Nevis, the rest of the story

My trimester is quite a bit different this term. I have all afternoon and evening classes and no Saturday. At least Friday can return to a big ol' TGIF! I picked up a nite class at SW Tennessee Com. College on Mon-Wed, so I will be missing Lost and Two 1/2 Men, shows I enjoy watching most of the time. Oh well, life is a b...

Nevis wasn't all bad. Once I settled in to the house, got transportation under me and learned where best to shop for groceries, beer, rum, vodka etc, I felt much better. Still, the heat, bugs and homesickness never went away and I always had this level of underlying discomfort there. Once I made it to my AC'd office and the Web, I got the most comfortable I could there. The food in the MUA cafe was decent enough and I could afford to eat lunch most days... Particularly Pizza Friday! My classes were good and I was learning to use powerpoint as I went, which turned out to be a huge asset in my current position. I rely on it tremendously to deliver my message. I recall the first time I drove the samurai from Sylvia's to Charlestown... it was dark and raining and I had never driven from the wrong side of a vehicle on the wrong side of the road before! I was a nervous wreck, but I didn't wreck or hit a chicken, goat, cow, monkey or person, so I felt great when I finally got to my room! A few mornings after that, I actually PASSED A CAR on Nevis on one of the 2 or 3 places that I know of long enough and straight enough to pass a car there! Driving on Nevis is an experience... the buses (vans) driven like Indy cars by the young Nevisians... the herds of goats or the lone goat apt to cut out into the road... the potholes to avoid... the drainage ditches across the roads for rain runoff from Mt. Nevis! WOW, I forgot to slow for one of those early on and my head hit the roof of the jeep and I thought the jeep was going to fall apart! Didn't do that anymore. I finally got comfortable enough on the roads and learned to watch out for the buses on curves. I actually found a few side roads to explore and saw some huge monkeys on one of my sojourns up Mt Nevis. I went around the island a couple times just to be going somewhere. Oh yeah, the little bars beside the roads to get CARIBs! Found some of my favorites and always kept 5 or 6 EC in my pocket to quench my thirst. Apparently, even though roads are curvy, narrow and bumpy, it isn't illegal to drink and drive on Nevis! Yeah! Maybe the best thing about he whole island! I learned what kinds of the locals juices worked best with Rum and Vodka, but when I could, I splurged and got a 2 liter diet Pepsi or Coke for 8.95 EC to go with my rum or a 6.95 bottle of diet cran-apple to go with my Vodka! I thought that with all the sweating I did and walking most afternoons I should lose weight, but I guess the high carb diet, with a lot of bread, made me gain weight! Oh yeah, my first couple weeks there I developed a gouty big toe and could hardly walk for several days. It was cool begin able to teach class in shorts, sandal's and a T shirt! I managed to get to the beach a few times, but the sand was too damned hot. The water was absolutely beautifully there, so clear and clean, so once I made it into the ocean, all was good. I used to like laying out to work on my tan, but it was so hot during my time there that I gave it up. I understand now that I was on Nevis during the hottest time and that winter time in the US is the best weather on Nevis. Overall, I am glad I had the experience of MUA and Nevis. I had time to reflect on me and what I really wanted out of life. I had time to eradicate some evil spirits that had taken me over during my early to mid 40's and I finally understood the importance of God, family and friends in my life. So, many ways, Nevis was a good and much needed experience for me. The time at MUA looked good on my CV and mostly likely was an influence in me getting a professorship at a college of health sciences. The isolation and the need to turn to others for help made me better understand myself and the importance of my family. I now know that God lead me to Nevis for a reason. My career is back on solid ground. My wife and I are building a stronger marriage and my daughter is much happier here in Memphis. The lone downsides are the loss of my mother and the distance I am away from my Son, who is turning into a wonderful, intelligent young man now.

I thought I would wrap up today, but I think one more episode is needed for me to describe my last days on Nevis and my trip home.

Good day