"On An Island In The Sun..."

A plane flying into the airport!

Hey TV Land!

I have been on St. Maarten for 1 week and I think I'm starting to get used to the way of life out here. I'm excited about starting school and working my way to my medical goals!

When we arrived last Tuesday, it was a huge shock to me! I mean I'm on this island and I'm going to be staying here for the next 2 years! Not bad if I say so myself. But before we could go exploring, there were some necessities that needed to be taken care of. For instance, I needed to open up a new bank account on the island so that I could have access to my money. Needless to say once I leave, the account is going "buh bye". The next things was to look at apartments for the "Fall" semester. Prior to arriving at the island, I was in contact with a leaser and we were able to meet, look at apartments, and sign an agreement the next day. Now that my mom and I got the required errands out of the way, it was time to get a car and go exploring.

During the week, we explored the island. We drove to Phillipsburg which is the capital of the Dutch St. Maarten. Called "Town" by the locals, Phillipsburg reminds me of the Bourbon St. area but WAY smaller. On the tiny strip of land that Phillipsburg is on, there are only 3 streets: Frontstreet, Backstreet, and the other I don't remember...oh well. Phillipsburg is also where the cruise ships come in so there are TONS of tourist with TONS of locals trying to sell the people stuff. The Boardwalk is nice though. You can see the beach, the ocean, and the shops that are there.

Dawn Beach

On one of the days we went to Phillipsburg, we decided to go over the "hills" aka mountains, and see what was on the northern tip of the island. I am not lying when I say that some of these "hills" are hella steep! There were times where I thought we were going to go backwards in the car! We drove to Dawn Beach, which is were the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic meet. There is a strong breeze but there is a lot of seaweed. My mom and I decided that Dawn Beach was a "relaxing beach, not a swimming beach". Then we got "lost" in the mountains and eventually made our way to the French Quarter. The French Quarter here is not the same as in New Orleans. The French Quarter here is the hood and it was very uncomfortable to drive thru. I will NOT be going back.

Baie Rouge

During two days of my mom's stay here on St. Maarten, we went to the French St. Martin and visited this lovely beach called Baie Rouge. Its a quiet little beach, only about 10-15 mins drive from our hotel and it was amazing. The waves were gentle, the water was clear, and we could even see some island in the distance. The amazing thing about St. Maarten/St. Martin is its close proximity to other island. Its easy to schedule a day trip to St. Barths or Saba and spent maybe $100. To be honest, I don't know for sure but I fully intend on hitting up the Caribbean Islands while I am here.

Porto Copecoy

When my mom left on Tuesday, I was sad. I had never been so far away for school without my mom. When I was Xavier, I was only a 5hr drive from home and a 1hr flight away. Now I am a 6.5 hr flight away and thats including layovers in Miami. I did cry but I know that I have to make this journey alone so I can go home and fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor. Plus, having some friends helped distract me from my mom leaving.

Fun in the sun!

My mom and I met Sam, his wife Zandra, Chad, and Hamza for lunch and instantly, I found my group! Sam, Zandra, and Chad are fun to hang out with. They know all the food places, best grocery shops, and all the attractions on the island. Sam and Chad are my classmate while Zandra will be living with Sam during his time here at school. Zandra and I have been talking about what she is going to do while the rest of us are in school. Luckily, she has a few options so now she won't get bored. On Wednesday, I was able to meet some more students at a local bar near the school. Its great to finally put a person to the face since we all have been communicating through Facebook.

This is going to be so exciting! We officially start school on Wed. May 9th and from there, I will be studying. I know I'm going to make it but I can't help the butterflies in my stomach. I will try to remain consistent with my posts so you read whats going on! Until next time!

Maho Bay!

Deuces Yo!