben actually managed to finish a four-year med school program in three and a half years, which meant skipping the life-giving breaks between clinical rotations and jumping into each new challenge without time to recuperate from the demanding schedule. He did take some time to study for Step 1 (an eight-hour exam over 2 years of information), but not much. Taking the test early meant he had a rare opportunity to start his third year of school early, which meant finishing fourth year early and matching in 2019. A lot of people who started in September 2015 with him will have to match in 2020, thanks to their clinical rotation placement and its schedule, which students don’t have a lot of control over. So we are very thankful for the way things worked out!

We had to fill out an alumni survey at our alma matter’s homecoming celebration this weekend. When he came to the “title” section, it was with great flourish that Ben skipped over the “Mr.” box and checked “Dr.” He’s waited a long time to introduce himself as Dr. Johnson.

First Day of 20th Grade

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Blog

It’s that time of year…. you know, when all the moms are posting cute photos of their kids holding Pinteresty signs announcing what grade they are about to begin. Not to be outdone, I was sure to take a photo of my (very cooperative) husband on his first day of med school year four:

Folks, this is the last first day of school for him. Ever. Twenty-plus years of school is enough. Next year, I’ll have him post for a “first day of work as a doctor” photo. But I probably won’t ask him to hold a sign.

I decided to find his other “first day of school” photos. I took them every year, usually chasing him out the door at the last minute because I just remembered I wanted a picture. His first year of medical school, we actually got a pretty nice photo for the first day of school, which was his white coat ceremony:

I’m not positive which photo is the “first day” photo from med school year 2, but here’s a photo from that year:

You can see Kito is enjoying her favorite perch, which is always behind Ben in whatever chair he happens to be sitting in.

Here’s last year, the third year of medical school, with his white coat freshly ironed on his way to his first family medicine rotation at the clinic:

And, of course, I can’t forget to do a throwback to his first day of college. This picture is provided by his Aunt Barb, who dropped him off at school not long after he arrived in Arizona from Tanzania.

Hard to believe that was almost ten years ago, in 2009!

So, what does 20th grade look like for Ben? Well, for the first four weeks, he has a subinternship rotation in internal medicine. He works 60-some hours a week over six days. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty sad to lose that Saturday with him. BUT- they aren’t requiring any overnight on-call shifts, so that is a major benefit. He doesn’t get “paternity leave,” since he’s a student, but fortunately he can take a couple of days when the baby is born. I’m hoping the baby decides to make his grand debut on one of Ben’s days off. Baby is due September 26, during his last week on this rotation, We’ll see if he comes on time or early. Or late– who knows?

After that, we’re not sure what Ben’s schedule will be. I figure that all of the rotations will probably be pretty intense, but at this point it’s just about getting through everything until April, when he’ll finish his last rotation. He just took the 9-hour USMLE Step 2 exam two weeks ago, which means no massive exams to study for this year! Phew!

After so much school, it’s hard to believe Ben’s almost done. It will be pretty weird to have neither of us in school for the first time ever! But it will also be pretty awesome.

Still Alive Up Here in Michigan

Michigan, Nature, United States

Hey everyone!

It’s been a very long time since I posted! So, what does life look like from Detroit?

All I do is work, work, work, work, work

Ha ha, now that song will be in your head for the rest of the day. You’re welcome.

It’s just been very, very busy around here! The transition from St. Maarten to the United States has given me the opportunity to work a lot more, and I’ve been taking advantage of that. Gotta pay off those student loans, you know?

I’m still writing, and I’ve been adding new clients to my list of regulars. One of my new favorites is Forever Bride, a Minnesota-based wedding company. I’m loving love!

I’m also working as an online English teacher for Chinese-speaking children! As you know, I love teaching ESL and I love working with kids. It’s so much fun to see my students online everyday and teach from my desk at home!

VIPKID is the most fun I’ve ever had at work.

It’s been so good that Ben decided to apply to VIPKID, too. He got hired last week and just finished his first weekend of classes! Woohoo!

If you know anyone in med school, you know that working during medical school is not always feasible.

However, VIPKID gives Ben the ability to choose his own hours and work when he can, whether that’s 8 hours like last weekend or half an hour on a Friday night. Or nothing, like this week.

By the way, if you have a college degree and could use a fun job, you should totally apply! Email me with any questions. Here’s a link and a code for your application: 04MXB1

It’s Cold, Boiiii

As you can see, I may have left the tropics but I still took some island slang with me, boiii.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any of that sunshine. We’re literally taking vitamin D in pill form at this point.

It’s already snowing here in Detroit! Not enough for any photos, but enough for dancing in the cold with a scarf on.

Kito doesn’t know what to do about this cold. We go on daily walks along a pond near our house, and she keeps trying to walk into the water to chase the Canadian geese! Today, she was surprised when she stepped through a thin sheet of ice. I haven’t seen anything so funny since I watched Nacho Libre last week.

Detroit is pretty cool

It’s cold, but it’s cool.

One thing I love about living here is that a lot of the public venues are totally free. Others are really cheap. A lot of the museums downtown are free for Michiganders!

Before we found out we were moving to Michigan, we got a U.S. parks pass. We were sad when we found out that Michigan doesn’t have too many national parks!

However, we have a TON of state parks. And the pass is just $11 per year! We’ve been all over the place between the US/Canadian border and Lansing.

Ben’s brother and his wife live in Grand Rapids, so we sometimes explore a state park with them.

In addition to the cool places, Detroit has some pretty cool people. We’re starting to meet our neighbors, and we’re making friends at church and Bible study. We finished the membership class at our church, so we have somewhere to belong in Michigan now.

Medical school marches on

Ben’s now about 5/8 of of the way done with med school. And yes, I’m counting down the months!

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not so bad. The endless studying of years 1 and 2 are over, and now he’s having a lot more fun doing rotations in the hospitals.

He’s on his internal medicine rotation. He honored the first part of the rotation!

So, that’s our life in Michigan in a nutshell! It’s starting to feel like home. ❤

Post Hurricane Thoughts

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Blog, Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, Third Culture Kids, Uncategorized

Well, I’m probably over-posting on Facebook about Hurricane Irma and the devastation it caused in Saint Martin. I have an awful lot to say about it, though, especially as new updates keep coming through. I figure if you want to know what I have to say about the situation, you’ll read this. And look– here you are!

Med Students are OK

After a semi-sleepless night a couple days ago and plenty of tears, I finally started hearing from friends who had been out of contact for a day after the storm.

The people who sheltered in American University of the Caribbean are safe, and not only that, anyone with any medical training (even first semester med students) are volunteering in a makeshift clinic! They even delivered a baby! What a birth story.

Many of the students, spouses and kids were able to evacuate to Puerto Rico. Many others, mostly students, stayed behind.

Tom and Lisa are OK

If you follow me on social media, you probably know a bit about Tom and Lisa Burnett, who ran Player Development Program in Sint Maarten.

I used to go there most days to tutor and mentor the kids. Player Development blew away and the pieces are yet to be found.

But Tom and Lisa (plus their four dogs) are safe! I could breathe easier after I found that out. Their neighborhood was hit very hard.

They survived the storm huddled on a mattress under their table, both of them plus of the four dogs. They stayed there all day, through the storm and even after their roof was ripped off. I am shaking right now just thinking about it.

Still Waiting to Hear from Local Friends

I started following more SXM residents on social media to keep up with videos and photos. Many people seem to be OK and in shelter, but strictly rationing food and water, and in perhaps in pain.

The need help but it is hard to know what to do. Samaritan’s Purse has a fund now, and I they are delivering much needed help! If you want to help, give to them. But I haven’t heard much else, although a friend of mine with a Canadian Rotary Club is planning to try to ship down supplies and suggested that I call my local airport to see which airlines are willing to ship relief supplies down.

I haven’t heard from too many people since the main cell tower was taken out by the storm, and the power company as well, I believe.

Our former foster son, Roland and Laura Richardson, the families from my baseball team, the foster homes, the staff at the medical school, and many other friends still aren’t online yet. So keep praying.

I just keep thinking about how bad I’ve been at communication lately. My life is so out of control right now and I put everyone else on the back burner. I guess you don’t realize you’re doing that until your friends are in a life-threatening situation and you remember that the last thing you said was some stupid thing about doughnuts or worse, nothing at all for the past few weeks.

There’s nothing like the fear that you might have lost someone to make you think of all the stuff you wish you said to them last week.

I’m Grieving

I think I’m going through the stages of grief. I’m partially in denial, because how can those photos be real when they don’t match my memories? That flooded street covered in debris was a sunlit lane when I walked down it just a few months ago.

I can close my eyes and go back to the way it was. I can see and hear and feel and smell every part of the island.

I can hear the way it sounds to knock on the door of one of my baseball kid’s house. In my mind it is still there.

I can feel the gravel at player development under my feet and see the books and toys and everything.

I can see the view from my old balcony like I am standing there again. Pretty sure that balcony blew away.

I can taste the shawarmas at Little Jerusalem and hear the “clink, clink” of Abe and Cathy chopping up meat on the grill.

But then there are those photos of the destruction, the videos of the looting. It’s hard to reconcile.

I Should Be There

And there is this overwhelming sense of guilt, because somehow I feel like I am supposed to be there.

Maybe I wouldn’t be saying this if I’d actually gone through it, but I’d rather have stuck out the day in AUC, where the hurricane shelter was strong and safe, than be here wondering and waiting and watching from afar.

I’d rather be out dragging palm fronds off the street right now. Or something else useful. Maybe that sounds dumb, and maybe it is dumb.

It’s stupid to want to be stuck on an island when so many people are suffering and desperately awaiting help and wanting to leave.

I feel stupid. And useless.

People reading this are probably going to think I’m trying to be some kind of weird martyr or something, but I think I’m just really emotional and stressed out.

I actually called Jet Blue yesterday to find out if I can fly down and when, but I couldn’t get through because they’re too busy handling the crisis.

I don’t even know what I would do if I did go. It’s not like they need more people to use up rations, anyway.

So anyway, now we’re both depressed, you’re welcome. Maybe I should go back to journaling instead of blogging.

That’s what things look like from my perspective.

Now just waiting for Irma to hit Florida, and I can’t wait until that is done and the power is back and I can hear from everyone.

Photo Credit Flash Meteo Antilles

Camping in the Middle of Detroit: Michigan Day One

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Blog, International Travel, Michigan, Nature, Spouses Organization, United States

Have you ever camped in Detroit? I didn’t think so! As it turns out, camping in Detroit is pretty hard to find. However, it is there, if only you look close enough. Believe it or not, Detroit does have its pockets of green wilderness!

Our pocket of green came in the form of an Airbnb backyard campsite in the middle of a pretty rough-looking urban area. The surprisingly beautiful neighborhood was tucked into an overgrown-looking street not too far from downtown Detroit!

The people we stayed with are pretty cool. They are both circus performers, and they created a wildlife sanctuary/ backyard campsite out of an old, boarded-up house that had been long forgotten. Inside, the house is a delightful explosion of homey Pinterest-type creativity, which the outside is a woodsy wonderland.

When we arrived, I was absolutely thrilled to walk from the dark street into a romantically-lit backyard wildlife space with room for campfires, stargazing, and wildlife watching! A people-sized wooden structure was nestled into one corner, surrounding a cozy tent. It looked like a sylvan fairyland.

Good thing our hosts provided a tent, because we accidentally left ours in the moving trailer and probably would not have survived the mosquitoes in our hammocks. We said good night to our hosts and their one-year-old son, and crawled into the tent with Kito.

Kito was not overly thrilled with the tent life. I, however, was delighted to have found an affordable and outdoorsy option for a night’s stay! After all, how often do you get to move to a new city, make friends, and stay in their backyard wonderland?

Of course, a new day brought new realities. The stars disappeared into a blue sky and out came the spiders. Did you know that Michigan has about 47 spiders per square inch? I was contemplating whether I would rather have Arizona’s scorpions or Michigan’s spiders as I watched them crawl their creepy little bodies over the outside of our tent. I bet demons have eight legs. However, a quick search on my phone revealed that none of the said spiders were poisonous– 4G is a definite perk of city camping.

The more important concerns of the day came soon enough as well. Long story short, we eventually found a perfect apartment. We had thought to buy a house since there are a lot of cheap ones on the Detroit market, but a safer apartment in the metro area is probably a better bet as we settle in.

My parents drove the entire 2,000 miles from Phoenix to Detroit with us! I don’t know what we would have done without them. Just handling the Kito factor alone would have made it tough to get anything done. While we were apartment hunting, my parents took Kito to about seven dog parks and playgrounds to run around! By the end of the day, she was wiped.

Things are starting to fall into place! It’s still pretty surreal that we are actually in Michigan right now. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to try out Midwest life? Maybe I’ll be regretting that sentiment around, say, November, but for now I’m pretty excited to see what it brings!

Moving to Michigan … To Who Knows Where

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Spouses Organization, Uncategorized, United States

Surprise! We are moving to Michigan! Actually, it was more a surprise for us.

Now that Ben is done with the first two years of medical school, the books and exams are behind him. Now he gets to do the fun part- shadowing doctors in hospitals!

Ben’s medical school, American University of the Caribbean, has partnerships with hospitals all over the United States. While students do get to submit a list of prefered locations, the school assigns us to the hospital that fits best, depending on availability. It feels like one of those surprise grab bags we used to get at convenience stores as a kid. And while it made me a little nervous, it was kind of fun to have someone else decide where our next home would be.

We had hoped to go to Bakersfield, California, the closest hospital to our home in Phoenix. However, we heard rumors that it was full, along with Baton Rouge and Detroit. That left Miami as the only available location on our list, so we planned for a Florida move. Tank tops and Spanish! We were getting prepared.

Imagine our surprise when we got a call telling us that someone dropped out of the Michigan clinical rotations and we were next in line! We would be joining the previous class’s schedule, starting a few weeks earlier than Ben’s class and making up the Pediatrics rotation at another hospital later. We agreed!

Ben’s clinical rotations start on August 14, so we had to leave 10 days after we got the news. Not a lot of time! We left Saturday, and we have been driving for two and a half days. We are almost there!

We still don’t know where we are going to live, and the more we hear about Detroit, the less we know what to do. Go for a 15 thousand dollar home and risk the rough neighborhoods? Let more money slip into the black hole of rental properties but live in a safer area? I don’t know anything about Michigan, except for a little town called Fruitport that so visted two years ago for a wedding. Fruitport is a long way from Detroit.

Well, I guess that is what we will figure out in the next couple days. We’ve know what it’s like to move far away to a place we had never been, but we’ve never showed up in a new place as a couple of homeless people and a dog! What will Michigan bring? I guess we will find out soon! This is all part od the adventure.

Saint Martin / Sint Maarten Travel Guide

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization

Hi everyone! It’s been about a week since I posted, but I haven’t been twiddling my thumbs. This week is a bittersweet week for Ben and I as we pack our bags (all three of them) and get ready to move back to the States. And yes, I am losing my frickin’ mind in the process, thanks for checking. If you find my brain anywhere, let me know so I can toss it in my carry-on before we fly out.

If you’re loving the Saint Martin adventure posts, never fear! I still have a lifetime’s worth of post material and photos. So you should see a new mix of Arizona adventures and Saint Martin adventures each week.

Rather than give you another hike or beach post today, I thought I’d update and share my Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten Travel Guide. This is a great resource to help you plan you trip to (Saint Martin or your next weekend, for you islanders and expats). Sometimes, getting out and doing something feels pretty uninspired if you feel like you have been everywhere already. So check out the list and see if there’s anything new you can do! Here it is: Saint Martin Travel Guide.

Before I sign off, here’s a sneak peek of the next few Saint Martin posts I’ll be writing, so stick around (and subscribe or follow) to see them when they come out.

Five Reasons to Snorkel Baie Rouge

The History of Saint Martin’s Forts

How Not to Get to Fort Willem

Four Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do at Mullet Bay Beach

St. Barth’s for Under $100

Why $230 is Totally Worth 5 Hours on Saba

Also… look out for a slew of new Arizona posts! Saint Martin peeps, you’re going to want to come visit after seeing how cool the desert can be. I know you can’t imagine life without the beach, but you have to see what we desert rats do for fun. This is where I’ll be in two days. See you on the other side!

Scuba Diving Creole Rock

Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Uncategorized

The ocean is the last unexplored frontier. I mean, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean! Perhaps that’s why Scuba diving is such a thrilling adventure. Last week, Ben had the opportunity to Scuba dive around Creole Rock.

Ben’s cousin Craig, his wife, Bonnie, and their son, Wally, came to spend a week with us in Saint Martin. While they were here, they spoiled us. And I mean absolutely spoiled us! One of the excursions that Ben has been dying to do is Scuba diving. That hasn’t been in the med school student budget, so we’ve been doing a lot of snorkeling instead. Well, Craig and Bonnie decided that Scuba diving needed to be on the agenda, so Ben finally had the chance to go! He said it’s way more incredible than snorkeling, and it was worth taking a break from studying the weekend before his comprehensive exam.

Jet Ski Flyboard Experience in St Martin

The Experience

We went with Bubble Shop in Grand Case. Max was our guide, and he was awesome! This post isn’t sponsored by Bubble Shop; I’m writing because Bubble Shop is a great dive option and it’s worth sharing. Ben isn’t a certified diver, so he and Craig did the Discovery Dive trip to Creole Rock. Wally, Bonnie, and I did the snorkeling excursion. Since there were five of us, we got the whole trip to ourselves. It felt like a personal chartered excursion!

We started out with a tutorial on how to safely dive and snorkel. Before long, we were all zipped up in wet suits and on a boat from Grand Case to Creole Rock! Max said that it’s called Creole Rock because it looks like the outline of a Creole man sleeping in the water. As we got closer, I could make out the outline of a nose and chin, plus the belly rising out of the water.

Marine Tour Around St Martin

What We Saw

The day was a little bit cloudy, which isn’t ideal for snorkeling, but the water was so clear that it didn’t matter. It’s definitely worth it to get out from the beaches, far away from where everyone is kicking up a bunch of sand or the waves are bringing in a bunch of crud from the Sargasso Sea.

The clarity of the water was awesome out by Creole Rock! The photos don’t do it justice. I usually fix the photos on a web program, but my laptop cord turned in its two week notice and took a vacation this week, so it will be a few weeks before I can fix these on my computer. Still, you get the idea! It was pretty remarkable down there.

At least the photos aren’t too shaky! You can tell which Go Pro photos I take and which ones Ben takes. Ben has the magical ability to take clear, steady videos under the water. When I take them, they look like they’ve been through a tsunami or a category three hurricane. Luckily, Ben had the Go Pro during this excursion.

Here’s a photo of a gigantic hermit crab in a conch shell! Someone from another snorkel excursion told us about it, and Wally was the first one in our group to spot the shell. For size reference, conch shells are generally nine or ten inches long. Look at those pinchers! Anyone feel like losing a finger?

You can see a blue tang and a queen angelfish in the photo above. I’ve seen a lot of blue tang here, but this is one of the few queen angelfish I’ve seen.

This is a trumpet fish. They’re small, thin, silvery fish, and they are hard to see when they’re near the surface. Sometimes, I’m surprised when I slide into apparently empty water and see a few of these sneaky little guys gliding by. At Creole Rock, they’re not very skittish. Since it’s a nature preserve, they let you get pretty close without fear.

Snorkel Tour from St Martin

Why I Liked It

The water around Creole Rock is deep enough to be interesting but shallow enough to feel safe. I like free diving a little bit, and this was a good depth for getting to the bottom and not feeling like I was running out of air.

I also liked the area because it was good for all levels. Even though I’ve been in the water at least once a week since I got to the Caribbean, Creole Rock was an interesting place to see some new things and nicer coral. People who don’t snorkel often enjoy it, too, because it’s protected and shallow- perfect for getting used to open water or for seeing lots of things without having to free dive (and for readjusting an uncomfortable snorkel mask when it’s too loose).

What makes the boat ride out to Creole Rock most worth it is that it’s located in protected waters. It’s also too far out for people to break the rules and go snag some lobsters illegally. The fish aren’t afraid that you’re going to whip out a spear gun, and the coral isn’t bleached from too much touching. This is a perfectly gorgeous place to go. We can snorkel Baie Rouge or Mullet anytime (which we do love to do), but this is special.

2-Tank Scuba Dive in St Martin

We had a great time snorkeling and diving Creole Rock! I’m so glad we had the opportunity to do it before we left. Thanks, Craig and Bonnie!

The Sun Sets on Medical School

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Expats, Expats and TCKs

There are times in life for sunrises and other times for sunsets. Maybe that’s why I feel a little nostalgic and sad every time I watch the sun set these days. Each time the sun dips below the Caribbean Sea, there is one less ocean sunset to watch from our balcony in paradise and one less day to live here. We have about a month left in our island home, which makes me wish I could slow down the time and enjoy every nanosecond of it. However, every sunset brings good memories and the promise of another sunrise.

Ben is nearing the end of his medical sciences studies at American University of the Caribbean. He still has two more years of medical school to finish in the States, but our two years in Sint Maarten are almost up. In fact, he takes the comprehensive exam in two days! Everything he has learned in the last two years will be covered in this test. Needless to say, he’s off somewhere in the library right now, studying hard about Crohn’s Disease and enzyme deficiencies and other riveting topics. I helped him study last night and the amount of information he knows just blows my mind.

Ben has had a successful run during his time at American University of the Caribbean. Pardon my bragging for a minute! He made the dean’s list every semester, and earned a spot in the honor and service society for his high grades and his hundreds of hours of community service.

Now, as all of this comes to a close– the honors, the volunteering, the prayers, the TA commitments, and tutoring, the hours and hours of studying and the late nights in the books– it’s easy to look ahead and be overwhelmed by everything that is still to come. After all, he has the comprehensive exam, and then we move back to Arizona. In June he has to take his first licensing exam. Then we’ll get assigned to clinical rotations somewhere in the United States and have to start over again somewhere new. After two more years of student loans and loads of work, there’s two or three more big exams and finally, finally he’ll graduate and become a medical doctor.

I think it’s better, though, to look backwards for just a moment and appreciate how far we’ve come. There’s been a lot to overcome, and making it this far is not guaranteed. Yet here we are! I’m so thankful for the time we’ve had here. I’m thankful for the friends we have made, the people who have supported us, the hard work that Ben’s put in, and the grace God has given us to not only make it, but have an awesome experience while we’re at it. I’m thankful that we have thrived and not just survived. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been fantastic.

The best kinds of evening are the ones when I can look back on the day and say, wow, that was a productive day, and it was a fun one, too. That’s how I feel about our time here. As the sun sets on this season of life, I can look back and appreciate everything that has happened. It’s been a blast, and it’s also been worthwhile. If we could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

How to Find the Guana Bay Hike

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Nature, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, Uncategorized

The Guana Bay hike is a popular hike on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, but it can be pretty hard to find if you’ve never done it before. To avoid driving endlessly around or scrambling up a frightening hillside of loose rocks, follow these directions and enjoy one of the most beautiful hikes of your life! Here’s how to find the Guana Bay hike in Sint Maarten.

To Find the Guana Bay Hike:

To get the hike, drive north (counter-clockwise) from Philipsburg. If you’re on Pondfill Road, drive toward the east coast of the island and go north (left) at the freed slave roundabout. Keep driving until you see the sign that says “Guana Bay” on your right. It’s kind of small, so keep your eye out. You’ll turn right at the next right after you spot the sign. The road will take you up a hill, then down and to the coast. You’ll see the beach on your left and the parking lot on your right.

Now, it’s probably good to know that the name “Guana Bay Hike” is a misnomer. The beach on your left is Guana Bay, and the hike does NOT start here. We thought it did the first time we went, because getting lost is apparently just part of hiking for us. It was still fun, but it’s not the trail.

If you’re here, you’re in the wrong place

When you see the beach and the parking lot (aka dirt patch), keep going. You’ll get to the end of the road at a while abandoned house. The trail starts here, going directly toward the coast.

Full-Day Jet Ski Tour in St Martin

The Trail Head:

Like I said, the trail begins at the end of the road. It goes directly down toward the water, dipping down and passing this weird old garden thing before heading up. This is the path, and you can keep going until the end.

This is actually the very first Saint Martin activity that Ben and I did when we first moved here, over a year and a half ago! Our friends Austin and Stephanie took us here to give us a taste of the island life. Here’s a picture of Ben and I way back before we got our Caribbean tans. It’s hard to believe that this island adventure is almost over.

The Path

The Guana Bay path isn’t the kind of thing you want to do in flip-flops or even Chocos, really, although I have done it in Chacos. I also wouldn’t recommend taking little kids past the first couple bays, unless they’re seasoned hikers. I have taken kids to the rocky area and the first bay you reach. That part isn’t too bad.

After the first part, though, you get some narrow trails, steep drops, and straight-up hillsides. The end result, however, is worth it. It takes about an hour to get to the end.

By the way, “X” does not mark the spot when it comes to the Guana Bay Hike in Sint Maarten. Stay away from the old, disintegrated paths marked with a red “X.”

Very steep!

Fly Zone Extreme Adventure at Loterie Farm

Along the Way

Don’t forget to enjoy the treasures you find along the trail! One of my favorite stops is at the boulders. This is fairly early on in the hike. You’ll see all the big, black rocks. Climb down there and explore the tide pools and rocks. This is a great pace for viewing the cays and islands off the coast. The biggest one is St. Barth’s, and the closet cay is Guana Cay.

Another cool place is Geneve Bay, where you can often find pelicans swooping to the waves in search of fish. This is also a great place to hunt for conch shells.

There are also a whole bunch of goats on the path! When I take my dog, Kito, on this hike, she loves to chase them. There’s nothing I can do about it, so I just keep going and she eventually comes back. The first time she went racing after the goats, she was covered in cactus spikes from head to toe when she came limping back. Now she knows about the cactus and stays away.

St-Martin and St Maarten: Sightseeing Tour of the French and Dutch Sides of the Island

The End

The end of the Guana Bay Hike is the very best part! Here, you’ll find a deep natural pool that is protected from the waves. You can swim here, but beware of the urchins! My friend Jay was stung by one pretty badly. Just stay away from the walls and you’ll be fine. This is also a great place for sunbathing.

Beyond the Tide Pool

The Guana Bay Hike is already a pretty long hike if you go all the way to the pools, but if you’re up for more, the path continues. I’ve never been myself, but I believe the trail comes out at Point Blanche.

If you want to find more hikes in Saint Martin, check out my SXM Activities Page or read these posts on the Lovers Beach Hike, the Wilderness Hike, and the Pic Paradis Hike. Subscribe or like the 3rd Culture Wife Facebook Page for more posts on Saint Martin hikes!

Photo creds: Alyssa F. and Austin W

Breana Johnson

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