Nevis Part I: The Arrival

I guess all things do happen for a reason. The years 2002 and 2003 were strange for me. I was doing mostly adjunct work and delivering USA Today newspapers to make ends meet. I was financially and emotionally in a funk, so when I saw an ad for MUA (Medical University of the Americas), I thought "why not"? I always wanted to be a real doctor, right? I knew of medical schools in the Caribbean from a previous meeting with Dr. Fredricks in 1993, when I considered going to Saba, his first school. I was working part time as a convenient store clerk, delivering papers and teaching a class at South University in Columbia. I got a call while at work and I had been accepted to teach/attend MUA in Nevis! Of course, now I know they take almost anyone w/ a Ph.D. who is willing to move to Nevis, but I thought it might be the right time for me to turn things around. I was losing confidence that I would ever find another full time professorship anywhere in the SE USA, so I committed to MUA, borrowed enough money to get there and set my mind to it! Leaving my family behind was very, very difficult, but I could not afford to move us all there. My wife, daughter and I drove to Charlotte for my early morning flight on Friday, April 30th. I was terrified of what I was actually getting into w/ MUA and Nevis, but I had lived in Canada for a while, had travelled in the US quite a bit, so I was kind of looking forward to the adventure. The morning I boarded the plane, my daughter began crying for me and I almost turned back... but I made myself move ahead toward the plane. From Charlotte to Suan Juan (PR) was uneventful. It was neat to be in PR and I found a great deal on some Vodka at the duty free shop! Once we began to board the plane from PR, things began to change. First of all, the plane was the smallest I had ever been on and we were all there, but there was not a pilot! Apparently, he was running quite late with another flight..(apparently time is not as important the farther south you go) but finally showed and we took off. The flight was only an hour or so, but in that small, noisy plane, it seemed much longer to me! Finally, got to St. Kitts and landed safely....... went through the proper lines and began the wait for my luggage. It is hard to describe the feeling when you are still waiting for your luggage an hour later and realize it isn't going to show! I had neglected to bring a carry on w/ essentials, so all I had was a brief case w/ paperwork and the clothes on my back. Sure, the guy said, your luggage will be on the 1 pm plane tomorrow! So I got a cab to downtown, got a room based on the recommendation of the cabby and tried to relax. The room was a huge suite and cost only $79 USD, so I felt good. Looking off of my balcony, I began to take in my surroundings on my first trip to the Caribbean. It was quite a culture shock... chickens and dogs roaming freely through the streets... I felt as if I had gone back in time somehow, but it was nice. Oh yeah, and HOT! I walked down to a corner cafe, up the steps and found a table with a breeze coming off the ocean and ordered a burger/fries for my first meal in the Caribbean! I ordered a Heineken, but the lady said it would be $8 and I almost died! Well, that turned out to be EC currency so I began to try to learn the conversion stuff, downed my first Carib and ate the burger (not very tasty). Since I had some vodka and cash was at a premium, I got some OJ, when back to the room and relaxed on the balcony. Got a decent nites sleep and looked forward to getting my luggage and trying to find where I was to live on Nevis. Checked out at 12, got a cab back to the airport... 1pm plane was late of course, and didn't have my luggage.... 2pm plane (late) didn't have my luggage.... was informed the next plane due was 7pm.. began to feel some panic setting in.. no luggage, very little cash, didn't know where the hell I was supposed to live and didn't want to leave St. Kitts without my stuff. Well, I decided to spend the day near the dock, listen to some music and drink some $1 Caribs! Made it through the day, got back to the airport... NO PLANE, NO LUGGAGE... wow! The lady said I should go on to Nevis and my luggage would be sent, so I head back to the dock to catch a scheduled ferry to Nevis... it backs in to unload and we are then informed that they are NOT MAKING THE TRIP BACK! Wow, this day is turning more and more into a tourists nightmare... I finally manage to locate a cheap motel ($40 USD), put it on my Visa, get my first Caribbean dinner and try to relax until I get the early ferry to Nevis on Sunday morning. The motel was an older, 3 story structure with small rooms and a community bathroom. It was the Star of India, complete with restuarant and bar downstairs. The owner was quite nice and brought out my plate. I was very tired and frustrated at this point, but managed to eat and choke down another Carib... the food, as I was to find out over the next several months, was a generic chicken dish served in most every place I ate on Nevis or St. Kitts. It was tasty enough, but I quickly grew tired of it while on Nevis. Bright and early Sunday morning, I walked back to the dock, heat already building from the early morning sun, get on the ferry and finally head toward Nevis. Arrive in Charlestown about 50 minutes later, get off and find a very deserted town... I didn't have a clue where I was supposed to live. MUA had arranged an apartment for me somewhere and all I knew was the guy's name. My cell phone had long since quit working and I had no change for the pay phone I found on the street. Feeling pretty damn bad about now.... wasn't sure just what to do, when a nice Nevisan pulled up in his Cab (minivan)! Turns out, he knew my landlord, called him and found out where I was to live and off we went. My first ride on Nevis and I had no clue what to expect. Roads were narrow, curvy and fairly well maintained.. Nice looking country side, saw the beaches, ocean and things didn't appear to be too bad. Hey, there was the airport (didn't even know they had one on Nevis), then just as we got around the airport... BAM... the roads became terrible (potholes everywhere), the countryside became more depressing.... just past the Newcastle police depot, we turn up hill (left is downhill to the beach) and drove up what I thought was a sidewalk! Finally found my landlord and he told my cabbie to drop me at Julie's house a couple of turns up the road. FINALLY, get to the house, find out I have the converted basement that wasn't much bigger that my office is now and realize, I am in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of nowhere, I am living in a stranger's basement in the middle of a goat pasture on the side of a mountain... no car, no clothes, no toiletries, no family, no phone.... well, my arrival on Nevis definitely left something to be desired, but at least I had cable TV in the bedroom...... I was very lost, lonely and homesick...

Got to go for now... taking Thurs, Friday and next week off for the holidays.

Part II of Nevis the adventure will pick up here.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Good day!