Finding solace in new friends

Marathon Training Week 3; Day 5: 5.07 miles, 49:32

Crabs in a bowl ready to race!

Before I started this I promised myself I would be totally honest in this blog. It's meant not just as a journal to remember all the fun times this adventure will bring, but also for myself- and others who can or cannot relate- to unload about the hard times too. This week has been a roller coaster of emotions (which reminds me of an awkward moment at work; as we were transporting an elderly lady in the ambulance through the twists and turns of Grenada's rainforest roadway, I said to the woman "it's like we're on a roller coaster!" not thinking that she may well have never seen one in her life...she stared back at me blankly).

The week started off busy, social and fun. A group of us SO's went to crab races at a bar on the beach; all my crabs lost (go figure) but it was fun none the less.

Tuesday I attended my first ever fantasy football draft. Don't assume I know anything about football, but the girls just thought it might be something fun to do this fall, and today I saw one of my guys kick a field goal and get me some points so that was kind of cool.

Wednesday was Katie's "Wine Night" for any SO who wanted to have a mid-week get away while their husband or boyfriend studied late into the night. The students have their first big exam tomorrow and have been stressed and studying like crazy all week, so this was a good excuse for us to get away and relax together (you're thinking "like you're the ones who need the relaxing?", trust me, we do too). I'll say ahead of time, Katie was so gracious for hosting us all. Twenty plus girls in one apartment with a bottle of wine each... things got a little messy. Needless to say, we had a fun night and I met a lot of great girls. However, come Thursday morning as the hangover was wearing off, I felt a bit nostalgic for college and my good friends back home. Moving here is a bit like moving to college; the stress of meeting a bunch of new people at once, made a bit easier with the help of some good ole' ETOH.

group picture; wine night

Now I'm not sure if this was a combination of being in a brand new country for just over a month, too much alcohol for the week, seeing less than an hour of my boyfriend every day, or just crazy hormones, but Thursday was my breakdown day. As a person who tends to hold everything in, and "bite the bullet" in stressful situations, I also tend to erupt when my jaw starts to hurt. I am someone who rarely cries or gets angry. Yes, I am an emotional person, but I am also a chronic over-thinker. When I feel strong, but undesirable emotions, I think them through, rationalize them, and push them away. But when I do this too much, everything boils over and I end up crying in a Grenadian airport when all I wanted to do was to pay the duties on my UPS package and get on with my day. The airport story is long and not something I want to retell in detail, but I will say that if you ever find yourself in a third world country, expect to be given half an answer for everything, not to be taken seriously, and for what ever you're trying to accomplish to take approximately 5 times as long as you would expect. Thankfully, I have met some AMAZING people here, and Cayley was nice enough to drive me to the airport- and wait while I was shuffled around for 30 minuets trying to figure out just how to get my package.

The weekend got a bit better, but with Pat being stuck in the library 24/7, I have to say I was starting to feel the emotional results of his absence. He is stressed, and I'm not going to pretend that is easy on me. It's not. It is easy to begin to feel under-appreciated here, but I went into this knowing this would be the case. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't hit sooner. I am trying to be supportive, bring him dinner (the few minuets we can actually spend time together!) and make him feel positive about all the hard work he is putting in, however, sometimes this effort is met with resistance. I know he will do great tomorrow, I just can't wait until he knows it too. I also can't wait until I hear back on grad school for me. I know my lack of emotional stability is due in part to limited structure and not feeling like a valued portion of society. Work was my therapy back home, and while I do some nursing here, it is not the same as feeling totally confidant and in control of ones environment like I did at my last job. Most of all, I miss my patients, and using all of my skills and knowledge.

Random Updates: 
We have had some random malfuctions in our house- Pat has been awesome about trying to fix them- these include our water heater, our leaky refrigerator, our iced-over freezer...

So handy! 

We bought a scooter!

We are now semi-independent! The one bought is a bit older, and red, but otherwise the same. While I don't normally endorse this mode of transportation (head injuries, death), I am pretty addicted to this thing and love not having to always rely on the buses.

Saint Georges the "Carnage"